Battle Of The Guitars: Cheap Vs. Expensive - Which One Reigns Supreme?
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
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I grew up (40 years ago) playing on a decade-old Yamaha acoustic that sounded amazing. It was my first guitar and played it religiously throughout my musical journey until someone sat on it in 1999 and broke the neck at the heal. I learned a lot on that guitar beside also having electric Fenders, Gibsons, Ibanezes... and several others. I've played every kind of music, been in many bands, but I'm 51 now and have retired due to health reasons. I went from old rockabilly, to blues, ACDC, Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie Malmsteen, Slayer, Death, Sepultura, and then I chilled out with that old Yamaha acoustic (at the end of it's life) writing music and playing in a blues band. Three years ago I started playing again and my main guitar is a Yamaha Pacifica, which is the best guitar I've ever had. I started with a Yamaha and I'm likely to finish with one. Love your stuff, Rob!
I can’t believe someone sat on your guitar and didn’t notice enough to break it!!!!!
@@RobChappers It happened at a going-away party for my grandfather who was moving away to a different state. There was some alcohol involved. I didn't notice until the next day when I picked it up and the strings where lack. Years later, I tried (and got close) to reviving it but the action wasn't there. I'd love to find a luthier that I could afford to get it back to where it was. I swear, that acoustic played like the smoothest electric!
Can u pls share with us which model of pacifica are u using now,thnx
I used to have a Yamaha back in the day too. Always liked the headstock design on these
Nice video Rob. My cheapest guitar is a Squire Bullet Strat and my most expensive is a Chapman ML1 Modern in black blood which I love. Shame I am a rather terrible player but I enjoy trying 😀
What an interesting video! I find it very reassuring to see a person such as yourself, who really knows what he is talking about, drawing some well described and demonstrated conclusions. As always an inspiration!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hey rob, just want to say thank you for being yourself and giving all of us who watch so many fond memories. Started watching chappers and the capt about a decade ago when i was 13 years old. Today i am 24 and still watch!! Videos are always great. Love u pal, keep on rockin ❤️
Hoy, I agree, I love my strat clone thing, 75 euro guitar, did a gig with it. It's great. Built it myself.
My cheapest is a £15 Venom strat made for a beginner bundle by Dorling Kindersley back in the 90's or so. Most expensive is a Fender Roadhouse Deluxe MIM Strat. I enjoy both, the playability of some guitars with cheaper necks and softer frets can be kind of amazing. I think a big part is the feel of confidence that having a guitar you've invested time and effort in setting up yourself or having purchased in a state that is pro ready immediately.
Had a Yamaha 112 and loved it! That new custom does scream a tiny bit. Nice
I actually got hold of a Yamaha 112 as an intermediate guitarist , and it's the only guitar that through the time I spent with it ( which was a lot for me ) I was only interested in becoming a better guitarist and learning... I have so called nicer guitars now , but to be honest even though they are more expensive they have minor issues that bother me. I'm on the hunt now for a perfect Tele and a perfect hard rock metal guitar....I've noticed that Yamaha now do high price Pacifica's , could be the perfect hard rock , metal , and blues guitar all in one...made in Japan too.
@@justice100forwin2 I only sold mine (to a student who still gigs it) because I built a guitar that did the same stuff a bit better and looked way cooler (IMHO!).
That little run at 4:37 when he switches to the neck pickup is quite nice.
Wow!! My first guitar was a black Yamaha RGX312!!! It was awesome.
My mate had one of these and we couldn’t work out how his sounded absolutely killer vs my own RGX612A.
Reckon those 312’s are using ceramic pickups, totally ace 90’s tone!
I played Parts Guitars cause I was raised in electronics in my family and I met my advanced guitar teacher Deric. I studied Ted Greene "Chord Chemistry". So the last guitars are mine. Cheers!
My most valuable guitar today is probably one I picked up for the cheapest price, A USA made Hamer special that I snagged in 1988 for $200. That axe just roars and snarls and lashes it's teeth
Love the idea of a guitar having teeth 😂😂
Now thats a nice chappers workshop!
Both great instruments.
Cheers rob.👏👏👏
I still have my 312 i bought in the late 80's can't part with it we have been on the journey together and i still love it.
