Great video, as always. I've been fortunate to purchase some high end gear over the years, but I've played what I bought against other brands, and what I own just feels/sounds like home to me. I have a PRS Custom 24 (love the 85/15 pickups!), a DW Collector's Series maple kit, a Warwick Corvette $$, and my newest addition I've wanted for years, a Music Man Stingray 5 Special HH. In my humble opinion, these are some of the best instruments available, and it doesn't hurt that they all look great, too... Thanks, Phil!
huh. a guitar gear reviewer from outside Australia even knows about Cole Clark, let alone how damn good they are? upvote right there. the company was only 2-3 years old when i got mine. it's held up remarkably well considering it's a 12 string. EDIT, oh, and i think the black spirit is the best solid state amp EVER MADE, not just best of the decade, but yeah that price tho. yikes!
Best thing about this decade is the rise of you tube channels like this. I have learned so much about technique, theory, equipment...it’s incredible. Thanks for helping me to up my game.
I dunno, I like those Mexican squires from the early 90s. Some of them have more fender parts.. then 2000 to 2006 china ones were bad. Indonesian ones from 2012 to present day are decent but Mexican squires are the best.
Yep. Got a ‘72 Vintage Modified Thinline this year. It was perfectly set up out of the box and sounds fantastic! Got it from a Musicians Friend Stupid Deal for $299...truly a stupidly cheap price 😁
@@heshreds4049 Where did you actually get it? Was it imported from Japan or was it actually in local music stores? I don't remember being able to find one of those in Dutch music stores.
Dhruv Kotecha, he could have gone back two decades. Gibson is so preoccupied with leaning on their name that they forgot why Gibsons WERE so revered. Unfortunately, they haven't made a decent guitar in 20 years.
@@neilarmand3763 not true, they had a rough time in the 2000s but they've done better the past few years, and pretty excellent now. Gibson hate is no longer trendy, btw
Justin McNeely, I disagree. Gibson is pumping out over a thousand Les Pauls every week. No attention is paid to fit, finish and setup. I've been building guitars for over 20 years and would not let a Gibson-quality product out of my shop - especially when it comes to Custom-shop instruments.
Bandana Dee Isaac, I'm glad you are happy with your guitar. You paid a great deal of money for the Gibson logo, so I'm glad you feel that you got your money's worth. I've been building guitars for over 20 years and can tell you, dollar-for-dollar, there are many guitars that are far superior - including what I build.
Justin McNeely, BTW...I'm not a hater. I just think Gibson has lost their way. Trendy, or not, they have fallen from the top, but continue to lean on their name.
I REALLY appreciate how "hearable" your videos are! I HATE when I have to crank up the volume on my mobile phone or my laptop. Too many people don't understand production values in regards to videos. Sheesh...
Gibson will win me over when they redesign their neck/headstock joint. I’m not saying all Gibson headstocks snap but some do. And for 3-6k. Some is too many. Especially when it’s an easy fix. Stubborn stupidity is their spirit animal.
Yeah I agree they've gitten too stubborn. But also, I don't think it's entirely their fault. Most fans of Gibson are obsessed with the history and heritage, and hate seeing anything change in them
Mate..its 3rd Jan.. 2020..I'm on holiday from work..sitting here chillin,browsing through UA-cam looking for anything guitar related an I stumble upon your channel..I've spent the best part of 2 hours going through your back catalogue of reviews, tips,repairs etc and I'm hooked..you come across as very friendly,amiable and extremely knowledgeable..instant sub and a happy new year to you sir all the way from Liverpool, England..keep up the exceptional work..!!
Hi Phillip I was lucky enough to be given a present from my daughter and her husband a 2015 Gibson SG special. Now before you poo poo it strangely enough my go to guitar was an ‘85 Fernandes Strat with fender pickups. My present sg had ‘57 humbuckers swapped in and I hated the G force tuning system so had Kluson Tuners put on it. I actually feel I found home with the wide neck! The strings are still the standard width but for bending on the high E string I love the feel of the neck! This is now my go to guitar and I love the fire burst finish on this guitar... absolutely beautiful. Maybe I was just lucky to find a guitar that I absolutely love the feel of. It is a part of me! Much respect to you from Australia mate!
As a newbie to electric guitar and gear (major learning curve for a 40yr acoustic player), my faves are my 2nd hand 2015 PRS Mira semihollow, TC Hall of Fame pedal, hx stomp, Blackstar Fly 3 practice amp, and Katana 50. I have others, but these are the ones I turn to regularly. But my biggest fave would have to be your channel. You’re my go to gear guru. Thanks Phil!
solid state amps in general have improved tremendously in the last decade. I have a 130w Fender Cybertwin. its a solid state that models other fender amps (Deluxe Reverb, Bassman, Bandmaster, etc.) but still has the gain, bass, treble, mids, reverb, and presence knobs, along with side treats like an on board tuner, noise gate, and 4 preset channels controlled with a four way footswitch. love it, its my number one gig amp and very unknown and underrated.
So good to see Cole Clark getting some recognition outside of Australia - the indigenous woods they use really give them a unique timbre, and they just feel so great to play.
5 років тому+3
Dear Phil, thanks for your list and how lightly you cope with those who may disagree with you. It is a lesson for all of us. As a Brazilian, I was very happy with seeing Tagima on your list. They're quite popular around here and have a wide range of models. Thank you once again for all the content you've been producing for quite some time now. I hope to keep watching you during this next decade. Best regards!
My favorite Les Paul was actually in the 2015 lineup, the Les Paul CM. I've had two of them and yeah, the very first mod on both was to replace the robot tuners with some auto locking Grovers
These 2015/2016 Gibsons are a great deal. Hardly the worst guitar of the decade since they are Les Pauls with a couple of improvements that people get butt hurt about and like to kick Gibson every chance they have. And now since there are videos like this the 2015 and 2016 are rare $$$, thanks for the bitching Phillip !
Breaux As I just said to Phillip I was lucky enough to be given a 2015 fire burst sg Special as a present from my daughter and her husband. I replaced the robot tuners with Kluson tuners and it had already had ‘57 pickups replacing the zebra pickups. I actually love the wide fret board after my other fav which is an ‘85 Fernandes with fender pickups. I love the wider fret board for bending the high E string. This is now my favourite guitar.
I thought you were going to say that the Fender G-DEC 30 was the best solid state amp. I bought one from you at your shop in Chandler several years ago, where you and your wife both spoke so highly of it. I recall that you used them for all of your lesson rooms and I had to order mine and wait a few weeks for it to come in because they were so popular. I sure wish your McKnight Guitars location was still here. I loved getting real, honest insight from you about the products I was buying. Keep the videos coming! I love your channel!
Wow, Phil . . . That's the fastest acknowledgement I've ever had on UA-cam comment. That couldn't have been more than a minute or two. And for a video that's nearly 7 months old, that's really impressive. You're a star, my friend! I also bought my Rocktron Utopia Wah pedal from you, and still use it every day. Best Wah I've ever used.
It happened to me..I have a Johnson by Axl strat clone. And it's my favorite guitar over Schecter Omen Extreme FR and Epiphone LP. Go figure? I have no idea with all the complete crap guitars out there he'd pick this? It's absolutely gorgeous, has wonderful tones, and it feels great. Mine must be a fluke?
I've probably bought 10 guitars in the past year, kept some, sold some. But my favorite guitar to just pick up and jam on, or use in a gig, that I've bought this past let's say 4 years is the Slick SL50 black ash. I LOVE!!! this guitar. And I wouldn't even have known about it if you hadn't reviewed it. My most expensive guitar is pushing 2grand, but I pick up this Slick guitar ALL THE TIME! Just goes to show, you like what you like, and if you like it, you'll play it more. Thanks for the review, and all the information over the past years.
And the most improved YT Guitar/Gear channel of the last decade: KYG! For being the most complete, unbiased, knowledgeable, friendly and inclusive guitar/gear channel on the platform. IMHO of course. Well done Phil!! 8) --gary
I really like your in depth look into these products and that I haven't heard of many of them. Most other reviewers dont tred off the beaten path and will keep all of these points in mind when I look for another guitar or amp. Thanks for sharing and keep up to good and honest work...
Hey Phillip, Happy 2020! Great rewind of the decades best/worst gear. Had not heard of the Aussie guitar builder before but I'm going to look out for them. There are just so many great guitar makers out ther it's so hard to choose from all their different offerings. Thanks for taking time to help sort it all out for us, and for showing us what's out there as well! Have a great year and I wish you all the best!
Surprised Amp Sims and DAWS didn't make it on a list. After a ten-year tech hiatus I was completely blown away by what can be pulled off with a laptop and some decent monitors. The ability to play around with countless amps, pedals, mics, cabs.. in a small basement studio is priceless yet very affordable.
I don’t get it , I’ve tried them out 3 times and they just sound like just another digital amp to me ..lifeless ? Do you have to crank them up to get the sound or what
A friend of mine got a Gibson Les Paul studio in 2015 (funnily enough the exact one you showed but without robotuners) and I actually liked that guitar quite a lot. Never had a problem with that guitar.
