Blindfold Pickup Challenge - Can You Really Hear a Pickup Brand?

[@RobChappers]

This was the hardest test I’ve ever done in my life

[@stephanfuchs7891]

But you got 5 out of 6. Incredible.

[@johnelcanrab2114]

Well done sir, you have an ear that is unnecessarily brilliant! But it is damn bloody amazing to see. Great vid, you're looking well and very happy and I hope that is the case.

[@SlyRyFry]

Because pickups are inconsequential as long as they're not literally falling apart or broken. Purely a guessing game. The ONLY thing that's gonna make a meaningful difference is the speaker you're going through. Literally everything else besides that is aesthetic choices that many players like to believe make a tonal difference. But no one has been willing to prove yet, pretty funny how that level of mental gymnastics works If you think I'm wrong buy a microphone record some a/b's and prove the world wrong, we've been waiting for the tone wood genius for too long now. One of you have to own a microphone and a camera

[@SanDimas234]

​@@SlyRyFry Why does my 89 HM strat sound completely different to my ibanez rg through the same amp?

[@SlyRyFry]

@@SanDimas234 Because you buy new guitars instead of a microphone to a/b them, the brain doesn't remember sound as well as you'd wish it would. Even the short amount of time it takes you to switch guitars is enough for you to think there's a massive tonal shift, when really its placebo. Buy a sm57 an try it for yourself. I have a bunch of nice guitars too so don't think I'm shaming lol it's just the reality of it

[@thechamp9696]

Top marks to the editor, I spit my coffee across the room during the Skyrim sequence 😂

[@ThatBaritoneGuitarGuy]

It was beautifully trippy! I don't know what I'm on, but I want more!

[@tonybowen455]

hahaha idk skyrim but the sequences were still great

[@mancerayder5751]

No you didn’t.

[@AuntAlnico4]

😂 Very funny . But here's my obligatory "no you didn't" comment .

[@woodyh4650]

Don’t worry. You and Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak escape the axe when Alduin shows up. 😂😂

[@fraenkiboii]

Whoever added the psychedelic trippy sections is a genius my tummy hurts from laughing

[@FWRXSTER]

Yeah that sent me 😂 that and when Rob pooped out his microphone

[@Sloozer45]

​@@FWRXSTERit's Pete H., right,?

[@BenjiPenjiFPV]

and KING GIZZARD TO BOOT

[@OzPwl]

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments on the editing!❤ I spend my editing days trying to make myself laugh, always satisfying to see it do the same to others! - Oz

[@godsinbox]

good job. Sounds like you have found a good place to be

[@ramonzeira]

I envy your job. Enjoy it

[@DrGregWeisswasserND]

Great work.

[@articlesscz203]

I was thinking to myself while watching - that editor has good sense of humor :)

[@EasyWheelin]

I see you w that King Gizz 🤘

[@BaronsDuju]

Whoever has been doing the editing with this trademark humour/style/feel deserves a payrise.

[@cosmicbackwoods]

the trippy segments were hilarious

[@MikeB_UK]

Blindfold challenges with Rob are just so entertaining. His playing is captivating and the man has phenomenal hearing. These never get old. More please!

[@picksalot1]

Rob's ability to identify guitars just by touch is legendary. This Pickup "Tone" Test would have been better if you used a Somnium Guitar, so you could just swap out the Pickups and remove other clues from the game. That said, Rob would probably do better than most at guessing/devining the Pickups, but it would take the guitar out of the equation, and that would be helpful.

[@daves_]

100%

[@chopperdeath]

Right. Certain brands use certain brands.

[@sand8908]

rip relish guitars

[@chelososamusic]

Rob was feeling many of the guitars by touch

[@niaralosusa]

...likely the better test would be to have someone else play the guitar while he listens...that would take the "touch test" part out of the equation. : )

[@RobChappers]

Ha ha the smelling sequence 😂

[@DimitriMoreira]

The editor needs a raise. This was amazing! Also, how GREAT was that chinese guitar?? "Feels expensive" and "harmonic richness" are maybe the best compliments a cheap guitar can receive!

[@joemorris4424]

The editing is chefs kiss. Thank you whoever does them x

[@jjdubois6101]

Don’t you mean chefs kiss?

[@joemorris4424]

@@jjdubois6101 maybe lol

[@frankb5728]

@@jjdubois6101 Jeff's kiss

[@hyun6369]

18:12 pure edit god

[@Talondale]

Skyrim clip had me laughing 😂

[@fraenkiboii]

I am crying can't see through all the tears 🤣🤣🤣

[@Hades_88]

Yes! Top marks, loved that.

