For me the true test of cheap vs expensive (or even mid-range) is the clean tones. Same with amps. Because distortion can cover so many sins. It produces some artificial sustain beyond what the guitar might naturally produce, it compresses by its very nature, it masks some tuning issues. But on clean there's no hiding what exactly you're getting.
For me, with amps, it’s the exact opposite. A lot of cheap solid state amps can do clean tones well, but they don’t usually have a good gain circuit, so if you find one that does, that’s how you know it’s a good amp.
You're absolutely right and I didn't mean my comment as a put down of cheaper gear or even saying that my suggested test is even a particularly useful one. Just for me if you're looking for the plainest sound difference, then it's the clean tones. Obviously the real questions should always be about what you're playing, how you're playing it, how the guitar you choose is suited to what you play, and how it feels to you personally to play it. But trying to do a comparison on that scale would just lead to comparing every single guitar ever made, with every genre and level of experience considered, which they can't do in a video like this. I think the most useful comment they made in this video is about when you are a beginner buying a new guitar. If you buy a bad guitar that feels nasty and sounds bad, you're more likely to stop playing. I was lucky that my dad was a dedicated guitarist so I had access to some very nice guitars when I was learning, and they absolutely kept me on track. In the end the feel of a guitar is always the most important thing, not the sound or the looks or the price.
For me it's other way around, distortion is where quality of sound shows - crappy guitars will often sound muddy, yet shrill, with no note definition and clarity. A stick with generator plugged to amp will sound ok in clean channel.
I agree with you, when I bought my first guitar without any guidance,totally 0 knowledge of guitar 17 years ago, the store dude who test out the yama pacifica 112m for me only tells me : listen to this clean tone boy, and played a few notes in it. I don't even understand what hes trying to say or "clean" and "dirty" tones lol.
For me its all about the acoustics of the guitar. I will put my ear to the wood and play some notes. I'm listening for tone, sustain and volume! BTW I have worked in guitar factories and in guitar sales. I've gotten to play many amazing guitars that I could never afford. But, this technique works quite well IMO. Also, if it acoustically it gives you a chill, That's a keeper. Swap pickups to your taste.
@Anderton's - Thank you. These last 2 weeks of my life have been incredibly difficult. And your channel is one of the few things that's brought me some comfort during this time. Being able to "hang out" with you all and just talk about music and gear, helps in ways that even I don't understand. Thank you so much!
First guitar purchased last Saturday, it's a Fender Squier Bullet Telecaster on sale for $129.00 American. Learning to play at almost 50... priceless! Great videos keep them coming!
While I thougt the expensive one sounds better, I think the cheaper PRS looks better by far. Maybe a bit ironic considering the price differences, but I think the more expensive one's finish a bit cheap looking, or unnatural, if that makes sense. The cheaper one has a more classic look I feel, which suits it far better, IMO
@@JamesAllenJr Either you got s*it luck of the draw, or that guitar had a really bad setup and no one around you knew that, that could have been the issue. I have several Epiphones, including a LP model and I love them dearly.
@@JamesAllenJr I used to have a Les Paul Special 2 and it sounded reasonable, apart from ridiculously high gain pickups, the action and stability were great.
Cant' tell you how much i enjoy all these videos; Rob and Lee together especially is like watching 2 kids in a candy store and it never gets old. Not a fan of shredding/effects/metal but Rob's ear is phenomenal and there's obviously method in his madness. The lessons with Justin have been a delight and extremely motivational. Have rescued the Epiphone LP Special from the basement and sent it to local (Canada) music store for a proper setup. Thank's guys.
thats actually kind of a problem. try a bunch of stuff from like simple things (meditating with a youtube video guiding u for 10 mins before u sleep) and ramp it up to stronger methods if that doesnt work. just remember to go to the doctor before taking any sleep meds
It takes me a couple minutes to fall asleep, but like rob I can somehow always wake up at the time I want to/tell my self before I go to bed. When I was little, I had no idea why everyone was telling me to have an alarm. It seemed completely pointless haha
I love these cheap vs expensive videos. Another great one guys. But to be honest 99% of us watching probably play in pub bands, record albums that our mates buy and have band photos that our mates see. Therefore if we used a cheap guitar or an expensive guitar, it would largely go unnoticed to anyone else. It's just nice to own something expensive. I own Squiers and Epiphones and they are great for pub jams and weekend demos. I can't justify a month's wages on a guitar as much as I'd like one. It would be like me buying a porsche... It looks great, costs loads, but it's only going to get me to the supermarket just as well as my Ford focus and most people in the car park (apart from a few petrol heads) won't care.
Shaky Blues The reason you purchase expensive instruments is for you personally. Not for others. I want to get a 60s reissue les paul, but my high quality les paul copy can cover anything. The reason I want that les paul is because it looks and sounds amazing.
this was great. honest, simple. and enjoyably pleasant to watch. ;) Chapman tends to skip the clean tones, though. i wish we could get more clean tones in these shootouts.. It is better to discern how good a guitar is..imo. thanks very much cheers from Portugal
As someone that bought a used squier bullet strat, changed the pickups and tuners, and then loved the guitar... I say change the pickups, change the tuners. The bones of those guitars are great, just gotta fill them. And it's a great vehicle to learn how to set up and take care of a guitar as well, while you're at it.
These squiers are amazing! I’ve had a squier bullet for 8 years and with some luthier’s work on the frets and stuff it’s just better than new! I didn’t replace the machine heads and they work great.
I haven't watched the channel in a while, I've decided on and purchased all my gear! But I enjoyed this a lot! I used to binge watch years back, I love this channel, makes you feel like a child on Christmas.
@@DoctorEnigma01 why not own both ;) in all seriousness, they're both just different sounds, happy PRS has been being treated as it's own sound in this last year!
I bought a Purple FSR Jazzmaster last week. It is just like Lee said. He did the Mustang bridge adjustion, and it was a good pick for a reasonable price.
FlesHBoX if you like that, check out Kiesel guitars. They get the first pick of the wood for their tops which is the best pick because they're the only company to pay the full price up front where as everyone else pays over 6 months or so
Kiesel was the original name for the company and they brought it back in 2015. Carvin started making amps and pedals in the 70's. Kiesel took over the instrument manufacturing but they still make a few Carvin models like the Jason Backer tribute model and the expensive one is a replica that's as close to the original as they can get
Whoever does the animations on these videos deserves a raise (or at least a free lunch). These videos are already great, but the nice little editing adds put it over.
