Book – The Martin Taylor Guitar Method

Author – Martin Taylor (with David Mead)

Amazon Link – https://www.amazon.com/Martin-Taylor-Guitar-Method/dp/0786691492/

 

About

The Martin Taylor Guitar Method offers you the chance to study with one of the giants of jazz guitar. Hailed by guitar legend Chet Atkins as “One of the greatest and most impressive guitarists in the world today…” and celebrated by New York’s Jazz Times as “Europe’s finest guitarist,” Martin shares the secrets of his style for the first time in this book.

Learn how Martin creates solo guitar arrangements of jazz standards via a series of progressive studies aimed at introducing guitarists of intermediate level and beyond to the world of arranging and solo performance.

 

What did I like about the book?

First of all, I must say, I`m a big fan of Martin Taylor`s guitar work. As a player he is superb and a joy to listen to. If you like jazz music I definitely recommend you have a listen to his stuff – especially the album, `Double Standards`.

As for his teaching skills, if we judge them by this book alone then he is on the money here too. This is the most exciting and interesting jazz book I have come across.

There is a lot to like in this book. Martin takes you through how to play jazz in a realistic manner. Other books and articles I have read on jazz have tended to be theoretically correct but light on actual real world practical examples.

For example, jazz chords tend to be big and complex and hard to play if you are using the full 6 string voicing. In reality, though, jazz guitarists are changing chords frequently, therefore they don`t have the time to play the big versions but instead play smaller, easier to play versions which sound as good especially if you are not lingering on the chord for some time.

Martin goes through these kinds of real world practical ideas throughout the book.

He also shares some really interesting nuggets of information and anecdotes from his career too which are both fascinating and practical. These include things such as occasionally dropping the low E string all the way down to A, why it can be useful to use upstrums with the thumb and how tuning to 442 rather than 440 gives him a more pleasurable sound.

 

 

Is there an audio cd and is it any good?

There is not an actual audio CD but all the examples are available online. Personally, I`d rather have a CD as well as the option to get them online. The good thing about getting them online is that you can quickly download all the examples to your PC.

 

 

What I don`t like about the book?

In truth, I don`t think there is really anything not to like about the book – unless you don`t like jazz guitar that is.

The only thing that may put a few people off is that the main playthrough song that Martin chose to help you go through many of the techniques is `Danny Boy`. Now, that wouldn`t have been my first choice but after hearing what he did with the melody and harmony, I was converted – it sounds great.

 

Conclusion

Out of all the books I have reviewed so far for the Inner Circle, I think this one is my favourite and the one I have enjoyed the most.

It is fun, exciting and actually does a great job teaching jazz – a subject that is very hard to teach for most.

The material on offer is not easy but if you are keen on jazz or excited by the idea of learning it, then I recommend getting it.

 

Rating

9.5/10

Book – Guitar in the 90`s

Author – Dale Turner

Amazon Link –  https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Explore-Music-Modern-Greatest/dp/0793565030/

About

Guitar in the 90`s is a tab book that teaches you how to play a wide variety of 17 of the biggest songs of the 1990`s from Wonderwall by Oasis to You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette. It is a book I bought many years ago and haven`t looked at for a long time but did use quite a lot back in the day.

 

What I liked about the book?

As you probably know I`m not a huge fan of tab books these days as I much prefer my students to work songs out for themselves. Tab books can be useful though if they get stuck working the parts out and if they just want to learn something new, then browsing through a tab book can be good fun and inspiring.

The trouble with most tab books is that they teach you what the notes are in the song but they don`t give you anything else. Not only does it make the book pretty dry but it actually means you have to do a lot of trial and error experimenting with which fingers to use and where.

This can take ages and in the past, I have actually found it easier just to listen to the track and place my fingers where my ears and my own logic tell me – omitting the in between stage of reading from a book.

The great thing about this book is although you do have to do some of this experimenting work, the author gives solid advice about technique, tone, and even some interesting background to the song itself – which I always find interesting.

