by Daniel J. Levitin      276 pages

A fascinating exploration of the relationship between music and the mind--and the role of melodies in shaping our lives. Unravels a host of mysteries that effect everything from pop culture to our understanding of human nature, including: Are our musical preferences shaped in utero? Is there a cutoff point for acquiring new tastes in music? What do PET scans and MRI's reveal about the brain's response to music? Is musical pleasure different from other kinds of pleasure?

Levitin looks at all of these questions and unlocks deep secrets about how nature and nurture forge a uniquely human obsession.

A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist and also New York Times Bestseller

BUILDING VACUUM TUBE GUITAR & BASS AMPLIFIERS  Vol 1      by Tino Zottola                   120 pages

Building your own vacuum tube guitar or bass amplifier from scratch is truly an exciting experience. This book describes the detailed construction of five vacuum tube amplifiers. The construction of these amplifiers is described in full detail with chassis drilling templates, component installation, wire-by-wire hook-ups and schematics. The amplifier projects included in this book are: Sonic MA1 (two tube amp, late 1950's design with a solid state rectifier), All American 4 (four tube amp, early 1960's design using common radio tubes found in "All American 5" radios made between 1947 and 1971), Champ Amp (classic replica of a 1950's Fender amp with a single ended 6v6 output tube), Deluxe Amp (classic replica of a 1940's Fender amp with push pull 6V6 tubes), Bassman (classic replica of a 1950's Fender amp with push-pull 6l6 tubes).

BUILDING VACUUM TUBE GUITAR & BASS AMPLIFIERS  Vol 2      by Tino Zottola                   135 pages

The follow up to Volume 1 in the series, covering more advanced amplifier construction projects for the experienced builder. Includes detailed plans for the following five classic tube amplifiers: Deluxe (5E3) 15 watt amp with push-pull 6V6's: Bassman (5F6A) 50 Watt amp with push-pull 6L6's; AC30 Top Boost 30 watt amp with quad push-pull EL84's with Top Boost Mods - minus Vibrato circuit; Plexi Super Lead (1959) 100 watt amp with quad push-pull EL34's with master volume mod and Twin Reverb (AB763) with quad push-pull 6L6GC's with Black Face mods.

BUILDING VACUUM TUBE GUITAR & BASS AMPLIFIERS  Vol 3     by Tino Zottola                   120 pages

The follow up to Volume 1 and 2 in the series, covering advanced amplifier construction projects for the experienced builder. Includes detailed plans for replicas of the following five classic tube amplifiers: VOX AC15 (minus Vibrato) 15 watt amp with push-pull EL84's; Marshall #1958 18 watt amp with push-pull EL84's; Fender Princeton Reverb 15 watt amp with push-pull 6V6GT's; Gibson EH150 25 watt amp with push-pull 6L6G's and Hiwatt DR103 100 watt amp with quad push-pull EL34's.

COMPLETE GUIDE TO GUITAR AND AMP MAINTENANCE

A practical manual for every guitar player

From the author of "AMPS!" comes an essential survival guide for every guitar player and amp owner. Packed with concise, clearly written tips on troubleshooting and repairs, with straightforward, step-by-step instructions using readily available tools. Contains over 150 photos. 80 pages

DAVE FUNK’S TUBE AMP WORKBOOK   by Dave Funk                   421 pages   

Complete Guide to Vintage Tube Amplifiers. Vol1 - Fender   Designed to be an invaluable reference for anyone working on or building their own tube amps. Learn how to approach a repair job, the tools you will need  and how to use them. Loaded with Fender circuits, cross-reference material and all the data you will ever need.

$89.95

DIY SPEAKER CABINETS      for Musical Instrument Applications  87 pages, 48 figures -

by Kevin O'Connor

 A handy booklet based on Kevin's own experience building speakers over the past thirty years, and on information from expert driver and cabinet designers. Learn why speaker cabinets are built the way they are and gain the knowledge to select speaker attributes for your own needs and taste. This booklet removes the mystery of good-sounding speaker cabinet design for guitar, bass and keyboards. Can you mix different driver sizes? Can you mix drivers of different impedances or different power ratings? It's all covered. Topics explored: construction materials, woodworking methods, finish applications from paint to Tolex, wiring details, driver selection, making new drivers sound like vintage units, workshop safety.

