2023's Top And Flop Guitar Gear: The Ultimate Guide

[@jezza46]

Hey Shane, always love your honest content mate. Have a couple of drinks on me 😊

[@intheblues]

Hi Zezza! Wow thanks so much for the generous donation mate! Have a great Christmas and all the best 😊👍 many thanks 🙏

[@D1rectedBy]

Is the TMP overpriced? Yes !! Is it worth it !! Absolutely!! Love mine , really easy to use , to tweak and it sound awesome!! Nice video 🤘

[@vedder10]

I love it as well. I dial in sounds much faster and play more because of it.

[@craigbragg2842]

I appreciate your straightforward and honest reviews. I know if you say a product is good or bad, it is almost always an accurate assessment. And as a lefty, I like knowing what guitars are actually available to me.

[@algorithm007ify]

The TMP rocks…don’t understand the criticisms, it’s way cheaper than the helix, QC, and FM9 in Australia

[@GuitarTabsDaily]

Awesome! What camera are you shooting with? Looks great

[@intheblues]

Thanks mate! My camera is the Panasonic Lumix S5II with their Lumix 35mm F1.8 Prime lens.

[@GuitarTabsDaily]

@@intheblues that’s what i figured! If there’s one thing for sure, your channel has the best quality video! Of course your playing and content is fabulous, but i appreciate the amazing video as well. Happy holidays, Shane, if you ever make it to Los Angeles, please reach out! 🤘🎄🎸

[@MilesAllenTX]

I have a few modelers (L6, Boss) and I am not sure why the Fender Tone Master Pro is divisive at all, beyond people just rooting for what they own feeling maybe threatened. It's likely more future-proof by dint of being 8-core and newer in terms of componentry. The user interface is mostly great, almost incredible - 6,000 IRs built in that are very to manage without filenames....takes about 10% of the time to create many user presets that sound exactly like I'd expect vs. my L6 and Boss modelers. The built-in presets are great - usable than any of my other modelers out of the box, with the right guitar, they basically nail it and are truly warm. I agree the boot-up time is ridiculous. But I don't get the hate about the price. Yeah, it's expensive, but not any different really than it's intended core competitors, but I got it 10% off at launch (went direct to Fender). Neural was more at launch, with more missing. It's had two updates already. Great product, sounds great.

[@intheblues]

What was your best or worst piece of gear this year? Let me know in the comment section. Thanks everyone, for all of the support this year. I have the all the video chapters and links in the description and if you can help us reach 500 thumbs up if you like the video, that'd be amazing! Have a great Xmas/Holidays/or whatever it is you're doing🎅🎸

[@DMSProduktions]

Cheers Shane!

[@intheblues]

Thanks mate!@@DMSProduktions

[@peterhall4852]

I needed a cheap overdrive and bought the ENO Trouble. Really nice,bags of gain and 30 Euros! Great as a clean boost.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@intheblues ;O)

[@Bronco2Cj]

@@intheblues I agree.. FTMP wins the most divisive gear award for 2023.. its way over priced.. if you're gonna charge that much then at least include a built in expression pedal... I just recently bought the Zoom G6 on sale for 299.99 and I'm getting great tones out of it and it has Fender amp sims and a built in EP... I agree the form factor is sweet but its still overpriced.... and do you have any suggestions on a good audio interface for a beginner? right now the EVO 8, Volt 4/476 and the Presonus 24/26c is on the radar.. Please advise.

[@Tzadeck]

I have the Fender Vibro-Champ Reverb. No issues whatsoever, and it's by far the best practice amp I've ever owned.

[@BrianVallotton]

I had a QC and I sold it after one year of owning it. It did everything you can imagine and I did not bond with it. My needs are pretty simple and I did find myself overwhelmed with all the choices. So I bore with Neural with improvements always coming SOON... I have a TMP on the way right now. I did not buy it because it would be better than the QC or other modelers. I bought it because of the interface and frankly I think a dumbed down version of a modeler is just what I need! It doesn't hurt that I am already a big fan of the Fender sounds and rarely play anything beyond edge of breakup. I will have 30 days to return it to Sweetwater... we will see.