Learning more about the song and its history makes me feel more connected to it which is always a good thing as that helps me `feel` the song a bit more and therefore play it with more emotion.

 

Is there an audio cd and is it any good?

No, you will have to use the internet to listen to the songs if you don`t already have them in your collection.

 

What I don`t like about the book?

Not all the songs are what I would have chosen to learn. Some are big heavy grungy rockers which I love but these aren`t suitable for acoustic guitar – which I play mostly these days. There is a good mix of songs though and even the ones that are not suitable for acoustic guitar are great songs.

It would be awesome if the author did this type of book for the different decades – particularly the 60`s and 70`s which are the eras I and most of you tend to play music from.

 

Conclusion

This isn`t just a typical tab book where all there is is the song parts notated for you – it is much more than that. It is a shame the book is not easy to get hold of anymore as it is a really fun book.

Even if you work the songs out for yourself and not use the tab at all, and just use the book for the author’s thoughts and notes then it is worth the money just for that.

 

Rating

8/10

Book – Practical Pentatonics

Author – Askold Buk

Amazon Link – https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Pentatonics-Compact-Reference-Library/dp/0825614953

About

Practical Pentatonics is a compact introduction to pentatonic patterns, theory and usage.  In the book there are dozens of creative examples, plus valuable tips on developing your own pentatonic licks.

There are the standard minor and Major pentatonic shapes with some very cool licks using these shapes as well as some more exotic sounding licks from other pentatonic shapes such as the Altered Dominant, Hexatonic and Persian pentatonic shapes.

What I liked about the book?

Instead of just teaching a load of boring shapes and scales this book takes a practical approach to make what can be a dry subject and makes it more interesting right from the off.

I have seen far too many times (even by well renowned teachers on the internet) teach scales in a pretty poor manner. They often emphasise the five box positions with little thought on how to actually create great music with them.

This book thankfully doesn`t fall into that trap. Right from the off the author shows you some licks and references actual guitar solos where you can hear them. This is much more valuable than teaching you a random lick and because licks can easily be borrowed and adapted to your own music without it being plagiarism it is super useful to hear them in a real world context.

The book is also nice and compact and doesn`t take up much space on your bookshelf. It is also pretty lightweight and doesn`t contain much filler as a book solely on one topic like this could easily do.

 

Is there an audio cd and is it any good?

Unfortunately, no but the author names the songs you can find these licks in which are all just a couple of clicks away on the net. Most of the songs you might well have in your collection anyway – eg. `Good Times, Bad Times, `White Room`, `Red House`, etc.

 

What I don`t like about the book?

The biggest downside is, unless you can read rhythms you might struggle to hear how the lick should sound precisely. The licks are shown in tab and standard notation and many guitarists can read both but struggle to read the rhythm aspect. This means a lot of listening to the referenced song (and not all licks have a referenced song).

The lack of CD is also annoying as the author could have some backing tracks where you aim to jam over it with the licks. A few different backing tracks in a few different styles such as Chicago blues, slow blues, classic rock, and acoustic rock would have been great, but again you can find these all over YouTube and I recommend you do so if you are learning licks. You can then save the backing tracks to a playlist to practice the licks over.

 

Conclusion

If there was a CD or link to download audio tracks so you can hear how the licks sound I would give this book a 9 but the lack of audio on offer makes it a fair bit less useful and devalues the book for most guitarists so it loses a few marks for that.

Rating

7/10

 

Book – Guitar For Kids: Method and Songbook (Hal Leonard)

Author – Bob Morris & Jeff Schroedl

Amazon Link – https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Leonard-Method-Songbooks-online/dp/1423464214/

About

Guitar For Kids is a fun and straightforward method for learning the guitar where the authors aim to break down the instrument in a simple and progressive manner to keep the kids the book is aimed at interested.

 

What I liked about the book?

