This looks like a needed book!

[stubhead]

http://www.springer.com/engineering/book/978-0-387-74368-4

Engineering the Guitar: Theory and Practice uniquely describes the mechanics of the guitar for engineers and craftsmen alike. Complete with informative illustrations, this popular musical volume describes the underlying mechanical concepts behind the guitar, supported by theory and test. A detailed description of guitar electronics, paired with an in-depth analysis of sound quality, appeals to scientific audiences as well as musicians technically apt. Readers will gain an understanding of the technical behavior of the instrument with respect to structural and component dynamics, in addition to the informative treatment of analytical models.

If you go to Amazon.com, you can pick through the table of contents and sample pages - it looks like somebody is actually doing more than speculation here! I wanna wait for a few reviews to trickle in before I buy it, but a book like this may do more for anybody's tone than a new pickup, neck, even amp.
http://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Guitar-Richard-Mark-French/dp/0387743685/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235295184&sr=8-1

Considering what I squander yearly on toys, $46.52 is cheep..... :toothy12: Gee I guess all the guitar forums are gonna dry up and blow away, now that the facts are here.

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

Bah, trying to find the Exact tone is not for me. Just get some quality parts and slap 'em together and see how they sound, then work with it!

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Bah, trying to find the Exact tone is not for me. Just get some quality parts and slap 'em together and see how they sound, then work with it!

Isn't "working with it" trying to find the exact tone?

 

[SlingBass]

...Gee, I guess all the guitar forums are gonna dry up and blow away, now that the facts are here.

Right...  :laughing7:

As long as we human beans have freedom of thought, experience, and expression - good literature is (as intended) merely an informing and/or  practical guide based on another's due diligence and perceived results. Interesting sounding book......but just interesting - NOTHING is written in stone for everyone  :icon_biggrin: