english books
Great New Guitar Book
Inside Electric Guitars
Pickups, Pots, Switches, and much more incl. wiring, repairs, and modifications
Available as e-book only. Price: 25,68 Euros (EU incl. 7% v.a.t.), outside EU 24.00 Euros (without tax)
Description
Contents
Part 1: Components and Equipment
1.1 Pickups
1.2 Potentiometers
1.3 Switches
1.4 Capacitors
1.5 Active Electronics
1.6 Knobs
1.7 Jacks, Plugs, Cables
1.8 Shielding
1.9 Measurement Devices
1.10 Tools
Part 2: The Individual Instruments
2.1 Alembic
2.2 Alosa
2.3 Aria
2.4 Burns
2.5 Danelectro
2.6 Eko
2.7 Epiphone
2.8 Fender
2.9 Fenix
2.10 Fernandes
2.11 Framus
2.12 Gibson
2.13 Godin
2.14 Gretsch
2.15 Guild
2.16 Hagström
2.17 Harley-Benton
2.18 HK
2.19 Höfner
2.20 Hopf
2.21 Hoyer
2.22 Ibanez
2.23 Kramer
2.24 Migma
2.25 Music Man
2.26 Musima
2.27 Neumann
2.28 Ovation
2.29 Parker
2.30 Peerless
2.31 PRS
2.32 Rickenbacker
2.33 Seifert
2.34 Travis Bean
2.35 Vox
2.36 Yamaha
2.37 Doubleneck
2.38 Noname
Preface
Looking for creative, independent minds
To play the electric guitar or bass - what a fascinating passion of our times that can be. That soaring feeling when just the small movement of a finger makes the sound thunder through the concert hall and lets the audience go crazy. And it's not only the auditory event that elicits the flow of adrenalin – already the sight of the instrument delights the connoisseur und stirs the blood. Guitars have become cult objects.
Of course, every player seeks to get the best sound possible. How can this desire be met? Buy an instrument as expensive as possible, the retailer will say ... which is not a problem if you have access to that well endowed bank account. However, in particular musicians are often not that well off. They will scrimp and save their very last penny to be able to afford the "axe" of their dreams. Does it indeed have to be that way? Wouldn't something less expensive do? Couldn't we maybe upgrade a midrange instrument in some clever way?
The answer is: that's not always possibly but it’s in fact often the case. Rather than prematurely spend a lot of money, it is more purposeful to first invest in know-how. Many run-of-the-mill guitars can still be spiced up significantly without that process costing an arm and a leg. Most of these guitars are holding back more tone than is recognizable when first listening to them.
Good sound can be traced back to a number of sources. First come – obviously – the strings. Then there are pickups, electric components, cables, hardware (in particular the mechanical design of bridge, frets, tailpiece and tuners), and workmanship. Over the years, books and other instruction material has become abundantly available – written and posted by often highly experienced luthiers who frequently create true pieces of art from precious timber. If for a moment we do not consider the endless stream of Fender and Gibson plagiarisms, many of the above contributors have come up with a significant amount of ideas relating to shapes and designs. To begin with, writing about this and communicating it is a good thing. High-class workmanship indeed is the basis for a great sound. Still, all those marvellous photos published in those coffee-table books and posted on the websites generally only show the exterior of the instruments. Rarely do we find a behind-the-scenes look, let alone truly competent reports in that direction.
Without doubt there are a lot of good intentions – however, most of these expert "wood-workers" fail to have any deeper knowledge with respect to the electrical side of the equation. Typically, in their writing they copy from one another; rarely will anybody carry out their own systematic experiments. It appears that amongst 100 luthiers/instrument builders, 90 or more seem not have been able to build any real relationship to electricity. Thus they do not form a big-time source for new ideas regarding this field. On more than a few occasions the result is an amateurish "all show and no substance". The controls fail to satisfactorily meet the requirements, and the possibilities with regard to sound are far from being fully exhausted. Additionally, the sound is subject to interference in many cases. On the other side, the players have settled for the inadequacies and frequently do not even think about them anymore. In fact, they demand much too low standards. We still find too many thinking barriers that we wouldn't need to have in this area we. Much could be done in a better way. Despite the abundance of information on electric guitars and basses, truly useful technical support is hard to find.
So, for these reasons – and for a change – it is the electrical engineer who will speak out in the present book. The intention is to close the still existing knowledge gaps – so many erroneous opinions continue to wander about within the scene. Much needs to be set straight. This book is not meant to be in competition to the others as mentioned above, but a purposeful supplement.
