Customer Reviews

Pink Floyd: The Black Strat: A History of David Gilmour's Black Fender Stratocaster

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, this book is an interesting read for any David Gilmour fan. However, I feel that the people who buy this book are interested in some technical guitar information. The average Pink Floyd fan would probably not be interested in this book to being with.

The book primarily tells the history of David's Black Strat. There is some coverage of his Telecasters and Lewis guitar. It briefly discusses what tours and albums he used the Black Strat on, but not with any real specifics. A page or two on Dark Side, one page on Wish You Were Here, a page or two on Live at Pompeii. Nothing really detailed.

My disappointment was the lack of technical info. There is talk of David's mods, or attempted mods, but again, no specifics; literally, a paragraph or two. I wish there was more in-depth talk about the pickups, wiring, and little tips and tricks. Like I said, nearly everyone that buys this book, not only likes David Gilmour, but they probably play guitar themselves, and are looking for some tips to try on their own guitars, or really nail that sweet Gilmour tone.

All that being said, I enjoy the book. It's not that expensive and it is interesting to read about the history of some of David's guitars. I was surprised there was no talk of the "#1" Strat. If you're looking at this book hoping to find some real specific guitar info, you'll be disappointed. I wish Phil made it half technical manual and half history book. Maybe a third edition will have the specifics on pickup windings, mod wirings, tricks, failed mods, etc.

I was highly anticipating my copy of this book after having read a review of it in GUITAR WORLD Magazine. I'm a huge fan of both Pink Floyd and the Fender Stratocaster, and it just felt "right" for me to own such a book. As soon as I received it I read it cover to cover in a few hours, all the time worrying that I would be disappointed with a mediocre tribute to David Gilmour's iconic guitar. I'd like to say now that this book is ANYTHING BUT DISAPPOINTING. In the book Phil Taylor lovingly and meticulously chronicled the "ordinary stratocaster guitar that David bought at Manny's in 1970", but which eventually became the iconic Black Strat which David used for most of his landmark guitar melodies and solos throughout the pinnacle years of Pink Floyd and through his solo career. The book is rich in photographs of Dave performing with the Black Strat as well as close up shots of the guitar as it went through its many modifications throughout the years (which I particularly enjoyed). Phil Taylor wrote with devotion, and gave me a sense of the tremendous impact that this plain guitar has had on the music culture. It seemed that Phil had more of a sense of this than even Gilmour himself (no offense, Dave) who "never treated the guitar with any reverence" and "just considered it a working tool". It seems Phil felt strongly that the Black Strat's story should be told, and having read the book myself, I heartily agree. My hat's off to you Phil. This is a must have book for die hard Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, and Fender Stratocaster fans everywhere.

I've always liked Pink Floyd. I've never really been a huge fan but I've always appreciated their music and have enjoyed their live videos. I'm a guitar player and I enjoy music history and I loved this book. It's not only detailed regarding all of David Gilmour's guitars (especially of course the Black Strat), but it gives a great history of the band and the changes they went through as they went from experimental art band to the mega superstars who could fill arenas and stadiums. Phil Taylor knows his stuff and doesn't leave a thing out. I appreciate the deatil he has put into his work, making it a fun and entertaining read. The pictures are great and varied and I enjoyed this book a lot. It encouraged me to revisit my Pink Floyd CD collection and appreciate David Gilmour and co. again. Experimental and not afraid to take chances, catchy and commercial without trying. And David Gilmour is one extra cool MoFo. Thanks for the book...

A pleasant read. Not enough technical information for me. I would have liked more specifics regarding the mods David attempted with the guitar and why he abandoned them.

Very nice and unusual illustrations and photo's. A must read for a fan of David Gilmour.

great price. Got this book for my husband for Christmas. If you have a friend or family member that enjoys Pink Floyd, then this is a great gift for whatever occassion

"The music created with this humble Strat has entered into the homes and lives of quite literally billions of people..."

This book, written by Phil Taylor, David Gilmour's long-term guitar technician, studio manager, production director and much more, takes a careful and detailed look at one of rock's most iconic instruments. Rather than a dry, technical manual, suited only to those who already know guitars inside and out, it is a rewarding and accessible book that Pink Floyd fans the world over will thoroughly enjoy.

Phil explains that the book explores the history of DG's black Strat from its early days as David's primary guitar in Pink Floyd.

Through the pages, one finds out how and why the various modifications have taken place, changing the instrument pretty comprehensively from the standard model bought in 1970 at Manny's Music in New York. For those that understand the phrase, it seems a real "Trigger's broom"!

The first thing that strikes you is the sumptuous design and quality of the book. It is laid out in a fresh, clear and clean format, balancing text nicely with the fine array of pictures. These come from various sources, including the archives of Nick Mason, Jill Furmanovsky, Polly Samson, and Phil's own behind-the-scenes shots.

