6 RIDICULOUS Trends In The Guitar Industry | Seriously, These Are STOOPID...

[@enigma1247]

This dude literally has no idea what hes talking about. Hes making these up as he goes along ans a lot of these so called new "trends" are topics that have been talked about for decades. And drop c isnt even a low tuning. Dude is so out of touch yet thinks he knows everything. All the crap he spews out is garbage from the 90's. Dude can barely talk.

[@RobertWJackson]

Who are you talking to?

[@gregoryl.levitre9759]

I noticed that right away with the Boss pedal. Boss makes trash pedals- always have. The fact that it is their second best selling pedal doesn't make it suck any less and it's a nonsensical argument.

[@steves1015]

Lol what? Boss used to have a reputation for building solid pedals that were built like tanks and last for years. Some people didn't like the sounds of some of the pedals (that's opinion for you) but to say they've always been shit... Ha ha.. From when I started bass back in the 90s, zoom was the one to have a pretty bad reputation and the sounds they produced even led magazines to coin the phrase "zoomness". Although I suspect that the magazines just didn't receive enough ad money from them....

[@gregoryl.levitre9759]

@@steves1015 I guess you like trash gear.

[@doofwop]

The 90s was a time when people knew how to play their instruments and made excellent music. It is much different today. So when Robert talks about the 90s you can't relate because you're a gen Z test tube baby who doesn't know what music is or how to make it. You know how to stick your face in your phone and that's about it. You come in here to sh*t on Robert and you will be destroyed. FAFO. Go Patriots

[@Zundfolge]

On the Billy GIbbons thing, I believe the way that story actually went down is that he was using heavy gauge strings and he met BB King at some show they were both performing and it was BB that said "why do you want to work so hard?". BB King give you guitar advice, you listen.

[@michaelparsons5352]

The only reason I used heavy strings on electric guitar was that I started started as an acoustic player with heavy touch. 9's or les I would bend out of tune. As I learned a lighter touch my Guage choice have reduced on electric and acoustic

[@theofficialdiamondlou2418]

Actually your both wrong. It was SRV who played with BB. And BB asked him why he was working so hard. He was playing .12vs at the time. He dropped to .10’s then later to .09’s. I heard the story personally from SRV guitar tech. When I was running the Mon. mix for one of his shows .. years ago ….

[@fuzzb0x436]

​@@theofficialdiamondlou2418🥱

[@johnmcminn9455]

I think SRV was using heavies because he wanted to limit his technique .

[@MadScientistGuitarLab]

@@theofficialdiamondlou2418I was remembering that he used 13s. And he had all five springs on the claw to the bridge. Yould have to be superhuman to play a strat like that.

[@FamousByFriday]

I was pumped when I found this channel years back. I grew up in a small town using Peavey, crate, and Ampeg (because that’s what the local shop sold). I thought very little about gear, as long as it got the job done. I moved to a city and all of a sudden all my gear was looked down on. ( I was using a Crate BV and a Randall cab and an old Peavey bass amp). There is so much cool gear out there… and honestly, I kinda sound the same no matter what gear I try.

[@stallionstudios]

Heavy gauge strings started with SRV, so that is where that phenomenon comes from. Zakk Wylde was also using a heavier gauge for his down tuning but his are not that super extra heavy. Just relative to the lower turning. Rick Beato has a great video on how heavy string does not necessary have a great impact. Towards the end even SRV had gone to lighter guages because the heavy gauges was causing problems with his hands.

[@StratMatt777]

I think that Rick Beato's video shows that lighter gauge strings sound better for distortion (which really surprised me).

[@Donnie_Thornberry]

When did SRV go to lighter strings? Do you know the gauge?

[@theofficialdiamondlou2418]

@@Donnie_Thornberryhe first dropped to .10’s then again later to .09’s. After BB told him to quit working so hard. It wasn’t Billy. (I’ve worked with both artist ,and heard the story first hand from SRV’s tech) I personally use only custom GHS burnished. I run .10/.14/.18/.26/.38/.50 For a more versatile tone. The other factor is the equal step up from one to the next. I tried .09’s but just kept breaking them constantly. Where the .10’s carry a bit more strength , and longevity. I came to this decision only after spending an hour on the phone with the owner ,and techs at GHS. You’ll find David Gilmore also uses a set somewhat similar. In his signature series. ✌️

[@Donnie_Thornberry]

@@theofficialdiamondlou2418 that's cool! Thanks for the info.

[@johnmcminn9455]

I use 8 s with flat wound in the bottom , with dimarzio X2n pick ups , I find I can play much longer with less fatigue I also use ss 6100 jumbo fret wire . The SRV Strat was the first Fender guitar with 6100 fret wire

[@27retrodaze]

1- proud owner of a Metal Zone. 2- i knew the "Josh Scott Effect" would be included on this list. 3- you ARE making the world a better place by making YT content... (At least MY world) 🤘

[@astralnewton]

I've got a Metal Zone plugged into my Peavey Bandit 112 with the 1230 Sheffield lol. I'm right there with you!

[@clamdigr]

@@astralnewton The Bandit 112 is a badass little amp, wish I would have kept the one I had.

[@flippedburger7108]

It was BB King that said to Billy Gibbons, "Why work so hard?" after they had played each other's guitars. BB usually played 7's and still had that huge sound. The more you know🎵🎊 I appreciate the real talk. Cheers

[@RobertFairweatherMusic]

B.B. handed me his pick after a performance. Medium.

[@bryantcochran5065]

When I was young and had a band I was told "find gear that gives you the tones you like and then you're set. Jimmy Hendrix told me that at the fillmore west while we were warming up for our part of the gig. I still live by that advice.

[@fishpotpete]

Amen to the lighter strings comment. I started with 8's when I was in my teens, but I did move up to 9's because I did break a lot of strings with 8's. That's probably my main criteria for string guage - if they don't break and it feels good. I went through a period of different manufacturers, guages, etc. - but I finally figured out out that the cheap strings sound as good as expensive string. Especially when you start running your guitar through distortion pedals, etc.