Chase Vønn depends on what it is you do. People hate them because people who buy Gibson generally are blues guitarists who want a 50s or 60s les paul reissue. They NEED to update their guitars and get people excited, and they just keep failing at attracting new fans. They are losing BAD to esp and literally every other brand there is, because they keep doing a shit job with marketing and innovation. It isn’t all their fault, part of it is that the people who are buying Gibson now don’t want a modern guitar, but they are doing a poor job at appealing to both audiences, like fender is
My 2015 Les Paul is my best guitar (of 10). Purists didn't like the innovative features, wanting a ''Gibson the same way it was made in 1952'' - except it's not is it, it's 2020 (or 2015 then). I like innovation and features which give me more sonic options and better sound.
Had a 2015 Studio for a couple of years. Not a horrible guitar, but not worth the price. I feel like a 2011 epiphone LP standard is a better buy for less cash. Traded that Paul for a JTV 59 and am very satisfied. All down to taste though!
truueeee i agree AND ABOVE THE INNOVATION .. they DID NOT FORGET to make a great sound out of it as well. it is just super quality. Also for the acoustic, try to look at france's LAG hyvibe smart guitar
I have a 2015 LPjr. Horrible stock guitar, but a great mod platform that I got used and cheap. I made it into a Lennon inspired LPjr. The wide neck was the same as my beloved Martin acoustic so I used the familiar spacing, I found a frisket mask and fixed the horrid headstock logo. It’s now a great playing guitar and is a visual stunner.
I actually loved my Greta. I kind of regret selling it. One, it could plug into a cabinet and would give a really great sound at a lower volume, second, it had a very fun tone when played through the tiny speaker, and three, the mini-jack input sounded really cool for tube toned sound for music playback, four, it has an output where you can use it as pre-amp which was really, really cool. Especially old school jazz and blues sounded really cool through the mini-jack. I think another reason why I liked it so much is that back when I started to play had a small tube radio that my father altered so I could plug my guitar into and it had a really cool bedroom-level tube driven sound. The Greta really captured that experience.
There was a custom pedal maker (timbo, who then started making pickups for a while) who I had make me a few interesting pedals about 10 years ago.. A tremolo circuit in a crybaby case, where trem speed was controlled by the foot.. a dual OCD/Klon in one box.. I then had asked him to make me a Big muff, with a rotary switch to cycle through all the different muff circuits.. he liked the idea but said it would be a lot of work so we shelved it.. glad to see GHS finally came up with that one.
I would love to know if you debated having PRS in any of the categories... In my opinion their SE range of guitars has made giantic leaps over this last decade, forcing many other brands to try harder. Fender who? Gibson who? All I need are them birds 😉. Thanks for the great content!
Ive got a modern eagle 2 and a custom 24, versatile guitars, but my strato standard with custom fat 50s PUS and my 1980 lp custom are just miles away, WAAAY more unique guitars than any prs ive tried or owned
I used to want a st vincent, until i got my hands on it. The neck felt like it was trying to be chuncky and slim at the same time which just felt awkward in my hand. And the upper fret access is horrid. The body sat weird and felt plastic almost didn't even feel like wood🤷♂️ music man makes great guitars but the st vincent in my opinion isnt one of them
Mc Spankies I recently got to try one at last and I must say my yearning was cured. Felt kind of sad and relieved at the same time. Still looks killer. Didn’t feel that great.
Your tangent at 6:10 was a fantastic disclaimer (had no idea about the pedal before this either way), pretty much makes me want to subscribe just because your of seemingly gracious philosophy.
My first "real guitar" was a Les Paul Studio I picked up about 20 years ago... It's really sad to see the state of that company today. Hopefully they'll take some cues from companies that are offering real innovation, choice, and value for money.
RE: EHX Crying Tone - I've not used one, but the idea of a foot-operated pedal that had no real moving parts, hence no crackle, no repairs, and nothing mechanical to go wrong, was immensely appealing. The pivot-point was that it was largely incompatible with the pedalboard mentality. If it was 1978, and a gig setup consisted of a wah, fuzz, Uni-Vibe or phaser, and maybe an octave pedal on the floor, held together by patch cables, no one would have batted an eye at the Crying Tone's physical format. But that's a complaint from a person who gigs and needs to carry their setup around, plunk the pedalboard on the floor, and have it just work straight away. In a studio, it's a different world for the most part. So, not a BAD pedal or idea, just not fully compatible with the market needs.
@@ResidentSmith78 How so? Good product, just not matched to what pedalboard users prefer. But that's true of a lot of products. There's a ton of great gear out there, vintage and otherwise, that commands top prices, but is a bad fit for pedalboards. Conversely, there is plenty of gear out there that is expressly designed to fit neatly on pedalboards that is meagre quality. F'rinstance, I have a Caline mini-wah/volume pedal. Sure, it takes up about the same space as a Boss pedal, and has an indicator LED - terrific convenience - but small wahs feel less expressive under your foot. Is a Strymon Volante a great pedal? Sure. Will it fit on *my* pedalboard? Not a chance in hell.
@@niallhanley4815 I guess there is a subtle distinction to be made between a bad product and a bad marketing choice. As for EHX's thinking behind the product itself, they still make traditional mechanical foot-treadle pedals, wah and otherwise. But I imagine the lure of what could potentially be done with gravitational sensors like those used in smartphones was too great to pass up. I have a Source Audio Hot Hand 3 controller that uses the same core technology. Also a fascinating idea and solid product. The only problem is that you can't really use the orientation of the sensors to control things until AFTER you've picked/strummed, because it relies on gross hand movements, and you can't pick AND wave your hand at the same time. That's not to say that initiating some sort of filtering or modulation after you've strummed a chord is a bad thing, but one is shut out of controlling tone *while* you play. And you'll note that, as brilliant a product as it is, it's not flying off the shelves. Sometimes a technology comes along that captivates engineers with its possibilities, but ultimately doesn't fit the available marketing niche.
@@niallhanley4815 Nah. The Hot Hand is a great product, just more limited in its range of possibilities than one would ideally like. That's not really much different than a drive pedal whose 7:00 position won't get as subtle as you'd like, or whose 5:00 position doesn't get as intense as you'd like. And, in much the same way one can always buy/build/mod a drive pedal to go the extra mile, I can always hook up an expression pedal to twiddle with my foot while picking, and leave the hand-waving for after.
I sold my EVH 6L6 amp for the EL34 version, and absolutely love it. 6L6 version is great for modern tones, but the EL34 sounds old and new at the same time... I hope that makes sense LOL
@@lueysixty-six7300 Sorry, I realize I was quite vague. From a clean channel perspective, I think the vintage Fender fans will prefer the 6L6s (to agree with you)... but, this really isn't the amp for them, as not many people buy these amps for the clean channel. I was referring to channels 2 and 3 - the dirty channels. Channel 2 in particular has that classic 80s Marshall crunch that I grew up with (been playing since 1983). The midrange too, which I find better for leads versus the 6L6s (just seems to make my leads pop through more). To your point, 6L6s are known to be a bit cleaner sounding, with less break up. That would be appealing to the Fender crowd for sure (especially those that stick to the clean channel), but the 6L6 models also seem to be preferred by the modern metal guys (especially those that down-tune).
@@lueysixty-six7300 6L6 is a beam tetrode an EL34 is a Pentode. Generally a 6L6 will have a more rounded sound and an EL34 emphasises the midrange. But the differences are subtle in that it depends on the circuit being used, Overall, a speaker change is a lot more noticeable than going from a 6L6 to a EL34
I absolutely disagree with this statement, but everyone has different ears. 80s Metal sound is not something I consider „vintage“. Vintage sound are fender tweets and early blackfaces, so 6L6 is the way to go for real vintage. Anything that comes after 18 watt MarshalIs consider pretty modern sounding. But like I said, everyone has a different point of view so please take no offense from my comment.
@@rolux4853 "Vintage" is just "that era". So if I say a 67 vintage, I just mean the thing is from then. It really means "vine age" and was just a way to differentiate years of production in wine. "Antique" is a term meaning "old", if that's what you mean.
Happy 2020! I'll just say this out front: I'm pulling for you, Gibson! I want the company to succeed and I think they are getting better. Phillip, Thanks for putting this out there and I may (or may not agree), but you put in the effort and I'm happy to see the results.
I own a 2015 Gibson Les Paul Studio. No issues, yet. But if issues do arise with either the nut or the tuners, they will be replaced. The guitar it self is fine! I hope you did not kill the re-sale value for us!
Happy new year to all! I bought this year (2019) a 2015 Gibson Les Paul Studio in MM is a great guitar, I read all the information regarding the G-force tuners, so far even though they are almlst 5 years old, I took them off, cleaned the contacts, and removed all type of dust and they work really great, the more I use them the faster and more accurate they tune the guitar. I have no complains about the guitar itself, however just like modern or vintage people always tend to have different points of view. For me it's a great guitar!
HI Philip - you chose the Tagima...here in the UK we have the identical guitar under the brand name of Revelation, the model you showed being the RJT60: a Jazzmaster-like guitar with Alan Entwistle's pokey P-90s. I've had one of these, along with several other Revelations, and they're all been great. The same great body and neck is used with a variety of pickups eg RJT60 Quad with 4 single coils, RJT60 H with split coil humbuckers etc. Low cost hasn't meant low quality, and in the case of Revelation great value for the money: their 54 Tele 'inspired' swamp ash is another excellent model. Thanks for your videos, your honesty and your humour (humor to you!) Cheers from the UK :-)
I have a 2015 Les Paul Traditional. My girlfriend bought it for me as a birthday present. She made sure she got me one without the robot tuners because she knew I hated them. The zero nut is awesome. You can set it up to where you have the perfect nut height for your playing style. It also decreases friction in the nut slots so there are no binding issues. The guitar came with a brass nut, but I had Gibson send me a titanium one for free. It's my absolute favorite guitar in my collection. I really wish people would quit disparaging this line of guitars. Some of them are pretty awesome.
Happy new year to all! I bought this year (2019) a 2015 Gibson Les Paul Studio in MM is a great guitar, I read all the information regarding the G-force tuners, so far even though they are almlst 5 years old, I took them off, cleaned the contacts, and removed all type of dust and they work really great, the more I use them the faster and more accurate they tune the guitar. I have no complains about the guitar itself, however just like modern or vintage people always tend to have different points of view. For me it's a great guitar!
I bought one this year, too. That Midnite Manhatten blue one. I really like the way this guitar feels and sounds, and the coil splitting on the push-pull knobs. And I'm pretty sure I got the price I did because, nobody else liked it. Oh well, more for me!
I own a 2016 HP Les Paul Standard and absolutely love it. The fit and finish on mine is excellent and I like the wider fretboard (not as wide as the 2015). I kept the G force tuners because it works great. I also have a 2016 HP faded Les Paul studio but had to change the G force tuners to Ratio locking tuners since the G force stopped working. I guess they are hit or miss.
Wait till you accidentally hit a harmonic while tuning and confuse the hell out of the tuners and have them go crazy and snap your string. Happened to me twice.
@@metrostatetacticalicecream6945, actually it may snap your strings, one of the things I realized when I took the tuners and cleaned them is that if the strings is hitting the bridge can also give a little buzzing that the tuners (I don´t know why) tend to tighten the string more causing it to snap (not always, but, could happen). My suggestion to all g force users is to always calibrate the tuners when changing strings even if you are using the same strings gauge or different brand. On the other hand, if you do not like tuners take them off and the guitar is still a Les Paul, sounds great, feels great (even with the fretboard) and looks great. At least my LP has a nicely figured top that looks gorgeous.
Another great video Phil. I have to say the absolute best solid state amps I’ve played, as pedal platforms that is, are the DV Mark Eric Gales and Greg Howe heads. They are relatively inexpensive and have enough headroom to keep up with anything you throw at them. Paired with a great cab (DV Mark Frank Gambale 2x12 for example) put them in the same league as many classics. Just for reference I also own a Marshall 62 Bluesbreaker, 59 Fender Bassman and a Vox AC30. With the amp only weighing about 5 pounds and the cab around 20 pounds I find myself using the DV Mark head and cab more than my beautiful sounding combos. Not just because of their back saving qualities, but because they sound great and fill a room with ease. Definitely try out the DV Mark Rawdawg with a DV Mark Frank Gambale cab as a super clean, high headroom pedal platform and you’ll see what I mean. Oh and I’m a humbucker guy, so anything out there about over compressing is truly nonsense. Thanks and keep up the good work my friend.
For me the best guitars of the decade were the 2012-2017 Fender American Vintage series. The attention to detail on these guitars to make them period-correct is absolutely astounding, and you can find them used for $1,500 or less. The best amp of the decade for me was the 2555x Silver Jubilee reissue by Marshall (a reissue that was looonngg overdue). The best pedal was the Death by Audio Fuzz War, the people who use it (John Dwyer, Ty Segall) reinvented the way fuzz was seen and used by an entire generation, including myself.
To attenuate loud amplifier speaker cabinets, I built a speaker booth with 4x8 styrofoam. The booth is 4'x4'x8' and inside has sound proofing, rugs and ceiling tiles. 4am jams don't alert the neighbors. Of course, I am not in an apartment. This allowed me to ignore all the IR and attenuators and in turn spend money on microphones and microphones preamps. After a few years watching Glenn Fricker and Warren Huart describe how they record guitar amps, with honorable mention to Eric Valentine, my old 70s and 80s amplifiers are returning to service on a home hobbyist level. Stay home, and rip it up at any hour. Of course, all thanks to Home Depot & Lowes and about $120. UA-cam as a community and a platform for music releases has been the #1 most inventive achievement, and still serves as a great way to meet new musicians and collaborate on new music. Happy New Year Phil and Family and Friends.
Amen. There’s a reason the Boden became a modern classic almost immediately. It’s a game changer. Everybody talks about the design and feel, which is understandable because it’s wacky and striking. But it also sounds goddamn ridiculous. I have the double humbucker model and it’s the most sonically versatile guitar I’ve ever touched. The strandberg stock pickups are fantastic. I switched to a Boden from a really fantastic american deluxe telecaster, and it was a really intuitive transition because the Boden sounds so snappy and bright. It’s not a typical super hot and dark sounding metal guitar. I can’t say enough about the thing, I could go on. My only complaints are 1) the angled output jack, and 2) on the 6 string the parallel fret is at 0 which makes tight chord shapes high up on the neck difficult to finger even for my small nimble fingers. This would be mitigated had they put the parallel fret at 5, 6, or 7.
best pedal of the decade: the 4 button footswitch that comes with the Fender GT series amps... built-in tuner, built-in 3 channel looper, controls three "pedals" from your presets, i mean, it's gotta' be worth a couple hund at least with those features, all by iteself, so when you consider the price of the amp, which isn't SO expensive in the first place, it's a very inexpensive amp for all that it offers when you consider the versatility that they also built into the footswitch... fantastic amp, personally, i'd call it the best of the decade, the wife and i are loving it, huge value, great quality, ALL the versatility, i got the 200 (2x12") it's just the f'in' SWEETEST!!! you're one of the reviewers that swayed me to buy it, thank you for bringing this winner to my attention...
HX stomp is so great for folks who have a tone of pedals already. Fits great on a board and fills gaps for whatever fx you're missing; however, for someone who is wanting an all in one unit, I'm super satisfied with my Kemper stage. Helix and Axe FX are both great too. I think at this point it's really down to preference, but I love my Kemper. Being able to play John Mayer's original prototype Two Rock just has some magic to it.
Gunther Abrahamowicz. I own one and I love it. The tuner is brilliant. I've been a working musician for over fifty years, and I love the fact that I press a button and the guitar tunes it self 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿love from the UK!!!!
I bought a Strandberg Metal 7 and I don’t even like playing anything else now. I have a couple exceptions but I pretty much like everything more about that guitar than most everything about everything else I own. I was a huge disbeliever in them before and thought they were gross. Then I sat down and spent some time with one and couldn’t stop thinking about it until I bought one for myself. Love it.
This decade was great because I had my two children. Downside is I sold off all of my gear. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. I plan taking advantage of what came out this past decade at a low price point. I love the channel, keep it up!
I'm no body to disagree or agree with you. I have one guitar, one amp, one cable.... And have not really "tryied" anything out of my own gear. But boy, do i like your channel. Really impressed with the quality of content. Wish you a fantastic decade, plenty of success and happiness for you, your friends and your family!
I had one of those four force amps. I upgraded the speaker - got it for free - and it didn’t sound too bad for what it was. The speaker made all the difference.
@@shaft9000 The 5150 you're talking about was a Peavey, and was later renamed the 6505 (after Peavey's year of foundation, 1965, and their 40th anniversary, 2005) when Eddie Van Halen's contract with Peavey ran out. Eddie later partnered with Fender Musical Instrument Company and released the EVH branded 5150, which was the one referenced in the video. 5150 is a reference to the Van Halen album of the same name, which was itself named after a common psych ward code for "restrain the patient", or something like that.
One (small) point of disagreement - when I went looking for a used Les Paul, I specifically wanted a 2015 Traditional. I wanted a non-weight-relieved body and - given my big hands and fat fingers - the wider, fatter neck suits me perfectly. And it sounds great. It's not difficult to swap out the dread robotuners and Graphtec make an excellent replacement nut specifically for that model.
Great to hear that Brazil is in your list with Tagima Guitars, that are made here in São Bernardo do Campo City - São Paulo State, although the name came from a very successful Japanese immigrant luthier that sold his brand many years ago due to financial problems. The brand resumed operations importing cheap guitars from China until they were able to build their own manufacturing shop in Brazil.
Victor Cruz do you have one? I’ve been seeing them floating around dirt cheap in the market. Been thinking whether to pick one up or just go for 80s mij greco/fernandes
@@oblongjr it's really preference, but I've played a few of these in Brasil and they are awesome, really good quality guitar and being made in Brasil the price is way lower than what you would pay for an american made guiatr of the same tier per say, and you can find even the 2019 models dor under 300 bucks around 200-250. The tw series is the more afordable one and they have the rocker and Brasil series which are also really good, check out the tw61, it's a jazz master style.
I totally agree that the 5150 lll 50watt head is great!I just bought it in Dec. 2019 and dont see many demos of the upgraded volume rings( and they add even more tone options) but the demos out there all sounded so good no matter who did them so I was pretty sure it would work for me.Thanks to all those out there who talked and played me into it!🤘
I understand this is simply your opinion. I own a 2015 SG, and I absolutely love it! I agree about the nut having early wear issues, but Gibson provides a titanium unit, completely free of charge, simply by asking. Of course it’s never been installed, because I ordered a Tusq nut before I found out about the titanium piece. I really appreciate how easy it is to set the action at the nut end of the neck. And I love the Gforce tuning system. Maybe that makes me a candyass, but this thing makes tuning on the fly a breeze. And it works great. Maybe other people are having issues, but mine seems to be flawless after two years of service, and this is my player 90% of the time. And lastly, the 1.8” nut is wonderful for large fingers. I think the real issue is, people want innovation, but when the get it, they complain because the standard has been changed. This is my opinion...
I have one Explorer that came with the Gibson robo-tuner. It may seem like it’s not working at first. But it has a good use. Step 1: remove from guitar and replace with locking tuners. Step 2: place under open hallway door to keep it from slamming shut in the event of a breeze. If its a strong breeze, oddly the tuner will tune the howl of the breeze to D minor, the saddest of all keys.
The crying wah is difficult to use, so pick up the cradle and strap it down. I'm not big on way pedals, but I like that the crying wah can save a cocked spot through the configuration process and you can turn it on and have the saved position.
A very fair review on best and worst gear of the decade, I disagree about the effects unit as I’m a Fractal man but I get why you chose the Helix. Happy New Year Phil!
Good picks Phil, you know your gear well...at least for a bass player. 😎 I really enjoy your playing, you're better at guitar than a lot of "real" guitarists.
I’ll never forget being at guitar center one day buying strings and what not and the dude behind me in line just straight up bought a top line majesty. The jealousy I felt in that moment was crazy and I regret not trying to be friends with that guy every day.
Fender Pawnshop amps are awesome! They’re not branded Fender because they’re a different flavor. The Excelsior and Vaporizer are perfect for gigging. The best tone for roots to rock and inexpensive. I think they’re just too retro for Phil’s taste even though he likes basic Fender amps. It makes sense that if you like the way Kiesel guitars look that the pawnshop series wouldn’t be for you.
Seriously, calling these worst amp of the decade is a stretch. They are great sounding amps. How they chose to name them has absolutely nothing to do with quality.
I'll tell you what. The Excelsior is a way better amp than the Epiphone Century which I consider was trying to appeal to the same vibe. They came stock with a hard-to-repair noise issue!
One thing that people don't know about the Headrush (which I have one, tried the Helix which I like (but its strongest feature is the cleans and the I phone link) is that it has a noise gate or compression on all effects. Once you remove that it opens it up. It's more versatile than the Boss which I felt all the overdriven sounds sounded pretty same to my ears (they always have the octaver in the metal/hard rock effects-really?). The Headrush is the easiest to program or tweak, but they should update or should follow the Helix is the downloading wirelessly
Happy New year, and Phil thank you for staying with the channel. If the trolls scream at you, just think how much you can feed them every time you flush the commode. Always a favorite of mine. Thanks Phil
I gig with 2 of them, never had a problem and I tune on the fly in the middle of a song if I need to, these get a bad rap but if you don’t want it, I’ll take it, love both of mine!
I gig with two of them as well. I’m putting one on a third. If you read the manual and calibrate them, they’re great. The worst thing about them is that people selling them didn’t know anything about them.
Art C never had a problem. Just monitor the battery life. The batt led changes color when the power is low. It lasts a long time. I have a spare but never needed it. They come with a battery and charger. Enjoy.
I am not familiar with some of the products you listed but i admire your affinity for voicing your opinion. I like the opinions of others and, although they do not discolor my own still give me a fresh starting point to examine new products. Thank you.
Enjoyed the video Phil. I am a hobby guitar player. I have never liked to spend much money on my gear since I started 10 years ago. The Katana is a game changer in regards to the quality affordable amps are expected to possess. Harley Benton has done some astounding things the last couple of years in respect to their reach to the player base, as well as their product. My fusion guitar from them is incredible. I can't believe how much they were able to feature on that guitar considering it's low price point. I have much respect for that company.
Thanks, I saw Karnivool play an Acoustic set and could not figure out what brand of acoustic guitar was being played, Cole Clark. Of course, an Australian band plays Australian instruments.
I agree! The ability to pop between any tuning you want with just two guitars (one E and one drop D) is amazing.... I know not everything, Damn Kashmir!
I would love to hear your favorite gear or if you like some of the gear I didn't I would love to hear why
Great video, as always. I've been fortunate to purchase some high end gear over the years, but I've played what I bought against other brands, and what I own just feels/sounds like home to me. I have a PRS Custom 24 (love the 85/15 pickups!), a DW Collector's Series maple kit, a Warwick Corvette $$, and my newest addition I've wanted for years, a Music Man Stingray 5 Special HH. In my humble opinion, these are some of the best instruments available, and it doesn't hurt that they all look great, too... Thanks, Phil!
Phillip McKnight Phil, did you consider the accoustic telecaster on your innovative list? If so, where did it rank relative to your winner?
huh. a guitar gear reviewer from outside Australia even knows about Cole Clark, let alone how damn good they are? upvote right there. the company was only 2-3 years old when i got mine. it's held up remarkably well considering it's a 12 string. EDIT, oh, and i think the black spirit is the best solid state amp EVER MADE, not just best of the decade, but yeah that price tho. yikes!
Speaking of gear, will you be attending NAMM?
Great video LPD , Katana ,and blackstar are my favorite
Best thing about this decade is the rise of you tube channels like this.
I have learned so much about technique, theory, equipment...it’s incredible.
Thanks for helping me to up my game.
Rt there wth ya on this 1 .
The age of information/content videos
no way could I learn the banjo without internet, there are no teachers anywhere
So true...best thing since sliced bread!!!
Word
I honestly believe the squiers have improved drastically over the last decade
Classic vibes could easily cost double the amount they do
You got that right
I dunno, I like those Mexican squires from the early 90s. Some of them have more fender parts.. then 2000 to 2006 china ones were bad. Indonesian ones from 2012 to present day are decent but Mexican squires are the best.
I recently got a 2019 70s classic vibe Strat and it plays almost plays/feels as well as my fathers Fender American standard from 2004.
Yep. Got a ‘72 Vintage Modified Thinline this year. It was perfectly set up out of the box and sounds fantastic! Got it from a Musicians Friend Stupid Deal for $299...truly a stupidly cheap price 😁
And then there's the weirdest pedal of the decade: The Korg Miku.
miku hatsune is my ringtone, my wife wanted it from a verizon commercial
Checkmate
I own one of these. Lol
*best
@@heshreds4049 Where did you actually get it? Was it imported from Japan or was it actually in local music stores? I don't remember being able to find one of those in Dutch music stores.
"It's my video, I'll do what I want." Phil, you rock! Love the videos. Thank you. Happy new year.
Why call it a Best & Worst list then if he is gonna drop 3 off the Worst side of the list altogether??
I love going back to this video, listening to "HAPPY NEW YEAR" and to imagine a happy year.
The entire 2015 lineup hahahahaa so savage
Dhruv Kotecha, he could have gone back two decades. Gibson is so preoccupied with leaning on their name that they forgot why Gibsons WERE so revered. Unfortunately, they haven't made a decent guitar in 20 years.
@@neilarmand3763 not true, they had a rough time in the 2000s but they've done better the past few years, and pretty excellent now. Gibson hate is no longer trendy, btw
Justin McNeely, I disagree. Gibson is pumping out over a thousand Les Pauls every week. No attention is paid to fit, finish and setup. I've been building guitars for over 20 years and would not let a Gibson-quality product out of my shop - especially when it comes to Custom-shop instruments.
Bandana Dee Isaac, I'm glad you are happy with your guitar. You paid a great deal of money for the Gibson logo, so I'm glad you feel that you got your money's worth. I've been building guitars for over 20 years and can tell you, dollar-for-dollar, there are many guitars that are far superior - including what I build.
Justin McNeely, BTW...I'm not a hater. I just think Gibson has lost their way. Trendy, or not, they have fallen from the top, but continue to lean on their name.
I REALLY appreciate how "hearable" your videos are! I HATE when I have to crank up the volume on my mobile phone or my laptop. Too many people don't understand production values in regards to videos. Sheesh...
Thanks Phil! Yep us and Suhr were simultaneous last year - the PT15 rocks! Cool gain channel.
I nominate the Fender Stratacoustic for "Worst Acoustic Guitar".
affordable though...........if extremely wealthy
Paul Contreras it was like 500 dollars
@@nickdengh3095 the one I saw was $2400 - www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ASTeleSB--fender-acoustasonic-telecaster-sunburst
@@hughjantic-pantz3996 that's a different guitar. Hes talking about the crappy acoustic fenders that were shaped like a strat
@@metalmoto3275 touche'...or douche' maybe
Gibson will win me over when they redesign their neck/headstock joint.
I’m not saying all Gibson headstocks snap but some do. And for 3-6k. Some is too many. Especially when it’s an easy fix.
Stubborn stupidity is their spirit animal.
Yeah I agree they've gitten too stubborn. But also, I don't think it's entirely their fault. Most fans of Gibson are obsessed with the history and heritage, and hate seeing anything change in them
Buy maple neck.its the soft mahogany wood that has no strengfh
Happy New Year to all!!!
I’m guessing your dancing cat
Mate..its 3rd Jan.. 2020..I'm on holiday from work..sitting here chillin,browsing through UA-cam looking for anything guitar related an I stumble upon your channel..I've spent the best part of 2 hours going through your back catalogue of reviews, tips,repairs etc and I'm hooked..you come across as very friendly,amiable and extremely knowledgeable..instant sub and a happy new year to you sir all the way from Liverpool, England..keep up the exceptional work..!!
Hi Phillip I was lucky enough to be given a present from my daughter and her husband a 2015 Gibson SG special. Now before you poo poo it strangely enough my go to guitar was an ‘85 Fernandes Strat with fender pickups. My present sg had ‘57 humbuckers swapped in and I hated the G force tuning system so had Kluson Tuners put on it. I actually feel I found home with the wide neck! The strings are still the standard width but for bending on the high E string I love the feel of the neck! This is now my go to guitar and I love the fire burst finish on this guitar... absolutely beautiful. Maybe I was just lucky to find a guitar that I absolutely love the feel of. It is a part of me! Much respect to you from Australia mate!
As a newbie to electric guitar and gear (major learning curve for a 40yr acoustic player), my faves are my 2nd hand 2015 PRS Mira semihollow, TC Hall of Fame pedal, hx stomp, Blackstar Fly 3 practice amp, and Katana 50. I have others, but these are the ones I turn to regularly. But my biggest fave would have to be your channel. You’re my go to gear guru. Thanks Phil!
Well I learned how to play in a Tagima. As a Brazilian, I am really proud Tagima had a place in your list.
Still thinking about buying one from a local shop... they sound so good and look so cool
Tagima is a seriously underrated brand! They make amazing, affordable guitars. :)
@@AFN2750 I'm buying a TG-530 today. Really excited.
É nois cachorro
Are the Chinese model any good? I’ve always wanted a Tele and the TW-55 looks so good
solid state amps in general have improved tremendously in the last decade. I have a 130w Fender Cybertwin. its a solid state that models other fender amps (Deluxe Reverb, Bassman, Bandmaster, etc.) but still has the gain, bass, treble, mids, reverb, and presence knobs, along with side treats like an on board tuner, noise gate, and 4 preset channels controlled with a four way footswitch. love it, its my number one gig amp and very unknown and underrated.
Worse Gear = Collector's Item.
TRAV AVIS ah ha haha, I want one of them anyway...
So good to see Cole Clark getting some recognition outside of Australia - the indigenous woods they use really give them a unique timbre, and they just feel so great to play.
Dear Phil, thanks for your list and how lightly you cope with those who may disagree with you. It is a lesson for all of us. As a Brazilian, I was very happy with seeing Tagima on your list. They're quite popular around here and have a wide range of models. Thank you once again for all the content you've been producing for quite some time now. I hope to keep watching you during this next decade. Best regards!
My favorite Les Paul was actually in the 2015 lineup, the Les Paul CM.
I've had two of them and yeah, the very first mod on both was to replace the robot tuners with some auto locking Grovers
These 2015/2016 Gibsons are a great deal. Hardly the worst guitar of the decade since they are Les Pauls with a couple of improvements that people get butt hurt about and like to kick Gibson every chance they have. And now since there are videos like this the 2015 and 2016 are rare $$$, thanks for the bitching Phillip !
Breaux As I just said to Phillip I was lucky enough to be given a 2015 fire burst sg Special as a present from my daughter and her husband. I replaced the robot tuners with Kluson tuners and it had already had ‘57 pickups replacing the zebra pickups. I actually love the wide fret board after my other fav which is an ‘85 Fernandes with fender pickups. I love the wider fret board for bending the high E string. This is now my favourite guitar.
New t-shirt: "it's my video. I'll do whatever i want"
Really loving this channel more and more. Happy New Year Sir! Can't wait for new content :)
Best controversy...Silver Sky
The Silver Sky is actually the best guitar of the decade, Phillip is nitpicking and biased, I win, bye bye
899$ would have been fine.
Gibson filing for bankruptcy, or the "play authentic" campaign.
@@Skrubenz dunk?
@@franksteur3737 Spaghetti and meatballs!
I thought you were going to say that the Fender G-DEC 30 was the best solid state amp. I bought one from you at your shop in Chandler several years ago, where you and your wife both spoke so highly of it. I recall that you used them for all of your lesson rooms and I had to order mine and wait a few weeks for it to come in because they were so popular.
I sure wish your McKnight Guitars location was still here. I loved getting real, honest insight from you about the products I was buying. Keep the videos coming! I love your channel!
Wow, Phil . . . That's the fastest acknowledgement I've ever had on UA-cam comment. That couldn't have been more than a minute or two. And for a video that's nearly 7 months old, that's really impressive. You're a star, my friend! I also bought my Rocktron Utopia Wah pedal from you, and still use it every day. Best Wah I've ever used.
Being Brazilian It makes me happy seeing Tagima in this list.
i was scared the whole time that something i owned would be on the worst list lol
Will T Why? If you like it and honestly think that it serves your purpose of owning it why would you care if someone else thinks it’s bad?
Will T
Absolutely love my 2015 Les Paul Jr. Love the wide neck.
I own the ehx crying bass thing lol
It happened to me..I have a Johnson by Axl strat clone. And it's my favorite guitar over Schecter Omen Extreme FR and Epiphone LP. Go figure? I have no idea with all the complete crap guitars out there he'd pick this? It's absolutely gorgeous, has wonderful tones, and it feels great. Mine must be a fluke?
I've probably bought 10 guitars in the past year, kept some, sold some. But my favorite guitar to just pick up and jam on, or use in a gig, that I've bought this past let's say 4 years is the Slick SL50 black ash. I LOVE!!! this guitar. And I wouldn't even have known about it if you hadn't reviewed it. My most expensive guitar is pushing 2grand, but I pick up this Slick guitar ALL THE TIME! Just goes to show, you like what you like, and if you like it, you'll play it more. Thanks for the review, and all the information over the past years.
And the most improved YT Guitar/Gear channel of the last decade: KYG! For being the most complete, unbiased, knowledgeable, friendly and inclusive guitar/gear channel on the platform. IMHO of course. Well done Phil!! 8) --gary
I really like your in depth look into these products and that I haven't heard of many of them. Most other reviewers dont tred off the beaten path and will keep all of these points in mind when I look for another guitar or amp. Thanks for sharing and keep up to good and honest work...
One thing I can say without trying the headless guitar is that the aesthetics are very disturbing to my senses.
They’re actually amazing guitars, but I’m with you-I just can’t stand the look of headless guitars.
Im a fender guy but i have to say. Headless guitar is very interesting and quite funny to look at
That's funny!!
That’s *exactly* what they said about the first SG. And Flying V. Just sayin’….
Hey Phillip, Happy 2020!
Great rewind of the decades best/worst gear.
Had not heard of the Aussie guitar builder before but I'm going to look out for them.
There are just so many great guitar makers out ther it's so hard to choose from all their different offerings.
Thanks for taking time to help sort it all out for us, and for showing us what's out there as well!
Have a great year and I wish you all the best!
Surprised Amp Sims and DAWS didn't make it on a list.
After a ten-year tech hiatus I was completely blown away by what can be pulled off with a laptop and some decent monitors.
The ability to play around with countless amps, pedals, mics, cabs.. in a small basement studio is priceless yet very affordable.
Surely boss katana for amp of the decade
the new versions blew me away when i tried it tbh. imo the perfect amp under $500
I don’t get it , I’ve tried them out 3 times and they just sound like just another digital amp to me ..lifeless ? Do you have to crank them up to get the sound or what
A friend of mine got a Gibson Les Paul studio in 2015 (funnily enough the exact one you showed but without robotuners) and I actually liked that guitar quite a lot. Never had a problem with that guitar.
Chase Vønn depends on what it is you do. People hate them because people who buy Gibson generally are blues guitarists who want a 50s or 60s les paul reissue. They NEED to update their guitars and get people excited, and they just keep failing at attracting new fans. They are losing BAD to esp and literally every other brand there is, because they keep doing a shit job with marketing and innovation. It isn’t all their fault, part of it is that the people who are buying Gibson now don’t want a modern guitar, but they are doing a poor job at appealing to both audiences, like fender is
AG, you could get a job in marketing at Gibson, and show them how it’s done.
You being an expert on the subject and all.
My 2015 Les Paul is my best guitar (of 10). Purists didn't like the innovative features, wanting a ''Gibson the same way it was made in 1952'' - except it's not is it, it's 2020 (or 2015 then). I like innovation and features which give me more sonic options and better sound.
In 2015 some dealers such as Guitar Center carried exclusives that had no robot tuners or wider neck in reaction to poor sales of regular 2015 models
Had a 2015 Studio for a couple of years. Not a horrible guitar, but not worth the price. I feel like a 2011 epiphone LP standard is a better buy for less cash. Traded that Paul for a JTV 59 and am very satisfied. All down to taste though!
For me, the most innovative guitar is the Relish Mary One.
truueeee i agree AND ABOVE THE INNOVATION .. they DID NOT FORGET to make a great sound out of it as well. it is just super quality.
Also for the acoustic, try to look at france's LAG hyvibe smart guitar
Agreed, The Relish Mary One sounds amazing and the fact you can swap out pickups within seconds is major.
For sure, completely game changer potential
Agreed. Most innovative guitar.
Honorable mention to the Revv Purple. That thing is the best sounding Metal/Rock Distortion pedal I've probably ever heard.
I have a 2015 LPjr. Horrible stock guitar, but a great mod platform that I got used and cheap. I made it into a Lennon inspired LPjr. The wide neck was the same as my beloved Martin acoustic so I used the familiar spacing, I found a frisket mask and fixed the horrid headstock logo. It’s now a great playing guitar and is a visual stunner.
I actually loved my Greta. I kind of regret selling it. One, it could plug into a cabinet and would give a really great sound at a lower volume, second, it had a very fun tone when played through the tiny speaker, and three, the mini-jack input sounded really cool for tube toned sound for music playback, four, it has an output where you can use it as pre-amp which was really, really cool. Especially old school jazz and blues sounded really cool through the mini-jack. I think another reason why I liked it so much is that back when I started to play had a small tube radio that my father altered so I could plug my guitar into and it had a really cool bedroom-level tube driven sound. The Greta really captured that experience.
There was a custom pedal maker (timbo, who then started making pickups for a while) who I had make me a few interesting pedals about 10 years ago.. A tremolo circuit in a crybaby case, where trem speed was controlled by the foot.. a dual OCD/Klon in one box.. I then had asked him to make me a Big muff, with a rotary switch to cycle through all the different muff circuits.. he liked the idea but said it would be a lot of work so we shelved it.. glad to see GHS finally came up with that one.
I would love to know if you debated having PRS in any of the categories... In my opinion their SE range of guitars has made giantic leaps over this last decade, forcing many other brands to try harder. Fender who? Gibson who? All I need are them birds 😉.
Thanks for the great content!
Ive got a modern eagle 2 and a custom 24, versatile guitars, but my strato standard with custom fat 50s PUS and my 1980 lp custom are just miles away, WAAAY more unique guitars than any prs ive tried or owned
Yeah but the volume knob is always in the way of your picking hand
Once you swap those sterile PUPs.
The Yamaha THR series should get more love, they were around for nearly all of that decade
I didn’t get to try out a lot of guitars, but my dream guitar, for looks and specs, of last decade was the St Vincent.
I used to want a st vincent, until i got my hands on it. The neck felt like it was trying to be chuncky and slim at the same time which just felt awkward in my hand. And the upper fret access is horrid. The body sat weird and felt plastic almost didn't even feel like wood🤷♂️ music man makes great guitars but the st vincent in my opinion isnt one of them
Mc Spankies I recently got to try one at last and I must say my yearning was cured. Felt kind of sad and relieved at the same time. Still looks killer. Didn’t feel that great.
Your tangent at 6:10 was a fantastic disclaimer (had no idea about the pedal before this either way), pretty much makes me want to subscribe just because your of seemingly gracious philosophy.
My first "real guitar" was a Les Paul Studio I picked up about 20 years ago... It's really sad to see the state of that company today. Hopefully they'll take some cues from companies that are offering real innovation, choice, and value for money.
Gibson will never innovate again when instead they can sell to old rich people, aging rockstars and doctors and lawyers.
RE: EHX Crying Tone - I've not used one, but the idea of a foot-operated pedal that had no real moving parts, hence no crackle, no repairs, and nothing mechanical to go wrong, was immensely appealing. The pivot-point was that it was largely incompatible with the pedalboard mentality. If it was 1978, and a gig setup consisted of a wah, fuzz, Uni-Vibe or phaser, and maybe an octave pedal on the floor, held together by patch cables, no one would have batted an eye at the Crying Tone's physical format. But that's a complaint from a person who gigs and needs to carry their setup around, plunk the pedalboard on the floor, and have it just work straight away. In a studio, it's a different world for the most part. So, not a BAD pedal or idea, just not fully compatible with the market needs.
Yeah that’s another cop out for a choice of ‘worst’ gear too
@@ResidentSmith78 How so? Good product, just not matched to what pedalboard users prefer. But that's true of a lot of products. There's a ton of great gear out there, vintage and otherwise, that commands top prices, but is a bad fit for pedalboards. Conversely, there is plenty of gear out there that is expressly designed to fit neatly on pedalboards that is meagre quality. F'rinstance, I have a Caline mini-wah/volume pedal. Sure, it takes up about the same space as a Boss pedal, and has an indicator LED - terrific convenience - but small wahs feel less expressive under your foot. Is a Strymon Volante a great pedal? Sure. Will it fit on *my* pedalboard? Not a chance in hell.
@@niallhanley4815 I guess there is a subtle distinction to be made between a bad product and a bad marketing choice. As for EHX's thinking behind the product itself, they still make traditional mechanical foot-treadle pedals, wah and otherwise. But I imagine the lure of what could potentially be done with gravitational sensors like those used in smartphones was too great to pass up. I have a Source Audio Hot Hand 3 controller that uses the same core technology. Also a fascinating idea and solid product. The only problem is that you can't really use the orientation of the sensors to control things until AFTER you've picked/strummed, because it relies on gross hand movements, and you can't pick AND wave your hand at the same time. That's not to say that initiating some sort of filtering or modulation after you've strummed a chord is a bad thing, but one is shut out of controlling tone *while* you play. And you'll note that, as brilliant a product as it is, it's not flying off the shelves.
Sometimes a technology comes along that captivates engineers with its possibilities, but ultimately doesn't fit the available marketing niche.
@@niallhanley4815 Nah. The Hot Hand is a great product, just more limited in its range of possibilities than one would ideally like. That's not really much different than a drive pedal whose 7:00 position won't get as subtle as you'd like, or whose 5:00 position doesn't get as intense as you'd like. And, in much the same way one can always buy/build/mod a drive pedal to go the extra mile, I can always hook up an expression pedal to twiddle with my foot while picking, and leave the hand-waving for after.
I sold my EVH 6L6 amp for the EL34 version, and absolutely love it. 6L6 version is great for modern tones, but the EL34 sounds old and new at the same time... I hope that makes sense LOL
@@lueysixty-six7300 Sorry, I realize I was quite vague. From a clean channel perspective, I think the vintage Fender fans will prefer the 6L6s (to agree with you)... but, this really isn't the amp for them, as not many people buy these amps for the clean channel. I was referring to channels 2 and 3 - the dirty channels. Channel 2 in particular has that classic 80s Marshall crunch that I grew up with (been playing since 1983). The midrange too, which I find better for leads versus the 6L6s (just seems to make my leads pop through more). To your point, 6L6s are known to be a bit cleaner sounding, with less break up. That would be appealing to the Fender crowd for sure (especially those that stick to the clean channel), but the 6L6 models also seem to be preferred by the modern metal guys (especially those that down-tune).
@@lueysixty-six7300 6L6 is a beam tetrode an EL34 is a Pentode. Generally a 6L6 will have a more rounded sound and an EL34 emphasises the midrange. But the differences are subtle in that it depends on the circuit being used, Overall, a speaker change is a lot more noticeable than going from a 6L6 to a EL34
I absolutely disagree with this statement, but everyone has different ears.
80s Metal sound is not something I consider „vintage“.
Vintage sound are fender tweets and early blackfaces, so 6L6 is the way to go for real vintage.
Anything that comes after 18 watt MarshalIs consider pretty modern sounding.
But like I said, everyone has a different point of view so please take no offense from my comment.
@@rolux4853 "Vintage" is just "that era". So if I say a 67 vintage, I just mean the thing is from then. It really means "vine age" and was just a way to differentiate years of production in wine.
"Antique" is a term meaning "old", if that's what you mean.
Happy 2020!