I've owned a few guitars, and played many. One thing I have learned is, regardless of brand or price tag, guitars have personalities. Some guitars have awesome personalities, some have atrocious personalities. You won't know which, until you pick it up, and play on it. My oldest, and most beloved, guitar is a 1989 Charvel 650XL, that I ordered from Charvel/Jackson, brand new, in '89. It's a great guitar, and I would never part with it. However, she is very unforgiving, when it comes to playing. If I am not on top of my game, she will not cover for me, and I will sound like absolute shite! On the other hamfist, if I am playing well, she sings like beautiful demons (I play Hardcore, and sludgy Metal, so no angels singing, here, lol) and I actually feel myself bonding with her, and the energy of the universe, so we are as one unit, expressing the bombastic music of galactic collisions, super novae, and planetary birth and death! Plus, I put a very high output pickup in the bridge position, so it's very aggressive.
I must say, Rob, I'm kind of surprised you don't own a ridiculously expensive vintage Les Paul, or something, that you only take to church on Sundays, and no one is allowed to touch it. Most of the longtime guitarists I have known seem to have a thing like that.
Chappers being the best as usual.
Love the foundational claim. Man, that Chapman sounded delicious though.
I was fully expecting a PRS for the most expensive. The fact that the Chapman was a similar configuration to the Yamaha made it a bit more of a fair comparison.
Ohhh. I would love to have one of those Yamaha guitars in that color... as we speak im searching for one :) thanx Rob
Cheapest I use is a '94 Peavey Predator. Basically just your standard Strat copy, it does have an interesting and amazing feeling neck.
The neck on those USA made peaveys are weird. Never felt a neck profile like that before. I also have a predator. Learned how to play on one making every other guitar weird to get used to 😂
@@misterknightowlandco I have a 7 string predator, admittedly that is probably part of the reason the neck feels the way it does, but it almost feels like a nylon acoustic neck, very wide and flat. Pleasant spacing for barres and such.
That Yamaha looks cool. I like the paint and hardware aesthetically.
That Yamaha was my first electric guitar. To this day, and many guitars later, I still own it and it has the neck I love the most.
My early 90s Les Paul epi was my first electric, it's a bit dinged, a bit tobacco stained I daresay and could probably do with some fret work, but it still sounds the sweetest and feels like a pair of comfy slippers. Couldn't be without it
I recently bought an ONYX Ricky style guitar for $120 AU that plays and feels as nice as some of my other guitars that cost me 1000's of $. The only upgrade it needed was better pots. I was so happy with it. The price included postage & it arrived in only 3 days. I'll look up the model for you later the box is in storage atm. I also bought an older 90's Riviera Strat copy for $99 AU including postage and it's horrible. Looks great but needs a LOT of work to make it any good. I love it anyway. Sometimes you get lucky , sometimes not. Cheers Y/All.
My cheapest axe is an Ibanez Jem Jr converted into an Evo replica. Plays and sounds every but as good as my Strandberg Boden. Drop a set of half decent pickups in and fit decent hardware and your bargain guitar will be punching above its weight.
Nice guitars Rob, i thought you were gonna dig out a custom shop PRS as the most expensive guitar. That chapman is a lovely guitar though. I completely agree, the price doesn't matter, it's all about how it makes you feel
My first guitar was a Yamaha, too, although it was an acoustic. It was a well-made guitar that I learned most of my basic chords on.
I think my “cheapest” is an Epiphone TV Yellow Les Paul. My most expensive is an EC Stratocaster Signature.
My cheapest is an Ibanez RG652AHMFX. Most expensive is a Schecter Custom Shop Sunset II. I love them equally, and sound exactly the same on either guitar.
Can never go wrong with Ibanez, I feel. I have an RG470ah which has the most incredible feeling neck and beautiful sounding pickups... Floyd Rose bullies me now and then thouugh lol, but I forgive it for the rest of the guitar haha
I have a RGX 612A, A for Yamaha’s active pickups. I love that guitar. (Only down side is trying to find parts for the Yamaha RM (Rockin Magic”) Trem. Kind of a Floyd/Kahler hybrid. It’s truly an amazing super strat. Love those old Yamaha’s!!
Thanks for the memory, Rob. I remember getting the D&D rule book on release as a teenager. I spent a LOT of time being a DM then, usually skipping school to do so...
Bro I was obsessed!! Tunnels & Trolls was the best… I used to collect and paint miniatures all day long
@@RobChappers I was part of a wargaming club. We had 40 members and ran full Napoleonic battles in a 150 ft hall before I got into RPG and moved away from the club. D&D grew and became AD&D. I had around 200 lead figures, all painted to pro standard (until someone burgled my gaff and took the lot! Grr). I DM'd five campaigns for a team of six characters every Sunday for about four years. Twas such obsessive fun!
Rob! Love the shirt!
Cool shirt Chappers!!!
I agree. Electric Guitars are not really all that complicated or difficult to make, and there's no reason for them to be exorbitantly expensive to be good.
You should be able to find one that inspires you, doesn't break the Bank, and gives you the satisfaction of not being duped into spending more than what was actually necessary. Thanks
How are any of Robs guitars in working condition, up to his Andertons tricks bashing the headstocks XD
😂
@@RobChappers legend! 🤘
My least expensive guitar at this point is actually a Squier 12-string... used to be my original Epiphone Les Paul Studio... but I swapped the pups in it for Gibsons...
My Chapman workshop guitar is absolutely amazing...
How do you go about ordering a Chapman workshop guitar ?
@@justice100forwin2 I ordered mine direct from Chapman - not sure if they're still available at this point.
If a guitar makes you "need" to pick it up and play then it will be a friend to you for life no matter how much it does or doesn't cost.
My go to piece of delight ?
An EastCoast L1 Gold top. Just 200 quid but I can't sit down without it.
Thx for presenting some HSS guitars !
Loved monkey lord but new chappers is great might try the new chapman guitars
🙈
The PRS Custom 24 Jeff gave you once must be more expensive 🤔.
That is at my storage in England. This is the most expensive guitar in my home studio.
@@RobChappers R.I.P. Jeff. Legend 😢. I love the old stuff you did together. Bought a 24 custom from him back in the days.
Considering the color alone on the Yamaha it´s a super cool guitar😎
Hey, Rob, what is your workhorse guitar? And What is your least usable guitar?
Hmmm i some what agree but i would say senargey as well and how much one practices and if it feels the dream special conection of any given guitariest
Guitardoids
I read dave grohls book where he talks about playing the drums with his teeth. Looks like your doing the same. Kinda neat
Oh bro I love the Tshirt!!
the Yamaha sounds a lot like my first Schechter, not bad but gets a bit muddy under heavy gain. (cheap pickups what can you say)
Totally get what you mean, I've got some guitars that retail for like 5x some of the others that I've got, does that make them 5x better or the cheaper ones 5x worse? Not in the slightest, they've all got their different "thing" that makes me hold onto them and if I try something out and they don't give me anything in return, I just don't buy it in the first place!
When you spend more , the tone and the playability & comfort increases . But at the end of the day , it's your body , your choice lol . As for MIM Strats to USA made , I can tell a difference . Mainly comfort . And if you gig with a MIM , you will notice the hardware don't hold up BUT you can upgrade the parts and make a MIM strat sound incredible . JUST HAVE FUN !!!
I had the HH Pearl White version of that Yamaha!
All I got from this video was that the most important thing is to wear a cool D&D t-shirt and then anything will sound and feel good :)
Thanks for the vid. Both guitars sounded good.
Slinky boomer double ball ends. Scaled down Strat feels like a Les Paul. Cutaway no pick guard chrome buckers. Jeff Beck.
I thought you would’ve had some old Ibanez jems tucked away somewhere no?
If its made well, it will sounds and play great
Is it a “one piece neck” when the fretboard is another type of wood? 🧐
Yeah man, a one-piece neck can also refer to a non-laminated neck with an attached fretboard. This construction is quite common and still provides many of the benefits associated with one-piece necks, such as structural integrity and stability 🤘🏽
That yamaha is sick.
If I've owned one guitar I've owned a hundred, and the only two that were ever purchased brand new were a Yamaha RGZ-321 and a Solar Vinter.
What is your mic pre?? The difference is astounding!!
Just the Sterling Harmony Preamp, super cheap but really does the job, even my microphones are Sterling - they make some incredible condenser and ribbon microphones
Do you still have that high end PRS somewhere?
Those Yamaha were great guitars!
Thougnt the most expensive guitar you owned was that PRS you bought from Lee for five grand?
Yes, but he doesn't sell PRS so it doesn't make the advert...I mean video.
Heya rob what happened to all the Gibson's and prs's that you used to own when you lived in the UK? Good vid to see though cheers!
All of my gear from the past 18 years of my life is still in the UK… I relocated to Malta and I’m trying to find a way of bringing everything over but it’s difficult
I knew you'd be a D&D player dude. Nice....
