5 comments about Introduction to Guitar Tone and Effects: A Manual for Getting the Sounds from Electric Guitars, Amplifiers, Effects Pedals and Processors.

1. I got some very good ideas to improve the use of my effects. Explains good stuff.



2. First, an introduction to myself; I took some folk/classic guitar lessens around the age of 13. In high school, I learned the electric bass, but was not involved with any bands or musicians outside of school. After graduation, I rarely played either instrument until about a year ago. Now, I've renewed my interest in guitar and bass and I've been trying to educate myself more about guitars, amps, and effects--things I never really learned about in my younger days. Before purchasing this book, I started by brushing the dust off and reading my old copy of The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer (A "must have" book)--a book I partially read in my youth, bought and read Guitar Effects Pedals: The Practical Handbook by Dave Hunter (Read this before you buy any effects pedals!), read a library copy of The Stompbox by Art Thompson (History of pedals with many photos), bought and read Getting Great Guitar Sounds 2nd ed. by Michael Ross (A fine book about tone).
   
   I read this book as if I had not read anything else prior. The positives going for this book are that it is well organized and follows a logical progression starting with the guitar itself then amplifiers then effects and so on. The last four chapters, Building a Pedalboard, Multi-Effects Processors, Amplifier and Effect Modeling, Getting a Good Tone through Your PC, Stylistic Guitar Tones, and Famous Effected Guitarists are topics usually not discussed in the other books that I have read. The appendix titled Effected Guitar Music contains a list of effects with a selection of songs along with the artist that demonstrate the effect, something that I wish other books would do. The CD that comes with the book lets the reader hear an example of each effect from the effects chapters 3-12 and also samples from chapters 13-17. I think this book would be good for absolute beginners, but even I picked up a few new things.
   
   The negatives: While this book is meant to be in the genre of an introduction and at 60 pages, is clearly not meant to be a handbook nor encyclopedia, it just barely passes as an introduction due to its very short descriptions and definitions. After reading chapters 13-17, I came away with more knowledge than before, but now wanting more information with no direction on where to go from here. The information you get from this book is analogous to going to a party and getting introduced to several new people then leaving the party coming away with knowing only their names and how they said the word hello. Getting Great Guitar Sounds 2nd ed. by Michael Ross, has 77 pages and does a better job covering most of the material that is presented in Introduction to Guitar Tone & Effects chapters 1-12. The CD contains approximately 13 min of examples. Though not expecting a fully loaded CD, I was expecting maybe 20-30 min of samples. One or two strums on the guitar to demonstrate an effect seems deficient given that effects produce different sounds whether you are strumming chords or playing arpeggios. The examples from the Style chapter were also short and limited. (Note: Getting Great Guitar Sounds does not come with a CD.) Finally, the back cover touts over 74 photos but almost all of them are either out of focus or are some fuzzy computerized representation.
   
   Overal, If you start out knowing nothing about tone and effects, you will have gained some basic understanding by reading this book but you will have little practical knowledge. For more experienced players, I think this book could easily go from "pass on" to "must have" with a little rewriting, clearer photos, and more and better examples on the CD, while still keeping the number of pages between 60-80.



3. The information was very helpful in setting up my pedal board. The CD with the audio of all the pedals was really helpful in shopping for new sounds. The diagram for the suggested setup was helpful also.



4. this book is a nice introduction to effects pedals and their use for the guitar enthusiast who doesn't know the difference between a fuzz tone and a compression pedal.



5. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is worth, but contains only small amount of information. You may find the entire contents in the book could be written as a couple of chapters. However, the CD was absolutely useful.

5 comments about 50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul: Half a Century of the Greatest Electric Guitars.

1. I've always found it fascinating that the one man who did so much for rock and roll guitar isn't a rock and roller himself. But who cares if Les Paul is a jazz or country artist? He inspired a fantastic instrument, and this is a wonderful guide to those greatest electric guitars. Highly recommended.



2. After reading Tom Wheeler's incredible 50th anniv of the Fender Strat book, I wanted to complement it with a similar book about the Les Paul. This book wasn't it. Perhaps it's because the Les Paul (guitar) story isn't quite as riveting as the Fender story, and that's not meant as a swipe. The Fender story is about Leo Fender and a few others building an empire. The Les Paul story, however, is more "corporate". There's less personal drama.
   
   Tony Bacon does a decent job with the facts at hand, but I'm done reading the book, and I'm left wanting more. It's not a bad book, it will remain in my music book library. But I'm on the hunt for more info on the Les Paul's history.