[@Kabayoth]

The Metal Zone has one flaw I struggle with: size. Strictly speaking, this has to do with the EQ, which is touchy. Suppose for a moment the pedal was the size of an MXR 10 band EQ pedal. Replace all the knobs with those sliders, and we have many, many issues resolved all at once. Otherwise, the string issue is highly subjective. I used to religiously buy .009s, but they always sounded thin and shrill for blues. I switched to .010s: problem solved. I'm also heavy-handed so I tend to squeeze lighter strings out of tune without meaning to.

[@simonsmith2579]

Yes Glen Fricker is the first I saw to dump on the Sheffield

[@davidshafer6388]

I still wonder why Glen Fricker thinks his opinion is the only one. He only has one sound that he uses for everything. I disagree with 99 percent of what he says on that channel. I still enjoy watching it though.

[@douglasmoore8033]

So true! He has one tone he likes period. I stopped watching him when he went off on vaccine and COVID telling me if I didn't agree I was an absolute idiot. 😂 Dude is supposed to be a guitar/music channel. Keep your personal views on other things. to yourself. Be more like Ola😂

[@1thess523]

​@@douglasmoore8033so people can't have opinions 🤔

[@grishyroy9271]

@@1thess523. Of course they can, and so can Douglasmoore. We should expect to be judged by them - especially when they’re yelled at you as a fact - and that’s what Douglas did. I like Fricker but he does have strong opinions, for which he can be judged….simple.

[@tommydeamon7657]

Glen rules

[@crock2434]

When someone chases a closed back sound on a certain Mic with an open back cab and their usb mic and it sounds like Shiite , they blame the speakers

[@OriginalMixedUpKid]

😂😂

[@jayp.2313]

I agree but I am old and I just like buying new equipment because I got nothing better to do. My wife and kids can sell what they want when I am gone. I am disabled and probably only have a few years left. So I enjoy as much as I can. I also enjoy watching you and a lot of other great channels.

[@allanflippin2453]

Rock on fellow old dude! :D

[@obiplays5270]

For youtube, I try really hard to find reviewers who have a similar setup to me (pedals, into ACS1, into a mixer and monitors) and have a similar guitar layout (tuning, strings, pickup style). So honestly having a plethora of people reviewing stuff does help me become an educated shopper. And on the topic of strings, while I could use 52-10s for C standard/drop C, I chose DR 54-11s. The added tension just makes it more pronounced and articulated, especially for chugs. But thats just me and my guitars specific scale lengths that made me try that.

[@voiceofexperience]

Nothing tells you as much about the state of music in 2023 as the "Bad Monkey" farce.

[@WilDBeestMF]

I'm so pissed off that I ended up selling mine. It is a pretty good TS clone, that is true. It's not $300 good. I bought it for $30 back in the day, and could have more than 10x for it today. People are paying that. It's the stupidest thing ever..

[@Sorrowablaze]

I can honestly say the metal zone got me into playing guitar . I went to a buddie's house in '94 or so, and he had this old Gibson explorer with EMGs and a metal zone into a crate amp....and it blew me away. I thought you needed tons of gear to get metal sound,I had no idea. I still think what we were doing back then still sounded pretty close to At the Gates tone

[@jamiebridson7871]

How do you know when a guitarist plays eleven or twelve gauge strings? They will tell you at the earliest opportunity.

[@RobertWJackson]

EXACTLY. 🤣🤣🤣🙄

[@arielcandoleta5347]

"Use what you got". This spot on. So many guitar players including me burden themselves with unnecessary things like their next gear acquisition such as pedals instead of making the most out of the gear they currentlty have. Thanks for keeping it real Robert and by the way, such a cool wristwatch you have.

[@dm8579]

Indeed. But it is very easy to fall into the gear trap in particuIar today when we have so many options. often like to think about the great players of the past. They had limited options and had to use what they had. They did amazing stuff using gear they most likely wouldn't have used if they had other options.

[@arielcandoleta5347]

@@dm8579 oh yes, so many options that have gotten way more affordable than it was back in the day. Falling down the rabbit hole of gear acquisition can happen in a heartbeat and there is even a likelihood that the piece of acquired gear may not end up being used because it didn't turn out as expected.

[@BikingVikingIN]

I came across this last night and i fully agree on a ton of it. Harmony Central's Doom Room had a ton of posts that said the exact same thing about a ton of gear you said about it. It was a common thing to read albums that didnt have V30s, used metal zones or bad monkeys. The common concept was going with cheap gear and using what you could with it.

[@christopherebeyrol4553]

You're absolutely right, it it started a long time ago. Remember all the crazyness about effect racks in the late 80's, then someone just said, "just one amp and some pedals" ... All the racks went straight to the junkyard. And now how many youtubers, have you seen trying to promote any guitar other than a Fender strat or a telly ? Personnality is not today the trend, but I still enjoy my DS1 slightly modified and some good old pedals on my classic 30 equiped with a celestion lead 80 speaker, and it sounds damn good if you play with some feeling !

[@drippinglass]

Yup. I started out building electronic projects when I was 8yo. So I got to learn about circuitry and how the parts work together. You can’t explain to a lot of guitar players that a clone is exactly the same thing. They don’t believe it.

[@Newnodrogbob]

Yes but the original was hand soldered by naked virgins sprinkled in holy water…

[@BOBANDVEG]

I have so many knock off pedals lol.

[@greggee1302]

Your mention of using the Metal Zone in the Effects Loop, (or any other gain inducing device,), I agree, is criminally overlooked. For anyone that has an Effects Loop on a distorted tube amp...USE IT for the place to add gain, tone, and EQ shaping...the front end of your amp will often chew up and nullify the nuances of your distortion device. With your distortion device in the Effects Loop...you can then use a 20db Boost Pedal...or a Boss GE-7 as a boost & solo EQ.

[@IsaacLausell]

This is the first time I come across your channel and I got to say you raise some valid points. Guitarists worry too much about all of this nonsense, they follow the trends and don’t listen critically. Conversely they do not worry enough about learning how to play or learning music fundamentals.

