Complete Guitar Wiring: All your questions answered (probably)
Hi there. It's me again. 🙂
I'm taking this opportunity to try answer a few questions that keep coming up about Complete Guitar Wiring. Here goes…
When will Complete Guitar Wiring be available?
The book officially launches on Friday, February 18th.
Will you tell me when it launches?
Darn tootin', I will. I'll be shouting it here, on my mailing list, and on Twitter.
Is there a print copy?
Yes. There is a 400-page, 8.5x11" soft-cover book. It's big and thick and filled with useful information. This will be available through Amazon so you should be able to get it pretty much anywhere in the world. I will post an Amazon link on Friday.
There is also a digital version in PDF format. This is not big or thick but it is filled with 400 pages of the same useful information and looks fantastic on a tablet (check out below). This ebook version will be available directly from my site and I'll post a link on Friday.
Can I get a combo deal on the print and the digital versions?
No. Sorry. Because the print version is processed entirely through Amazon, I have no records of purchases. The logistics of trying to validate that means it's really not realsitic for me to do so. Sorry.
Is there any bass stuff in there?
Much of this wiring stuff is universal—the pickups and components in a bass operate in pretty much the same way as those in a guitar. So, while this is Complete Guitar Wiring, I hope bass players will get plenty from it too. And, where things differ for bass, I’ve tried to call it out.
On the wiring reference diagram side, the book does skew heavily towards guitars but there is a good helping of bass circuits too. So, this is definitely Complete Guitar Wiring but I tried not to forget bass players when I was writing it.
Does it include <insert name of guitar circuit I like>?
I couldn't include every circuit from every guitar ever made. Even to try cover only the 'common' instruments is impossible—you have no idea how many different Strat wirings there are. Nobody does.
So, Complete Guitar Wiring has a lot of reference circuits and mods but can't have everything. What I've tried to do, however, is to include a good selection of diagrams showing different hardware and wiring approaches. The hope is that, even if you can't find a 1961 Splodgocaster Delux circuit, you can maybe see how a certain switch is used in a different circuit and it'll help make sense of yours.
I'm completely new to wiring. Will it help me?
Yes. I've tried to begin at the beginning and walk through the components and how the fit together to build a circuit. I've started the soldering and wiring instruction at basics and worked up. Same for troubleshooting. I really believe a beginner will find this book incredibly useful.
I work on guitars every day. Will it help me?
I certainly hope so, yes. I believe there's enough here to appeal to pros as well.
I do this stuff every day but—quite honestly—I'm looking forward to having this much reference information right on my workbench. If I never have to go Googling some of this stuff again, it'll have been worth it for me. Having the circuits, mods, and parts reference all in one place is already invaluable for me (and I wrote the damn book).
I think that's covered the stuff I've been asked most frequently. If there's something I haven't answered, let me know.
If I can continue blowing my own trumpet a little, I'd like to share another nice-thing-someone-said. Hope that's ok.
“Out of all the guitar books on the market—tech, coffee-table, and otherwise—I haven’t seen any that provides such thorough yet accessible instruction in the art of electronics and wiring. Not only has Gerry Hayes identified a real gap in the available resources, but he has done a phenomenal job of filling it with a book that’s comprehensive and detailed while also very approachable, offering plenty to beginner, novice, and experienced DIY’ers alike. Well done!”
I'll be back soon with some more news on something I think some of you are going to like a lot.