Books For Me

[bombershredder]

Here are some that i liked. I'm not gonna order any videos yet because i don't need to them. I'm only getting books to know how things are done and also to have a deeper understanding of things i already think i know. Probably After i have read enough i can start investing in tools. I have only gone through stewmac and i checked and those books are also available from amazon so i can order all the ones i found at stewmac along with the ever so famous melvin hiscock make your own electric guitar.

So far i've found these interesting:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/B...y_Handbook.html

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/B...t_of_Inlay.html

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/B...s_Handbook.html

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/B...n_Lutherie.html

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/B...n_Lutherie.html

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/E..._Musicians.html

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/E..._Musicians.html

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/E...g_Diagrams.html

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/B...pair_Guide.html

thats alot of books and you'll notice that i've linked atleast two books for inlaying finishng electronics..etc..ive just started searching so please help me add and narrow my choices down. Shipping is expensive!

Edited October 13, 2005 by bombershredder

[Guitarfrenzy]

Books.. you can never read too much right? I only have two of the books you mentioned above and just realized how many more books I'd like to have. Especially electronic wiring books. Your post also got me thinking about all the books and videos I have.

Books:

Art of Inlay - Larry Robinson

Make Your Own Electric Guitar - Melvyn Hiscock

How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great! - Dan Erlewine

Guitar Player Repair Guide - Dan Erlewine

Build Electric Guitars - Martin Koch

Videos:

Guitar Making with Frank Finocchio (5 dvds)

Maintenance & Setup for Electric Guitars and Basses Vol 1 & 2 - Dan Erlewine

Maintenance & Setup for Steel-string Acoustic Guitars Vol 1 & 2 - Dan Erlewine

Fret Basics - Dan Erlewine

Advanced Fretting 1 & 2 - Dan Erlewine

Neck Resets - Dan Erlewine

Nut Making Step-By-Step - Dan Erlewine

Using The Erlewine Neck Jig - Dan Erlewine

Basic Inlay Techniques - Larry Robinson

Intermediate Inlay Techniques - Larry Robinson

Advanced Inlay Techniques - Larry Robinson

umm.. after looking at the list, I can see why I don't have much money. The only sad thing is that I still want more books...

[bombershredder]

i really want the nut making videos

[goth_fiend]

Im going to have to get a book or video on fretting pretty soon, i have never done it before and am a little worried about it!

[soapbarstrat]

I think guitar electronics/wiring is the one thing that seems very thoroughly covered on the internet. Probably because "electronic experts" probably like to hang out on the internet more, and explanations are quite easy when it comes down to just having to show a schematic.

I like videos much better than books, and I now would even like to get old videos with outdated techniques just to watch as entertainment. I regret selling a couple I used to have.

[bombershredder]

im gonna getm enough for modding my exisitng guitars and see what else i could use.. for making electric uitars..the book is prob melvin hiscocks book..and what about the video..should i get both ? or just get the video and a few plans maybe and same for finishgin can you recoomend one thing for each topic.. im sure finishing is covered in the making of the guitar but i wanna do inlaying more extensively.. so go ahead and reccomend something..and feel free to let me know what you did when you first got the book and what you made and how it helped you.. or tell me anything that helps... dont wanna waste money.. maybe later i was thinking i could collect and get ALL that i can but right now ill just concentrate on the basics.

Thanks!

[bombershredder]

if you have more than a few videos and books for one topic and you have time to write a small review or compare them for me i;d greatly appreciate it.

ALso how good is a book. ALl there is pictures and guidelines. Is a video essential?

[Mattia]

I've got zero videos, and a couple of books, and the books are generally very, very good at what they do. They're also much easier to refer back to when you're busy building. Start there, and get DVDs/Videos afterwards, if you think you need a little more help in understanding what the text and photographs are trying to tell you.

The Hiscock, Erlewine's books on repair and setup, and Erlewine's 'Fret Work: Step By Step' are all excellent. I still don't have any books on inlay, but that hasn't stopped me from starting ;-)

[bombershredder]

i have to order all at once i cant get a book and order stuff after one month.

[Mattia]

I'd stick to books. Hiscock's, couple of Erlewine books, maybe Larry Robinson's on inlay if you want to get a bit fancy, and/or Stewmac's Finishing: Step by Step book as well. Can't guide you on electronics, but if all you want to do is wire passive guitar circuits, I can't see how those books are worth it. Enough info out there for free. The Erlewine stuff, StewMac's shop talk series, and the Hiscock provide a solid, strong foundation that will help you understand a lot of the stuff available on various websites, including this one, the main site, MIMF.com, etc. much more easily. Ultimately, they all show one or two ways of doing something, and a bit of searching and thinking may reveal another 4 or 5. Which method you end up chosing will be up to you.

[bombershredder]

Thanks Mattia!

What's good for learning how to inlays? From simple shark fin type inlays to custom designed patterns and stuff like the jem vine inlay and flames and techniques for cutting and something which explains the tools and stuf too and basically spoonfeeds you?

[soapbarstrat]

That would be the Robinson videos. In the second video he does a very fancy vine down the whole board (and then he sends the inlayed board back to the guitar maker, so the board can be glued onto the neck, and the board leveled, so Robinson can then do the engraving, but the guitar maker puts the frets in as well, then when Robinson gets it back with frets, he's pissed-off that he then has to engrave with frets in the way).

[bombershredder]

Where can i get Robinson videos from?

[soapbarstrat]

Robinson videos are sold by a few places, including Stew-Mac.

Speaking of the ' Guitar player Repair Guide', has anyone noticed that the ' How to get the REAL Vintage look on a maple neck' tutorial in the PG tutorial section, is pretty much straight out of the GPRG (on pages 273-274) ?

[Guitarfrenzy]

I think Stew Mac is the only place you can get them on DVD which is what I'd recommend. They are definitely worth getting if you plan on doing any inlay work.

[Southpa]

For general information I highly recommend:

Complete Guitar Repair by Hideo Kamimoto

Complete Banjo Repair by Larry Sandberg

The Sandberg book has good guitar-related info about necks, fretting etc.

[soapbarstrat]

At this point I find the Kamimoto book very out-dated. But I don't regret buying it almost 20 years ago. It actually might be responsible for me getting into guitar repair from just this phrase in it :

" Over the years it has become quite apparent that many guitar players struggle along with instruments so badly out of adjustment and repair it is a wonder they haven't given up entirely. "

And I still like to look at the red Tele body on the cover as well as the clear red Strat neck, and also the non-cutaway to cut-away conversion info in one section.