| Contents |
Part I: All about the guitar. The guitar through history. Ancient origins ; The dark and light ages ; The development of the modern classical guitar ; C. F. Martin and the American guitar ; The early years of the steel-string guitar ; Bigger guitars for the 1930s ; The 1940s and 1950s ; The folk boom and beyond ; The nostalgic baby boomer market ; New sounds for a new generation ; Guitars in a world of scarce resources -- It takes all kinds. Folk guitar: the steel-strung solidbody flattop ; The twelve-string guitar ; The classical guitar ; The flamenco guitar ; Baritone guitars ; Bass guitars ; Archtop guitars ; Solidbody and semi-hollowbody electrics ; Hawaiian and other lap-style guitars ; The pedal steel guitar ; Resophonic guitars ; The Maccaferri ("Django") guitar ; Synth guitar ; Harp guitar and other oddities ; Air guitars -- Guitar sound. Tone ; Tone, timbre, and pitch ; Volume ; Presence ; Dynamic range ; Separation ; Balance ; Sustain ; Cutting power ; Voice ; Wraparound and projection ; You ; Ambience ; Facts and impressions -- Wood, finish, and glues. Plywood and solid wood ; Laminates ; Seasoning and milling solid wood ; Milling lumber ; Tonewoods ; Finish ; Glues -- How your guitar works I: where the action is. Action and setup ; Setup ; The neck ; Warped necks ; Joining the neck to the body ; Fingerboard and frets ; Frets ; The nut ; Scale ; Headstock and tuners -- How your guitar works II: body language. The top or soundboard ; Bracing ; The bridge ; The saddle ; Keeping your temper ; Back and sides ; Putting the guitar together -- Suiting yourself. Making a good marriage with your guitar ; The ideal guitar does not exist ; Guitars differ differently ; Suiting your body ; Suiting your eye ; Suiting your style ; Suiting your suitcase: travel guitars ; Suiting your pocketbook -- Strings. String basics ; From catgut to stainless steel ; Picking your strings ; What are strings made of? ; String gauge and tension ; Measuring string gauge ; Typical string gauge and tension ; Making up your own string set ; Strings and setup ; String brands ; Bad vibes, heavy metal fatigue, and other tough breaks in the life of a string ; When to replace strings -- Pickups and amplification. Amplified versus natural sound ; Transducers ; Electro-acoustic guitars ; Amplifiers and sound systems ; Sound processing devices -- Used, vintage, and modern guitars. Looking for Mr. Goodfret ; Owning more than one guitar ; Vintage guitars ; Modern Luthiery: the new-golden age? ; Longevity ; Fine guitars -- At the point of purchase. Dealing with dealers ; Checking out the guitar -- Taking care of your guitar. Around the house ; Temperature and humidity ; Routine cleaning and maintenance ; Cases ; Cracks and breaks -- Part II: Market survey. How to use this section ; How to read guitar sales literature -- Guitar manufacturers. Breedlove guitars ; Collings guitars ; J. W. Gallagher & Son guitars ; Gibson musical instruments ; Godin ; James Goodall guitars ; Guild guitars ; Larrivee (Jean Larrivee Guitars Ltd.) ; LaSiDo (Godin, Seagull, and Simon & Patrick) ; Lowden ; C. F. Martin & Company ; Ovation and Adamas ; Santa Cruz Guitar Company ; Tacoma guitars ; Taylor guitars ; Resophonic guitars manufacturers -- Custom luthiers. Why commission a custom guitar? ; Finding luthiers -- Selected importers, distributors, and manufacturers of student, mid-line, and laminate-body instruments. |
| Abstract |
The helpful advice and information in this book will help you make better friends with your present guitar or help you decide on features to look for in a new one. In these pages you'll learn about the differences in guitar woods (and how they sound), simple guitar maintenance, how to choose an instrument for your style of playing, what to expect from a music dealer, the mystique of collectible guitars, and much more. You'll also learn to sort out a very complicated market--and why many think we're now living in a golden age of guitarmaking. This new edition includes updated information, a vastly expanded section on amplifying acoustic guitars, and a guide to guitar companies' web addresses. Also covered is the history of the guitar, frank buying advice, and a survey of major (and many minor) manufacturers and their models. |
