Guitar Amplifier Overdrive

[Mark]

I'm reading this book (Guitar Amplifier Overdrive by Neumann and Irving) I'm finding this to be a hard book to read due to the language used and how ideas are represented. I haven't read enough of the book to say do or don't read it. Should you get it, you'll find the language differs from electronics text books and books such as Merlin Blencowe's offerings. If you've read it please give me your take on it and what you got from it or hoped to get from it.

All thoughts and replies welcome.

[Stevem]

Mark buddy I left my crystal ball home today so your going to have to tell me / us what the other book is your reading, lol!
What info are you in need of?

[Mark]

Hi Steve, the name of the book is called Guitar Amplifier Overdrive by Ulirich Neumann and Malcolm Irving.

https://books.google.com.au/books/about ... edir_esc=y

Have a bit of a read. The title of the thread was to get the attention of people who've already read the book. Sorry for the confusion.

I've edited my post so it makes a bit more sense to those viewing it.

[chief mushroom cloud]

apparently, Rob Robinette has read it.....
https://robrobinette.com/Tube_Guitar_Amp_Overdrive.htm

[Lynxtrap]

apparently, Rob Robinette has read it.....
https://robrobinette.com/Tube_Guitar_Amp_Overdrive.htm

"A positive voltage on the tube's control grid pulls electrons off the grid and spreads them out. A negative voltage on the grid pushes electrons onto the grid and packs them tighter together.

"

Is that from this book? At least it's a "different" description of how a triode works compared to books I have read.

[R.G.]

I wonder if this has been machine translated.

[Reeltarded]

I thinking if this changed with the mechanical converting maybe like that.

Mmm.. possible.

[roberto]

I have and I have read that book and I missed that line.
Generally speaking I find it useful, and pushed me to explore low (and high as well) anode resistor lead channel design.

[Mark]

The terminology is not what I'm accustom to. I'm still early in the book where he talks about load lines and linear outputs.

I haven't read Rob Robinette's stuff. Is it the same as G.A.O?

[nworbetan]

I haven't read more than a random sample of paragraphs from the Guitar Amplifier Overdrive book, but the random samples of paragraphs I have read were at least an order of magnitude more thorough, detailed, and technically competent than Rob Robinette's writing. (I don't want to sound like I'm disparaging Rob or his writing though. He does a good job of teaching to the level of guitar players with minimal knowledge of electronics theory.)

On one hand I'll go as far as saying that the text of the Neumann and Irving book is even more technically detailed than Blenclowe's Designing High-Fidelity Tube Preamps (which I have sitting on my desk right now). On the other hand, the Neumann and Irving text is (obviously) not as comprehensive as the Radiotron Designer's Handbook.

The writing style in Guitar Amplifier Overdrive does seem like it could be influenced by technical writers from the golden era. A little bit of googling points to Neumann being co-author of a couple books in German also: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6 ... ch_Neumann

The part that makes me really scratch my head though, is that one of Neumann's German language books looks like maybe a Mechanical Engineering textbook (so far so good), and the other one appears to be an equally technically in-depth book about poultry diseases. Which field is his job and which field is his hobby?

[Malcolm Irving]

"A positive voltage on the tube's control grid pulls electrons off the grid and spreads them out. A negative voltage on the grid pushes electrons onto the grid and packs them tighter together.

"

Is that from this book? At least it's a "different" description of how a triode works compared to books I have read.

As one of the authors, I can confirm that the sentence quoted above is not from our book!

Malcolm Irving

[Malcolm Irving]

Ulrich Neumann is an academic computer scientist and has also co-authored books in that field, but nothing in German. I'm a retired academic electrical power systems engineer. Tube guitar amps are a hobby for both of us. Thanks for the kind comments on the book - there is nothing there that we would disagree with. Some reader reviews can be found on Amazon.

[Mark]

Thanks for your replies as stated earlier I think the ideas could be more easily conveyed with different syntax. In the past I've formally studied electronics at College for many years, this is the basis in comparing GAO to text books I've read.

I haven't read the whole GAO book yet, but I wouldn't say it is more technically advanced than designing tube preamps for guitar and bass by Blencowe which I've read several times. There is a different writing style employed, I find Blencowe more to the point.

I'm still in chapter 2 which talks about distortion derived from non-linear transfer curves which is simple enough when looking at the diagrams, however I find the syntax overly complex. This isn't slight on the content in the book but stating my findings in reading the book. I believe it is in the authors best interest to have a book that has information that is easily understood (more sales and recommendations).

I haven't disparaged the book but simply stated my reaction in attempting to read it.

[roberto]

Hi Malcolm,

I have to thank you for that book. The way you represented the loadlines has been really helpful to work on stages in a new way, explore some values that I wouldn’t otherwise, and find analogies that made me develop a new lead channel that I really like.
That part and the low impedance overdrive are the keypoints imho, and it’s a book that it’s definitely needed for everyone interested in understanding amps.

Is anything new going on?

[Malcolm Irving]

Thanks very much for the comments. Constructive criticism is appreciated, I'm a great fan of Merlin's books myself.
There's nothing new in the pipeline at present.