Customer Reviews

The Acoustic Guitar Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Buy and Maintain a New or Used Guitar

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Face it - you can't hang-out with guitar people if you have
no idea what nut width is! I decided to get one book
to comprehend the "acoustic guitar', and chose this one.
It is fantastic.

It's not necessary to read beginning to end. The author
organized it so well that a quick look up will fill you
in on the spot. I have become knowledgable enough about
guitar construction, woods, parts you name it, that I
can carry on an intelligent conversation with any guitar
head out there.

The author is a wonderful writer. He keeps it simple,
very informative, and he has a fun personality which
makes the reading fun. It sounds strange to say but
it's an exhiliarating read too because the information
is vast and very interesting.

Anyone planning to buy a guitar in any price range
should read this book first. Making a purchase will
be much easier for you. You'll know so much that
you won't get taken, and you'll know how to know
if you like a guitar or not.

If you want the skinny right now without any
blah-blah-blah or difficult to understand
technical terms, here's your book. It will
be something you'll look at for years to come.

As an "older-boomer-beginner" returning to guitars after a thirty-year absence, I read about this book in the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum ....

This is a very readable book for anyone thinking of purchasing a high quality acoustic guitar that wants to understand much more about what they are buying. This Second Edition contains just enough up-to-date technical and historical background to give you what you need to select a great new or used acoustic guitar. It clarified many things that I found confusing when I first started reading about model sizes, nomenclature, woods, strings, and everything else. I now feel like a very informed buyer, even though I'm not much of a player. I suppose there is a certain slant towards Martin guitars, but I think that is unavoidable given the history of the company.

Mr. Sandberg is correct in that no book full of adjectives will help you evaluate either sound or action. You need to go out and play as many guitars as you can. However, this book gives you a great start, and gives you a lot of good reasons to pass over a lot of what is on the lower end of the market today. Highly recommended.

I've been playing acoustic guitar about ten years now. I got into it for "mental stimulation" and found it did the trick. For many years, I read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on that concerned what makes a good guitar. Learning to play the thing is an entirely different subject. Anyway, of the thousand of pages I've read, I feel this book is still the best guide to acoustic guitars there is. You'll learn A@LOT about the instrument if you read it.

Has a lot of basic information. Well written in a informal style. Good foundation for someone interested in the variations and basics of guitar construction including materials, body shape etc. As I was bewildered by the vast amount of choice in the acoustic guitar market, I found it useful for determining the right guitar to purchase for myself. Photography is b&w and not particularly sexy if you're looking for lots of eye candy.

Although several years old, this book is quite a valuable resource. I refer to mine regularly. First checked it out at my local library two or three times, but finally decided I wanted my own copy. Prices are a bit outdated, but the detailed information Sandberg provides has helped me in the selection and evaluation of instruments. It has paid for itself several times over, and I have loaned it to friends many times. I hope Sandberg will come up with a new edition to cover new prices and models not available when this book was issued in 1991.

Wow, I don't think I can beat the spotlight review but allow me to add the scores to this book because it deserves a 5-star. I have to first say, this ain't a book that teaches you HOW to play the guitar but definitely the best book yet on describing what the guitar is.

Believe me, I have been playing guitar for over a year now and have no clue what's the different between Brazilian Rosewood or cedar top, spruce top, etc. Larry Sandberg explains all that, including on the differences between string gauges and what the varieties of guitar physiology. So just because you're a good guitar player doesn't mean you know about guitars. You have to read this book, one way or another if you are planning to play the guitar. If not, you'll regret it, because this book gives you a general idea of what you need to know about the guitar from top to bottom.

Before buying my first guitar I went looking for books about the industry, the product, and the history of the acoustic guitar. This was hands-down the most complete, thorough guide to the acoustic guitar I found. It covers everything and does so in excruciating detail. If you are shopping for a guitar for the first time, contemplating having a custom guitar built, or simply want to learn more about one of the most iconic instruments in western music, The Acoustic Guitar Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Buy and Maintain a New or Used Guitar is the place to start.

I received the book within 10 days of making the order. The book was a great hit with the person whom I purchased for.

I am a beginner guitarist who's advancing pretty fast and definitely outgrown his guitar, so I decided to look for something, but was clueless what I have to look at. This book breaks down everything in ways I couldn't imagine. Every part and it's qualities and how they matter individualy and overall. This is exactly what I was looking for. I also love the way Larry Sandberg romantisizes the guitar, which makes me love it even more, and yet he always keeps it technical and relative. THANKS!

Larry Sandberg does an adequate job of taking the reader through the "basics" of acoustic guitar design, maintenance and history. However, his obvious bias towards Martin sometimes overpowers the strengths of the book. Anyone who is remotely familiar with American acoustic guitar history knows that Martin has always been a leader in the industry - few would dispute this. But, Sandberg's prose would have us believe that Christian Fredrick Martin brought the holy-grail of guitars down from the mountain with the 10 Commandments! Obviously at odds with Sandberg, some of us feel that Gibson has been at least as influential, if not more so, on guitar design and the buying habits of the 20th century guitar-buying public. What elusive credit Larry gives to Gibson generally arrives in a back-handed fashion, making sure that the reader is left believing that Gibson is always a notch below the "real" leaders, such as Martin (of course), SCGC (Santa Cruz Guitar Co.) and Taylor. Please, Larry: a little less Martin-droning and a bit more objective review. The book is worthy of reading however, if you can seperate the facts from the opinions.