Customer Reviews

Guitar Amplifier Handbook - Understanding Tube Amplifiers and Getting Great Sounds (Softcover)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are not a lot of books specifically about guitar tube amps, and while there are certainly some great texts out there, nobody had written a comprehensive, plain-english, yet technically in-depth resource explaining how all the different parts of a guitar tube amp add up to great tone... Until now. I think there are many people like myself who don't have any kind of engineering background (i.e.; no math) yet who have a deep interest in understanding exactly what makes their vintage amp tick, and who might just want to build one from scratch one day. This book is for us. Dave Hunter has done his homework and put together a manual that covers a great sampling of makes and types, explaining things that many of the other books assume you already know, and in a non-condescending manner. The Guitar Amp Handbook is from the same publisher that put out the latest edition of The Tube Amp Book by Aspen Pittman, and it is a perfect complement to that book which, while rich in schematics is pretty lacking in technical explanation... Actually, The Tube Amp book has a similar problem that plagues most existing tube amp books; it has great tips and tricks, but no real fundamentals. Dave Hunter has given us the foundation that will finally allow us to actually benefit from the other books.

Buy it! If you have any interest at all in how your guitar amplifier works, you need this book - I can't recommend it anymore than that! Dave has authored more books from Publisher Backbeat Books, and they're all killer productions - great/informative writing, superb binding, covers and great detail in the publishing aspects of these books.

Dave Hunter is well versed in all things guitar, as I have learned through buying and reading all of his works to date. He's got a unique book here in his approach and honesty on the subject, and it's worth every penny. Loaded with real world, no BS information - great sections on signal chain, components, how to select the right amp for you and at the end, a fully documented amplifier kit (which is now available through the publisher's website) which you can either buy direct, or put together with your own parts!

Highly recommended, and I highly recommend Dave's other books as well!

When you are done reading this - you will understand tube-based (and let's face it those are the only kind any of us really care about) guitar amplifiers. Hunter writes clearly, and concisely, my only objection to his style is that he's a little bit too sympathetic to people's feelings. I'd rather he just apologize once for his opinions and level his criticisms.
But that's me.

I've been playing guitar for going on 30 years, and I managed to learn practical service information about tubes and controls as well as effects set up.

The great thing about this book is it will actually teach you how to build an amp! I haven't tried it as I've not got the money for the kit, but I feel more than encouraged by the clean layout and direct explanations.

I wanted a good introduction to guitar tube amplifiers. This book got me only part of the way there. Some of the information is very interesting, and the writing is readable. However, what I wanted most was a basic idea of how amps work, and the book does not succeed on this score.

The author attempts to explain how amps work by explaining his way through schematics of several classic amps. This approach had several problems.
--The author does not provide a good general description of what role each component (resistors, caps, etc.) is meant to play in modifying the signal. He should have defined each of these concepts better at the outset.
--The author does not provide a good general description of the functions of major sections of amplifiers (for example, what a rectifier is for and how it affects sound)
--The author's approach of describing specific cases (specific amp schematics) to illustrate a general point (how most tube amps work) is ineffective. This approach leaves the user trying to figure out the general principles from the specifics provided -- not a good tactic for an introductory text.
--The schematics used are tiny copies of the original, often hand-drawn, originals. They are difficult to read. Each schematic should have been reproduced in a standardized, computer-generated, readable format.
--The author's descriptions of the amps' workings are large blocks of prose. Schematic design begs to be described part-by-part, function-by-function, in a numbered list. Formatting the descriptions as lists would have been much easier to follow.

The book isn't a total loss. The chapter on the importance of speakers and speaker cabinets is a valuable introduction to an often-overlooked facet of tone, and the interviews with amp builders (a standard section in this series of guitar tech books) is enjoyable.

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.

This book is somewhat similar to the tube amp book by Aspen Pittman but I think it is much better. Dave has included several interviews by very knowledgable people in the world of tube amps, most notably Ken Fisher.

While the book does not contain any real amp modification suggestions, it does have various philosophies on modifications and the persuit of great tone.

I was pleasantly supprised and would buy it again.

-Don

I've read many books on tube amps. Some try to get into the meat and potatoes and some are just garbage put out by amp makers to help sell more amps. I'd say Dave's book is in the middle of that mess.

I found this book to be very well presented, written and reasonably unbiased. The electronics knowledge that's presented is mostly about the basics of what these parts are, what they do and the truth about the variety of parts and how they effect an amp's sound and quality. Also, a nice section on amp evolution and circuit breakdowns that are more about why and the end result than how it works. Great for the average player.

He does an excellent job of demystifying much of the marketing bull that is used to sell tube amps today. All these marketing ploys weren't used 20-30 years back because the business didn't really focus on "Class A", Channel Switching, Built in Bells and Whistles. Plus, I'd bet with so much competition all these companies are scrambling for market share.

Dave points out how much of this is just marketing and he does a great job with explaining what a person SHOULD look for in an amp. He doesn't so much give his opinion as a "how to" evaluate what you as a buyer and player really needs.

That's what this is really about, Understanding Tube Amps. If you've bought ten amps in your life and always wind up trading it in for the next one that the sales guy, more importantly Rock Star advert, says is the latest and greatest, this book can maybe end that misery and SAVE YOU FAR MORE THAN THE PRICE OF THE BOOK in the process.

Every guitar player really should read this book from cover to cover. Especially the interviews section with the present greats of the industry. The chapter on building your own amp is purely there if you want to actually get your hands dirty. I plan on building the amp eventually but that's the one chapter I skipped as it's not going to help me sort out why I OWN FOUR HALF STACKS AND THREE COMBOS!!! Any one else fall into this category?

This book is very detailed and spends more time on describing how the tube amplifier works, but not enough time on how to actually get the sounds you are really after.

This book presents the WHOLE tube amp picture. It even provides instructions on how to build your own tube amp. The first chapters go through tube amp components. Some of it is a little tough to follow without some experience in electronics. However, the writer keeps it entertaining enough to get you through it. If you make it through these chapters, you will be rewarded. In subsequent chapters, you will get into the meat of finding the best TONE. Detailed advice and explanation of different amp components (tubes, cabinets, speakers, etc.) give great insight into what is hype and what is not when it comes to finding great amp sounds. A very good interiew section with several amp builders is also included.

I love this book! I keep picking it up to refresh my memory on how to get my own tube amp to sound better. It is a great resource and I know that I will go back to it whenever I want to change a speaker, dial in a different sound, or buy a new amp!

I love this book, and refer to it frequently. It's an excellent first book on tube amps for the non-technical user, which is what most guitarists are. It gives you a lot of qualitative information without bogging you down in technical details, but as you reread it and refer back to it, you keep learning things. Eventually, you may be inclined to attempt the DIY amp build in the last chapters of the book, and the walkthrough in the book is excellent for holding your hand while you tackle your first build. There are a few printing errors unfortunately in the DIY amp build chapter, but you can go online to the books's publisher's website and pick up the errata which clear those few things up. I ended up building this amp as my first homemade amp, and it was a great experience, and a great amp. I even ended up making a small profit when I sold it, and the owner had nothing but great things to say about it!

FYI if you're interested in more of my experiences building this (and other) amps, search for "Warktone" in your favorite search provider.

5 Stars!