Customer Reviews

Grateful Dead Gear - The Band's Instruments, Sound Systems, and Recording Sessions, From 1965 to 1995 (Softcover)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is frickin' amazing, and I'm the opposite of a knob-twiddling gearhead pedal fetishist. I didn't know what ANY of this tech stuff is, and have never played an instrument myself, but this book is so full of the INSIDE SCOOP, with interviews from everyone from the bandmembers, to Owsley/Bear (whose radical concepts became the foundation of modern concert amplification for all bands that followed, not just the Dead), to the loyal and inscrutable road crew, to the various producers of the band's studio albums, to every luthier and gadgetologist who ever lusted in his heart to see a piece of his gear in action on the Big Stage, that it's one of the most fascinating, articulate, and intimate books ever written on the Grateful Dead, period.

It may seem a tad pricey, but the printing job is deluxe. Mark my words: it's a fantastic gift idea for any Deadhead you love, but will probably fly under the radar of most casual Dead enthusiasts because of the off-putting premise of being all about the hardware. As it turns out, this witty book is actually more about the human software: the passion for discovery and exploration that drove the evolution of this music and this sound, and made the Grateful Dead the *new* best band on Earth nearly every time they went out on tour ('till '91 or so, at least -- so shoot me for saying it.)

I'm not just raving about this book because Blair and I have worked together on projects like the "So Many Roads" box set. Frankly, I wasn't even sure I was going to buy it, since I'm so not the target demographic for a book about whether 'tis better to use graphite for a guitar neck or not. But I'm sure glad I did, because I feel like I have a much deeper picture of what the band was up to on the other side of the Laminated Curtain, all those many years.

I will state that I have played guitar for more then 30 years so I am offering this review with some bias. That said...

Overall, the book is well written and researched. However they should change the title/description to something more generic geared towards the common fan. At first glance, the book seems to be about the technical aspects of the Dead's instruments and equipment but it is really more of a historical background of what they used and played and why. I was hoping for real tech information such as: close-ups of Garcia's pedals and wiring diagrams, close-ups of each member's racks. In-depth information about each rack unit/processor and why it was used and selected, more on Irwin's guitar customization for Garcia's guitars, A detailed review of how each member got their tone and sound. In other words it would be great to see an in-depth book about the real tech stuff rather then the background of why, when and what the band used. I also noticed that several Dicks Picks album covers and other dead cover art was used thru-out the book. I failed to understand why these were necessary other then adding visual filler and visually enhancing the era being discussed. I would have rather seen more in-depth close-ups of the equipment, cables, cabinets, etc. There are several shots of the band using the equipment but not many specifically of the equipment. I did enjoy the pages on studio recording techniques and aspects. I also enjoyed that the book is chronological in presentation showing the progression of equipment over the years. I just felt that there should have been more about the equipment and hook-up, etc rather then the history behind the selection and usage.

Grateful Dead embraced innovation with enthusiasm. Their musical explorations are the stuff of legend, and their technical exploits, including the first live / studio blend (Anthem of the Sun), the first 24 track recording (Aoxomoxoa), their embracing of audience tapers and their ground-breaking work in concert recordings through the From the Vault and Dicks Picks series are fairly well known. Jackson's book takes us deeper into the technical side than anything previously available in the extensive shelf of Grateful Dead documents (which is now well over two metres and continuing to grow as the significance of the Grateful Dead phenomenon continues to seep into the awareness of people who care about music).

As other reviewers have noted, this is not a book to take gearheads into techie heaven. It does take the general student of the Grateful Dead to a more comprehensive understanding of the broad sweep of instruments and equipment used across their 30 year career. As such, it is most valuable addition to the Grateful Dead library. It is well written and easily understood.

There is probably a book of equal length just in Garcia's Irwin guitars, or Mickey Hart's drums, or the Wall of Sound and on and on. Hopefully, Jackson will inspire specialists to delve into those subjects and more in greater depth. Certainly, this is an excellent overview of a space that needs deeper exploration.

