Guess the Cheap vs Expensive Pedal Blindfold Challenge! - Can You Hear The Difference?

[@patrickcarroll1754]

You can say a lot of things about Rob. But you can't deny he's the blindfold challenge king.

[@OhSoInsane]

Unless it's a kemper lol

[@squirelova1815]

I can say he made guitars for players with players' input, just like Leo Fender used to.

[@wdoochild]

always impressive !

[@curtisandre6975]

you all probably dont give a shit but does anybody know of a method to log back into an instagram account?? I stupidly forgot the login password. I appreciate any assistance you can give me!

[@wallaceramon5122]

@Curtis Andre instablaster =)

[@mad4marsbars]

"lets go maximum depth and half speed" - that's some good technique

[@OhSoInsane]

Hey-o

[@mattbliss356]

To which rob replies... "can you slide down a bit? Yeah, I like that."

[@nebtrebeh5588]

Andertons?....blindfold?......Its like Christmas coming early for me!

[@andertons]

We've got loads more blindfold challenges coming soon!

[@demseyemson9831]

Or like a special night in Lee's bedroom

[@Red_Robin_Guitars]

I mean is it really an Anderson’s video if no one sniggered when the conversation turned to flangers....

[@shanedeel2]

@@andertons woohoo!

[@zackgibson3389]

@@andertons YES!

[@nicolamagliocco9601]

the editing is so good it's distracting

[@andertons]

All thanks to Rory! 😉

[@jorgeleonel6663]

Really dig these types of Andertons videos - fun, entertaining and informative. Kudos to Lee, Rob and the great editing champ!

[@andertons]

Thanks for tuning in! - We've got lots more content like this coming soon, so keep watching! 🤘

[@ChrisHendrix117]

Anyone else think Rob should add “Tone Sommelier” to his CV?

[@jello-tarzan]

I have to agree with Mr Hendrix.

[@RizingZeppelin]

I remember hearing that 7 is the most often selected number when randomly choosing between 1 and 10. Great to see Lee reinforce that here 😅

[@disfibulator]

I think he said "oh that's nice" when the Captain switched it to the Boss chorus, so I think it's 6-1, with a nod to it being about what it more expensive rather than a slag on Tone City. Amazing what they can do for a lower cost. Edit: I wrote my comment before the correction text was posted. Glad they caught it.

[@TheGhostGuitars]

10:06 Rob: Tubescreamer... Lee: (Face Expression=WTF) 😆

[@demseyemson9831]

Who edits these videos? They deserve a raise! The snoop dog/just eat mashup was incredible

[@timothymckane6362]

Rory edits these Chappers and the Captain videos. It make things more interesting and entertaining.

[@olavjorvik94]

I believe he edits ALL andertons videos?

[@brysimm404]

I thought there was a mess up with Rob’s Chorus choice - confirmed. Always double check in the edit 😬

[@FlavioCastro81]

The Muff too! Wasn´t it?

[@jonda2282]

@@FlavioCastro81 The Electro Harmonix Q-Tron, yeah. Rob guessed correctly and diddle brain immediately put the cheap one on top!

[@jonda2282]

brysimm Yep. Rob chose correctly with the Chorus and the EH pedal.

[@NikolajChristensen]

Yeah Lee messed that one up.

[@bofa83]

so did he get them all right then?

[@stevelogan1699]

Boss pedals, commonly under-rated, are doing amazingly well in these challenges.

[@budgetguitarist]

One thing to consider with more expensive pedals is that the part tolerances are usually smaller than on the budget pedals, so you're more likely to get consistency in the pricier pedals. IN GENERAL, but not always. That said, today's budget pedals are really damn good, compared to 20 years ago.

[@markhammer643]

While any doofus making pedals in their dorm room can get 1% metal film resistors, top-notch op-amps and transistors, for peanuts these days, and the magic of the internet has allowed optimal design theory and tips to be spread far and wide, capacitors still have much wider tolerances than many other components. The upshot is that, when one compares a *single* pedal of this make against a *single* pedal of a clone, it is hard to know whether one is comparing some consistently-different tonal quality, or comparing a pedal where the *nominally* 47nf capacitor actually measures 41nf against another where the same nominal 47nf value measures 51nf, in a critical position that alters treble or bass content. We wouldn't attempt to predict how a national election is going to swing, based on surveying 5 people. Why should we assume that a single pedal from a company is going to accurately represent ALL pedals produced in that line? Whatever differences Chappers can or can't hear might be consistent features of the pedals in question, but with only one exemplar from each, we can't confidently assume that. This is a weakness of virtually ALL such shootouts and comparisons one finds on the web or even in a music store.