[@GerliRodrigo]

Imo i think they could have make it "sound" like the miku pedal or something that resemble that kind of sound to be 12/10, but in the overall 10/10

[@OzPwl]

​@GerliRodrigo I almost did that exact thing when editing that part! - Oz

[@thegolfingmusician6345]

I used to work for ESP Guitars in North Hollywood California. We would design guitars which meant lots of prototypes that also included manufacturers sending us pickups constantly for various models. We had Fishman’s before anyone even knew about them. I tested everything of every brand you can imagine. The one passive pickup that REALLY stood out even though it never made it into an ESP or LTD were the RailHammers. After trying them I personally put them in almost ALL of my own guitars. They just really had tight and clear definition on the wound strings and amazing bloom on the high strings. They are also warm and not brittle sounding. Highly recommend.

[@mrredritehand]

Best guitar channel on KZbin hands fn down

[@Professional.Bro.777]

It's so good we have them. I learned so much about strats/teles/Les pauls from this channel

[@Bob-Whiting]

fn stand for phuckin', there, I said it. ;-)

[@NathanBreese]

The quality of these videos has improved so much since I started watching on Rob's channel 13 years ago. I miss the banter in the store while looking around though.

[@Andreorsel]

Haha! Tha Soloking with those Darkstar pickups. Complete guitar for just 299! " There's a richness, feels expensive, could be Bare Knuckle pickups" That says it all!

[@birdmug1980]

Best sounding one of the lot in my opinion.

[@lukegoffkat]

@@birdmug1980 Same here!

[@JohnnyOskam]

I personally think that they plant these into the mix. Rob can easily tell from feel which one is the cheap one and he intentionally says positive things about it that aren’t necessarily true so they can sell more guitars. That whole segment seemed acted. But what do I know. Just a suspicion

[@richardsmith9615]

@@JohnnyOskam Maybe, but it did sound fantastic, also looked fantastic. We have to trust our ears, afterall.

[@Professional.Bro.777]

Love the jazzy waiting room music to present the instruments

[@petkopeet]

Best advertisement entwistles could ever get :D

[@mrcoatsworth429]

Or it shows that the pickup doesn't matter after all and Chapman didn't hear anything.

[@Billiamwoods]

​@@mrcoatsworth429Honestly the biggest truth about pickups is how uncoupled from price the quality or sound is. The two most different pickups in the world are pretty different, but the cost is going to have very little "telling" impact if they have basically the same construction.

[@Billiamwoods]

Really kind of telling about the value of those "boutique" pickup brands lol. It's just copper and magnets at the end of the day.

[@vicenzor9699]

He knows the differences between the SD/Dimarzios/Actives because he's used them a lot and there are subtle differences. He's never heard of Entwistle so he wouldn't have any way to know it. Just that it isn't one of the ones he's familiar with. I think he forgot there was a cheap Chinese one in the mix because he should have been able to spot that one easily since it's the one he doesn't recognize.

[@ivorharden]

Entwistle and Wilkinson make some good cheap pups

[@ovivan79]

You know what would be funny, to invite Glenn Fricker to the show and have him guess Pick-Ups blindfolded. 🤣

[@RobChappers]

YES 🤘🏽🤘🏽

[@TheMerc1950]

Blind challenges FTW

[@smmyers5956]

Oh the psychedelic trip when Rob snorted guitar was EPIC. Nice touch guys!

[@colonelbogie4763]

Another great video, well done guys. I’m nearer Lee at the end “I can’t tell a Strat from a Les Paul”! 😂

[@badm0t0rf1nger]

That psychedelic Miku Skyrim insert was a properly unexpected wee treat!! LOL Nice. :)

[@anomalouswoof2554]

I love these Blindfold Challenges with Rob and The Captain ❤

[@RealFitchEmerson]

Please for all that is good in this world do more edits like this! Shit had me dying 😂 Love ya guys, cheers 🥂

[@johnkuykendall467]

The editing on this one...amazing!

[@JG-ux7of]

I love the Rob and Lee videos so much, it’s the perfect balance. You guys go together like Tacos and an ice cold Modelo or for you guys maybe Beans and Toast. You completely compliment each other and create the most amazing videos when you’re together. Lee is like the kid whose parents are gone for vacation and Rob is the mischievous friend visiting who wants to play with everything that you’re not supposed to touch. You need both of those personalities to make it work, Rob has a very American personality and Lee is very English. As an American I feel like we are very optimistic, we speak freely and openly and have a playful nature where English people tend to be more modest, keep more to themselves and are very cautious not to boast and have a strong sense of propriety. I have been watching you guys for several years, my Dad is a big fan too. With Rob moving to Malta, his presence has been missed. Rob alone isn’t the same thing either, you need the both of you at Andertons studio playing with expensive gear that we all wish we had.