[@BossDS-1]

I have MT-2 and I tried bypassing the preamp thingy. It sounded awesome. But that also made me wire more, bend my back more, and adjusting knobs more. I came back just using it with the preamp. I like the way it is.

[@Runner2000]

I love the Metal Zone. Believe it or not, with that deep growl you can get, I use it on my Lap Steel in open D and it sounds great. Use 9s on my guitar. Wanted to try 8s, but didn’t know what they would do to my neck.

[@ZoomZoom-ng6sn]

I almost forgot about those early KZbin posters. I missed those days.

[@roadrat33]

RJ- entertaining commentary, for sure! Glad to hear someone giving credit to the MT-2(lots of us cut our teeth this way). The heavy gauge segment.. SRV played 13's regularly, which I've never seen questioned, but what are the odds that(were he still with us) he'd have gone lighter as he got older(like the rest of us middle-aged rockers)? Heavy is great for baritone-type tunings on standard or short scales, though.

[@RobertWJackson]

Hard to say about SRV. Regardless, his guitar was completely unplayable for most people. And with as many SRV clones as there are out there, plenty of sound just like him with 9’s and 10’s. I don’t buy the SRV argument for heavy strings at all.

[@edmilham4172]

Okay, so my bass rig: early '90s GK 800RB driving two 15s in bass reflex cabs and two 8s and 2 compression tweeters in a sealed cab. Nice thing about it is that I can use one or both of the low-end cabs, and use the high-end cab or not. I built the cabs, myself, and loaded the low-end cabs with speakers out of a couple of Peavey keyboard amps the university I work for was throwing out. Here's the rub: the two amps were the same, and probably even purchased at the same time, but one had a Scorpion 15 in it, while the other had a Sheffield 15. So I put one in each cabinet, and tuned the ports to the specs of the different speakers. Guess what: when I only use one of them, it's usually the Sheffield. The Scorpion is punchy, but the Sheffield is a great sounding full-range speaker. I figure the view on them comes from the stupid idea that the Sheffield has a stamped chassis but the Scorpion's chassis is cast and machined. I mean, everyone knows a good speaker sounding has to have a cast chassis, and only cheap-o speakers have stamped a chassis, right? Because the sound of a speaker is all about the chassis, right?

[@wildstarchild6879]

I'm so glad you brought up the thing about the strings! So many people screwing their guitar setup all to hell because they want to try to go from 9s to 12s on a floating tremolo LOL

[@vaughanmacegan4012]

You say that like its a bad thing. I use Floyd Rose's on 3 of my 4 seven string guitars. The one without was a cheapo that had massive intonation problems that I could not sort out. Maybe one day.

[@withinthrall1445]

As someone who's owned several cabs and amps with sheffield speakers, I can give a different insight into it. I think it's just that they all aren't made equally depending on the year of the speaker. This will happen with most things that get mass produced at some point in time. Access to different materials and changing in factories and workers can make a huge effect on the sound of the product being produced. My old Peavey bandit has sheffield's in them and they sound amazing. I had a 5150 cab and the speakers sounded horrible. What happens is guitarists try something once, and if it happens to be bad, then suddenly they always bad (think squire or epiphone back in the day.)

[@FleshOnGear]

I just discovered how great the Sheffield 1230 is this year. I bought an old silver stripe Bandit, and I loved the sound of the 1230 so much I bought some to load into my 2x12 cabs! I didn’t realize there was so much hate for them, I just thought they were a sleeper.

[@glennhecker4422]

I have a "red stripe" USA-made Peavey Bandit with a "Sheffield" speaker, and it's a BEAST. Tonally very versatile, too!

[@666pinkster]

Your video is making me remember the Seymour Duncan pickup, The Invader with a big magnets they couldn't even sell those things for 29 bucks when they were to do, now look at them

[@johnmcminn9455]

Beato nailed it when he said light guage vibrates faster and can create more gain Where as heavy guage is cleaner, yet you can modify the sound with effects to make the same tone

[@waltuhhimself]

Oh cool so rick beato now knows physique

[@johnmcminn9455]

@waltuhhimself actually sound frequency and harmonics are part of physics, you have to know how long a Soundwave can travel at different decibels before it bounces off a wall and other physical things pertaining to sound

[@waltuhhimself]

@@johnmcminn9455 My brother don't believe everything you hear from influencers

[@HotPink90sSun]

If Beato said that,.. he’s wrong. You saying it too,.. now you’re both wrong.

[@johnmcminn9455]

@mr.mehelich2135 actually the SRV tone has nothing to do with string guage It has to do with using Tube and solid state amps at the same time The tube sine wave is rounded and solid state wave is square the two together are what you are hearing Tony iommi does that too SRV used 5 amps at the same time Eric Johnson does as well

[@jasonmccann257]

This video showed up on my home screen and instantly brought a smile to my face! You used to work at G.C. in Castleton and you were my fave person to deal with! I'm glad to see you have a channel and you are doing well! Rock on Rob🤙🤘🤘🤙

[@RobertWJackson]

I remember! You sold us a Blackheart tube head once, and you were really big into the G&L Rampage guitars! How’ve you been?

[@jasonmccann257]

@RobertWJackson that is me good sir! Things are going well, and life has been good to me. I finished school and I'm now working in the operating room, and I travel now for my job. In regards to that G&L Rampage, I wish I would have never sold that b/c those guitars go for stupid money now.

[@RobertWJackson]

@jasonmccann257 Awesome man! Glad to hear you’re doing well. Shoot me an email and keep in touch!

[@jazzad]

The Metal Zone was and is awesome. It can do so much in so many ways and will make even the tamest strat copy sound like a roaring bike

[@laersonverissimo9172]

I believe the hate stems from the fact that high gain pedals can make a poorly built pedalboard too noisy, also it is cheap. DS-1 suffers from the same hate, while being also one of boss best sellers, and being used by great guitar players like Satriani and Vai. Also, high gain+bad equalization is the fastest way to make a guitar sound bad, I don’t think it is a coincidence that the most hated pedals/pedalboards/amps are usually the cheap ones with high levels of distortion available. Little Timmy wants to sound like Marty Friedman, but don’t know how to set his gear, don’t know how to play well, his pedals aren’t grounded, so his tone ends sounding like a beehive. After a few years he improves a lot, changes gear, learns how to set his pedals, and blames the previous gear on the awful tone.

