If Guitars Could Talk

A recollection of memories and stories written by guitar maker Yuriy Shishkov. After his risky departure from the Soviet Union to the USA in 1990, he began working for major guitar companies ultimately becoming a Principal Master Builder at Fender Custom Shop creating the most valuable guitars on the market. Today many of his instruments finding their place in the hands of famous artists, celebrities, and guitar collectors. The road to it though was mostly hard and often unbelievable and it all began in the country where dreams had little chance to become a reality. This book explains the beginning of Yuriy's guitar making career in the USSR. It it is also telling the story about bizarre and harsh realities of Soviet life at the time of the Cold War, spanning from the year of 1964 until 1990 - the forthcoming end of the Soviet empire. Readers will go with the author on the search for music that was banned by the totalitarian State. They will also read many other stories about life in the USSR either its a household dilemmas, KGB tracking or Chernobyl disaster. Aside from the up-close and personal life story, this autobiography includes rare photos depicting a wide spectrum of his craftsmanship work from the USSR.