I love a good method book. There are zillions of ways of teaching the guitar but a lot of the actual teaching boils down to keeping things fun, teaching recognisable pieces and ensuring the student understands what he/she is actually learning. There is of course a lot more to it than just that, but those are some of the key fundamentals. This book checks off those nicely.

The author takes the students through some really simple versions of familiar chords such as the one finger versions of C and G7 to begin with, and then gets them playing some music with them right from the off.

Instead of the student just strumming some smaller versions of the above chords on their own, there is an accompanying melody track on the CD so it feels like the student is actually performing with someone and the combined sound is some really cool music played together.

You can also use this book to jam with a friend. One of you can play the chords while the other plays the melody.

It`s great fun and highly motivating.

 

Is there an audio cd and is it any good?

Yep and there are versions of lots of classics for you to listen and play along with including famous pieces such as Ode to Joy, Yellow Submarine, You Are My Sunshine. I`m a Believer, Three Little Birds and more…

 

What I don`t like about the book?

One of the downsides is that the melody is only shown in standard notation, not tab, which will make it harder for most (learning to read music is the answer) and when the book gets to the `songbook` section the melodies are not shown (unlike in the earlier snippets) and that is a shame.

The biggest problem with this book however, and one which is very common with method books is that it is all about teaching you things to play and not how to play them properly. It is not the most exciting thing in the world but teaching the student the absolute best and most rock solid technique should be a priority for new students as it will save them a lot of frustration down the line.

The book goes over briefly some ways to hold the guitar and such but this is nowhere near enough to ensure good habits are formed from the off.

 

Conclusion

This is not a book that I think most modern day kids will enjoy all that much. How many of them know the songs Eleanor Rigby, Brown Eyed Girl and Electric Avenue? I have taught in a school and most of the kids there wanted to learn One Direction, (bad), Justin Bieber (worse) and Muse (better), not the stuff in this book.

The people who would really enjoy this though, is generally anybody who loves classic songs, whether they are 60`s or 70`s pop tunes, classical or traditional pieces.

This is a fun book where you will learn songs you know and recognise in fun ways that most teachers on YouTube don`t do.

Apart from the lack of teaching on the important technical stuff, overall, Guitar for Kids is very cool no matter what age you are.

Rating

7.5/10

Book – Rhythm Guitar Playing Book 2: The Intermediate Grades

Author – Chaz Hart

Amazon Link –  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rhythm-Guitar-Playing-Intermediate-Grades/dp/1898466157/

About

Rhythm Guitar Playing by Chaz Hart is an exam preparation book aimed at getting guitarists rhythm, strumming, sight reading and ability to create great music on the go up to a high standard for graded RGT exmas -particularly at the intermediate level.

What I liked about the book?

First of all, don`t be put off by the name and original intention of the book. Although primarily aimed at students who are taking RGT exams at grades 3 to 5 there is a lot of great stuff in the book that is relevant to all guitarists who are passed the beginner level. I use this book a lot with students whether or not they wish to sit formal exams.

The book is laid out as a series of chord charts in a variety of keys using a mixture of musical symbols and the idea is that the student be able to take a quick glance at the chord chart, follow the symbols and make great music in quick time – just like a session guitarist would.

The ability to do this is highly underrated in the guitar playing world as it really helps you tie together your rhythm skills, sight reading, knowledge of strum patterns and ability to improvise to a high standard. The chord charts all sound great and range from blues to rock to soul to jazz to pop. If you are a songwriter you will find some great use from the chord charts on offer to use in your own compositions.

This isn`t just a book full of chord charts but there are plenty of tips located throughout the book – such as strumming tips, ideal strum patterns for each grade, advice on essential elements of rhythm such as syncopation, dynamics, variations of strum patterns and more.

The chord charts and required rhythmic skill level are all shown in a progressive manner teaching you from grade 3 to 5.

 

Is there an audio cd and is it any good?

