Dan Erlewine’s Guitar Player Repair Guide Review

Buenos dias, amigos!

There are few things as miserable as having a guitar that does not play right, and generally, it is a pain to have somebody work on your stuff. Whether it is just a set-up or a major overhaul, you are at the mercy of repair shops that may not listen to what you really want, and might put your beloved instrument into repair shop prison. I have had great luck with my local repair shop, but chances are good you will not be so lucky, so you might want to take the steps to learn how to do your own repair work.

But how? It is not like there are luthiery schools on every corner, and they do not teach repair at ITT Technical Institute. Well, you can learn a lot from one of the best in the business by purchasing up Dan Erlewine’s “Guitar Player Repair Guide”.

Mr. Erlewine has been around forever, and has invented many repair tools that are used by your local guitar repair guy. He has built and repaired very high-profile guitars, and has produced DVDs, books and magazine columns devoted to guitar repair. He is the real deal, in other words.

The “Guitar Player Repair Guide” is over 300 illustrated pages that cover the most common procedures that may need to be performed on acoustic and electric guitars. He breaks down the procedures into three categories: “Basic” for folks that are new to working on guitars, “D.I.Y” for those who are skilled hobbyists, and “Deep” for those are not afraid of heavy-duty repairs. The procedures range from cleaning your guitar and replacing the strings to resetting necks, replacing frets and fitting acoustic guitar bridges. He even includes instructions on how to properly pack a guitar or amplifier for shipping.

Dan provides a listing of tools in the back that are needed for each of the three categories. Chances are good that you already have many of the basic repair tools at home, such as a guitar tuner, screwdrivers, hex wrenches and pliers. So, for a small investment in a few specialized tools you can start doing your own set-ups and repairs. Everything you need can be purchased online through Stewart MacDonald.

My copy came with a DVD that covers guitar inspection, setting intonation and stringing up your guitar. The only thing I do not care for about the book is the way it is bound. I really wish it was spiral bound so it would lay flat on my workbench. The older editions were spiral bound…

I highly recommend that you purchase Dan Erlewine’s “Guitar Player Repair Guide”. I got mine for $29.95 from Stewart MacDonald, and surprisingly it was signed by the author. You will save at least that much the first time you do your own set-up. Trust me!

Mahalo!