Review of GUITAR TONE by Mitch Gallagher

Who the book is for: Electric Guitar Players
Rating: 4 out of 5

I’ve been playing guitar since I was fourteen years old, and one of the most exciting things about playing guitar, especially electric guitar, is manipulating the tone of the guitar to get just the right sound that you want. But coming up with a great sound doesn’t just come naturally. For me, I had to learn how to manipulate the sound by trial and error. I would listen to songs with guitar sounds that I really liked, then I would sit down with my amp and a multi-effects pedal and try to replicate what I was hearing. Truthfully, it was often frustrating because I didn’t know exactly what I was doing.

Course Technology has released a new book by Mitch Gallagher called GUITAR TONE: PURSUING THE ULTIMATE GUITAR SOUND. I wish I would have had a book like this several years ago. It’s a complete guide on everything that affects the tone in guitar system. Everything from the material and construction of the guitar itself, to amps and effects, to the small things like picks and strings, Gallagher takes readers on a complete journey through the sonic possibilities of playing electric guitar. I especially enjoyed the chapter on the effects available for guitar player and exactly what each effect does to a guitar signal. The chapter on amps is really helpful also. The book closes with several chapters on the famous guitar tones of guitarists such as Eric Clapton and Brad Paisley.

One thing that would have made the book better would have been photos to illustrate the iconic guitars and effects. Overall, however, the book was immensely helpful, and I’m looking forward to continue manipulating my guitar signals to get the sounds I want, and this is the perfect guide to help.

I received this book for free for review from Course Technology PTR, and the opinions contained in this review are completely my own