Comeaux Collection

Dr. Tommy Comeaux collected some of the most beautiful and valuable instruments ever created"¬?¬"exquisite guitars inlaid with shimmering abalone and mother-of-pearl; mandolins sculpted from highly figured, exotic hardwoods; and fretted instruments painstakingly crafted by late, legendary artisans like Orville Gibson, Lloyd Loar, John D'Angelico, and James D'Aquisto. The Lafayette, Louisiana, pathologist toured the world playing mandolin, dobro, and electric bass in the Grammy-winning, progressive Cajun group BeauSoleil. He'd been collecting instruments for 20 years when he was killed while riding his bicycle in 1997. In this beautiful, full-color, deluxe volume, Comeaux Collection presents 126 instruments photographed in meticulous detail by Jim France with descriptions by author and accomplished musician David R. Hussong. In addition to the historic acoustics, in these pages you will find Gibson guitars and mandolin-family instruments. There are archtop guitars from the big band era, steel-bodied Hawaiian guitars of the 1920s and '30s; Fender and Gibson solid-body electrics from the 1950s and '60s. Serving as a tribute and celebration of Comeaux, this volume weaves in loving tales of memorable musical moments shared both at home and on the road by interconnected friends, including Jerry Douglas, Sonny Landreth, Michael Doucet, Eric Johnson, and Tim O'Brien.