Best Electronics Book

[AndrewMc]

I have been a guitar builder and repairman for a long time but am getting interested in repairing and building a few amps.

I know I need to learn a LOT more about electronics and am looking for the highest recommended books on electronics and amp repair.

Any help would be appreciated. Here is to all the solder fumes in my future!

[martin manning]

There are already many links on this site to begin your quest:

https://tubeamparchive.com/viewtopic.ph ... g+material

The short list:
An excellent tour and book
http://www.freewebs.com/valvewizard/index.html
Some basic and advanced topics; includes a bibliography (see Tech Info)
http://www.aikenamps.com/
Practical insights into repairs
http://www.diyguitarist.com/Misc/J_Darr.htm

MPM

[Phil_S]

The recent publication by Merlin Blencowe, Designing Tbe Preamps for Guitar and Bass, differentiates itself from other publications by addressing what we do, as opposed to hi-fi, or ham, or whatever. Well worth it, and not very expensive. The focus on preamps really says it all. IMO, the power section of most common guitar amps is pretty straight forward.

[David Root]

+1 on Merlin's book, and check out Pentode Press too for guitar amp specific books.

Don't forget RDH4 either!

[tubeswell]

Another vote for Merlin's book. It covers theory, set up (biasing etc) and various designs for triode gain stages, AC and DC coupling, small signal pentodes, parallel stages, cathode-followers, cascodes, cathodyne inverters, LTP inverters, feedback circuits, tone stacks, FX loops, grounding and lead dress. Quite easy to read (much easier to read and understand than RHD4) and very good explanations with plenty of schematics and graphs.

[David Root]

Yeah, I should have mentioned that RDH4 is like the guru at the top of the mountain, it takes some work to get there!

RDH4 is Radiotron Designer's Handbook 4th Edition, 1953, edited by F. Langford-Smith. You only need volumes 1, 2 and 4 for AF amplifiers.

[John C]

The Ultimate Tone, Volume 3, by Kevin O'Connor

[FunkyE9th]

You don't say what type of background you have in electronics. If you don't have anything at all, I suggest checking out the the 1st few modules of NEETS first (http://www.phy.davidson.edu/instrumentation/NEETS.htm). This is what the Navy uses to train their techs.

If you already have basic electronics knowledge I would jump right into NEETS Module 6, chapter 1, to start learning how tubes work.

[Cliff Schecht]

For basic electronics, I never hesitate to point people towards "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz. It has a lot of great information and is very easy to read. Any of Horowitz's books are great IMHO.

Also, you guys always forget P. Millet's site!

[gearhead]

I'm a big fan of the NEETS series too. Module 6 was absolutely critical to my "getting it" how tubes work.

One of the single most important pieces of info, imho, in trying to learn electronics -and- tubes is the current flow vs electron flow conventions.

They are in opposite directions. NEETS uses the electron flow and most electronic texts use current flow. Why is another story, but the operation of a tube just makes so much more sense if you look at it in terms of electron flow.