3. A great book on Gibsons and also for references.



4. Gibson Electrics - The Classic YearsGibson Guitars: 100 Years of an American Icon



5. Very informative and extremely well illustrated. I now feel like an authority on the LP.

5 comments about Building Electric Guitars: How to Make Solid-Body, Hollow-Body and Semi-Acoustic Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars.

1. Wow, there is a lot of info packed into this book. I agree with most of the other reviewers in that the appearance could be improved. Photos aren't as good as they need to be, but Mr. Koch does a great job of explaining things and the written content is excellent. The only other weak spot, for me, was not enough wiring info for the semi-acoustic version, which is what I intend to build. However, Mr. Koch is accessible and he graciously answered my questions. I'm well pleased with this book.
   
   Ron



2. My copy is dated 2001, 2nd ed. The photos are small and look like what you get when you print on a 300dpi laser printer. Most of the time you can see what you need to see, but in some more detail-oriented photos the definition is totally insufficient.
   
   A bigger problem for me is the poor editing. The book is translated from German to English, and the translation is mostly fine. But there are many mechanical errors in the book's production. For example: paragraphs printed twice, references in the text to photos or figures that don't exist or are misnumbered, text columns that cut off an entire passage so that you don't know how it ends, etc.
   
   The book's strength is that its content is comprehensive. Martin goes into far more detail about guitar electronics than most "build your own guitar" books. He even gives a brief tutorial on winding your own pickups. He also gives a tutorial on building semi-hollows, which is a subject that most authors ignore. However, in general I think that it would have been better to cover fewer subjects in more detail.
   
   For someone intending to build a solid-body electric guitar, I would recommend Melvyn Hiscock's book as your first buy, with this Koch book in second place. If you can afford it, buy both books, and also Dan Erlewine's repair book. If you're serious, you really need all three. I would also note that most of the material in this book is freely available on the net's various luthier's forums, and in more detail. However, it can be hard to track down the piece of info you need on the net, and so books are convenient. Koch might not tell you everything you need to know about winding a pickup or building a semihollow, but he gives you enough information so that you can assess whether it's worth your while to seek out more, or whether you don't really want to tackle that project anyway.



3. I purchased this book to aide me in my quest to produce a solid body electric ukulele. I'm having some difficulty understanding the electronics but every other part is easy to understand.



4. Book arrived in excellent condition within the time frame stated. My son was very excited and is working on building his first guitar.



5. I recently purchased this book and I'm impressed at the breadth of information meticulously presented within this book, including how to make your own pickups and how to prepare your wood if you happen to be gung ho enough to saw your own lumber.
   
   I'm not exactly sure how a few others drew the conclusion that this book was poorly organized since my copy seems to be organized clearly enough, unless they have earlier printings. The illustrations and images in my copy seem to be clear enough too as I suspect the author has applied a great deal of effort to tweak later printings to improve his book.
   
   The only downside is that one needs a bit of patience when reading, since Koch is so detailed. This book isn't exactly "Guitar Building for Dummies." On the other hand, patience can be a life and limb saver when operating sharp power tools--so think of his book as a lesson in Zen as well as in lutherie.

5 comments about Build Your Own Electric Guitar: Complete Instructions and Full-Size Plans.

1. If you dream of building your own guitar someday, Martin Oakham's BUILD YOUR OWN ELECTRIC GUITAR: COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS AND FULL-SIZE PLANS is for you, covering everything from hardware, tools and wood selection to techniques for all phases. Oakham has spent over twenty years hand-making guitars for customers around the world, so his instructions are tried, tested and authoritative, covering all the procedures and possible problems along the way.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. This is the best electric guitar builder's guide that I have ever seen, especially for new builders like me. Very good colour photos.



3. I purchased three recommended books on electric solid body guitar construction. Hiscock's book is more complete and informative but this one came in 2nd. If I wanted to build the guitar described in this book, it gets the job done. It's less complete if you have another design concept in mind.



4. Top rated helping constuction manual and guide, very good colour photos,nice presentation overall and just about 1/6th of a page about guitar finishing (painting e.t.c.).
   Why, why, why?



5. I used this to build my first electric and it made it SO easy! I will never play a production guitar again!

5 comments about The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy: 1915-1963.

1. This is the definitive must have book for any Les Paul fan. Thoughtfully written and well researched, this book has it all. Information about the man, the history and the guitars. Tons of photos, facts, trivia and details. Do not pass this one by! Great job Robb!!!



