Well the 59 Gibsons all had hand carved necks. The specifications were given a range back then. The R9 has a consistent neck based on those specs without variation.
@@mistersooty truer does not mean true/false here... it means being more straight, more consistant, more perfected compared to a hand carved vintage neck
No such a thing as a black guard - 67 Tele also - 56 Strat had only maple no R9 with a "Standard" logo on the truss road cover... yes, the whole thing is a Joke...
I bought a $650 partscaster at Emerald City and they treated me like I was buying that $420,000 Les Paul. The best guitar shop in the PNW hands down. Always a great experience.
If you haven’t yet, please visit Norman’s Rare Guitars. He loves to post videos and the two of you could do a killer joint, long format review, on several of his vintage guitars. He has literally hundreds.
@@bldallas They didn’t want anyone to play anything unless they were seriously considering buying it, very jumpy about Covid. They were nice but I just kinda walked around not knowing what to do.
The differences in the electric guitars are slight, and it wasn't enough to make me like the older over the newer. But the difference between the new vs vintage Martin guitars is striking. The vintage Martin definitely has a much richer tone. And I could see where someone might drop that much cash to get it.
After 25 years as a professional guitarist I couldnt agree with you more. I would even venture if you dubbed a $500 over the 59 burst, a lot of people would still gush over how magical it sounds. I didnt believe it held true on acoustics either but one of my viewers let me borrow his 1966 Gibson J45 and I had the privilege of playing a prewar martin at a vintage shop here in ATL and both really blew me away. Neither projected like a newer guitar with modern bracing, etc. but the balance and tone was markedly different and much sweeter in my opinion. I still think the vintage electrics are worth it for the history alone...if you can afford it. The irony is that I know very few working musicians that can afford these guitars, certainly not me. Lol. Have a good day!
100% this. I get frustrated with people that think there's a huge tonal difference between maple and rosewood fretboards in electrics. Any variance in tone is far more likely to be something to do with the electronics and resonation of the body than the fretboard. Especially when you slap any kind of effects into the chain.
I’d be afraid to take either Gibson out of the house, even $6000 is a lot of money. They did sound strikingly similar though. I’d rather pay for a few guitars and a great amp. I own some great guitars and two early 70’s Ampeg V4 heads that I will never give up. Sound and feel are so important. My back gets a workout but it’s worth it lol
‘Tonewood’ in a solid body is a myth, proven time and again by back-to-back recordings with the same electronics and hardware mounted on multiple body/neck materials. A very slight difference can be detected with dramatically different fingerboard materials. Fret and nut material make VASTLY more difference than different body/neck/fingerboard materials in solid body electrics. Semi-hollow electrics are SLIGHTLY more responsive to different materials, but it’s still almost always negligible. Acoustics are quite another matter (though still not as big a difference as most would have you believe). Vintage electric guitars sound different than new ones almost exclusively because of electronic component degradation over time.
@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney I read your comment twice to be absolutely certain I understand your point. But if that were true, why buy a Gibson? Why not buy a nice pair of pickups and electrics and fit it into a cheap Chinese knock off?
I'm a drummer since 1965. I have a musical love affair with guitars and those who play them. I'm just not, naturally, a guitarist. I've tried. I've owned 2 fine Strats. The Martin vintage has the wonderful, vintage aged sound that is unmistakable. The electrics, not so much, to a drummer's ears. Beautiful, all of them. Excellent video.
I don’t think anyone believes you’re paying for the tone when you spend half a million on a guitar. It’s about how iconic the bursts are due to their popularity amongst some of the biggest players of the 20th century, and how rare that particular run was… only around 1200 are known to exist iirc
seems like something only mentally ill boomers would care about tbh. Playing a similiar guitar to someone in the 70's doesn't give you any special rock mojo lol people are crazy
If UA-cam is anything to go by, the majority DO believe that the 59s sound better than the modern equivalent, in the same way they think Dumbles sound better than other amps. It's a classic case of Emperor's New Clothes. Pick up a guitar worth half a million, and your brain will do its best to convince you it's better. But it really isn't.
@@sillysausage4549 it’s hilarious though. Get a 1500$ ltd\prs\fender then upgrade the pickups and electrics. That’s it. That’s basically a perfect guitar. 1960-1990 is not some benchmark of supreme quality or artisanship
When I started playing guitar vintage ‘59 Les Pauls were 34-year-old guitars. I own an ‘86 Les Paul Standard, which is now 35-years-old. I effectively own a vintage Les Paul now! BOOM \m/
That is by far the cleanest vintage 59' Les Paul I've seen if that's what it is. It looks almost new. I didn't know any in that condition even existed! I'm pretty sure the reissue 59' you said you were playing was just a current Les Paul Standard and not a 59' reissue. Also the strat you listed as a 56' Strat was an early ish 60's. 56' strats only had maple boards afaik. Great video and great playing!
@@maxnatscher1033 The guitar he said was an original 59' looked like a 59' reissue to me. It was just way too clean to be an original. Unless it's been completely refinished.
A few things seem off with the '2019 r9' if I'm not mistaken: - The trussrod cover shouldn't say 'Standard'. It should be empty. - The tuners should be Kluson-style. - The whole guitars should look far less shiny. - all the hardware should be nickle instead of chrome. Definitely looks like a USA model. I think its difficult to say with the 'vintage' one. The back looks too faded for a a new CS but the rest of the guitars is too clean - especially the headstock. Overall I'm very sceptical 🤷
There are still hundreds of late 50s Les Paul unaccounted for according to Gibson. Which means they are sitting in a basement or attick somewhere in the case. Crazy ha? They're out there.
Haha your closing statement hits home. I live in MA but drove down to NYC to UltraSound Studios. I went for the purpose of testing out a Dr Z Maz 18jr. So Gene put me in a practice room for $19 an hr. But in the quintessential upsell move, he lined me up with the Dr Z, but also an early Matchless SC 30 combo, and a Tony Bruno anniversary addition Underground 30 head in Zebrawood with a matching Zebrawood cab with 2 Celestion Alnico Blues. Yeah so that wasn't good enough...they gave me 3 guitars to mess around with. A '54 Tele worth $14k at the time, a '57 Strat worth $17K at the time, and a '59 Burst Les Paul worth $60K at the time. This was in the '90's so do your own math for inflation. Well, better make sure I'm playing through a gold horsie Klon Centaur. Just...idk here you go, leave me and my buddy alone in the room for an hour. There's really no coming back from that. The Les Paul through the Klon into the cranked Bruno is to this day the greatest guitar sound I've ever heard. What are you supposed to do when you go to meet the nice down to earth girl and they meet you at the door saying " oh yeah sorry you're gonna have to have to have a 3 way with Marylin Monroe and Heidi Klum." Deeply traumatizing day...
One of your best! You have a knack for making very entertaining and watchable videos. I have a rotation of a half dozen guitar channels, you are in it.
I've always felt like like a newer guitar must be objectively "better" in terms of guitars being tools made using technology and skill/knowledge, all of which improve over time, likely resulting in a superior end result. However, listening to the warmth of the vintage Martin compared to the newer one.. it's clear the aging process gives a little (or a lot of!) magic to the sound. This was a great video! :D
Consistent at any rate. When done of the old ones were duds they were really, really bad. Just like old cars some were just made on the wrong day of the week.
Sure it does and there's no way a new guitar would sound as good as a old guitar that's made out of ancient Creek swamp mahogany from a foreign country that a megasaurus pissed on thousands of years ago can you imagine the tone of that dried set in piss. Omg
The acoustic guitar uses an air pump system to project sound dude. An electric guitar uses magnets that don’t hear wood. That’s why you can really hear the difference in acoustic. It really uses the wood to project sound.
@@PeterSz73 : no, because the Epi doesn't have nibs. In all seriousness, it would probably be close so long as you didn't allow your own impressions of the instrument to influence how you played it. My cheap poplar King V sounds pretty close to my SG. Big surprise, they both have a 490R/498T pair.
@@PeterSz73 as long as you set up the pickups to the same height and have the same wireing and the same values on the pots and caps it should be almost identical.
@@niknitro8751 I don't necessarily disagree but when I pulled the pickups from my Gibson LP and put it in my Epiphone LP, it did not sound like the Gibson. Both has the 50's wiring and same value caps, pick up heights copied from the Gibson.
@@PeterSz73 Did you test the Pots and Capcitors? The ones used in Guitars are high tolerance and can be of to up to 10%. I would guess that in an expensive guitar the electronics get measured exactly and only the parts that match the specs exactly are selected whereas in a cheaper one they just buy the pots and caps in bulk and smash them in there no matter if they are off by 10% or even more. So that could be one reason then it could always be, that you were slightly off with setting up the height of the pickups which unless you measure very exactly can already make a huge difference. Another possibility is, that there is a slight difference in the position of the pickups along the string in epis and gibsons maybe measure that again. Finally what will make a huge difference is the strings. To get the exact same sound you will need to use the same type of strings fresh out the box because as I'm sure you know a Month old strings sound wildly different than fresh ones.
