1963 Stratocaster VS. 2015 Stratocaster

[@samuraiguitarist]

Check out the guitar playing samurai silhouette over at www.shopsamuraiguitarist.com (btw it says "samuraiguitarist" in that Japanese lettering)

[@portugeseking7959]

The 63 is so soft and bright sounding

[@elijahmaurer9039]

Does the reissue have the dual radiused fretboard? (Glue surface and fret surface)

[@thecallofthevoid9972]

Your name is steve

[@intanto1]

Thanks. The 2015 is very good but slightly rubbery. 1963 is more lively and "natural" : It breathes and seems to open up horizons instead of sounding almost like a pre-set (a characteristic common to many modern instruments, especially if they are not played and not aged). However, I believe it is a feell of feell rather than sound. Both are overpriced ;-( A little bit :-). p.s. I own an early 1974.

[@yourbandisabusiness]

They sounds like guitars.

[@DeathbyThumb]

As Hendrix said. "It's just wood man."

[@dyerflips1991]

Mike M are u my music teacher ....mr turner....

[@rickc2102]

Hendrix never played a 55-year-old Strat.

[@fadetoblackened4407]

Rick C he wasn’t familiar with things getting old

[@TrollsAndScrolls]

...aaaand he wasn't talking about guitar

[@nuendo2496]

Jeff Beck plays a "new" Strat.

[@aidank2108]

Fender: "Hendrix played a strat from the 60's" Me: "that's because he lived in the 60's."

[@luissimon9423]

Hahaha that’s good

[@army2207]

Thats fucking true lol

[@norwegiansniper9713]

@@ImTyeDye not really, he did play cbs necks though, he switched out necks on his guitars.

[@aidank2108]

@Andrew very true. As I've gotten better at guitar I've noticed that I can make a Squier sound better now than I could make a les paul sound in the past

[@maraviyoso8473]

John Frusciante and John Mayer play 60's Fenders. Neither of them were even born in the 60s

[@ecti9570]

Well...Cool, buuut I'll stick with my squier strat

[@ondraspendlik9759]

Squier is 🔥

[@GRigby]

Actually, I think you'll find the Redwood Stratocasters to be the real king of guitars.

[@misterknightowlandco]

I would too.

[@ondraspendlik9759]

@@GRigby I gotta admit I haven't heard of them before. But well, not everyone can afford such guitars. Even cheapest Fenders are more of a dream for me and I don't expect having more than 1000 dollars to spend on a guitar in the future. In US, it might not seem like that much, but here, in middle Europe, 1000 dollars is basically a month's wage, and with prices of life needs being pretty high, such guitars are simply too expensive for most people. Maybe one day

[@johnfortnitekennedeez]

Ondra Spendlik There’s always the player series Fender they’re around $400-500 and you get bang for your buck, I know the struggle so that’s what I’m saving for :)

[@ThorneyedWT]

There is no comparison. Those guitars have different number of pickguard screws.

[@theycallmejames7649]

вот тебя, торнайд, я тут увидеть не ожидал, с наступающим!

[@loganpotts9623]

Hmm, I counted the same number on both bro

[@FrankJmClarke]

@@loganpotts9623 Vintage screw spacing, you need really good ears to tell the difference, though.

[@bobzmuda3940]

no they dont

[@victorrene3852]

@@loganpotts9623 if the screws are a little rusted it makes the tone way better.

[@leochinchillaa]

but they're different colours bro don't you know anything about tonepaint bro

[@adwitatherealadwita]

Are... Are you Rudy Ayoub?

[@6eggsinmybrain]

Please for the love of God tell me there aren't people on reddit arguing about if the paint makes the guitar sound different.

[@Userr18362]

@@6eggsinmybrain sadly there are this comment however is just a joke

[@Thecleetus]

Blue one is cooler

[@GriffinsTale1142]

@@6eggsinmybrain congrats yoh basically just described r/guitarcirclejerk

[@stuartmacdonald5361]

When I had my eyes open it was close, but the vintage 63 sounded just a tiny bit nice. When I closed my eyes and listened, I couldn't tell a difference between the two. I think we all listen with our eyes to a certain extent, but some more than others.

[@telequacker-9529]

That's why they make the "reliced" artificially aged models. What will always be better for *your* sound is to play the shit out of an affordable guitar until you MAKE it a relic.

[@toxictophat711]

placebo but i was wondering if pick up degrade with age i guess not lol

[@Utube-g3g]

@@toxictophat711 they can degrade.it’s wires wrapped around at they can break etc.

[@noven8259]

honestly the only difference i could hear was that the 2015 strat sounded a bit louder but thats about it

[@Peter7966]

$35,000 for a guitar? Nope... as a player, unless I'm Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck or David Gilmore. I certainly can't tell $30,000+ of difference in the sound. Too bad collectors have inflated the price way beyond to reach of most players.

[@marcobeltran7218]

Well, they are collectors items. Players know that it is not worth the price and get a players guitar.

[@guitaristforfunn]

The difference you hear is the difference you hear. Being a famous guitarist isn't going to help. What Marco said, they'r collectors items.

[@richthick]

Inflated the price? What the hell, if it was cheap, y'all would complain about it being too underated.

[@maxscardanelli6185]

*Gilmour.

[@Peter7966]

I guess not. There ain't no guitar sound worth $35,000. It's a collectors thing. I get it. Or it's a player with a ton of $$$. I can't tell much of a difference on my tiny laptop speaker when listening. But I do trust the ear of Samurai-g. If he says the 63 is better... then I'm going with his take.

[@travosk8668]

* Norman's Rare Guitars laughs in the distance *

[@robertwellington2616]

travos k norm’s is a horrible place to stop in and shop. Much better stores. Read the reviews and the hidden ones. Are you a utuber, celebrity, a known rich customer, or he assumes you’re rich or Joe Bonamassa? If not you’re most likely to get treated well, not great. Plus, they need to spruce up the strip mall garbage looking shop. It’s a boutique store but looks like a junk yard store. No thanks. I’m Hollywood that particular GC is a high tier GC. Plus, there’s lots of nice stores where they treat people with respect.

[@poncylpilatirov9011]

@@robertwellington2616 Maybe they are treating people like that after years and years of teenage "guitarists" coming by and playing smells like teen spirit and nothing else matters on guitars they couldn't even afford. It's a shop, not a museum with possibility to play the instrument for free.

[@sailorkid7522]

LMFAOOOO

[@dante9478]

@@poncylpilatirov9011 If they can't handle people coming in and playing on instruments they don't intend to buy then they're in the wrong line of work. That's just something that comes with owning a guitar store, and no reason to treat a potential customer like dirt

[@BeauJames59]

The destination for idiots of my generation ( born in '59) to drive up prices on select models all in an effort to sound like Clapton '72.

[@andrewpappas9311]

That '63 Strat looks and sounds absolutely amazing, the fuzz seriously gave it a Hendrix vibe

[@samuraiguitarist]

I agree!

[@aperson1739]

I think that was the point but yea the 63 is way better

[@brandonfairchild5340]

I could tell a difference with both clean and dirt. That 63 is just magical.

[@cuzthatshoweyroll]

A fuzz pedal gave a strat a Hendrix vibe? HMMMMM IDK

[@wishihadavette_2517]

Fax

[@danialm8122]

when Jimmy Hendrix recorded Little wing he had a 1960s strat but at the time the 60s strat was new.

[@Dmitry___S.]

I'm never gonna get a *Vintage Guitar,* because it reminds me of *"Forgotten Knowledge"* cliche. Certainly not because I'm poor.

[@kira7741]

Certainly not because you're poor.

[@FuriousGeorge_]

Certainly.

[@fenixfiretime]

Certain

[@nolanr7679]

Psssh, there not even good. Hah.

[@maninthecrowd5076]

Never poor. Guitar players always have enough money to buy a guitar. Vintageness doesn't matter.

[@Kurukururin12]

Both Sounds so charmingly mellow and fine... *looks at my bullet strat* oh dont worry dear I still love you more cause I can afford you

[@katherineberger6329]

I feel the same way about my MIM Lonestar.

[@jakeritchie3805]

Ive done mods to both of your models. Lets not act like the bullet or the mim cant be monsters also. Ive got a mim and an affinity i put a little money, and they are amazing. I would play anywhere and be confident it would hold up and sound just as good.

[@siddhartha1479]

You are a reallllly good guitarist dude!!!

[@maseypoos6711]

If I could play guitar like samurai does I would feel justified in buying a real vintage instrument like the '60 strat in the video, although it would have to be a real guitar for me, i.e. a burst.

[@SiddharthKarunakaran]

How to play like him?

[@siddhartha1479]

@@SiddharthKarunakaran I'd aay just keep practicing...

[@rhys74]

The strings clearly aren't original, absolutely unwatchable

[@VioletSerenade]

Jose absolute brainlet

[@IamJoeyDentinger]

Im the 100th like lol

[@Josev-TV]

Hahahahaha I only realized it was sarcasm after I had posted!

[@TheGarfield1959]

@@Josev-TV r/woooosh

[@_Stevio_]

dannick rheaume bit late bud

[@EthanTheMighty]

the 63 has less top end because the pickups have slightly demagnetized over time. often the secret "vintage" sound is just less hot pickups

[@gimmi3pleaze890]

Nothing the tone knob or a tweak on your rig's high and mid wont change durning sound check. One day our guitars will be vintage.... but I'll still want a new one.

[@AndreaAustoni]

Tone down and lower the pickups.

[@aaronbrown0417]

You couldn't be more wrong lol

[@kmckinlay8070]

Run a magnet briefly over the pickups with repelling poles. It will degauss the pickups.$35,000 saved.

[@yaniv-nos-tubes]

@@gimmi3pleaze890 that argument is pure bullshit, but here is another one:'"through the mix you won't tell" just trying to save you the next comment . but seriously if you will have the chance compare , fiddle with the amp's panel as much as you like it will only make it more painful. vintage gear is by far superior to modern because people cared more back then . even in this youtube video i hear a big difference the vintage is more alive and dynamic it's mellower and has more air on top it has that strat character we all know from records ,the modern sounds great nothing wrong with it till you a\b ,the sound is more rigid ,less open but still not harsh since it's a fine guitar as well. the 63 is a standard try comparing it to a new american standard .but then again maybe you can lower the treble and boost the bass this way you can also make it sound like a les paul right?

[@holaquetal3085]

Conclusion: just get a squier Oh, and a samuraiguitarist t-shirt

[@bryanmannoia8410]

hell no. unless that is all you can afford, then yes.

[@mauriciotavera6957]

buy one that you like and period buy one that you like and that's it

[@dish4386]

@@bryanmannoia8410 I've played squiers that feel better than american strats

[@marianoservat1]

@@bryanmannoia8410 the CVS line it's pretty good tbh

[@NelsonMontana1234]

Guitars are not good investments. Taking the cost of living into account, you'd have to wait 30 years to make a few bucks. And sometimes the value goes down. They're instruments. Play them.

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

I'd say it depends: what you paid for it on it's value at the time. And what it's worth once you have onto it 60+ years. US made or in some cases with things like horns: French or Japanese made. if you get to 30 years, may as well wait another 30 to sell. lol

[@joshuabsmith1991]

Everytime I go to the music store some oldman is buying a Gibson Les Paul I think it's always gonna be worth something and a better investment then giving it all to the bank... Prob leaving it for his wife or grandkids

[@BrettSmithDaniels]

That's why, as a professional musician, I play a Mexican deluxe player strat, and a Gibson LPJ - both under the $1000 mark. Trust me, both of those were good investments, I could earn back the value of both guitars in under 2 weeks 😎

[@gag3rs]

If you buy a ‘64 for 30K now you’ll be able to sell it for 30k whenever you want. It’s a good place to hold your money if you know what you’re doing.

[@19cubbies69]

@@gag3rs Not really sure if that is true this time around. I think guitars are becoming more a fad than collectible. Kind of like old typewriters or fountain pens. Depends on the guitar

[@cwir88]

Tone-wise, spending over 25000 USD on a guitar is completely unreasonable. Change my mind.

[@slivyo]

If you have the money, it wouldn't be. But it's more about the sentiment. I do want to make a point that the tone on the 1963 (rather the way he played it) was much more pleasing and memorable. It's these minor differences that can make the difference between remembering/being touched by someone's playing/sound and being left cold by it.

[@samlee2562]

What guitar costs 25k that sounds different to anything costing

[@slivyo]

@@samlee2562 Ask yourself that. Your ears are not the same as others. Just like our opinions are differing. But clearly there is a difference in vintage guitars in that price range compared to modern expensive guitars. Select materials that have aged well will provide a different sound and feel. I don't think that's hard to comprehend

[@mauriciotavera6957]

@@samlee2562 I guess it's a personal matter where to spend the money. Also

[@no_nameyouknow]

​@@slivyoIf you have all the money you could want then you would own both modern and vintage models so that is pretty moot. It's not really worth the cost, plain and simple. That doesn't mean people can't buy it and it doesn't mean I wouldn't love to own a vintage strat. It just means from a pure sound and capability perspective it is not worth paying ten times more than a modern model.

[@MannnisEi]

Look away from the screen during the demos. You wont even be able to tell when the guitar changes

[@bittaraemaulana4276]

I feel like this is the most useful advice I've gotten lately.

[@aarondr594]

I had the same thought. They both sound amazing though!

[@OpelPower]

I could tell on the clean tone with the bridge and middle pickups. The 63 is a bit brighter sounding. I can’t hear any difference with effects though.

[@danielstobbs7366]

Listening on my phone I cant hear the difference but on my studio monitors it's there.

[@lptomtom]

He should've played a Classic Vibe 60s Strat as a 3rd comparison

[@rattrap1009]

Oh, $35,000 CAD. What’s that, like $15 USD?

[@I_like_turtles_67]

LOL.

[@destroythehuman3380]

$15. What’s that, like £2 GBP?

[@rattrap1009]

Destroy TheHuman That sounds a little high.

[@ThankGoddaily]

Oh boy, I know you are just joking around but do you remember a little while back when the Canadian dollar was worth more than our US dollar. Also, the English would laugh at this comment and say the same thing about the US dollar. However, I wish your comment was true and I would run out and buy a dozen of that beautiful guitar!

[@rattrap1009]

@@ThankGoddaily I actually do enjoy going guitar shopping in Canada because the guitar prices don't quite keep up with the exchange rate so the guitars are pretty cheap.

[@lucaslaunay870]

man that 63' sounds amazing. but it doesn't sound 10x better. great vid man! always enjoy ur vids

[@ApertureWarrior]

the way I see it, if you buy a guitar now, it will be "vintage" by the time you retire :)

[@functionparameter]

D T they’d die before it becomes vintage? Duh

[@robertwellington2616]

ApertureWarrior guitar, art and gaming only if it’s nitro coating and it’s played a lot. I just posted I got my first proper, decent playing strat as a kid. Yes I paid for it. So it’s 31 with its thick polyurethane coating it hasn’t aged at all. Just the pick up covers.

[@JohnOhkumaThiel]

Exactly.

[@watereddowncoffee6921]

@Deenie Beenie Actually 80s vintage reissues are valued heavily now, check reverb. It's the fact that nitro is worth more, allows the wood to resonate better, feels better to play on the hand, and ages nicer too. + it's more iconic because it's the same specs as the vintage ones.

[@massbaster7726]

Unless you're a collector, vintage instruments are never worth it

[@samuraiguitarist]

I mostly agree with this

[@apanapandottir205]

It is pretty cool that an instrument has a history spanning like 50 years though. All the people that played it, the places it's been and so on. It's kinda cool IMO.

[@apanapandottir205]

Haha, I just got to the part where he says it's like playing a part of history. Pretty much exactly what i was going for. Too bad I'll never afford a guitar like that xD

[@Altroante]

Any guitarist is a collector. :P

[@pedritogurutiaga8063]

a RICH collector...

[@imslicc]

07:50 it sounded like you were saying "so to samuraize..."

[@versnellingspookie]

I love, love LOVE those chord progressions that you're playing. Could you maybe do a video on that some day?

[@Violetcas97]

That first diddy he played sounded very inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Lenny"

[@jarodthejimnast5918]

The vintage strat is only more expensive because of its historical value, not necesarrily because of sound.

[@nikonmikon8915]

There is a difference in the sound. It's expensive because of numerous reasons. It's a tool that gets a job done that nothing else can (nothing sounds like a 63 strat except a 63 strat-- some are close but none are exact). It also happens to be very scarce. This drives the value up. Even if it was just rare but not that unique in it's sound, it would still be expensive. It's rare AND has desireable/exclusive sound characteristics so that makes it a very special instrument. As such, the value shoots through the roof.

[@yakshrajsingh8121]

@@nikonmikon8915 i dont find it to be worth it. I better bought myself a mod shop strat and i loved it.

[@alexandercrews1194]

Exactly. There's almost always a difference in sound, but it's only a good difference part of the time. Other times they've been sitting around for too long and they no longer resonate as well as they did when they were new. My dad owns a 1960's gibson SG that he's had since he was a teen. That's one of the good ones. Later on I played a 1960's Gibson 335 at a music shop, and honestly the scuffed-up Epiphone Dot a few rows away sounded better .

[@jasontroy3911]

I wonder if you did a blind test will anyone tell the difference

[@Memu_]

@@jasontroy3911 I've got a pretty good ear at these sorts of things and there isn't any valuable difference after listening to this blind and many others too. There's a slight difference especially with a clean tone but it's so small that it doesn't really matter. Especially not these days when there's so many ways of modifying your tone.

[@dedballoons]

When you don't wanna get a copyright strike for playing Lenny lol

[@zoinkiezz]

dedballoonz I’m sure Stevie himself would be cool with it

[@ahdbw8494]

Bryan Becnel III SRV was the man. Best Strat player ever, if not the best guitarist ever.

[@joshmuz9018]

Combine srv with mateas asato instead and you get this

[@bernoulli884]

It's so nice to hear the variety of chords you play mixed with single notes vs. the typical fast shred guitar demos. There's so much dynamic range.

[@DrStovepipe]

They both sounded killer, and your playing was top notch! The oldest guitar I own is a ‘96 Fender Jagstang but only because they don’t make it anymore so I do agree with you on the vintage guitars

[@cloud_monkey422]

Carlos B. Mentioned the jagstang a day before the anniversary of Kurt’s death

[@bluelane]

Lovely strats both! Hair tutorials soon? Bun on point.

[@xS0N1Kx]

The vintage guitar just sounds like it's playing in an big open room. Sounds a tiny bit better not worth 10x more. The reissue will probably sound exactly like it in 50 years.

[@jakehouchins6052]

Awesome playing man. Both are beautiful, well made instruments

[@martinheath5947]

To get closer to vintage tone you could get a powerful magnet and use opposing poles against newer pickups to demagnetize them a bit.

[@falkym]

could here the difference, yeah. Both are insanely good and pretty. I can see the appeal for '63 - i have squier strat, not even the best of the line (affinity series) and one day i was playing an american strat in music store. The difference was so small, yet so big. However, i can't see myself buying guitar worth 2 months salary, but there are days when i still feel like i should've bought it. I bought Harley Benton Mustang instead for like 90 USD. call me rich boi

[@TropicalGamer90ies]

For me, acoustics shows the biggest differences when talking about aged intruments. As proved by Paul davids Martin D28 1942 vs D28 of 2019.

[@hazenstribling2646]

brilliant video with brilliant guitars

[@elibeachill]

both sounded amazin and i think it really comes down to the player, your'e one of my favourite players out of youtube guitarists and i think its up to the player to some extent to make the guitar sound good

[@davedavis9693]

Unless they're owned buy someone famous as Albert KING , or Hendrix . Upside down flying V is well worth the money they go for today . Cheap Japanese guitars are worth the money also

[@TheNomios]

Sound is almost identical tbh... But I will trust you on the feel :D

[@anarchisttrash364]

To be honest, I love playing vintage guitars because it feels like I’m inheriting and playing something from someone’s history

[@stepsvideoarchive8851]

Your playing in this video is so wonderful. I keep coming back just to see you play! Not long after I watched this video, I decided that I HAD TO buy a guitar with a trem

[@thorstenkoch194]

Interesting video for me, never having spent more than 700€ for an instrument (which was already extreme for me). Totally agree with your wrap up, I also love to mod and drill holes and stuff and make it my own and the best playable as possible for me.

[@johnmoyle4195]

I have a 1955 Strat that had a similar story to your friend’s vintage instrument. It was my grandfather’s guitar, bought with a Telecaster when visiting America and brought back to Australia for his electronics magazine. They studied them and published articles about the components and the future of electronic musical instruments. My mother kept both guitars from her father’s death in 1960 until her own death in 2014. They are both in really good condition because they weren’t touched for 60 years. They have some corrosion but that’s all. The cases needed to be replaced.

[@professorgremlin1425]

I wonder how a '63 Strat sounded new, that would be awesome to compare with modern Fenders. If only time travel was possible :(

[@funnyfarmband4410]

6:05 that sound you hear is placebo

[@sombal1999]

5:41 i could listen to this for days

[@blindedtoaster5842]

I think the vintage just sounds so bright and beautiful and the reissue altough sounding amazing, there is just something so beautiful about the tone of the 63 version.

[@stb2017]

When I think of a Stratocaster, I think of one man. John Frusciante, and i always think of the solo from Scar Tissue live at Slane Castle.

[@bryanmannoia8410]

how young you must be to say something like that. frusciante is great but there are so many more iconic strat players.

[@mauriciotavera6957]

@@bryanmannoia8410 man. It is a memory of his youth, you do not have to have the one who for you is the best strat guitarist

[@SeeDerant]

I played on a AmPro strat this week, it’s crazy how strats just play themselves. Any chord on a good amp is just amazing! Great video dude, the parts you played really seemed like your were enjoying the hell out of both strats.

[@meepmoopmusic]

neck pickup with crunch on the '63 🔥🔥🔥

[@zankfrappa6427]

So much no

[@supakoo1837]

I checked out your channel. Keep it up. You could go somewhere with it.

[@jjbiek]

This was really just a fantastic video, probably the best vs I've watched. All other comparison videos should do what you did here and I'm talking about the quick switch to the other guitar and playing something very similar so thanks for this.Now as far as the guitars go, I couldn't believe how similar they sounded. At times i like the 63 better and other times I liked the 15 better then other times they sounded identical to me. This surprised me so much that I don't know if I will still consider a vintage guitar purchase. What I don't think is quantifiable, I may be wrong here, is the mental aspect of holding a super badass vintage guitar. I have to believe that makes a difference to the player and then possibly is passed onto the listener. Thanks again for this video.

[@CFCMahomet]

It’s called mojo. The vintage instrument has it... But the reissue is can have that if you play it a lot.

[@anthonyglennmollicasr.425]

The vintage Strat has a slightly mellower/smother tone and sounds a bit buttery as you said. Both sound great and your playing is also great, thanks for the video!

[@Sticknub]

0:52 that demo gave me chills man, and that's something that rarely happens to me when listening to someone play guitar

[@JHallDaBoss]

The vintage sounds slightly warmer and more balmy. I dig how crisp and bright the newer one sounds!

[@Apollonious87]

Normally I'm pretty good at spotting differences when doing the sound comparisons blind but in this test the difference was so slight that I wasn't able to tell precisely which guitar I was listening to.

[@limoncr5205]

True.. The vintage just had a slight more dynamic/articulation moving around the neck, more freedom, more fluid. But very nuanced. The CS is warmer. Not worse. But one important thing is also to feel how it vibrates in your hands, against your body, how it rings naturally,physically,acoustically. Guitars may sound more or less the same, and very good, but the physical sensations makes a lot of difference in playing pleasure.

[@opiante]

Well done! It is very hard to capture the essence of this argument in a KZbin video, but I think you did as good a job as possible. I've bought, sold and traded guitars for most of my life and have worked my way up to both ultra boutique and vintage intruments. The thing that you just can't easily explain is this emotional 'x factor' that comes thru in a great vintage guitar. It ends up haunting you in a way newer instruments just don't. You find yourself thinking about it days later, dreaming about it at night. In every logical way the proposition doesn't make sense, yet undeniably there is something there and it lurks in the shadoes of a guitar gear obsessed mind.

[@teleguy5699]

Like Bridgette Bardot.

[@TrailBlazer5280]

Love that SRV runaround. Keep those copyright dogs guessing

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

My answer: no. I'm a bass player, so I know it's not exactly the same thing, and I've never played any 'holy grail' Fenders (51 P, 57 P, 60 J, 62 J, etc.), but I've played a lot of vintage Fenders including a handful of nice pre-CBS instruments. Some of them were great, a couple amazing, but none of them would do anything a top-quality US bass (or equal quality import, say German, Japanese, etc.) made now wouldn't do, and the majority of them were just okay and virtually all had at least some problems associated with age (scratchy pots, hum, loose fret-ends, etc.). I get the draw of them, I really do, and if I were a collector I might even pay what they want for the instrument of my dreams. I'm not a collector, though. And now that you can have a custom instrument built, to your exact specifications, with torrefied woods to replicate age, to FAR tighter tolerances due to today's manufacturing techniques, and then have it set up by a skilled tech to replicate 'worn-in' neck, frets, etc. for like 3-5 grand? No way, man. Vintage instruments are awesome, and that placebo effect is very, very real, but they just can't compete in the real world with the best today has to offer. That really wasn't true for a BUNCH of years, but we've finally figured out how to get modern tech to equal vintage attention to detail. All that goes mostly out the window with acoustics, though...

[@RoachDoggJr2112]

With my eyes closed, they sound literally identical.

[@LuisGonzalez0505]

I wanna say I was hearing a slightly warmer & fuller tone from the 63 & more clarity from the reissue... But I was listening with my phone speaker & not my studio headphones or some decent monitors 😅 the difference might be more clear without all the reverb though.. Might!

[@goguengino]

you are the best guitar player iv ever seen and you inspierd me to start guitar thace you

[@FairlyUnknown]

Fantastic comparison and A-B testing. I closed my eyes going into the test on my own and it took me a while to realize the guitars were actually being swapped back and forth. I had to open my eyes for a split second to actually see if they were swapping or if you were playing one long section before replicating it on the other guitar. They were that identical. With some crunch and fuzz the _only_ thing different was the '63 was the ever slightest bit "softer" sounding, and I mean very slightly, but that's with focused listening. If I was casually listening to it, I would never notice.

[@DonBugatti]

There is literally no difference in sound that makes the 63 sound better. You don't pay for a better sound, you pay for the history and rarity, just like baseball cards and other collectibles. That's it!

[@sebastiancardenasholik]

You know what would be cool to see? swapping components and identifying whats realy different. or what realy makes the old one sound that better... maybe its the electronics, or the wood. who knows?

[@brandon7227]

Subtle Stevie Ray Vaughn is always a thumbs up in my book

[@simplygreg17ify]

Absolutely agree with you...I figured I was in a strange group of weird ones, but I don't really want to own something I'd be scared to play.

[@jaysparky1464]

I'll stick to my pot with strings on it

[@stevehornshaw4478]

Thanks so much for this. Just what I was looking for - excellent comparison, interesting,. Great playing there. Thanks again. Look forward to more of your videos.

[@SirLancelotTheBrave]

The neck pickup in the 63 was a lot darker on the clean setting

[@MetalRenard]

So mellow sounding. I loved the clean sound on the 63.

[@hibernative]

Because the magnets age and lose polarity.

[@oskarpajunen]

I think the main difference that led you to love the vintage strat, is the worn satin feel of the neck. That makes such a big effect in the overall feel of the instrument.

[@killslay]

Maybe once I'm playing to sold out arenas but until then, I'll stick with what I got

[@mikemaselli1568]

Whoa.. the custom shop nailed it! Also get the philosophy about playing the vintage guitar as opposed to just looking at it. Great vid BTW!

[@paqman78]

Be careful of those chord sequences dude. There's s whole wave of copyright strikes being dished out at the moment. Just ask Paul Davids and Rick Beato ;-)

[@moonshine7374]

Calm down internet hysteric

[@paqman78]

@@moonshine7374 Get a sense of humour, Internet overly-sensitive girl.

[@lordsaurian4207]

The vintage, while listening to the switches has a crazy amount of warmth with the crunch. Incredible video to say the least.

[@ginoesmeria249]

The vintages is thin sound the new a lil bit of fat Both are cool

[@jlr022159]

great video... well done! makes you realize what a fantastic job the people at the Fender Custom Shop do.

[@legryzzly2]

You named it right : placebo effect. Sound is identical. I love strats. But i already think that the custom shop is overpriced. So the vintage...

[@TheChadPad]

From what I understand based on what I've learned, there are a few things at play here. The old guitar is broken in. All the parts have settled down into their final resting spot, while the newer guitar has parts shifting microscopically still, so isn't as stable and stout. The old wood has aged, like you said. It's proven to be a contributor to good tone, partly cause the wood has dried out more and set in its shape, again, making it more stout and resonant. The electronics of newer guitars tend to, from my experience, dampen some of the signal coming from the guitar, almost like there is more resistance. Part of this is the cheapening of electronics to make money, and part of it is the particular circuit design used. There seems to be less hampering the sound from the old guitar, and that's gotta be part of why it feels so effortless to play, like it wants to play itself. Switching to a 50s style Flying V circuit using Throbak's Les Paul wiring harness has drastically improved my tonality from it. Both my luthier and I agree that we're getting more out of it than the old electronics allowed. All of this makes me recommend to play the SHIT out of newer instruments, tighten down screws, and switch out for higher grade electronics or simply choosing a different circuit design by re-soldering. There are plenty of diagrams online. Great video! Thank you for doing it

[@julianurtz1115]

Wow that a cute price tag. *breaths heavily *starts sweating intensely

[@HeckADeadly]

i say it comes down to intonation, on the reissues, sounds little muddy, not as bright. it like you dont hear the spring vibe bright on the back of the guitar

[@composerdave68]

I was just listening without watching you change guitars. I could totally tell the difference between them in every case. The 63 is just slightly clearer. Perhaps it's just that it feels more buttery to you so you play slightly differently. Is it worth the $30k+ difference? No. But there is a difference, however slight. I prefer the 63.

[@nutellaking734]

Dayuum dude your playing in the beginning gave me chills, that was frkin tasty man!

[@sharko3211]

How to play guitar like Sammy G. Step 1: Get telecaster Step 2: Make every other guitar sound telecaster Step 3: Make it sound like people listening feel high Step 4: Stop trying

[@ryandougherty8964]

Sammy G, it's so nice to hear your clean chops!

[@Erickchicas]

Obviously the 63 is not worth it. placebo tones lol

[@davidwile1277]

Why does fender custom shop try and remake pre cbs models? I wouldn't say placebo

[@rockapejv]

Missing the point. The prices are based on their historical value (pre-CBS).

[@mauriciotavera6957]

@@davidwile1277 You and I know that the quality of components and care are better now, but with the "before CBS they were better" the former gained an extra value, but they don't have to be better than the former.

[@davidwile1277]

@@mauriciotavera6957its like buying handmade cabinets vs ikea......sure ikea is consistent with there machines.. and there are shit old strats and amazing ones....there is a reason custom shop trys to recreate them.. older plastics were different, pickups were spun by hand, neck carves done by hand..different lacquer..everyone was a little different leos fender had very high quality control even though people claim they were just slammed together..read a couple books on leo and his factory..ive yet to play a custom shop reissue that has even the right size headstock thickness...why do musicians want them? Never met a guy who bought a pre cbs strat for historical value

[@mauriciotavera6957]

@@davidwile1277 well, the 70s arent bad guitars maybe cheaper but It is still to inflate with placebo a product that Leo Fender himself would have thrown away from how old it is, in addition, you affirmed it yourself with the custom sop, they are preferences, but a guitar from before CBS is worth what its historical value is worth for fender, many have to be restored even to serve, and the very expensive guitars are only bought by collectors today because of their high price, look at other guitars of the time, they are bad but they are revalued by the time of manufacture

[@Kazwell111]

I have played an original 62 and I have played a few custom shop guitars with sixties style that feel very very close. I can totally relate to the line about the "guitar playing itself" as a great neck with good balance will do that. As far as sound, the re-issue doesn't seem to have as full (lacking lower midrange) a sound as the 63-especially the neck pickup. I really heard the true clean SRV sound coming from the 63 on this demo. Outstanding playing btw, you took both of them to their heights.

[@rogermoore2798]

What I don't understand is that these vintage guitars were handbuilt which means that there is far far less consistency in build quality. This means that there are some fantastic sounding/built vintage guitars but also many many absolute bags of crap. Just because it's vintage does not mean it's a great guitar......it's all in the mind (placebo) unless you find a true gem.

[@silesia93]

I have the impression that the vintage one resonates differently. To me it makes sense since the age of the wood is the largest difference between these two and therefore is a huge factor for the sound difference.

[@saucyboi8721]

Very impressive, but why does your BASS have 6 strings?

[@robertclarkguitar]

Sounds identical. Great job man.

[@bakerXderek]

The 63 sounded way warmer and smooth for sure.

[@spiffykun]

cheah

[@whatskraken3886]

no they didn't

[@roytee3127]

"I feel like the vintage guitar almost plays itself. It's effortless, smooth, buttery ..." That's the difference. I play flute. Many years ago when I was a teen my dad had the opportunity to buy a slightly-used super-high-end professional flute. (Long story, irrelevant here.) Anyway, I fell in love with it; it felt like it played itself, and I was just along for the ride. If you're a serious musician, that feeling is priceless. Is it worth taking to gigs in noisy bars? Doubtful. Is it worth playing for the sheer joy? Maybe.

[@BertrandVeneziani]

Buy a mexicain classic player 60...

[@Heavymetallord1]

I accidentally played a 58 Stratocaster years ago, it was sitting in the jam room laying on the bench in a music store in Vancouver, I thought it was a relic'd reissue so I started playing it, now I'm a hard core Gibson man and hadn't really found a Fender that suited me, but this Strat was amazing... like you said, played itself, and had this nice full sound, I loved it, so I looked at the price tag, expecting to see some thing in the $4000-$6000 range... nope, 58 Stratocaster, $30000... needles to say I brought it up to the counter, asked me why it was in there (to this day I still have no idea why) and proceeded to lock it back in its glass case It was the only strat I'd ever fallen head over heels in love with

[@ArisGoD1986]

A John Fruciante guitar. A pre CBS corporate sellout. Very nice 👍

[@john564holloway]

For a sec there I thought you bought the '63 Strat at Norm's!...Sensei, I couldn't have said it better myself. Not surprised the way the results ended. My OCD kicks in sometimes & I baby my guitars, afraid to scratch them but sometimes want to add my flare to the axe. So, I do a little of both. Don't know if I could stand having a $35,000 axe & being afraid to get it out, smell it, fondle it, well...you know what I mean. However, I know it wouldn't sit under a bed for 50 years...I only had my computer speakers but they sounded so alike, I don't think I could guess blindfolded unless i had the amp in front of me...Loved this comparison, Sensei. Awsum job!!!

[@D.L.Edison]

Good tutorial, thanks. I think the '63 deserved many, many more adjectives all I heard was "butter."

[@hanreality.7266]

D.L Edison you want adjectives? The 63 sounded like you feel after a great bike ride. It sounded like the moon sliding out from behind a cloud, like your lover on your tongue. It sounded like adrenaline, beauty and desire. I really want one.

[@harryadam7679]

Wow that first jam with the original was so good. Amazing playing