2. A long awaited insightful look into the legend and his famous axe. I have several books on vintage guitars, as well as ones specifically on the Les Paul. This one is my favorite. I think this is a great book full of tons of facts and an enourmous amount of eye candy. This is the type of book I keep around close and look at again and again.
   A great job done, and I cannot wait for part two!!



3. Anything written on the grand master of the guitar is worth reading. This book has plenty of pictures and interesting history on Les. I'd recommend it if your a fan of Les Paul or of the guitar that bears his name.



4. I really wish it were possible to review products at Amazon without assigning a rating, because pinning a number of stars on The Early Years of the Les Paul Legacy: 1915-1963 is no easy task.
   
   It must be said right off the bat that the book is a veritable treasure trove for fans of Les Paul and the famous solidbody guitar that bears his name. The images alone are worth the price of admission, and the author brings a unique perspective to the book that's deeply appreciated. The book is extremely well-written; there's no denying it.
   
   Unfortunately, though, it's extremely poorly edited. I searched for an editor to blame -- it's hard to fault Robb Lawrence, because even the best of writers need an editor -- but I could find no such credit. As a result, newer fans will often find themselves lost in the course of reading the text. Sometimes lesser-known information is presented matter-of-factly on one page, only to be explained sufficiently four pages (or two chapters) later, as if it were being introduced for the first time. It's as if Lawrence wrote the book in chronological order, then someone else cut-and-pasted paragraphs into chapters by subject, without ever going back to tidy up the text.
   
   Honestly, though, that's the only blemish on an otherwise brilliant and one-of-a-kind book. None of the other texts on Les or the Les Paul model guitar come close. The layouts are unparalleled, the images are simply breathtaking, and the personal anecdotes are priceless.
   
   Seriously, though, Robb? If you're reading this, please find an editor before releasing the second volume! The quality of work you're putting into this project deserves that last 5% of polish.



5. This is an excellent book with lots of interviews with Les Paul and others who were part of the development of the Les Paul guitar through the early years. The photography is excellent with photos of significant Les Paul guitars. It is a beautiful book with lots of inside scoop for the Les Paul aficionado.

5 comments about Metal Lead Guitar/Book and Cd (Vol. 1).

1. The Troy Stetina series is definitely the best instruction books series you can find today. It is well-explained, you get great exercises and songs to play and you gradually feel your skills increasing. Highly recommended.



2. I have no idea about playing guitar. I bought this book as a gift for my nephew. He wanted me to order especially this (well known) book and said that it is very useful. Now he is very happy and he uses it a lot.



3. Great book to become an intermediate lead guitar player. It starts from the very beginning and covers scales (Minor pentatonic, blues, minor natural and dorian), speed exercises, intermediate techniques (natural harmonics, vibrato bar, tapping), timing up to sixteenth note triplets, basic theory and introduction to improvisation. It has good explanations, 171 exercises and 6 songs with full backing band to solo over that make you enjoy as you learn. Exercises and songs are demonstrated on the included CD.
   It uses TAB with standard rhythm notation to make learning easier.
   This book will be hard for absolute beginners because, although basic techniques (hammer-on & pull-off, bending, finger vibrato, palm muting, artificial harmonics) are explained clearly, the book includes only a few exercises for every basic technique and focuses on more advanced matters. They'd better start with a basic book as Metal Lead Guitar Primer to learn the basics.
   Remember Troy Stetina is acclaimed as one of the best instructors world wide.



4. I bought this for my 14yo, along with Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar. They must be good because he leaves them all over the house after he's used them. They keep moving around, so he must be using them.



5. This is a great book. It walks you step by step through learning to play lead. I am doing thing I never thought I would be able to do on a guitar.

5 comments about Guitar Electronics Understanding Wiring and Diagrams: Learn step by step how to completely wire your electric guitar.

1. This guide is very helpful and easy to use. It has pics and illustrations to help give some understanding to the task at hand, as well as a lot of useful information on how to get it done. I found it helpful after 5 minutes of reading time. Anyone who is looking to undertake the task of rewiring a guitar or just to learn a bit more about how it works, should read this!



2. Here is a book...finally...that covers many, many, types of guitars, and more importantly, different kindf of switches. If anyone has worked on wiring a guitar from a stock diagram, the switches and pots always look different, this book takes this into account and offers varying diagrams for many different switches and pots. THANKS!



