've been playing for years, but never did much more than change my strings. I decided it was time to learn how to start adjusting my own guitars so I bought a few books on the subject; this is the one that I keep turning to. Very thorough instructions with helpful illustrations and photos; recommendations for a basic journeyman toolkit all the way up to what you need to start your own repair shop. Separate sections are included for Fenders and Gibsons, recommended setup tolerances etc; The interviews with the master guitar players are interesting, if a little superfluous, but their techs are also interviewed, and provide useful tips and tricks. I have only 2 nits to pick: some of the illustrations- such as the one on how to wind strings properly-could be more clear. Perhaps with arrow directions (I know this probably makes me sound like a ..., but this book is so close to a 10 that I figure I'll just mention it .) Finally, it's getting a little bit dated, having been written in the early 90's right after SRV's untimely death. Certainly the principles and methods of guitar repair and setup haven't changed since then, but a new millenium edition would be great. Overall, an excellent, book and if you're like 99 of guitarists out there who need a guide that will show you how to set up your collection with confidence, but don't need to become a luthier, this might be the only book you need to get.


# 310 pages