From pictures of David at Abbey Road during the sessions for A Saucerful Of Secrets, in 1968, right up to the recent Live8 and On An Island activity, every aspect of David's career is covered in an enthralling text. With Phil's enviable position at the heart of things, plenty of detail is revealed on events which has not been shared before.

The book also covers some of David's other guitars, explaining where and why they were used, and how they were more suitable in some circumstances than the black Strat. Indeed, for a while, the guitar fell out of favour and it took a special event to get it back into action. All of this discussion is fitted into a good summary of the band's key tours, albums, and performances. The text never delves into fiendishly technical minutiae, making it very accessible for all of us who are not guitarists.

For all those who thought an interesting book couldn't be written focusing on one guitar (and this would seem to include David himself, based on a quote from him at the start of the book!), this will prove a nice surprise.

And, with the book (now hardback) given an overhaul with technical and factual information uncovered since the first edition, and a nice selection of additional, newly unearthed and previously unseen pictures, it is also a very tempting proposition for those who already own the first edition paperback...

I bought this book for my 17 year old son as a gift. I am nowhere near the guitar nut as he is, but this book is absolutely beautiful. Wonderful to thumb through and browse. The photos are brilliant and the story amazing. This is a huge book and very well written. You won't be sorry for buying this book, I would recommend it for anyone who has a love for guitars, Pink Floyd, or rock music in general. Perfect 5 stars.

After reading this book in one sitting, it became an inspiration for me to build my own Gilmour black strat. It is a must for any fan of Pink Floyd as well as David Gilmour fan. A very detailed history of the guitar and it's owner and the various changes the guitar went through 'til it reached its current state.
A wealth of pictures as well as info, so much as i said that i built my own gilmour strat. The only changes i made were in the neck, it is a C-shaped but a bit smaller to fit my hand, i did put a duncan ssl5 in the bridge, but instead of the fat 50's in the neck and 69 in the middle, i put 2 duncan ssl-3 in the neck and middle but the middle pickup is reverse wound, and instead of drilling a hole in the pickguard for the extra switch to turn on the neck pickup, i used a push-pull pot on the lower tone control to add the neck pickup. I decided to do the N.O.S version instead of the relic'd version. See if this book had that kind of inspiration for me, imagine what it may do for you. Go out and get it, enjoy yourself reading it, even if you don't build guitars.

The first page I opened to in this book had a detailed layout of the original 1960's Stratocater wiring. Gleefully I turned to book back a bit, started right on page one and continued from there.

The book is a history of David's famed 'Black Strat' through all it's nicks and surgeries and general makeovers. Being a guitarist for many years I could easily relate to all the modifications David went through and I ammused me how the author (Phil Taylor) just would explain a modification by saying, "David didn't like the way this looked... so he changed it." Or, "The sound was to thin, so he shoved this in there." All in all any guitarist could relate to it and know where he's coming from.

In regards to guitarists looking for David's actual setup, there is not much here. His amps and pedals are mostly forgotten along with any settings he would use on specific songs. You will not hear of his Hiwatt amps or his Germanium transistor Fuzz boxes that were eventually switched for smoother silicon based ones. Or the techniques used to cull the psychedelic sounds of song such as A Saucerful of Secrets or Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun. They will not tell you that if you switch the inputs on your Vox wah-wah that you can get those "seagull" sounds for Echoes and Is There Anybody Out There? No you won't get that. But here is what you will get: The history of a legendary guitar through all the crap that is has gone through by it's owner.

Now a reviewer remarked that you didn't get the specific's for David's EXACT setup regarding his strat, to this I say: By reading the book and looking through the last few pages you get a pretty much spot on idea of what this guitar is culled from. Hell you can even call Seymour Duncan up today and say, "Yo man, I want a David Gilmour bridge pickup." You will drop a few hundred, but you'll get it by George.

The book is positively stunning to look at and the pictures are phenominal. Phil Taylor is not much of a writer, but that is not the point. It is a factual account of a guitar written by the man who handled it (you can even see a letter signed by Phil requesting new necks for the guitar). Given that Phil is not a professional writer I can let that slide.

The book is fantastic for any fans of guitars and any fans of Floyd will love the pictures in the book. Throw it on your coffee table next to 'A Visual History of Pink Floyd' and 'Inside Out' to impress anybody who comes in.

I, at first, scoffed at this story of David Gilmour's Black Strat; however, the more I thought about it, the more I believed that it would offer something of a storied journey. This proved to be a good historical read and journey of not only David and Phil Taylor, Daivid's Guitar Technician, but also of the journey of the Black Strat and several other Floydian Guitars. I am glad that I purchased and read this account.