Guitar Amp Handbook just arrived... :D

thor666

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This just got in, via Amazon, shipped through vpost. (Apparently vpost doesn't bother to track your item, it just ships the item.)

I got two, one for another Softie here. $38 with shipping. And the pages aren't cheap A4 paper - they're glossy paper. Sweet.

Will review once I do a good read through of the book.
 
Mini-review:

Fairly "technical" book. Technical in the sense that it's a lot to grasp for the first few Chapters, but a breeze for engineering people and those with a good grasp for technical stuff. (apparently I'm not one of them. :|)

Btw, it's mainly tube amps. Be disappointed if you were expecting amps in general.

Chapter 1: Talks about the signal chain. Lots of "tricks" that amp makers do to solve certain problems. Technical.

Chapter 2: Components used for amps. Again. Technical.

Chapter 3: Circuit Stages. Techie stuff of "tricks" again.

Chapter 4: This is the best part - reviewing classic amps from Fender, Marshall and other brands. Kind of an "amp appreciation" chapter. You do need to read the first 3 chapters to appreciate it well.

Chapter 5: Choosing your amp. I haven't read in detail... but seems darn interesting anyhow. Non-techie.

Chapter 6,7,8: Sizes & Requirements, Setup and Maintenance, Speakers & Cabs. Interesting information on these chapters. Non-techie.

Chapter 9: Building an amp. Strictly not for newbies, and take heed even for an expert. Technical stuff here. Can skip if you want.

Tech Talk: The interviews on this book, in my opinion, is the best thing ever in the book. I'd pay full amount just for this chapter. Ken Fischer (Trainwreck + Komet), Tone Tubby and Victoria amp makers are interviewed here. You get to read how dedicated to their principles these people are.



Conclusion: Great book to get, but not one for the impatient. You need a lot of time to understand the concepts of a tube amp to fully appreciate the beauty of this book.
 
shucks!! bought mine at Borders for $49!!!! argh!!!

BUT, good stuff. learning alot from ze book. admittedly not an engineering type either... :( so some things took me awhile to recall 'em secondary school days of physics...heh.

last chapter on amp building really piqued my interest but ..doubt i'll be able to follow ze steps...although it'd be fantastic to build yer own class A amp..!
 
Amps are definitely not easy to build from scratch. However if u are interested there are kits available. u don't need to know too much theory when building a kit.Its the designing thats the real killer.

Hopefull when my exams are over i will have the chance to do up a new amp--Marshall 18W baby.
 
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