[@squirelova1815]

Exactly. Plus, Timmy sooner or later probably finally bothers to get himself a truly ISOLATED power supply and might even figure out to usually keep his Digital effects on separate outlet cables or, in other words, keep the Digital clocked pedals on their own separate power port. @@laersonverissimo9172

[@gregoryl.levitre9759]

@@laersonverissimo9172 the critique stems from the fact that it sucks. Nobody worth listening to plays (or even owns) a fucking Boss pedal, lol!

[@Em_six]

Billy Gibbons used to use heavy gauge strings, but while backstage with BB King - who famously used 8 gauge strings, BB told Billy 'why work harder than you you have to'. Then, in classic Billy Gibbons style, he went one gauge lighter and used 7s.

[@rayprevailer8454]

I have been playing like 30 years. The V30 thing. Bought new and still use a Marshall 4x12 with V30's. Cab was made in 1990. Love the cab. I also built 1x12 and 2x12 cabinets. I loaded them with Jensen Electric Lightnings. Fantastic sounding speakers. Strings....I have tried 8 through 11. My favorite are Super Slinky 9's tuned 1/2 step down. I cant stand tight heavy strings. Just works for me.

[@DylanODonnell]

I dunno man I’m same metal vintage as you and I’m done with pedals, amps and “vintage” rigs. Digital is better and I feel like boomers and Gen X just don’t want to admit it. The whole guitar landscape needs to drop the macho gear wankery and focus on the music.

[@dannyllerenatv8635]

In the case you can't or don't want to use the FX loop of the amp when using a metal zone or DS-1, the key is patience! Tweak the knobs, both on the amp and the pedal and trust me, you will eventually find a good sound. They have very powerful and active EQ sweeps. The Josh Scott effect is also hilarious. For those mad at Josh, here's a not-so-secret. Check out the Wampler triumph, it's got a modified version of the bad monkey circuit and the boss SD-1 circuit inside for right around $100 flat. A lot of people here would be fine just grabbing a morning glory, to be honest.

[@leviathan_is_me]

Hell I got a pedal that is a less tweakable old school boss Grunge pedal for under $30 new. There is a whole series of these pedals that use the old boss circuits and cheaper casing with less tweakability for DIRT cheap. I'll have to check to get the brand and names etc (it is out of reach and I'm on my "commenting on KZbin throne") if you want me to name it.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

@@leviathan_is_me Danelectro Fab series?

[@leviathan_is_me]

​​@@TylerJohnstonGuitar..yep. Funny, the big METAL!!! 🤘 pedal is the old Grunge, lol.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

@@leviathan_is_me I’ve got that one too. Great pedal for what it is, I don’t play much metal but it does everything I need when I do.

[@stevewehner9540]

I'm a older guy and listening to you and reading some of these comments and it is truly funny.

[@Wh33lsofFortune]

I play a six string in B standard.. playing the mammoth slinky's has made the strings have more tension, and it holds the tuning and intonation better.

[@Guitarnivore]

Same. I have one old Ibanez RG that I keep loaded with Mammoths for playing C and B tunings.

[@Wh33lsofFortune]

@@Guitarnivore they're fantastic strings. If you're coming from a guitar that's in standard or around that tuning. I feel like when you go to these types of strings there's a little bit of a learning curve for sure. They're definitely a bit thicker lol

[@Guitarnivore]

@@Wh33lsofFortune Just a little thicker. 😁 I normally play Hybrids Which are fine for most tunings drop C# and higher. 🤘

[@batastrophic9762]

I think we need to start discerning what's considered "heavy" and "light", as it's contextual to tuning and scale length. Anything higher than B standard, and mammoth slinkys might be called "heavy". For context, a 62 guage in B on a 25.5 should have tension in between a 46 or 48 in E on a 25.5, a 12 on a high B should have about the same as a 9 guage E string. See what I mean? For me, mammoth slinkys don't seem "light" for B, but they don't seem particularly "heavy" either. It sounds adequate. I'd call it med-heavy. Using mammoths in B standard doesn't sound like overkill or something to measure your penis with at all, it just straight up sounds like a good workable choice.

[@Wh33lsofFortune]

@@batastrophic9762 fair enough. You make a good point. I found the mammoth slinky's just by trial and error. For a while I was using ghs boomers. They're good strings and I'm supporting a business from the state I live, Michigan. I just found the mammoth slinky's to be better for B standard for me. As far as holding tuning and getting the intonation as close as I can

[@archieguitarz4700]

Still have my metalzone. Ten years ago I was stacking it with an TS808 overdrive and getting great tones thru my Marshall DSL 100. Thinking I should probably dig it out.

[@jwmcmillenii]

The Metal Zone is truly great. Dial the mids to the same frequency as the Klon, turn the drive down, and boom. You're in K territory. Peavey always made good stuff. My first experience with a dude really espousing a piece of gear was my drummer's dad saying Peavey Black Widows being the be-all end-all. I like the Greenback best.

[@charleswidmore5458]

that video I saw on the 6 1/2 string mod really got me thinking about doing some mods to my 7 string.

[@bensan1990]

Forgot to mention the EVH effect, that when he passed away, they started selling crazy everything related to his name, the 5150/6505 amps and cabs, pedals under his name, even signature guitars from him, they were selling it crazy, so when a famous musician passes away and leaves a legacy in the gear world, eventually they try to sell everything more expensive for that reason...

[@RobertWJackson]

Unfortunately, that seems to happen every time a famous musician passes on. Everybody suddenly tries to get rich off of their signature gear and memorabilia.

[@griiseknoen]

One major reason why I used very heavy gauge strings in the past was the fact that they didn't go out of pitch when you picked or strummed a little harder. Nowadays I have Evertune bridges on most of my non-trem guitars and they eliminate that problem. For distorted tones I actually *prefer* the sound of medium to light gauge strings.

