Excellent book! | Pink Floyd: The Black Strat: A History of David Gilmour's Black Fender Stratocaster |...

Fantastic for guitarists, but written by a guitarist. | Pink Floyd: The Black Strat: A History of David Gilmour's Black Fender Stratocaster | Phil Taylor

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	• Pink Floyd: The Black Strat: A History of David Gilmour's Black Fender Stratocaster Phil Taylor Hal Leonard, 2008 - 160 pages average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Great photos, short on technical info

I got this thinking that it would provide a lot more technical detail about what made the sound of this guitar so phenomenal on DSOTM and other PF albums. In that regard, it's largely a disappointment.

However, it does tell you which Strat, and which variations of the Black Strat, were used on various PF and Gilmour albums, and it has some general historical info on the band, as well as some great photos.

Read it, and it will go on my bookshelf, but it's not something I will likely pull and re-read again.

Excellent book!

I bought this as a gift and he has read it cover to cover. He enjoyed it very much. Makes a great gift for anyone who likes Pink Floyd and is into knowing the history behind it all.

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Fantastic for guitarists, but written by a guitarist.

The first page I opened to in this book had a detailed layout of the original 1960's Stratocater wiring. Gleefully I turned to book back a bit, started right on page one and continued from there.

The book is a history of David's famed 'Black Strat' through all it's nicks and surgeries and general makeovers. Being a guitarist for many years I could easily relate to all the modifications David went through and I ammused me how the author (Phil Taylor) just would explain a modification by saying, "David didn't like the way this looked... so he changed it." Or, "The sound was to thin, so he shoved this in there." All in all any guitarist could relate to it and know where he's coming from.

In regards to guitarists looking for David's actual setup, there is not much here. His amps and pedals are mostly forgotten along with any settings he would use on specific songs. You will not hear of his Hiwatt amps or his Germanium transistor Fuzz boxes that were eventually switched for smoother silicon based ones. Or the techniques used to cull the psychedelic sounds of song such as A Saucerful of Secrets or Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun. They will not tell you that if you switch the inputs on your Vox wah-wah that you can get those "seagull" sounds for Echoes and Is There Anybody Out There? No you won't get that. But here is what you will get: The history of a legendary guitar through all the crap that is has gone through by it's owner.

Now a reviewer remarked that you didn't get the specific's for David's EXACT setup regarding his strat, to this I say: By reading the book and looking through the last few pages you get a pretty much spot on idea of what this guitar is culled from. Hell you can even call Seymour Duncan up today and say, "Yo man, I want a David Gilmour bridge pickup." You will drop a few hundred, but you'll get it by George.

The book is positively stunning to look at and the pictures are phenominal. Phil Taylor is not much of a writer, but that is not the point. It is a factual account of a guitar written by the man who handled it (you can even see a letter signed by Phil requesting new necks for the guitar). Given that Phil is not a professional writer I can let that slide.

The book is fantastic for any fans of guitars and any fans of Floyd will love the pictures in the book. Throw it on your coffee table next to 'A Visual History of Pink Floyd' and 'Inside Out' to impress anybody who comes in.

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Great historical restrospective, lacking in technical detail...

I bought the book and promptly read it cover to cover (what self respecting Pink Floyd/David Gilmour fan wouldn't ;>) ).

Like many others have commented, the book is a great historical retrospective (although Phil arrived on the scene post Dark Side) but it lacks many of the technical details that most guitarists are likely hoping for. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth buying!

Perhaps Phil (and David) will publish a follow-on work containing technical details on the guitars, effects, amps, and sound sculpting techniques that are employed to make that unique music we have all come to love...

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The Black Strat......Defining that "Special Something"

I was eager to read the first edition, soft-covered book by Phil Taylor, the moment its existence hit the Internet. I was thinking, how could it be possible for Phil Taylor to have archived enough information to write a book about one guitar? I ordered a book. When it arrived, I read it all, every word, in a number of hours. Amazing! The book not only chronicles the Black Strat and the history of Pink Floyd, but also some of David's other guitars that he played over the years, which are relevant to this story. To me, the whole book is deja vu. There is a photo of the 1980 "The Wall" concert in New York. I was there and I located where I was sitting! The book is filled with wonderful memories of seeing David playing the Black Strat live.

I just finished reading the second edition, hard-cover version. 35 additional pages of photos and new and revised copy. I am extremely pleased! This is not a very technically-oriented book. It was not meant to be so. Specific technical information can be obtained from Fender or various other guitar-oriented websites. What I'm wondering now is what Phil will write about next? Will it be a book devoted to David's effects, racks and other equipment? A third edition of The Black Strat? Perhaps a book on all of the guitars that David has used in his career?

This book is a definite buy for anyone interested in David Gilmour, Pink Floyd and guitars, especially, Fender Strats...The Black Strat.

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The Black Strat book is the first and only accurate and knowledgeable account of David Gilmour's favorite Stratocaster guitar. Written by Phil Taylor - David's personal guitar technician since 1974 - to coincide with the release of the long awaited and much requested Fender 'David Gilmour Signature Strat': an instrument replicating the look, set-up, sound and feel of David's famous black guitar as it is today. The chronological story begins with David Gilmour joining Pink Floyd in early 1968, his guitar at that time, his subsequent instruments leading to the purchase of the Black Strat in 1970, and the other guitars that have come and gone. The book details all of the changes and modifications made to the Black Strat, its use on Pink Floyd tours and iconic albums, David's solo projects, and various guest appearances throughout the years.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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