Product Description

There's a huge amount of hype and mythology surrounding tube amplifiers in the guitar world. For years, experts have argued over the tiny details of exactly how they do what they do, and how their various components interact. What's undeniable is that, far more than being just a "loudness booster," the unique combination of tubes, capacitors, resistors, and transformers in these amps can contribute enormously to the quality of sound derived from any electric guitar. In this thorough and authoritative book, Dave Hunter cuts through the marketing hyperbole, and the blind faith, and supplies all the information you need to choose the right amp, and get the best from it. The book also features exclusively conducted, in-depth interviews with leading figures in the tube amp-building world - including Ken Fischer, Mark Sampson, and Michael Zaite - and even provides full instructions on how to construct your own high-quality tube guitar amp from scratch.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10597 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

A "Noobie" Must Have
Although I have been building vintage clones for several years, this book clearly defined terms that I have seen in amp building forums that before made little sense to me. I shared this book with my 23 year old son, who is just getting into amp building. It was a great motivating factor in our first build together. I wish I would have had it years ago.

First Impressions
I haven't read this cover to cover. And I guess most people might not want to do that.

If you are a tech head and know a fair bit about electronics and valves then you may be disappointed by this book. However even though I would put myself in that class I am glad I have it in my kit of information. There is a lot of redundant stuff for people like me but some memory joggers in there too and some stuff that makes me question my own mindsets.

If you are starting out and want to understand why things work the way they do then this is good. A very easy read for those who wear those shoes.

There is a lot of information on why the old amps were built the way they were and a lot of fact versus myth covered. A lot of schematics with explanations, talk about what different valves sound like etc.

If you are tinkering, trying to make something unique, or just want to learn more I don't think the book would disappoint.

Mixed
This book is in an interesting spot between real electrical engineering description of tube amplifiers and the opinion of a guitar player. The author clearly knows his stuff as a user but has very little knowledge of electrical theory. As an engineer, I did not gain any insight on how tube amplifiers work or are designed. As a guitar player, I gained a lot of knowledge on how users judge and modify their amplifiers. The many schematics on well known tube amplifers and interviews with their designers are good but the engineer in me needs one more level of actual tube design theory.