3. This book is invaluable if you want to understand the "Voodoo" that is Guitar Electronics, this is the only Book that covers everything, from soldering iron skills, diagram reading, equipment choice, how to work safely on vintage equipment, and even the how to work on the new electronic "mod" pots/switches, skills that can make any guitar project super simple and save you a bunch of Time and Cash..!!!!
   This Book has a section for the top Guitar model, a section for every electronic part in those models, filled with great pictures and info, to make you a pro.
   The great benefit of an E-Book, is you can print the pages you need for the project on hand, if you've ever tried to work with a 'Book" in a workshop trying to keep it open to the right page, trying not to ruin your book, trying to turn the page with a pick-up in one hand and a hot Iron in the other.... well let me just say its no fun!!
   This is a must have Book for anyone, if you're just starting to work on your own guitar, or if you're a pro Luther...



4. My wife bought this book for me as a surprise gift. I've been doing some minor repairs and setup on a few of my axes for a while and she thought this book might help. She was right. A wealth of information for novices who wants to do more of their own basic wiring, repair, and hot rodding. The illustrations and step by step instructions are detailed enough for anyone willing to give wiring a go. All aspects of wiring and a great introduction to basic soldering should get you started and on your way to proficiency in no time.



5. This is a fabulous book. I have been building and customizing electric guitars for years and I got my money's worth in the first 20-30 pages of this book. It really expanded my understanding of different wiring and switch configurations as well as the use of capacitors to adjust the tone. Futhermore, I have much better understanding of how all the parts come together to create various sounds from vintage to modern, bell-like to growl. This book is overflowing with useful diagrams and photos as well. If you build, or customize guitars, this is an invaluable resource.

5 comments about How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!: The Electric Guitar Owner's Manual (Guitar Player Book).

1. Dan is the granddaddy of electric guitar repair. If you want to understand guitar work, buy this book. If you are happy playing an out of tune guitar, or don't want your guitar to play and sound its best, then don't buy this book.



2. Dan Erlewine's book is fantastic. The detailed factory spec setups and the setups of the pro's alone, is worth the price of admission. Dan shows how to inspect a guitar before you buy (where was this book 20 years ago, Dan??), and how to properly clean, set-up and maintain your guitar.
   
   This is a book specifically for ELECTRIC guitars, the adjustments for various bridges, nuts, tremolo systems,and intonation are thoroughly explained with lots of photos. He also shows how to use or make simple, home-made or hardware store tools.
   
   There is an excellent section on tuning and intonation every guitar player should know! The Buzz Feiten Tuning System is discussed and there are tons of tips and tricks to get your guitar in tune, and to help it stay in tune.
   
   Dan's writing style is very easy to understand. And his use of graphics, both line art illustrations and photo documentation, help the reader get a clear, real-world sense of the subject matter.
   
   This is truly the manual your guitar should have come with.
   I consider this book, along with the Guitar Player Repair Guide, to be essential to any electric guitar owner, and absolutely required for anyone in the guitar repair business.



3. That's the reaction I have almost every time I use this book. I do agree with some of the other reviewers that this may not be the best book for the rote beginner. But if you have a bit of guitar playing and fixing experience, this is THE book that will get your prized guitars playing perfectly. Erlewine has a giant workshop full of tools, but most of us don't need anything more than some basic tools, patience and the confidence to do things like adjust the relief on a strat or tele neck and swap out stock pickups for better ones. His book gives you the confidence to do it.



4. I was about 5- to 7-years-old when I watched Dan Erlewine and his band, The Prime Movers, rehearse in my basement and across the street in my neighbors' living room. Then, in 1969 at age 8, I started playing guitar and haven't stopped. Finally in April 2008, I bought Dan's books, "Guitar Player Repair Guide" and "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great." Wish I'd had this information 30 years ago.
   
   Brilliant.



5. In all due respect to the reviewer about terminology. One only needs to type in the word on a Google search to find the answer. Thus, lower bout is the extended part below the waist of the guitar. The upper bout being the body part closest to the neck or fretboard.

5 comments about Make Your Own Electric Guitar.

1. Fed up with my local musical instrument retailers, I set out to build my very own guitar armed with this book: Make Your Own Electric Guitar by Melvyn Hiscock. I have to say I learned A LOT from this book, it's got a lot of very detailed information. However as an absolute beginner to this art who has a lot of questions, I can say it has some shortcomings.
   