That was most of my childhood, I even went live action role-playing with my dad one of my fondest memories
@@RobChappers I still run a (5th edition now) campaign on a Sunday if not gigging. I was 10 when I got the ol' 2nd ed yellow stripe DMG for Christmas. I used to be able to recite that thing...
The individual guitar can sometimes make more difference than a certain model or spec sheet. I'd much rather have a cheap ringer, than an expensive spec'd to the nines dud. Thats why I never watch a UA-cam guitar review for somebody's opinion. I dont need verification from someone else, to know if I've made a good decision. Like Rob said, at a certain point, whatever dollar amount you decide. Theres a law of diminishing returns. Anything above that amount, that offers no real tangible playing advantage. Is just personal taste and your choice. Is it better? Possibly. Does anyone else notice or care? Probably not.
That Yamaha sounded like a bag of spanners thrown down a lift shaft...
Clueless
My favorite playing and sounding guitar was one I built myself. Well not the neck. But I cut out the body from some mahogany slab I bought and traced a shape onto it and cut it out. I used another guitars measurements before I knew really scale lengths and went for it. That damn guitar was pretty ugly, flat black, 21 frets with a nice skinny neck I really liked at the time. Fixed bridge and come to find out later it was an super distortion of the 80's. I was playing and some guy was making fun of me. He said, damn that thing sounds great but ugly as shit. Full of stickers and I have a picture of it called it a Thrasher from an sticker I pasted on the headstock. Well he asked to play it. He ended up buying it from me for $800US. It was just low action butter smooth. I kind of wish I never sold it.
All my guitars feel “alive” when I play them. Many guitars don’t have that spark. When you get that connection you know it.
I know exactly what you mean. I've had it a bunch of times, where what I've wanted hasn't been what I ended up with cos of it.
are we about to see the holy grail of a guitar manufacturer finally say that tonewood in electric guitar is a myth?!
My god Chappers, you came so close 😁😁😍😍
The truth is actually the reverse of what many people think… I might talk about it soon
.... 🧐... La Basse Rickembacker la plus accessible serait celle qui à un Manche issu d'un goulot de Jack'Daniels..... Le modèle .."La Kill'Minister"🎸.. en référence à un certain Ex-bassiste de...🤔 Hawkwind...
I'm pretty sure you have a very expensive PRS that in a previous video somewhere on UA-cam you said you would be keeping and handing down to 1 of your Children 🤔
I believe Firehouse brought Yamaha to fame again as with a Rock bamd if I remember correctly.. I am not much on Seymour Duncans but they sounded pretty ..
Nice video but It is nuce to see someone tell the truthabout the type ,price and so on isnt the real difference because my two factory fu*k up Squire Telecasters were because they ran out of wood in the Mexican shop and they're made with alder and a clean maple neck much like the Richie Kotzen model and agter my tech was done they were the best I ever had and I had a custom shop that wasnt this good so my two Squires firat one I bought for $180 and the second Around $215 and after getting my DiMarzio pickups I didnt have $500 in either ( side note Fender tried to buy as many of the 300 back as they could ) some vendors did the same as I did and sold for as much as $2500 any Fender released the series they were going to 2 years larer and mine still play better aith a Squire sticker on two Alder body Affinity Telecasters fully loaded with DiMarzio Pickups and I am glad I took the time to get the Feel inststead of being like many player and looking at what they are and price rather than actual playability and how great they get with a great tech and many years experience. Nice Video Rob
Cheers
Today you can get very good guitars for a low price. You don't have to buy expensive guitars to get inspired. There are so many companies that building good guitars for a low budget without losing their quality. And you can still customize your guitar...
My cheapest is a Korean made Samick SV60L/BK and my most expensive is the Epiphone MKH Les Paul Custom Origins. I paid $100 for the Samick. The EMGs I put in cost more than the entire guitar. 😂
I had a shine once from the Samick Factory, a semi hollow gretsch style body, was absolutely stunning, rock solid neck, high quality hardware. Massive regrets selling it, but needed money.
Thing is the Yamaha is a decent guitar. But the other one has an exceptional tone...
so best i most expensive guitar is the one designed... wow
"torrefied" always sounds like a scared Noddy Holder to me
Can say without question that my Yamaha guitars get played at least 10x as much as the pricier counterparts.
The more you spend, the more exclusivity you get would be a more accurate saying. Enjoyed the vid!
