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The Devil Is in It: A History of the American Acoustic Guitar
The rich history of the acoustic guitar and its impact on the music world.
In 2020, guitar expert John Stubbings released a limited-edition book on the American acoustic guitar that sold out in days. Now, The Devil Is in It returns with additional research and subject matter for a new generation of readers. Stubbings traveled the country and met with guitar makers, players, collectors, and historians to unravel the long and rich history of the acoustic guitar, its evolution, and the music it has made over the last hundred years.
Starting with the eighteenth-century European classical guitar, luthiers altered the instrument, changing the way musicians played them, and in turn the music they made. This slow but steady transformation created the iconic American flat-top that became influential across genres and rooted itself in cultural significance. The guitar developed from an obscure instrument into a superstar of the musical world, rivaling then overshadowing its competition. Tied to artists from Gillian Welch and Tracy Chapman to Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, the acoustic guitar maintains its eminence in American music and culture. The story of an alluring instrument that shaped the music of the twentieth century, The Devil Is in It is a must-read for lovers of the acoustic guitar and the music it has made.
In 2020, guitar expert John Stubbings released a limited-edition book on the American acoustic guitar that sold out in days. Now, The Devil Is in It returns with additional research and subject matter for a new generation of readers. Stubbings traveled the country and met with guitar makers, players, collectors, and historians to unravel the long and rich history of the acoustic guitar, its evolution, and the music it has made over the last hundred years.
Starting with the eighteenth-century European classical guitar, luthiers altered the instrument, changing the way musicians played them, and in turn the music they made. This slow but steady transformation created the iconic American flat-top that became influential across genres and rooted itself in cultural significance. The guitar developed from an obscure instrument into a superstar of the musical world, rivaling then overshadowing its competition. Tied to artists from Gillian Welch and Tracy Chapman to Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, the acoustic guitar maintains its eminence in American music and culture. The story of an alluring instrument that shaped the music of the twentieth century, The Devil Is in It is a must-read for lovers of the acoustic guitar and the music it has made.
424 pages, Hardcover
Published September 16, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 26, 2026
I enjoyed it. It was slow at times, and a bit dry, but also genuinely fascinating. I did find the lack of Grateful Dead a glaring omission.
There’s a running narrative throughout the book about the evolution of American acoustic guitar music: the movement from banjos, fiddles, and mandolins into the guitar; the transition to electric instruments; and the recurring return back to acoustic roots. The popularity of the instrument ebbs and flows with time and society, but it remains a lynchpin of American music.
The Dead story fits seamlessly into that narrative. Jerry Garcia toured the U.S. making field recordings of bluegrass music. Bob Weir met Jerry while Garcia was teaching banjo. The Dead began as Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions, playing traditional music. They went electric and psychedelic, but they never stopped playing traditional songs, country songs, and songs written for and performed on acoustic instruments.
They pushed the envelope on what psychedelic music could be, then returned to acoustic instruments for Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty in 1970. This broader narrative of electrified folkies returning to acoustic roots spans several chapters, and yet there is barely a mention of them. The band played dozens of shows in the 1970s with acoustic first sets, and did the same again in 1980.
Then there are the side projects: Old & In the Way, Jerry’s acoustic shows with John Kahn on bass near the end of his life, and loose sessions like The Pizza Tapes with David Grisman and Tony Rice.
Yeah, I’m a nerd and a Deadhead and should probably touch grass. But the Dead fit the book’s overall theme so perfectly that I was surprised to find them missing.
There’s a running narrative throughout the book about the evolution of American acoustic guitar music: the movement from banjos, fiddles, and mandolins into the guitar; the transition to electric instruments; and the recurring return back to acoustic roots. The popularity of the instrument ebbs and flows with time and society, but it remains a lynchpin of American music.
The Dead story fits seamlessly into that narrative. Jerry Garcia toured the U.S. making field recordings of bluegrass music. Bob Weir met Jerry while Garcia was teaching banjo. The Dead began as Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions, playing traditional music. They went electric and psychedelic, but they never stopped playing traditional songs, country songs, and songs written for and performed on acoustic instruments.
They pushed the envelope on what psychedelic music could be, then returned to acoustic instruments for Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty in 1970. This broader narrative of electrified folkies returning to acoustic roots spans several chapters, and yet there is barely a mention of them. The band played dozens of shows in the 1970s with acoustic first sets, and did the same again in 1980.
Then there are the side projects: Old & In the Way, Jerry’s acoustic shows with John Kahn on bass near the end of his life, and loose sessions like The Pizza Tapes with David Grisman and Tony Rice.
Yeah, I’m a nerd and a Deadhead and should probably touch grass. But the Dead fit the book’s overall theme so perfectly that I was surprised to find them missing.
May 3, 2026
As much music and cultural history as it is about the instrument itself, this book is a fascinating and comprehensive look at the acoustic guitar. The writing is superb, especially since it could have easily been dry or focused on facts at the expense of story. I’m very glad I found this.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews