Dave Hunter

the practical handbook

Guitar effects pedals

Get to know the guitars so famous that their names are household words among enthusiasts. First published in 2010, the first-ever illustrated history of the specific guitars of the men and women who made the music is now expanded to include 32 additional iconic guitars and their owners. Ultimate Star Guitars showcases B.B. King';s "Lucille," Eric Clapton's "Blackie," Stevie Ray Vaughan's "First Wife," Billy F Gibbons's "Pearly Gates," Neil Young's "Old Black," and dozens upon dozens more. Other best-selling guitar histories look at the rank-and-file models, but Ultimate Star Guitars is unique in profiling the specific favorites of famous players - oftentimes million-dollar babies, such as the 1968 Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix burned at Woodstock and which sold at Sotheby's in 1993 for $1.3 million. Guitar journalist Dave Hunter explains the stories behind each: the important sessions on which they were used, landmark tours and gigs on which they were played, modifications made by their owners, and more. From twangy country to scorching metal, from full-throttle punk to sophisticated jazz, and from gut-punch blues to lo-fi indie rock, Ultimate Star Guitars is illustrated with performance and candid photography of the artists with their star guitars, relevant memorabilia, and more often than not, studio shots of the guitars or signature models based on them. An information-packed visual feast for guitar enthusiasts!

The Guitars That Rocked the World, Expanded Edition

Ultimate Star Guitars

Celebrate of the history and significance of both the Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster for the company's 75th anniversary in this combined edition of Dave Hunter's two best-selling books! The Fender Telecaster, created in Les Fender's Fullerton, California, workshop and introduced in 1950, is a working-class hero and the ultimate blue-collar guitar. It wasn't meant to be elegant, pretty, or sophisticated. Designed to be a utilitarian musical instrument, it has lived up to that destiny. In the hands of players from Muddy Waters to James Burton, Bruce Springsteen to Joe Strummer, the Telecaster has made the music of working people—country, blues, punk, rock 'n' roll, and even jazz. Fender’s Stratocaster is arguably the number-one instrument icon of the guitar world. When introduced in 1954, its offset space-age lines, contoured body, and three-pickup configuration set the music world on its ear—it was truly unlike any guitar that had come before. In the hands of the world’s most beloved players, such as Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, Ike Turner, and, yes, Jimi Hendrix, the Stratocaster has since become a popular instrument of choice among rock, blues, jazz, and country players and, not coincidentally, is also one of the most copied electric guitars of all time. In this authoritatively written, painstakingly curated, and gloriously presented combined edition to celebrate Fender's 75th anniversary, author Dave Hunter covers both of the guitar’s histories from concept, design, and model launch through its numerous variations and right up to the present. The story is richly illustrated with archival images, musicians in action, studio shots, memorabilia, and profiles of over 50 Tele and Strat slingers through the ages. With its unprecedented level of detail and stunning visuals, Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster is the only book tribute worthy of the world’s two greatest guitars.

The Story of the World's Most Iconic Guitars

Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster

John Morrish

Teja Gerken

Ben Elder

Jerry Uwins

Mikael Jansson

Acoustic Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive guide of its type ever produced, covering decades of great instruments and the people who played them. You will find here the highest quality photos of acoustic guitars produced by every significant maker, from Alvarez to Zemaitis, plus detailed information, and a host of action pictures of important players from pop, rock, jazz, country classical, blues, and folk. An acoustic guitar need not be a simple brown box with a neck attached. Acoustic Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia celebrates the unusual, the different and the purely bizarre in addition to the assured roots-based craft of the finest unadorned instruments, underlining the sheer diversity and variety of the acoustic stringed instruments that have been built and sold and played through three centuries. Here are resonator guitars made since the 1920s by Dobro, National, and others, often with highly decorated metal bodies; revered flat-tops from Martin, Taylor, Gibson, and more; peculiarly shaped and oddly featured creations from many of the custom builders; early 20th-century harp guitars with extra strings and extended bodies; creative archtops from D’Angelico, Epiphone, Benedetto, and more; and plastic-equipped constructions from Ovation. The comprehensive and informative text is in a clear A-to-Z format organized by brand name, written and researched by a unique team of the world’s leading authorities on the subject. Acoustic Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia shows in words and pictures just why and how the acoustic guitar continues to be the most popular musical instrument in the world.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia

Acoustic Guitars

Guitarists love amps—really love them. Amplifiers may look dull to the rest of the world, but to guitarists they are full of mystique, romance, and rockin' sound. And while there are many strong-selling electric guitar histories available, here's the first illustrated history of the electric guitar’s best friend, the amp. World-famous guitar and amp historian Dave Hunter tells the story of 60 of the greatest amps ever built, including classics from Fender, Marshall, Vox, the bizarre EchoSonic that created Elvis' sound, and the ultimate esoteric $75,000+ Dumble amps. The story is illustrated with hundreds of technical photos, rare machines, catalogs, memorabilia, and the amps of the stars, from Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Ray Vaughan to Eric Clapton. This is a book guitarists will drool over.

The Illustrated History of the World's Greatest Amplifiers

Amped

Here is the ultimate bucket list of guitars, amps, and effects that aficionados must play. Included are classics, dream creations, the outrageous, and your beloved childhood guitar. Photographs and memorabilia make this the perfect impulse buy or giftbook for all guitarists.

The Most Sublime, Bizarre and Outrageous Gear Ever

365 Guitars, Amps & Effects You Must Play

First published in 2010, expanded in 2017, and now available in a sleek paper-over-board format, Ultimate Star Guitars is the first illustrated history of iconic guitars and their owners—featuring more than 140 guitars and 120 guitarists in all! Where other best-selling guitar histories look at the rank-and-file models, Ultimate Star Guitars is unique in profiling the specific favorites of famous players—oftentimes million-dollar babies, such as the 1968 Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix burned at Woodstock and which sold at Sotheby's in 1993 for $1.3 million. Among the stars and their guitars: Kurt Cobain: 1969 Competition Series Fender Mustang B. B. King: Gibson "Lucille" Prince: Hohner HG490 Edward Van Halen: "Frankenstrat" Neil Young: 1953 Gibson Les Paul "Old Black" Guitar journalist Dave Hunter explains the stories behind each: the important sessions on which they were used, landmark tours and gigs on which they were played, modifications made by their owners, and more. From twangy country to scorching metal, from full-throttle punk to sophisticated jazz, and from gut-punch blues to lo-fi indie rock, Ultimate Star Guitars is illustrated with performance and candid photography of the artists with their star guitars, relevant memorabilia, and more often than not, studio shots of the guitars or signature models based on them. It's an information-packed visual feast for guitar enthusiasts!

These are the guitars so famous that their names are often household words: B. B. King’s Lucille, Eric Clapton’s Blackie, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s First Wife, Billy F Gibbons’ Pearly Gates, Neil Young’s Old Black, and many more. Here’s the first-ever illustrated history of the actual guitars of the stars that made the music. Other best-selling guitar histories look at the rank-and-file models, but this book is unique in profiling the actual “star guitars”—the million-dollar babies, such as the 1968 Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix burned at Woodstock, which sold at Sotheby’s auction house in 1993 for $1,300,000. Amateurs buy guitars to emulate the stars—Clapton’s Strat, Slash’s Les Paul—and this book explains the stars’ modifications, thus showing how others can recreate those famous tones.

101 Guitars That Rocked the World

Star Guitars

Jill Lightner

• Author Dave Hunter is at the leading edge of bee and pollinator issues • Mason bees are part of the solution to honeybees’ decline • No other bee book addresses the topic with such depth and interest • Includes useful information about leafcutter bees too! The national media regularly features dire stories on honeybee colony collapse and its danger to our food supply. But there's another, unsung bee that has the potential to save the planet—the mason bee. Mason Bee Revolution explains how docile, hard-working, solitary mason bees (and their compatriots, the leafcutter bees) are even more productive pollinators than honeybees, and keeping them can be a fun, easy, backyard hobby for gardeners, conservationists, foodies, and families everywhere. Why these bees? Bee pollination is critical for about 80 percent of US agricultural crops, increasing crop value by an estimated $15 billion annually. Since 2006, nearly a third of all honeybee hives have been lost each year, due to parasites, pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, and a newer malady called Colony Collapse Disorder. While scientists search for answers to save the honeybee, Dave Hunter and his company, Crown Bees, are leading the effort to increase the population of other highly efficient pollinators: One mason bee can produce twelve pounds of cherries, via pollination, where it would take sixty honey bees to achieve the same. Mason Bee Revolution is an easy-to-follow guide to keeping both mason and leafcutter bees. It tells you how to set up, care for, and harvest your own bees and what types of plants and habitat encourage mason and leafcutter bees, as well as provides general information on other common pollinators and bee-related facts, projects, and personalities.

How the Hardest Working Bee Can Save the World - One Backyard at a Time

Mason Bee Revolution

The Gibson Les Paul is possibly the electric guitar most associated with rock 'n' roll. The result of a collaboration between Gibson's Ted McCarty and jazz guitarist Les Paul in response to the success of Fender's Telecaster, the Les Paul has gone on to become a prized instrument played by most of the greatest guitarists in rock history. Now available in paperback, this massive, illustrated, history of the guitar examines its prehistory and origins, as well as its evolution in the 60-plus years since its 1952 introduction. In addition to the Standards and Customs that guitarists admire so much, author Dave Hunter also gives ample coverage to variations like Les Paul Juniors, Melody Makers, and SGs. You’ll truly feel the music come to life with our profiles on players known for using Les Pauls through the years; including Hubert Sumlin, Carl Perkins, Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, Peter Green, Paul Kossoff, Jimmy Page, Neil Young, Peter Frampton, Keith Richards, Bill F Gibbons, Bob Marley, Mick Ronson, Steve Jones, Johnny Thunders, Angus Young, and more. Illustrated throughout with studio photography of the guitars, candid and performance photography of the artists, and relevant memorabilia, this book is prefect for music lovers and guitar enthusiasts.

The Illustrated History of the Guitar That Changed Rock

The Gibson Les Paul

(Book). Although rock 'n roll is America's all-time leading cultural export, half of the classic rock sound hard-hitting, skintight, audacious, and vibrant was born across the pond. Musician, journalist, and writer Dave Hunter's The British Amp Invasion: How Marshall, Hiwatt, Vox, and More Changed the Sound of Music charts the forty-plus year confluence of British industrial ingenuity and popular culture that grew a minor "also-ran" offshore industry into a true world leader. Art inspired engineering, engineering influenced art, and, as both evolved at breakneck speed, the finest amplifiers in the world were devised and refined on the British Isles. The symbiotic relationship born of this partnership produced the most powerful music ever known to mankind a sound that still resonates today in the most literal sense possible. Hunter's original account provides a ground-level perspective of the simultaneous development of an adolescent audio industry and a nascent musical style, documenting their twin struggle to find their footing and stride forward. Rich with behind-the-scenes accounts and high-resolution images of the era's greatest (and highly collectible) amplifiers, many of which have never been told or seen before, this book is a welcome addition to the libraries of audio aficionados, guitarists, bassists, and other musicians, classic rock fans, collectors of vintage gear, and anyone with an eye for fine photography and an ear for compelling histories.

How Marshall, Hiwatt, Vox, and More Changed the Sound of Music

The British Amp Invasion

Learn the secrets to achieving your ultimate sound Whether amateur or pro, guitarists live for the ultimate sound. Guitar Amps & Effects For Dummies provides the information and instruction you need to discover that sound and make it your own! Written in the characteristically easy-to-read Dummies style, this book is ideal for beginners and experienced musicians alike, and can help all players expand their skill set with effects. Guitarists tend to be gearheads when it comes to sound, and this book provides guidance on topics ranging from the guitar itself to amps, pedals, and other sound technology. Amps and effects are the unsung heroes of guitar music. While most people recognize the more psychedelic effects, many don't realize that effects are often responsible for the unique quality of tone that can become a musician's trademark. Certain effects work on the volume or signal level, others work on the environment, and still others work on the bass and treble content. Guitar Amps & Effects For Dummies covers them all, and shows how effects can not only add something extra, but also "fix" problematic areas. Topics include: Gain-based effects, like distortion, compression, volume pedals, and gates Tone-based effects, including graphic and parametric EQ, and the wah-wah pedal Modulation effects, like the flanger, phase shifter, and tremolo Ambience effects, including reverb and delay The journey to incredible guitar music never ends. No matter how experienced you are with a guitar, there is always room for improvement to your tone and sound. Whether you're looking for the sound of angels or thunder, Guitar Amps & Effects For Dummies will help you achieve the music you hear in your dreams.

Guitar Amps & Effects For Dummies

In The Guitar Pick-Ups Handbook guitarist and author Dave Hunter explores the history of the transducer that captures mechanical vibrations, from its beginnings in the early 20th century through to the present day.

The Start of Your Sound

The Guitar Pickup Handbook

Michael Simmons

Richard Johnston

Mikael Jasson

Electric Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia is a tour through pop-music’s most celebrated musical instrument. Covering several decades of iconic pieces, this guide describes electric guitars produced by every significant manufacturer from Alembic to Zemaitis. Alongside every model is detailed information and a host of action pictures of key players, from Chet Atkins to Joey Z. 1,200 photographs really bring each guitar to life. With 800 classic, rare and unusual instruments from all major manufacturers in studio-quality photographs, plus illustrations of key players, original ads, and memorabilia, it’s easy to get lost within these pages. Comprehensive and informative text with a unique A-to-Z guitar directory covers makers’ histories, great guitarists, and musical trends. This is the definitive guide to the electric guitar, written and researched by the world’s leading authorities on the instrument that has shaped over 50 years of popular music. In words and pictures, detailed descriptions of just why the electric guitar is the most exciting icon of modern pop music.

Electric Guitars

The Gibson Les Paul is possibly the electric guitar most associated with rock ’n’ roll. The result of a collaboration between Gibson’s Ted McCarty and jazz guitarist Les Paul in response to the success of Fender’s Telecaster, the Les Paul has gone on to become a prized instrument played by most of the greatest guitarists in rock history. This massive illustrated history of the guitar examines its prehistory and origins as well as its evolution in the 60-plus years since its 1952 introduction. In addition to the Standards and Customs guitarists admire so much, author Dave Hunter also gives ample coverage to variations like Les Paul Juniors, Melody Makers, and SGs. And to bring the music to life, there are profiles of players well known for using Les Pauls and their offspring through the years, including Hubert Sumlin, Carl Perkins, Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, Peter Green, Paul Kossoff, Jimmy Page, Neil Young, Peter Frampton, Keith Richards, Bill F Gibbons, Bob Marley, Mick Ronson, Steve Jones, Johnny Thunders, Angus Young, and more. Illustrated throughout with studio photography of the guitars, candid and performance photography of the artists, and relevant memorabilia, this book is prefect for music lovers and guitar enthusiasts.

The Illustrated Story of the Guitar That Changed Rock

(Book). The Guitar Amp Handbook: Understanding Tube Amplifiers and Getting Great Sounds, Updated Edition brings fresh information to the table to help guitarists understand everything about what makes their amps tick and how to use them to sound better than ever. It builds on the popular original edition of the book, first published in 2005. Central to the book's success is the way it walks musicians through the significance of each crucial circuit stage and component of a great number of classic and modern tube amp designs, helping guitarists get the most from the amps they already own or choose new amps that are best suited to their needs. The Guitar Amp Handbook reveals many of the tips and tricks used by today's top designers and builders, and it debunks the hype used by the marketing departments at large manufacturers keen on selling specific amps that might not be right for particular players. The book is designed to help guitarists understand what really goes on inside tube amps and where the tone comes from. This new updated and expanded edition adds further knowledge to the foundation, ensuring it continues as the most thorough and authoritative publication on the subject to be found anywhere.

Understanding Tube Amplifiers and Getting Great Sounds

The Guitar Amp Handbook

Use What You've Got to Make Great Music

The Home Recording Handbook

These are the guitars so famous that their names are often household words: B. B. King's Lucille, Eric Clapton's Blackie, Stevie Ray Vaughan's First Wife, Billy F Gibbons' Pearly Gates, Neil Young's Old Black, and many more. Here's the first-ever illustrated history of the actual guitars of the stars that made the music. Other best-selling guitar histories look at the rank-and-file models, but this book is unique in profiling the actual "star guitars"--the million-dollar babies, such as the 1968 Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix burned at Woodstock, which sold at Sotheby's auction house in 1993 for $1,300,000. Amateurs buy guitars to emulate the stars--Clapton's Strat, Slash's Les Paul--and this book explains the stars' modifications, thus showing how others can recreate those famous tones.

Gorgeously illustrated and authoritatively written, Fender 75 Years is the officially licensed celebration of the legendary brand's landmark anniversary, covering all of Fender's iconic guitars, amps, and basses.

Dave Hunter

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