Check out this Fretboard Toolbox Original Mandolin Edition review from Ted Eschliman at JazzMando!

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"Lately, whenever I sit down to play, I just have the Fretboard Toolbox out sitting on the couch or coffee table right next to me.  I refer to it every so often for a variety of things:

• Which note is it on the fretboard that I’m playing?  Of course, I can always figure it out without it, but it’s just easier with it…for example, if I’m on the 9^th fret on the B string on my classical guitar that only has ONE fretboard marker, it takes me a while to calculate back up to the E or A string or back to open position where I know the notes like the back of my hand.  Easier just to look on the Toolbox.
• Which note is giving a particular chord a distinctive sound…the Toolbox is particularly good for this because I can leave my left hand in place or maybe move a note or two around to see which one makes the chord “work”…then refer to the Toolbox.
• In about a week, it has REALLY helped solidify some theory that I should have already known.  Because I’m a good faker, I can play a variety of extended chords and make it sound decent.  But I’m the reverse of a typical musician in that I’m not saying to myself, “hmm…a 7 sharp 9 would sound great here…how do I make that?”  Instead I’m thinking “that sounds good…what was it?” and I can figure it out with the Toolbox. 

    I have used it more than I thought I would.  It doesn’t have everything that I might want or use, necessarily, but the way it’s laid out, it makes it easy enough for me to picture it visually and figure it out for myself."

Will Katz- 26-year veteran guitar player
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“Even though I’ve been a musician for the past 25 years, there are things about music theory that I have discovered only recently.  If I had had a copy of the Fretboard Toolbox in my hands during my early and intermediate years of learning the guitar, I am certain that I’d be a much better player today.  One comes to understand how chords and keys all fit together and how to translate from recording to performance but it can be a LONG process.  The Fretboard Toolbox will help you “wrap your brain” around music theory and will guide you in making those complex musical connections that separate beginners from more serious musicians.” 

Mark Staab- 25-year veteran guitar player
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"The Fretboard Toolbox Piano Edition would be a good addition to anyone who studies the piano. The visual observation and explanations make self study easier and faster. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a boost to their study, especially for pop, rock and jazz tunes."

Kody Willnauer- 10 year pianist and instructor
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•   "Both the Fretboard Toolbox Original Guitar and the Blues Guitar Editions are extremely impressive.  They are exceptionally clear guides with which to navigate through the labyrinth of patterns that make up scales and chords.  Everything I'd want to learn FIRST about this often murky subject is laid out in a way that seems to connect all the dots, and arm the student with the kinds of tools he/she can use right away."

• "Specifically, the Blues Edition is very useful to anyone who wants to better understand the 'tonal' language of basic Blues. The materials cover all 12 keys, and demonstrate the unique combination of 'Major' and 'Minor' scale patterns that make up the melodic framework of Blues.  Best of all, it does this in a very visual, easy-to-grasp way.  Highly recommended."

Michael Paull- composer/arranger, instrumentalist, and teacher at the Americana Music Academy, a roots-music preservation school in Lawrence, Kansas.
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  "The Fretboard Toolbox really makes it easy to see where and what to play for each key. It is especially useful in songwriting, providing you all the chords and scales you need in any given key to solo or write melodies with. I also like how it is all in convenient notebook form. I have experimented with the guitar, banjo, mandolin, and ukulele versions of the Fretboard Toolbox, and once you understand the method for one instrument, you can begin building chords, progressions, and solos within minutes!  I couldn't believe how easy it was to transfer my favorite guitar songs to ukulele (and mandolin) with the Fretboard Toolbox."

Trey Durkin- 10+ years guitar, bass, mandolin, and trumpet
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  "At the time I was first shown the Fretboard Toolbox, I hadn't played the piano in a long time.  Formerly being able to read sheet music, I found that my note and key recognition had dramatically decreased.  The Fretboard Toolbox interested me because I could quickly see that players of many different ability levels could exploit its potential.  (The Fretboard Toolbox method) is an amazingly quick way to figure out the key of a song, find chords and their names, and, most impressively to me, makes transposing songs a much quicker and easier process.   I was able to begin piano again, and I believe that I have improved at a faster rate in the last two months with the Fretboard Toolbox than with any other piano aide I have seen."

John-Patrick Doherty- 15 year pianist

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"I had been playing banjo for only six months when I was introduced to the Fretboard Toolbox.  As a beginner, I used the Toolbox to help me understand basic chord progressions, like the "V" (five) chord in the key of G is a D major.  I was able to use the chord progressions to start to break down some of my favorite songs.  Then, I started to use the Chord Builder to help me understand more complex chords.  As I have gotten better, the Fretboard Toolbox has become an even more useful tool. Now, I use the Toolbox to help me play up on the neck and to build alternate chords.  The most important thing that the Fretboard Toolbox has done is to help me understand the theory of my instrument and of the music that I want to play.  I don't just put my fingers in a certain place and play; I understand why each finger is where it is at.  That enables me to put my own twist on things."

Chad Metcalf- 1+ year banjo player

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"Takes the theory off the page and onto the guitar!  Not only does it teach new scales, but it give you the tools to solo like the greats!" 

Josh Adkins- 14+ years guitar and bass; bass player for the band From Quiet Arms.

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"I believe the Fretboard Toolbox helps in areas of music that most guitarist do not get exposed to in the beginning, or sometimes ever in the journey of playing music on the guitar. The Fretboard Toolbox help the guitarist not just see a shape while learning, say a B Major chord, but will understand that it is a triad, made of the notes B(root), D#(3rd), and F#(5th). This will help the guitarist know the fretboard and unlock its "secrets" so the guitarist can see and know what they are playing. Putting this idea not only on one position on the fretboard will allow the guitarist to move about the fretboard with ease, know the notes instead of just a shape. How chords are built in tertian harmony is shown with ease on the Fretboard Toolbox, how scales can be turned into chord scales, and then be made into a song or aid in figuring out a song. This is huge to the beginning guitarist who wants to explore the music theory side of playing guitar. Not only is this good for guitar, but it can be applied to literally any instrument, you just have to know where the notes are. A great addition to any guitar instructor's bag of tricks for the student....or a good learning tool for the guitarist that has a little musical theory background.

The Fretboard Toolbox lets you 'know' instead of just 'see'....all that is left is to 'hear' and 'feel'."


Clayton DeLong- professional guitarist and graduate of the UMKC with a degree in Music Performance with an emphasis in Jazz.

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The Fretboard Toolbox Blues Edition is a great tool to help you understand your instrument and excel your playing.  I have been playing guitar for 10 years and until now have not discovered an “all in one” package reference as complete as the Fretboard Toolbox.  I am a visual learner and this tool helps me identify the many shapes and patterns on the fretboard at a moment's glance.  Not everyone learns in the same manner, so if you have found yourself confused with page after page of repetitive patterns and confusing notation, the Fretboard Toolbox is for you!  Give it a try!  Your bandmates will thank you.

Blake Schmidtberger- Lover of stringed instruments!

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Scott,

 I received my Fretboard Toolbox Ukulele Edition today and am very pleased.  It looks like a great tool to augment and advance my playing, and in a nice, sturdy package too... essential for something that's going to see lots of use.  Worth every penny...thanks!

Kevin Vamos, concert uku player and vocalist for the Phil Schneider Trio