[@dirkbrom3948]

Never got the Metal Zone hate. I always keep a stock one around and also one that has a mod that clips a cap out of the circuit. Even into the front of an amp both sound good. Regarding strings: I like 10-52 on a guitar I use for standard tuning playing metal. They just don't flop around much and seem to work better for chugging on.

[@juhomurtoniemi9142]

One thing that I hear a lot is that EMG-pickups suck. And many times when you ask why, they just can't say why. I have one guitar with EMG81 that is a really mean sounding beast. I think that someone just said that they suck and then many went with it 😅

[@cheguebeara4244]

I like a slightly heavier gauge for the feel and resistance I get in bending. 10's on my strat but when I run the same on a shorter scale length (Les Paul) I overbend with 10's. Changing to 11's on the LP solved the issue. Also use pure nickel strings though, maybe they bend easier, not sure. They sure feel a bit different that wound. /shrug

[@funkingitup1805]

I find a little more string tension makes it easier to switch between a guitar and bass. I played an 8 string for the first time recently and it's pretty strange playing essentially a bass string on top and then still having small strings on bottom. It takes a huge shift is picking.

[@williambock1821]

I have a WGS veteran(along with a Weber alnico) in my Gretsch Valco 6161 amp clone. I had NO idea I was supposed to use it for metal.

[@jimwoodard64]

Great video, Robert! I’ve stepped away from KZbin for about 6 months to gather myself and it’s quite liberating.

[@RobertWJackson]

Stepping away from the comments section alone is enough to liberate one from the toxicity of the interwebs. I only read comments about once every couple of weeks or so now. The internet is becoming more and more toxic every single day, it seems.

[@garys9969]

You are spot on. Thanks for the honesty!

[@mikeygabbard9268]

One of my favorite things about Robert is how self aware he is. He'll make fun of himself better than some wanna be troll can. Love the content as always!

[@yongkim777]

Excellent video👍👍

[@CyrusFreeman]

Josh will tell you what's awesome about what you have. That means he tells you what's awesome about what other people have too (seriously, what HASN'T he done?) Don't mistake that for thinking that you need what Josh is talking about this week. What I love about him is he showed me that some of the oldies are still REALLY good , and that You don't need the new new or the rare rare to be distinct. Got me back into the Rat and DS1 for which I will be ever grateful.

[@robertgraham3559]

Every distortion pedal I own sounds better going into the effects return jack. Especially the Metal Zones. Which are great pedals if you replace the clipping diodes with LED'S, smooth out the first gain stage with a 153 cap for capacitor #34, and lower the post distortion boost frequency to 4.5k by replacing resistor #34 with a 1.2k ohm. Also, run it on 14 to 15 volts. I also crank up the distortion to compensate for what you lose with those previous mods, by replacing resistor 44 with a 330k ohm, and replacing the stock distortion pot with a 500kA unit. The original Metal Zone was a pin through circuit board, which is easy to modify. The new ones are tiny surface mount units, which you can mod if you are a maniac with mad skills.

[@RokDAWG1]

Those Peavey speakers sound pretty damn awesome! *EDIT* I definitely laugh at those gear dorks who suddenly think they’re riding on rare gear money bucks with their mass production stuff that really isn’t THAT rare. Like the Bad Monkey kids! Haha! Yeah my various pedals that do the same thing aren’t worried.

[@theerectus2004]

Metal zone was my fist pedal in 97. In the 2010s I learned the kids didn’t know how to eq a pedal going into the front of an amp. I think we had a lot more patience going through eq settings back in the day.

[@4034miguel]

Great video. This is a great help for those being insecure of things that they like but are afraid to acquire because "it sucks". If you like something because it sounds great to you, forget what internet thinks about it. Enjoy it the fullest and let the naysayers stay in their echo chambers.

[@Nugmania1]

Good vid, one trend relating to KZbin is that to me anyways is that everyone is trying to one up everyone else. It’s the look at me, Herc, look at me, Herc effect. Nice to see straight from the hip reporting on topics

[@micahwatz1148]

I still like the metal zone in the front as a boost. That pat obrien era Cannibal Corpse tone is just crushing

[@murdercircus7706]

There ya go!

[@tanker1960]

Got the tools I needed and this is the first video I seen in months. Thanks, I see I'm not missing anything. .

[@RobertWJackson]

Moist.

[@Lowtech14]

The Peavey Bandit w Sheffield speaker used to be the bomb for starting guitarists.

[@michaellrakes5521]

Yep! The damned silver stripe Peavey Transtube amps were a beginner's status symbol that you were serious and had arrived. Hell, I had two myself ( an Envoy 110 and the legendary Bandit, with the 112 extension cab lol). Amazing amps that blew away Marshall Valvestates as far as I'm concerned and I'm a devout Marshall guy these days

[@skeeterbodeen8326]

Yerp, I still have my 1993 Teal stripe PV Bandit w/Sheffield, and still sounds great.

[@CyrusFreeman]

Bandits are simply one of the best solid state amps ever made at any price. Those who look down on them do not understand them.

[@michaellrakes5521]

@@CyrusFreeman absolutely. Incredibly versatile machines

[@Mr.Goldbar]

in regards to string gauges I think the light top heavy bottom sets are the best. Since 2020 I downsized my string gauges from 10-52 in standard to 9-46, and use 10-52 in drop C. I don't play softly enough to be comfortable using your gauges and on 7 strings I still use gauges for the low B that are even heavier than anything that comes in standard sets, but I definitely realized going too thick is just a small dick alert :D. aaaaaand because of the last one I utterly avoid JHS pedals and the JHS channel

[@Bingopete71]

I like gear review videos. It helps me determine what I want to try. I don't care about trends. Just what sounds good to me.

