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 enlarge | Author: Ralph Denyer
Publisher: Knopf
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $17.35
You Save: $8.60 (33%)
New (36) Used (18) Collectible (1) from $6.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  75 reviews
Sales Rank: 28899
Media: Paperback
Edition: Rev Sub
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 11 x 8.5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0679742751
Dewey Decimal Number: 787.8719
UPC: 029156960907
EAN: 9780679742753
ASIN: 0679742751
Publication Date: October 20, 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A lot of information in one place May 10, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have a 2nd printing of the 1982 edition and just purchased an 11th printing of the 1992 edition because I thought the updates might be worth it after giving it a glance over at Amazon.
I would give the original 1982 book 5 stars as I believe it was probably the first of it's kind and it covers a wide range of topics. Like one of the other reviewers, I never really read the book when I was in my teens thinking it was too complicated or not relevant to what I wanted to do, but 20 years later, I have finally got around to reading it and have appreciated the information contained in it. Though most of the information can be found elsewhere, the author puts it together for you in one package. The "playing the guitar" is the books strongest section that I find indispensable, while the other sections serve as a good introduction to their topics, which can then be explored in depth by looking to other books
I give the 1992 edition 4 stars because of errors in the text as mentioned by some of the other reviewers--I wish I would have read some of the other reviews before buying this copy and I am going to check my '82 edition to see if it contained the same errors. In my copy, in the playing section, all the text was missing from one of the pages and the titles under two diagrams on the same page were missing.--I'm glad I have my '82 copy which has this missing text. Although the book was revised, there does not seem to be much in it that really makes it much different than the first edition. The book has about the same number of pages. I would have expected the author to go into a little more detail on some subjects, to mention some of the changes or trends that have taken place since the original book was written, or make references to other books or sources of information for those wanting to know more than what is presented in each chapter--For example: more famous or important guitarists, more about specific guitar brands, more about guitar effects, more about studio recording, and so on. The author included more artists at the beginning of the book, but he also reduced the amount of text per artist, though I don't think anything important was cut.
 working your head March 3, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you discover the guitar as a thing to learn and pour yourself into passionately, this book is exactly what you want to read while you wait for your fingers to heal from your last practice session. By laying out this information, the intellectual side of guitar knowledge, Mr. Denyer's book complements the motor skill knowledge you teach to the part of your brain that runs the machine. (And welcome to the machine!)
A must have for any guitarist February 22, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I actually lost this book years ago when learning to play and had to replace it. It is simply a great resource for learning and mastering the guitar. I always seem to learn something new everytime I read it.
A well-rounded introduction to everything guitar February 22, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Like many others here, this was the first guitar book I purchased. While I can't really say the theory section is all-encompassing, it is an excellent introduction to basic theory and gives a push in the right direction. And that's essentially what the whole book does... nudges one's enthusiasm for the instrument. The bios of influential rock & jazz guitarists (and bassists), the anatomy of the guitar and various basic repairs listed, the section on amplification and electronics... while none of them could ever claim to be complete, they are an excellent beginning and do a great deal to foster curiosity.
Most of value, in my opinion, are the technical sections. I've used this book to modify, repair, and build numerous guitars and basses and very rarely have I needed to go beyond this text... that alone makes this book valuable as the money I've saved doing basic repairs, setups, and other adjustments is considerable.
Honestly, there are better texts for each specific subject, but no other book combines them all into the same volume. If you're just starting out on guitar or know a kid who wants to play, this is the book that needs to be read and absorbed.
The only book every guitarist should own December 23, 2005
This is, without a doubt, the best book I've ever seen for guitarists. It is an instruction manual, a history, and a reference book all in one tidy volume.
The instruction portion of the book covers a good amount of introductory music theory, techniques for various styles of play, and plenty of chord charts. There is enough information to satisfy the advanced students, but not so much as to intimidate new players.
Like most DK books, the photography is plentiful and of very good quality.
This isn't the type of book that you work through, learn a little bit from, and then forget about. It is the type of book that you will keep coming back to again and again.
The instruction portion of the book is the largest, but the chapters on maintenance and performance technology are also fantastic.
This probably won't be the last guitar book any serious player will own, but it is probably the best.
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