16:00: Ah, Rob is going to drink coffee, he'll put it down and it'll break. Haha. 16:03: Huh, he put it down and it didn't break? Oh well, I guess the joke was milked a bit. Good on them. 16:07: Major grin :)
I gotta say that I have to agree with Chappers about upgrading the wee Squier. Way back in the mid-to-late '90s, I bought a Yamaha Pacifica 112XC on a 50% off blowout sale with a dismal amp. I played the crap out of it till one day I bought a new amp that exposed how poor the pickups were. So, I bought pots and stuck a set of Virtual Vintage 2.1s and a PAF Pro in the thing and, wow, it came to life. All these years later, I still have it and love it to bits. It's a good playing instrument and it records very well. Is it my one and only? Heck, no, but I can't see ever getting rid of it, either. She stands on her own merits as a reliable guitar that has gigged and survived all manner of abuse.
When I was a 13 I wanted to play drums, so my father got a child's drum set for me for Christmas. The tom heads were made from paper, so I went right through them after a month or so. I never did learn to play, sadly, but I picked up guitar a few years ago. Love the channel.
My first guityar was from argos i think. Came with an awful little amp. Was a terrible guitar and i soon begged my parents for an upgrade. I got an epiphone les paul custom soon after and it improved my playing immediately. Still have it now almost 12 years later. Great guitar.
Learning to play? Buy the (inexpensive) guitar that makes you want to pick it up and play just from looking at it. Been playing a while and have some extra cash lying around? Buy what ever the hell you want and never feel bad about it!
I learnt to play guitar on a £1700 Ibanez Prestige. It looks amazing, it feels amazing, and it inspired me to pick it up and learn to play. I think if I'd bought a cheapr Squier I'd most probably have given up, or at least practiced a lot less.
@@satans_pet_penguin meh, could be and could be not. Nothing wrong with learning on an expensive instrument if one has the money for it, but mind that there are a lot of "cheap" guitars that play fantastic after having a setup. I've got a Pacifica 611 and that feels as well as my AZ prestige to play tbh.
I've been playing and selling guitars for a couple of decades now, and have never heard that bit about materials subtracting unwanted frequencies. Thanks for the lesson!
I just wanted to drop a line saying I discovered your channel this week and am immensely enjoying your videos. I’m a lefty across the pond (and a lot of continent) in Kansas. I’ve had fits and starts over the years learning, and found a used Wolfgang Standard a couple of weeks ago that, upon sitting and playing it, finally felt “right.” You guys are educational, informative, and a lot of fun.
Something I notice in every Andertons video is the balance between the two guitars and the sound of the captain. When Rob and Lee jam, Rob is always louder in the mix, wich is not the issue when Lee plays with Pete or whoever. But what really got my attention is the sound of Lee! He might not be the best guitarist of all of them, but he defenitly always got the best sound! So, beside what's in his fingers(he's got a great tone!), I'm wondering what amps and what pedals he uses.
I would love to come to the store by the way, so many Gibsons to try! If I'll ever plan to go to england, I'll go to guildford for sure! A pitty England 's not european anymore, makes it all more complicated.
Love this episode. Love PRS and Gibson’s. Fenders are cool too but the problem with pricer Fenders is that they don’t look better than the cheap ones. That’s great for that understated look but sometimes you just want that binding, flame top and/or inlays.
Couple of friends have squires and they were not set right from factory lucky for them I was a little more experienced and told to set the trem system and which screws to tight or loose use same string gage and small adjustments. Also I like the maple neck finger board. Cheers.
Not a fan of the finish on that high end PRS. The colour is nice and the quilt is stunning, but the "satin" finish kinda kills it's appearance, as opposed to a glossy finish.
They have the same finish on the S2's and they really work best on the plain woods used on those guitars. They aren't really transparent enough to show off details in the wood on figured woods. I have a satin S2 and even though it looks better in person than in photos, I would not want this finish if the guitar had any sort of figuring in the wood cause you really can't see the wood that well. For more boring wood I prefer the satin finish cause it makes it a little more interesting than straight up paint like most would use on non figured wood.
Lee is right. I wanted to play guitar. They gave me an old classical guitar that didn't stay in tune. They gave me a broken tuning flute and I quit soon after. A few years later I got an old squier strat, but it was a decent guitar. Been playing and loving guitars ever since.
I find that your best bet is to go right down the middle and get middle if the range guitars. 600-1200 dollars. I have found that is the sweet spot. Way better than very low budget guitars but not too far off of a USA 1200-5000 dollar guitar. I'd rather have 3 $900 guitars that 1 $2700 guitar
Yet again...killer amp + meh guitar > killer guitar + meh amp. Five to six hundred bucks is the most you need to spend on a guitar, really...as long as the thing plays ok and stays in tune, it'll do...spend the money on the amp.
Yea, but you only *need* a bedroom, a toilet and a toaster oven in your house, and you can live. Nothing wrong with wanting a shower and a living room, too.
Seriously though, if they truly cared about "Tone Wood" they would be trying to get better picks of wood for their tops than Kiesel. But, since kiesel is the only company to pay full price for the wood upfront, they get the first pick which gives them the best choices
I thought Rob was crazy going on about that PRS right up until Rabea played it after the Les Paul. The bridge pickup on the grabbed me by the soul and proved, once again, the Chappers knows his guitars. What a full frequency beast of a bridge pickup sound that is!
Every time I see Rob play a Fender, I say to myself, "Rob should switch to Fenders." The shredding just makes so much more sense to me with that sound.
Squiers are very high quality latetly. The Classic Vibe series can go toe-to-toe with the Fender Custom Shop line. My biggest gripe with the Classic Vibes though is the heavy nitrocellulose layer on the neck.
Logan Palmer Please please think before you write and spread misinformation! The squier uses Polyurethane and not nitro! I would praise the lord and buy it instantly if there would be a squier Nitro line for let’s say a hundred dollars more.
My first guitar was a KCC strat pack that I got for my Christmas when I was about 10. I loved it for about a week but I got so frustrated even at that young age because I knew it was terrible and made it very difficult to play compared to my friends vintage ibanez strat clone his dad gave him. I didn't touch the guitar again till I was about 15 and I bought a epiphone LP special 2 which was miles better. After watching this I looked up that KCC guitar and you can buy the guitar, amp, gig bag and all the usual gubbins for £55... £55! I can't imagine how many other were put off for life with those hunks of cheap garbage. Edit: I will also say, I think a massive part is throwing away the strings that come with these cheap guitars and putting on some decent strings. That has such a massive impact in my opinion.
When it comes to the Epiphone studio, I would agree a little regarding the frets but all in all I feel it's well worth the money and plays real well. I suppose it's possible with a price as low as it is you may run into some that need a little more than others but for the price I have to say it's a great guitar. I got one as my first guitar and to this day everytime I pick it up to play it, it feels right at home. You could say it feels like it fits like a glove. Mine for example didn't need any work at all. It was fantastic right out of the box. That being said I did get a little fret sprout about a year later, but I live in a part of Arizona that is very dry most of the time but then we get what they call "monsoon season", and then it gets very humid for 2 to 3 months, then everything drys out for the rest of the year so the fret sprout was my fault for not taking the proper steps to keep the humidity in the case even. I dont have that problem any longer. Great guitar I would recommend it, the price is right. I think it's currently going for $249.00. Btw I am in no way affiliated with Epiphone, I just like the guitar. Mine is jet black I put chrome knobs and pickup covers on it and it looks fantastic. I get complements all the time!
Okay, all of these brands are USA based. All of their cheapest version in this case are all from far east factories. How about either comparing the best far east versions (e.g. SE, Classic Vibe etc...?) with the most affordable "home made" models (or perhaps Mexican Fenders then?). Or just comparing only made in USA guitars all together, from most expensive to most affordable? And I would agree with some of the comments here, more variety in brands would be great! Just means more parts and more videos (=clicks) for all of us... ;)
Oh that Les Paul at the end sounded and looked outstanding. I preferred that to the PRS by quite a bit. Right now I have a Epi Les Paul plus top pro and if I could have any guitar it would be that exact one.
Rob and Lee's description of how tone happens is bang on the money.As a slight addendum, there's not a lot of guitar specific achademic research, it tends to be more focused on idealised instruments or violins. A thick hard catalysed polyurethane finish tends to vibrate as a separate shell, and the thicker it is the greater the damping factor. Thin nitro, particularly without a lot of opaque undercoats and fillers has much less of a damping factor. I've still got my '99 affinity strat, it works well, but it has needed a refret as the frets were quite soft and its have many different sets of pickups. Hardtail is probably a bonus on a first guitar. Coincidentally I have another one of similarge vintage in for a refret and pickups. Truss rods are still good.
Max Heavner i guess the videos are not recorded in the order they upload them, this might be realy new and the lesson videos might be several month old by now
He started spending an hour a day just practicing and learned a lot from some John Mayer periscope vids. He talked about it on some older Anderton's videos. In the last year or so, I think.
Captain said it best... "Nothing sounds like a Strat" Ive been tone searching since 1983. I totally agree. all guitars sound great,but the Strat has a sweetness . even playing metal, is distinctive!
I a getting a little bored by seeing the same brands over and over again. There are so many other good brands like (but not limited to); Yamaha, Ibanez, Cort, Fernandez and a bunch of others
I can see your point, but you don't have to watch it. At the end of the day Fender, Gibson and PRS are the three most aspirational guitar brands for most people. Like cars, you can buy a hyundai or a nissan but in Europe most people aspire to a BMW, Audi or Mercedes (as the stats prove.)
Andrea Amati did start the flamed maple craze. He kind of did it on the back and necks of his violins, with Stradivari and Guarneri following the trend
2 things: 1) I'm with Lee in this one. Don't mod the cheap guitar. It will cost as much to do it and you could just buy a guitar for that price. 2) I bought and am modding a First Act acoustic and the bridge was about 1/2 inch off (based on my measurements). That's inexcusable.
Yep, Too much distortion! A nice Fender valve amp with a little gain would show up the difference better. They still cant beat that lovely Les Paul in the middle - It looks like my Traditional. ;0)
Andertons rarely do structured demos. Mostly you can enjoy banters and see how passionate they look when playng guitar, then you can see if it is good or not and that what counts for me ...
Let's be real that pickups make the sound for perhaps 50% on the guitar-end. The strings in combination with the guitar itself (and the playing obviously) is what drives the electronics. - I mean, exchange the pickups in the Bullet with some higher quality ones or just ones that have a tone more akin to the expensive Strat, it will get a lot closer. - The other 50% or so will just be how well the strings ring, which in turn is driven by the resonance of the body and how well they're fretted (and also not). - The rest is pushed into other electronics like the amplifier and speakers which will dictate the rest. To me, really, when I play the very different guitars that I have, although some of the character comes from its shape and I suppose the wood-construction, while unplugged they can sound all fine, amplified I just hear the different pickups. - I have from generic brandless ones, to Epiphone/Gibson-designed ones, to DiMarzios and EMGs and the like... They're the most "discriminating" when it comes to changing the sound. As it's basically like putting a filter or "EQ" on your sound. - I can really hear whether or not they work for that guitar or tuning or style. They're also the most difficult element to deal with, as there are so many and generally not easy to just switch out quickly, let alone finding the right ones.
Please Please Please STOP reviewing affordable guitars through amps costing multiple times the price. It's just not realistic in helping someone choose what equipment to buy. Would Top Gear fit a ferrari engine into a nissan micra and do a review? Maybe they would, but as a joke not as a credible review of the engine or car. Have you done a video comparing a £400 rig to a £2000 or £4000 one? Rant over. Still love you lots!!!
I understand your point about consistency but it's not realistic to review a guitar for £120 if you don't play it through an amp of similar price. If that is the amount of money a person has to spend on a guitar then they are also going to buy an amp around the same price. They are not going to buy an amp for £500 or £1000 and some effects pedals. To be realistic Andertons should play an affordable guitar with for example a Code 25 or Boss Katana and play an expensive guitar with a high quality valve amp. The presenters could then give the viewers an realistic assessment of the tone based on price.
Because if some one is spending £120 it is probably their first guitar and they will buy an amp of about the same price. No point trying out the guitar on an expensive amp when you can only afford a cheap amp.
These are not reviews. They are just showcases. There are plenty of people who play these guitars through amps like you describe. You don't come to Andertons for purchase advice. You come for the personalities, commentary and the looks into features of new gear.