[@budgetguitarist]

@@markhammer643 Is that you, Brian Wamper? LOL, I'm kidding, I agree with you 100%. And then factor in the butcher job that KZbin does on all audio. What is heard in the room is not what I'm hearing on my computer speakers. I know from my own channel how much gets lost in translation. It's often a LOT. KZbin videos are still fun to watch, but it's always a good idea to literally try the exact pedal/amp/guitar you are buying.

[@jburdsinfuse]

I literally started to type the same thing and caught this comment before I clicked send. I can dial in killer tones all day on my JHS Sweet Tea or Strymon Blue Sky into just about any amp, room or volume. The same can't be said for Amazon Basics and all those Joyo clones floating around.

[@markhammer643]

1) Brian and I are easily differentiable. And for our wives' sake, that's a good thing. 2) One of the things that factors into pricier gear of any type, whether it be pedals, guitars, pickups, amps, etc., is the labor required for quality-control. Quality-control is not the sort of thing that can be fully delegated to machines and software. Someone somewhere has to be able to provide the right answer to the question "Does this sound/behave like it is supposed to, and like all the other items in this category do?". The more extensive the testing (e.g., 20 performance parameters vs 6) or exhaustive the testing (e.g., every 100th pedal vs every 15th pedal vs EVERY pedal), the more your labor costs go up. And lets not forget tech support for quality-assured products as yet one more labor cost. So, contemporary resources, and production methods (as well as production locales) allow for some really decent bits of gear to be made for surprisingly low cost - what you can buy for the Xmas money from grandma these days is head and shoulders above what the same money could get you in 1970 - but the difference between higher-end and bargain-basement gear is often not in the materials used, but in the quality-control.

[@crcj7896]

Whoever edited this video is a legend

[@TheChainsofAlice]

Capt too worried about selling tone city pedals dinked up the score

[@srh361]

IMO Andertons are the kings of the KZbin guitar videos and have been for awhile. As always great video guys.

[@davepitt11]

I'm not a "expensive is better" snob... but the expensive drivers were all better IMO. The TC drives seemed to sit on top of the dry sound, while the more expensive pedals sound like the dirt is integrated better into the tone.

[@marekw7562]

IMO drives is last thing to pay more for. There are sh* tone of affordable options BUT it's difficult to find one with good feel. I had to buy about 30 drives to find out that most of them doesn't suites me. The tricky part is to find what you are connected to not always what sounds good. What you think?

[@hankinho175]

the captain turned very orange

[@Robdoesguitar]

Things to take away from this video.. 1. Rob has incredible ears and knowledge of all things sound 😮 2. Lee is crap at nursery rhymes 😂 3. Rorys' editing is just superb, makes me laugh so much Long live Andertons on YT 😃

[@stephman02]

And rob can play like a @#$& blindfolded...

[@vasilshkutov2890]

Lee has indeed become a master of leading this type of videos. Just wonderful to watch.

[@cameron435]

Captain: “I shall delve down below...” Pete’s dissonant voice (somewhere in the background): “Oh!” Haha

[@tonepilot]

19:02, Lee accidentally says the name of the pedal lol.

[@HorizonMelt]

Yes! I was like - - - what? Did he just say it?

[@TheTapMusic]

Rob already knew what it was, he called it out before Lee said it.

[@ledhendrix5054]

Ah I'm in my nice warm safe place again , Rob armed with the axe while Lee juggles a hundred and one different pedals again. Bliss.

[@brentharms694]

The editing on these videos is always top notch. Never fails to get a few chuckles out of me!

[@AllanGildea]

Chapper's prowess in this regard is Jedi level. And Lee is getting more handsome. Thanks for the craic lads.

[@chroniclesofbap6170]

"I haven't been abroad, honest" says the man with the golden tan 👌😎👍🤣

[@JKM395]

Next up, I'd like to see a blindfold test for tuner pedals.

[@AYACSM]

Chappers will smell the good ones.

[@shymi]

Missed seeing you guys together. Thank you and have fun

[@shanedeel2]

These are the best videos!

[@brymills]

You missed a trick here. You should have added a “guess the colour” bonus question

[@WilliamPayneNZ]

It’s funny how Rob lives on a sunny meditation island and Lee lives in England, yet Lee is far more tanned.

[@benja1378]

"sunny meditation island" - lol get outta here with your colonialism

[@WilliamPayneNZ]

@@benja1378 I think I like how that typo worked out.

