Acoustic Guitar Owner's Manual

Bob-Dubery

This book resulted from requests for information to Acoustic Guitar magazine over the years. One could perhaps think of it as a bound, amplified FAQ. This is not a book about playing, it is a book about owning, understanding, caring for and getting the most out of an acoustic guitar. Some chapters deal with topics like bracing patterns used under tops. Others deal with more mundane but still important topics like types of strings, string peg materials, nut materials etc. There are chapters dealing with set up issues, travelling with a guitar, insuring your instrument. The material is provided by a panel heavy on professional craftsmen but with representation too from working players and luthiers (including Rick Turner and Bob Taylor).

I found the book both interesting and educational, in ways that are practical more than academic. There is a lot of good information here. It's not a coffee table book - the publishers have not filled it with glossy, full-page photos. This is in keeping with the book's aims and title, and it keeps the costs down.

There is not always one right answer to questions that we have about guitars and caring for them. But there are a lot of bad answers. A book like this eliminates urban legends and bad answers.

Santa brought me mine, but you can get it through Amazon. Check to see if your preferred e-tailer can provide it.

Acoustic Guitar Owner's Manual
String Letter Publishing
ISBN 978 1 890490 21 8

AlanRatcliffe

I'm looking through the preview now...
http://books.google.co.za/books?id=xGjJnNeiYM0C

Ray

OK Bob, so my copy just arrived from Loot. Looks pretty good, now just wating for the acoustic guitar to arrive. Although I have an old classical for which I have some plans. Talking about that, just looking thru the TOC got me a bit excited. There is a section "Stringing a Classical with Steel". Elsewhere on this forum I asked a question and was told that this was a bit out of the question. So I whipped thru to the section and they are actually talking about slapping nylon on guitars designed for steel strings. Oh well.

Nonetheless, as you umentioned, it is a low cost book with plenty really good stuff I think that anyone with an acoustic that wants to give it reasonable care will benefit from. Thanks for the info.

Heath

looks like a very good book to have ..... i have ordered my copy

Squonk

Where did you guys order Kalahari or Amazon?
How much?

Heath

ordered mine from kalahri , R230 bucks.

http://www.kalahari.net/page_templates/search.aspx?searchText=Acoustic+Guitar+Owner%27s+Manual&debug=1&navigationid=1&displayShop=home

Ray

loot.co.za 196-00 plus 29-00 shipping

Squonk

@ Tailon and Ray, thanks for the information

AlanRatcliffe

Ray wrote: Elsewhere on this forum I asked a question and was told that this was a bit out of the question.

Did you see my post on the John Pearse strings designed specially for classical guitars?

Ray

You referred to Thomastik and I checked around on their site. But now that you mention John Pearse, I am taking a look there as well.