There is no CD which is a shame as some players would no doubt want to create their own improvisation and then hear it against what the author would recommend. That being said, if you follow the notes and ideas he outlines to a high standard you would not be a million miles from what would be expected at the stated grade. A CD or audio download would have been great though.

 

What I don`t like about the book?

Apart from the lack of CD there is not too much to like about the book. It does what it sets out to do which is to prepare the student for the RGT grades of 3 to 5 – the rhythm segment anyway. It does that and more.

The only problem is that at the level of grade 3 you are expected to be able to play barre chords. You aren`t expected to be able to play loads of them, just the Major, minor and 7th shapes in all keys. Grade 4 and 5 adds in a few extra barre chord extensions such as Major 7th, sus4, etc. If barre chords are a struggle at this stage, I`d recommend taking a look at book 1.

If you bought this book and treated it like a general guitar book without any intention of sitting RGT exams (or any other graded exam for that matter) then you may be disappointed as the lay out is more exam specific and a little unlike other guitar books out there (but making you think differently is where the benefits come from in the book, I believe).

 

Conclusion

If you want to get into sight reading and improvisation as well as improve your overall rhythm and strumming skills in a different way to what you have probably done so far, then this book will be a great addition to your book shelf.

Most guitarists learn strum patterns and then apply them to songs. This is the ideal way to start out but eventually will cause you to miss out on a lot of the subtlety and professional elements of your playing – and a book like this will definitely help.

As long as you know this book is specific to graded exams and therefore the format and emphasis is on that, but apply it to your playing by going through one chord chart a day for a minute or two, you will get some real good benefits from this book.

Rating

8/10

 

Book – From Rock to Jazz: Alternative First Steps Toward Playing Jazz Guitar

Author – Ian Cruickshank

Amazon Link –  https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Jazz-Alternative-Cruickshank-1989-12-06/dp/B01K94CZTA/

About

Jazz guitarist, Ian Cruickshank outlines a simple method for rock guitarists to become acquainted with the world of jazz guitar and its aim is to help make the transition from the relatively simple world of rock to the overly complex world of jazz as painless as possible.

What I liked about the book?

There are some great things about this book and when I recently bought it I was actually really excited to open it up and look at it. Not because I am a beginner to jazz but because I love being able to transition, compare and relate different style of guitar playing.

The book isn`t a long one (which is both to its credit and detriment) but it does a really good job of describing the similarities and differences between rock and jazz, it gives the reader a list of classic jazz standards to listen to and learn as well as great jazz players to listen to (which aren`t all guitarists), and it takes us through the large amount of chords as used in jazz.

There are also some nice ideas on creating your own jazz intros, endings and turnarounds which for the more experienced player can help give you a really cool cat sound.

Is there an audio cd and is it any good?

Nope, and it really does need it. There is a lack of actual specific examples of what a student should be doing but for the examples it does have, a beginner to jazz would really need to hear it close up to make sense of it all.

What I don`t like about the book?

The biggest fault in the book isn`t anything specific but an overriding theme – you are not taught how to actually play jazz guitar with this book.

It is like a brief outline to get you going but the thing is if you have zero experience with jazz, you will have no idea how to get going with it. My initial excitement dissipated pretty quickly after about 20 minutes in when I realised that this was all there is to it.

There are nowhere near enough examples in the book and there is no tab to teach jazz licks, no detail on jazz rhythm and only a brief look at improvisation.

It`s easy enough to say “think about the melody and paint a picture”. Why not teach the melody and show examples of improvising with it?

The strongest section could have been the alternative blues progressions, basically how to jazz up a simple 12 bar blues, but again there is no guidance on what to do or examples to try to play to, just a series of chords on paper without any analysis of the ideas behind what he teaches you – again making it tough to transfer these ideas into other songs and keys.

Conclusion

The book almost feels like a boring chemistry professor in a film telling a student to open up a text book to page 76 and then expecting them after 30 minutes of reading to be able to create an atom bomb.

