Electric Guitar Amplifier Handbook

This is a classic book in amp repair that was written decades ago. It has many things going for it but some negatives developed over time, too.One of the good features is that it describes and explains basic circuits pretty well. It helps a great deal if the reader knows how to read basic schematics. Another positive is that it gives some tried-and-true troubleshooting methods that still work.A negative is that half the book is nothing but schematics for older amps, few of which you’ll run across anymore and all of which are readily available online along with thousands of others. Decades ago before the internet having those schematics was handy. Now they take up, again, half the pages.

This book has a lot of repair information, and will assist a newbie amplifier repairman quite well. As it turned out, the major part of the book contains vintage schematics, which is quite all right with me. I would have liked a broader and more informative section on amplifier bias adjustments, and the different methods of performing them. This author obviously knows what he is talking about, and I respect that. I would have liked to meet the man and talked with him. This book is well worth a place on your technical book shelf.

As was stated in other thoughtful reviews, this is a dated book. Plus it comes with a fair amount of evangelic discussion of transistors and how they are superior (!). But it dates from the very time frame of the amps that I love. Certainly in recent times, amp designers have taken the sound that we love and made them more reliable & consistent with today's modern tubes & voltages. The best thing about this book is it is directed to an amp repair person. There are a bunch of practical, simple ideas & tools for troubleshooting components & diagnosing issues with tube amps from the 50'-60's. I think it's a great value.

This is a very comprehensive book on guitars and amplifiers which should be of interest to any musician or student entering the electronics field. I bought the first version almost 35 years ago when I was in a rock band using Fender Bandmaster equipment. It was just a skinny little handbook back then. Jack Darr just keeps getting better!

Book starts with the very basics of electric guitar amplification that those more advanced would fine boring. However, the author does this all to leave the groundwork for all the knowledge that comes after in for diagnosing understanding Guitar amplification.

Bought this for my dad as a birthday gift. Shipping was very fast and came in perfect condition. He loves the book and uses it almost everyday day.

I dig old technology manuals and this is a good one.

Jack Darr is the man. Lots of great information.

First the positive , I am a Solid State Amp user and it gave me all the info I needed to understand its workings and more . Great sections on Transistors , Power Supplies , Different types of faults and how to approach them , the discrete components and their typical issues . Book also covers Valves and compares how the Amp sections differ depending on the use of Valves v Transistors .Negatives , only the first 110 pages of the book are on the above theory with diagrams where as the rest of the book ( 270 pages ) is filled with schematics for small and medium sized Amplifiers , HIgh Power Amps and Super Power Amps , some Mixers and effects . The latter categories most of the Amp's I never heard of . No photos of any of the Amps at all are supplied just the schematic and in some cases a Parts List.The book ( IMO ) is way too expensive for those first 110 pages which is all I got out of the book . In the early parts of the book there are some irrelevant things such as schematics for drum machines and how effects that are built into Amps work etc . The books last update was in 2004 and it feels in places a bit outdated.

Some useful info but your also getting a lot of outdated stuff about transistors.Needs a good updating.

Lots of great info!