[@jezza46]

Can’t wait mate….always love your best and worst. Hope you have a great Christmas and New Year 🎉

[@intheblues]

Thanks, Jezza. You too, mate! All the best for the new year

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

FYI my vibro champ reverb also rattled excessively.

[@Matthew_Scan]

Concept music is a nice little shop in Perth too Hank Marvin’s son Ben works there actually

[@doug941]

Do you know who gives better more honest product reviews that you Shane? Nobody!! You rock Shane! Thanks for all you do! 2024 LFG!!!

[@lawrenrich-nf3ni]

I have the Yamaha thr30ii … I’ve played solo coffee house jazz guitar gigs with it… it’s just loud enough has great sounding efx .. Love it.

[@gigmandrew8975]

This was a lot of fun to watch! And very informative! Stellar reviews Shane!

[@martingregory5955]

Worst multi effects..... I had a Boss GT1 and made everything sound terrible. I guess for 450bucks you can't expect much. Sold it and now have a pedal board and light years ahead( not cheap though but no menus yehe!)

[@JF-em6hr]

I appreciate that Shane doesn't "hedge" his opinion too much. It's at risk of pissing off a vendor but it's more informative to me!

[@peteywheatstraws4909]

I nominate the Posive Grid Sparks GO for worst product of 2023. It's the most expensive mini amp on the market ($120), and needs software updates out of the box, which requires a computer, which I don't even own. It has zero presets out of the box. No chorus, delay, flanger, nothing. I don't care if you can hook up all kinds of mess to it. It can't do what a $20 Joyo can do.

[@intheblues]

Fair enough mate, it's all personal experience. I had a decent experience with it, but yeah it's not perfect by any stretch.

[@STF_YVR]

@@inthebluesAnd it has no volume control over USB Audio Out … ridiculous

[@brandonthompson8413]

Regarding Power Supplies. I can't recommend Voodoo Labs enough the new Pedal Power 3 Plus is an absolute silent monster. Voodoo Labs also has customer support that is 2nd to none.

[@davidtaylor6870]

Thanks for the great review. For pedals, would there be case for a remote switch ( this would be an additional switch that us on the pedal). There are times I would like to mount a pedal to a mike stand, and make on "on the fly" adjustments, thus saving my back from bending over, regards

[@chrishuff1419]

I have a THR10II and it sounds great at every volume. And it looks nice enough to leave out as decor without my wife getting upset about all my guitar stuff lying around.

[@rumy6871]

Love how you do these lists. My favorite piece of gear you demoed this year was the Maxon OD Pro. Dr. Ric wailed on it with the Les Paul. After watching your show for years and admiring that sound, I finally purchased it. So not new for 2023 but new for me. Therefore let me say that I appreciate how revisit older gear. Funny how argumentative the guitar modeling community can be. The TMP costs the same as QC and Helix. They all work pretty good. Fyi, Fender updated the firmware, which reduced the boot time. I remember how the Helix sparked all kinds of arguments online. Sometimes our community is a bit silly. I am surprised the Lace Sensors were not the most divisive. Btw, I think you sound great with them. When I worked in pit orchestras, I really was happy to have those kind of pickups. House lights, power, etc. often were a nightmare and no music director is going to tolerate excessive noise from the guitar player.

[@khaledmobarek4184]

Will do. I brought it last time we jammed but left in the car and used Brian's fender

[@hutchfromba]

Only 7 years. I love this review every year. Blues On....💙 Happy Holidays and New Years mate ! 😊 OH, can't forget Sky Music.😁

[@TheGuitologist]

Great stuff, Shane. Really enjoy your annual wrap ups.