Thus, our main theme here will be the electrical part of the instruments: pickups, controls, switches, etc. The circuits of the most well-known instruments are presented – including a discussion of their advantages and disadvantages, and in many cases also possibilities for modifications are laid out. The latter are not meant to be introduced in cookbook fashion but should be taken as a stimulus for independent experimentation. Once the principles have been understood, creativity can be allowed to run free.
This is not widely known: most instruments allow for much more variations in sound than has been foreseen ex-factory – if we do not remain glued to the original configuration. The latter is certainly not under "protection due to history". Many guitar builders of the 1950's had little insights into electronics; many technical avenues were not explored. Conversely, the functioning of pickups and circuits is very well understood today, and it would be an unnecessary restriction to continue to unreflectingly adopt wiring approaches about as old as a Model T Ford. Often it is highly advantageous to modify specific details, the result being better sound, more variety, more comfortable control, and less interference. Plus: this might not even be expensive at all.
The opinions presented here do not always correspond to what is the prevalent opinion in the musical scene. Some insights could even be seen as heresy – but then they are based on 40+ years of practical experience. Advertising and marketing do like to try to switch off the customers (in this case: the musicians) common sense in order to increase turnover. It is high time to re-deploy that common sense so that some lively and healthy discussion may ensue. I myself have suffered long enough from that "electric guitar fever"-illness but in the end could recover. My critical intellect did return.
My internet page "www.gitarrenelektronik.de", and my previous books would have never seen the light of day had I not very precisely scrutinized the electrical inner workings of a large number of electrical guitars and basses over a period of now more than 4 decades. In many of those instruments, defects had to be repaired. For others, the owners requested improvement of the sound, or a more user-friendly control layout. Many more instruments I could get on loan from music shops or acquaintances for a few days in order to study them in detail. Represented were the most diverse quality categories, from the shoddiest to the most exquisite guitars and basses. I could extensively play them all and examine them all, and for many I have established electrical measurements - leading over time to a mountain of experience and knowledge. I do not want to keep this to myself but seek to make it available to the public – as a repository as much for private DIY'ers as for professional repair experts.
In any case I wish you lots of success with modifications and repairs inspired and encouraged by this book!
Special thanks to Tilmann Zwicker for the translation from German into English.
My older book is always available
Electric Guitar - Sound Secrets and Technology (2nd Edition)
Printed version: Price 34.95 Euros (EU incl. 7% v.a.t.), outside EU 32.66 Euros (without tax)
Available as E-Book at elector.com
Have a look into the book on ISSUU
Preface
A Book as a Bridge between Two Worlds
Where or what would modern popular music be today without electric guitars and basses? Over the past decades these instruments have set the tone, and experienced an explosively expanding distribution. The top players are treated like heroes presenting stimulating shows on stage with their freedom of movement and performance, in comparison to rather static keyboard players and drummers.
A cult following has arisen surrounding these instruments, also strongly influenced by clever marketing strategies of manufacturers and dealers. Brand names dominate the market and the guitar’s symbolic value is no longer in relation to its practical value. The idolization of electric guitars has to some extent taken on absurd forms. In this line of business however – as is always the case in a free economy – a ruthless competitive battle rages in the background, with a potential for self-destruction. The romanticism is only a façade.
This book aims to disillusion the fictitious world and bring it back down to earth. A clarification of false opinions is urgently necessary. It is aimed at musicians and should be seen as a beneficial asset. Many musicians are short of money, but are nevertheless often tricked into buying overpriced guitars or spare parts – this should not happen.
Every musician wants to have the best possible sound. The electrical equipment – pickups and internal wiring of an instrument – play a decisive role here. It is possible to improve this on many a commercial instrument. Once the art of modification has been understood, good sound can be achieved for little money. It depends less on the price of the parts used than on the right know-how.
This book’s first aim is not to increase manufacturer’s and dealer’s sales. It addresses the average consumer who is technically interested; to help them invest their money as efficiently as possible.
The communication between musicians and technicians is often difficult. Musicians are usually emotionally-led artists who express their work through sound and lyrics, whilst technicians have to wind wires around magnets and measure physical magnitudes. These are two entirely different worlds – the ‘translation’ between the two can sometimes be difficult. This book attempts to build a bridge between them.
Guitar electronics is a narrow, specialized branch of electroacoustics which until now has not been taken very seriously in technical literature. However the interest is there; many a musician would like to know more about the operation of his/her instrument. This book aims to close this gap; not being content to stay on a superficial level, it delves astutely into the innards of electric guitars and basses. The main emphasis is on the pickups and their electrical environment – an area that’s usually not too familiar even to instrument builders. The manufacturers prefer not to disclose their secrets and instead choose to spread misleading information solely to their commercial advantage.
