Grateful Dead Book:

		List Price: $34.95		Publisher: Backbeat Books Salesrank: 352466 Released: November 1, 2006
		Our Price: $20.01
		Used Price: $18.99
		Media: Paperback

Editorial Review:
The origins and secrets of the Grateful Dead's magical sound are told! This book is the first in-depth examination of the Dead's technical side, including their recording methods. From the "Acid Tests" of the mid-'60s to the famous "Wall of Sound" PA setup in the '70s and on to their exceptional later touring systems, the Grateful Dead were always on the cutting edge of technological innovation and experimentation. This exhaustive study includes clear and concise explanations of the band's equipment technology, instrument design, and studio recording techniques, plus a history of the group. Features: more than 100 photos and diagrams, many never before seen; new interviews with band members and tech personnel; suggested listening for every era of the group's history; and more!

Grateful Dead Gear - The Band's Instruments, Sound Systems, and Recording Sessions, From 1965 to 1995 (Softcover) (Book) Reviews:
Wow!
2008-08-01 - If you're a fan of either A) the Grateful Dead or B) musical/PA equipment then this book is fascinating. For people that don't know anything about the Grateful Dead it's an eyeful. (Few people realize how forward-thinking they were.) Steve Urbauer

Must have book for the Gearhead Deadheads
2008-01-11 - A must have book for the gearhead deadheads! Jackson details the instruments and sound and recording systems for every era of the Grateful Dead. He also includes some background info on equipment and their manufacturers. His information comes from many interviews with band and crew members, photos and discussions with other people involved with the band and equipment in that time period. He also makes several listening recommendations, so that the reader can hear the particular set-ups written about in the book. If you are interested in the type of vocal mics used in the Wall of Sound, or the power amp used to power the Fillmore Auditorium shows, then this book is for you.
This is the best Grateful Dead book to own along with DeadBase and the Taping Compendiums, in my opinion.

Disappointed at Dead Gear
2007-10-22 - Yes, I thought this would be more like the Beatles Gear book, which is a true testament to information about their gear....
The Dear Gear book unfortunately ties the gear in with the story of the Dead, which I already knew......
The big questions I had are where is the qeuipment currently?....what happened to Mickey's 1968 drumset?.....
Too much info on the story of the Dead and (for me)not enough on the instruments themselves......

Awesome deatil & really fun
2007-09-27 - This well-written book provides both an overview of the progression of the Grateful Dead alongside a detailed description of the equipment the band used at each step along the way. For the gearheads out there, it's a great read. The same holds for Dead fans and fans of music from the golden era in general. It's really enjoyable.

Not the last word on the subject, but a great start
2007-09-11 - If you're into music technology, this book is a must-read. It's a breezy, well-informed overview of the Grateful Dead's evolving battery of instruments and sound systems, with plenty of good photos.

My only gripes are:

1. There isn't enough technical detail. For example, we get many pictures of Phil's amazing "brown" bass, but no diagram showing which knobs and switches did what. Tape track assignments for more than a couple of tunes would have been nice, too.

2. There isn't enough philosophy. What were the engineers and musicians thinking about when they made design decisions? More in-depth interviews with key personnel ... especially Bear ... would have been fascinating.