[@intheblues]

Thanks Brad. I enjoyed your last SPF as always! I hope you have a great end of 2023 mate and all the best for the new year 😊👍

[@Okla_Soft]

I had 3 1-spot power supplies, and in my experience all of them made a high-pitched whine due to the mechanics of how the switching works presumably. I do t think it’s a bad batch issue, I think the design is inherently noisy, because all 3 of mine exhibited the same audible whine when plugged in and running pedals.

[@intheblues]

It's that time of the year! See you all soon! 😎

[@PXR5-PXR5]

Thanx alot Shane. 👍

[@GarrettRodman]

Hi from Toronto. I have the Yamaha THR30W as my practice/late-night amp, great little amp. Yes a bit overpriced but did see them on sale this past black friday for a few hundred off - so maybe there's room for negotiation when not on sale. Looks great, sounds great a low levels, grill lights up, fits into living room decor :), and also doubles as my speakers for my record player also in the living room via bluetooth.. I got this in 2022, so it's not my gear choice for 2023 so... that would go to the Epiphone Sheraton Emily Wolf in satin Bone White that I picked up this year. Slick looking semi-hollow with diamond f-holes, smaller headstock, and lighting inlays? So much fun to play and the artist actually uses it while she gigs too - so that's great to see! Fits in with my Gibson LP Standard and Gibson LP Junior. Great video!

[@tgarder]

Man you really play some beautiful guitars, then I noticed all guitars made me think that were Kiesels... I need to check Kiesel guitars. (That white T-style looks awesome)

[@dfrasu]

I bought a head rush, peddle board a couple years back. It’s now a really heavy brick. I never got much use out of it. Let’s put it this way, guitar Center won’t even buy them on the other hand, at the same time, I purchased their looper that thing is fantastic! As well as looping it’s a great mixing board and it’s got super cool effect in it for individual instruments. I’ve been eyeballing that Bixby it’s very cool.

[@slider3215]

Regarding the 1Spot power supply, my first one that I have had for years is flawless and like you I bought another for a second board. The noise and hum was terrible and I got my money back.

[@intheblues]

Thanks for the update! My original one worked for so long without any issues as well. I am glad it's not just me. Thanks for the info.

[@myshow667]

ill take it my credit for the Lucio Fulci Zombie II is implied....heh

[@myshow667]

you inspired me to bring my Fulci home with the 2x12...now i just have to wait for my smashed fingertip to get back to semi normal

[@francois-hatte]

Same buzz issue w/ Truetone 1Spot purchased a month ago. Quite disappointing

[@viktornesovski1884]

I have the Harley Benton Te-25th. From my experience it's one of the best feeling, best sounding guitars you can find for the money. It compares and downright beats all my other guitars for 1/3 of the price.If you're left handed, this one is a MUST in your arsenal. You will not regret it.

[@dannylaurence8089]

That Tonemaster still boots up faster than most of my amps come up to temp.

[@intheblues]

haha. yeah! but it's a basically a tablet without any "warming up" required.

[@greatvanzini]

Yes, indeed! The Bigsby! Great look back at our year. Looking forward to seeing your vids in 2024!

[@TheDenfender]

Absolute ball tearer…. LOL…

[@davidfreiboth1360]

This is how good your content is Shane. I'm a drummer who plays a little cowboy guitar. I will never have the skill to utilize much of the gear you are reviewing. Nevertheless I rarely miss watching your content in its entirity. So, Happly holidays down under old buddy and maybe some day you will be able to make a trip to the Pacific NW to check out the cool shops we feature in the Seattle/Portland area.