To be thorough and not have the amp sway the results they should play both through an expensive and both through a cheap amp. Simply pairing a cheap guitar with a cheap amp and expensive guitar with expensive amp gives no information to the viewer at all. There is no way to tell what is from the amp or the guitar. Since they usually have 2 amps anyway in the videos, this would be very easy to do. Perhaps replace rob's amp with a boss katana or orange micro dark, or Lee's amp with fender mustang or similar.
When it comes to burst and flame maple tops, as far as I'm aware it was meant to be reminiscent of antique French polish found on old violins etc but has grown into something completely different in guitars.
I am really not sure who this video is aimed at. Someone considering a 6000 UKP guitar is not going to go for the low end. Nobody expects the absolute low end to be in any way comparable to the absolute high end. I mean, I am absolutely happy with my Epiphone Les Paul Standard after a pickup upgrade, but not in a million years would I expect it to be better or even comparable to a Gibson Les Paul Standard. I think it would be much better to stay either inside the brand itself (Only Epiphone, Only Squire etc) and see at what price point your get the best value for your money. For example, Epiphone Les Paul Standard - it it worth it to go for a Pro or Plus? Ibanez - S-Series, how high can you go with the price and still expect a substantial improvement. As I said, a shootout between cheapest and most expensive is always going to end in favor of the most expensive unless there is something very wrong with the brand.
AlwarrenSidh Of course the more expensive guitar is going to be better, but it's to see if the expensive guitars price is actually directly proportional to its quality when compared to the cheapest. Plus they're fun to watch.
AlwarrenSidh it's aimed at people who would rather watch these two chat and play guitar rather than majority of shit on TV. ....Or, in bed, like I'm doing right now lol. :-)
You can really tell that the capt is getting better and better just his progressions are showing it now the way he is formatting his licks now its nice and of course rob is a great guitarist
I own a 2017 American Pro Strat, and it's been PLEK'd, sounds awesome and plays awesome. I played a 1960s relic one that was $4000+, and it sounded more or less the same, they have different pickups, but it played so good, and I don't think mine will ever feel as good as that one did. I understand the difference because that thing took zero effort to play.
For me the true test of cheap vs expensive (or even mid-range) is the clean tones. Same with amps. Because distortion can cover so many sins. It produces some artificial sustain beyond what the guitar might naturally produce, it compresses by its very nature, it masks some tuning issues. But on clean there's no hiding what exactly you're getting.
For me, with amps, it’s the exact opposite. A lot of cheap solid state amps can do clean tones well, but they don’t usually have a good gain circuit, so if you find one that does, that’s how you know it’s a good amp.
You're absolutely right and I didn't mean my comment as a put down of cheaper gear or even saying that my suggested test is even a particularly useful one. Just for me if you're looking for the plainest sound difference, then it's the clean tones. Obviously the real questions should always be about what you're playing, how you're playing it, how the guitar you choose is suited to what you play, and how it feels to you personally to play it. But trying to do a comparison on that scale would just lead to comparing every single guitar ever made, with every genre and level of experience considered, which they can't do in a video like this.
I think the most useful comment they made in this video is about when you are a beginner buying a new guitar. If you buy a bad guitar that feels nasty and sounds bad, you're more likely to stop playing. I was lucky that my dad was a dedicated guitarist so I had access to some very nice guitars when I was learning, and they absolutely kept me on track. In the end the feel of a guitar is always the most important thing, not the sound or the looks or the price.
For me it's other way around, distortion is where quality of sound shows - crappy guitars will often sound muddy, yet shrill, with no note definition and clarity. A stick with generator plugged to amp will sound ok in clean channel.
I agree with you, when I bought my first guitar without any guidance,totally 0 knowledge of guitar 17 years ago, the store dude who test out the yama pacifica 112m for me only tells me : listen to this clean tone boy, and played a few notes in it. I don't even understand what hes trying to say or "clean" and "dirty" tones lol.
For me its all about the acoustics of the guitar. I will put my ear to the wood and play some notes. I'm listening for tone, sustain and volume! BTW I have worked in guitar factories and in guitar sales. I've gotten to play many amazing guitars that I could never afford. But, this technique works quite well IMO. Also, if it acoustically it gives you a chill, That's a keeper. Swap pickups to your taste.
@Anderton's - Thank you. These last 2 weeks of my life have been incredibly difficult. And your channel is one of the few things that's brought me some comfort during this time. Being able to "hang out" with you all and just talk about music and gear, helps in ways that even I don't understand. Thank you so much!
"Wood library" sounds like a euphemism for porn stash.
😂
"I bought it for my son"
Hahahaha the bubble pop @13:08 I don’t know why but it made me laugh so much! Hats off to the editors and FX peeps! 🎩
You mean speed hats off
Philtration 😂 Speed hats, indeed!
I was just about to comment that! 😂😂
And the mugs poofing into dust or floating away. I laughed way too hard at that.
First guitar purchased last Saturday, it's a Fender Squier Bullet Telecaster on sale for $129.00 American. Learning to play at almost 50... priceless! Great videos keep them coming!
Much improved soloing from the captain in this video - sounding more vocal Lee, great work!
His solo on the Squier was insanely nice
I agree. Paused the video after the intro to come down and congratulate Lee on those sweet licks.
Warning!!!! Lee showing his stuff in this video
I had to rewind and re listen to the captains solo on the squier
That expensive PRS is stunning!
Only the price is stunning.
While I thougt the expensive one sounds better, I think the cheaper PRS looks better by far. Maybe a bit ironic considering the price differences, but I think the more expensive one's finish a bit cheap looking, or unnatural, if that makes sense. The cheaper one has a more classic look I feel, which suits it far better, IMO
It should be stunning if it’s expensive
I agree with you Lee, never buy a kid a cheap guitar that's so hard to play an expert couldn't play it.
I got an Epiphone LP Special II as my first Les Paul type guitar... It sucked beyond belief and set me back from growing for years.
@@JamesAllenJr Either you got s*it luck of the draw, or that guitar had a really bad setup and no one around you knew that, that could have been the issue. I have several Epiphones, including a LP model and I love them dearly.
@@thegunni143 well honestly the bolt on neck les pauls are really mehhhh. Its hard to find a good one. But the lp set necks almost always perfect
@@mcspankies1799 That's fair, mine is set neck, I haven't actually tried the bolt on necked LPs
@@JamesAllenJr I used to have a Les Paul Special 2 and it sounded reasonable, apart from ridiculously high gain pickups, the action and stability were great.
