buffoonery's Full Review: Michael Ross - Getting Great Guitar Sounds: A Non-...
Those guitarheads looking for a quick and dirty starting place to guitar effects and amps need not go any farther than Michael Ross’s Getting Great Guitar Sounds, a non-technical introduction to the fine art of, well, guitar sound. Although a touch obsolete when it comes to the latest effects (this 2nd edition was written in 1998), there’s a lot of very useful information here and even players who have been in the business for a while may pick up a few points. For newbies and intermediate players, it’s a no-brainer.
There are seven chapters and two appendixes. Chapters One and Two discuss the electric guitar itself, first as an acoustic and then as an electric instrument. First are discussions of headstocks, tuning machines (and the problems associated with string trees, for example), nut, frets, necks, body (semi-hollow vs. solid), picks and strings, and set-up. Then you get into cool stuff like the different kinds of pickups (single coil, humbuckers, and active, their placement and wiring, amps and speakers. Again, non-technical but very useful, especially when you’re in the market for a new guitar and the salesman starts throwing a bunch of terms at you and you don’t want to look like an idiot.
Chapter Three is a fast look at the key concepts of compression and distortion and their effects on sustain (i.e., how long a note will last). What’s the difference? Compression keeps volume steady, lowering it when the signal is strong and increasing it when it is weak. The result is apparent sustain (for a loss of dynamics). Distortion occurs when the amplifier receives too powerful a signal, but can be created artificially with a distortion pedal (many many types available).
Chapter Four concerns so-called ambient effects, more as delay, reverb, chorus/flanging (and related effects) and pitch shifting. You’ll learn the differences between tape, analog and digital delays, spring and digital reverbs, and other cool stuff. This is really important information when you’re in the market for foot pedals and don’t quite know what you’re buying or why you need it.
All of this is background for the meat of the book contained in Chapter Five’s “Tricks of the Trade”. This tells you how to actually use all the cool gizmos discussed in the first four chapters. While it’s entirely up to the player as to the sound he wants and likes, there are better ways to get it than others. You’ll learn about the effects chain and why it’s important to put your compressor and distortion pedals first, how you can get a very big sound by using two amps and a delay pedal, multi-effects boxes, etc., and most important, how not to overdo it.
Chapters Six and Seven are short throwaway chapters on live sounds vs. studio and the advantages of vintage equipment. The two appendixes discuss how some famous guitarists get their sounds (not sufficiently technical to really duplicate them) and the author’s favorite effects.
Get the right sound. This book concentrates on practical applications for specific playing situations, rather than extensive technical explanations.More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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