[@beornthebear.8220]

Years ago, I had a small Marshall with a built-in 10" speaker. It sounded good, but I wanted more sensitivity in the input. I was talking about this is a guitar store, and a guy with an Aussie accent said to me "you should get one of those>" Pointing to the earlier version of the Boss Metal Zone. I bought it, took it hame, cranked up the level all the way, turned the distortion down all the way, and it was perfect for what I wanted. Marshall sound with the sensitivity and harmonics I wanted.

[@rochestermetal9160]

100% i used the metal zone since i was 15 never strayed from it always had it in the effect loop. This had tuns of room to find the perfect tone. If you cant then you are the problem. I recently rediscovered light strings and realized how flexible the bends are I felt like I been duped for years, the peavey sheffields my only issue with them is if im playing with a digitech whammy my speaker will freeze it's done it since day 1. But i hit that note agein the speaker will unfreeze

[@adamstein9333]

I noticed Your Panama Amp head and would Love a demo! Agree on string gauge, highest I go is 11 and for baritone/ drop tunings.

[@RobertWJackson]

Demoed all of them a long time ago.

[@luisvillarreal5262]

Hello Robert. On the Bad Monkey OD pedal, Phil X used it exclusively and did a video on it. He was probably another reason for its sudden popularity. I’m sure you’ve watch him use it. Love your videos. Keep ‘em coming. 🎸👍

[@AndrewAHayes]

The thing that winds me up about the guitar community and guitar manufacturers who you think should know better, is calling fretboards fingerboards, fingerboards are found on fretless instruments like cello, violin, double bass.

[@Celestros]

The cool side is that in France, the sheffield 1230 is one of the best bang for the bucks loudspeaker.

[@florabee9283]

The Sheffield uses the same voice coil and cone as a vintage 30 or similar celestion I think

[@tobins6800]

On guitar gauge size, I do use a heavier gauge string. I do play hard AF, started my guitar life on bass, even broke a few bass e strings back in the day. Heavier gauge tuned to E standard, less deflection/need to tune down a half step. As a result of that habit, I really really hesitate to play anyone elses guitar. 1 enthusiastic open e chord, there goes at least 3 strings. I am well aware that thinner gauge does tend to sound better, less harmonic content generated. On hating the Sheffield speakers, it's certain ones, not all the models. Can't really name specifics, but a good many of them do sound like a goose farting thru a half cocked wah.

[@tonekilltech]

Great points! Makes me wanna go play my metal zone into my Sheffield equiped Bandit right now! 🤘 Fwiw, Billy Gibbons best guitar tone was on the first 6 ZZ Top albums (through degüello pretty much). Billy used 11 gauge strings on all those albums for certain. I don't know when exactly he started going lighter, but everything since then, including his current live and recorded sound, has been so heavily processed and compressed that he could use any guitar and strings and it would sound pretty much the same. I'm not an advocate for heavy strings = better tone, but i think Billy Gibbons name gets thrown around too often as justification for lighter strings when it's not really a valid argument.

[@admiralkrankandhismightyba158]

I quite like my Sheffield bandit too! Gibbons sound became ridiculously compressed and processed starting the recycler album. Yikes! Just an observation. Thought someone should say it. I think lighter gauge strings tighten up the bottom end for the rhythm parts. I don't think it has a deleterious effect on tone.

[@tonekilltech]

@admiralkrankandhismightyba158 Agreed, I think it started veering in that direction with Eliminator and by Recycler it was pretty much fully compressed to the point of lacking any semblance of the underlying guitar tone. Also agree that lighter gauge wound strings can tighten up the bottom end, specifically when there is any amount of gain involved. Though that can also be achieved with EQ or a dedicated "tight" control that shaves off low frequencies. That is an interesting rabbithole for the string gauge convo because it's very specific to the application. SRV was always chasing the cleanest tone possible at ultra high volume. When there's no break up, the low frequencies don't get muddied up like they do with a crunchy tone.

[@admiralkrankandhismightyba158]

@@tonekilltech oh yeah. There are a number of ways to address the eq and tight lower end. I prefer 8s. But there's more than one way to do it. I wonder if the lighter gauge works for me because I'm very heavy handed?

[@scotthutchens1203]

I’ve always liked the Metal Zone, especially when they first came out there was nothing like it. Have a Sheffield 1230 in my Peavey Red Stripe Bandit sounds excellent. Not full or deficient in any way, can’t see why the stupid hate. I could go for a second one to hook up to bump up the Peavey Bandit wattage from 80 watts to 100 watts. Another phenomenon, Robert, that I wish you’d address is hate for Vintage 30’s with people moaning about the upper midrange spike that is supposedly irritating to lots of people. Not sure if that’s in the newer “Asian” made ones. All the ones I have were bought when they were first made and I like them a lot for any style not just metal.

[@mazzith]

I have not really been big into music since I switched my focus to photography a decade ago but a 4x12 cab with offset Vint 30 and WGS veteran 30s is one of the sweetest metal sounding rhythm cabs I’ve ever heard.

[@sira.scottascot8865]

The Bad Monkey was slick when you could find a used one at just about any shop for $30. It's pretty transparent and sounds good. I've even had decent results using the DI with a decent noise gate. I didn't know they were selling for so much. The Hardwire transparent overdrive was a good cheapo, too.

[@kneeboarderndevon]

I bought a brand new Bad Monkey for £24 back when they were still making them

[@stuartchapman5171]

Try the Hothead, it's their take on a DS 1 but with the expanded eq, a la Bad Monkey.

[@RobertWJackson]

@kneeboarderndevon I paid $25 US for mine. LOL

[@stuartchapman5171]

@RobertWJackson I love my Digitech Death Metal as well. I think it's their take on the Swedeish Chainsaw, I like the dual outputs on those pedals and as a Noise artist, I love it cos Merzbow uses it, it's not just guitarists that buy gear cos their idols use it lol. It has a decent eq and a load of gain, win.

[@OutsidethePot]

I’ve been watching you awhile now. I’ve been playing about 53 years. Having a chance to use all these things I’ve come to the conclusion a long time ago that it’s all subjective, how does it relate to needs, do you have a mind of your own. But I will say as a metal player I do use V30 and Sheffield, they both have their uses. Theses days I personally use very little equipment. I have a sound I like that I can creat with my Zombie and a couple of boxes. I’m only teaching theses days, 61 years old so lugging around big monsters tubes amps is a thing of the past and 20 is fine, no more ego to boost. Oh and no more crew to do it for me. But I’m the end most everything is subjective. But most of the time I agree with you.

