TALKING GUITARS by David Mead

Price: $27.95

Price is in Australian dollars and includes GST.

Interviews with 48 guitarists spanning all genres.

If you like reading interviews with guitarists in magazines, this is the book for you.

The following review appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald:

"Brace yourself: 368 pages of guitarists talking about guitar playing. It's a bit like 368 power chords from Motorhead. What this book, created by the editor of Guitarist and Guitar Techniques magazines, after 12 years of interviewing some of the world's finest guitar players, reveals is that no matter who a good interviewer talks to and no matter what they talk about, sooner or later a glimmer of the personality of the interviewee will shine through.

"Frank Zappa reveals himself to have a remarkable memory and an obsessive attention to detail. Mark Knopfler is a bit of a curmudgeon who finally warms up when he starts talking like a teacher about his instruments. Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour is open, pleasant and unassuming. Andy Summers, long departed from The Police, reveals himself to be a bit paranoid and jazz-obsessed.

"The book is divided into rock, blues, jazz and acoustic players. There are 47 interviews. John Williams is the only classical performer interviewed. There are, inevitably, huge omissions and eccentric inclusions. The only other Australian represented is Tommy Emmanuel. If you are interested in guitar players you will find this a fascinating book full of interesting and useful snippets about techniques and styles. If you are interested in the lives and obsessions of famous musicians the book is equally interesting."

The rock section alone contains interviews with Becker & Fagen, Bettencourt, Burchill, Clempson, Frampton, Fripp, Gilbert, Gilmour, Hackett, Hammett, Knopfler, May, Petrucci, Powell, Rossi, Rothery, Satriani, Summers, Tabor, Vai, Van Halen, M. Young, Zappa.

Paperback, 213mm x 148mm.