Timestamps crew: 00:00 Hello! 00:19 Introduction to the Carey Apprentice and PJD Guitars 01:21 This guitar is a cross between a Les Paul Junior and an Esquire! 02:11 Specs and info 03:43 The Mars-Tronic Treblemaker 05:48 Today’s rig and plan Clean Sounds 06:50 Funk rhythm chords 07:04 Country ballad arpeggios 07:16 Country lead sound 07:23 Blues progression 07:34 Strummed country pop chords 07:53 Poppy barre chords 08:09 Ringing open indie pop chords 08:21 Cowboy chords with tone control test 08:48 Soul pop barre chords 09:01 Strummed folk pop chords 09:17 Ambient arpeggios (w/ tc Plethora X3) Overdrive Sounds 09:46 Fat indie rhythm chords 10:02 Volume control/treble bleed roll-off test 10:22 Southern rock arpeggios 10:32 Kings Of Leon inspired riff 10:48 Choppy barre chords 10:57 Big open indie rock chords 11:15 Indie octave chords 11:40 AC/DC inspired classic rock riff 11:57 Quacky Hendrix inspired riff 12:06 Driving rock riff 12:21 Airbourne inspired rock riff 12:32 Hendrix inspired riff 12:49 Classic rock riff Heavy Overdrive Sounds 13:05 80s rock riff 13:25 Hard rock riff 13:41 ZZ Top inspired riff 13:53 Foo Fighters inspired modern rock riff 14:11 Hard rock melodic lead 14:22 Classic hard rock riff 14:39 Upbeat rock riff 14:54 Chunky alt rock chords 15:07 Alternative rock riff 15:21 Pop punk riff 15:34 Punk rock power chords 15:47 Green Day inspired punk rock riff 16:00 Punky grunge riff 16:14 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning) 16:30 Modern rock palm-muted power chords (Drop D) 16:55 Rage Against The Machine inspired groovy riff (Drop D) Metal sounds (all in Drop D) 17:11 Metal chugging riff 17:28 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang 17:40 Heavy metal lead sound 17:56 Hardcore punk riff 18:07 Classic metal/sludge riff 18:43 My thoughts 19:32 First impressions out of the box 19:52 Relic guitars - yay or nay? 20:49 Weight 21:32 Build quality, hardware, Treblemaker 22:16 Playability and the neck 23:00 Sounds 25:59 What other similar guitars are out there? 27:46 My conclusions on the Carey Apprentice and why you should buy it Enjoy!
No worries - the Treblemaker was a great little discovery for me and I'm excited to give it a few tweaks in the coming days and weeks, and maybe even integrate one into a guitar or two of mine in future as well. Thanks for watching!
Nice review. Like you, I really like and enjoy single pickup guitars like Juniors and Esquares. Sadly, PDJ isn't available here in the USA (as far as I know).
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video! Yep, there's a magic to guitars with one pickup, and this one has it in spades. As it should, for that price ;) I think you're right in that there's no dealers for PJD in the USA yet (the closest on their website is Canada!), but I think you can order directly from them to anywhere in the world... shoot them an email and I'm sure they can let you know the options. Cheers and rock on!
Vlad! How nice to see you here 😊 Yeah, it's a lovely little guitar, this one. Have you ever tried a PJD?! And thanks... I need to learn a few new riffs though I think 😉
It is impressive but I feel too expensive. I had a guitar scratch made. It is comparable to the PDJ St. John Apprentice (Butterscotch). The headstock on mine is similar. It has a bolt on maple neck. Both the PJD body and mine were designed by the same man. The PDJ body style is from 1958. Mine was designed in 1952 and expected to be made in 1953 but was not :-) The only difference is my body is not offset. I have a all maple neck, the same hardtail bridge. The body on mine is alder. My PU's are 50's Tele in the bridge and a 50's Strat PU in the center and at the neck. I know prices have increased sine May 2021 but not doubled and my guitar was half the price.
Interesting as usual Paul... how I would love to check out your collection one day! Any pics of your guitar around here? The price thing is interesting, and I am certainly with you in that I think this guitar could be priced lower and would still make money. For some people, though, it'll be bang on what they want, and you are also (I suppose) paying for the PJD brand name and the associated expertise. Like with Swiss watches, but on a much smaller scale all round ;) I remember back when PJD first appeared on my radar - they were doing the UK-made Woodford Standards for 999 GBP back in the day! And that was only a couple of years ago... sadly those times are long gone.
So many great guitars so little money T.T. I honestly loved how this one sounds. Really want to try one someday. That guitar will just cut thru everything in a mix.
Yeah, this is the ever-present problem for sure 😅 Totally agree though, this guitar is simply perfect for cutting through and it's an all-round great playing experience. Really hope you get a chance to try a PJD one day!
Yeah, the price tag is as eye-watering as the tones, that's for sure! Mind you, I think it's going to be 100% worth it for the person who wants EXACTLY what this guitar offers over, say, a Les Paul Junior.
It’s surprisingly decent with gain, I think - no worse than any traditional single coil pickup, that’s for sure. And nothing a noise gate wouldn’t fix if it was a problem for you.
A cool looking guitar from a cool looking company… it’s great that you can still make guitars locally, I’m sure your home country the biggest factor in the cost. If I lived in England i would love to visit their shop and most likely order a guitar. A dream vacation, to visit guitar factory lol. My only negative thought is the black really is hard to video, maybe needs a tortoise pickguard? Or of coarse a blue one for you. I’ll be watching Pjd’s factory tour now. How would you rate the circuit board vrs a traditional treble bleed? And how does their nitro smell?
Regarding the Treblemaker…The only difference is that the resistors are variable tbh, and Parallel and series can be switched in and out as you wish. It came about because I wanted to try a treble bleed but there were too many options, it seemed really time consuming and I really didn’t know enough about them. So I made this so that all versions could be tried out without re-soldering. We do a version with push fit terminals too to make trying out capacitors quick and easy. Can even put your own favourite cap in. Thanks Ben
Thanks Jeff! Yes, it is great that in these times there are still local luthiers and small companies keeping alive guitar building in this way. Although, as you say, prices are getting more prohibitive these days. I've never been to PJD's HQ either, but would love to one day! Totally agree about the color of the guitar... black guitars are really tricky to film, even if they're not super high gloss. Come to think of it, this one doesn't have a scratchplate at all... maybe adding one would be an idea. I have a Harley Benton SC Junior in black with a tortoiseshell guard, and that's a fantastic look. Overall though, I think I'd want this guitar in blue if I could choose ;) I can confirm that PJD's nitro smells fantastic! It's always a joy to open up the case... With regards to the Treblemaker, the beauty of this one is it gives you a few options a standard treble bleed wouldn't have, so if you wish to tweak things or fine-tune it to your rig, you can do just that.
Yep, what Johnny said, although online it fluctuates a bit. I found a Frozen Berry pink one for €1667 just now (no affiliation!): www.kauffmannsguitarstore.de/produkt/pjd-carey-apprentice-frozen-berry/#
Oh, but hold one you must! Didn't I once hear you say you might appear incognito at a 42 Gear Street one year? That would eb the chance... there's one coming up next month!
@@RichWordsMusic no, 😖lunar shore leave is difficult to acquire. 2024 maybe, unlikely but maybe. I’d like to return to a world free of war but if the last 20000 years is any indicator… that won’t happen. Ill do my best to make it there within in the next 5 years . 🤞🏽 If you’re there this year please place a note on Hennings Jem that says “ property of poo ninja “ herr Cano promised me that guitar some years back and I’m constantly trying to convince Henning ( when he’s away from home) that someone actually shipped it to me. I tried on a video conference with him last April fools day but he knew it wasn’t his. Its my favorite long running joke.
All the Carey Apprentice are relic guitars, so it's not just this one! I know the whole guitar aging thing is very subjective, but really, up close and not on camera with reflecting lights and so on, this guitar feels and plays lovely. My thoughts are that if it was a more 'exciting' color than black (look at the Frozen Berry pinkish ones for example!), we'd probably all have an easier time accepting it for what it is ;) Cheers for watching!
Timestamps crew:
00:00 Hello!
00:19 Introduction to the Carey Apprentice and PJD Guitars
01:21 This guitar is a cross between a Les Paul Junior and an Esquire!
02:11 Specs and info
03:43 The Mars-Tronic Treblemaker
05:48 Today’s rig and plan
Clean Sounds
06:50 Funk rhythm chords
07:04 Country ballad arpeggios
07:16 Country lead sound
07:23 Blues progression
07:34 Strummed country pop chords
07:53 Poppy barre chords
08:09 Ringing open indie pop chords
08:21 Cowboy chords with tone control test
08:48 Soul pop barre chords
09:01 Strummed folk pop chords
09:17 Ambient arpeggios (w/ tc Plethora X3)
Overdrive Sounds
09:46 Fat indie rhythm chords
10:02 Volume control/treble bleed roll-off test
10:22 Southern rock arpeggios
10:32 Kings Of Leon inspired riff
10:48 Choppy barre chords
10:57 Big open indie rock chords
11:15 Indie octave chords
11:40 AC/DC inspired classic rock riff
11:57 Quacky Hendrix inspired riff
12:06 Driving rock riff
12:21 Airbourne inspired rock riff
12:32 Hendrix inspired riff
12:49 Classic rock riff
Heavy Overdrive Sounds
13:05 80s rock riff
13:25 Hard rock riff
13:41 ZZ Top inspired riff
13:53 Foo Fighters inspired modern rock riff
14:11 Hard rock melodic lead
14:22 Classic hard rock riff
14:39 Upbeat rock riff
14:54 Chunky alt rock chords
15:07 Alternative rock riff
15:21 Pop punk riff
15:34 Punk rock power chords
15:47 Green Day inspired punk rock riff
16:00 Punky grunge riff
16:14 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning)
16:30 Modern rock palm-muted power chords (Drop D)
16:55 Rage Against The Machine inspired groovy riff (Drop D)
Metal sounds (all in Drop D)
17:11 Metal chugging riff
17:28 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang
17:40 Heavy metal lead sound
17:56 Hardcore punk riff
18:07 Classic metal/sludge riff
18:43 My thoughts
19:32 First impressions out of the box
19:52 Relic guitars - yay or nay?
20:49 Weight
21:32 Build quality, hardware, Treblemaker
22:16 Playability and the neck
23:00 Sounds
25:59 What other similar guitars are out there?
27:46 My conclusions on the Carey Apprentice and why you should buy it
Enjoy!
Thanks for mentioning us Rich. Much appreciated! Great demo.
No worries - the Treblemaker was a great little discovery for me and I'm excited to give it a few tweaks in the coming days and weeks, and maybe even integrate one into a guitar or two of mine in future as well. Thanks for watching!
I just bought one! Really light with a beautiful neck. I’m loving it.
Happy new guitar day! These are such excellent guitars in every way... enjoy yours :)
Nice review. Like you, I really like and enjoy single pickup guitars like Juniors and Esquares. Sadly, PDJ isn't available here in the USA (as far as I know).
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video! Yep, there's a magic to guitars with one pickup, and this one has it in spades. As it should, for that price ;) I think you're right in that there's no dealers for PJD in the USA yet (the closest on their website is Canada!), but I think you can order directly from them to anywhere in the world... shoot them an email and I'm sure they can let you know the options. Cheers and rock on!
Really like the look of this!!
Me too, thanks for watching!
This thing looks fantastic! Great playing as always.
Vlad! How nice to see you here 😊 Yeah, it's a lovely little guitar, this one. Have you ever tried a PJD?! And thanks... I need to learn a few new riffs though I think 😉
It is impressive but I feel too expensive. I had a guitar scratch made. It is comparable to the PDJ St. John Apprentice (Butterscotch). The headstock on mine is similar. It has a bolt on maple neck. Both the PJD body and mine were designed by the same man. The PDJ body style is from 1958. Mine was designed in 1952 and expected to be made in 1953 but was not :-) The only difference is my body is not offset. I have a all maple neck, the same hardtail bridge. The body on mine is alder. My PU's are 50's Tele in the bridge and a 50's Strat PU in the center and at the neck. I know prices have increased sine May 2021 but not doubled and my guitar was half the price.
Interesting as usual Paul... how I would love to check out your collection one day! Any pics of your guitar around here? The price thing is interesting, and I am certainly with you in that I think this guitar could be priced lower and would still make money. For some people, though, it'll be bang on what they want, and you are also (I suppose) paying for the PJD brand name and the associated expertise. Like with Swiss watches, but on a much smaller scale all round ;) I remember back when PJD first appeared on my radar - they were doing the UK-made Woodford Standards for 999 GBP back in the day! And that was only a couple of years ago... sadly those times are long gone.
So many great guitars so little money T.T. I honestly loved how this one sounds. Really want to try one someday. That guitar will just cut thru everything in a mix.
Yeah, this is the ever-present problem for sure 😅 Totally agree though, this guitar is simply perfect for cutting through and it's an all-round great playing experience. Really hope you get a chance to try a PJD one day!
Looks and sounds lovely but £2.2K seems insane.
Yeah, the price tag is as eye-watering as the tones, that's for sure! Mind you, I think it's going to be 100% worth it for the person who wants EXACTLY what this guitar offers over, say, a Les Paul Junior.
Is the p90 noisy with gain? Thanks
It’s surprisingly decent with gain, I think - no worse than any traditional single coil pickup, that’s for sure. And nothing a noise gate wouldn’t fix if it was a problem for you.
A cool looking guitar from a cool looking company… it’s great that you can still make guitars locally, I’m sure your home country the biggest factor in the cost. If I lived in England i would love to visit their shop and most likely order a guitar. A dream vacation, to visit guitar factory lol. My only negative thought is the black really is hard to video, maybe needs a tortoise pickguard? Or of coarse a blue one for you. I’ll be watching Pjd’s factory tour now.
How would you rate the circuit board vrs a traditional treble bleed?
And how does their nitro smell?
Regarding the Treblemaker…The only difference is that the resistors are variable tbh, and Parallel and series can be switched in and out as you wish.
It came about because I wanted to try a treble bleed but there were too many options, it seemed really time consuming and I really didn’t know enough about them. So I made this so that all versions could be tried out without re-soldering.
We do a version with push fit terminals too to make trying out capacitors quick and easy. Can even put your own favourite cap in.
Thanks
Ben
Thanks Jeff! Yes, it is great that in these times there are still local luthiers and small companies keeping alive guitar building in this way. Although, as you say, prices are getting more prohibitive these days. I've never been to PJD's HQ either, but would love to one day!
Totally agree about the color of the guitar... black guitars are really tricky to film, even if they're not super high gloss. Come to think of it, this one doesn't have a scratchplate at all... maybe adding one would be an idea. I have a Harley Benton SC Junior in black with a tortoiseshell guard, and that's a fantastic look. Overall though, I think I'd want this guitar in blue if I could choose ;)
I can confirm that PJD's nitro smells fantastic! It's always a joy to open up the case...
With regards to the Treblemaker, the beauty of this one is it gives you a few options a standard treble bleed wouldn't have, so if you wish to tweak things or fine-tune it to your rig, you can do just that.
Epic. I want one!
what is the price?
Yep, what Johnny said, although online it fluctuates a bit. I found a Frozen Berry pink one for €1667 just now (no affiliation!): www.kauffmannsguitarstore.de/produkt/pjd-carey-apprentice-frozen-berry/#
👍🏻👍🏻
Many thanks as ever!
I’ve yet to hold one but I’ve heard only good things about PJD
Oh, but hold one you must! Didn't I once hear you say you might appear incognito at a 42 Gear Street one year? That would eb the chance... there's one coming up next month!
@@RichWordsMusic no, 😖lunar shore leave is difficult to acquire. 2024 maybe, unlikely but maybe. I’d like to return to a world free of war but if the last 20000 years is any indicator… that won’t happen. Ill do my best to make it there within in the next 5 years . 🤞🏽
If you’re there this year please place a note on Hennings Jem that says “ property of poo ninja “ herr Cano promised me that guitar some years back and I’m constantly trying to convince Henning ( when he’s away from home) that someone actually shipped it to me. I tried on a video conference with him last April fools day but he knew it wasn’t his. Its my favorite long running joke.
Looks like a £50 catalogue job. The fact they've tried to ruin the finish before it even left the shop doesn't help.
All the Carey Apprentice are relic guitars, so it's not just this one! I know the whole guitar aging thing is very subjective, but really, up close and not on camera with reflecting lights and so on, this guitar feels and plays lovely. My thoughts are that if it was a more 'exciting' color than black (look at the Frozen Berry pinkish ones for example!), we'd probably all have an easier time accepting it for what it is ;) Cheers for watching!