Great psychology lesson. I'm a boomer with too many guitars and yeah I'm just like you described and I have seen the anecdote you told in my own friend who probably doesn't know exactly how many instruments she has, but never spends beyond her means. Also, when I buy a cheap instrument I also spend a couple of hundred extra on strings, patch cords, strap, set-up etc. All I can say is THANK YOU ASIA for keeping US corporations somewhat honest. I hate to think how bad cars would be today if Honda and Toyota never came along.
Phil! What you said about guitar magazines being institutions and how YTers really can't be was the most insightful thing I've heard about the print/online debate maybe ever. I've written for magazines (not guitar), I taught mass comm to college students, I think deeply about all of this stuff... and you said, apparently off the cuff, what it would take me 1,000 words to explain in an article. Well done, sir.
I used to get Guitar Player, World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician, Bass Player all for years and years. One by one they have disappeared from my mailbox. Thankfully, through magazinedirect I can read many that I have missed except GFTPM which was best by far with the full songs with bass lines and superior material overall. That other mag that stopped print is Total Guitar. through like pocketmags with the plus sub, all access for past years for the guitar mags has been so much fun having bought new instruments over the last couple years. To the topic that brought me here: Beginner guitars really have never been for beginners until the Fender Squier Affinity or Bullet and later the Ibanez packages. I almost lost my teaching job at one music store when I tried to change a student and his mom's mind on a guitar purchase because of the neck (a large D shape) and the inability to lower the strings (the bridge was the issue) on the one they were being sold. Being an 11 year old, his hand wouldn't do well at all with size and strength being those major left hand factors.
From Leo: I used to subscribe to 6 different motorcycle magazines. I think all but one have closed up. Same with Guitar magazines. (I do miss the tabs for current songs that used to be in magazines) With guitars, the sound is an important part of the product, and magazines don't deliver that. "there's a new band in town, but you can't get the sound from the pages in a magazine"
Very interesting discussion at the end about who's buying "beginner" guitars. It seems to me, anecdotally, that the vast majority of beginner guitarists don't buy a new guitar, they are GIVEN a hand-me-down from someone, or they grow up in a house that already has a guitar, or they borrow one. Then they stick with that first guitar until they can actually afford to buy one, and by that point they are serious enough to no longer be interested in starter guitars.
I found this whole beginner guitar thing interesting, that they are often bought by intermediate players,I've bought a couple and changed the pickups but didn't keep them. As we all know there are people that earn very little money yet own expensive guitars and there are collectors, what intrigues me is why guitar makers and utube videos don't focus enough on playability.
Great episode, my friend. I look forward to these. Sometimes there's stuff that I do know about, but Phil gives a new perspective. But oftentimes I learn something that is a great new discovery for me, Thank you, Sir. have a great day!
Phil, you have the best content and attitude of any UA-cam guitar channel! Your self-deprecating humour always makes me laugh. When someone told you "you're not an idiot like the other UA-camrs", you suggest that the standard to be singled out for praise amongst UA-camrs is "not an idiot", and that's hilarious. And later when you talk about influencers or "internet douchebags, like me", by saying that you prove that you're NOT one of the douchebags. Keep up the good work!
Vintage basses were a huge surprise to me. The quality was great and the price was really reasonable. In studios, it was usually the one that got picked over the Fenders I brought in.
I have a couple of Vintage guitars. They are rock solid. My Tele has been mine for 20 years and probably gets played more than any other of my guitars.
As a poster pointed out in the chat - the respected Guitar Techniques magazine is also being discontinued by publisher Future pic which owns Guitar Player, Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar magazines. They are also ending Total Guitar magazine and most of their general magazines. The editor of the now defunct Guitar Techniques magazine is now going to work for Guitar World. In one sense it may be true that guitar magazines are obsolete but that is not true of Guitar Techniques Magazine. It was far more than just tab. The articles on music theory, technique and profiles of lesser known progressive artists and audio of all the lessons made it an educational resource that goes beyond watching videos on UA-cam. Those who collected them and still have the included CDs will be able to use them for practice and study for years. But producing magazines has gotten more expensive and I believe Guitar Techniques magazine was quite expensive in the USA.
It was a good magazine, but the price was outrageous! Just couldn’t justify it. The price is what killed the magazine business. Half as many pages, twice as many ads, and then they charge a fortune for it! It was just a matter of time!
@@jray5363 I justified it when I bought it also by the included CD and the amount of work that went into producing all those analysis articles and recording them plus the fees they had to pay for copyright. UK Guitarist magazine continues but if you are in America yes its quite expensive.
Jet JS300 has an awesome tremelo and comes with a roasted maple neck, bone nut, fully rolled fretboard edges and a respectable set of pickups for £159. It’s crazy value and quality for the cash. It’s not prohibitive to a beginner in any way in my opinion and I own PRS Custom Cores and Gibsons etc. It’s a proper sleeper instrument
As a DIY builder/mod/ repair guy, I’ve bought several budget guitars to do just that. Whether it’s to refinish, regret/crown, etc… It’s actually cheaper than buying separate parts and it allows me to experiment without breaking the bank.
Slide players don't care. As long as the strings are tight, it'll work as a slide guitar. That's why Samantha Fish can sound good on a $150 cigar box guitar.
Good point, but to expound, I bought a collection of guitars under $300 each because I wanted more than one $3000 guitar. I judiciously learned how to work on them before I bought the first one so I could avoid repair and upgrade bills. So far, so good.
The problem with musical instrument companies is that they have gone the way of record labels. It's no longer about the music, it's just about the business and following a business model that generates the most revenue so they can pay the executives obscene salaries and consistently pay dividends to investors. The product really doesn't matter. As Marshall has shown.
The fender micro headphone pedal was it game changer for me! Not just for playing or practicing but also for recording I can go into a stereo splitter into my scarlet and record really good tones with very little effort
Love the King's X! I used to listen to Gretchen Goes to Nebraska on my Walkman in high school :) I was in a music store recently and started playing "Over My Head". The older guy working there, came over to thank me 'coz he hadn't heard King's X in the store for a long time.
I’ve said for years that more premium guitars are actually the best guitars for beginners because higher quality components make them easier to set-up and maintain, the fit-and-finish are good from the get-go, and they are generally more comfortable thanks to lighter weight and player-friendly features. That’s exactly what it takes to get new players into the instrument and keep them hooked. These kinds of guitars may be more expensive, but that kind of investment will also ensure that a new player is sufficiently motivated before they splurge hard-earned cash. It also gives new players a bit more confidence knowing that if they don’t like the hobby that they can by-and-large recoup the investment by selling a quality instrument that maintains resale value. The inexpensive guitars are basically the reward to experienced players and tinkerers who learned how to do their own work and are not put off by creating their own custom shop build.
For me, most luthier professionals refuse to improve Squier or other cheaper brand and models, I'm talking about Classic Vibes, they seem to deny that these well-calibrated guitars are better than Fender, I've visited countless luthiers and I'm left with the impression of they don't do everything they know how they would probably do on a Fender, or if they don't like you for any reason, even if you take them a Fender, they work based on the impression they have of you, if they don't like you you run the risk of getting the guitar damaged literally spraking, are they obligated to repair a guitar even if they don't like the customer? No, but it's their job to improve musical instruments the best they know and can.
If you're the new guitar magazine- where's the tab? That was the only reason I ever bought them, because they had tab in them- usually incorrect but, close enough you could figure it out for yourself after you learned their "version". You used to do a song of the week I think it was- or maybe it was one a month- where you learned a new song every month and showed it to your audience. I thought it was a pretty cool idea. I can't remember what songs I learned watching you, but I learned a couple along with you.
Two different points of view - except in a few rare cases (a couple of GP example tabs) I never bothered with the tab in any guitar magazine. My loss, I guess...
I have a Trev Wilkinson Italia brand guitar. It looks like a weird 1960s model but has all up to date features - all Wilkinson bridges and pups. It’s so unusual is great fun to play, the clean sound is vintage but it can hold the heaviest overdrive and fuzz. I got it for a steal thinking I'd keep it as a stop gap but now I love it and will never sell. An amazing and interesting guitar.
I recently messed up just ordering a pickguard from Warmoth. All of the screw holes and controls fit fine, but I didn't realize the hardtail bridge on my Squier Sonic Strat is so wide. Now I have to file it down. I should have ordered the Floyd Rose cut just to be safe and dealt with the moved screw hole. As for why I bought that beginner guitar, it's because I wanted a cheap mod platform where I could count on easily accessible Fender "standard" replacement parts. There are definitely better complete guitars in that price range, but I already knew I would be tossing aside everything other than the body and neck.
I saw you at that PRS event and wanted to say hi but you had several fanboys circled around you and didn't want to make it more awkward. I did get to meet Tim Pierce which was a treat - such a nice guy.
I have a 1938 Harmony parlor acoustic that has a chunky hard v neck and it's surprisingly comfortable and I have smaller hands. Played it out a couple of times now and love it.
Phil, it was 2018. You ARE a social media superpower! I was there and saw you, but was too afraid to talk to you because you were famous and I was afraid I would be bothering you. I don't think they have done an in-person Experience since then.
The more guitars gibson sells, the more effort they will put to stifle innovation in this industry. I’m all for buying USED gibsons/epiphones on the second hand market. Can’t justify giving my money to them for new gear. Ain’t happening. I want to see more competition and more new developments, not less. Meanwhile gibson “works tirelessly” to alleviate tuning instability of b and g by spacing their tuning pegs further apart by 3 feet, while tilting the headstock back by another 90 degrees to minimize the risk of cracks forming. True Innovation.
It was 2018, Phil, I met you there; that's the only reason I know, and that's the only one I've ever attended. We had a brief conversation before you went inside the factory. I was also "press", so I got to do a bunch of YT'er stuff. I don't know if you remember, but there was a big storm on Saturday that pushed us all inside at some point. That was when I walked the dealer tables. Fun day, but I'm glad I was only there Saturday, because as you stated, there wasn't much outside of that day to do for fun. Got to hang with some fun You Tube folks, like Tyler Larson. That was back when a Silver Sky was still being shipped in a hard case, before they switched to the gig bags.
The timeline we are on now and when reality jumped from the old one can be directly attributed to when PRS switched the Silver Sky to a gig bag…sorry, it sounded funnier in my head 😫
If you look at so called beginner guitars by g4m or JET, it is pretty clear that those are can be utilized well by players on any level. We are kinda still asleep in terms of brand awareness. We seem to view the established brands as trustworthy, when they really are not, but we reject small brands like agile, firefly, g4m, harley benton, JET etc. etc. FOR NO GOOD REASON. Those small unknown brands or housebrands are selling pretty good guitars at relatively low prices because they simply cant put a premium price on their guitars. Nobody knows them and nobody therefor trusts them. They cant do what the big names do by charging an extra 400 simply for being a known brand. Yes, some brands like Fender (thats a shocker to me) do in fact push affordable guitars now with a solid quality. That proves that they COULD do this beforehand but decided not to do it. I get it, its a business, not a charity. But come on man. No guitar is worth more than 1000 bucks, unless theres gold hidden in there somewhere. Its just wood and some electronic components. And even 1000 bucks is actually way too much. I own an RG1527z with a BK Coldsweat in the bridge, total investment 1200+. Its a great guitar and it served me well over the years but I recently bought a very cheap baritone guitar for 230 and was kinda scratching my head because for the price I was expecting something that is almost broken and needs a man's skills to repair and make it work properly. All I had to do was adjusting the trussrod. The frets are not perfect and some buzz can be noticed at a lower action, but guess what, my prestige ibanez has fretbuzz too.
For what it's worth I just talked to a Sweetwater rep about this $999 blow out deal for the Mesa Boogie Mark Five 25. He knew nothing about it. He did say those amps are discontinued but knew nothing about this blow out deal.
Speaking of dealing with guitar companies, I wanted to know what size allen wrench to buy to adjust the truss rod on my vintage Hagstrom guitar. The CEO whose name is Hagstrom sent me an email telling me the correct size, 3mm. Good service.
I heard that Doug (Kings X) was from Joliet Illinois a town I lived next to for 30 Years. I did go to see them play at this tiny little place not too far from where I lived years ago.
The last guitar magazine I bought had a feature article with Mike Einziger and he talked about his band's newest album, "Morning View". Incubus's album Morning View came out in 2001.
I have a couple of warmoth necks, and they're great. One thing to note though is that you *will* have to do a complete fret level, unlike fender necks.
I’ve owned and sold loads of Vintage brand guitars. They’re very good quality compared to the average generic brands. And the Wilkinson parts will stand on their own rep.
You can see this with Thomann and their Harley Benton brand. One or two levels up from their very cheapest (which start at around £75 so about $90 and still not terrible at that level)) and you start getting very playable guitars. There are whole communities online of Harley Benton fans with people who’ve been playing for decades collecting them.
Another thing that makes "beginner" guitars not so much beginner instruments is that often times theyre full of so many shortcomings that they both encourage poor technique and/or make it difficult for beginners to progress since they dont have the experience to work around the shortcomings
Really shocks me to hear the 20% of companies interaction are negative.! I always thought the opposite like, Dealer's/UA-camers/Famous people would get the best treatment. What a bad business model to treat especially YOU like that. You must be the most reliable and hornets guitar UA-cam'er out there...
The V-est guitar neck I’ve ever played was my Dean ML dime from hell with Floyd rose. The only Vnecks I ever played were all Floyd rose guitars. I loved my Dean but once I found out about PRS wide fat necks it was all over for me. Can’t even imagine playing a V neck.
The Catalyst CX is an upgrade to the original Catalyst line. Among other things, it increased the number of amp models from six to twelve. At the same time, Line 6 put out a software update for the existing Catalyst amps that included most (or possibly all ...I'm not sure) of the CX upgrades.
Phil, as far as magazines go, they should connect more with UA-camrs to get feedback. They make vital mistakes, like asking you to pay the highest price subscription for a magazine thats half the size now, but you have been a subscriber for almost 20 years. Where's the loyalty?
Hey Phil i dont tend to comment much on videos these days but definitely would love to see some vintage brand guitars on the channel they have a custom shop build your own guitar now that would Awesome to see what you come up with and what the quality is like compared to the other big brands custom stuff.
I play for a living and play a PRS SE hollowbody piezo at the moment. Its a really good guitar (my only grips are I wish the pickups were a little hotter and I wish they had a switch instead of just volume knobs for the mag pickups/piezo switching). There is no way I would or could spend 5-6K for the US version and I certainly wouldnt live it on stage at a bar or ever a private party on break. I guess thats not a 'beginner' guitar but its 'student edition' I miss that the US ones can be 1lb lighter and it does have the switch for the piezo.
40:33 Yep .. I ordered over the phone with them after quickly finding out that I didn’t have all those answers … I still didn’t get everything right (fretboard radius, truss rod access which I didn’t even think about until I got the neck) But I’m still pretty happy with the guitar
Guitar magazines are done. The main reason for reading them became obsolete once all that information became available for free online. Half the magazines were ads anyway and that’s free online too
All magazines are all slowly shutting down and not just guitar ones. The periodicals section in my local library is like a ghost town, with mostly just back issues of discontinued magazines and a couple of national scope newspapers.
I grew up in the early 90s with guitarworld magazines, that is sad to hear that their no longer going to make them anymore. I still have a box of them up in the attic that I saved from years ago. I was just thinking awhile back to renew my subscription...😣😣sad day indeed.
Current a subscriber to Guitar Player magazine. I think it's about the same with Racer magazine. I have a subscription to it. You never know when they go online only. Check out Doug in his side project KXM with Ray Luzier from Korn on drums and George Lynch on guitar.
Let's be honest, modern "entry level" guitars are miles ahead of what we had to deal with in the 80's and 90's. We're getting substantoally more for those $200 or less nowadays.
Having worked music retail for a down decades I can attest that not only are beginners not the ones buying beginner guitars, they are more likely the ones buying Les Paul Standards and American Fenders right off the bat. So many more frequent rookies wayyy outspending their talent.
I have a Vintage by JHS brand guitar, the VSA555, its a copy of the ES355, with Trev Wilkinson hardware and pups and I actually even prefer it to my 1995 Gibson Les Paul Studio. The VSA is amazing. I had their VS6 for a year or 2 too, its their SG copy, also very very well made guitar, I just dont like the SG head dive. Vintage brand is very nice guitars and super well priced, well worth it
I love the Gibsons that I have. All were bought in year's past and not during this lawsuit-happy version of Gibson. I have several great LPs, SGs and a fantastic 335. I'm good with what I have and they won't get any new money from me. Gibson... concentrate on building quality guitars and be a stand-up company and lead by example... then maybe I'll come back. But I don't see that happening any time soon.
Just remember the people who are actually making the product may not be/are not narcissistic. That's your point and that's sitting with the truth. Till they all get out and work for some one else there's still the chance good stuff will sneak through. Stop excusing and explaining your position. Most of your buds should know you by now. VERY TRUSTWORTHY.
I haven't liked Gibson for awhile now, but was ok with Epiphone. But Gibson is so bad that I can't even buy Epiphones anymore. I wanted an Adam Jones Epiphone, but now I'm saving for a silverburst Wolfgang, and I'll mod it to get a Duncan and a T-Top pickup in there.
I had a vintage white HHH les Paul copy I asked Phil before buying it he didn't know about them yet I sent him pics after I bought it cheap the pickups under the covers were bc rich ehhh weird and resale value wasn't good at all it was almost impossible to find one that sold because of the horrid name choice ie Google vintage guitar and you'll feel me pain of every vintage era les Paul copy I'm not looking for other than the name the not so cool headstock the regifted bc rich humbuckers the resale low value it was a heafty solid great playing lp copy honest I wish I still had it
In Europe where people ride bikes as an actual mode of transportation they are not known as male or girl bikes, the one you got is known as Step Thru and it just provides a diferente geometry that better fit people with some mobility/Flexibility issues but are use by everyone really.
I'm in the Netherlands. We definitely call them "man or woman bikes' (herenfiets of damesfiets). Used to anyway. I don't know what the kids say these days.
I have played and owned many Gibson guitars over the years but have shown them all the back door because I just can't warm up to Gibsons. I appreciate their historical legacy but simply don't like them as an instrument or company.
Great show Phil! Quick question. A reverb buyer who was buying a guitar from me, asked if I wanted to "Right of First Refusal". Im unsure how this applies to the guitar world. Any clarification on this? Thanks so much.
That would be where the buyer pays a stipulated sum of money to the owner for the right to be able to acquire the object first when offered for sale. Usually applies to land deals, but can be applied to anything.
Great psychology lesson. I'm a boomer with too many guitars and yeah I'm just like you described and I have seen the anecdote you told in my own friend who probably doesn't know exactly how many instruments she has, but never spends beyond her means.
Also, when I buy a cheap instrument I also spend a couple of hundred extra on strings, patch cords, strap, set-up etc.
All I can say is THANK YOU ASIA for keeping US corporations somewhat honest. I hate to think how bad cars would be today if Honda and Toyota never came along.
Phil! What you said about guitar magazines being institutions and how YTers really can't be was the most insightful thing I've heard about the print/online debate maybe ever. I've written for magazines (not guitar), I taught mass comm to college students, I think deeply about all of this stuff... and you said, apparently off the cuff, what it would take me 1,000 words to explain in an article. Well done, sir.
I used to get Guitar Player, World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician, Bass Player all for years and years. One by one they have disappeared from my mailbox. Thankfully, through magazinedirect I can read many that I have missed except GFTPM which was best by far with the full songs with bass lines and superior material overall.
That other mag that stopped print is Total Guitar. through like pocketmags with the plus sub, all access for past years for the guitar mags has been so much fun having bought new instruments over the last couple years.
To the topic that brought me here: Beginner guitars really have never been for beginners until the Fender Squier Affinity or Bullet and later the Ibanez packages. I almost lost my teaching job at one music store when I tried to change a student and his mom's mind on a guitar purchase because of the neck (a large D shape) and the inability to lower the strings (the bridge was the issue) on the one they were being sold. Being an 11 year old, his hand wouldn't do well at all with size and strength being those major left hand factors.
From Leo: I used to subscribe to 6 different motorcycle magazines. I think all but one have closed up. Same with Guitar magazines. (I do miss the tabs for current songs that used to be in magazines) With guitars, the sound is an important part of the product, and magazines don't deliver that. "there's a new band in town, but you can't get the sound from the pages in a magazine"
Very interesting discussion at the end about who's buying "beginner" guitars. It seems to me, anecdotally, that the vast majority of beginner guitarists don't buy a new guitar, they are GIVEN a hand-me-down from someone, or they grow up in a house that already has a guitar, or they borrow one. Then they stick with that first guitar until they can actually afford to buy one, and by that point they are serious enough to no longer be interested in starter guitars.
I've bought about 15 'starter' guitars. I'm a beginner. I've been playing 16 years
I found this whole beginner guitar thing interesting, that they are often bought by intermediate players,I've bought a couple and changed the pickups but didn't keep them. As we all know there are people that earn very little money yet own expensive guitars and there are collectors, what intrigues me is why guitar makers and utube videos don't focus enough on playability.
Great episode, my friend. I look forward to these. Sometimes there's stuff that I do know about, but Phil gives a new perspective. But oftentimes I learn something that is a great new discovery for me, Thank you, Sir. have a great day!
