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| Books and Videos : “The Interactive Fender Bible’ and “The Interactive Gibson Bible” |
| Posted by Gary on 2008/9/10 14:00:00 -- |
History – noun : A chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes.
Since the beginning of time, history has been recorded in one way or another. The mountains and valleys on earth tell the story of earth’s history and hold clues to things that happened in places where there were no people to record the events. Archeologists study the ruins of lost cities, and attempt to piece together the history of the lost civilizations, in much the same way astronomers study the stars for clues to the origins of the universe.
While most people think of history as being a long term event, in reality it can be broken down in an infinite number of smaller sections. Take for example the history of a nation, a city, or even a single person, just to name a few. For this review, we are going to look at history of two companies that have arguably been the driving force in the history and evolution of electric guitars and amplifiers. This is about the histories of these companies, but even more so, it is a definitive chronological history of the electric guitars and amplifiers these companies developed over the last several decades. I recently received two books from Jawbone Press for review. These books are “The Fender Interactive Bible”, and “The Gibson Interactive Bible”.
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| Books and Videos : Recording Guitar and Bass |
| Posted by Gary on 2006/1/4 0:03:00 -- |
Recording Guitar and BassGetting a Great Sound Every Time You Record A Book Review By: Gary AllenI can not even begin to tell you how many times that I have read articles on how to record electric, acoustic, and bass guitars. The information available is so vast, but unfortunately much of it is contradictory. There is the argument of recording with microphones compared to recording direct. Some recording professionals praise the power of compressors, while others warn of the dangers of using them at all. Who are we supposed to believe? Most of these article writers are highly respected professionals in their field, and have recorded hit songs and albums that back up their views. After years of struggling with the confusion it finally hit me one day when I was talking to another guitar player. He was telling me how he did not believe in using effects at all with his guitar rig. Me, being a total gear junkie on the other hand could not comprehend why he did not like any type of effect. I had heard him play and he sounded really good, but I also liked the sound of my guitar with effects. It was at that point I was able to draw a parallel in the controversies surrounding the recording of guitars. It suddenly occurred to me that all these different recording ideas were not set rules, but more a personal preference of the recording engineers that were writing these articles. I was then better able to analyze the different articles I read, by not trying to figure out if they were right or wrong, but rather if a particular style of recording would work better for me in one situation than in another. I recently received a book from Backbeat Books called “Recording Guitar and Bass – Getting a Great Sound Every Time You Record”. After I read this book I finally felt that my new thought process had been validated. The Author of this book, Huw Price, seemed to share many of my own views on the subject of recording. I would like to share my thoughts of this book with you. |
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| Books and Videos : Getting Great Guitar Sounds Book Review |
| Posted by mssmith on 2005/1/23 3:26:13 -- |
 Getting Great Guitar Sounds - 2nd Ed.
A Nontechnical Approach to Shaping Your Personal Sound
By: Michael Smith
As a guitarist, I am still very much a “newbie”. Because of this, I feel uniquely qualified to do this particular review. It is amazing how much there really is to know especially when you start talking about gear and effects that can be used to shape your sound. On top of knowing what each piece of gear does, you need to know how one effect will affect another. This book covers all this and more.
This book is aimed directly at the budding electric guitarist. Although fairly short (80 pages), this book, written by Michael Ross, is cram packed with valuable information. The book is broken down into three main parts, The Guitar, The Effects, and Tricks of the Trade.
Part One: The Guitar is broken into two chapters. Chapter one begins with a basic description of how an electric guitar works and then goes on to explain each part of the electric guitar and how it can affect the overall tone as an acoustic instrument. The author covers the headstock, tuning machines, the nut, frets, necks, bodies, picks and strings, and the guitars setup. The overall message being that if your guitar doesn’t sound good unplugged, it won’t sound good when it's amplified. Chapter two provides an overview of the components as an electric instrument. It covers topics including the pickups, wiring systems, the amplifier, and speakers.
Part Two: The Effects is also broken down into two chapters. The first, chapter three, is dedicated to effects which create distortion and sustain. Here the author covers compression and distortion. Chapter four covers ambient effects such as delay, reverb, chorus, flanging and pitch shifting.
Part Three: Tricks of the Trade spans chapters five through seven. Chapter five discusses the order effects should be placed in the effects chain to get the best sound, playing in stereo, advanced rigs, and when not to use effects. Chapter six discusses differences between playing live and in the studio while chapter seven covers the advantages and disadvantages of vintage equipment.
As a bonus the author includes two appendices. The first titled “How did they get that sound?” gives an overview of several popular guitarists equipment and how they achieve their unique tone. The second, “My favorite effects”, covers the authors’ preferences and why he chose them.
