Marr's Guitars

by Johnny Marr

A stunning photographic presentation of the guitars that defined the distinctive sounds and style of Johnny Marr with personal reflections and insights from the legendary guitarist himself. “Guitars have been the obsession of my life . . . they’ve been a mission and sometimes a lifeline.”—Johnny Marr The guitarist’s guitarist, Johnny Marr redefined music for a generation. His ringing arpeggios and chordal innovations helped elevate The Smiths to be one of the most influential and important British bands of all time. Tracing Marr’s career from his teenage years to his recent work on the Bond soundtrack,  Marr’s Guitars  showcases the most significant of Marr’s superb collection of electric and acoustic guitars, revealing through them the evolution of his iconic sound and style of playing. Each guitar is identified with a crucial moment, a specific song, or a particular sound, and each embodies a key aspect of Marr’s lifelong passion. Renowned photographer Pat Graham presents each instrument as a full portrait, supported by micro shots highlighting the specific details that make each one unique, while Johnny Marr himself reveals in his accompanying commentary on what tracks and at which shows the guitars were played. Many of the guitars are closely associated with Marr, such as the Rickenbacker 330, the Gibson ES-355 and the Johnny Marr Signature Fender Jaguar. Some were passed down to him, including Nile Rodgers’ Stratocaster, Bryan Ferry’s Roxy Music Hagstrom and Bert Jansch’s Yamaha. Others are guitars once owned by Marr that have since been passed on to the next generation of guitar heroes, including the Stratocaster used by Noel Gallagher on “Wonderwall” and the Gibson Les Paul Goldtop used on In Rainbows by Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien. Punctuating the photography of the guitars and the accompanying commentary are contextual studio, backstage, and onstage shots. Together, they make Marr’s Guitars a unique cultural history of modern music and guitar playing told through the prism of Johnny Marr’s experiences and achievements.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2023

About the author

Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher on 31 October 1963 in Ardwick, Manchester) is an English guitarist, keyboardist, harmonica player, and singer. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, where he formed an influential songwriting partnership with Morrissey. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and has been a member of Modest Mouse since 2006. In 2008, he joined The Cribs after touring with them on 2008's NME Awards Tour. Marr is widely regarded as being amongst the most skilled and influential rock guitarists of the 1980s.

Reviews

[Colin Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guitar porn at it’s finest.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re into guitars then this is simply a must-read. I knew Marr had played in many bands/featured on countless tracks over the years but I had no idea just how many iconic songs were born from him lending his guitars to different artists. Marr was already one of my favourite guitarists but hearing about his kindness and generosity when it came to giving starting artists a leg up (such as lending Noel Gallagher several guitars when he couldn’t afford them) has just made me admire him even more. Definitely recommend for guitar lovers.

[Curmudgeon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice photos, and fun to see the more iconic guitars from his collection, as well as the more unusual ones (A guitar with nine pickups?) . The text is a bit lacking; Johnny isn't the most engaging storyteller. Also, while it's nice to read the stories behind individual guitars, some of them don't include any additional info besides the models and serial numbers.

[Lucy Simons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully presented book with so many interesting anecdotes and amazing photography. Really enjoyed it despite not being a ‘guitar person’

[John George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great photos of great guitars. Eye candy if you love guitars.

[Mark Vrabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over 200 pages of Fender (including his signature Johnny Marr Jaguar: https://www.fender.com/en-US/electric...), Gibson, Gretsch, Les Paul, Martin, Rickenbacker, Yamaha, and other guitars, all in various colors and models, with accompanying notes and stories, including the well-known tale of gifting one to Noel Gallagher. Marr’s collection is impressive, but even more impressive is his generosity in having given away so many of them to other musicians over the years. Some found their way back to him years later.

There is a three-part interview chronicling his childhood through all his band stints that brought back a lot of musical memories for me. I was familiar with most of it but didn’t know he played on Billie Eilish’s No Time to Die which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2022. Nor do I remember the band 7 Worlds Collide with Marr, Eddie Vedder, and others.