[@lance134679]

Lee's encyclopaedic knowledge of nursery rhymes is astounding :-)

[@lukecowley4949]

Christmas came early!!! Love the blindfold challenges

[@IDM112]

You could have used the CE-2 in the rack behind you for the chorus

[@BassGuyRy]

I love the Rob/Captain videos, to be fair for the price those tone city pedals are really good!

[@Yupppi]

It's so weird that it's almost impossible to tell if you flip the switch in the middle of playing, but back to back it's audible. And it's so difficult to put a finger on it, but the same things come up from time to time with no obvious consistency "smoother, lacks high end, lacks bass" and it's a telltale. I suppose it's what you'd describe in the lack of better description "fidelity", the more expensive pedals just tend to have something that whispers "someone put a bit more time into listening to this and it's more well-rounded". Yet like Rob said about the noisy boy, the same thing applies to tone city's golden plexi - it's not as high fidelity as the more expensive ones, but it does a really nice thing in its own right.

[@Fossiil-Records]

halfway through this im realizing this is either going to be one long commercial for tone city pedals or yeah its one big ol' ad for tone city pedals.

[@type197]

22:52 OMG I was actually thinking of the number 7! 😱

[@BigMateo24]

In fairness to the delay, you are comparing a cheaper digital pedal emulating the sound of an analog delay compared to an actual analog delay using old school time based bucket brigade technology which uses 4 chips. The signal naturally gets more and more degraded each time it passes through a chip, resulting in a much lower fidelity, warmer sounding delay. 2 very different styles of delay. This is an instance where I think a Strymon pedal would have been a fairer comparison.

[@TheNocturnalEvil]

Not to forget the fact that the Tone City pedal doesn't even emulate a bucket brigade delay, it emulates a tape echo. Although both bucket brigade delays and tape echo are analog, they sound nothing alike. On a tape echo units, or pedals that emulate tape echo the repeats degrade with time and even get fluttery, but they never get consecutively darker. If anything tape echo leaves a bright trail. On a bucket brigade delay the repeats not only get degraded but also the compander circuit used in them causes substantial high end roll off on each subsequent repeats. Hence the repeats get consecutively darker. That's why the trail of a bucket brigade delay is always dark. Comparing a bucket brigade delay with a digital delay, tape echo, or a digital tape echo emulation pedal has absolutely no meaning. They are all different from each other.

[@TheNocturnalEvil]

As expected, the flanging of the BOSS BF-3 was clearer, but it has nothing to do with quality or price though. It's just that the BOSS BF-3 is a digital flanger, and digital flanger pedals have really clean flanging sound, while the Tone City Aviator is an old school bucket brigade flanger. Since it's a bucket brigade flanger it exhibits the high end roll off and signal degradation that's common to all bucket brigade based devices. That's an unavoidable trait of bucket brigade based circuits.

[@alanredversangel]

We live in a golden age of cheap pedals. You all know it.

[@daddio307]

Dear haters, please note that Rob isn't shredding.

[@larrys009]

Thank F'N God ! :)

[@jktolford8272]

Rob has said in the past that he was basically recruited as a shredder for Anderton's. Not my cup of tea so I'm glad he's doing other styles.

[@sordel5866]

He's not telling the difference between cheap pedals and expensive pedals; he's telling the difference between the pedals he made a video about that morning and some other pedals. It would be nice to do this again where Rob doesn't already know what half the pedals are.

[@TP-eq6jj]

Does it really matter that much? You can still hear the difference yourself (if you have decent sound)

[@MarksMindBox]

@@davestephens3246 I suppose the implicit assumption in the issue OP raises is that the ear might automatically tend towards ('prefer') what's familiar rather than measure any objective, quantitative difference. I.e. "do we just like what we're used to, particularly if the only differences are objects of preference/qualities?"

[@MarksMindBox]

@@davestephens3246 I wish people would be consistent in laying out their epistemic adequacy conditions. You've complained both that the OP wasn't rigorous enough and that my offering of a justification was too rigorous for the subject matter. Which do you prefer? NB: I do generally apply this level analysis to daily life. And, yes, I'm an absolute hoot at the local backgammon meet.

[@MarksMindBox]

@@davestephens3246 I'm not sure that propositional logic is specific to English literacy.

[@MarksMindBox]

@@davestephens3246 You specified that I'd need to improve my literacy in order to resolve logical inconsistencies. This would be a poor strategy for the reasons I've stated. I'm getting the flavour that you don't really know how to think, but think you do.

[@steffenbrix]

Yeah - fun videos! :) These blindfolds are are always fun :)

[@760Piper]

Off topic but a shout out to the video crew. Great looking video, almost film like. Nice job.

[@andertons]

Appreciate the feedback! We've just gone 4K as well so even better videos on the way!

[@nym053]

You probably had to turn down the resonance a bit on the tonecity filter pedal to get some of the lowend back. Because some filters are transistor latter based, and they have this nature where when you increase the resonance it takes away the lowend. The tonecity one also sounded like it had more resonance than the Qtron

[@dzjc01]

Chappers is the undisputed King when it comes to these blindfold challenges. Full stop. Been watching these for years and he has uncanny ability (and tons of experience).

[@208414]

Rob gets 6/7. That guy's ears are unbelievable.

[@mikeparsons9057]

Absolutely brilliant editing. Really entertaining!

[@ReinwaldKranner]

Good to have you back, Chapers!!

[@scottishbawbag315]

when robb changed to neck pup at 5.50 that sounded as good as opening a fresh bag of walkers crisps.

[@mrblablablabla]

So nobody noticed that Rob actually got all seven correct? Lee changed the order on the delay pedals. Also, how did he not hear the difference between the tube screamers??

[@theradu123]

no denying it, good set of ears on chaps...but lee has beautiful eyes.

[@pusheen666]

Lollllll the editing is the best!

[@Tone-Oz]

Hey Rob and Lee, I probably won't get an answer! but what do you think about keeping my Zoom 707 on my board or taking it off? It does funny things with volume on my katana 50. I'm using the FS6 foot switch. I've had the 707 for ages. Is it a joke to keep it on board!? I've only got a couple of other pedals by Boss and I'm using the katana onboard gains. Thanks

[@MichealBT]

That Snoop clip hit just right 🤌

[@daverawlins9405]

The editing is superb as per 😂 'Pickle Lee'

[@SpacemanXC]

Next you should blindfold test cheap v expensive bidets.

[@NinjaMatt2201]

Now I want the opposite. When using expensive boutique pedals, can you tell the difference between an affordable or expensive guitar. Have they already done that and I forgot?

[@startrekmike]

Would such a video really tell the viewer anything useful? Getting beyond the basic underlying problems with putting any real stock in "blind test" videos, there is a lot more to a guitar than how it sounds when someone else plays it in front of a video camera. The value of any guitar (in any price point) isn't just the sound but also how it feels in YOUR hands. The value comes from close personal examination of the fit and finish. It comes from how it makes you feel when YOU play it and how it sounds through YOUR specific setup. A blind test can't tell you anything useful about how well a guitar will fit into YOUR own "guitar ecosystem" at your own home. Blind test guitar videos can certainly be entertaining and they certainly get a lot of clicks and attention but they don't really have much useful to say.

[@mechmat12345]

They've done plenty of cheap vs expensive guitar challenges. The type of pedals you use shouldn't matter, that's just another variable to make the selection harder. In general, if you're hearing more clarity/nuance from an expensive guitar, that should be magnified through a pedal with more clarity and a more refined sound. As always, finding the specific combination you prefer is all that matters, which might mean a combination of cheap and expensive components.

[@stanislavmigra]

They made video with Justin, where they put top end guitar thru cheap amp and cheap guitar thru good amp.

[@NinjaMatt2201]

@@startrekmike I find it fascinating and interesting, and I would like to see it. That's it. Shrug.

[@wraith1977]

Rob was robbed as far as the delay is concerned. He was basing his decision on the wow/flutter simulation, and the modulation button was off on the MXR so he assumed the TC one was the dearer one.

[@pitsbrits]

Doesn’t it mean his basis is not entirely correct?

[@adamskold6395]

@@pitsbrits No, the comparison was unfair

[@pitsbrits]

@@adamskold6395 i think it’s fair, it just shows cheaper pedals might sound better depending on a persons preference and how they set it up. Better as this is a blind test.

[@Mr.5hady]

Hells yesses!! I am so excited! Hope i Will enjoy this!

[@naMnivraM]

I'm a fan of these shootouts. The best ones are all the same effect. The chorus one with Pete is excellent and informative. This one seems like Captain is pushing these Tone City Pedals pretty hard. The filter was no Contest, he chose the Screamer right away and Capt pushed for it to seem close. It wasn't. Don't get me wrong they sound alright but dude nailed every one but the delay... nice playing btw

[@eserenson]

Amazing how close the Tone City pedal matches the Tube screamer

[@baoboumusic]

Huh - I was googling Tone City Pedals, and Anderton's dropped a video for me 2 hours ago? They must be psychics!