Phil, you have the best content and attitude of any UA-cam guitar channel! Your self-deprecating humour always makes me laugh. When someone told you "you're not an idiot like the other UA-camrs", you suggest that the standard to be singled out for praise amongst UA-camrs is "not an idiot", and that's hilarious. And later when you talk about influencers or "internet douchebags, like me", by saying that you prove that you're NOT one of the douchebags. Keep up the good work!
Vintage basses were a huge surprise to me. The quality was great and the price was really reasonable. In studios, it was usually the one that got picked over the Fenders I brought in.
I have a couple of Vintage guitars. They are rock solid. My Tele has been mine for 20 years and probably gets played more than any other of my guitars.
Vintage the brand? or Vintage as in old guitars?
As a poster pointed out in the chat - the respected Guitar Techniques magazine is also being discontinued by publisher Future pic which owns Guitar Player, Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar magazines. They are also ending Total Guitar magazine and most of their general magazines. The editor of the now defunct Guitar Techniques magazine is now going to work for Guitar World. In one sense it may be true that guitar magazines are obsolete but that is not true of Guitar Techniques Magazine. It was far more than just tab. The articles on music theory, technique and profiles of lesser known progressive artists and audio of all the lessons made it an educational resource that goes beyond watching videos on UA-cam. Those who collected them and still have the included CDs will be able to use them for practice and study for years. But producing magazines has gotten more expensive and I believe Guitar Techniques magazine was quite expensive in the USA.
It's wild that magazines of any kind even exist at this point
It was a good magazine, but the price was outrageous! Just couldn’t justify it. The price is what killed the magazine business. Half as many pages, twice as many ads, and then they charge a fortune for it! It was just a matter of time!
@@jray5363 I justified it when I bought it also by the included CD and the amount of work that went into producing all those analysis articles and recording them plus the fees they had to pay for copyright. UK Guitarist magazine continues but if you are in America yes its quite expensive.
@@neilpatrickhairless Yes and no. Phil reads Vogue and some people get sick of looking at screens and having to have a power supply.
That sounds like good material for a second life on YT. The CDs are content ready for such a venue.
Jet JS300 has an awesome tremelo and comes with a roasted maple neck, bone nut, fully rolled fretboard edges and a respectable set of pickups for £159. It’s crazy value and quality for the cash. It’s not prohibitive to a beginner in any way in my opinion and I own PRS Custom Cores and Gibsons etc. It’s a proper sleeper instrument
I would say that a lot of budget guitars are bought by non beginners because they want to learn to work on them and modify them.
As a DIY builder/mod/ repair guy, I’ve bought several budget guitars to do just that. Whether it’s to refinish, regret/crown, etc… It’s actually cheaper than buying separate parts and it allows me to experiment without breaking the bank.
That's probably less than 10% of that buyer pool
Slide players don't care. As long as the strings are tight, it'll work as a slide guitar. That's why Samantha Fish can sound good on a $150 cigar box guitar.
Good point, but to expound, I bought a collection of guitars under $300 each because I wanted more than one $3000 guitar. I judiciously learned how to work on them before I bought the first one so I could avoid repair and upgrade bills. So far, so good.
The problem with musical instrument companies is that they have gone the way of record labels. It's no longer about the music, it's just about the business and following a business model that generates the most revenue so they can pay the executives obscene salaries and consistently pay dividends to investors. The product really doesn't matter. As Marshall has shown.
Yes, that’s how short term economics work… They can’t help themselves. Kind of the American way?
What do you think they *used* to be? Nobody goes into business for (lol) *LoVe* 😆
@@ChristopherStandardTime I do. ImmaloveRnotafighter. HA YAW!!!!🎉! ( hi yaw!) I'm also a spinning summersault of R A G E. H I Y A W¡
Whether your criteria is quality or cost, guitars are better than they have ever been. Why are you complaining?
*Criterion @@lez_ghozt
The fender micro headphone pedal was it game changer for me! Not just for playing or practicing but also for recording I can go into a stereo splitter into my scarlet and record really good tones with very little effort
I have one of these, they're great. ... and my little Mustang Micro feeds right into my DAW, it's fun to jam with, daily.
Love the King's X! I used to listen to Gretchen Goes to Nebraska on my Walkman in high school :) I was in a music store recently and started playing "Over My Head". The older guy working there, came over to thank me 'coz he hadn't heard King's X in the store for a long time.
The best “unknown” 3 piece band ever. Absolutely killed live.
I’ve said for years that more premium guitars are actually the best guitars for beginners because higher quality components make them easier to set-up and maintain, the fit-and-finish are good from the get-go, and they are generally more comfortable thanks to lighter weight and player-friendly features. That’s exactly what it takes to get new players into the instrument and keep them hooked. These kinds of guitars may be more expensive, but that kind of investment will also ensure that a new player is sufficiently motivated before they splurge hard-earned cash. It also gives new players a bit more confidence knowing that if they don’t like the hobby that they can by-and-large recoup the investment by selling a quality instrument that maintains resale value. The inexpensive guitars are basically the reward to experienced players and tinkerers who learned how to do their own work and are not put off by creating their own custom shop build.
For me, most luthier professionals refuse to improve Squier or other cheaper brand and models, I'm talking about Classic Vibes, they seem to deny that these well-calibrated guitars are better than Fender, I've visited countless luthiers and I'm left with the impression of they don't do everything they know how they would probably do on a Fender, or if they don't like you for any reason, even if you take them a Fender, they work based on the impression they have of you, if they don't like you you run the risk of getting the guitar damaged literally spraking, are they obligated to repair a guitar even if they don't like the customer? No, but it's their job to improve musical instruments the best they know and can.
