Shredders, pickers, gear heads, and anyone fascinated by what’s actually happening inside their guitars will appreciate this illuminating (but advanced) introduction to the science and secrets of the instrument from Foley (author of Build Your Own Electric Guitar). This study blends history, science, and an encyclopedic knowledge of headstock and pickup designs and more. The in-depth examinations of the fundamentals of waveforms and electromagnetism are steps toward mastering what matters most: sound. That means a somewhat heady discussion of magnetic circuits lays the groundwork for an explanation of the impact of an instrument’s magnetic field conditions on guitar strings, including each’s “harmonic tonal response.” Foley’s fully illustrated history of pickups, from early “humbuckers” to classic models and beyond, likewise digs deep into how each new development altered the way currents, waves, and more thrum through a guitar.

Not that the electronics, to Foley, are the most important thing. He persuasively describes them as “symbiotic and sophisticated hitchhikers” that “contribute little to nothing positive to the mechanical voice of the instrument” but are “key to a panorama of voicings.” Foley’s brisk, millennia-spanning tour of the history of guitar development, from hunting bow to harpsichord to lute, and his in-depth breakdown of the individual components of guitars and their functions, all blend research, experimentation, and first-hand expertise in how guitar components affect tone production. Rather than settle for just explaining the function and evolution of the nut slot, he demonstrates how to calculate the gravitational force on a string in the slot to better understand tuning problems.

Foley’s commitment to showing the work, including the equations, will thrill math-minded guitarists interested in the finer points of capacitive currents, though readers looking for a more introductory approach will at times be left behind. They’ll still discover much that demystifies the workings of guitars, from the cut and structure of necks to the fact that “in guitar circuitry, it’s not where the wire goes, but what goes through the wire.”

Takeaway: Illuminating guide to the science, sound, and evolution of guitars.

Comparable Titles: Paul Atkinson’s Amplified, Rhianne Conway’s How a Guitar Works.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A