Edition: Paperback Book & CD Package, Guitar

The Serious Guitarist: Essential Book of Gear is an invaluable source for everything you need to know about guitar equipment.

With tons of photographs and illustrations, real-world explanations on how to achieve signature tones in a variety of genres, helpful tips on gear maintenance, and an in-depth overview of the landmark innovations in guitars and guitar-related technology from the 1930s to the present, this comprehensive book provides all the tools you need to gain a rich understanding of the evolution of electric guitar gear.

Apply this knowledge to your own rig to unlock a signature sound that will set you apart from the crowd.

The included companion CD features demonstrations of the equipment and setups covered in the book.

About the Author
Introduction
Part 1: The History of Guitar Gear
The1930s
The First Electric Guitars
The First Amplifiers
Early 7-String Guitar
Early Talk Box
The 1940s
"The Log" by Les Paul
The Myth of the First Electric Guitar
Leslie Rotating Speaker
Flanging
Leo Fender
The Transistor
The 1950s
Fender Broadcaster
Fender Precision Bass
Gibson Les Paul
Tremolo and Vibrato
The Origins of Fuzz
Tape Echo
Gibson Flying V
The 1960s
Fuzz Boxes
Ring Modulation
Marshall Amps
Marshall JTM 45: Beginning of the Marshall Stack
Compression
Fender in the 1960s
The Wah-Wah
Innovations in the Late 1960s
The 1970s
Mesa/Boogie
Talk Box
Phase Shifter
MXR Phase 90
Other Phasers
Morley
Replacement Guitar Pickups: DiMarzio
Roland
Compressors and Limiters
Ibanez
Innovations in the Late 1970s
The 1980s
Paul Reed Smith
Bradshaw Switching System
Rockman X-100
Floyd Rose Tremolo System
MIDI
Tube Preamp
Tube Power Amp
Eventide H3000
Customizing Marshalls
Double and Quad Guitars
SansAmp
The 1990s
Pro Tools
Matchless
Digitech Whammy Pedal
Parker Fly
Grunge Pedal
Sovtek
Innovations in the Late 1990s
2000 and Beyond
Amp Modeling
Guitar Apps
8- and 9-String Guitars
Guitar-Based Video Games
Look, Ma, No Amp!
Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FX II
Looking Ahead
Part 2: A Close Look at the Electric Guitar
Understanding the Electric Guitar
Strings
Gauge
Types of String Windings
Roundwound
Flatwound
Half Roundwound and Quarter Roundwound
Materials
Ball End
Coated Strings
Pickups
Single-Coil Pickups
Humbucking Pickups
Active Pickups
Handwound Pickups
Electronics
Fender Stratocaster Setup
Gibson Les Paul Setup
Series and Parallel Pickup Wiring
Coil Tapping and Splitting
In and Out of Phase
Kill Switches
Tone Woods
Plywood in Electric Guitars
Wood Setup for Gibson SG Standard
Wood Setup for Paul Reed Smith Custom 24
Wood Setup for Fender Stratocaster
Wood Setup for Carvin Custom 7-String
More About Guitar-Building Materials
The Truss Rod
Fretboard Radius
How Radius Affects Playability and Performance
Compound or Conical Fretboard Radius
Scale Length
Conventional Scale Lengths
Frets
Fret Maintenance
Fret Type and Size
Number of Frets
Neck Profile
Tuning Pegs (Machine Heads)
The Nut
The Locking Nut
The Compensated Nut
The Bridge
The Whammy Bar
How to Live in Peace with Your Double-Locking Trem
Locking Down a Trem (Blocking)
Part 3: The Technical Stuff
The Science of Sound
Vibrations
Amplitude and Types of Waves
Overtones (Harmonics)
Modulation
The Order of Effects
Understanding Guitar Amps
Tube Amps
Solid-State Amps
The Combo Amp
Amp Heads and Stacks
Basic Amp Features
Boutique Amps
Point-to-Point Wiring
How to Chain Amps Together
Understanding Speaker Cabinets
Cabinets
Speaker Cones
Open Back or Closed Back?
Ohmage and Impedance
Tubes
Inside a Vacuum Tube
Preamp Tubes
Power Amp Tubes
Biasing
Rectifiers and Rectifier Tubes
Signal Flow and Level
Flow
Guitar Gear Levels
More About Effects Loops
Noise
Noise Reduction
Noise Is Everywhere
Scrubbing the Noise
Other Ways to Reduce Noise in Your Rig
Physical and Virtual Effects
Cabling
Cable Test
Part 4: Real Rigs and What They Can Do
Real Rigs
Small Rig
Medium Rig
The "Real" Rig
Setups for Different Musical Styles
The Blues Sound
The Country Sound
The Jazz Sound
The 1970s Classic Rock Sound
The Funk Sound
The Heavy Metal Sound
The 1980s Hair Metal Sound
The Djent Sound
Over the Top Madness
Setups of Legendary Players
The Eddie Van Halen Sound
The Jimi Hendrix Sound
The Tom Morello Sound
The Michael Angelo Batio Sound
The Joe Satriani Sound
The Randy Rhoads Sound
The Charlie Christian Sound
Conclusion
Additional Reading