[@MusicalMetaddicta]

Fender TMP is very good. My other favorite is a MooerGE300. Model and Capture. Sounds good to me. Gonna capture my guitars and the TMP. Only wish I could get back thirty years. 😁

[@PXR5-PXR5]

You are one of the few utubers I trusth. Gonna enjoy this😊

[@SenseiKreese]

A touchscreen does not justify the cost of the Fender, have you seen how much a cheap phone/tablet goes for? F-all. Touchscreens are now old, mature tech and they're cheap as chips. This ain't 2003, it's 2023. The Fender is simply a ripoff coz it has a Fender badge on it. You ain't helping the guitar community by attempting to justify such an epic price gouge. We should be pushing back and saying no thanks, not licking Fender boots just coz they're Fender. The price is totally unjustified and a total gouge. Hopefully the market just tells Fender - price way too high, no one is buying. I'd say the same thing about a Helix now. The thing is a decade old, the chipsets in them are ancient and no doubt dirt cheap, but Line 6 keeps the price up sky high. We're all getting fkd by these companies. You know they were caught colluding price fixing right? They are not our mates.

[@Kabayoth]

A word about the Lace Sensor pickups: this isn't the best product from Lace. Fortunately, the comparison is lateral instead of drastic. The Lace Holy Grails pickups were much, MUCH better. They are no longer in production, and I suspect this is due to a marketing failure. If you ever get a chance, check them out. Relatively noiseless, very clear, and they cut through a mix.

[@matthewbeebe344]

Sorry I was just going to compliment and thank you. I've bought gear based on some of your reviews. Somehow I was not subscribed idk. Thanks I love the channel, keep up the quality.

[@johngenzalle9054]

I had a One-Spot power supply circa 2005 and it was noisy as living hell. I replaced it with a Snark power supply all other things being equal and it was dead quiet. Stay away from One-Spot, they're junk

[@TNTales]

I got a CIOKS power supply and have never looked back. Modular, switching, high output. Are they expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Best not to skimp on clean power, it goes into all your pedals

[@davidtomkins4242]

My fave vid of yours ever is the one explaining the open mic night at the snooker club. Hope to see an update on open mic nights in 2024.

[@ksharpe10]

The thing that I noticed with the fender tmp is it does not exhibit Signs of having the Largest or Best Processor of all modellers. Runs out of DSP and limits on what can be done. Heck Fractal Axe III does way more stuff, but does not brag that it has 8 processors, etc... Even Helix has at least what the Fender does. Something is amiss with the Fender product.

[@robyates136]

Thanks for continuing to run a great channel. You’ve helped me pull the trigger on multiple guitars … HB35+ amazed so many friends but will be a future upgrade platform … and finally this year got my first Tokai Love Rock on a trip to Tokyo after first seeing one in a store in England in the early 80s. That guitar (Tokai LC230FM Cherry Sunburst) holds its own to any of my Les Pauls

[@timedwards5600]

From phoenix great job. Thnx for our community's service .

[@robfulco4739]

Should've waited till the actual end of year instead of jumping the gun. Kemper Profile Player.

[@SBanas]

I've got a positive grid go and I just love it for practifing with my headphones. Could the app be more stable and reliable? Sure. But what makes this one stand out is quality of sound on the headphones, because I've tried many different practice amps before and this one with it's form factor is just unbeatable at this price range.

[@guitargrandpa282]

Just thought I should note that I have had the Vibro Champ Reverb amp for nearly two years, it is used heavily by me and my jam buddies and it has performed flawlessly. And, as Shane noted it does sound great,

[@jimmyparris9892]

Same here. Maybe they just got a bad batch in Australia. Or maybe shipping it across the saltwater did something to it.

[@hb8482]

Love your work including this one. Definitely appreciate your candor with respect to the TMP. I have one and still evaluating it within the return time window. A lot of other folks aren’t clear when they express their own opinions about gear on KZbin - but your description is dead right. The tone is ok but you can achieve similar tones with any modeller. The form factor/ui is quite good. But is that really worth the asking price at this time- only the buyer can determine that….

[@MichaelWagnerGuitar]

That was very enjoyable on a long car drive!