   For one, as another reviewer mentioned, there are way too may pages spent babbling on about the history of the electric guitar. This would all be fine and good, BUT it is mixed in with the instructional text, so there's no way to skip over it or read around it. It's not like you can just skim until you find what you need because when building a guitar, missing the slightest detail can leave you completely screwed. You actually have to read it all to get the details you need, and it isn't always interesting or relevant. The history content should have been separated from the instructional text, the net result is a book that is not very clear or concise.
   
   Secondly, I hope you're a fan of Fender and/or Gibson, because the entire book is centered around them. You'll learn the history of these two brands from the very first one built onwards. Also all the specs for the building are based on those of Fender and Gibson. I don't mind this, as I am a fan of both, but this book does not give an answer-all formula for any style guitar, if such a thing exists.
   
   Melvyn describes the craft in a very great amount of detail and he is very honest, but to me the book was more discouraging than anything. Perhaps I could save you some time right now before you even buy this:
   
   -To build a guitar you need some ABOVE AVERAGE woodworking skills. If you just woodwork in your spare time or you never have, do not even attempt this.
   -You need a lot of tools that I can almost gaurantee you don't have in readily available to you.
   -Building your own guitar wil NOT save you money. You will most likely end up spending more money than you would on a brand new guitar.
   
   Those are just a few of the many things you should be aware of perhaps even prior to purchasing this book. Hope this was helpful, thanks for reading!



2. This book does have useful information and reference, but is not the 'Fantastic', 'Electric guitar bible', that it has been touted to be here and on luthier sites.
   Book is organized logically, but it doesn't exactly flow, and even though some bits are humorous it doesn't make up for drab writing. Melvin is a great builder and does make nice guitars.
   
   The book probably is worth the money for the first time builder, but not for someone who has built one or two already.



3. I am a hobby builder and, like many, I suppose, had made some beginner mistakes and was unsure of some proper techniques. This book is excellent whether you are building a guitar from scratch and making every part by hand, or using some ready made parts (perhaps neck and body) then assembling and setting up an instrument yourself. The wiring section is particularly helpful, both for builders and repair people. The book is written in a self effacing, witty British style. Lots of good photographs and diagrams are included as well.



4. This is quite an informative book for a beginner electric guitar or other electric instrument maker. There are three chapters which follow the course of making two guitars and a bass, and different neck/ body constructions are covered pretty well through these instructional examples. Different techniques for different applications are examined. I think the structure could be more logical and progressive for this book, but it's not a major detraction. I think that there could be a more fundamental analysis of constructing a guitar rather than basing the work on traditional and contemporary practices. In this way guitar makers could come up with there own ideas and approaches, but overall it's a good book in a subject area that seems pretty scant for want of information. Also sometimes the author is a little misleading for the sake of telling a joke, for instance about 'bashing in' frets. It could be edited better.



5. Excellent book for building and electric guitar. The instructions are wonderfully clear. There is also loads of general guitar information you'll pick up as you read through it.
   
   Worth reading for any guitar enthusiast whether you or not you are considering building one yourself.

5 comments about The Fender Stratocaster Handbook: How To Buy, Maintain, Set Up, Troubleshoot, and Modify Your Strat.

1. If you are looking for a book that takes you under the hood of a Stratocaster this is the book for you. It describes in great detail just how one is put together as well as offer insights that are really useful if you are thinking about buying a new one or repairing an older model. An excellent book and great reading.



2. The book is very interesting and full of great pictures to clarify what is being said. It is excellent to see all that good information in one book.



3. This book has a lot of good things, stories about players, beautiful pictures of strats, tech data and in general good manteinance advise for your axe!!
   But.. it is redondant in so many aspects, for ex., when the author analyze different kinds of Strats(MIM, Japanesse, Korean etc.) it is obvious he did copy- pasted most of the paragraphs and at some point you stop and wonder, Am I reading the same thing once again, why?



4. Bought a Squire strat. It had rough unfinished frets, loose whammy, misc rough spots and I had new pickups to put in. I bought this book and did all the work myself- the first guitar work I ever did. It was easy because he gave the specs in various places and explained how things worked. I smoothed the frets, evened the neck, tuned the bridge and put Seymour Duncans in from another strat I had, Adjusted and st the wang bar and now it smokes better than any other strat Ive had. Saved me an extra 250 - 700$ buying a Mex strat, or an american standard. If nothing else- this will teach a newbie like myself how to tear a strat apart and put it back together again making improvements along the way. A good investment.



5. An excellent primer for background information and maintenance of the beloved Stratocaster. Many setup tips from experts as well. If you get only one Strat book, get this!