Pink Floyd: The Black Strat: A History of David Gilmour's Black Fender Stratocaster Hardcover – September 1, 2008

I was highly anticipating my copy of this book after having read a review of it in GUITAR WORLD Magazine. I'm a huge fan of both Pink Floyd and the Fender Stratocaster, and it just felt "right" for me to own such a book. As soon as I received it I read it cover to cover in a few hours, all the time worrying that I would be disappointed with a mediocre tribute to David Gilmour's iconic guitar. I'd like to say now that this book is ANYTHING BUT DISAPPOINTING. In the book Phil Taylor lovingly and meticulously chronicled the "ordinary stratocaster guitar that David bought at Manny's in 1970", but which eventually became the iconic Black Strat which David used for most of his landmark guitar melodies and solos throughout the pinnacle years of Pink Floyd and through his solo career. The book is rich in photographs of Dave performing with the Black Strat as well as close up shots of the guitar as it went through its many modifications throughout the years (which I particularly enjoyed). Phil Taylor wrote with devotion, and gave me a sense of the tremendous impact that this plain guitar has had on the music culture. It seemed that Phil had more of a sense of this than even Gilmour himself (no offense, Dave) who "never treated the guitar with any reverence" and "just considered it a working tool". It seems Phil felt strongly that the Black Strat's story should be told, and having read the book myself, I heartily agree. My hat's off to you Phil. This is a must have book for die hard Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, and Fender Stratocaster fans everywhere.

After reading this book in one sitting, it became an inspiration for me to build my own Gilmour black strat. It is a must for any fan of Pink Floyd as well as David Gilmour fan. A very detailed history of the guitar and it's owner and the various changes the guitar went through 'til it reached its current state. A wealth of pictures as well as info, so much as i said that i built my own gilmour strat. The only changes i made were in the neck, it is a C-shaped but a bit smaller to fit my hand, i did put a duncan ssl5 in the bridge, but instead of the fat 50's in the neck and 69 in the middle, i put 2 duncan ssl-3 in the neck and middle but the middle pickup is reverse wound, and instead of drilling a hole in the pickguard for the extra switch to turn on the neck pickup, i used a push-pull pot on the lower tone control to add the neck pickup. I decided to do the N.O.S version instead of the relic'd version. See if this book had that kind of inspiration for me, imagine what it may do for you. Go out and get it, enjoy yourself reading it, even if you don't build guitars.

Disliked the price but the information was useful

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...

I, at first, scoffed at this story of David Gilmour's Black Strat; however, the more I thought about it, the more I believed that it would offer something of a storied journey. This proved to be a good historical read and journey of not only David and Phil Taylor, Daivid's Guitar Technician, but also of the journey of the Black Strat and several other Floydian Guitars. I am glad that I purchased and read this account.

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.

I bought this book for my 17 year old son as a gift. I am nowhere near the guitar nut as he is, but this book is absolutely beautiful. Wonderful to thumb through and browse. The photos are brilliant and the story amazing. This is a huge book and very well written. You won't be sorry for buying this book, I would recommend it for anyone who has a love for guitars, Pink Floyd, or rock music in general. Perfect 5 stars.

Interesting book, wherein following the life of an instrument that rippled through a bands entire sound. I enjoyed you tube'ing for live footage of the concerts as I read the pages. And being that I am working on my own black strat project (sorta NOS type), the book spells everything out in a change by change, season by season manner. Nice pictures too of an iconic instrument and and iconic musician.

Pink Floyd have been my favourite band since I was a teenager and David Gilmour's perfectly judged playing is one of the main reasons. I also like to own and play guitars, so I'm pretty close to the target audience for this book. It turns out that the instrument that has produced so much of my favourite music is far from a pampered Diva, but an off-the-shelf buy that has been the recipient of a series of continual modifications that give it a unique history. Phil Taylor manages to make the book more than a simple list of surgical procedures and I am sure that many guitar owners will find the story a fascinating one. The book even has a happy ending. While certainly unlikely to appeal to everyone, the book gives an insight into the life of a guitar as a professional tool and into the thinking and needs of a guitarist who has always strived for quality and musicality rather than flashy playing and fame.

Ci sono strumenti che hanno segnato indelebilmente la storia del rock. Vuoi perchè particolari e a volte stravaganti, vuoi perchè legati intimamente a un grande musicista oppure perchè protagonisti, magari per caso, di esecuzioni passate alla storia.Capita anche che questi strumenti, e in particolare le chitarre, siano legate indissolubilmente al loro proprietario da un rapporto che va oltre le apparenze e che il loro suono sia talmente unico da diventare un'icona, quasi un talismano per molti di loro. La Black Strat di David Gilmour dei Pink Floyd è una di queste chitarre. Nata come una "normale" Stratocaster di serie negli anni 70', è divenuta con il passare degli anni uno strumento quasi mistico, parte fondamentale del suono di Gilmour come se fosse un membro aggiunto della band. Stiamo infatti parlando della chitarra con cui sono stati incisi album come "The Dark Side of the Moon", "Wish You Were Here" e "The Wall".In questo libro, Phil Taylor (ovvero il tecnico che ha accudito gli strumenti di David per gli ultimi 30 anni) ci racconta la storia di questa chitarra con dovizia di particolari e un rigore storico assoluto, grazie a testimonianze, interviste e documenti d'epoca raccolti nel corso degli anni con cura quasi maniacale. Consigliato sia ai chitarristi che ai semplici appasionati, il libro spazia dal racconto in prima persona ai dettagli tecnici, con numerosissime fotografie d'epoca e schede in cui si esaminano le modifiche fatte di volta in volta alla chitarra. L'impaginazione è gradevole e il testo, pur se in inglese, è scritto in maniera chiara e molto gradevole.La qualità della carta è buona e le fotografie sono stampate molto bene, con colori saturi e ottima nitidezza.In definitiva, una ottima lettura per tutti gli appassionati di strumenti Fender o di rock in generale. Per i fans dei Pink Floyd, invece, è un libro che non può mancare nella propria biblioteca.

The first page has a quote from the owner of the black Strat in question, Mr David Gilmour: "....It seems a daft idea to me, writing a book about an ordinary guitar....". Fortunately, Mr Gilmour's erstwhile guitar technician, Phil Taylor did not agree and went ahead with the book. It is more than just a book about one guitar. It details several of Gilmour's early guitars and includes numerous photographs which I, as a Gilmour/ Floyd fan of over 30 years, have never seen before. True, this may not appeal to mainstream Floyd fans, but to those of us guitar nuts who rate Gilmour as one of the finest guitarists ever, this book was well worth waiting for. Fascinating. Thanks, Phil Taylor!

De belles heures de lecture avec de magnifiques photos, pour les fans!Envoi rapide et emballage solide. Vendeur sérieux !

Ein logisch gestelltes Buch, mit interessanten historischen Fakten, Fotos, und viel Liebe zum Detail eines sicher nicht so beruehmten Instrumentes. Dabei wird gleichzeitig von Konzerten-Meilensteinen der Mega Band berichtet. Meiner Meinung nach sind die detaillierten Fotos von vielen technischen Einzelheiten sowie die Referenzen an die erste, nicht so bekannte Periode von Pink Floyd, die echten Staerken des Buches. Ein grosses Lob an Phil Taylor!