All in all, this book could have been great but it actually feels like it is half finished. Maybe in the future someone can come along and fully explain the principles in each section, expand upon the ideas in it, actually create lots of examples, put an audio CD (or audio downloads) together and make it the great book it could have been.

Forget the title of the book, I actually think if you have spent a year or two studying jazz, this book might then be a great refresher and companion guide to help you piece it all together but for someone new to jazz I think it would just make the experience of learning this difficult style of music tougher.

Rating

5/10

Book – Basic Guitar Workout

Author – David Mead

Amazon Link – https://www.amazon.com/Basic-Guitar-Workout-David-Mead/dp/1860743692/

About

`Basic Guitar Workout` contains 120 exercises all aimed at those guitarists who have a few spare minutes here and there and want to learn some exercises that will help them improve a variety of skills in that short time. The idea behind the book is to choose one random exercise per day, indulge in it for a few minutes and then reap the benefits of it in your guitar playing.

 

What I liked about the book?

This is a fun little book which is great for guitarists of all skill levels. Even though it says it is aimed at a beginner level, guitarists of a variety of skill levels will get lots of benefit from these exercises.

The exercises themselves are split into three sections:

• Warm-ups
• Co-ordination
• Ear Training

All three of those sections are important for guitarists and in my opinion the ear training section is the best. Ear training is a difficult subject to test yourself on in a progressive manner but the author creates some useful, interesting and creative exercises which not only test your ear but will help improve your knowledge and skills on the fretboard at the same time.

The warm-up section and the co-ordination section are very good too but if you really wanted to you could use the co-ordination exercises as an actual warm-up as there are some similarities between the two.

The book is compact and well laid out. The author uses tab and a finger guide to explain how to perform each exercise. Although a little odd at first, after a few minutes it will be pretty clear how to read his finger guide and then once you understand it is a case of applying the guide to the other examples.

 

Is there an audio cd and is it any good?

Nope, and no real need for one in a book like this.

 

What I don`t like about the book?

The three sections are a little strangely chosen. Warm-ups and co-ordination crossover a little but ear training stands out on its own.

Personally I would have preferred the author to combine the warm-up and co-ordination sections, and instead have a whole new section on either music theory and/or some fun riffs and licks that you can apply to your playing right away – but that is just me being picky.

 

Conclusion

There is not a lot not to like about the book. The exercises are fun, useful and creative. You may have tried a few that are similar in the past but there is definite benefit in just opening up the book here and there and seeing what you might find inside (like a box of Forrest Gump`s chocolates you don`t know what you`ll get).

You can then go through the chosen exercise for a few minutes and get the benefits or either improving your ear, finger dexterity or left hand/right hand co-ordination, and in some cases too, learn some new scales and chord tones.

The exercises won`t blow you away with their uniqueness or excitement but they will help you improve in small but realistic ways on a regular basis.

Rating

8/10

 

 

Book – 4-Chord Songbook: Great Songs

Author – Wise Publications

Amazon Link –  https://www.amazon.com/4-Chord-Songbook-Great-Songs-Chord-ebook/dp/B00J0GGJUK/

About

The 4-chord songbook teaches you how to play nineteen songs with the same four chords: G, A minor, C and D (as long as you have a capo).

It features songs by James, Maroon 5, The Stone Roses, Dire Straits, Elvis and more… this songbook contains lyrics and chords allowing you play and sing the songs by your favourite artists. It one of a series of books all teaching a variety of songs.

What I liked about the book?

I used to own a chord book similar to this when I was learning but to play those songs you needed to know a lot more than just four chords. To be honest it was frustrating as I was a total beginner. I realised later on that this sort of book can be really useful if you have played for about a year and already know a variety of songs and strum patterns.

If you do, then you can have some good fun with a book like this. The great thing is you only need to know the above four chords (and they are the four I recommend you start with along with E minor).