I often wonder about the future of the guitar in pop songs, or instrumentation in general alongside the preponderance of AI-generated music. Reading the following at the end of his interview reminded me of something I read in the NYT a few years ago about Taylor Swift and the pandemic causing a large increase in guitar sales – it might have been this – and Marr’s closing sentence made me smile:

“As far back as 1983, I was being asked the question, ‘Is guitar music over?’ In those early days, it was ‘Are you railing against synth and electronic music?’ And then again in 1987-88, it was all, ‘Do you think dance music has killed off the guitar?’ I still get asked that question; I probably always will. I just say, ‘You’re talking to the wrong person.’”

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sumptuous document of an astonishing collection of guitars but as a book it's a bit of a waste of money for me, and I'm not really sure why I bought it. I mean, you've seen one picture of a '58 Les Paul 'burst, you've seen 'em all, right? I'm not going to get to actually play any of these; I might play something similar and then I'll be interested in that. And I'm not sure what motivated Marr to make the book, as he doesn't come across as the type to just do it for the money. Still, nice to get a glimpse into another world!

[Tom Choi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of stunning photos of beautiful guitars from Johnny's collection of 132 guitar, and some great anecdotes and background stories. Basically, Johnny has great taste and fortune in guitars, and even greater fortune in having the kind of generous and notable friends who bequeath him more amazing guitars (and he, in turn, shares with friends). With cameos by Noel Gallagher and Ed O'Brien of Radiohead.

[Anthony Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A coffee table book - but a really good one. Great photos that show the beauty of the guitars but also the "industrial" bits of them. Interesting to hear which guitars featured on his - and others' - hits. I now really want one of his signature Fender Jaguars but it would be like a 26 handicap golfer buying Ping clubs so maybe not.

[sophie 🐇୭ৎ ࣪ ׅ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i absolutely love this but maybe i’m biased because he’s my favourite guitarist

i loved how there was a background of each one of his guitars and the sentimental value they have for him it’s so sweet

and i loved the interviews !!!

[Erlend Bergsagel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.
Great photos. Love the stories.
Sometime he references famous photos with himself and a guitar. I understand that there are copyrights and so on, but sometimes it would have been great to see the photo.
But just excellent

[Andrew Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a guitar nut this book is for you

[Adam Lippman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book, which has made me want to buy more guitars!

[Geoff Winston Leghorn Balme · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book dedicated to the love of the instrument. Sure to please guitar aficionados as well as Marr fans.
My only question is why no British guitars or amps?

🤷‍♂️😉

[Phil Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sublime

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous book with beautiful, beautiful guitars (and insightful interviews and backstory by JM).

[Keith Astbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

So may beautiful photo's and some great snippets from Marr himself. It was hard to put down - despite it's weight! x

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legend.

[Sarah Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully assembled coffee-table-style book replete with beautiful images of the guitars admired, used and preferred by Johnny Marr. One for fans of Marr and/or guitars.

[Davide Genco · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you asked me which musician I’d wish to reincarnate into, I would definitely answer Johnny Fuckin’ Marr.

[Nicola Southall-Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book

[Callum Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

The guitar god himself shows us his creation

[meech · Rating 4 out of 5]

he is such an icon. he has some guitars that are to die for…

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will cherish this book forever.

[BLU3M0NDAY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really nicely written the interviews are really interesting as well and the photography is top notch,it’s a bit pricey but would recommend for a hardcore smiths or jomarr fan :)

[Iain Cargill · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kind of porn...great stories of Modest Mouse

[Angela(Angie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a charming man!

[David Peat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully pictured with tremendous anecdotes- not only for Smiths and Marr fans ( which I am) . Exquisite.

[Koen De Maesschalck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gitaarporno. Prachtige foto's en mooie verhalen gekoppeld aan een reeks instrumenten die het aangezicht van de muziek in de jaren 80 en 90 hebben bepaald.