I'll just say this out front: I'm pulling for you, Gibson! I want the company to succeed and I think they are getting better.
Phillip, Thanks for putting this out there and I may (or may not agree), but you put in the effort and I'm happy to see the results.
I think Relish Guitars deserved at least a shout out.
I own a 2015 Gibson Les Paul Studio. No issues, yet. But if issues do arise with either the nut or the tuners, they will be replaced. The guitar it self is fine! I hope you did not kill the re-sale value for us!
Happy new year to all! I bought this year (2019) a 2015 Gibson Les Paul Studio in MM is a great guitar, I read all the information regarding the G-force tuners, so far even though they are almlst 5 years old, I took them off, cleaned the contacts, and removed all type of dust and they work really great, the more I use them the faster and more accurate they tune the guitar. I have no complains about the guitar itself, however just like modern or vintage people always tend to have different points of view. For me it's a great guitar!
Wasn’t the Excelsior branded as a harmonica amp?
HI Philip - you chose the Tagima...here in the UK we have the identical guitar under the brand name of Revelation, the model you showed being the RJT60: a Jazzmaster-like guitar with Alan Entwistle's pokey P-90s. I've had one of these, along with several other Revelations, and they're all been great. The same great body and neck is used with a variety of pickups eg RJT60 Quad with 4 single coils, RJT60 H with split coil humbuckers etc. Low cost hasn't meant low quality, and in the case of Revelation great value for the money: their 54 Tele 'inspired' swamp ash is another excellent model.
Thanks for your videos, your honesty and your humour (humor to you!) Cheers from the UK :-)
Seemed like you spent a lot of time arguing with yourself about the rules of your own list. lol
I have a 2015 Les Paul Traditional. My girlfriend bought it for me as a birthday present. She made sure she got me one without the robot tuners because she knew I hated them. The zero nut is awesome. You can set it up to where you have the perfect nut height for your playing style. It also decreases friction in the nut slots so there are no binding issues. The guitar came with a brass nut, but I had Gibson send me a titanium one for free. It's my absolute favorite guitar in my collection. I really wish people would quit disparaging this line of guitars. Some of them are pretty awesome.
Happy new year to all! I bought this year (2019) a 2015 Gibson Les Paul Studio in MM is a great guitar, I read all the information regarding the G-force tuners, so far even though they are almlst 5 years old, I took them off, cleaned the contacts, and removed all type of dust and they work really great, the more I use them the faster and more accurate they tune the guitar. I have no complains about the guitar itself, however just like modern or vintage people always tend to have different points of view. For me it's a great guitar!
I bought one this year, too. That Midnite Manhatten blue one. I really like the way this guitar feels and sounds, and the coil splitting on the push-pull knobs. And I'm pretty sure I got the price I did because, nobody else liked it. Oh well, more for me!
I own a 2016 HP Les Paul Standard and absolutely love it. The fit and finish on mine is excellent and I like the wider fretboard (not as wide as the 2015). I kept the G force tuners because it works great. I also have a 2016 HP faded Les Paul studio but had to change the G force tuners to Ratio locking tuners since the G force stopped working. I guess they are hit or miss.
Wait till you accidentally hit a harmonic while tuning and confuse the hell out of the tuners and have them go crazy and snap your string. Happened to me twice.
@@metrostatetacticalicecream6945 User error.
@@metrostatetacticalicecream6945, actually it may snap your strings, one of the things I realized when I took the tuners and cleaned them is that if the strings is hitting the bridge can also give a little buzzing that the tuners (I don´t know why) tend to tighten the string more causing it to snap (not always, but, could happen). My suggestion to all g force users is to always calibrate the tuners when changing strings even if you are using the same strings gauge or different brand. On the other hand, if you do not like tuners take them off and the guitar is still a Les Paul, sounds great, feels great (even with the fretboard) and looks great. At least my LP has a nicely figured top that looks gorgeous.
Another great video Phil. I have to say the absolute best solid state amps I’ve played, as pedal platforms that is, are the DV Mark Eric Gales and Greg Howe heads. They are relatively inexpensive and have enough headroom to keep up with anything you throw at them. Paired with a great cab (DV Mark Frank Gambale 2x12 for example) put them in the same league as many classics. Just for reference I also own a Marshall 62 Bluesbreaker, 59 Fender Bassman and a Vox AC30. With the amp only weighing about 5 pounds and the cab around 20 pounds I find myself using the DV Mark head and cab more than my beautiful sounding combos. Not just because of their back saving qualities, but because they sound great and fill a room with ease. Definitely try out the DV Mark Rawdawg with a DV Mark Frank Gambale cab as a super clean, high headroom pedal platform and you’ll see what I mean. Oh and I’m a humbucker guy, so anything out there about over compressing is truly nonsense. Thanks and keep up the good work my friend.
Happy new year Phillip 🍾👍🍾😀🍾👍😀🍾
For me the best guitars of the decade were the 2012-2017 Fender American Vintage series. The attention to detail on these guitars to make them period-correct is absolutely astounding, and you can find them used for $1,500 or less. The best amp of the decade for me was the 2555x Silver Jubilee reissue by Marshall (a reissue that was looonngg overdue). The best pedal was the Death by Audio Fuzz War, the people who use it (John Dwyer, Ty Segall) reinvented the way fuzz was seen and used by an entire generation, including myself.
"It's my video, I'll do whatever I want" was my favorite sentence of the whole video!
To attenuate loud amplifier speaker cabinets, I built a speaker booth with 4x8 styrofoam. The booth is 4'x4'x8' and inside has sound proofing, rugs and ceiling tiles. 4am jams don't alert the neighbors. Of course, I am not in an apartment. This allowed me to ignore all the IR and attenuators and in turn spend money on microphones and microphones preamps. After a few years watching Glenn Fricker and Warren Huart describe how they record guitar amps, with honorable mention to Eric Valentine, my old 70s and 80s amplifiers are returning to service on a home hobbyist level. Stay home, and rip it up at any hour. Of course, all thanks to Home Depot & Lowes and about $120. UA-cam as a community and a platform for music releases has been the #1 most inventive achievement, and still serves as a great way to meet new musicians and collaborate on new music. Happy New Year Phil and Family and Friends.
Strandberg Bodens were the best of the decade fo shizzle.
Amen. There’s a reason the Boden became a modern classic almost immediately. It’s a game changer.
Everybody talks about the design and feel, which is understandable because it’s wacky and striking. But it also sounds goddamn ridiculous. I have the double humbucker model and it’s the most sonically versatile guitar I’ve ever touched. The strandberg stock pickups are fantastic. I switched to a Boden from a really fantastic american deluxe telecaster, and it was a really intuitive transition because the Boden sounds so snappy and bright. It’s not a typical super hot and dark sounding metal guitar. I can’t say enough about the thing, I could go on.
My only complaints are 1) the angled output jack, and 2) on the 6 string the parallel fret is at 0 which makes tight chord shapes high up on the neck difficult to finger even for my small nimble fingers. This would be mitigated had they put the parallel fret at 5, 6, or 7.
best pedal of the decade: the 4 button footswitch that comes with the Fender GT series amps...
built-in tuner, built-in 3 channel looper, controls three "pedals" from your presets, i mean, it's gotta' be worth a couple hund at least with those features, all by iteself, so when you consider the price of the amp, which isn't SO expensive in the first place, it's a very inexpensive amp for all that it offers when you consider the versatility that they also built into the footswitch... fantastic amp, personally, i'd call it the best of the decade, the wife and i are loving it, huge value, great quality, ALL the versatility, i got the 200 (2x12") it's just the f'in' SWEETEST!!! you're one of the reviewers that swayed me to buy it, thank you for bringing this winner to my attention...
Best amp of the decade for me: Blackstar Fly3. Changed the game on mini practice amps.
Anthony Cutt have you tried the katana mini? Awesome little boxes
@@oblongjr I have, yes. They're pretty good, if I hadn't got my Fly already I'd probably get one.
Yamaha THR-10s are great too
HX stomp is so great for folks who have a tone of pedals already. Fits great on a board and fills gaps for whatever fx you're missing; however, for someone who is wanting an all in one unit, I'm super satisfied with my Kemper stage. Helix and Axe FX are both great too. I think at this point it's really down to preference, but I love my Kemper. Being able to play John Mayer's original prototype Two Rock just has some magic to it.
I love the 2015 Gibsons, by far my favorites by the company. The tuners worked well, if you took the ten minutes to read the manual.
Agreed. I have a Les Paul Jr with the GForce tuner, very happy with you. But, as you suggested, I READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.
Gunther Abrahamowicz. I own one and I love it. The tuner is brilliant. I've been a working musician for over fifty years, and I love the fact that I press a button and the guitar tunes it self 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿love from the UK!!!!
I bought a Strandberg Metal 7 and I don’t even like playing anything else now. I have a couple exceptions but I pretty much like everything more about that guitar than most everything about everything else I own. I was a huge disbeliever in them before and thought they were gross. Then I sat down and spent some time with one and couldn’t stop thinking about it until I bought one for myself. Love it.