It has become apparent that a new integral, systematic view on guitar electronics is desperately necessary. The sound is shaped by many different parts that interact with each other to become the complete system. It is not sufficient to describe parts separately from each other. This can be compared to chemistry: even if all the properties of hydrogen and oxygen are known, the properties of water can still not be predicted. A common question is ‘What does this or that pickup sound like?’ This is a question wrongly phrased; the question should be: ‘How does the combination of this or that pickup with that cable and other components transfer the sound material produced by strings and body?’
So as not to exceed the scope of this book, it is assumed that reader is factually familiar with certain fundamentals of electronics. Those who have partial knowledge of alternating current engineering and the design of electronic circuits can use the knowledge found here to modify and improve their electric guitar or bass with great success.
Personally I have been fascinated by these instruments since about 1966. I have acquired an extensive collection since then, and have experimented a lot. Many instruments belonging to friends and customers have also been at my disposal; they allowed me to try out my ideas. For nearly every model I experimented how the sonic possibilities could be improved. I am not interested in keeping my knowledge secret and so I decided to share it via this book.
It was important for me to find a balance between technical and theoretical precision on the one hand and practical clarity for the musician on the other. This was not always an easy task.
Those who are not interested in theoretical discourses – for example the mechanical resonances – can skip this section and still profit from other chapters. However a full understanding is only possible with a good knowledge of the theory. Some musicians can be extremely sensitive in regards to their sound. Consequently the technical background should be examined meticulously, too, resulting in the search for the ultimate sound becoming visible and tangible. This knowledge becomes a tool with which you can begin to shape your sound. This helps to avoid the result being subject to chance but instead becoming something which can be formed to one’s own ideals. This book attempts to address as many people as possible as tastes do vary immensely. Even if not all the knowledge here is used in practice, it is always useful to know what is possible and what not.
Nowadays there are thousands of models and hundreds of manufacturers of electric guitars and basses. I have tried my best to remain as neutral as possible. However there are many companies who have copied from others and therefore my focus lies on the original innovators in this field.
In order to write this book, I have spoken and corresponded with many musicians and manufacturers and have experienced very different opinions. With some I was not in accordance whilst others helped to support me strongly in my work.
I am very grateful to a number of people who helped support me in writing this book. I would like thank especially Prof. Dr. Manfred Zollner (Technological University of Regensburg), Prof. Dr. Helmut Fleischer (Bundeswehr University, Munich), Robert K. Watson and Gary Swift for the translation from German to English.
I wish you all a good sound!
Munich, Autumn 2012
Helmuth Lemme
Contents
Preface: A Book as a Bridge between Two Worlds
1. History and Construction Types
1.1 The Beginning: Hawaiian and Full-body Arch-top Guitars
1.2 Les Paul and Leo Fender
1.3 The Triumph of the Solid-Body Guitar
1.4 Semi-acoustic Guitars
1.5 The Electric Bass
2. The Mechanics of the Electric Guitar
2.1 What Determines the Sound?
2.2 The Strings
2.3 The Body
2.4 The Neck
2.5 Mechanical Resonances
3. Magnetic Pickups
3.1 Market Situation
3.2 The Most Important Constructions
3.3 Processing Quality
3.4 Function and Transfer Characteristic
3.5 Pickup Measuring Technique
3.6 Low-Impedance Pickups
3.7 Further Sound Affecting Effects
3.8 Active Pickups
3.9 DIY and Modifying of Pickups
3.10 Exotic Pickup Principles
4. Piezo Pickups
4.1 Construction and Operation
4.2 Electric properties
5. The Position of the Pickups
5.1 One Pickup’s Transfer Characteristic
5.2 Combination of Several Pickups
6. Guitar Wiring
6.1 ‘Classic’ wiring
6.2 Coil Switching with all its Finesses
6.3 Passive Wirings for Professionals
6.4 Active Electronics in Series Produced Instruments
6.5 Active electronics for DIY Use
6.6 Shielding, Grounding, Cable
6.7 Wireless Transmission
7. Guitar Synthesizers
7.1 The Precursors: Organ Guitars
7.2 Analog Guitar Synthesizers
7.3 Digital Guitar Synthesizers
7.4 Guitar Modeling
8. Feedback in Electric Guitars
8.1 String or Body Feedback
8.2 Endless Sustain
8.3 Pickup Feedback
9. The DIY Electric Guitar
9.1 Repairing Electrical Components
9.2 Building your own Electric Guitar
10. Guitar Collecting as a Passion
11. Tips for Buying
11.1 The Basics
11.2 Mechanical Test
11.3 Electrical Test
12. Epilog
13. The Author
14. Index