ELECTRIC GUITAR AMPLIFIER HANDBOOK       384 pages     
by Jack Darr

New reprint of the 4th edition of this book, originally published in 1973. Contains three sections-'How Guitar Amplifiers Work,' 'Service Procedures and Techniques,' and 'Commercial Instrument Amplifiers.' Everything you need to know about how each part of the amp works and what to do about it if it doesn't work. The final section of the Handbook is full of schematics for many of the guitar amplifiers in use at the time including models from Ampeg, Bogen, Baldwin, Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, and others. Line drawings and photos.

HIGH PERFORMANCE MARSHALL  HANDBOOK

A Guide to Great Marshall Amplifier Sounds
By John Boehnlein

Includes chapters on standard amplifiers from 1962 to 1990, re-tubing for maximum performance, how to overdrive master volume and much more. 55 pages

HOW TO SERVICE YOUR OWN TUBE AMP    by Tom Mitchell  250 pages     

Written in an informal, non-technical, and entertaining style, this easy-to-read guidebook takes readers on a step-by-step "crash course" in electronics while teaching troubleshooting, servicing, and problem prevention. Includes in-depth coverage of tubes and transformers, troubleshooting flow charts, many amplifier modifications, a maintenance checklist, and lots of useful reference information.

INSIDE TUBE AMPS    by Dan Torres     310 pages                  BACK IN STOCK - APRIL 2007

               The Book on Tube Amp Technology

Inside Tube Amps is clearly written in a musician friendly style. It is a complete manual on tube driven guitar amplifiers and covers design, modification, troubleshooting, and repairs. Everything is here from building your own Class A amp from scratch to sorting out power supplies, filter caps, and power transformers. There are charts, graphs and nicely finished illustrations throughout the book which help with explanation of the text. It will help you get your personal sonic signature, and give you the knowledge to change it when your tastes change. Some approaches are new and experimental, some are very old. Looks at "standard practices" as well as tricks and techniques outside of the "perfect specs". Plenty of useful data on tube biasing.

PRINCIPLES OF POWER       by  Kevin  O’Connor    368 pages

              Practical Guide to Tube Power Amplifier Design 

This book offers a highly simplified method of designing tube power amplifiers for audio use. Vacuum tube operation is clearly explained, as are circuit principles. Class A, B ,Cathode and Fixed bias are covered, push-pull and single-ended designs are offered, as are numerous front-end circuits. Includes complete designs using current production valves. Power from 15 to 400 watts.

READY SET GO!   by Kevin O’Connor    84 pages 

  A handy reference for the novice electronic tinkerer and experienced craftsman alike. Informative and easy to read, the book explains: how to read schematic symbols, SI symbols and tolerances, resistor and capacitor colour codes,  values and standards. Explains current, voltage, power, resistance, capacitance and inductance. Covers Ohm’s Law and how to figure out series/parallel resistance, capacitance and inductance.

The Black Book that reveals all!

Guitar amplifier design is shrouded in mystery.
Is it magic? Is it voodoo? Or just smoke and mirrors?

Secrets and Secret Holders explains, in text only, the circuitry behind simulclass, sag control, power scaling, speaker emulators, tube fat, amps that sing, amps with multiple voices, damping response, tube simulation and more.

Patents are supposed to protect the patent holder and exclude others from using these trade secrets. However, some patents are not worth the paper they are printed on. Discover who holds these patents, what the patents cover, and what they don't, in the listing of 48 patents related to the guitar amp biz.

This is a must-have for anyone building guitar or bass amps for a living or who wants to get into this business

Written in precise language for the experienced person who thinks schematically.

THE HISTORY OF MARSHALL (Guitar Amps 1962-1992)  

The Illustrated Story of "The Sound of Rock"      by Michael Doyle         254 pages 

Marshall amps have defined the sound of rock for a generation. This book explores the British company responsible for that sweet overdrive sound, tracing the impressive lineage of its tube guitar amps. Detailed chronologies of the various model and serial numbers, straightforward explanations of their features and construction, an aesthetic evaluation of the results. Includes hundreds of black-and-white photos, plus a 32-page colour section, plus another 32-page colour appendix that reproduces parts of the Marshall catalogue of the '60s     This book includes complete listings of every product Marshall made between 1962 and 1992 with many coloured photographs and catalogue reprints of amps and Celestion speakers.  Over 50 pages of circuit diagrams. A must for every Marshall user and fan.