[@jgmopar]

The BOSS Metal Zone is still one of my Favorite pedals. I have a stock one and a Keeley Modded one. I would never get rid of them. My favorite Speaker is the Carvin HE12 from the 80's Strings for me 9-42 or 10- 46 Super Slinkys have been my main string since the mid 80's Don't need extra heavy strings I have a bass for that. You and Ola and Phil (KYG) are the only ones I watch. The thing I hate are the people who complain about a person and their videos and how they could do better but have no videos on their personal ghost KZbin page.

[@chimneychuck]

You hit everything right on the heard. I dont include you in the you tubes though. I dont know how many "guitar teachers" i've tuned into and then out of real fast because they didnt start teaching until well into their vides. They were too busy showing their equipment and talking about themselves.

[@HellaSooner]

TONY IOMMI. 8s tuned to C#. Heaviest sounding guitar EVER.

[@zedcarr6128]

String wise I use Ernie Ball, Skinny Top Heavy Bottom 10 to 52, because I think that heavier gauge strings sound better and a 10 is easy on the fingers for lead playing. I've only ever gone down to a 9 on one of my guitars as it felt better because of the whammy bar, but all my other guitars, including ones with a whammy bar, have skinny top, heavy bottom. Guitars in question, a mid 1980s Charvel Model 3 with a genuine Floyd Rose and my 2003 Ibanez RG470EX Cyber Pink.

[@jaytheripper13]

I really liked the Metal Zone, definitely want the Waza Craft soon, but rn my favorite is the Metal Core distortion pedal

[@RobertWJackson]

The Metal Core is cool for practicing at home, but it has ZERO midrange to it and does not cut through a mix on its own at all.

[@Rforce78]

I never really got why people just hate on it so bad ,I am still using mine from the 90s, I pair it with the boss EQ I can basically get any distortions found out there

[@heggy_69]

The Josh Scott effect incidents happened a while after the Techmoan effect was coined by some people (basically the same concept). They should collab on something and completely destroy the market lmao

[@dunxy]

That would be a cool collab lol

[@MikeYeary]

The Donner Soph Gate pedal. Started off as what, like $70 on Amazon? It's now $149, and still out of stock everywhere. I only know, because I'm one of the suckers that wants to try it out, and can't find one anywhere.

[@admiralkrankandhismightyba158]

I have a solid state Peavey, a very old studio pro. Paid maybe $ 50.00 last year. It appeared in a Rhett shull video and now they are listed for $ 200+. It's a cool little amp. But come on. There's a trillion of them.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

Right man. My dad raised me on Peavey amps, I think he’s got about 13 laying around the house and most of them are used as shelves.

[@admiralkrankandhismightyba158]

@@TylerJohnstonGuitar well the amp is great for a solid state practice amp. Don't get me wrong. With reverb, fx loop, and lineout. And some cool compression when pushed. But it's a $ 50 amp.

[@TylerJohnstonGuitar]

@@admiralkrankandhismightyba158 Agreed. Not worth more than 100 bucks for just about any of em. People might pay more but they shouldn’t.

[@admiralkrankandhismightyba158]

@@TylerJohnstonGuitar the price will go back down. I see bandits again for reasonable prices.

[@hog7203]

I've had a Peavey 130 Solo amp for forty years. Nice sounding and reliable amp. Never needed any repairs. Built like a tank and as heavy as one also. Great for guitar and pedal steel. Not my favorite sounding amp that I own, but it's there if I need it.

[@Tryggvasson]

i love the metal zone. even in non metal songs, i use it as a tone shaper before the amp, and also to add a little bit of saturation and cream up the amp - the main distortion comes from the amp - i find tube distortion sounds creamier and thicker than solid state distortion, but pedals are a great way to add zing into the tone, give it a shape and a mood, and remove the bloatware and plumpiness amps might have. i agree on heavy gauge strings. most don't know that thicker strings not only have more low end - which gets blurty uncontrollable - but they're also a lot harsher. not to mention the work. so, why bother? thin strings still drive the amp like a mofo. i use 9s on my strat, and 10s on the humbuckers, all guitars tuned half a step down. i find that 8s tend to be too thin for my fingers - i can't feel them very well, and i can bend too easily. but 8s are even more mid focused - they sound great.

[@xaviergough9359]

Metal Zone is a good pedal but maybe some people don't understand the frequency knobs. I have heard awful tones coming out of it from some who just carelessly boost and not take the room, gear into account. Sometimes you need to cut certain frequencies.

[@BITESIZEJONES]

Precisely why I can't stand that pedal. Too much tweaking to find a decent setting. It sounds more buzzy than quality distortion. I'm one of those guys that can't stand that pedal. I guess if you're an amateur that's been playing for a couple of years and you're a hardcore Cannibal Corpse fan you'll be happy than a pig in s*** but a professional musician will kick it to the curb by sundown.

[@hobbybobley]

I only found out that my first cab's Sheffield speakers weren't to my taste after playing my mate's cab which had a combo of V30's and G12T-75's in it. The sound (to my ears) was much more in line with what I desired my sound to sound like, and that's all that mattered; what it sounded like to my ears. Hearing a good tone come through my cab makes me more confident in my playing and as a result things sound decent. Simples.

[@danielpsullivan6265]

Rumor has it that Eddie swapped his shefield speakers for v 30s in his live shows. Peavey only cared about their badge on the cab and amp be shown so he only swapped speakers to avoid contract breach. Every shefild ir I played sounded very unsatisfying to me.

[@RobertWJackson]

This is the not only the first time I’ve ever heard this rumor, it’s also the first time I’ve ever heard of Eddie using Vintage 30’s and not something Greenback, which is really what the Sheffield is based off of.

