Best book I've seen to get your axe ready to play! Gotta get another one for my brother.

This is a great book that follows a logical sequence & does a great job of giving explanations. I would recommend it to anyone from beginner to advanced. It offers a lot of trade secrets that really work. Buy it, read it, do it.. then "shut up & play your guitar." -Frank Zappa

I've been building and repairing guitars for over 10 years and this book has taught me tips that I didn't know. Great even for beginners, will help you to have a great playing guitar in no time. I suggest buying the set up tool kit that SM sells as well, worth the money!

I have read this book cover to cover 5 times, setup 3 guitars, and now I can write a review. This is the first book I bought from StewMac and I will probably buy more. So many items on StewMac get 5 stars that it's hard to figure out what to buy. First and foremost, this is a ELECTRIC GUITAR SETUP book. Period. Neck relief, fretboard radius, string height, nut building, bridge work, tremolo setup, and some fret dressing. Nothing on electronics, little on woodwork, little on finishes and cleaning. I don't say that as a negative, only to help you figure out what to buy since StewMac sells so many training guides. It's absolutely worth the money and the included radius gauges are useful. One thing I would add - if you're not sure that your nut's string takeoff point is correct, tune the guitar using the standard open (unfretted) method, then fret it one, two or three frets and check with a chromatic tuner. Then check at the 12th and 15th frets and see where things are at. If the string is equally sharp at every fret but is okay when you tune it open (unfretted), then you need to bring the takeoff point closer to the frets and away from the headstock.

This book rocks.

When it comes to electric guitars, Dan Erlewine has seen it all, and generously shares his knowledge, experience, and innovative solutions in this great book. If you want to buy, setup, repair, or build an electric guitar, buy this book and save yourself the learning curve.

The title of this book is simply not enough! The section on evaluating a guitar made me look at my guitars in a completely different light. I learned a huge amount of knowledge in only the first 25 pages!! If you are more of an electric guy like me, get this book. You'll NEVER pay for another guitar set-up in your life. It even comes with your own set of radius gauges. Dan Erlewine is a true guitar grand-master!