[@michael.darrin1963]

I have the Nux Trident and it sounds great, I used to have the Line 6 Pod Go but could never seem to get great sounds, always sounding a little boxy. I would highly recommend the Trident

[@montyqd]

Love the videos and your experience and opinions on gear. If only you weren’t so affected by being a lefty….lol j/k keep up the great work

[@JPFortuno]

It seems that the Artist WGS10 2.4GHz is only available in Australia ?

[@michaelyolch79]

One of my favorite videos on all of KZbin every single year! WooHoo! :)

[@2Plus2isChicken2013]

That Kiesel is awesome, as is the other one you have. I don't know if there's a difference, but I have some older Holdsworth humbuckers in several of my guitars that are from when Kiesel was Carvin, and they're my favorite humbuckers. They're very clear sounding and versatile. Clean and dirty tones are all great with them. Also, I like how you show stuff on your channel that is from lesser known brands. I haven't seen much of VS Audio on other channels and it seems like they make good stuff. That Kernom Ridge pedal is pretty awesome, as well.

[@khaledmobarek4184]

I love the studio pro. Thanks heaps Shane. You're the man.

[@intheblues]

You're welcome mate, I am glad you're digging it! Break it out next year when we go jamming :-)

[@JendrixHimi]

Theres no way Id have let you walk through a guitar shop like that with a rucksack on your back, how many things did you knock off the stands ? , You don't wash your hands after you've been to the toilet do you .. clearly the sort that would blame someone else for anything , shady character indeed .

[@brianeckert774]

I had a similar experience with a Super Champ X2, loved it sounded fantastic, it just quit working one day, I took it in for repair, the shop said the circuit board was bad, couldn't be replaced, however it was under warranty so they gave me a new Super Champ which was nice, but they said if it goes bad, no replacement, so I sold it, actually made $50 over what I paid. I have a friend that plays in my band that has had a SC XD, has never had any issues. Thanks for the great content Sean!

[@martin-1965]

Ugh that sucks... Fenderrrrrrrrrrrr sort your QC out NOW !!!

[@stringsattached67]

The haters own the Helix and fm9 😂 theres nothing to hate about it. The helix floor is overpriced so is the fm9 and the quad cortex. Its only had one update lol the others mentioned have had numerous updates before they were even close to being good.

[@jamalabdul2009]

2023 was the year of “No new stuff for me!” 😂😂 Not that there wasn’t anything great to buy,which there was plenty, I think I hit a wall in terms of gear. I know what I like and what I will use mostly, but I also have a box full of things I need to get rid of. The amount of time I spend playing doesn’t justify some the things I own. I really need to sell a few things and streamline my collection to what I need to achieve my goals. After watching your CS Tele video I had commented that all I wanted/needed was a Custom Shop Tele, LP and maybe another Strat. I might flip a couple of guitars, save a bit and go with owning four great guitars. We’ll see 🤷🏾! Anyway, it’s always a pleasure having to look forward to another video here. I enjoy what you do here and it keeps getting better! Can’t wait for you to come down (or is it up?) to Texas! Cheers!😎😎🎸🎸✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾

[@intheblues]

Thanks for the super thanks mate. I feel the same way, it's overkill to have a bunch of gear sitting around collecting dust. That CS tele is great. It's a good move for a long term guitar if you have a few you can move in place of a keeper like that, it's worth doing. Thanks again, Jamal for all the support. Have a great Xmas and hopefully will see you soon. :)

[@johncollins5552]

Love the video, I didn't get to watch as many videos as last year because I bought my first acoustic lefty, a Spanish guitar in fact and that has become my go to around the house. That's my top gear of 23❤😂

[@Pegasus4213]

Oh, mate! I have loved your presentations over the years, but this editing out of natural pauses between sentences, is so wearing to listen to. I just had to stop it to get some relief for my struggling brain. Can't we have just a little piece of the silence that is natural to human speech, it would still surely be listenable and less stressful!