[@jeremy7383]

Guys the editing on this one was awesome. I loved the play on Chaps mind.

[@ronl3793]

Always nice to see The Captain and Rob back together again. Their combined energy makes for great entertaining and interesting content.

[@israeldeleon7656]

That was absof****lutly the most amazing guitar test i've ever seen in my entire life!!! You guys get a solid A+ and you've won a new subscriber! Just amazing dude! Wow!

[@PTCrucial]

Lee’s Rob Chapman impression at the very start was brilliant.!! Excellent vid guys, well done Rob.

[@rossfowler3105]

Love the way rob looks forward as if he’s in a land far far away.

[@roba7737]

Love these videos! Rob really knows his gear! Amazing.

[@9999plato]

I can say that I swapped the Classic vibe pickups today and the switch plate. I installed a 4 way switch with a treble bleed and a set of DiMarzio Twang King pickups and the difference is night and day, I love it! Gone is that lifeless gutless non twangy neck pickup!

[@rossfowler3105]

The guys always do amazing. Would love to see a crossroads style face off between Rob and Rabea.

[@Brykk]

These are such great videos. Chappers is a pure gold guest.

[@ArnoVdVelde]

This is also weird, cause once you determine the brand, and an ibanez isn't hard to spot, you can almost guess what pickups are in there.

[@mrcoatsworth429]

Like with all of the other guitars in this video. Except the cheap one that he didn't know. Weird.

[@thatscottishdude2058]

Yup soon as you feel the Ibanez neck it’s going to have dimarzios in it , what they shoulda done was put Duncan’s in the Ibanez to see the outcome then and dimarzio in the Jackson

[@itsmeagain1745]

@@thatscottishdude2058 Well my Ibanez has Seymour Duncans. You also have the Ibanez own brand (who makes them?).

[@mrcoatsworth429]

@@itsmeagain1745 true, but almost all higher mid range Ibanez RGs (the Prestige range and so on) have Dimarzios in them. It's easy to make an educated guess. Do you have an AZ? Would have been extremely funny if they had swapped them out. Cause there is no way he can hear a "slight dip in the mids" of copper wire wrapped around some magnets.

[@itsmeagain1745]

@@mrcoatsworth429 Indeed - one of the original AZ.

[@chrismataran]

Ha ha ha, so fun, the smell sequence is hilarious! The Chap is a sorcerer! Hats off mister Rob! Cheers

[@swamiward5625]

Rob's ear and feel abilities just show how much time he has spent playing.

[@NathanMorgan7]

I loved the editing on this video!

[@WilliamFeryll]

I’m here for those psychedelic moments🍄

[@PersianRockstar21]

The editing was amazing. 🤣🤣

[@dusanterzic3739]

Finally! Thank you for this! For years and years been waiting for sutch a video. Watched plenty, but no verdict so far. This one is going to have over a million.....

[@staceysmith967]

Those interstitials man…bravo editor, bravo. Also, good work Mr Rob, yet again!

[@NoelHaven]

The editing and extra fun had in this one takes it to the next level. Very enjoyable content as usual 🤘🏻🔥

[@njp2k914]

I love Entwistle pickups! I use them in most of my guitars and basses. Amazing bang for your buck

[@robcobi]

Love these guys. A blessing on the guitar world! The trippy scenes were cracking me up.

[@MisfitSass]

entwhistle pickups are great for their price, hope Andertons show them a little more love. My first guitar a tanglewood ts58 came with HV58 entwhistles, HV58s have a classic PAF tone, neck sounds a like a clone of SD 59. Although ive switched the bridge for a seymour duncan JB, but kept the old bridge which now belongs in my partscaster

[@BigHairyGuitars]

These are always fun! Love it!

[@brendankane1190]

Good vid! But if you know the guitar (highly likely just from the body, neck profile, controls etc.) it's not hard to figure out the pickup brand, even model. Ibanez almost always have DiMarzio, Jacksons Seymour Duncan, and then it's highly likely to be a JB & 59... it's practically rare to find something else. Then the Duncans in the Chapman, well obviously Chappers knows the pickup model in a guitar from his own brand! But distinguishing between the active and passive was impressive, good stuff

[@mqaisataloss.5951]

Oh man the editing on this was sooooo on point XD

[@victorjacob1]

These tests are epic and so are your results as always, Rob

[@dutelatte2154]

This shows that just like some people feel the taste in different wines and can identify them, some people can hear the difference in some sounds, and that's a valid point with modelers and real amps as well.

