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The Complete Guide To Guitar And Amp Maintenance - 80 Pages Paperback - $14.95 USD

From trusted publisher Hal Leonard comes this hands-on, practical guide to
taking care of a guitarist's most prized and important possessions - their guitar and amps. Anyone who has played a certain guitar regularly
for any length of time will notice the subtle ways it changes - frets wear down in some places, volume and tone controls get a little scratchy, the action isn't the same as when the guitar was new, etc. And as far as the amp is concerned, sometimes an amp will develop a buzz or hum, or the sound will start to go a little flat sounding.

If you want to you can shell out big bucks and keep taking your guitar in to the shop for a professional set up and any needed repairs. But even aside from the cost involved, this plan has its drawbacks. You have to be without your favorite guitar or amp for some time, and who's comfortable when their favorite gear is out of their sight and out of their immediate control? Another way to go about guitar maintenance is to learn to do some of it yourself. And that's what this book is all about.

There's no question that every one has a different and unique level of comfort with doing mechanical activities - Especially when they involve your prized guitars and amps. And the author and everyone understand that. But the book operates under the assumption that it would be nice to learn just a few adjustments, doing it yourself, and save a trip to the tech So don't think you need to learn to do all the adjustments shown in the book. You get to decide how much you want to do.





So, what types of guitar repair and set up does this book show me how to do?, you may ask. Well, here's a list of some of the adjustments, modifications, and set up you'll be able to perform on your gear with the help of this book. Here's a list of some of the modifications you'll be able to perform on your gear with the help of this book:
  1. Body
    2. - The body of the guitar section deals with many aesthetic issues related to keeping the guitar looking it's best. Or restoring it to a look-good condition. How can I keep my guitar looking its best? is the question you'll find answered in this section of the book... The use of polishes, scratch repairs, etc. The metal parts on the guitar, their care, cleaning and restoration is explained. What cleaners and abrasives to use on the guitar's hardware. There are sections on how to clean corrosion and rust off the metal parts. Different methods are presented, where possible, so you can choose what's best for your gear and your situation.


    There is also an area of general information on guitar transport and safe ways to shop a guitar. Also information on storage and display of guitars. There's also a part of the book that shows you how to repair loose strap buttons on the guitar.


  2. Bridge
    3. - The bridge of the guitar is covered in the next section of the book. Here you really begin to learn to make changes that impact how your guitar will feel and play. You'll learn how to set the action of the guitar ( how high the strings will sit above the neck ) Also learn to set up the intonation ( setting the precise length of the vibrating part of the strings so that playing at the 12th fret is exactly an octave up )

    About The Photos
    As I turn through the pages of this guitar and amp maintenance book, there's one feature that really stands out and hits me: The Photos! This book is loaded with pictures... And not just fluff pictures of some hot guitars, but close up, detailed photos that show you the repair or maintenance procedure that's being demonstrated.

    These photos are valuable. They give you the important visual information you need to have confidence as you follow the instructions to do the procedures. You see your guitar looking like the one in the picture. Step by step and you know you can do what they're showing you. It's a great feeling! You'll find pictures that are relevant to the important steps of all the procedures. It's common to find 6, 7, or 8 pictures on a single page of the book. All mixed in around the text instructions. Enjoy!

    See how to set up the tremolo on a Fender Stratocaster, Floyd Rose Tremolo, Fender Telecaster. The author even tackles the touchy acoustic bridge, along with including a word of caution when doing the procedure.


  3. Neck
    4. - The next section of the Complete Guide to Guitar and Amp Maintenance is the guitar neck. Here you learn about action and buzzing, different neck materials including maple, mahogany, and ebony. Caring for the neck - other topics in this section include the nut, proper stringing technique, the tuner hardware, fret care, truss-rod adjustment. The different ways that you work with a set neck and a bolt-on neck.


  4. Electronics
    5. - Guitar electronics is next. You'll find a lot of large and easy to read wiring diagrams in this section. The author begins by teaching you how to solder. Stratocaster, Telecaster, and Bass are covered in detail. Gibson Les Paul and 355 are covered. This section has some special wiring schemes: split coil, series parallel, and five way humbucker.


  5. Amps
    6. - The final section is on amps. Tube amps and solid state amps are talked about separately. After the obligatory high-voltage warning , a lot of information about capacitors, resistors, tubes, and what makes an amplifier tick. A huge and detailed, full-page amp troubleshooting chart is a valuable part of this section. Information on tube bias. different methods of biasing tubes are given. Caring for and troubleshooting the speaker cabinets is also covered.
The book finishes up with an appendix, which has a variety of other helpful bits of information.





Any guitar player would love this book. This book would make a good gift for a guitar player. Great for if you want to get them something that's guitar-related, but you're not sure what accessory they would need.