If you know 4-5 solid strum patterns and know the song you are learning from the book pretty well, then you can have loads of fun with this book.

There is a big variety of songs from country Kenny Rogers to indie pop David Gray so if you have an eclectic taste you might love the songs in the book and you might well be introduced to some you have never heard before.

Is there an audio cd and is it any good?

No – there is no need for one. Instead play the original song if you have it, or use YouTube or Spotify and get playing along.

What I don`t like about the book?

If I`m honest, some of these songs won`t be to everyone`s tastes and let`s face it – these chord books are not to learn the song note for note but they are to help you play and sing along with the song – busker style.

Many people forget this and slate these type of books because of that. I know I did, but I always wanted to learn songs note for note.

This book won`t teach you any riffs, strum patterns, leads or where the chord changes are – you`ll have to work that out for yourself.

This means you`ll have to listen and really know the song well to learn it (not a bad thing) and even then it will take a bit of practice.

You will have to first learn exactly where the chord changes are (by ear) and then apply a suitable strum pattern. This tests your skill set and isn`t for complete beginners. I`d only give this sort of book a go if you have learnt your all important first 10 songs.

Also, the problem with using only four chords means the capo is doing a lot of work and sometimes the capo ends up on the 7th or 8th frets for some songs. This means the arrangements can sound a little thin to some listeners although if you like the jangly sound of a higher pitched guitar it will be okay for you.

Conclusion

Overall, this book is good fun. It has a wide variety of songs (not all of which will be to everyone`s tastes) and it tests your skills more than people realise.

There are better chord song books but this one has the advantage of getting you playing songs with just 4 chords – it`s just a shame you might not know them all.

Rating

7/10

 

Book – Creative Guitar 1: Cutting-Edge Techniques

Author – Guthrie Govan

Amazon Link –  https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Guitar-1-Cutting-Edge-Techniques/dp/1860744621

About

Creative Guitar 1: Cutting-Edge Techniques is all about laying the foundations for rock and blues based guitarists to take their playing from being a beginner to the next level. The aim is to teach the beginning guitarists to become a real musician who understands what they are doing and how to be creative with it – not just learn songs.

What I liked about the book?

First off, I must say that Guthrie is an incredible guitar player and one that is passionate about the instrument. If you have ever seen or heard him play you will know that he has great talent as a player.

The good news is that he transfers his playing really well into teaching. It is clear he has spent a lot of time teaching students – particularly those who have basic skills but really want to step up their playing.

This is book #1 in a series and the aim for this book is to cover a lot of general ground. He gives you plenty of advice on a range of subjects such as playing without looking, mechanical problems, using metronomes and more.

He also covers the essentials of music theory as this is a key area that most beginner guitarists who can play a little often struggle with.

There is also plenty of information and advice on scales and chords. Which shapes to use and how to link them together and how to see the relationship between them.

All in all this is great information for anyone who wants to put all their fragments of knowledge together.

Is there an audio cd and is it any good?

Yes, and it is fantastic. It really highlights Guthrie`s playing. One thing that most guitar books are weak at is providing high quality music for the student to listen to and be inspired by. Most of the examples on the CD are entertaining and great pieces in their own right.

What I don`t like about the book?

There is not too much wrong with this book. One thing I would say though is that it is very general in its approach without getting too detailed on any subject. If you have played for 5 years+ you might well know 80-90% of the information laid out in the book. I would have liked to see more in-depth stuff on chord progressions and unusual scales (but that might well be in the next book).

As I said, the audio on the CD is great and Guthrie gives you the basic chords that he is playing but doesn`t give you any tab for what he is doing with the chords or any tab for the lead parts. This is a shame because his playing is so good on these examples I think many would like to learn exactly what he is playing so they can emulate him to some degree and then use that as a template for their own ideas.

Most of the book is based around electric techniques for rock and blues which is a shame really as I would like to have seen more things about fingerstyle and rhythm to help guitarists become even more rounded. As it is, the book is aimed a bit more at those players looking to get a little more into lead playing.