[@danielpsullivan6265]

@@RobertWJackson honestly it could be a greenback. But I do know that the only thing Peavey wanted was those badges shining through. No one can see the speakers, so it makes sense. One of several instances of this sort of thing. I seen a band perform with the badge taped off. When I asked them why they told me their sponsored gear was not working and this was the only way they could perform without breaching their endorsement contract.

[@RobertWJackson]

@danielpsullivan6265 I don’t think it makes sense at all. The Sheffield speaker was developed by Peavey in collaboration with Eddie Van Halen as part of the 5150 signature amps. Why would he put all of that work into creating a speaker specifically for himself just to replace it with something else?

[@danielpsullivan6265]

@@RobertWJackson Just because they're sponsored doesn't mean that they're actually using their products 24/7. They just have to make it appear that way on stage. Again, a rumor that I came across that I've seen in a few videos.

[@RobertWJackson]

That’s true for a lot of people, but Eddie wasn’t one of them. That dude was pickier about his tone than anybody, and he NEVER signed off on anything that he didn’t believe in and use himself, much less allow his name to be on it.

[@Dr-Curious]

I have ABSOLUTELY seen people advocating a pickup or pedal online in groups, and then asked them when they got theirs, to be told "Oh I haven't tried one yet"...

[@bradr9903]

Good stuff man. I love my Metal Zone. Infact, I have two of them....the Original and The Waza. I also have a 112 Sheffield Bandit. Apparently I play through all that sucks....lol.

[@JamesSClapperton]

I just snagged a 4x12 off of gc used for $179 shipped because someone had stripped and stained it and it was load with Sheffields. I just needed a rig here in MI while I’m here for 6 months. I was a little nervous at first because of all the hate and I took a chance on pairing it with the orange supercrush head. I gotta say, that rig is greasy!!!! It sounds so damn good!!! I was already looking at getting a pair of other 12s before it arrived so it would sound halfway decent. No need at all!!!!

[@ordohereticus3427]

The Metal Zone can also work as an amazing clear boost with considerable or tone shaping options. Pairs very well with a variety of amps for that purpose. Then, of course, there’s all the other potential for it as a distortion pedal, a pre-amp, etc. It can also be used to get into a kind of chainsaw territory.

[@axslinger99]

I've owned tons of pedals and guitars over the years. I have a Peavey Deuce upstairs that will blow away any Marshall Plexi. It sounds best cranked and clean, and those Black Widows can take a beating! When I had an unwieldy pedalboard, I found I spent too much time tweaking it and not much time playing. You take it into a different room, and it sounds different. You're not happy with the sound but you can't pinpoint where in the signal chain you need to tweak it. These days, I have a Boss GT-1000 Core with an FS-7 footswitch and a Boss expression pedal. That's it. If I need to adjust for a room, I use a different IR that fixes EVERYTHING.

[@finishin.my.coffee8780]

Gearmandude probably got sick of all the Jack Black comments. I couldn't blame him.

[@felinekaiju4517]

I used to have 15's on my standard tuned guitar, but it was a floyd equipped guitar and I liked the way it sounded. But i only mentioned the gauge when people asked. I've had many mt-2 pedals over the years and i never understood the hate. And the thing I ever did was getting an Eminence Henpdog and the DV-77 and modify my cabinet to make the speakers work.

[@brandonthompson8413]

It's funny that it was Josh Scott that made the Bad Monkey blow up and not Phil X with all those awesome old Fretted Americana vids. Phil has been using a bad monkey for decades now and getting absolutely killer tones from it. Josh Scott makes a video about it and everyone whines about the price increase because why? They weren't planning on buying one before were they? How many people were legitimately waiting to buy a bad monkey just before that video went out?

[@drippinglass]

That… and I have a prototype pedal that Josh made in ‘08. So only 14 years ago. It looks like a 10yo built it. Horrible construction with Elmer’s glue holding the circuit board in it. Josh even said he’d buy all his early pedals back because he said they were embarrassing.

[@twobarsfourstars]

@@drippinglassso why didn’t you take him up on it? Nice of him to offer, most companies would tell you to screw off. Don’t think it’s marketing/accident his company has grown, that’s a high integrity move.

[@drippinglass]

@@twobarsfourstars I don’t dislike the guy. In fact, I’d give it to him. I just find it funny that guitar players act the way they do when he demos a pedal they all of the sudden have to have. He’s just some dude that builds pedals. I’m more a Zack Vex fan, as he at least tried to innovate.

[@twobarsfourstars]

@@drippinglass gotcha, sorry I misunderstood your comment! Agreed no one needs to be making sacred cows out of people. Don’t think JHS pushes that either, they’re pretty good about taking the piss out of themselves and others (like the Bad Monkey video). Thank you for the channel suggestion!

[@shadowviper957]

One of my first combo amps in the 90s had a sheffield never had a complaint. CV30 mixed with a em manaowar is my favorite for tone.I also just ordered the waza craft metalzone and waza delay pedal. As well the Joyo Dark Flame and the zombi ii.

[@lynette9021]

I don't really use drive pedals so much, but thanks to Josh Scott, I know that Scott Pilgrim used a Bad Monkey to save the world, so it got added to the list. I tend to eschew the normal bits of gear, like I have always figured that other people had the Vintage 30 requirements filled, but also the low demand for my special stuff has kept the prices fairly viable. I have not yet filled every slot so I don't really publicize much of the excellent bits that I have discovered. yet... 😎

[@heggy_69]

Hell yeah man, I've been searching for these Roland dac amps and because they're not in high demand I got one for 5 euro and another posted from Germany for 50 lol. There's a bass one in my country for free but it's like halfway up the country

[@riffsnoleads]

"no more big amps/full stacks" or "no more mics, just DI live" are two trends that are not going anywhere I hate them both so so so much.

[@nabrute]

I think the metal zone got a bad reputation for a while because people didn’t know how to set them up or had shitty tone from a shitty amp and the pedal got blamed. Similar to the hate the Marshall MG got, I’ve had 100w half stack for 20 years and it rips. I still play it all the time even though I have nicer tube amps now.