When I first finally laid my hands on my first Gibson Sg I knew it was the key to unlocking my full potential as a player. It’s been my dream to own one and while it’s a newer model, it was exactly the guitar I needed in my hands. The SG is the guitar I will always love and appreciate and now it’s my main rig for life! 😁
I bought a SG new in 1984 (still have it) and have bought 10 guitars since including les pauls but I still like the SG better than any other guitar I have owned.
I feel the greatest difference is in people's minds. If they listened to these guitars while blindfolded, I doubt people would be able to clearly get which one is which, and even if they do, i doubt they would be able to tell how far apart they are in price, cause soundwise they're not that different.
Yeah it’s like the people who think the op amp in the old ts-808s change the whole sound of the pedal. Placebo effect is a huge thing. And it exists. I assure you the “10% who can tell” really just are going off a placebo.
@WaurufEx to be fair Rob is like a freak of nature in that respect, 99% of people can’t hear age, let alone smell the wood type through a finish, like has demonstrated the ability to do
@@Viper-dz2kw People can definitely smell vintage guitars... i mean it depends on the process used to coat it, but you can definitely smell the 'age' - of course you won't be able to tell how old by that... just that its older... Having said that, being an audio engineer, I can definitely say that our perception of sound is highly affected by suggestion.
It would be the same if they played them. If you were blindfolded and handed several guitars to doodle on briefly in succession it would be near impossible to pick out which is which.
in high school, my guitar instructor brought a 1952 Telecaster to our lesson once and let me play it. I have never before or since, played such a wonderful instrument.
I don’t know. I feel like there isn’t really that big of a difference. I feel like owning a vintage guitar would just give you anxiety, always wondering if something bad has happened to it.
If you have the money for an instrument like that, you also have money for a museum display bullet proof glass case and stand with environmental controls
Acoustic= I absolutely believe wood matters Electric=I’ve literally seen a guy make a concrete guitar and it sounded fine, I mean seriously why would wood matter, the sound is derived from electronics and any deviation in sound from today to a vintage guitar relies solely on the hardware they were using at the time.
I would definitely just buy a new one. When you’re going to pay that much, you might as well get a newer one because every single part of it is going to be made of the best of the best quality materials. I look at it this way-you’re able to put your own history on it and if it’s a high-quality guitar, it will last a long time granted that you take care of it and it should only get better over time as well. Plus there are more options when it comes to color and a few other aesthetic options.
New things arnt always made with better materials, on the contrary in my opinion, we live in a throw away society, things are ment to break so you have to buy a new one. Back in the day things were built to last.
I've been on guitar safari for about a decade and I've visited hundreds of guitar stores across half a dozen countries, and Emerald City might be the best guitar store I've ever been to.
If im not mistaken, that new Les Paul is a USA standard, not a Custom Shop reissue? And the vintage strat can’t be from 1956 with three-ply pickguard and rosewood fingerboard?
Exactly. That was a USA LP Standard. R9s don’t say Standard on the truss rod cover, nor are they that overtly glossy. A 56 Strat cannot have a rosewood neck. Something is amiss here?🤔
Got excited as soon as I heard Emeral City guitars! I LOVE that shop so much! So much crazy stuff in there! I saw an original Esquire in there and I never thought I'd get to see one! Everyone there couldn't be nicer, such a great shop!
Yeah, I noticed that too. R9's don't say "Standard" on the truss rod cover and almost always have the pickguard installed. The nut didn't look right either. However, it did sound pretty good! Also the '59 looked like it was in unbelievably great condition...maybe that was actually an R9!
@@theshapeexists That may be the case, but I wouldn't just kick the tires on a brand new lamborghini that I DIDN'T own. It's a good way to get a boot in your a$$.
No such a thing as a black guard - 67 Tele also - 56 Strat had only maple, no R9 with a "Standard" logo on the truss road cover... it it a Premium LP that cost much less that - 6000$ at ECG site....yes, the whole thing is a Joke...
Man I love that store. Bought a PRS and a Gibson acoustic there. Had some of my guitars serviced there too. Great place, great vibes, great people. Highly recommend.
"tonewood" I just love how AGED wood comes through the magnets and wires and changes the sound of an electric guitar... tone-paint as well or tone-plastic knobs, and don't forget my tone-bakelite pickguard
Thanks for coming to Seattle!! Despite the city becoming an armpit compared to what it once was, Seattle still has a pretty great music scene & nothing will ever compare to that “Seattle sound” from the late 80’s & early-mid 90’s. Home of Jimi, Heart, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Mud honey….
I guess the thing with vintage guitars isn't any "real" thing in particular. There isn't a clear advantage or disadvantage. It's more the idea that so many people have touched it, and that you own a part of music history. It's sort of like when you're at a mountain, or some ancient place, and you get that feeling. Like, "Woah, so much has happened here, and this place is old". Same sort of feeling with a vintage guitar if that makes sense.
I think it's the fact that over time the moisture in the wood slowly evaporates out and the guitar becomes stiffer, less flexible due to the lack of moisturize. That might affect the tone of the guitar. Also, yes, lots of players played it so it comes with some "life".
most vintage guitars that are in good condition have sat on a wall or in a case for most of their lives. No Daily player is going to go for the value of an entire house
The true value of any guitar, for that matter the value of anything that's for sale, is exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. If I'm not mistaken, you pay more for pre-ripped Jeans, that you do for non pre-ripped Jeans. So it really depends on the gullibility of the purchaser. If that 450,000 dollar guitar is for sale and it just sit for years, it's not worth 450,000 dollars.
In my personal opinion. I am not an amazin guitar player. Im just learning. I am no way shape or form a good guitar player. But when it comes to these instruments. $300 or $300,000 guitar doesnt matter to me. Whatever if comfortable and sounds good to the player. Is the most important thing. I have an epiphone les paul studio lt. And i love it. I played my cousins gibson les paul. And tbh. The epiphone is way more comfortable to me. And you can make and epiphone les paul a unique and special guitar. You can upgrade the internals in the guitar to make it better. Tbh if u want a $10,000 guitar go for it. But if u have a 300 les paul and thats all you can afford or all u want. Play your heart out
Your two hands and a great amp is all that matters. That’s the key. If you can get what you want, you ahead of the game. All the rest is really trophies you can hang up on the wall and that’s it. I own Gibson, Fender and Epiphone. I can get the tones I want out of guitars well under a thousand and they all sound great. Is my $2000 Fender Tele and $2000 Gibson better then the rest? Sure, but not that much in sound and most of that sound I get from my amp. I don’t look for the best sound I look for a sound that I can get from each instrument that’s different.
Poly guitars are frozen in time and don't age and improve their tone but nitro is thin, gets thinner, and the woods age and crystallize any leftover saps and seem to become better. I own both.
Truth I have a couple of $300 Craigslist guitars that are amazing. Really seems like the piece of wood it is made with really, regardless of when it was built
The "Mojo" is in the fingers and heart of the player that loves and regularly plays the guitar of his choice. An engineer can set up mics and eq anything and capture the magic of a great performance.
I agree, Custom Shop is it for a player. And I love the Martin Sound. But stacking a pre-war D18 against a new D16 is kind of unfair! And Rosewood Board Strats were introduced by Fender in 1959, so a '56 Rosewood Board Strat is either a fake or a typing error. Think its the latter 😉. But great Video! 👍🏻
You talked a lot about tonewood in this video and I wanna say something coming from a physics perspective First we need to clarify how actually a pickup works. The physical phenomenon is called electromagnetic induction, described by Faraday's law of induction that basically states that whenever there's a variable magnetic field near a conductive coil a current will be generated inside that coil In guitars the magnet(s) generating the variable magnetic field are the strings, which are magnetized by the magnets in the pickups. When the strings vibrate at a certain amplitude, frequency and wavelength a current with the same exact amplitude, frequency and wavelength will be generated into the coil But how is produced the actual acoustic sound of a guitar? When you play your strings their vibrations will travel through the wood (or any other material) and, according to its own acoustic properties, the wood itself will vibrate and it will produce THE sound. That's what happens in acoustic guitars, it's the soundboard that's vibrating and it is producing the sound We can simplify all of this and say that the sound is influenced by two things: 1) How the strings vibrate (that's influenced by their construction and what they're contacting = nut and saddles) 2) The material of which the guitar is built (that's influenced by a hundred more things like bracing, the type of neck joint but I'll treat them as one single factor) In a hollowbody guitar the pickups are usually mounted directly on the soundboard. As I said before, the soundboard is a vibrating surface. When it vibrates the pickups will vibrate too, thus making the strings magnetized in different ways (according to how the soundboard vibrates) and it will generate a different current in the coil (thus a different tone) The same exact thing happens with electrified acoustic guitars Now, in solid body electric guitars the pickups are mounted directly (or via a pickguard) into a 2" thick slab of wood. That thick piece of wood is simply too heavy, too thick and too rigid to produce any kind of considerable amount of vibrations You can demonstrate it yourself, just grab an electric guitar and hear how loud it sounds unplugged. It won't sound very different from just a string by itself (like a tight elastic band) With that negligible amount of vibrations from the materials of the guitar, they become pretty much insignificant. Changing your nut will provide a much more tangible change in tone than, for example, changing the fretboard material. Note, here I was talking strictly about how the material impacts the sound, not how it impacts the feel of the guitar. You could debate that a better feeling guitar can make you play better and sound better but i don't think that's relevant here
sometimes just because things line up perfectly on paper, doesn’t mean they will in real life- life is full of intangibles Even though the big block of wood may not be “vibrating” it’s still a medium that can carry and influence the vibrations flowing through it Yes, even unplugged, better wood sounds better than cheap wood
Place your ear on the back of that 2 inch thick slab of wood and strike a chord. I have, and there are vibrations, otherwise I wouldn't hear them resonate through the solid wood body of the guitar. Whether this affects tone or not I really don't know.
Great video- I’ve been to that store (a long time ago), and was mesmerized! Great summation of what the choices are between vintage vs new. Thanks for the video and awesome playing! Bob from Spokane Valley, WA!
1 thing I’ve heard that made so much sense was “You wanna buy a Wednesday guitar” People like to think that the people who built guitars in the 50s and 60s were craftsmen passionate about guitar. They weren’t, they were workers like you or me. So if a guitar was built on Monday the builder was most likely hungover and or distracted by talking about his weekend. The Tuesday the guitar is a lot because he’s sober and not as distracted. The Wednesday guitar is the best. The Thursday guitar the guy was tired, and over it, and Friday he was phoning it in until the weekend.
Too bad guitars aren't built in a day. If there was a way to actually follow the guitar's progress through the entire build, you'd have something though. It is a known phenomena, I just don't think it works for things that take weeks to finish and go through many different workers hands. If this was stuff a blacksmith could make by himself in a day, then maybe. But I don't think craftsmen need to drink away their sorrows on the weekend like cubicle workers do anyway.
Yeah, but not only did they take more pride in their work, but Gibson, as well as most other companies, were WAY more concerned about putting out a great product vs. selling a million guitars. I've played a lot of '50s Gibson guitars (mostly LPs), and I'm yet to find one with as many flaws as I've seen on most modern Gibsons. There's a good reason it was called the "Golden Era".
Cool stuff. A tad distracting with the constant pickup switching, but I feel the biggest difference in my vintage compared to modern guitars is in the subtle 3/4-ish guitar volume, low amp gain area. Where more of the “wood” is heard. Heavy reverb and higher gain kinda ruins the vintage mojo vibe a guitar may have.
Wood definitely matters! It's hard to tell, but every little detail in a guitar adds up. Even the color of a guitar makes me play differently. Big things are made from small things. I'm very thankful I grew up with my dad's 1970's Les Paul Custom. I was just playing it the other day and when I really think of it, nothing plays like it. There's just no way to replicate it. One feature on that guitar that stands out is the smell. Aw man, I can smell it right now thinking about it! It smells very old and the sent is very strong, you can smell it from across the room! So when I play the guitar, the sent alone adds to the way I play it. Another thing is the aged electronics. There's just something about aged electronics that I love. I don't know exactly what it is, but it's almost like old dust and rust starts to give vintage electronic instruments this distinct sound. Kind of like an old vinyl record. Anyways My dad used to use his Les Paul in his old bands in the 70's. Now, I'm using it in my videos! Now modern guitars have their own charm. Eventually, they get worn in and they become something unique. It's already happened to a couple of my first electric guitars. I like to think, that eventually at some point, Chinese made guitars are going to be real collectors. I used to over look "made in China." But now when I think of it, I think of it in a more unique way. Man this guitar was made in China! That's pretty cool!
Listening through my cell phone speakers, there is almost no difference between the 59 Les paul and the new strat. I'll have to listen to this back at home before I can give you my true feelings. I will say that I prefer aging the guitar myself. Getting a refret my acoustic and I can't wait to hear it when it's done.
“Better” is subjective. If it sounds good, it IS good. Your wallet may feel a difference if you go vintage though. Old guitar does not equal a good guitar necessarily. Some are crap.
JAMES SCOTT NICHOLSON, ONTARIO, CANADA 🇨🇦 I JUST WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO SAY, LOVE WATCHING YOUR SHOW, AND I AM GLAD TO SEE SOMEONE LIKE YOU,PLAY,WHO CAN PLAY EXCELLENT, AS TO SOME GUYS GET A VINTAGE GUITAR 🎸 AND PLAY SOMETHING COMMON,AND DON’T DEMONSTRATE THE QUALITY OF THE INSTRUMENT...IF I WAS WITH YOU, AFTER HEARING YOU PLAY IT, I DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE TO RUN OUT THE DOOR WITH IT FOR YOU LOL 😂 TOP LEFT
I just read that Joke and wanted to share it with you. Woman stands before a judge, charged with beating her husband over the head with his own guitars. Judge looks over his glasses at her and asks: First Offender ? She looks up and says: No judge, first the Gibson, then the Fender.
😂 a good one, me like👍🏼 The Gibson almost snapped his head off at first hit. His face then turned blues making him growl low on a short scale. The whammy hit with the Fender was bell like and sustained pretty good the springy ringing in his head at perfect pitched high D.
I am a engineering design and manufacturing teacher (as well as an amateur musician). I know quite a bit more about electrical components, electronic signals and material science (than the average musician), so it drives me crazy when I hear about “tonewood” in electric guitars! I love Tyler‘s videos, but he is in astrologist when it comes to this subject. He wants to believe in Tonewood, it’s a fantasy created by his own mind. Electronic processing can make any guitar sound like any other! The only way you can tell a vintage guitar from a brand new guitar is by comparing the VERY subtle differences in the “clean” tones. And even that is just a matter of personal taste. The comparison cannot render which one is better than the other. Expensive guitars are like expensive cars… at some point the value is purely in the mind of the collector. And we all know the mentality of collectors with too much money.
I dunno man, do you think semi hollow guitars sound different than solid body guitars? I certainly find that they do. Also, a humbucker in an hss strat sounds a lot different than the one in a les Paul, or an sg for that matter. As for the scientific reason, the only explanation I can think of is that pickups are to some degree microphonic, not simply picking up the magnetic vibrations of the strings.
Oh you disbelievers of the obvious... Tom, you are wrong with every single thing you're saying. You long to prove your point by mentioning your qualifications. Well, even some doctors/scientists deny the existence of a phenomenon when they have no explanation for it, but it is still there. Stick to your conviction and there are more vintage guitars for me. Yippie yay yay!
@@tomm1935 Oh no, don't get me wrong. No mysticism. I exist in this world. 1st career: electrical engineer/sound engineer. 2nd career: guitarist (now I'm the one bragging with education). I do not believe in fortune telling but most likely you will accept the obvious at some point. Common trade-law: The value of everything is purely in the mind of the buyer. It is what someone is willing to pay for it. If someone offers $10 for your Porsche it is worth $ 10 until a different offer comes in.
That burst sounds amazing but the reissue was very, very similar sounding. I guarantee you that they would sound pretty much identical if you were to swap the hardware and electronics out of the '59 and place them in the 2019 reissue (sacrilege, I know). A guitar's tone is the sum of all of it's parts (wood, frets, bridge, pickups, tone/volume pots, capacitors, strings etc.) working together when a string is plucked or a chord is strummed.
Wouldn’t be surprised 😂 Pikes got more than enough Les Pauls, however a lot of them are beat to shit and probably reek of weed, so that’s right up my alley!!!!
lol...nobody is paying anywhere near that much for 59 bursts anymore. Even at the height of the bubble they weren't that high. This is just speculators who got burned back then trying not to loose their shirts on the one's they over spent on.
@@Meditech509 lol...maybe...really though those boomer types have already bought them and now they are either dying or going to be dying very soon. And frankly younger generations just don't care about those guitars enough to sustain any kind of market. Xer's like me love Fenders and Gibsons, but Jacksons and Charvels were just as much a part of our guitar hero's line ups as they were, so I don't think we really care to spend that kind of money. Plus there just aren't that many of us. Millennials don't really care and Gen Z is REALLY not going to care. Values of these guitars are going to keep dropping like crazy as they come back on to the market when people die. Anybody who bought one 15 to 30 years ago as an "investment" better sell them right now for whatever they can get cause it's only going to get worse. And lord help you if you were one of the ones who bought any of the custom shop reissue ones in the past 30 years thinking they were going to make you money. There are so many of those it's crazy. They're going to be nearly worthless. My opinions of course.
@@Meditech509 I saw an interesting article talking about Elvis memorabilia and how it's lost something like 50 to 70% of it's value. Basically most of his fans are already dead and everyone else just doesn't care anymore. Stores that specialized in it are all closing etc. It doesn't surprise me that it's happening in the classic car market either.
Dude, get your facts straight.. The reissue les paul is a standard model not a customshop R9, strat is not from 56 but most likely a 60/61 due to the slab rosewood fingerboard, 3 tone sunburst and 3 ply guard. The tele is not an 67 but a blackguard due to the string tree, black pickguard and logo. 67 has the transition logo and will never have a round stringtree and will most likely never have a factory black pickguard.
I have a 62 strat and it sounds meatier than the new ones , a friend of mine told me in the early 80s that the wood was already aged for 40 years for the vintage ones
Ok, something has to be said about your adaptations of the classics to avoid the mafia. Dude you're effing killing it! Few passages left out, few added too. Super style and sub here!
Having read some of the comments , most are centring on the wood where I feel the magic lies in that spot where the woods and the finish,s Meet I own a vintage strat mid seventy s and the finish on it has taken on a unique look and feel and yet I mostly pick up my p.r.s for its insane playability ,the strat makes me fight for every thing that comes from Her , not necessarily a bad thing but my prs is so playable the pinicle of Guitar construction makes everything easier and of course there's that Typical prs tone in the midrange that I've just adopted as my tone ., Bottom line it's your tone you need to find what works for you , And there in lies the mystery and the magic
@Austin Steele : LOLOLOOL. People who believe in guitar "resonance" should be placed on an early Electra with the defective early wing and nacelles to find out how harmonic coupling *actually* works.
Getting from Key West to Washington is a bucket list trip. But I may one day make it. The pics/video I have seen from this company is absolutely awesome and puts itself on my list. I am a player not a collector, so not what they are really looking for. I hope to at least visit one day.
A couple of things. The D-16GT that you were on also had a few things against it compared to the D-18. The D16GT at that era (I have one) doesn't have a bone nut or saddle...it has this stuff called "micarta" for that, along with the fret-board being micarta also (it may also say it's a "composite". It's a manufactured material and was cheaper for Martin to use. The saddle is also glued-in, so if you wanted to replace it with a bone saddle, keep that in mind. The D-16GT was (at least when I bought mine) on the low-end of Martin's line that still had all solid wood including back and sides.
Great video…I’m visiting there in a week…looking forward to browsing and meeting the guys…I ascribe to the vintage eye and ear but run with a RI bank account. So far, it’s served me well…especially when it comes to my Historic R9, Historic R7 LPC 3pup Bigsby, ‘56 RI Strat, and ‘63 Gibson Memphis ES335TDS…The originals would set me back $500K/$750K vs. $750K vs. $20K or less used… sonically I can’t hear the difference and I seriously doubt that most would either!
I own a real 1958 LP. I love it, but honestly, it plays nowhere near as nicely as my 70's LPs. My 2012 is actually easily my best one. No guitar is worth 420K.
Like for Vintage, comment for New!
Can I do both?
@@MusicisWin of course!
@@MusicisWin yes
@@MusicisWin if you can afford both!
Your a godamn legend tyler
Tyler: “Which of the Gibson’s is better?”
Also Tyler: *puts a telecaster in the thumbnail*
He also got 1k views in 6 minutes lol
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
But it is a butterscotch Tele!
- What is the best Les Paul?
- A tele.
- ok. it makes sense.
HaHaHaHaHaHaHaThatsFunny
Tyler: "The new one's neck feels truer to the 59' style"
The 1959 Les Paul he just played: "Am I a joke to you?"
Seriously, how can the new guitars neck be 'truer' to a 59 neck than a 59? If they're different the new one is therefore not accurate right?
Well the 59 Gibsons all had hand carved necks. The specifications were given a range back then. The R9 has a consistent neck based on those specs without variation.
@@mistersooty truer does not mean true/false here... it means being more straight, more consistant, more perfected compared to a hand carved vintage neck
And also remember that the Les Paul was not a big seller back in the 50's, Gibson didn't care too much about how they were made.
No such a thing as a black guard - 67 Tele also - 56 Strat had only maple no R9 with a "Standard" logo on the truss road cover... yes, the whole thing is a Joke...
I bought a $650 partscaster at Emerald City and they treated me like I was buying that $420,000 Les Paul. The best guitar shop in the PNW hands down. Always a great experience.
I visited the shop when I was traveling through Seattle and they were amazing to me as well
Did Jay Boone congratulate you for buying “this guy”? Just kidding-he seems like a good dude. If I’m ever in the area it’s on my bucket list.
If you haven’t yet, please visit Norman’s Rare Guitars. He loves to post videos and the two of you could do a killer joint, long format review, on several of his vintage guitars. He has literally hundreds.
He has.
Both Tyler and Lemmo had the same teacher at Berklee (Tomo) so I'm pretty sure he's heard of Norm's
I was there last week and it was awkward as hell
@@brown22sugar25 awkward is what way?
@@bldallas They didn’t want anyone to play anything unless they were seriously considering buying it, very jumpy about Covid. They were nice but I just kinda walked around not knowing what to do.
The differences in the electric guitars are slight, and it wasn't enough to make me like the older over the newer. But the difference between the new vs vintage Martin guitars is striking. The vintage Martin definitely has a much richer tone. And I could see where someone might drop that much cash to get it.
After 25 years as a professional guitarist I couldnt agree with you more. I would even venture if you dubbed a $500 over the 59 burst, a lot of people would still gush over how magical it sounds. I didnt believe it held true on acoustics either but one of my viewers let me borrow his 1966 Gibson J45 and I had the privilege of playing a prewar martin at a vintage shop here in ATL and both really blew me away. Neither projected like a newer guitar with modern bracing, etc. but the balance and tone was markedly different and much sweeter in my opinion. I still think the vintage electrics are worth it for the history alone...if you can afford it. The irony is that I know very few working musicians that can afford these guitars, certainly not me. Lol. Have a good day!
Please note that the "non-vintage" Martin used for the comparison is almost 20 years old also (2002).
100% this. I get frustrated with people that think there's a huge tonal difference between maple and rosewood fretboards in electrics. Any variance in tone is far more likely to be something to do with the electronics and resonation of the body than the fretboard. Especially when you slap any kind of effects into the chain.
I’d be afraid to take either Gibson out of the house, even $6000 is a lot of money. They did sound strikingly similar though. I’d rather pay for a few guitars and a great amp. I own some great guitars and two early 70’s Ampeg V4 heads that I will never give up. Sound and feel are so important. My back gets a workout but it’s worth it lol
Sometimes I play my dads 1965 Martin acoustic. It sounds heavenly!
I think "tonewood" is much more applicable to acoustics than electrics.
100% agree
I 100% disagree - funny how people can have such varying opinion!
‘Tonewood’ in a solid body is a myth, proven time and again by back-to-back recordings with the same electronics and hardware mounted on multiple body/neck materials. A very slight difference can be detected with dramatically different fingerboard materials. Fret and nut material make VASTLY more difference than different body/neck/fingerboard materials in solid body electrics. Semi-hollow electrics are SLIGHTLY more responsive to different materials, but it’s still almost always negligible. Acoustics are quite another matter (though still not as big a difference as most would have you believe).
Vintage electric guitars sound different than new ones almost exclusively because of electronic component degradation over time.
@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney I read your comment twice to be absolutely certain I understand your point. But if that were true, why buy a Gibson? Why not buy a nice pair of pickups and electrics and fit it into a cheap Chinese knock off?
@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney totally agree
That guitar is a 4 bed 4 bath house with a detached garage.
dont forget the unfinished basement
And a new car
Where? Not getting anything like that under $800,000 where I am.
@@Giveme1goodreason Well that’s what I had in Dallas a few years ago, might be different now.
Experiences may differ according to location…
I'm a drummer since 1965. I have a musical love affair with guitars and those who play them. I'm just not, naturally, a guitarist. I've tried. I've owned 2 fine Strats. The Martin vintage has the wonderful, vintage aged sound that is unmistakable. The electrics, not so much, to a drummer's ears. Beautiful, all of them. Excellent video.
I don’t think anyone believes you’re paying for the tone when you spend half a million on a guitar. It’s about how iconic the bursts are due to their popularity amongst some of the biggest players of the 20th century, and how rare that particular run was… only around 1200 are known to exist iirc
seems like something only mentally ill boomers would care about tbh. Playing a similiar guitar to someone in the 70's doesn't give you any special rock mojo lol people are crazy
@@horrifyinggelatinousblob Some people like owning memorabilia and have more money than they know what to do with lol
If UA-cam is anything to go by, the majority DO believe that the 59s sound better than the modern equivalent, in the same way they think Dumbles sound better than other amps. It's a classic case of Emperor's New Clothes. Pick up a guitar worth half a million, and your brain will do its best to convince you it's better. But it really isn't.
@@sillysausage4549 it’s hilarious though. Get a 1500$ ltd\prs\fender then upgrade the pickups and electrics. That’s it. That’s basically a perfect guitar. 1960-1990 is not some benchmark of supreme quality or artisanship
I believe that would be true in the case of acoustic guitar, but electric? Not really.
Me, listening with my cellphone speaker 🤔
Android😂
My phone doesn't even have stereo speakers 😅
Exactly 😅😅😅
Good old Ray Dolby would cry all night, reading his name on a cellphone.
When I started playing guitar vintage ‘59 Les Pauls were 34-year-old guitars. I own an ‘86 Les Paul Standard, which is now 35-years-old. I effectively own a vintage Les Paul now! BOOM \m/
That is by far the cleanest vintage 59' Les Paul I've seen if that's what it is. It looks almost new. I didn't know any in that condition even existed! I'm pretty sure the reissue 59' you said you were playing was just a current Les Paul Standard and not a 59' reissue. Also the strat you listed as a 56' Strat was an early ish 60's. 56' strats only had maple boards afaik. Great video and great playing!
@@maxnatscher1033 The guitar he said was an original 59' looked like a 59' reissue to me. It was just way too clean to be an original. Unless it's been completely refinished.
Check out Gibson’s new video with their company director. That 59 is like brand new.
It is brand new, the whole clip is a fraud, both LP's are a new modern instruments.
A few things seem off with the '2019 r9' if I'm not mistaken:
- The trussrod cover shouldn't say 'Standard'. It should be empty.
- The tuners should be Kluson-style.
- The whole guitars should look far less shiny.
- all the hardware should be nickle instead of chrome.
Definitely looks like a USA model.
I think its difficult to say with the 'vintage' one. The back looks too faded for a a new CS but the rest of the guitars is too clean - especially the headstock.
Overall I'm very sceptical 🤷
There are still hundreds of late 50s Les Paul unaccounted for according to Gibson. Which means they are sitting in a basement or attick somewhere in the case. Crazy ha? They're out there.
I was just at ECG yesterday! I must have missed you. That store is amazing. It’s like a museum of awesome gear.
I believe you simply get the best of both worlds in each, just the feel of each are unique to their own, and what makes both valuable.
Haha your closing statement hits home. I live in MA but drove down to NYC to UltraSound Studios. I went for the purpose of testing out a Dr Z Maz 18jr. So Gene put me in a practice room for $19 an hr. But in the quintessential upsell move, he lined me up with the Dr Z, but also an early Matchless SC 30 combo, and a Tony Bruno anniversary addition Underground 30 head in Zebrawood with a matching Zebrawood cab with 2 Celestion Alnico Blues. Yeah so that wasn't good enough...they gave me 3 guitars to mess around with. A '54 Tele worth $14k at the time, a '57 Strat worth $17K at the time, and a '59 Burst Les Paul worth $60K at the time. This was in the '90's so do your own math for inflation. Well, better make sure I'm playing through a gold horsie Klon Centaur. Just...idk here you go, leave me and my buddy alone in the room for an hour. There's really no coming back from that. The Les Paul through the Klon into the cranked Bruno is to this day the greatest guitar sound I've ever heard. What are you supposed to do when you go to meet the nice down to earth girl and they meet you at the door saying " oh yeah sorry you're gonna have to have to have a 3 way with Marylin Monroe and Heidi Klum." Deeply traumatizing day...
I like how he just holds the guitars the same way as a $300 guitar
I held a $400 guitar once😵
It says a lot if guitar community that a $300 object is referred as if it was cheapo chump change garbage.
@@old_man_fran it is
Because they are already old and have millions of dings and dents already hahahaha
Played a 62 custom color strat once, and used to own a 63 sg
One of your best! You have a knack for making very entertaining and watchable videos. I have a rotation of a half dozen guitar channels, you are in it.
IM SO HAPPY HE'S DOING THE E GUITAR STORE TOUR AGAIN
I've always felt like like a newer guitar must be objectively "better" in terms of guitars being tools made using technology and skill/knowledge, all of which improve over time, likely resulting in a superior end result. However, listening to the warmth of the vintage Martin compared to the newer one.. it's clear the aging process gives a little (or a lot of!) magic to the sound. This was a great video! :D
Agreed
I agree. Newer electric guitars tend to be a lot better, but when it comes to acoustics, aging does matter
Consistent at any rate. When done of the old ones were duds they were really, really bad. Just like old cars some were just made on the wrong day of the week.
Sure it does and there's no way a new guitar would sound as good as a old guitar that's made out of ancient Creek swamp mahogany from a foreign country that a megasaurus pissed on thousands of years ago can you imagine the tone of that dried set in piss. Omg
@@gypsylee8908 exactly this guy gets it XD
The acoustic guitar uses an air pump system to project sound dude. An electric guitar uses magnets that don’t hear wood. That’s why you can really hear the difference in acoustic. It really uses the wood to project sound.
So if you bolted the vintage PAF's of the Pearly Gates or the Beast to an Epiphone LP Studio it would sound the same?
@@PeterSz73 : no, because the Epi doesn't have nibs.
In all seriousness, it would probably be close so long as you didn't allow your own impressions of the instrument to influence how you played it. My cheap poplar King V sounds pretty close to my SG. Big surprise, they both have a 490R/498T pair.
@@PeterSz73 as long as you set up the pickups to the same height and have the same wireing and the same values on the pots and caps it should be almost identical.
@@niknitro8751 I don't necessarily disagree but when I pulled the pickups from my Gibson LP and put it in my Epiphone LP, it did not sound like the Gibson. Both has the 50's wiring and same value caps, pick up heights copied from the Gibson.
@@PeterSz73 Did you test the Pots and Capcitors? The ones used in Guitars are high tolerance and can be of to up to 10%. I would guess that in an expensive guitar the electronics get measured exactly and only the parts that match the specs exactly are selected whereas in a cheaper one they just buy the pots and caps in bulk and smash them in there no matter if they are off by 10% or even more. So that could be one reason then it could always be, that you were slightly off with setting up the height of the pickups which unless you measure very exactly can already make a huge difference.
Another possibility is, that there is a slight difference in the position of the pickups along the string in epis and gibsons maybe measure that again. Finally what will make a huge difference is the strings. To get the exact same sound you will need to use the same type of strings fresh out the box because as I'm sure you know a Month old strings sound wildly different than fresh ones.
When I first finally laid my hands on my first Gibson Sg I knew it was the key to unlocking my full potential as a player. It’s been my dream to own one and while it’s a newer model, it was exactly the guitar I needed in my hands. The SG is the guitar I will always love and appreciate and now it’s my main rig for life! 😁
I bought a SG new in 1984 (still have it) and have bought 10 guitars since including les pauls but I still like the SG better than any other guitar I have owned.
I feel the greatest difference is in people's minds.
If they listened to these guitars while blindfolded, I doubt people would be able to clearly get which one is which, and even if they do, i doubt they would be able to tell how far apart they are in price, cause soundwise they're not that different.
Yeah it’s like the people who think the op amp in the old ts-808s change the whole sound of the pedal. Placebo effect is a huge thing. And it exists. I assure you the “10% who can tell” really just are going off a placebo.
@WaurufEx to be fair Rob is like a freak of nature in that respect, 99% of people can’t hear age, let alone smell the wood type through a finish, like has demonstrated the ability to do
@@Viper-dz2kw People can definitely smell vintage guitars... i mean it depends on the process used to coat it, but you can definitely smell the 'age' - of course you won't be able to tell how old by that... just that its older... Having said that, being an audio engineer, I can definitely say that our perception of sound is highly affected by suggestion.
It would be the same if they played them. If you were blindfolded and handed several guitars to doodle on briefly in succession it would be near impossible to pick out which is which.
in high school, my guitar instructor brought a 1952 Telecaster to our lesson once and let me play it. I have never before or since, played such a wonderful instrument.
I don’t know. I feel like there isn’t really that big of a difference. I feel like owning a vintage guitar would just give you anxiety, always wondering if something bad has happened to it.
Dam I didnt even think ab that. Constantly worrying ab it
@@Jacob-nr7hq her’s pfp😎😎
@@dwaynejim1186 glad someone noticed lmao. rip her's bro. fly high Stephen and Audun
@Stew Daly mines got a dent in the neck, and I don’t remember whether or not it was there when I got it. Oh the pressure!
If you have the money for an instrument like that, you also have money for a museum display bullet proof glass case and stand with environmental controls
This is the guitar store I normally shop at! Thank you for representing my home town SEATTLE!
The fact that a guitar can be $420,000 is mind blowing to me
How much would you pay to have prime linda evangelista as a wife
@@stopUkrainewar666 that would be a weird and one sided relationship if i payed for her...
Supply and demand. 1400 were produced in 58-59-60, but only a few hundred thousand survive.
Acoustic= I absolutely believe wood matters
Electric=I’ve literally seen a guy make a concrete guitar and it sounded fine, I mean seriously why would wood matter, the sound is derived from electronics and any deviation in sound from today to a vintage guitar relies solely on the hardware they were using at the time.
Ive been saying basically the same thing Bro .
And now we have amazing guitars made of epoxy filled with lots of cool stuff that sound as any other solid body electric guitar.
I would definitely just buy a new one. When you’re going to pay that much, you might as well get a newer one because every single part of it is going to be made of the best of the best quality materials. I look at it this way-you’re able to put your own history on it and if it’s a high-quality guitar, it will last a long time granted that you take care of it and it should only get better over time as well. Plus there are more options when it comes to color and a few other aesthetic options.
I agree.
New things arnt always made with better materials, on the contrary in my opinion, we live in a throw away society, things are ment to break so you have to buy a new one.
Back in the day things were built to last.
Especially if you get your own parts and them together yourself. Be the first person to play that guitar and keep it forever.
Yes and in 50 - 60 years the new one will sound super fabulous and the vintage one will be falling apart
Plus…one can buy a couple of them and still have $395,000 left over for an amp.
I've been on guitar safari for about a decade and I've visited hundreds of guitar stores across half a dozen countries, and Emerald City might be the best guitar store I've ever been to.
If im not mistaken, that new Les Paul is a USA standard, not a Custom Shop reissue? And the vintage strat can’t be from 1956 with three-ply pickguard and rosewood fingerboard?
Exactly. That was a USA LP Standard. R9s don’t say Standard on the truss rod cover, nor are they that overtly glossy. A 56 Strat cannot have a rosewood neck. Something is amiss here?🤔
@@ryanfulldark2775 Yes, somethings wrong. Lets hope Emerald got it right, as they sell these things.
That's not a 67 tele either. It's a 51 nocaster. Basically all the descriptions were wrong. He plays great though.
@@jamessmith3260 Yeah, something is wonky here. It could be a test!
@@ryanfulldark2775 Perhaps! If so, we passed. Anyways, the content from music is win is always great, but this is odd.
Got excited as soon as I heard Emeral City guitars!
I LOVE that shop so much! So much crazy stuff in there! I saw an original Esquire in there and I never thought I'd get to see one!
Everyone there couldn't be nicer, such a great shop!
2019 Cherry Burst is just a regular LP Standard but not an R9, lol
Also the "Burst" is a brand new R8 LP this clip, also some of the other guitars are not real.
Yeah, I noticed that too. R9's don't say "Standard" on the truss rod cover and almost always have the pickguard installed. The nut didn't look right either. However, it did sound pretty good! Also the '59 looked like it was in unbelievably great condition...maybe that was actually an R9!
@@SAGABIJO2 How could you tell it was an R8 and not an R9?
The headstock shape is Gibson USA not Custom Shop at all. Phony video and sorry comparison.
Thanks for a great review of my favorite local neck store. Jay & his crew are great!
When you slammed the pickup selector on a $420,000 burst you don’t own. More than once. Hnnnnghhhhh
I was right there with you Shaw...yikes! I was like "dude, you break it....you bought it". LOL
Once you play you play - that’s what an instrument is for 😉
Its built for it. If it was a weak component and the other components were wimpy, then this wouldn't be a super sought after $420,000 instrument.
Right!
@@theshapeexists That may be the case, but I wouldn't just kick the tires on a brand new lamborghini that I DIDN'T own. It's a good way to get a boot in your a$$.
Dude, badass video! You’re an exceptional guitar player Tyler. I’m excited to see where this channel goes!
A ‘56 Strat with a rosewood board? I thought Fender didn’t start rosewood boards on Strats and Teles until 1959.
No such a thing as a black guard - 67 Tele also - 56 Strat had only maple, no R9 with a "Standard" logo on the truss road cover... it it a Premium LP that cost much less that - 6000$ at ECG site....yes, the whole thing is a Joke...
@@SAGABIJO2 you're absolutely right about it all 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Man I love that store. Bought a PRS and a Gibson acoustic there. Had some of my guitars serviced there too. Great place, great vibes, great people. Highly recommend.
You can definitely hear a huge difference on the acoustic Martin’s. The electric is not as clear but still there.
"tonewood" I just love how AGED wood comes through the magnets and wires and changes the sound of an electric guitar... tone-paint as well or tone-plastic knobs, and don't forget my tone-bakelite pickguard
Thanks for coming to Seattle!! Despite the city becoming an armpit compared to what it once was, Seattle still has a pretty great music scene & nothing will ever compare to that “Seattle sound” from the late 80’s & early-mid 90’s. Home of Jimi, Heart, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Mud honey….
I just had chills from your take on little wing!!! 🙌🤯🤘⚡️🎸🎛📻💥
That's the best I've ever heard you play.
I had guessed you would go to Emerald City Guitars for the Washington episode!! So cool. Was just there.
I guess the thing with vintage guitars isn't any "real" thing in particular. There isn't a clear advantage or disadvantage. It's more the idea that so many people have touched it, and that you own a part of music history. It's sort of like when you're at a mountain, or some ancient place, and you get that feeling. Like, "Woah, so much has happened here, and this place is old". Same sort of feeling with a vintage guitar if that makes sense.
I think it's the fact that over time the moisture in the wood slowly evaporates out and the guitar becomes stiffer, less flexible due to the lack of moisturize. That might affect the tone of the guitar. Also, yes, lots of players played it so it comes with some "life".
most vintage guitars that are in good condition have sat on a wall or in a case for most of their lives. No Daily player is going to go for the value of an entire house
I love emerald city guitars!!! I used to live next door to them, loved hearing Jay's stories :)
The true value of any guitar, for that matter the value of anything that's for sale, is exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. If I'm not mistaken, you pay more for pre-ripped Jeans, that you do for non pre-ripped Jeans. So it really depends on the gullibility of the purchaser. If that 450,000 dollar guitar is for sale and it just sit for years, it's not worth 450,000 dollars.
Killing it, as always Tyler! The little jam at the very was my favorite part btw. Not that anyone asked for my opinion lol
In my personal opinion. I am not an amazin guitar player. Im just learning. I am no way shape or form a good guitar player. But when it comes to these instruments. $300 or $300,000 guitar doesnt matter to me. Whatever if comfortable and sounds good to the player. Is the most important thing. I have an epiphone les paul studio lt. And i love it. I played my cousins gibson les paul. And tbh. The epiphone is way more comfortable to me. And you can make and epiphone les paul a unique and special guitar. You can upgrade the internals in the guitar to make it better. Tbh if u want a $10,000 guitar go for it. But if u have a 300 les paul and thats all you can afford or all u want. Play your heart out
a 300 usd epiphone is awesome... I have a SX Telecaster hahaha.
Your two hands and a great amp is all that matters. That’s the key. If you can get what you want, you ahead of the game. All the rest is really trophies you can hang up on the wall and that’s it. I own Gibson, Fender and Epiphone. I can get the tones I want out of guitars well under a thousand and they all sound great. Is my $2000 Fender Tele and $2000 Gibson better then the rest? Sure, but not that much in sound and most of that sound I get from my amp. I don’t look for the best sound I look for a sound that I can get from each instrument that’s different.
Poly guitars are frozen in time and don't age and improve their tone but nitro is thin, gets thinner, and the woods age and crystallize any leftover saps and seem to become better. I own both.
Truth
I have a couple of $300 Craigslist guitars that are amazing. Really seems like the piece of wood it is made with really, regardless of when it was built
Most kids in the 60s-70s had Silvertones at best. A lot of name players started out on them. I still have my old 70s Silvertone bass.
The "Mojo" is in the fingers and heart of the player that loves and regularly plays the guitar of his choice. An engineer can set up mics and eq anything and capture the magic of a great performance.
I agree, Custom Shop is it for a player. And I love the Martin Sound. But stacking a pre-war D18 against a new D16 is kind of unfair!
And Rosewood Board Strats were introduced by Fender in 1959, so a '56 Rosewood Board Strat is either a fake or a typing error. Think its the latter 😉.
But great Video! 👍🏻
Incredibly talented guitarist being lucky enough to play those vintage guitars. I don’t know what else to say. Beautiful.
You talked a lot about tonewood in this video and I wanna say something coming from a physics perspective
First we need to clarify how actually a pickup works. The physical phenomenon is called electromagnetic induction, described by Faraday's law of induction that basically states that whenever there's a variable magnetic field near a conductive coil a current will be generated inside that coil
In guitars the magnet(s) generating the variable magnetic field are the strings, which are magnetized by the magnets in the pickups. When the strings vibrate at a certain amplitude, frequency and wavelength a current with the same exact amplitude, frequency and wavelength will be generated into the coil
But how is produced the actual acoustic sound of a guitar? When you play your strings their vibrations will travel through the wood (or any other material) and, according to its own acoustic properties, the wood itself will vibrate and it will produce THE sound. That's what happens in acoustic guitars, it's the soundboard that's vibrating and it is producing the sound
We can simplify all of this and say that the sound is influenced by two things:
1) How the strings vibrate (that's influenced by their construction and what they're contacting = nut and saddles)
2) The material of which the guitar is built (that's influenced by a hundred more things like bracing, the type of neck joint but I'll treat them as one single factor)
In a hollowbody guitar the pickups are usually mounted directly on the soundboard. As I said before, the soundboard is a vibrating surface. When it vibrates the pickups will vibrate too, thus making the strings magnetized in different ways (according to how the soundboard vibrates) and it will generate a different current in the coil (thus a different tone)
The same exact thing happens with electrified acoustic guitars
Now, in solid body electric guitars the pickups are mounted directly (or via a pickguard) into a 2" thick slab of wood. That thick piece of wood is simply too heavy, too thick and too rigid to produce any kind of considerable amount of vibrations
You can demonstrate it yourself, just grab an electric guitar and hear how loud it sounds unplugged. It won't sound very different from just a string by itself (like a tight elastic band)
With that negligible amount of vibrations from the materials of the guitar, they become pretty much insignificant.
Changing your nut will provide a much more tangible change in tone than, for example, changing the fretboard material.
Note, here I was talking strictly about how the material impacts the sound, not how it impacts the feel of the guitar. You could debate that a better feeling guitar can make you play better and sound better but i don't think that's relevant here
exactly, thank for sharing
sometimes just because things line up perfectly on paper, doesn’t mean they will in real life- life is full of intangibles
Even though the big block of wood may not be “vibrating” it’s still a medium that can carry and influence the vibrations flowing through it
Yes, even unplugged, better wood sounds better than cheap wood
Place your ear on the back of that 2 inch thick slab of wood and strike a chord. I have, and there are vibrations, otherwise I wouldn't hear them resonate through the solid wood body of the guitar. Whether this affects tone or not I really don't know.
Tone gives zero f**ks about physics.
The body does resonate, I can feel the body vibrate when I strum unplugged. But I agree that in a setup with amp it doesn't affect the sound.
Great video- I’ve been to that store (a long time ago), and was mesmerized! Great summation of what the choices are between vintage vs new. Thanks for the video and awesome playing! Bob from Spokane Valley, WA!
1 thing I’ve heard that made so much sense was
“You wanna buy a Wednesday guitar”
People like to think that the people who built guitars in the 50s and 60s were craftsmen passionate about guitar. They weren’t, they were workers like you or me.
So if a guitar was built on Monday the builder was most likely hungover and or distracted by talking about his weekend. The Tuesday the guitar is a lot because he’s sober and not as distracted. The Wednesday guitar is the best. The Thursday guitar the guy was tired, and over it, and Friday he was phoning it in until the weekend.
That goes for cars too.
Too bad guitars aren't built in a day. If there was a way to actually follow the guitar's progress through the entire build, you'd have something though. It is a known phenomena, I just don't think it works for things that take weeks to finish and go through many different workers hands. If this was stuff a blacksmith could make by himself in a day, then maybe. But I don't think craftsmen need to drink away their sorrows on the weekend like cubicle workers do anyway.
Yeah, but not only did they take more pride in their work, but Gibson, as well as most other companies, were WAY more concerned about putting out a great product vs. selling a million guitars.
I've played a lot of '50s Gibson guitars (mostly LPs), and I'm yet to find one with as many flaws as I've seen on most modern Gibsons.
There's a good reason it was called the "Golden Era".
Cool stuff. A tad distracting with the constant pickup switching, but I feel the biggest difference in my vintage compared to modern guitars is in the subtle 3/4-ish guitar volume, low amp gain area. Where more of the “wood” is heard. Heavy reverb and higher gain kinda ruins the vintage mojo vibe a guitar may have.
Should have cost $420,690....that be Niice 😎
It's cool that you kept the ashtray cover on the bridge of the Tele. No palm muting and still sounded great.
If I was the store owner, I would have hurt you real bad for flicking that toggle switch like a god damn lunatic.
Awfully pretentious to think that you can pick up a $400k and abuse the toggle like it’s a $200 Epiphone. Unreal.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one thinking about that lol
What an awesome episode!!!!
Wood definitely matters! It's hard to tell, but every little detail in a guitar adds up. Even the color of a guitar makes me play differently. Big things are made from small things. I'm very thankful I grew up with my dad's 1970's Les Paul Custom. I was just playing it the other day and when I really think of it, nothing plays like it. There's just no way to replicate it. One feature on that guitar that stands out is the smell. Aw man, I can smell it right now thinking about it! It smells very old and the sent is very strong, you can smell it from across the room! So when I play the guitar, the sent alone adds to the way I play it. Another thing is the aged electronics. There's just something about aged electronics that I love. I don't know exactly what it is, but it's almost like old dust and rust starts to give vintage electronic instruments this distinct sound. Kind of like an old vinyl record. Anyways My dad used to use his Les Paul in his old bands in the 70's. Now, I'm using it in my videos! Now modern guitars have their own charm. Eventually, they get worn in and they become something unique. It's already happened to a couple of my first electric guitars. I like to think, that eventually at some point, Chinese made guitars are going to be real collectors. I used to over look "made in China." But now when I think of it, I think of it in a more unique way. Man this guitar was made in China! That's pretty cool!
Listening through my cell phone speakers, there is almost no difference between the 59 Les paul and the new strat.
I'll have to listen to this back at home before I can give you my true feelings.
I will say that I prefer aging the guitar myself. Getting a refret my acoustic and I can't wait to hear it when it's done.
“Better” is subjective. If it sounds good, it IS good. Your wallet may feel a difference if you go vintage though. Old guitar does not equal a good guitar necessarily. Some are crap.
JAMES SCOTT NICHOLSON, ONTARIO, CANADA 🇨🇦 I JUST WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO SAY, LOVE WATCHING YOUR SHOW,
AND I AM GLAD TO SEE SOMEONE LIKE YOU,PLAY,WHO CAN PLAY EXCELLENT, AS TO SOME GUYS GET A VINTAGE GUITAR 🎸 AND PLAY SOMETHING COMMON,AND DON’T DEMONSTRATE THE QUALITY OF THE INSTRUMENT...IF I WAS WITH YOU,
AFTER HEARING YOU PLAY IT, I DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE TO RUN OUT THE DOOR WITH IT FOR YOU LOL 😂 TOP LEFT
2019 LP is just regular Standard, costs 2500$ :)
I know Emerald City Guitars from Chris and Rick Talk Guitars episodes. Lovs them and thanks Tyler ❤️
I just read that Joke and wanted to share it with you.
Woman stands before a judge, charged with beating her husband over the head with his own guitars.
Judge looks over his glasses at her and asks: First Offender ?
She looks up and says: No judge, first the Gibson, then the Fender.
😂😂
I guess she 'burst' his brains.
The guys name was Jack and even his son was involved ....all was ok until the Marshall showed up , then he was crying whaaaa whaaaa ......
😂 a good one, me like👍🏼
The Gibson almost snapped his head off at first hit. His face then turned blues making him growl low on a short scale. The whammy hit with the Fender was bell like and sustained pretty good the springy ringing in his head at perfect pitched high D.
>First the Gibson, then the Fender.
Well, the Fender's not a Telecaster, or he'd be dead.
"You're going to have a good time.." said like a kid in a candy shop. That tele sounded amazing.
The “59 reissue” was not a 6000 dollar 59 reissue.... was just a standard lol
And the "56" strat with a rosewood board. Give me a break
Interesting comments. Much appreciated ✌️❤️
I am a engineering design and manufacturing teacher (as well as an amateur musician). I know quite a bit more about electrical components, electronic signals and material science (than the average musician), so it drives me crazy when I hear about “tonewood” in electric guitars! I love Tyler‘s videos, but he is in astrologist when it comes to this subject. He wants to believe in Tonewood, it’s a fantasy created by his own mind. Electronic processing can make any guitar sound like any other! The only way you can tell a vintage guitar from a brand new guitar is by comparing the VERY subtle differences in the “clean” tones. And even that is just a matter of personal taste. The comparison cannot render which one is better than the other. Expensive guitars are like expensive cars… at some point the value is purely in the mind of the collector. And we all know the mentality of collectors with too much money.
I concur sir
I dunno man, do you think semi hollow guitars sound different than solid body guitars? I certainly find that they do. Also, a humbucker in an hss strat sounds a lot different than the one in a les Paul, or an sg for that matter. As for the scientific reason, the only explanation I can think of is that pickups are to some degree microphonic, not simply picking up the magnetic vibrations of the strings.
Oh you disbelievers of the obvious...
Tom, you are wrong with every single thing you're saying.
You long to prove your point by mentioning your qualifications.
Well, even some doctors/scientists deny the existence of a phenomenon when they
have no explanation for it, but it is still there.
Stick to your conviction and there are more vintage guitars for me.
Yippie yay yay!
@@K8j-p2b I admire your spirituality, sir. There is still a place for astrology and mysticism in this world. Keep the faith, man!
@@tomm1935 Oh no, don't get me wrong. No mysticism. I exist in this world. 1st career: electrical engineer/sound engineer. 2nd career: guitarist (now I'm the one bragging with education). I do not believe in fortune telling but most likely you will accept the obvious at some point.
Common trade-law: The value of everything is purely in the mind of the buyer. It is what someone is willing to pay for it. If someone offers $10 for your Porsche it is worth $ 10 until a different offer comes in.
That burst sounds amazing but the reissue was very, very similar sounding.
I guarantee you that they would sound pretty much identical if you were to swap the hardware and electronics out of the '59 and place them in the 2019 reissue (sacrilege, I know). A guitar's tone is the sum of all of it's parts (wood, frets, bridge, pickups, tone/volume pots, capacitors, strings etc.) working together when a string is plucked or a chord is strummed.
$420,000? Who’s selling, Matt Pike?
Thank joe bonamassa for the price of a legit vintage 60s burst :(
420k les paul sells... but who's buying?
Wouldn’t be surprised 😂 Pikes got more than enough Les Pauls, however a lot of them are beat to shit and probably reek of weed, so that’s right up my alley!!!!
DAMN nice playing. Love the jazz chord work. Great video my friend!
lol...nobody is paying anywhere near that much for 59 bursts anymore. Even at the height of the bubble they weren't that high. This is just speculators who got burned back then trying not to loose their shirts on the one's they over spent on.
Trust me, there is a fool in Seattle that works for Microsoft or Amazon that will purchase that just to hang on the wall.
@@Meditech509 lol...maybe...really though those boomer types have already bought them and now they are either dying or going to be dying very soon.
And frankly younger generations just don't care about those guitars enough to sustain any kind of market. Xer's like me love Fenders and Gibsons, but Jacksons and Charvels were just as much a part of our guitar hero's line ups as they were, so I don't think we really care to spend that kind of money. Plus there just aren't that many of us.
Millennials don't really care and Gen Z is REALLY not going to care. Values of these guitars are going to keep dropping like crazy as they come back on to the market when people die. Anybody who bought one 15 to 30 years ago as an "investment" better sell them right now for whatever they can get cause it's only going to get worse.
And lord help you if you were one of the ones who bought any of the custom shop reissue ones in the past 30 years thinking they were going to make you money. There are so many of those it's crazy. They're going to be nearly worthless.
My opinions of course.
@@doublestrokeroll 100 percent agree. happening in classic car market also.
@@Meditech509 I saw an interesting article talking about Elvis memorabilia and how it's lost something like 50 to 70% of it's value. Basically most of his fans are already dead and everyone else just doesn't care anymore. Stores that specialized in it are all closing etc.
It doesn't surprise me that it's happening in the classic car market either.
@@doublestrokeroll You wish..
Did you know that in 1948, Leo Fender made the '48 Fender Broadcaster. They then renamed it the Telecaster around the 50s. Cool history.
Dude, get your facts straight.. The reissue les paul is a standard model not a customshop R9, strat is not from 56 but most likely a 60/61 due to the slab rosewood fingerboard, 3 tone sunburst and 3 ply guard. The tele is not an 67 but a blackguard due to the string tree, black pickguard and logo. 67 has the transition logo and will never have a round stringtree and will most likely never have a factory black pickguard.
who frikin cares, man?
Edit: i was just too lazy to read the whole rant.
Thought that about the Strat also, but then again, it could have a replacement neck on it.
@@goofballjones5220 The pickguard is also an 11 hole, not 8
edit: 8 not 7
I have a 62 strat and it sounds meatier than the new ones , a friend of mine told me in the early 80s that the wood was already aged for 40 years for the vintage ones
"If you don't believe in tone wood... then you are probably wrong about that"
Glenn Fricker wants to know your location
Thanks for coming by!! Sorry I missed ya..lol
Most people avoid Seattle these days.😐
I get the vintage cost more cause of the collectible value but why the reissues have kinda "vintage" price as well?
Because people will pay that much to get as close to an actual vintage as possible
Bill Nash Fender style guitars off the used market have the vintage feel and you really can’t lose any money on them…
Ok, something has to be said about your adaptations of the classics to avoid the mafia. Dude you're effing killing it! Few passages left out, few added too. Super style and sub here!
No way that vintage strat is from '56 with a rosewood neck, looks like early 60s
First rosewood started at late 1959
Having read some of the comments , most are centring on the wood where I feel the magic lies in that spot where the woods and the finish,s
Meet I own a vintage strat mid seventy s and the finish on it has taken on a unique look and feel and yet I mostly pick up my p.r.s for its insane playability ,the strat makes me fight for every thing that comes from
Her , not necessarily a bad thing but my prs is so playable the pinicle of
Guitar construction makes everything easier and of course there's that
Typical prs tone in the midrange that I've just adopted as my tone .,
Bottom line it's your tone you need to find what works for you ,
And there in lies the mystery and the magic
The real magic is in the pickups and wireing.
"I know it does" , well of course he is the one trying to sell 40k guitars, there is no way he will ever tell you that wood doesn't matter
exactly, great chops but he is obviously trying to sell you something.
I agree, wood truly doesn't make difference in tone.
@Austin Steele : LOLOLOOL. People who believe in guitar "resonance" should be placed on an early Electra with the defective early wing and nacelles to find out how harmonic coupling *actually* works.
@Austin Steele Wood means Nothing ! Your all dreaming sigh .
@@ErickC Hahaha You cracked me up .
The difference in sound on the acoustics are so so much louder ! That vintage sounds so buttery smooth
I got a E-mail from this company called UNISON and they were like "ayo, check out this chord pack"....I was like "I don't use CHORD PA-" (Skip ad)
"He/she watches alot of guitar stuff, these hiphop production tools are a perfect ad" - UA-cam Algorithm
Getting from Key West to Washington is a bucket list trip. But I may one day make it. The pics/video I have seen from this company is absolutely awesome and puts itself on my list.
I am a player not a collector, so not what they are really looking for.
I hope to at least visit one day.
Keep in mind, most of the legendary guitar songs were recorded when these expensive vintage guitars were new.
Great point.
So well said!
People don't seem to even take that Huge fact into account, great point .
I have a vintage Les Paul custom from 79 it’s a bigsby fitted three pickup it’s amazing!!!! But it’s just as important to me as all my other Les Pauls
When there are so many factors to the sound of a guitar, tone wood ends up being pretty small contribution
If any.
@@alwaysopen7970 exactly. I didnt want to ruffle feathers by saying tone woods dont exist but in a way they dont haha
I recently got a 1992 Alvarez acoustic, and it sounds AWESOME
It’s sad that people dislike a video before they even watch it
3:46 something my guitar teacher told me: no matter how much the guitar costs it dosent because "Guitars are made to be played" I agree with that
Love from india!!
A couple of things. The D-16GT that you were on also had a few things against it compared to the D-18. The D16GT at that era (I have one) doesn't have a bone nut or saddle...it has this stuff called "micarta" for that, along with the fret-board being micarta also (it may also say it's a "composite". It's a manufactured material and was cheaper for Martin to use. The saddle is also glued-in, so if you wanted to replace it with a bone saddle, keep that in mind. The D-16GT was (at least when I bought mine) on the low-end of Martin's line that still had all solid wood including back and sides.
I think most of the people don't have to spend $420000 to unlock their playing potential 😂😂😂.
Great video…I’m visiting there in a week…looking forward to browsing and meeting the guys…I ascribe to the vintage eye and ear but run with a RI bank account. So far, it’s served me well…especially when it comes to my Historic R9, Historic R7 LPC 3pup Bigsby, ‘56 RI Strat, and ‘63 Gibson Memphis ES335TDS…The originals would set me back $500K/$750K vs. $750K vs. $20K or less used… sonically I can’t hear the difference and I seriously doubt that most would either!
I own a real 1958 LP. I love it, but honestly, it plays nowhere near as nicely as my 70's LPs. My 2012 is actually easily my best one. No guitar is worth 420K.
I was wondering just how they arrived at that figure..
Dude. When it comes to sentient guitar playing. Your the best, vro.