[@gwbenites]

Doesn't Friedman have an amp called the "Dirty Shirley"?

Once I saw the new segment "Most Divise Guitar Product" for 2023 to kick of the broadcast and it's the Fender Tone Master Pro I shouted YES! Unbelievable "Crow to the Eye-Gouging" Rip Off High Price on this item! Shame on Fender to price such an exuberant, outrageous price! Good choice for the new segment. Include this new segment in the next year's Best & Worst I enjoyed as usual the recap! Very cool that you back- up all the products that you comment with video from your reviews! I dig that! Pace of the video had a good cadence and the entire recap went by fast! Real good Best and Worst Gear Review to date! You Rock Shane! Happy Christmas and let's have a great 2024 Much blessings my friend!

[@martin-1965]

And then they can't even get the QC right on that lovely little amp??? C'mon Fender, you can do better than that 😎

[@philipTOMPSETT]

Great vid! Anyone know the Kiesel model? Thanks

[@mikebosdet1990]

Thanks! I always appreciate your honest take on products across the spectrum of price and performance.

[@intheblues]

Thanks for the kind words and support! Many thanks 🙏

[@johnsmith-zf1fd]

Annoying when youtubers say they will put a link in the description and then dont....happens a lot

[@pyratoothNL]

Thanks for that Shane, I haven't been able to see many of your reviews this year, so there was a lot packed into this even though it was quite long. But there's some good recommendations in here so I might check some of these out. Thanks again and happy holidays!

[@michaeljohn4598]

Can’t wait to watch this Shane…..your programs are brilliant and I love your cheery, jaunty style….you are a breath of fresh air buddy 👍

[@intheblues]

Thanks, Michael. Rock on mate!

[@michaeljohn4598]

Hi Shane - quick question is Dr Rick really a doctor ? It’s always bugged me not knowing 😊 cheers mate

[@davidtomkins4242]

Yes, i think he’s a medical doctor (as opposed to PhD). That’s why he has the expensive guitars

[@michaeljohn4598]

@@davidtomkins4242 thanks David 👍

[@edd166]

Thanks for this year's straight talk.

[@intheblues]

Thanks for the kind words and support, Edd166! Thanks man and all the best! 🎸

[@JBM_71]

Left handed and right footed!! What a bummer!! 😂😂

[@FXCartel]

So that might light let's you use the guitar on computer??

[@DMSProduktions]

Sorry I missed it Shane! I was actually PLAYING guitar, instead of watching vids about it! Rockin' stuff mate! \m/

[@jordanpratt3821]

Ya know some people do both. Crazy isn't it.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@jordanpratt3821 HAH!

[@cowhidemusic8904]

Best Guitar = Telecaster Worst Guitar != Telecaster

[@ravenstonepedals]

46:22 Thanks for the shout out Shane! We will keep bringing great sounds in 2024!

[@intheblues]

Great stuff guys! No problems at all. Great pedal! :)

[@picpouille]

I have an old one spot power supply, years of use no problems.

[@bluesdude1194]

Great round up of the year, pity the ARTIST WGS10 2.4GHZ INSTRUMENT WIRELESS SYSTEM isn’t available in 🇬🇧

[@johnsenior2566]

Cheers Shane, Iove your review. Have a great year pal.

[@stoneysdead689]

The Headrush MX5 has a touch screen interface on it- drag and drop, just like the Fender unit- only the screen is smaller. The screen on the MX5 is the same size as the average smart phone turned on its side- about 4"x6". But it only costs 400 bucks and sounds better than the Helix my friend plays. It didn't out of box- that's after adding York Audio IRs to it- which are relatively inexpensive and really easy to use. They make the MX5 sound 3 times better than it does out of box. I was shocked at the difference they made. I was literally on the verge of selling the MX5 because I thought it was to thin and harsh- and someone at the local guitar shop asked if I had tried a York IR- tbh I didn't expect much from them. But when I got home and tried their Mesa Boogie sample pack- which only costs 1 dollar- I was shocked. I immediately bought several IRs packs from them- and I've been really happy with the unit ever since. They come ready for use on either a PC or a MAC OS- and you get about 300 different captures of whatever cab it is you've bought- using multiple mics, multiple placements- and then you can blend those together whatever way you like. They work on any style of unit- Helix, Headrush, Quad Cortex, they even have profiles for Kempers. And it's just 15 bucks per cab. Their Bassman 2x12 and the Kerry White (KW412) cab pack are unbelievably good- so is the Vox Blue 2x12.