The author clearly explains each concept and provides examples where appropriate without going too deep into the technical aspects that would confuse a beginner. While a great place to start for the novice, this book may be a bit elementary for more experienced guitarists.
Copyright © 2005 Allen & Halberg Publishing
All Rights Reserved
Guitar Gear Heads™ is a Trademark of Allen & Halberg Publishing
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| Books and Videos : Inside Songwriting Book Review |
| Posted by Gary on 2004/11/10 11:01:00 -- |
Inside SongwritingGetting to the Heart of CreativityBy: Gary AllenWhen Dan and I came up with the idea for creating the Guitar Gear Heads™ site, I envisioned a site with information on all aspects of the music industry as it pertains to guitar players. As with any new venture, the development does not always happen right away or the way you first foresaw it. It did not take me long to realize that Dan and I alone could not write articles and lessons that covered every aspect of the music business. We simply do not have all the knowledge that we would need to pass on this information in an informed manner. With this in mind we each decided to educate ourselves further through creating partnerships with other guitar sites, direct correspondence with manufacturers, and by reading books written by people considered to be experts in their field. This better allows us to direct our members and visitors to the knowledge that they seek to gain. |
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| Books and Videos : Guitar Licks of the Brit-Rock Heroes |
| Posted by Gary on 2004/10/14 11:10:00 -- |
Guitar Licks of the Brit-Rock HeroesBook ReviewBy: Gary AllenI’m back with yet another Jesse Gress book review. In his book the "Guitar Cookbook", Jesse taught you theory from a guitar player’s perspective, and gave you the techniques to use it to its fullest potential. In the "Guitar Lick Factory" he gave you hundreds of licks and the ability to make thousands more by rearranging the notes from each lick. In continuing the tradition of the "Guitar Lick Factory", he is now building a series around the guitar licks of some of the greatest guitar players of all time. The first book in this series is out and I received my copy a few weeks ago. This book is "Guitar Licks of the Brit-Rock Heroes". In this book Jesse pays tribute to three of the most influential British guitar players of all time. These players are Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. These titans of guitar have shaped the styles of thousands and can be credited with being the reason that many young people around the world picked up guitars and started their own journeys. |
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| Books and Videos : THE GARAGE BAND BIBLE: PART 1 |
| Posted by Gary on 2004/9/11 11:01:00 -- |
THE GARAGE BAND BIBLE: PART 1By Jim CarpenterWHAT IS A GARAGE BAND?Just about everybody enjoys listening to music; and many of us enjoy it so much, were inspired to become musicians ourselves. During the late 1950s, a lot of the music that teens listened to came from guitar-driven “surfer bands” that played catchy instrumental tunes. During the early 1960s, the music scene featured many four or five member groups. Many of these groups came from England, and that period was called the “British Invasion.” Actually, most of the British bands had been inspired by what they heard coming from America. (Elvis, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, etc.) Lots of young people loved this music (although their parents weren’t impressed with it) and wanted to play it themselves. All you had to do was latch onto an instrument, and you were on your way. Teens who loved this music, and wanted to play it themselves, got together on weekends and over the summers to play and sing the tunes they enjoyed. Most often, they wound up rehearsing in the garage of someone’s house. That’s what a garage band is ... a group of people who get together to play music just for the fun of it. |
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| Books and Videos : Guitar Lick Factory |
| Posted by Gary on 2004/9/4 11:01:00 -- |
Guitar Lick FactoryBook ReviewBy: Gary AllenIn my last book review we looked at The Guitar Cookbook as a great foundation for guitar friendly theory and technique. In the "Cookbook", Jesse Gress stresses our need to increase our vocabulary in the language of music. By doing this, will you be able to make your guitar express your feelings through you playing. The Guitar Lick Factory is the next step in using your new language. |
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| Books and Videos : "The Guitar Cookbook" |
| Posted by Gary on 2004/7/18 2:34:00 -- |
THE GUITAR COOKBOOKBook ReviewBy: Gary AllenIf you are anything like me, you probably have stacks of guitar lesson books all over your house or music room. I have bought many books over the years in a quest to increase my guitar playing knowledge. There are two things that frustrate me with almost all of the books I have bought. The most common problem I have with most of these books is that they are too vague. They cover many topics on the surface, but do not go in depth enough to give you any semblance of how they all work together. The second problem I have with guitar books is less common, but just as much of a problem. These books are written in such a technical manner, often making the user feel inadequate from the very beginning. Only a person with a degree from Julliard could truly understand them. |
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