Books Related to Guitar Playing
Several years ago, I wrote two books on guitar playing. Just when I was ready to get them printed, the formatting requirements were altered and with everything happening in my life at that time, this was one of the things which had to be shelved for a future date. I received multiple requests for a tutorial and to give lessons too but my time would not have allowed. These days I would probably have the time needed but then, do you teach children (requires a lot of patience) or adults (who tend to put effort into learning) because they are more driven to meet their objectives.
A Lifetime of Guitar Playing
When I bought my first guitar, it was partly from saved pocket money and partly thanks to my father, whose wish for me to play an instrument fuelled my determination to coax a decent tune out of it. The family had favourite songs, and I was often asked to play them. That steady encouragement planted the seed of a lifelong love of the guitar.
I joined my first band at twelve when I met a talented new friend who was already an accomplished guitarist and singer.He taught me new chords, and my enthusiasm for band life grew as we formed a trio of two guitars and a drummer. The drummer’s father built a long wooden barrow with bicycle wheels so we could haul our drums, guitars, and single amplifier around. At thirteen, armed with “transport” and dreams of pop stardom, we were ready to take on the world as The Action.
We played school dances, local clubs, village halls, and even the village green at fetes. Our first paid booking—a wedding reception—earned us four guineas, and we learned new songs by buying weekly pop magazines for the lyrics and working out the chords ourselves. As the band evolved, new members joined, and we began taking bookings across London, working most weekends. A parent with a van provided transport, and the thrill of travelling to gigs, wearing bright glittery 70s/80s stage clothes, and practising weekly in a local hall made it all feel like the height of teenage cool.
I think I was about 17 years old when this was taken. I played in bands as a rhythm guitarist and had a wonderful time doing it during my teens. For guitar aficionados, the guitar I’m holding was a rare, hollow, copy of a Les Paul which was light and amazing to play for a whole evening without getting an aching shoulder.
NOTE: not a hint of grey hair!
My Guitar Collection
At time of writing this I own several guitars (actually five). Like all guitarist I often get this feeling that a new one may be coming soon, but that’s largely wishful thinking. In case my wife is reading this, “I still like the Fender Stratocaster Ultra II MIJ with noiseless pickups xx.” I do nearly all my own maintenance including neck adjustments, hardware adjustments, string height adjustments and any other little tweaks which help to keep my guitars in tip top condition.
Seagull Coastline 12-String
This is my 12‑String. It is an electro acoustic guitar made for big sound. Godin Guitars of Quebec, Canada designed it with internal bracing that increases the reflection of sound so it has a powerful voice. Its cedar top is cut from waterlogged wood from sunken logs. Some were on the river bed 50 years before being dragged out, cut, assessed to be of instrument quality, and sliced into sheets for kiln drying. With the wild‑cherry back and sides it has a bright, ringing voice packed with ringing harmonics. As it has aged, the tone has become richer and more mellow. It is extremely comfortable to hold and beautifully balanced.
This is the kind of guitar that makes you sound larger than life even when you’re just warming up. Fellow guitarists often strum it and then stare at it trying to work out how it makes all those harmonics at once with its natural chorusing sound. Like all 12-srtring guitars, you need strong finger tips to play it at length. Personally I use standard tuning with a capo on the second fret which lowers the string height perfectly.
Fender Telecaster Custom
The guitar is made in Japan. I have not seen this level of prescision duplicated in even the American made versions.
Its Wide Range Humbucker isn’t just a cosmetic throwback — it delivers that oversized, articulate punch thanks to its full‑sized coils and vintage 70s‑voiced design. It is paired with a traditional Tele bridge single‑coil, to give you a genuinely split personality.
The control are more like a Les Paul and it can anything from a thick, warm jazz tone to that unmistakable Tele “quack.”
The body is alder wood with a comfortable modern‑C maple neck. This modern version has a 9.5″ radius, slightly flater than the original 7.5″ radius and quite low profile frets giving it a definite vintage feel.
This is my workhorse solid guitar – it behaves itself until you get into some rock then you find yourself hanging onto it for the ride!
Ibanez Artstar AS153
The Ibanez AS153 is a professional quality guitar which sits at the top of their Artstar range, and it shows. I sometimes think it should be in a glass display case with its ebony fretboard and inlays made from mother of pearl and abalone shell. It is built with premium tone woods, and a set‑in neck, and Ibanez’s Super 58 pickups which were designed in conjunction with guitarist George Benson to give a particularly smooth sound.
The build qualithy makes luthiers nod approvingly, and the hardware is chosen for stability rather than marketing sparkle.
It delivers a warm, articulate semi‑hollow voice with enough clarity to cut through a mix and enough depth to make jazz players feel quietly smug. The body resonates beautifully, the neck feels wonderful. It is undoubtedly a “top shelf” instrument which compares well with other guitars in this category such as the Gibson 335.
Martinez Classical Guitar
The Martinez classical range is where “affordable” quietly shakes hands with “surprisingly well‑made.” They have solid tops, tidy craftsmanship, and tonewoods that actually sound like tonewoods give these guitars a warmth and clarity that is a significant improvement over other guitars in this class.
The neck is comfortable although my fingers frequently forget how much wider it is than my electric guitars.
It has good intonation and, unlike traditional classical guitars, it has a truss rod adjustable neck which is beyond what the price would suggest. It just goes to show, you don’t need a boutique budget to get a genuinely good sounding classical guitar.
I bought this guitar because I had a few near misses in my study with my better guitars sitting on my lap whilst trying things out and typing. I nearly dented them on several occasion so I needed something that, whilst good to play would not be disastrous if I had an accident!
Martin DX1AE
The Martin DX1AE may not sit at the top of the Martin family tree, but it absolutely carries the right DNA. With its solid Sitka spruce top, it delivers a surprisingly bold, balanced voice with amazing projection. The build is rugged, reliable, and designed to handle real‑world playing conditions without fuss — the kind of guitar you can take anywhere without feeling like you need to wrap it in bubble‑wrap and pray for the best.
Plugged in, the Fishman pickup system outputs a clean, natural amplified tone that stays true to its acoustic character. It’s responsive and dependable. It almost never goes out of tune and its tonal range goes from rich and sharp, to equally rich and smooth.