[@davidwagner3170]

Katana new EX line: EX50, EX100 - finally they have an FX Return where previously the Katana Artist Mk2 was the combo/head that already had that option. PRS S2 10th Anniversary Editions - basically an S2 with all electronics, hardware, locking tuners, and other appropriations from a Core model. Custom24, McCarty 594, etc.

[@patrickmcmanus5373]

For my Australian "Afordaboard" I suggest the following pedal companies - Movall, Twinote, Irin, Mvave, Demonfx and the best is the Mosky Audio M Series pedals. My favourite is are the 4 Klons, Big Fuzz and all the Princes and King's of Tone in one Compass Drive.

[@hellodrjeckyl]

"Ball tearer" 😂 😂 Sounds painful.

[@MrFredhintze]

I enjoy the videos- just wanted to mention a nice guitar I bought several years ago- a lefty Gretsch Streamliner. I think these guitars are great value for the money. If you are on a budget- recently I stumbled on a lefty Fender Squire Affinity- close to mint condition - 150 dollars- I then put some Seymour Duncan pickups in, did a set up, little bit of fretwork. So for about 350 I’ve got a great playin guitar. Thanks for including the practice amps- I’m looking to upgrade from the older model NUX I have.

[@matthewtucker1699]

I've had 2 one-spots. one is the type you mentioned as the worst and I've also got a 7 output brick. the brick is fantastic, no issues whatsoever...the plug in however is terrible and I had the same buzzing issue, I got it back in 2019 so it's sad to see that they still suck, DON'T BUY ONE.

[@martijn_yt]

To be completely honest, telling me that I 'either like it or not' is not the most usefull comment in a gear review ;) Just kidding, nice overview of some really interesting new gear. One comment though. The Nu-x Trident is an entirely digital modeller, you may be confusing it with the Nu-x Cerberus, which is (imho) a small, relatively inexpensive, but pretty unique effect pedal in this aspect. It only has the basic effects (drive, mod, delay, reverb), but they are all very usefull, the 2 drives are analog and great sounding, it does have an effect loop, IR cabsim and midi connections, which makes it the perfect travel, rehearsal, small gig and back-up pedal ;)

[@ugur.kozbey]

Hi, Shane. Thanks for your evaluation video. I bought a lot of equipment on this year. MXR Phase 90, MXR Univibe, Fender Player Strat, Fender 68 Custom Vibro Champ, Marshall Bluesbreaker Pedal (v.3), Line 6 HX Stomp XL, Gibson Les Paul Classic TC, Dunlop Hendrix Octave Fuzz, MXR Dyna Comp, Vox AC15CH + 212 Cab, Gretsch G5230T. Today within a couple hours my Gibson J-160E will arrive to my home. I just bought it. I only hated Marshall Bluesbreaker. I couldn't like it. This is only what I am regret. There is one more thing but situation is different. I am living in apartment and I couldn't useing cabin of my amps on this days. I'm using JHS Pedal Little Black Amp for reduce output line level and connect to my Scarlett 2i2. Fender 68 Custom Vibro Champ speaker empedance is 3,2 ohms and this is very high. It is very hard for reduce line level. My Vox head amp is not make me sad, because cabin output is 8 ohms and 16 ohms.