Cant' tell you how much i enjoy all these videos; Rob and Lee together especially is like watching 2 kids in a candy store and it never gets old. Not a fan of shredding/effects/metal but Rob's ear is phenomenal and there's obviously method in his madness. The lessons with Justin have been a delight and extremely motivational. Have rescued the Epiphone LP Special from the basement and sent it to local (Canada) music store for a proper setup. Thank's guys.
I envy rob. Meanwhile it takes me 2 hrs to fall asleep and cant even get up on an alarm
thats actually kind of a problem. try a bunch of stuff from like simple things (meditating with a youtube video guiding u for 10 mins before u sleep) and ramp it up to stronger methods if that doesnt work. just remember to go to the doctor before taking any sleep meds
ME TOO!
It takes me a couple minutes to fall asleep, but like rob I can somehow always wake up at the time I want to/tell my self before I go to bed. When I was little, I had no idea why everyone was telling me to have an alarm. It seemed completely pointless haha
I love these cheap vs expensive videos. Another great one guys. But to be honest 99% of us watching probably play in pub bands, record albums that our mates buy and have band photos that our mates see. Therefore if we used a cheap guitar or an expensive guitar, it would largely go unnoticed to anyone else. It's just nice to own something expensive. I own Squiers and Epiphones and they are great for pub jams and weekend demos. I can't justify a month's wages on a guitar as much as I'd like one. It would be like me buying a porsche... It looks great, costs loads, but it's only going to get me to the supermarket just as well as my Ford focus and most people in the car park (apart from a few petrol heads) won't care.
Shaky Blues The reason you purchase expensive instruments is for you personally. Not for others. I want to get a 60s reissue les paul, but my high quality les paul copy can cover anything. The reason I want that les paul is because it looks and sounds amazing.
I don't play for anyone. Only myself. But I only have nice guitars. Looking into one of the PRS wood library next.
this was great. honest, simple. and enjoyably pleasant to watch. ;)
Chapman tends to skip the clean tones, though.
i wish we could get more clean tones in these shootouts.. It is better to discern how good a guitar is..imo.
thanks very much
cheers from Portugal
Lee - "These guitars leave me speechless."
Also Lee - "It stayed in tune!!"
As someone that bought a used squier bullet strat, changed the pickups and tuners, and then loved the guitar... I say change the pickups, change the tuners. The bones of those guitars are great, just gotta fill them. And it's a great vehicle to learn how to set up and take care of a guitar as well, while you're at it.
I was on the shop the day they shoot this video. They where all super nice, truly awesome people. Love your videos guys keep at it
These squiers are amazing! I’ve had a squier bullet for 8 years and with some luthier’s work on the frets and stuff it’s just better than new! I didn’t replace the machine heads and they work great.
Damn, Captains solo on that bullet strat was so soulful 👌
I haven't watched the channel in a while, I've decided on and purchased all my gear!
But I enjoyed this a lot! I used to binge watch years back, I love this channel, makes you feel like a child on Christmas.
The LP sounds so much nicer than the PRS imo. So much thicker and creamier, like warm
Nutella.
I agree
That LP was bad ass.
Yes LP's sound better than PRS's.Or so I think anyway.
Les Paul will never be equaled, I’ve tried just about every guitar and nothing plays like my Les Paul’s, R9 and modern both are fantastic
@@DoctorEnigma01 why not own both ;) in all seriousness, they're both just different sounds, happy PRS has been being treated as it's own sound in this last year!
A bullet HH was my first electric guitar, and I put an affinity telecaster neck on it, and I absolutely love that guitar. DEFINITELY worth the $$
That expensive PRS is one of the most beautiful sounding guitars I’ve ever heard.
I bought a Purple FSR Jazzmaster last week. It is just like Lee said. He did the Mustang bridge adjustion, and it was a good pick for a reasonable price.
Good god that prs wood library is one of the most beautiful guitars I think I've ever seen.
FlesHBoX if you like that, check out Kiesel guitars. They get the first pick of the wood for their tops which is the best pick because they're the only company to pay the full price up front where as everyone else pays over 6 months or so
Did that used to be Carvin? Their site looks exactly like the old Carvin catalogs I used to get.
Kiesel was the original name for the company and they brought it back in 2015. Carvin started making amps and pedals in the 70's. Kiesel took over the instrument manufacturing but they still make a few Carvin models like the Jason Backer tribute model and the expensive one is a replica that's as close to the original as they can get
You learn something every day. I used to dream of picking up a carvin custom. Their quilt was always so amazing.
Whoever does the animations on these videos deserves a raise (or at least a free lunch). These videos are already great, but the nice little editing adds put it over.
16:00: Ah, Rob is going to drink coffee, he'll put it down and it'll break. Haha.
16:03: Huh, he put it down and it didn't break? Oh well, I guess the joke was milked a bit. Good on them.
16:07: Major grin :)
16:12 Where's my cup??
Exactly what I tought :D
They shoulda smashed it when he pulled the cord out 👎
I gotta say that I have to agree with Chappers about upgrading the wee Squier. Way back in the mid-to-late '90s, I bought a Yamaha Pacifica 112XC on a 50% off blowout sale with a dismal amp. I played the crap out of it till one day I bought a new amp that exposed how poor the pickups were. So, I bought pots and stuck a set of Virtual Vintage 2.1s and a PAF Pro in the thing and, wow, it came to life. All these years later, I still have it and love it to bits. It's a good playing instrument and it records very well. Is it my one and only? Heck, no, but I can't see ever getting rid of it, either. She stands on her own merits as a reliable guitar that has gigged and survived all manner of abuse.
What rabea said at the end is exactly how my ex girlfriend dumped me.
When I was a 13 I wanted to play drums, so my father got a child's drum set for me for Christmas. The tom heads were made from paper, so I went right through them after a month or so. I never did learn to play, sadly, but I picked up guitar a few years ago. Love the channel.
Captain's playing in the intro was so good!
My two favorite playing and sounding guitars are a $7000 custom shop 1960 LP and a $100 squier strat with seymour duncans and nicer tuners.
My first guityar was from argos i think. Came with an awful little amp. Was a terrible guitar and i soon begged my parents for an upgrade. I got an epiphone les paul custom soon after and it improved my playing immediately. Still have it now almost 12 years later. Great guitar.
