Learn how to make your rig work for you with Modern Guitar Rigs: The Tone Fanatic's Guide to Integrating Amps and Effects ($24.99), the new release from Hal Leonard Books.

Written by guitarist and technologist Scott Kahn, Modern Guitar Rigs covers just about everything guitarists need to know to build pro-level rigs, whether it's for playing clubs at the indie band level, getting set for a major tour, heading into the studio to record a new album, or just searching for great tone.

The author comments, "Guitar magazines routinely talk about commonly available guitars, amps, and effects, but they don't really cover the components that go into assembling a professional guitar rig. After hearing the same questions come up repeatedly from so many guitar players, I found myself pondering, 'If only there were a book that really explained all this complex rig stuff,' and then I discovered that no such book existed."

Well, now such a book does exist. Modern Guitar Rigs explores advanced topics, including:

• Rack gear: multi-effects processors and dedicated signal processors, audio loopers, amp function switching systems, and MIDI foot controllers


• Amp setups: wet / dry / wet configurations, rackmounted tube preamps and power amps, stereo rigs, integrating pedals and rack gear, and floor-based loop systems


• Guitar options: piezo-electric pickups and splitting guitar signals to multiple amps


• Effect loops: choosing the right loop for your specific needs


• Rig infrastructure: power conditioning, noise suppression, power attenuators, wireless systems, custom cabling, and equipment racks


• Rigs of the stars: a look at the complex rigs used by many leading guitar players, including John Petrucci of Dream Theater, Alex Lifeson of Rush, and Steven Wilson and John Wesley of Porcupine Tree


• Interviews with leading custom rig builders, including the legendary Bob Bradshaw of Custom Audio Electronics

For players looking to move beyond a simple pedal board and combo amp, there is no more definitive book on the topic of advanced guitar rigs than the 158-page Modern Guitar Rigs, Hal Leonard says. The book comes with a bonus DVD with more than an hour of video, including "Building a Pro Guitar Rig", "Setting Up Your First Small Rack", "Taming The Pedalboard", and a music video of the song "The Sky is Falling" by the progressive rock band Days Before Tomorrow, featuring Scott Kahn on guitar.

Modern Guitar Rigs is now available from Hal Leonard Books (halleonardbooks.com).