Customer Reviews

The Guitar Handbook

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a super reference book for all guitarists, new and old. Tons of useful info..covers all aspects of guitar. Highly recommend to all those who are looking for a book that goes from A to Z.

This is probably the best overall book you will find about guitars. It covers quite a bit of material. The details about how a guitar works and how to maintain a guitar are the best I have ever personally read. For example, setting the scale length of a guitar, a very important part of getting a guitar to sound good, is covered in easy to understand terms. It helped me fix some minor tuning issues on my Stratocaster.

This is also an effective book if you are interested in buying a guitar. You will be able to identify problems with most guitars because you will know what to look for. For example, checking for a warped neck. There is a great two page section that gives you the basics about how to look for that kind of defect.

And don't let any of these other reviews convince you that there is not enough theory in here. Granted, if you are brand new to playing or music in general it probably won't make much sense and you will struggle. But if you understand some basic scale and chord structures this book will help you gain a better understanding of how it all works. Odds are that those who do not like the theory in this book either do not like the approach or didn't actually read the entire book.

This book will NOT make you sound like your favorite guitarist. All the great players are great because they practice and the greatest players just have the gift. So do not expect that out of any book or instructor.

Lastly, do not buy the hard cover edition. Get the soft cover/paperback edition. You will want to have this book in front of you when you are working on your guitar or playing it. The only thing that would make this book a 5 star is if you could get it in spiral bound format.

I was given a copy of this book over 20 years ago when I was a teenager. I have yet to find another guitar book that can hold a candle to this one. This book is extremely well thought out with relevant information that makes it a joy to read and learn from. Even a dog-eared copy found at a flea market would still be worth it's weight in gold to a beginning player today. I still find my self rereading it years later. So glad to see it's still in print!

If you're interested in learning about guitars, this book covers a variety of topics, including how to play the guitar, history of the guitar, some early influences, types of guitars, and how they work. Concepts are laid out in an easy-to-read format that gives enough information without including too much detail, so the book never gets boring.

This book has an incredible amount of information, but is more suitable for somebody who already has SOME experience with guitars or is attending a course. The section on learning to play the guitar is packed with information that cannot possibly be followed by a self-teaching beginner. I have spent by now almost one month on 4 pages! If you wish to fully profit from this book, you should also know how to read music notation.

I bought this book seven years ago and still find it valid today. It is the most complete guitar book I have come across yet. Not only does it offer insight to guitar design and players who revolutionized it, it also has sections devoted to playing the guitar and maintainence. If you are a beginner I would really suggest this book. It teaches you how to start off and what to look for in a guitar. As you progress as a guitar player, you will find other "guitar primers" you can buy will eventually collect dust on your shelf because their scope is limited. However, with the Guitar Handbook, it covers a wide range of topics. When I got this book I had no idea what some of the stuff in it meant. Over time as I grew as a guitarist it finally started to come together. Sorry for such a long review but it's a really great book and I really recommend it!

...than this book.

My copy, though tattered, missing it's cover and pretty well trashed, lies in the spot of honor on my bookshelf as the book that gave me more insight and inspired me more than any other. I purchased it used at a pawn shop that I bought one of my first guitars, and even though that guitar is long gone, this book, now over 10 years later is the book I recommend to all MY guitar students.

Well done Ralph!

this is the GUITAR BIBLE! This is the best possible reference in book form that you could get for the guitar! I really loved reading the bios of some of the guitar legends...it got me into Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt. It does present basic THEORY, but the goal of this book isn't to give you a theory course, it's to provide you with as much information about the guitar as possible. It certainly achieves that! Buy this book and you won't be sorry.

A wildly popular and comprehensive resource for beginners and experienced guitarists alike, acoustic or electric. With great full-color photos, this new edition surveys recent guitar models and profiles current masters. It includes an expanded guitar music lesson section, and encompasses 10 years of technological change in recording and amplification. Take a quick breeze through the many reader comments about the book - it's all good here baby! CleverJoe gives it three thumbs up!

If there is one book that truly sums up the daunting task of learning the guitar's every aspect from A-Z, this is it. No stone is left unturned. Every page is overflowing with diagrams and illustrations that are quite precise in their point.

Futhermore, there are no wasted words, and page space for that matter - this book comes close to perfection in it's layout as well as it's rich and diverse content. Everything I can think of is covered: It goes beyond my words to accurately describe the incredible amount of forethought put into this book.

A++++++++++++++