Customer Reviews
a must.. 
2008-08-30
..for tone enthusiasts. Great photos, great amps & great stories. Don't miss it, it'a a real very very sounding book!
If You Love Amps, You need this book. 2008-06-09
I've been playing for 37 years. Great tone has always been a never ending quest. Some gear sounds thin, some tinny, or boomy, too fuzzy, or brittle, even dull. But some appliances produce sounds that are awesome. This book is about several of those savage appliances--vintage Fender amps. This book and its 2 accompanying CDs are wonderful; I've learned so much and I've been very entertained.
Great read.
More Than Most Want To Know 2008-05-11
If you are a fan of the Fender sound, and curious about the origins of Leo Fender, the Fender company and the legendary Fender guitar amplifiers then this book is for you. Its the first coffee table sized book I've ever had that is more than wonderful photos. Its a book I enjoy reading a great deal. There is a lot of detail, enough to keep a amplifier technician, or someone who doesn't care about the details of how they get the sound happy. There are lots of delicious quotes and images about those that prefer to use the Fender amp in their performances. Examples are Dick Dale, Buddy Guy, B. B. King, to Keith Richards. If those names aren't familiar to you, well it might not be a book for you. This is a book about influences and origins. Its not afraid to expose the mystery behind the curtain, but also to expose the inconsistencies of the Fender company.
Then there is the disc that provide you with the ability to hear and compare the sound of a wide variety of amplifiers under very similar conditions. This provides those seeking to develop a tone all their own through a Fender guitar amplifier. It doesn't denigrate other vendors, and has comments and interviews by many of the other legends and current boutique makers in the guitar amplification arena.
If you want to know about Fender amplification, this might be the only book you ever need.
This is 'The Bible' for fans of Fender amplifiers - the best there is. 2008-04-28
Buy this book - treasure it - read it thoroughly over and over again - you will learn so much.
Listen to the CD by Greg Koch - amazing!
If you love Fender - and their history, you CANNOT do better than buy this beautifully produced book.
Tom Wheeler is an authority - along with Richard R. Smith, they are the world leaders when it comes to anything Fender.
This is a book for life - fantastic illustrations - and a wonderful companion to The Stratocaster Chronicles.
Obviously written with intelligence and insight - this is THE reference on the subject - and what a subject!
Fender made/makes the finest sounding guitar amplifiers in the world.
I've got 3 different models here in my study that range from 45 to 50 years old - and still going strong as ever, being played in the bedroom - or pubs and clubs....they sound fabulous.
Tom Wheeler knows what he's talking about - a writer of the very highest integrity. I highly recommend this wonderful book.
Bob Hewitt UK [...]
The Soul of Tone 2008-03-19
I think that Amazon needs to stop bothering me to write these reviews. Even though they know that my knowledge in this field is considered by many to be the final word in all things amplified. And even though the last review that they finally got me to write was disputed by the latest Russian experts, absurdly claiming that my "thoughts on atom/electron sequencing can only be pulled out of a wizard's sleeve". Enough said. This claim is not only false but void of any reliable rebuilding process. Finally, the review...
I didn't start with Fender amps. I learned the hard way, which is why I know what I'm talking about. So thanks and praise to Leo for coming up with great ideas -- so good that all people even Russians can do now is to try and copy it. That's how good it is. I've experimented a lot, tried all sorts of amps, but I don't change there things 'round no more. I found what I'm looking for.
Buy this book now! 2008-02-28
From the same "dream team" that created
The Fender Stratocaster Chronicles (
Vintage Guitar magazine's 2004 Book of the Year) comes this new publication covering the other side of Fender's legacy, the instrument amplifier. Revered as much as one's guitar, the Fender amplifier gets its due in this full-color, richly illustrated book. Features over 400 images, including legendary guitarists such as Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Neil Young, Pete Townshend, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, Robbie Robertson and Dick Dale, and two CDs featuring over 100 tracks that make terms and topics come alive.
The Soul of Tone: Celebrating 60 Years of Fender Amps (book & CD) 2008-01-25
I'm just getting into collecting old Fender amps.
This is a great book to get you started on that path.
While it doubles as a beautiful coffee table book, it has technical information that is valuable to novice and bench tech.
There are loads of beautiful photographs of the amps and the people that built the amps.
I strongly recommend this book to anybody that has a passion for Tone and guitar amplifiers...especially, Fender amps.
Classic Amp - Soon to be classic book 2008-01-08
Fender - the name conjures up images of classic rock; blues from the masters; beginners banging away on frontman amps. Truly defining a place in history is no mean feat and when a company that manufactures musical instruments does just that, you know they have to be good.
The Stradivarius of the modern world, Fender have come to mean a lot to a lot of people.
Tom Wheeler has done his utmost in presenting a book of insight, wonderment and information. Some absolutely beautiful amps and some not so beautiful are presented here for you to laugh, cry and drool over.
Fantastic book, fantastic read, fantastic writer. When I get the money, I'll get another as I can see this one is going to be thumbed to the bone...
Great Read - Good CD 
2008-01-07
This is really a treasure of information on Fender amps with enough pix to make you salivate.
The CD is ok but I expected more. Greg Koch's over the top playing (and commentary) can get a bit annoying.
Also, they just don't cover enough amps for my taste. No tweed pro, no tweed super, not enough time on the bassman.
The CD's are broken into two CD's. Vintage and Modern.
When they are talking about vintage deluxes, Koch decides to demo and spend most time onthe '57 Tweed Deluxe REISSUE!!!!!!!!! This to me dropped them a star since that should have been placed on the modern CD.
I guess there is not enough time to cover everything but I wish he did more.
The idea of a short clip of every Fender amp model ever made played with a tele, strat and LP makes me salivate ;).
This CD was an attempt to do that but falls short IMHO. However, it's better than nothing.
The Soul of Tone: Celebrating 60 Years of Fender Amps 2007-12-19
Great book, great pictures, The book comes with a couple of cd with demos of the sound of the fender amplifiers. Just the thing you expect from a book called this way