[@david_farmer]

I'd love to see a shootout that includes the modeled pedals in a Kemper, Ampero II, HX Stomp, etc., compared to the actual stomp boxes. Love this! That Blues Breaker really did sound great. I own a Kemper and am also looking to get an Ampero II Stomp. I already own Helix Native or I'd be looking at an HX Stomp. But I find myself wondering how well included modeled pedals really hold up. These video comparisons you've done are just great! Lots of honesty in here and its just great to see and hear.

[@AnthonyJamesArtist]

Great video guys! Thanks heaps

[@peoplewithpixels]

Great job on the hints Lee!

[@ZeBubba]

Should have done this with Suhr Riot vs Joyo Us Dream... Well anyhoo, I did on my channel - sighted tho.

[@caleshtcincredibles]

Joyo US Dream is s beast of a I have one and use it

[@chris3383]

Rob kills it again 6 out of 7 !!

[@njsmwalker]

Not a lot in it to my amateur ears. Would love to see a similar comparison of the tone city pedals vs a multi-effects unit.

[@erispapakonstantionou824]

Can you do more videos using the player series fender guitars or cheaper alternative guitars of a similar price, Not necessarily about the guitars themselves but just using them rather than higher end gear?

[@xdoctorblindx]

That Tone City fuzz sounds like Rob's playing guitar through a pinched sphincter.

[@martinclayton7260]

He got the chorus right as well!

[@pooyamohamadi9166]

Plz do a honest review on the positive grid spark amp and also talk about its loudness

[@abcrx32j]

When the Captain said "Casa Anderton's" made think about an Anderton's coffee, considering the amount of coffee that has been consumed in the channel before

[@SpinGoldmusic]

Rob and the Captain... Fuck yes...

[@StevenSimpson-it5mv]

I listened with my phone turned around. Got 'em all right. On a phone speaker. It's not hard. But then again I worked in a guitar shop for 15 years. But then again, that was over ten years ago.

[@kevinogorman7561]

What are the pedal patch cables you're using. With the flat nickel ends?

[@lukaskopl2055]

Nice video! :D How about a blindfold: digital pedals (i.e. guitar rig, amplitube, etc.) vs real pedals? :D

[@lightningrt434]

Proves to me why I dislike the Carbon Copy so much, repeats are too muddy. Also confirms that I don’t like the Boss Flanger. Tone city sounded nicer to me.

[@VictorGonzalez-gk1nr]

The on-screen chemistry between the Captain and Chappers remains unparalleled across KZbin. Always immensely enjoyable to watch no matter what the actual content.

[@tortugulaproductions]

i wonder if rob would've said tube screamer if the tone city was chosen first...

[@AndrewNuttall]

Tone City didn't actually win any of them based on choice. Even the delay one Rob mentioned "it sounds like it's doing the wow and flutter", if that was the basis of his decision they should have turned the mod switch on for the carbon copy.

[@davidburke2132]

Exactly... the modulation is there to superficially mimic tape kind of sounds but the signal degradation he’s hearing there is a natural consequence of using analogue bucket brigade type technology.

[@HempTech]

How the actual fuck does he do it...it’s so impressive part of me thinks it can’t be real 😂 Amazing!!

[@timcorley2459]

However Chappers has the best ears on planet earth!

[@lance134679]

Rob is truly amazing at these reindeer games.

[@olavjorvik94]

Rory❤️ Nothing more to say. Best KZbin eiter, and best thing to ever happen to this channel

[@wesshepard]

Great video !

[@fritsvanzanten3573]

Old confusion: should Rob identify the dearer one, or say which one he likes more? At home you want the best sounding one, or do we want the 'right' brand? Impress by playing or impress by owning? Anyway, I keep being impressed by Rob's dedication and experienced ears.

[@billyellow4849]

Would he have been able to tell if you'd used a more affordable switcher pedal?

[@tootinski1263]

It would be a Christmas miracle if these types of videos came back rob

[@boimesa8190]

Isn't the snous box supposed to be a morning glory type of pedal?

[@chrisfit]

The mayors of Tone City. Population: you.

[@backlom]

Well done Chappers! Impeccable hearing!

[@spidart182]

Greetings from Mexico. U are my favorite guitar gear show ever!!

[@qjarman7753]

Wow!!! Andersons with Rob and Lee!!!! Christmas has arrived and I am one happy dude 😎

[@everyinchtheanimal]

I’ve set it to the basic Q-tron mode Completely giving away what pedal it is lol

[@bryantwalley]

blindfold test are gold.

[@JaxGuitarPlayer]

how about "Rob, is the price steep or cheap?"