THE TUBE AMP BOOK  4th Edition     by Aspen Pitman       760 pages   

    The classic guitar amplifier reference book. Full of company histories, “Vintage Fantasy”  coloured pictures of classic and collectible guitars and amps. For the service technician or curious musician, there are also hundreds of circuits for Fenders, Gibsons, Marshalls, Vox etc. as well as service and modification tips. A very useful book to have on the shelf.

THE ULTIMATE TONE        by Kevin O’Connor

             Modifying & Custom Building Tube Guitar Amps

 This book offers the technician or hobbyist a wide information base to assist in making guitar amp modifications. Topics covered include stage set-ups, a survey of amplifier brands, vacuum tube and power supply operation, pre-amp circuits and master volume, comparison of different valve types, and effects loops. Includes an extensive discussion of switching methods and data for many popular valve types. The sheer amount of information in this book is amazing! 368 pages, 395 figures -   See a review of this book

THE ULTIMATE TONE  Vol 2      by Kevin O’Connor

             Systems Approach to Stage Sound Nirvana

 The achievement of great, live sound and musical satisfaction is the premise used to explore modern high-gain guitar pre-amps; proper treatment of acoustic instruments; tube vocal PAs; dynamic bass gear; all types of tube, semi, hybrid and alternative power amplifier design; power supply mods that are “toneful”; simple switching methods; speaker cabinet design; getting the most from effects loops and chains; and modular stage monitoring systems that work! Circuits are explained so the amateur can build or modify guitar equipment with confidence and success. 250 pages, 200 figures.

THE ULTIMATE TONE  Vol 3      by Kevin O’Connor 

             Generations of Tone 

 There are certain tones anyone can recognise. The idea of "iconic" sounds and circuits is   the basis for an investigation of how these tones are created, how we can create  new ones and how we improve on age-old circuit methods. The third volume of the encyclopaedic TUT series further explores the design, operation and modification of musical instrument amplifier systems. This volume examines the "icons" of  tone and circuit idealism, making clear the compromises of design that each embodies. This volume is essential for understanding proper grounding, wiring and noise abatement methods. Practical construction projects present schematics with variations of design, and layouts for the construction of trouble-free units. This is the best book for DIY amplifier constructors!  304 pages, 189 figures.

THE ULTIMATE TONE  Vol 4     by Kevin O’Connor             

            Advanced Techniques for Modern Guitar Amp Design

 Modern amplifier designers have an ever-expanding range of technologies from which to draw. When they design any new product, they have the choice of use tube, transistor, fet, integrated analogue circuits or digital approaches, or any combination of these to achieve their desired goals for tone and cost. TUT4 outlines, in schematic form, many approaches that achieve the goal of Power Scaling. This text gives a complete history and discourse on the technology, outlining how to implement multiple Power Scale controls, alternative circuit forms and the system impacts. Fully integrated systems are presented with full explanations of the choice of components, choice of circuits and how to make seamless installations into existing equipment. Power Management in its greater context is explored, covering AC and DC current limiting, voltage restoration, voltage clamping, sag control systems both active and passive, and composite zener circuit applications - the latest trend in tube amp biasing. Mains noise abatement and line adjustment are also dealt with. In musical instruments amplifiers, power management is crucial to attaining great tone.

417 pages, 548 figures.

THE ULTIMATE TONE  Vol 5     by Kevin O’Connor             

            Tone Capture

 The fifth volume of the encyclopaedic series covering the operation, modification and design of musical instrument amplifiers. A return to the format of TUT3 allows a diversity of construction-oriented projects that each demonstrate principles of Tonal Capture and Tone Creation. A basic tutorial on component interactions within circuits allows any novice to grasp circuit essentials quickly. 277 pages, 177 figures.

TONNES OF TONE         by Kevin O’Connor          104 pages 

             Electronic Projects for Guitar and Bass.   

 This companion book to The Ultimate Tone by the same author features operational information and construction guidelines for a number of useful musical instrument projects. These include guitar and bass preamps, an acoustic preamp, a small 10-15 Watt tube power amp, a class-A solid state power amp, a reverb unit and a  wide-range tremolo circuit. Each project utilises off-the-shelf  parts that are inexpensive and easy to find.   See a review of this book