This book makes gear geeking a pastime appealing to anyone who enjoys the Grateful Dead's sound as it evolved over the span of over 3 decades. The author even spends some time, particularly with Garcia, on the gear plucked before the band found form. This book details aspects of the band's quest that the band's members actually concerned themselves with on a daily basis: the nuts'n'bolts, the cords and plugs and cables and strings and instruments and amps; imagine reading a detailed account of King Arthur's various legends: details of Excalibur handle, the armor he wore or the idiosyncracies of his horse - all serving to increase understanding of his knights' adventures. At the outset, Jackson states clearly that this book is not absolutely comprehensive but if you want to read about the music of the band beyond description, Grateful Dead Gear is absolutely essential. It is also quite an enjoyable read.

If you're a fan of either A) the Grateful Dead or B) musical/PA equipment then this book is fascinating. For people that don't know anything about the Grateful Dead it's an eyeful. (Few people realize how forward-thinking they were.) Steve Urbauer

The technology, equipment, and musicians who have mad up the long-lived band Grateful Dead is reviewed with a focus on behind-the-scenes recording studio action in GRATEFUL DEAD GEAR: THE BAND'S INSTRUMENTS, SOUND SYSTEMS, AND RECORDING SESSIONS FROM 1965-1995. Surprisingly (given all the books on the market covering nearly every facet of the Dead imaginable), it's the first to consider the band's technical side, including their recording methods, and examines the equipment design, studio techniques, and influences on the group's evolution, adding over a hundred color photos - some never before published - and interviews with not only the band but its roadies and technical producers. A 'must' for any collection strong in either rock music history or technical gear.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book is a step forward in understanding what the Dead tried to achieve in thier 30 year career . We have much literature on the band s lives and their ' whole ' system of living and playing , and doing everything that characterizd the Dead at being the Dead ( especially by Silberman who wrote an excellent review here ) . But the technical details of this are only a marvel or wise - literary - move that B Jackson could ve only pulled off .

The entire book deserves deep analysis and discussion . But the 72 - 74 time period . And the 1976 - 1977 years are worth reading into . The awesome details of the making of Terrapin St ; I could never thought that they went thrrough what they went through . And the percise changes , actions and decissions that took place during that album s making . As well as other albums , and the tours that functioned around the records that the Dead would be working on oftentimes .

The entire Wall of sound bit is also quite worth reading deep into .

I wonder if David Gans has read this book ? If so it d be nice to read his amazon.com customer opinion . As he is perhaps the best literary reference that the Dead has had since books about them have been published ( aside from the Relix magazine editions from the 70 s ) .

Thanks Blair Jackson for the magnificent book that only experts can create ( I still remember Blair s excellent articles in Dupree s diamond news , a too excellent magazine that accompanied our lives through the Dead s touring days , and also your superb show reviews in the Dead Base volumes )

A head in Chile

J G

Another nice job from Blair Jackson. I love the music but am not a musician myself so wondered if I would find the tech stuff boring. For the most part, the answer is no. For those of you who have read Jackson's earlier works, you will feel right at home. There are plenty of details, stories etc to hold the interest of anyone interested in the history of this, the best of all bands.

A must have book for the gearhead deadheads! Jackson details the instruments and sound and recording systems for every era of the Grateful Dead. He also includes some background info on equipment and their manufacturers. His information comes from many interviews with band and crew members, photos and discussions with other people involved with the band and equipment in that time period. He also makes several listening recommendations, so that the reader can hear the particular set-ups written about in the book. If you are interested in the type of vocal mics used in the Wall of Sound, or the power amp used to power the Fillmore Auditorium shows, then this book is for you.
This is the best Grateful Dead book to own along with DeadBase and the Taping Compendiums, in my opinion.

This well-written book provides both an overview of the progression of the Grateful Dead alongside a detailed description of the equipment the band used at each step along the way. For the gearheads out there, it's a great read. The same holds for Dead fans and fans of music from the golden era in general. It's really enjoyable.