[@Lez325]

Amazing ability to distinguish makes from tones- I'm impressed top video guys

[@FatalizedGuitar]

I have an idea to properly test Chappers. Let Rabea or someone else play the guitars, blindfold Rob so he’s not touching anything and see if he can use only his one sense hearing to pick out different pickups. I’m convinced he will fail. If he succeeds he’s an alien confirmed

[@Nghilifa]

That's a brilliant idea, they should definitely try that out one time.

[@dimitrisdimitriadis4913]

Too bored to look it up atm but that was what they did in their older (4-9 years ago at the point of writing this) blindfold pickup guess videos. I think it was either Leo playing and Rob guessing, or Rabea playing and both guessing? Not sure on that; point is you can already look it up ;)

[@smmyers5956]

Videos with Rob are fun. Thanks guys. Oh for active pickups? Of the 2 I preferred the EMG's all the way. Both brands had nice clarity but the Fishman pups had too similar a sound. The EMG's had much more versatility.

[@uliseslima318]

Congrats to the editor, great job,

[@electrolinks]

Groovy Man 18:03 & 22:04 - Great editing

[@thomashalley7258]

Two strips of painters tap can be a reference point for Chappers on which way to face. He should be able to feel it with shoes on.

[@KnuckleheadStuey]

Loved the Dark Star pickups. Was even more impressed with the prices. Definitely getting a pair now.

[@MrJingles021]

Commenting before watching: That first video was so helpful. There was something about the Fishman pickups I didn't like, but I couldn't figure out what it was. He talked about the cocked wah. And he said he liked EMG clean tones were great I agree. I prefer passives myself.

[@tonymac136]

That video has just saved me from wasting money on a set of Fishmans. I might put EMGs in something, one day, but of the lot the SD JB was what I'd go for.

[@MrJingles021]

@tonymac136 I get you. I like EMGs especially for lower tunings, and a lot of my favorite players use them. But if I find passive pickups to be more versatile and have more feel? If that makes sense. Having said that, I'd love to try EMGs that can split coils.

[@Mark-cq1mo]

I thought the Fishmans sounded a bit thin and overly bright.

[@ruairidebarra3851]

Thanks

[@MythosPedals]

Editor needs a raise! I love it guys

[@BackWoodsBillyCraftBeerReviews]

Awesome 😎 Although you missed a few on Brand Name you said Active Pickups .. or Passive Pickups... Beautiful Guitars 🎸🎸🎸🤩🎸 BTW... LOVE THE HIPPIE VIBE Psychedelic Clips... 🍄 🍀 Cheers 🍻 🥃🥃 🎸 🎵🎶🎶🎶

[@michaelangeloh.5383]

5:09 - What if it's an EMG X?... Which has more headroom. - You could probably still notice it being pushed/sustained more, cause that's what it does with its active amplification, but it might not have as much compression with the greater-headroom versions. - And also, EMG makes passive pickups. But it's about active ones in particular, sure.

[@chosenone2964]

Chappers flippin those goggle tethers around remembering his ole dreads

[@jackflynn-oakley1937]

Amazing as per, also that Sentient/Pegasus set sounded fantastic, sick editing in this too

[@elefsidi]

I'm a proud user of Seymour Duncan pickups. Primarily, JB & Quarter Pounders for both my Superstrat & Partscaster Tele, respectively. Keep up with the great videos.

[@zanshelby03]

Entwistle makes amazing pickups! Love them but I can no longer get them in the US. Personally I love the Entwistle HDN and HVX. Had a guitar with HDN's and one of my current guitars have the HVX, just amazing pickups. Great video and you really can hear the difference.

[@ashleyjackson8538]

The timber combos and pick ups is a never ending journey.

[@cliffordgwekwe9853]

Rob has done it again. Woow hat off for you Mr Chapman

[@ChrisBlackTV]

*Glenn Fricker has entered the chat*

[@RJ_Groot]

I came to say the same thing.

[@Metallex]

Glenn's experiments are based on the same shitty extremely hi-gain tone that's compressed to all hell. Of course pickups don't matter to him with the amount of gain and compression he puts the signal through.

