Electric Guitar and Bass Design [ペーパーバック]

If you are not a luthier and have any interest at all in learning about the inner workings of a guitar, this is a must read. Very easy and fast read. I finished it in a couple of days. What makes this book so valuable it that it breaks down why a guitar does what it does in a very simplistic manner. By teaching you how guitars are designed you will find yourself learning and appreciating the information in other books a great deal more. I also have Melvyn Hiscock's "Make Your Own Guitar" and Dan Erlewine's "Guitar Finishing Step by Step". Hiscock's book is an outstanding tool for putting it all together, but it a bit outdated in some aspects. Erlewine's book is the bible of guitar finishing. Enough said. However, this book gives you a high level, yet surprisingly technical breakdown of why it all matters. Understanding guitar design is invaluable if you want to pursue anything else with the other books. I think these three books combined should be read prior to buying your first body blank or tool. The knowledge you will acquire will help you plan better and make smart well-thought out purchases the first time. Electric Guitar and Bass Design should definitely be read first because Lospennato points out some very technical aspects of guitar making that I would not have considered with the other books. Building your first guitar should be like learning to play a guitar for the first time. You don't want to spend $500 on a new guitar only to find that it is not the guitar for you or that you don't like playing. For under $30, this book will give you so much valuable information you will know if making a guitar is really for you and you will be able to anticipate what your main obstacles will be.
Again, this is a very good read and you will not be disappointed. Even if you do not want to build a guitar and just want to learn how to take care of the guitar you currently own, this is a very useful reference. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Mr Lospennato is passionate about electric guitar construction and design. He has clearly spent much time in thought and experimentation toward design of the ultimate guitar which in reality is different for each guitarist. However there are common design elements that must be considered. Rather than dogmatically opine on what is best he takes each part of the guitar and presents the functional and artistic goals. Once the groundwork is laid he presents pros and cons and tradeoffs of each design decision. Example; the position of the upper horn affects balance of the guitar but also the comfort of the reach to the first and last fret. What is the effect of angled vs straight neck? Carved vs flat top and fingerboard? There are instructions on drawing full scale plans and discussion of wood selection. There is a good introduction to pickups and electronics including full scale templates for the most common pickups. The book is very well written and organized. This is not a book about how to build a guitar (check out Melvyn Hiscock)Make Your Own Electric Guitar, rather a thoughtful discussion of electric guitar design. After reading this book one should be able design a great sounding and beautiful guitar, draw full scale plans, and with other available resources build your dream guitar.

This book is a delight to read: well written, original, and with a touch of humor. It deals with all the things other guitarmaking books won't tell you. Expert luthiers will be gladly surprised, and amateur ones will sleep with this book under their pillow. Highly recommended.