Conclusion

If you have played for some time and have learnt lots of bits and pieces of music theory, rock and blues technique, scale shapes, chord knowledge and the like, then this book will act as great refresher for that information. It will also help you put it all together and make sense of what you have learnt as well as fill in the blank spaces.

If you haven`t played for a while and can`t yet play 10 songs through from start to finish then I would hold off on this book for just a little while and get to that stage first.

Rating

8/10

 

Book – The Guitar Player Repair Guide

Author – Dan Erlewine

Amazon Link – http://www.amazon.com/101-Guitar-Tips-Stuff-online/dp/0634053418)

About

If you have ever wanted to learn how to repair, maintain or even improve the playability and sound of one of your guitars, The Guitar Player Repair Guide is the one book that most guitarists will recommend. It is known as the holy bible of guitar maintenance.

Dan Erlewine teaches beginners and experts in a step-by-step manual how to maintain and repair electric and acoustic guitars and basses.

 

What I liked about the book?

Firstly, I`ll say this is not one of those fun reads that most guitar books can be. Although I do enjoy tweaking and fixing guitars, nothing comes close to actually playing and learning how to improve my playing.

The Guitar Player Repair Guide is however a very in-depth guide on how to do all sorts of maintenance on your guitar. There are 320 pages of instructions of how to do a variety of guitar repairs. Things such as installing strings properly, truss rod adjustment, setup, action and intonation are all chapters I have looked over frequently and learnt from in the past.

I`m mainly an acoustic player these days so those above chapters are the ones that appeal to me and the book has helped a lot.

Dan also gives you thorough and in-depth instructions on how to perform those techniques on electric and classical guitars too.

There is also lots of information on specialist techniques such as archtop bridges, installing new tuners, repairing acoustic guitar bodies and fixing broken truss rods too as well as plenty more.

Quite simply, if the information is not in this book, the chances are most guitarists won`t need it.
 

Is there an audio cd and is it any good?

No, there is no need for a CD.
 

What I don`t like about the book?

Although the book is huge and in-depth, it does have its faults.

The main one is that it is way too advanced for those who have never done any guitar repairs in their life. When I first got it, I thought there would be steps for beginners to get right into making repairs but it really is aimed more at those who have some experience of fixing guitars. If this subject is brand new to you, there is a steep learning curve.

Really, a good 40% of the book probably won`t apply to me or most of you unless you want to fix and maintain lots of guitars regularly. (E.G. those who work in guitar shops).

I have no aspirations to fix (or get) a floyd rose tremolo system or use a plex machine. I actually would have preferred to have seen a more basic version of the book with more in-depth detail and more photos of the basics – particularly for repairing and maintaining acoustic guitars.

Instead the book is big and covers a lot of topics – many of which are suitable only for guitar luthiers or part-time repair enthusiasts. Me – I just wanna fix the thing and play!

Also, one of the things that disappointed me and which is important to point out is that a lot (not all) of the repair techniques require you to buy or get hold of specialist tools or pieces of equipment.

I would have loved to have seen some budget fixes that one could do without having to spend money on things such as cam clamps and an army of files.
 

Conclusion

If you want complete in-depth tuition on how to repair your guitar and make it sound better and play better, then this is the go-to guide.

If you only own one or two guitars which are acoustics and have no intention of repairing them yourself, you may find learning these skills useful but a luxury and taking your guitar to an expert may be a better and less time consuming approach.

On the other hand, if you own lots of guitars, don`t mind spending money on buying equipment and tools, and love the idea of repairing and maintaining your own guitars, get this book.

I would however, recommend you get comfortable with basic repairs either by using YouTube or learning from others before getting stuck into this book.

It has its faults but it is a good book. If you do buy, you will probably keep it on the book shelf forever, getting it out just when needed.
 

Rating

6/10