[@LekkerDops]

Its a bloody great time to be playing , just wish the live scene was like it was 25 to 30 years ago. I was playing 4 to 5 nights a week to packed venues. young bands these days dont have the same opportunity for live gigs that i did. I've got the memories, the pub sweat and even smoke stinked up clothes that i hung on my balcony cause i never smoked and hated the smell, but it was bloody awesome playing live to packed venues night after night. Im so lucky to have done it. I still play and record every week, and play live when the gigs come up.

[@KelsterVonShredster]

Yamaha THR for the win. The end.

[@martin-1965]

From the UK here, and boy... are there so many new pieces of gear from guitars to amps to pedals coming out every year now!!! I guess it keeps you busy as hell reviewing as much as you can lol. For me my purchases of the year have been my Tonex amp modeller from Amplitube which is just what I needed for recording at home. Secondly, the Andy Timmons Halo Delay pedal - simply gorgeous sounds and I've hardly explored all the options yet. Finally, I grabbed a cheap Joyo graphic EQ pedal and that has made dialing in the sound I want from each guitar so simple and a joy (no pun intended). Such a pity about that little Fender amp being faulty. Hopefully Fender get their QC sorted as it sounded great when it worked, and in such a neat package. I think now, though, I am done with buying new gear and 2024 will be all about playing and recording and getting the best out of everything I already own. I can't bring myself to buy another OD pedal, no matter if it was made by the hands of god, as already have about 5 in a draw that I bought already, and generally stick with a cheap Mooer Klon clone as it does the edge of break up sound I want fine, and if I want more, well simply turn up the old gain or amp :) Great video as always Shane, keep em coming and have a great Xmas 👍

[@timwhite5562]

I've owned 5 different Silver Jubilee pedals: an Alexander SJ-in a box, and a few different all tube driven preamp pedals. The VS audio Platinum Overdrive is my favorite one so far. It sounds the closest to the actual Jubilee Preamp when I A/B'd with the effects loop send from my old 50W Jubilee through a Freyette power station. The Lead channel was indistinguishable, which really isn't all that shocking even if it's tube vs solid state. Even though the Jubilee is tube, much of the distortion from the amp is produced by running it through a series of different clipping diodes. Learn from my own mistake of dismissing the Jubilee for the first 20 years of its existence because I thought it was just a distortion pedal wired into the amp, it's not. It was actually studying the schematic that had me realize that they REALLY did an excellent job in designing that preamp. I don't know why when they released the latter JCM800 2010 and the JCM 900, which also used diodes, they did it the way they did. Those weren't designed nearly as well and IMO don't sound nearly as good. He's definitely right about how good JTM45s are for Strats. However if you're looking to use a Strat and want a higher gain Marshall sound, there is NO better model than the Jubilee. Its naturally smoother drive and attenuated treble at higher volumes just match the singlecoil perfectly.

[@scottreynolds6317]

Awesome vid Shane! I really want the Marshall JTM head and cabinet. Unfortunately, I have to pay off my last couple of guitars first!!!!! 🎸🔥🎸🔥🎸🔥🎸

[@TheRockAlmighty]

Great review Shane. Being a more budget conscious subscriber please keep the budget Pedal reviews coming. My favourite bit of gear I bought was a Squier Sonic Telecaster-nice and lightweight, well put together and sounds good even with the original pickups, but would be a great one if you switched them out. Have a prosperous New Year !

[@Soul-d5m]

Ive been using the same true tone one spot for 6 years.

[@DigitalChemistryBand]

I agree about the fender item... its really no different than an ipad mounted into the boss pedal of 10 years ago... and wayyyyy overpriced. Btw... L6 rules 😅😊

[@timcat8382]

Great vid. Unfortunately, I have had very major issue with the Artist WGS 10 wireless dropping out at performance. Be aware that you need 5.8GHz and WGS 10 is 2.4GHz, which is a crowded frequency band.

[@daviskots8819]

That kiesel is just so beautiful. It looks like a piece of art.