The biography of a rock star might tell stories of scandal and excess, but a book about that star’s guitar reveals a different kind of truth. Photographer and author Lisa S. Johnson spent over seventeen years documenting instruments belonging to some of the most revered guitarists of all time. Johnson uses unusually low depth-of-field photography to show how the particular wear and tear of a guitar reflects an artist’s personality. The images highlight the idiosyncratic modifications with which gifted players have made their instrument their own. SMOG Design created the 396-page book to be a tactile experience, with a debossed and foil stamped leatherette cover, vellum overleafs, 6-color printing, gilded edges and a custom holographic guitar pick.