Electronics - From the beginning
 

Where would I go to find out the basics of electronics (amps, pickups, etc)?

I know this sounds stupid but I don't understand it from the beginning. I am primarily interested in the subject as it applies to acoustic instruments.

Thank you.

As a retired electrical engineer I would offer that you approach the subject first by understanding individual aspects in a block diagram. For example, the pickup
is a block and then the preamp another block etc. You should get a handle on
the level of the signal at each point in the chain of blocks. Your block drawings might have a passive pickup going to a preamp going to effects going to an amp then to speakers.....or the preamp going to a mixing board etc. Draw up as many kinds of situations as you see are used and then learn about each part.

At the extreme other end of learning about this, the actual circuitry and components used in each device determine the sound. Cables matter too.
When trying out gear in a store, I use my ears first and find out how it was
designed later.

There is a wealth of information on the internet and using searches you will begin to find the answers to your questions.....but do start with the block diagram approach and then move to particular questions within each block.
This will help.

Have Fun! (maybe start by making a block a block diagram of the equipment you currently have and learn more about it?)

If you get more interested in this topic you will eventually want to learn about
"basic DC circuit analysis" followed by "basic AC circuit analysis".

Good Luck!

When I was trying to figure things out a few years back, I found this book very helpful (I think there's an updated edition available, too):

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Sound-Rei...3391100&sr=1-1

My first PA was made by Yorkville, and I found their guides online very useful, too:

http://yorkville.com/downloads/other/basicpaprimer.pdf

http://yorkville.com/downloads/other/paguide.pdf

There's also this, which goes into even more technical detail:

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforc.../dp/0881889008

When it comes to the basics of amplifying acoustic guitar, the following is a terrific introductory guide:

http://store.acousticguitar.com/coll...ion-essentials

Good luck!

Louis

Coursera offers free college courses online, even on Android devices, that teach all aspects of sound and music:

https://www.coursera.org/#courses?or...ing&cats=music

This article should help:

http://www.premierguitar.com/article..._Newbies_Guide

I appreciate everyone's reply. I have gone to the sights, looked up some stuff on the WEB and found a course on Acoustic Guitar U that is very good as well.
Thank you all

arktrav, somebody mentioned coursera on this thread and that is an excellent suggestion. Since you’ll have college professors teaching the basics of electronics and acoustics, I think it’ll be much easier for you to learn there. Otherwise, there’re thousands of books, labs and online interactive material on electronics that can make it easy and fun for you to study. However, coursera is a great option in my opinion.

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Yes, Coursera has real professors from schools like the Berklee College of Music. Videos, quizing, homework and peer grading. I've also taken some courses using my Samsung Galaxy III phone. You can download the videos and courseware for offline studying and reference. The lecture scripts can also be downloaded. Ric