Rob and Lee have the best kind of energy for each other 😂 they bounce off each other and it’s awesome
Learning to play? Buy the (inexpensive) guitar that makes you want to pick it up and play just from looking at it.
Been playing a while and have some extra cash lying around? Buy what ever the hell you want and never feel bad about it!
I learnt to play guitar on a £1700 Ibanez Prestige. It looks amazing, it feels amazing, and it inspired me to pick it up and learn to play. I think if I'd bought a cheapr Squier I'd most probably have given up, or at least practiced a lot less.
@@satans_pet_penguin meh, could be and could be not. Nothing wrong with learning on an expensive instrument if one has the money for it, but mind that there are a lot of "cheap" guitars that play fantastic after having a setup. I've got a Pacifica 611 and that feels as well as my AZ prestige to play tbh.
I've been playing and selling guitars for a couple of decades now, and have never heard that bit about materials subtracting unwanted frequencies. Thanks for the lesson!
No beard, no love.
"Is it because your wife has heard of Gibson?" I nearly fell off my chair laughing. Rob Chapman is one exceptional fellow.
June 2018 and the tea cup smash's still here!!! Never give up on that one. It's an Anderton's UA-cam mark, now lolol
Lee just took advantage of that epi. Beautiful playing sir.
I just wanted to drop a line saying I discovered your channel this week and am immensely enjoying your videos. I’m a lefty across the pond (and a lot of continent) in Kansas. I’ve had fits and starts over the years learning, and found a used Wolfgang Standard a couple of weeks ago that, upon sitting and playing it, finally felt “right.” You guys are educational, informative, and a lot of fun.
Something I notice in every Andertons video is the balance between the two guitars and the sound of the captain. When Rob and Lee jam, Rob is always louder in the mix, wich is not the issue when Lee plays with Pete or whoever. But what really got my attention is the sound of Lee! He might not be the best guitarist of all of them, but he defenitly always got the best sound! So, beside what's in his fingers(he's got a great tone!), I'm wondering what amps and what pedals he uses.
I would love to come to the store by the way, so many Gibsons to try! If I'll ever plan to go to england, I'll go to guildford for sure! A pitty England 's not european anymore, makes it all more complicated.
Love this episode. Love PRS and Gibson’s. Fenders are cool too but the problem with pricer Fenders is that they don’t look better than the cheap ones. That’s great for that understated look but sometimes you just want that binding, flame top and/or inlays.
Lees playing on the squier....
Couple of friends have squires and they were not set right from factory lucky for them I was a little more experienced and told to set the trem system and which screws to tight or loose use same string gage and small adjustments. Also I like the maple neck finger board. Cheers.
Not a fan of the finish on that high end PRS. The colour is nice and the quilt is stunning, but the "satin" finish kinda kills it's appearance, as opposed to a glossy finish.
They have the same finish on the S2's and they really work best on the plain woods used on those guitars. They aren't really transparent enough to show off details in the wood on figured woods. I have a satin S2 and even though it looks better in person than in photos, I would not want this finish if the guitar had any sort of figuring in the wood cause you really can't see the wood that well. For more boring wood I prefer the satin finish cause it makes it a little more interesting than straight up paint like most would use on non figured wood.
Loving for the exact same reason - horses for courses
Lee is right. I wanted to play guitar. They gave me an old classical guitar that didn't stay in tune. They gave me a broken tuning flute and I quit soon after. A few years later I got an old squier strat, but it was a decent guitar. Been playing and loving guitars ever since.
Wow that editor deserves more credit
0:52 - 1:22 OMG!!! I'm in love with that lick, especially the end ... Amazing stuff
That’s the best I’ve seen Rob play in a long while.
I've got a '96 Squire Bullet, never gone out of tune. 12" radius rosewood fretboard, gigged it...pretty handy
I find that your best bet is to go right down the middle and get middle if the range guitars. 600-1200 dollars. I have found that is the sweet spot. Way better than very low budget guitars but not too far off of a USA 1200-5000 dollar guitar. I'd rather have 3 $900 guitars that 1 $2700 guitar
rathere own one 1.5 grand guitar
and one 600-800 guitar instead pf three mid range guitars
I agree - I think around £800 is the sweet spot!
13:13, the best analogy I've heard to explain a guitar's ability to hold a note. Love it.
Yet again...killer amp + meh guitar > killer guitar + meh amp.
Five to six hundred bucks is the most you need to spend on a guitar, really...as long as the thing plays ok and stays in tune, it'll do...spend the money on the amp.
Yea, but you only *need* a bedroom, a toilet and a toaster oven in your house, and you can live.
Nothing wrong with wanting a shower and a living room, too.
except if youre practicing, sucks to practice in a bad bad guitar
Lots of great guitars in the $500-600 range. Especially used.
500 to 600 bucks may be the most YOU need to spend on a guitar, but there are many worlds beyond that price cap you have set. Many worlds.
rmp5s but the expensive guitars look so purty
Lee it's great to see how your playing has improved over time!
Nice to hear that PRS uses tone lacquers. Does tone polish make it sound even better?
JH Scofield don’t forget to get the right tone strap.
never forget to spray your strings with "tone spray", after playing for a while.
Seriously though, if they truly cared about "Tone Wood" they would be trying to get better picks of wood for their tops than Kiesel. But, since kiesel is the only company to pay full price for the wood upfront, they get the first pick which gives them the best choices
Yes,that is how you get that polished professional tone! Without the polish you will get a dull tone and sound like a turd.
Buahahahahaha!
I thought Rob was crazy going on about that PRS right up until Rabea played it after the Les Paul. The bridge pickup on the grabbed me by the soul and proved, once again, the Chappers knows his guitars. What a full frequency beast of a bridge pickup sound that is!
as mr Keanu Reeves would say. Most Excellent Dudes....but seriously. Lee, the world needs needs more of your integrity, and lol, good salesmanship. j.
You mean; "Woah..."
WELL done Rabea... 'black one' I love it.
of course the $115.00 dollar squier sounds amazing 1 they both play well specially rob robs a pro an tours an two hes playing through a great amp
what is the really nice backing track type riff they are playing at 17:15 ? Much appreciation if anyone can help
Sam cooper Hi, I am also looking for that from so long. Please tell me if you could find it. Thanks.
I want an Andertonscaster!
I have played that wood library guitar at Andertons. And they aren’t lying, it sounds out of this world! 😍
I actually think that Epiphone has a cool sound. They are usually dark and muddy, that sounds midrangey and vocal
A little Free at the 30:00 mark! Digging it!!!
PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO OF ROB EXPLAINING HOW TO CALIBRATE AND SET THE ACTION OF GUITARS!! 🙏🙏
I have the exact same SE Standard 24, it’s an absolute beauty.
whenever you guys say wood library i think food library, from metalocolypse.
IT'S CALLED A GROCERY STORE YA DOUCHE BAGS! 😂
What's ams foods libraryss?
Every time I see Rob play a Fender, I say to myself, "Rob should switch to Fenders." The shredding just makes so much more sense to me with that sound.
Damn, that Squier sounds VERY good for such a cheap guitar.
Squiers are very high quality latetly. The Classic Vibe series can go toe-to-toe with the Fender Custom Shop line. My biggest gripe with the Classic Vibes though is the heavy nitrocellulose layer on the neck.
Logan Palmer Please please think before you write and spread misinformation! The squier uses Polyurethane and not nitro!
I would praise the lord and buy it instantly if there would be a squier Nitro line for let’s say a hundred dollars more.
Best intro solo Lee has ever played!
My first guitar was a KCC strat pack that I got for my Christmas when I was about 10. I loved it for about a week but I got so frustrated even at that young age because I knew it was terrible and made it very difficult to play compared to my friends vintage ibanez strat clone his dad gave him. I didn't touch the guitar again till I was about 15 and I bought a epiphone LP special 2 which was miles better. After watching this I looked up that KCC guitar and you can buy the guitar, amp, gig bag and all the usual gubbins for £55... £55! I can't imagine how many other were put off for life with those hunks of cheap garbage.
Edit: I will also say, I think a massive part is throwing away the strings that come with these cheap guitars and putting on some decent strings. That has such a massive impact in my opinion.
When it comes to the Epiphone studio, I would agree a little regarding the frets but all in all I feel it's well worth the money and plays real well. I suppose it's possible with a price as low as it is you may run into some that need a little more than others but for the price I have to say it's a great guitar. I got one as my first guitar and to this day everytime I pick it up to play it, it feels right at home. You could say it feels like it fits like a glove. Mine for example didn't need any work at all. It was fantastic right out of the box. That being said I did get a little fret sprout about a year later, but I live in a part of Arizona that is very dry most of the time but then we get what they call "monsoon season", and then it gets very humid for 2 to 3 months, then everything drys out for the rest of the year so the fret sprout was my fault for not taking the proper steps to keep the humidity in the case even. I dont have that problem any longer. Great guitar I would recommend it, the price is right. I think it's currently going for $249.00. Btw I am in no way affiliated with Epiphone, I just like the guitar. Mine is jet black I put chrome knobs and pickup covers on it and it looks fantastic. I get complements all the time!
Okay, all of these brands are USA based. All of their cheapest version in this case are all from far east factories. How about either comparing the best far east versions (e.g. SE, Classic Vibe etc...?) with the most affordable "home made" models (or perhaps Mexican Fenders then?).
Or just comparing only made in USA guitars all together, from most expensive to most affordable?
And I would agree with some of the comments here, more variety in brands would be great! Just means more parts and more videos (=clicks) for all of us... ;)
S2 Vs SG Vs Mexistrat or entry level US Strat would be a great video.
Leo Hanke a
Oh that Les Paul at the end sounded and looked outstanding. I preferred that to the PRS by quite a bit. Right now I have a Epi Les Paul plus top pro and if I could have any guitar it would be that exact one.
I would like to see a video on the satchel charvel signature
What is the song that they are playing @ 17:18? If it is a song that is
Jordan Curtis hey I am trying to find it from quite long. Let me know if you already know. Thanks.
Maybe instead of an Andertons' branded guitar pack make a Chapman Beginner's guitar pack?
It'll be a Chapman guitar, a Victory amp and the Mythos Mjolnir because why would you want anything else? - Rob Chapman (possibly)
A Cheapman Pack?
Rob and Lee's description of how tone happens is bang on the money.As a slight addendum, there's not a lot of guitar specific achademic research, it tends to be more focused on idealised instruments or violins. A thick hard catalysed polyurethane finish tends to vibrate as a separate shell, and the thicker it is the greater the damping factor. Thin nitro, particularly without a lot of opaque undercoats and fillers has much less of a damping factor.
I've still got my '99 affinity strat, it works well, but it has needed a refret as the frets were quite soft and its have many different sets of pickups. Hardtail is probably a bonus on a first guitar. Coincidentally I have another one of similarge vintage in for a refret and pickups. Truss rods are still good.
When did the Captain become such a great soloist?
Jack Bruce makes me wonder if he’s playing dumb on these Justin’s lessons videos. It’s like where the f*** did those chops come from?
he made lesson videos with pete and justin sandacoe from justinguitarsongs i guess he took those lesson to heart , his soloing is so tasty now :)
Max Heavner i guess the videos are not recorded in the order they upload them, this might be realy new and the lesson videos might be several month old by now
He started spending an hour a day just practicing and learned a lot from some John Mayer periscope vids. He talked about it on some older Anderton's videos. In the last year or so, I think.
Captain said it best... "Nothing sounds like a Strat" Ive been tone searching since 1983. I totally agree. all guitars sound great,but the Strat has a sweetness . even playing metal, is distinctive!
I am eagerly waiting for the Tremonti episode.. !! \m/
Rasmus Duus nope, tremonti himself
I mainly play a Tom Anderson, and an old Aria Pro that I got for £89, and I get great tones out of both
I a getting a little bored by seeing the same brands over and over again. There are so many other good brands like (but not limited to); Yamaha, Ibanez, Cort, Fernandez and a bunch of others
Piet Muijs They will only demo what they sell !
Tom Grantham. As far as i know they at least sell Yamaha and probably a bunch of other brands
I can see your point, but you don't have to watch it. At the end of the day Fender, Gibson and PRS are the three most aspirational guitar brands for most people. Like cars, you can buy a hyundai or a nissan but in Europe most people aspire to a BMW, Audi or Mercedes (as the stats prove.)
Matthew B I wish they did more schecter or ibanezs though they are used by lots of high profile guitarists
JimijaymesGuitarist who cares about Ibanez and schecter.
Capt. Lee I love your solo here. Very tasteful.