Couple things I own 3 rgx's and never for a second thought they are Ibanez rip offs(cause I've never played a decent Ibanez) they are blatantly soloist rip offs done in Gibson scale. 2nd the bridge s on the mk1 and mk2 rgx are made of horrible cheap pot metal and ruin the sustain and tone of the guitar. The mk3 bridge is better but I couldn't ever solve the g-string buzz so I sold it and have replaced the early bridges with a og Floyd.
Tone is in the fingers. And when a lot of these people touch their guitars it sounds like shit. Every time 😂
Its probably important to clarify that some guitars are indeed pieces of sh*t, lmao.
But you can get a great guitar for like $250, and you can get a good enough guitar for like $130.
AFFORDABLE**
Algorithm comment.
sorry, who got the moneyif I pey hefty money for somethin priceless, done by indonesioan craftsmen on cnc machine, promising great tactile experience you are selling over the internet so I cannot touch it?!?!?! I knew...
Ahh, clickbait.
sorry, didnt recognize you... I cant, sorry
First
Blessed be the first
Cheapest I have is an Alhambra classical made in Spain. Great sounding, well made guitar. $250 at GC about 6 years ago.
I have a Suhr Classic S and a 1996 PRS McCarty. I love them. But I used to own a Daphne Blue Japanese 50s Strat. I have lamented selling it years ago. Recently acquired a Classic Player 50s Daphne Blue Strat. I put Fender 59 pickups in it and it's magic. Now my fave guitar! 👍😁
Pareto's law. Takes 20% of the work to get 80% of the ideal result. Thus the remaining 20% of the ideal result takes another 80% work or 4x what you have already put in to get 80% of ideal. Diminishing returns as you say. In this context being pragmatic and stopping at around 20% effort still gives you a good guitar; improvements after that are slow, small and expensive but they are real.
The washed out denim vibe of that top is phenomenal!
Thanks Man, yep she’s a pretty lady :-)
The difference in tone between the 2 is like night and day... the Chapman is by far the better sounding instrument... would love to own one.
My only bass is the most expensive guitar I own... But it's the only one I need so I don't care about the money
When I'm gone the law of diminishing returns doesn't matter anymore. I'll just try to make sure it'll end up in the hands of someone who appreciates it
Yeah that’s kind my point of view as well… I absolutely never buy Guitar with the intention of making a profit by selling it on, to me they are pieces of art that help to inspire Music, normally if Guitar doesn’t speak to me anymore I just give it away
@@RobChappers getting a good deal on a workhorse pays for itself so the law of diminishing returns is a myth
You lose money when you buy bad guitars and never play them 😋 simple as
Lots of good sense as ever Rob. 🎸👍🤘🏻
Another fun video. Some guitars are just turds that will never have any potential. That said; it depends on what you want out of a guitar. I definitely love really nice high end builds, but I’m not rich. I learned how to work on guitars many years ago, skills and know how can make a terrible instrument into a far better one. A lot also depends upon how you play (me, not very well, but I know how to get serious tones!). I have guitars that I built/modified that are absolutely stellar players. I have guitars that suck, yet work for me. It’s always a fun journey.
my cheapest its a Squier Strat made in Korea in 89 o 1990, and yes... its terrible 😆🤣
I thought those Korean squiers were quite collectible nowadays?
Couldnt agree more with every word you said!!
Need vs Want :))
Cheapest i have is an Artist 335 copy, the most expensive is a 1987 Jackson Soloist custom in almost perfect condition (considering its age).
Nearly bought a soloist a few years back, the neck was incredible, even though I'm not a shredder and play folky sort of stuff, it was amazing, but the tremolo was atrocious. Best way to ruin a perfect guitar is to chuck a floyd rose on it lmao! Great guitars for sure.
I have also thought about making videos about my old shit, for the sole reason there are the most interesting videos to watch.
I thought the most expensive guitar was the PRS wood library one?
Most expensive guitar in my home studio!
Did you not sell that PRS within the last couple years?@@RobChappers
Theo’s may or may not have been sold because he’s a southpaw.
@@RobChappers clickbait says "own" and I was gonna bring up the wood library guitar you own too...mostly I think this was a commercial for the British Chapman guitars...
I mean he literally said the Yamaha still plays great and that spending more doesn’t get you more. I think the point was it doesn’t matter what brand your guitar is or where it was made. What is more important is that you love playing your guitar which is possible at any price point.
Second 😅