This decade was great because I had my two children. Downside is I sold off all of my gear. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. I plan taking advantage of what came out this past decade at a low price point. I love the channel, keep it up!
I'm no body to disagree or agree with you. I have one guitar, one amp, one cable.... And have not really "tryied" anything out of my own gear. But boy, do i like your channel. Really impressed with the quality of content. Wish you a fantastic decade, plenty of success and happiness for you, your friends and your family!
My favorite piece of gear is my Vater drink holder that fits on my guitar stand and holds my beer!
I had one of those four force amps. I upgraded the speaker - got it for free - and it didn’t sound too bad for what it was. The speaker made all the difference.
Phil: Best amp of the decade EVH 5150
Me: *Cries in Roland Cube Gx10*
@@shaft9000 The 5150 you're talking about was a Peavey, and was later renamed the 6505 (after Peavey's year of foundation, 1965, and their 40th anniversary, 2005) when Eddie Van Halen's contract with Peavey ran out.
Eddie later partnered with Fender Musical Instrument Company and released the EVH branded 5150, which was the one referenced in the video.
5150 is a reference to the Van Halen album of the same name, which was itself named after a common psych ward code for "restrain the patient", or something like that.
Wonderful to see Cole Clark getting some love. I have a Taylor but all the CC's I have played have been great instruments.
"It's my video, I'll do what I want."
Wait, that's illegal.
Jk, great video Phil!
Thank you Phil! Love the channel
Someone say wah pedal in your shoes?
One (small) point of disagreement - when I went looking for a used Les Paul, I specifically wanted a 2015 Traditional. I wanted a non-weight-relieved body and - given my big hands and fat fingers - the wider, fatter neck suits me perfectly. And it sounds great. It's not difficult to swap out the dread robotuners and Graphtec make an excellent replacement nut specifically for that model.
Tech 21 trademark 60 is my personal favorite solid state amp , check one out Phillip !
Great to hear that Brazil is in your list with Tagima Guitars, that are made here in São Bernardo do Campo City - São Paulo State, although the name came from a very successful Japanese immigrant luthier that sold his brand many years ago due to financial problems. The brand resumed operations importing cheap guitars from China until they were able to build their own manufacturing shop in Brazil.
actually Tajima guitar are almost all Fender player level guitars, they just have the lower price tag cause Brasil
Victor Cruz do you have one? I’ve been seeing them floating around dirt cheap in the market. Been thinking whether to pick one up or just go for 80s mij greco/fernandes
@@oblongjr it's really preference, but I've played a few of these in Brasil and they are awesome, really good quality guitar and being made in Brasil the price is way lower than what you would pay for an american made guiatr of the same tier per say, and you can find even the 2019 models dor under 300 bucks around 200-250. The tw series is the more afordable one and they have the rocker and Brasil series which are also really good, check out the tw61, it's a jazz master style.
my player was good, just said china on neck
I totally agree that the 5150 lll 50watt head is great!I just bought it in Dec. 2019 and dont see many demos of the upgraded volume rings( and they add even more tone options) but the demos out there all sounded so good no matter who did them so I was pretty sure it would work for me.Thanks to all those out there who talked and played me into it!🤘
Orange CR120 should be an honorable mention for SS amps
Hell yeah, it is a BEAST!!
Best solid state head since the Sunn Beta Lead
No doubt, I’ve had a hard time finding ANY amp better suited for my playing needs (simple, clean, loud, no bells or whistles)
I understand this is simply your opinion.
I own a 2015 SG, and I absolutely love it!
I agree about the nut having early wear issues, but Gibson provides a titanium unit, completely free of charge, simply by asking.
Of course it’s never been installed, because I ordered a Tusq nut before I found out about the titanium piece.
I really appreciate how easy it is to set the action at the nut end of the neck.
And I love the Gforce tuning system.
Maybe that makes me a candyass, but this thing makes tuning on the fly a breeze.
And it works great.
Maybe other people are having issues, but mine seems to be flawless after two years of service, and this is my player 90% of the time.
And lastly, the 1.8” nut is wonderful for large fingers.
I think the real issue is, people want innovation, but when the get it, they complain because the standard has been changed.
This is my opinion...
when it comes to tube amp my personal fave for the decade is the Mesa Boogie Mark V, such an amazing and versatile amp.
I have the 35 and love it. Almost as much as my Mark IV
@@PsychoMantis308 I have the 25 and I love it dearly.
I have one Explorer that came with the Gibson robo-tuner. It may seem like it’s not working at first. But it has a good use.
Step 1: remove from guitar and replace with locking tuners. Step 2: place under open hallway door to keep it from slamming shut in the event of a breeze. If its a strong breeze, oddly the tuner will tune the howl of the breeze to D minor, the saddest of all keys.
The Cole Clarks are amazing. And of course in Australia they are much cheaper than equivalent overseas models :-)
The crying wah is difficult to use, so pick up the cradle and strap it down. I'm not big on way pedals, but I like that the crying wah can save a cocked spot through the configuration process and you can turn it on and have the saved position.
my best buy of 2019 was the harley benton fusion pro....awesome guitar.
Kramer surfer at the same time, mine was a gibson les paul studio'.'
My way of persiving guitars has completely changed.
A very fair review on best and worst gear of the decade, I disagree about the effects unit as I’m a Fractal man but I get why you chose the Helix. Happy New Year Phil!
Good picks Phil, you know your gear well...at least for a bass player. 😎
I really enjoy your playing, you're better at guitar than a lot of "real" guitarists.
Speak for yourself lol just mess'n
I’ll never forget being at guitar center one day buying strings and what not and the dude behind me in line just straight up bought a top line majesty. The jealousy I felt in that moment was crazy and I regret not trying to be friends with that guy every day.
thank god you didnt pick the fender tonemaster twin for best solid state
Fender Pawnshop amps are awesome! They’re not branded Fender because they’re a different flavor. The Excelsior and Vaporizer are perfect for gigging. The best tone for roots to rock and inexpensive. I think they’re just too retro for Phil’s taste even though he likes basic Fender amps. It makes sense that if you like the way Kiesel guitars look that the pawnshop series wouldn’t be for you.
Seriously, calling these worst amp of the decade is a stretch. They are great sounding amps. How they chose to name them has absolutely nothing to do with quality.
I'll tell you what. The Excelsior is a way better amp than the Epiphone Century which I consider was trying to appeal to the same vibe. They came stock with a hard-to-repair noise issue!
just curious why you don't like the Headrush Pedalboard
One thing that people don't know about the Headrush (which I have one, tried the Helix which I like (but its strongest feature is the cleans and the I phone link) is that it has a noise gate or compression on all effects. Once you remove that it opens it up. It's more versatile than the Boss which I felt all the overdriven sounds sounded pretty same to my ears (they always have the octaver in the metal/hard rock effects-really?). The Headrush is the easiest to program or tweak, but they should update or should follow the Helix is the downloading wirelessly
Happy New year, and Phil thank you for staying with the channel. If the trolls scream at you, just think how much you can feed them every time you flush the commode. Always a favorite of mine. Thanks Phil
G Force tuning is ace. Retro fitted to all my Gibsons.
Mike Atack
I wouldn’t have it on a gigging guitar because of the slow restringing. But for a guitar used for fun it is great.
I gig with 2 of them, never had a problem and I tune on the fly in the middle of a song if I need to, these get a bad rap but if you don’t want it, I’ll take it, love both of mine!
I gig with two of them as well. I’m putting one on a third. If you read the manual and calibrate them, they’re great. The worst thing about them is that people selling them didn’t know anything about them.
How is the battery?
Art C never had a problem. Just monitor the battery life. The batt led changes color when the power is low. It lasts a long time. I have a spare but never needed it. They come with a battery and charger. Enjoy.
I am not familiar with some of the products you listed but i admire your affinity for voicing your opinion. I like the opinions of others and, although they do not discolor my own still give me a fresh starting point to examine new products. Thank you.
Didn’t age well about Kiesel.
My thoughts exactly.
Lol.. Good One..
What happened
Enjoyed the video Phil. I am a hobby guitar player. I have never liked to spend much money on my gear since I started 10 years ago. The Katana is a game changer in regards to the quality affordable amps are expected to possess. Harley Benton has done some astounding things the last couple of years in respect to their reach to the player base, as well as their product. My fusion guitar from them is incredible. I can't believe how much they were able to feature on that guitar considering it's low price point. I have much respect for that company.
Decades always start with a zero not a one. Works the same as digital math.
Thanks, I saw Karnivool play an Acoustic set and could not figure out what brand of acoustic guitar was being played, Cole Clark. Of course, an Australian band plays Australian instruments.
DigiTech Drop is the best pedal of the decade. The amount of touring acts that rely on them is insane
I agree! The ability to pop between any tuning you want with just two guitars (one E and one drop D) is amazing.... I know not everything, Damn Kashmir!
Yeah I know of a bunch of bands who use something like both drop d and c, or drop c and a# and they just use one guitar. Amazingly convenient