I hope my girlfriends boyfriend buys me one of them there PRS’s
Music Ghost wat?
pinochet pilot #666 Calm down mate, this is a video comparing cheap and expensive guitars, it doesn’t need either of you two chatting shite 😂
i think there are probably better anti-communist figures than pinochet lmao
😂😂😂
You've been through this type of conversation a lot, have you not ^^ ??
Andrea Amati did start the flamed maple craze. He kind of did it on the back and necks of his violins, with Stradivari and Guarneri following the trend
I think you should let the other guys demo the guitars too for a bit of variation
Yea - rob playing that bullet Strat just sold TONs of them !!!!!’ Amazing
2 things:
1) I'm with Lee in this one. Don't mod the cheap guitar. It will cost as much to do it and you could just buy a guitar for that price.
2) I bought and am modding a First Act acoustic and the bridge was about 1/2 inch off (based on my measurements). That's inexcusable.
36:58 I believe a brand called "Chapman guitars" did a flamed maple top back in 1938.
Yep, Too much distortion! A nice Fender valve amp with a little gain would show up the difference better. They still cant beat that lovely Les Paul in the middle - It looks like my Traditional. ;0)
Nope, cheap pickups tends to sound good clean and crunch, but awfull muddy with lot of gain
stanislavmigra they should do clean crunch and hi gain
Andertons rarely do structured demos. Mostly you can enjoy banters and see how passionate they look when playng guitar, then you can see if it is good or not and that what counts for me ...
Theres no such thing as too much distortion
Let's be real that pickups make the sound for perhaps 50% on the guitar-end. The strings in combination with the guitar itself (and the playing obviously) is what drives the electronics. - I mean, exchange the pickups in the Bullet with some higher quality ones or just ones that have a tone more akin to the expensive Strat, it will get a lot closer. - The other 50% or so will just be how well the strings ring, which in turn is driven by the resonance of the body and how well they're fretted (and also not). - The rest is pushed into other electronics like the amplifier and speakers which will dictate the rest.
To me, really, when I play the very different guitars that I have, although some of the character comes from its shape and I suppose the wood-construction, while unplugged they can sound all fine, amplified I just hear the different pickups. - I have from generic brandless ones, to Epiphone/Gibson-designed ones, to DiMarzios and EMGs and the like... They're the most "discriminating" when it comes to changing the sound. As it's basically like putting a filter or "EQ" on your sound. - I can really hear whether or not they work for that guitar or tuning or style. They're also the most difficult element to deal with, as there are so many and generally not easy to just switch out quickly, let alone finding the right ones.
Rob reminds me of that kid in high school that always wanted people to watch him play
I don't usually dig Rob's playing but that part on 07:19 is HELLA LOVELY.
I thought the 400 dollar PRS sounded great( which really it did) then Rob started playing the expensive one.
CAPTAIN!!!! Your opening jam was awesome!!!!!!!! You've come such a long way! Keep it up!
Please Please Please STOP reviewing affordable guitars through amps costing multiple times the price.
It's just not realistic in helping someone choose what equipment to buy.
Would Top Gear fit a ferrari engine into a nissan micra and do a review? Maybe they would, but as a joke not as a credible review of the engine or car. Have you done a video comparing a £400 rig to a £2000 or £4000 one?
Rant over. Still love you lots!!!
I understand your point about consistency but it's not realistic to review a guitar for £120 if you don't play it through an amp of similar price.
If that is the amount of money a person has to spend on a guitar then they are also going to buy an amp around the same price. They are not going to buy an amp for £500 or £1000 and some effects pedals.
To be realistic Andertons should play an affordable guitar with for example a Code 25 or Boss Katana and play an expensive guitar with a high quality valve amp.
The presenters could then give the viewers an realistic assessment of the tone based on price.
You want to hear what the guitar can do, not what the amp can't do. Bottomline, in a shitty amp, nothing sounds good, why would you want to hear that?
Because if some one is spending £120 it is probably their first guitar and they will buy an amp of about the same price. No point trying out the guitar on an expensive amp when you can only afford a cheap amp.
These are not reviews. They are just showcases. There are plenty of people who play these guitars through amps like you describe. You don't come to Andertons for purchase advice. You come for the personalities, commentary and the looks into features of new gear.
To be thorough and not have the amp sway the results they should play both through an expensive and both through a cheap amp. Simply pairing a cheap guitar with a cheap amp and expensive guitar with expensive amp gives no information to the viewer at all. There is no way to tell what is from the amp or the guitar. Since they usually have 2 amps anyway in the videos, this would be very easy to do. Perhaps replace rob's amp with a boss katana or orange micro dark, or Lee's amp with fender mustang or similar.
When it comes to burst and flame maple tops, as far as I'm aware it was meant to be reminiscent of antique French polish found on old violins etc but has grown into something completely different in guitars.
I am really not sure who this video is aimed at. Someone considering a 6000 UKP guitar is not going to go for the low end. Nobody expects the absolute low end to be in any way comparable to the absolute high end. I mean, I am absolutely happy with my Epiphone Les Paul Standard after a pickup upgrade, but not in a million years would I expect it to be better or even comparable to a Gibson Les Paul Standard.
I think it would be much better to stay either inside the brand itself (Only Epiphone, Only Squire etc) and see at what price point your get the best value for your money. For example, Epiphone Les Paul Standard - it it worth it to go for a Pro or Plus? Ibanez - S-Series, how high can you go with the price and still expect a substantial improvement.
As I said, a shootout between cheapest and most expensive is always going to end in favor of the most expensive unless there is something very wrong with the brand.
AlwarrenSidh Of course the more expensive guitar is going to be better, but it's to see if the expensive guitars price is actually directly proportional to its quality when compared to the cheapest. Plus they're fun to watch.
AlwarrenSidh it's aimed at people who would rather watch these two chat and play guitar rather than majority of shit on TV.
....Or, in bed, like I'm doing right now lol. :-)
You can really tell that the capt is getting better and better just his progressions are showing it now the way he is formatting his licks now its nice and of course rob is a great guitarist
cheap vs. expensive Chapman's guitar?
racinator ThE sTaNdArD rAnGe Is MeAnT fOr StUdEnTs
I own a 2017 American Pro Strat, and it's been PLEK'd, sounds awesome and plays awesome. I played a 1960s relic one that was $4000+, and it sounded more or less the same, they have different pickups, but it played so good, and I don't think mine will ever feel as good as that one did. I understand the difference because that thing took zero effort to play.