I’m not a big PRS lover (I play bass, loved the 90’s PRS 3 pickup basses though), but yours is a beauty!
i really liked the sound-cancelling pickup in the start of guitar of the week
If you're the new guitar magazine- where's the tab? That was the only reason I ever bought them, because they had tab in them- usually incorrect but, close enough you could figure it out for yourself after you learned their "version". You used to do a song of the week I think it was- or maybe it was one a month- where you learned a new song every month and showed it to your audience. I thought it was a pretty cool idea. I can't remember what songs I learned watching you, but I learned a couple along with you.
Two different points of view - except in a few rare cases (a couple of GP example tabs) I never bothered with the tab in any guitar magazine. My loss, I guess...
Don't worry, Phil, there's no such thing as a Man's version of a beach cruiser. Some of them just have that lame top tube.
That DSSL40 video you made both made me buy one, and want to watch more of your videos.
I have a Trev Wilkinson Italia brand guitar. It looks like a weird 1960s model but has all up to date features - all Wilkinson bridges and pups. It’s so unusual is great fun to play, the clean sound is vintage but it can hold the heaviest overdrive and fuzz. I got it for a steal thinking I'd keep it as a stop gap but now I love it and will never sell. An amazing and interesting guitar.
I recently messed up just ordering a pickguard from Warmoth. All of the screw holes and controls fit fine, but I didn't realize the hardtail bridge on my Squier Sonic Strat is so wide. Now I have to file it down. I should have ordered the Floyd Rose cut just to be safe and dealt with the moved screw hole.
As for why I bought that beginner guitar, it's because I wanted a cheap mod platform where I could count on easily accessible Fender "standard" replacement parts. There are definitely better complete guitars in that price range, but I already knew I would be tossing aside everything other than the body and neck.
Phill, long time watcher and that was first time you took a crack at the handle. Buddy Holly...Budd E Haole
Thanks for all you do.
I saw you at that PRS event and wanted to say hi but you had several fanboys circled around you and didn't want to make it more awkward. I did get to meet Tim Pierce which was a treat - such a nice guy.
The Zombie Guitar Company is a Vintage dealer!!! I will work with you. -Tracy
Vintage guitars are great. Reviewed 3 of them and they all had decent views and interactions. Highly recommend you getting a couple for the channel.
+1 for Phil reviewing the 5150 Iconic 🤘
I have a 1938 Harmony parlor acoustic that has a chunky hard v neck and it's surprisingly comfortable and I have smaller hands. Played it out a couple of times now and love it.
Phil, it was 2018. You ARE a social media superpower! I was there and saw you, but was too afraid to talk to you because you were famous and I was afraid I would be bothering you.
I don't think they have done an in-person Experience since then.
The more guitars gibson sells, the more effort they will put to stifle innovation in this industry. I’m all for buying USED gibsons/epiphones on the second hand market. Can’t justify giving my money to them for new gear. Ain’t happening. I want to see more competition and more new developments, not less.
Meanwhile gibson “works tirelessly” to alleviate tuning instability of b and g by spacing their tuning pegs further apart by 3 feet, while tilting the headstock back by another 90 degrees to minimize the risk of cracks forming. True Innovation.
It was 2018, Phil, I met you there; that's the only reason I know, and that's the only one I've ever attended. We had a brief conversation before you went inside the factory. I was also "press", so I got to do a bunch of YT'er stuff. I don't know if you remember, but there was a big storm on Saturday that pushed us all inside at some point. That was when I walked the dealer tables. Fun day, but I'm glad I was only there Saturday, because as you stated, there wasn't much outside of that day to do for fun. Got to hang with some fun You Tube folks, like Tyler Larson. That was back when a Silver Sky was still being shipped in a hard case, before they switched to the gig bags.
The timeline we are on now and when reality jumped from the old one can be directly attributed to when PRS switched the Silver Sky to a gig bag…sorry, it sounded funnier in my head 😫
Hey Papa Mike!!! I missed the guitar of the week! I know there are only so many guitars in the arsenal but I do enjoy that part!!
If you look at so called beginner guitars by g4m or JET, it is pretty clear that those are can be utilized well by players on any level. We are kinda still asleep in terms of brand awareness. We seem to view the established brands as trustworthy, when they really are not, but we reject small brands like agile, firefly, g4m, harley benton, JET etc. etc. FOR NO GOOD REASON.
Those small unknown brands or housebrands are selling pretty good guitars at relatively low prices because they simply cant put a premium price on their guitars. Nobody knows them and nobody therefor trusts them. They cant do what the big names do by charging an extra 400 simply for being a known brand. Yes, some brands like Fender (thats a shocker to me) do in fact push affordable guitars now with a solid quality. That proves that they COULD do this beforehand but decided not to do it.
I get it, its a business, not a charity. But come on man. No guitar is worth more than 1000 bucks, unless theres gold hidden in there somewhere. Its just wood and some electronic components. And even 1000 bucks is actually way too much. I own an RG1527z with a BK Coldsweat in the bridge, total investment 1200+. Its a great guitar and it served me well over the years but I recently bought a very cheap baritone guitar for 230 and was kinda scratching my head because for the price I was expecting something that is almost broken and needs a man's skills to repair and make it work properly. All I had to do was adjusting the trussrod. The frets are not perfect and some buzz can be noticed at a lower action, but guess what, my prestige ibanez has fretbuzz too.
My Douglass, SX, and PRS SE stand up very well to guitars 5x their price. I can't justify the "trusted" brand price tag
For what it's worth I just talked to a Sweetwater rep about this $999 blow out deal for the Mesa Boogie Mark Five 25. He knew nothing about it. He did say those amps are discontinued but knew nothing about this blow out deal.
The last time I got a guitar player magazine ( or any guitar mag)was a subscription on my 18th birthday, and in April it will be 43 years
Great video again. Loss leaders can be real bargains and not just in guitars.
27:20 yes me too… it’s easy for me to go faster than I should be going… but once you’ve had an e-bike there’s no going back
Sad to lose these magazines. I have about 10 years of Vintage Guitar, Guitar Magazine, Guitar Player, and Tone Quest. Yes, they are for sale. Haha
Speaking of dealing with guitar companies, I wanted to know what size allen wrench to buy to adjust the truss rod on my vintage Hagstrom guitar. The CEO whose name is Hagstrom sent me an email telling me the correct size, 3mm. Good service.
I heard that Doug (Kings X) was from Joliet Illinois a town I lived next to for 30 Years. I did go to see them play at this tiny little place not too far from where I lived years ago.
The last guitar magazine I bought had a feature article with Mike Einziger and he talked about his band's newest album, "Morning View".
Incubus's album Morning View came out in 2001.
Excited to see the follow on with your Texas Toast guitar!
I have a couple of warmoth necks, and they're great. One thing to note though is that you *will* have to do a complete fret level, unlike fender necks.
"What kinda candy you got"! 😂😂😂😂 You crack me up Phil! Great podcast, as usual. You haven't disappointed yet 🙂
I'm voting for a Vintage guitar vid.
Bob’s Guitars is in Iowa, not Minnesota.
I’ve owned and sold loads of Vintage brand guitars. They’re very good quality compared to the average generic brands. And the Wilkinson parts will stand on their own rep.
You can see this with Thomann and their Harley Benton brand. One or two levels up from their very cheapest (which start at around £75 so about $90 and still not terrible at that level)) and you start getting very playable guitars. There are whole communities online of Harley Benton fans with people who’ve been playing for decades collecting them.
Another thing that makes "beginner" guitars not so much beginner instruments is that often times theyre full of so many shortcomings that they both encourage poor technique and/or make it difficult for beginners to progress since they dont have the experience to work around the shortcomings
Oh GOD 😳 please mines really beat up with no case 😢😂❤ love what you do and how you play 🤘🎸🧬💯
lol there was my picture at Sweetwater! lol hilarious
i picked up a hils, pretty wonky setup out of the package but otherwise pretty great little guitar overall. 500$ beater and very nice neck
On the cover of the rolling stone, you deserve it Phil
Really shocks me to hear the 20% of companies interaction are negative.! I always thought the opposite like, Dealer's/UA-camers/Famous people would get the best treatment. What a bad business model to treat especially YOU like that. You must be the most reliable and hornets guitar UA-cam'er out there...
to be honest, when he said that I thought "only 20%?"
Trev is correct Phil. You’re IT. You earn high trust.
The V-est guitar neck I’ve ever played was my Dean ML dime from hell with Floyd rose. The only Vnecks I ever played were all Floyd rose guitars. I loved my Dean but once I found out about PRS wide fat necks it was all over for me. Can’t even imagine playing a V neck.
The Catalyst CX is an upgrade to the original Catalyst line. Among other things, it increased the number of amp models from six to twelve. At the same time, Line 6 put out a software update for the existing Catalyst amps that included most (or possibly all ...I'm not sure) of the CX upgrades.
Phil, as far as magazines go, they should connect more with UA-camrs to get feedback. They make vital mistakes, like asking you to pay the highest price subscription for a magazine thats half the size now, but you have been a subscriber for almost 20 years. Where's the loyalty?
That really amazed me Phil. I thought Doug Pinnick was about 55 years old
Hey Phil i dont tend to comment much on videos these days but definitely would love to see some vintage brand guitars on the channel they have a custom shop build your own guitar now that would Awesome to see what you come up with and what the quality is like compared to the other big brands custom stuff.
I play for a living and play a PRS SE hollowbody piezo at the moment. Its a really good guitar (my only grips are I wish the pickups were a little hotter and I wish they had a switch instead of just volume knobs for the mag pickups/piezo switching).
There is no way I would or could spend 5-6K for the US version and I certainly wouldnt live it on stage at a bar or ever a private party on break.
I guess thats not a 'beginner' guitar but its 'student edition'
I miss that the US ones can be 1lb lighter and it does have the switch for the piezo.
I have a vintage brand icon v6 . Love it
“I’m with the media “ - love this!
I heard Gibson is going to reissue Jimi Hendrix's car!
40:33 Yep .. I ordered over the phone with them after quickly finding out that I didn’t have all those answers … I still didn’t get everything right (fretboard radius, truss rod access which I didn’t even think about until I got the neck) But I’m still pretty happy with the guitar
UA-cam from across the pond Tony McKenzie loves Warmouth neck and he has used several of them on his projects.
Sad times, the true end of an era Im only in my mid 30s but I grew up on guitar player and thrasher magazine, we all wanted to be on the cover.
Guitar magazines are done. The main reason for reading them became obsolete once all that information became available for free online. Half the magazines were ads anyway and that’s free online too
All magazines are all slowly shutting down and not just guitar ones. The periodicals section in my local library is like a ghost town, with mostly just back issues of discontinued magazines and a couple of national scope newspapers.
I grew up in the early 90s with guitarworld magazines, that is sad to hear that their no longer going to make them anymore. I still have a box of them up in the attic that I saved from years ago. I was just thinking awhile back to renew my subscription...😣😣sad day indeed.
I know everyone except me knows, but what is the double cut semi hollow second from the right?
The GotW sounds amazing! PRS Special kills.
I subscribe to ACOUSTIC GUITAR magazine!
Phil, I have a 1978 Kramer 450G Could you tell me who ,if it you can refret its aluminum neck?
is the neck pickup on that PRS reversed? Looks like it's pulling a greenie.
I heard PRS is holding their event concurrent and next to with the big yearly Tort’s Conference in LV. Synergy! ;)
Current a subscriber to Guitar Player magazine. I think it's about the same with Racer magazine. I have a subscription to it. You never know when they go online only. Check out Doug in his side project KXM with Ray Luzier from Korn on drums and George Lynch on guitar.
There is a "sweet spot" for volume within a given room. So, don't expect every device to work well with every other device at all volumes.
Adds are ruthless in this epi. It's a hard start.
Let's be honest, modern "entry level" guitars are miles ahead of what we had to deal with in the 80's and 90's. We're getting substantoally more for those $200 or less nowadays.
Having worked music retail for a down decades I can attest that not only are beginners not the ones buying beginner guitars, they are more likely the ones buying Les Paul Standards and American Fenders right off the bat. So many more frequent rookies wayyy outspending their talent.
It would be cool if there was a magazine or really a picture book of the public’s guitars and gear. Monthly release. 🤷♂️
I have a Vintage by JHS brand guitar, the VSA555, its a copy of the ES355, with Trev Wilkinson hardware and pups and I actually even prefer it to my 1995 Gibson Les Paul Studio. The VSA is amazing. I had their VS6 for a year or 2 too, its their SG copy, also very very well made guitar, I just dont like the SG head dive. Vintage brand is very nice guitars and super well priced, well worth it
They aren't ladies bikes.....they are step-thu for older people and those with hip and knee problems....that's the term we use in the bike shop. 30:21
I'm a brand snob for fender amps and Martin acoustics.
All the other major, multiillion dollar, investor run companies can suck it
I love the Gibsons that I have. All were bought in year's past and not during this lawsuit-happy version of Gibson. I have several great LPs, SGs and a fantastic 335. I'm good with what I have and they won't get any new money from me. Gibson... concentrate on building quality guitars and be a stand-up company and lead by example... then maybe I'll come back. But I don't see that happening any time soon.
Great video. Than k you
Just remember the people who are actually making the product may not be/are not narcissistic. That's your point and that's sitting with the truth. Till they all get out and work for some one else there's still the chance good stuff will sneak through. Stop excusing and explaining your position. Most of your buds should know you by now. VERY TRUSTWORTHY.
I haven't liked Gibson for awhile now, but was ok with Epiphone. But Gibson is so bad that I can't even buy Epiphones anymore. I wanted an Adam Jones Epiphone, but now I'm saving for a silverburst Wolfgang, and I'll mod it to get a Duncan and a T-Top pickup in there.
5 episodes behind on the audio podcast!!
@Phil, Hi, do you know why I can't find your podcasts on Apple Podcast since October 11? Thanks
As far as Guitar appreciation Magazines, it had to die. Guys and Gals things change. One day we won’t buy records or CDs.
Anyone know where I can get a blank pickguard for a blacktop tele? I’m looking to make my tele into a single humbucker.
It's a long, long, long shot, but maybe, just maybe, the internet?🤔
Stewmac has a badass Bakelite one that I'd love to own. GuitarFetish has a million versions of what you're asking. :o)
3d printed? chk em out possibly
ebay
Thank you all
I had a vintage white HHH les Paul copy I asked Phil before buying it he didn't know about them yet I sent him pics after I bought it cheap the pickups under the covers were bc rich ehhh weird and resale value wasn't good at all it was almost impossible to find one that sold because of the horrid name choice ie Google vintage guitar and you'll feel me pain of every vintage era les Paul copy I'm not looking for other than the name the not so cool headstock the regifted bc rich humbuckers the resale low value it was a heafty solid great playing lp copy honest I wish I still had it
In Europe where people ride bikes as an actual mode of transportation they are not known as male or girl bikes, the one you got is known as Step Thru and it just provides a diferente geometry that better fit people with some mobility/Flexibility issues but are use by everyone really.
I'm in the Netherlands. We definitely call them "man or woman bikes' (herenfiets of damesfiets).
Used to anyway. I don't know what the kids say these days.
id love to get me a Gipson LP Standard...but new I can`t efford a Studio...tio expesive 4 what I know about it
I have played and owned many Gibson guitars over the years but have shown them all the back door because I just can't warm up to Gibsons. I appreciate their historical legacy but simply don't like them as an instrument or company.
Great show Phil! Quick question. A reverb buyer who was buying a guitar from me, asked if I wanted to "Right of First Refusal". Im unsure how this applies to the guitar world. Any clarification on this? Thanks so much.
That would be where the buyer pays a stipulated sum of money to the owner for the right to be able to acquire the object first when offered for sale. Usually applies to land deals, but can be applied to anything.
@josephloskill8087 Thanks for the answer I appreciate it!