[@ak47dragunov]

@@Metallex But that's the point innit? You got metal players with the gain cranked, compressed to all hell, processing and whatnot still very much fretting about pickups

[@tarynwebster2883]

⁠@@Metallexto be fair to Glenn, he’s always said that his (admittedly staunch) opinions aren’t applicable to other genres

[@karolszymanski4791]

He’s done a test with a touch of gain and still nobody could tell the difference in the comments

[@Conesworth]

The little moment of King Gizzard during the smelling sequence 👌

[@stickylizardbabyangel]

PAF style Blindfold Challenge. I’d really be down for: if possible with a Sonium(?) guitar (change pickups on the same guitar)

[@ianhart8101]

Man if the delay in Chappers videos results in quality editing like this I will wait for ages. Bravo

[@tonys.4657]

Rob's sensitivity to minor EQ differences is incredible! This is fascinating! Some science channel needs to do a deep dive on Rob and show us the EQ graph so we regular humans can see what he's hearing!

[@Bob-Whiting]

No doubt, Great idea!

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

I agree, but what's more is that he can not only hear the differences, he can explain it. Like yeah, I can hear that they all sound different too, but to be able to explain why or what brand is just insane.

[@ebaybasuki]

He guessed where a guitar was made by smelling it... Lol. This guys knows way too much!!

[@ruiseartalcorn]

Awesome, owl eared dude!!! ;)

[@navrasicsi]

Bravo, Mr. Chapman. Amazing amount of experience in your hands and ears.

[@derekmc9580]

Love to see youguys doing videos together. Really cool.

[@hubbada6373]

Top tier hosts, top tier editor, top tier video. Funniest shit ever 😂

[@lobster8009]

The perfectionist in me screams for testing all pickups in the exact same guitar with new strings every time. But you know, videos have to be produced and success speaks for itself.

[@art970207]

One of the best things to watch is Rob slowly turning back towards his left everytime they make him turn away to not bump into the other guitars.

[@TheGhostGuitars]

+1 on the Captain doing the blindfold test and the Chappers being the presenter! I'll even be nice and make this a comparison of LPs from various makers he just gotta figure out which brand they are!

[@2twh53]

So talented. You guys are doing a great job!

[@P.B.R._S._n_C.]

This video was hilarious, and props to Rob on a job well done identifying those pickups and in some cases, guitars. I could definitely point out what’s active and passive but it would all end there for me

[@P.B.R._S._n_C.]

Favorite edit 22:03 hands down 😂

[@k8923]

Really fun. Nice to see Chappers again too. Despite all his loud metal playing over the years, his ears are still in peak condition!!

[@DreidMusicalX]

I got the Duncans on one guitar and DiMarzio right, but I failed miserably on the rest.

[@LGuitarB]

I find this incredible, how Rob can hear that!

[@redlespaul8139]

Rob “owl” Chapman ! I like that you’ve staggered Rob and Lee’s videos, it’s drip feeding us all content we need

[@daves_]

How about....The Owl

[@redlespaul8139]

@@daves_ based on his beard and his love of pinch harmonics Chappers would be a Whiskered screech owl 😂

[@AnnoyingCritic-is7rp]

You have to use the same guitar with different pickups. It's possible that the guitars themselves are recognizable because he knew which ones were there. At 12:55 he feels where the neck joint is to identify the guitar. He probably can also tell if there's 22 fretz or 24 frets. He also smells the guitar to determine the finish or wood I suppose.

[@TeeFetch]

Better than I could do at this stage in my evolution.

[@keirablackheart4085]

I hope the editor(s) are getting paid well because they're doing a phenomenal job! Lmao!

[@dntinpalevo]

I believe on some occasions Rob guesses the pickup brand based on the guitar instead on the sound. I suggest that you guys pre-record a clean, a dirty, and a solo guitar sound for each guitar. Play the tracks to Rob, AND THEN let's see if he can ACTUALLY hear the difference.

[@Roger-il8iw]

The clean sound on that first guitar was stunning

[@tommanseau6277]

Next time you test EMGs, try a set of 85/58s bridge/neck. They'll still have some compression, but will be warmer. The Fishmans pickups will vary significantly. The more classic versions will be warmer. From what little I've played them, the others tend to be brighter, which Rob picked up on immediately. Considering the EMG 81 is a bright pickup and the Fluence is brighter still, that gives some indication

[@TuckerCustomShop]

The blue on the Chapman is remarkable. I’m not usually one for colors but that is very nice.

[@DanLokar]

Editing on point. I was laughing my ass off the whole time. LOVED IT

[@undercrackers56]

Those East Coast guitars from Andertons are really good. I bought a 335 for only £200 and was blown away by how expensive it felt. I do wish Andertons put some effort into making upgrade kits for them. That would be nice.

[@ChrisEck13]

I really do think that there are characteristics of pickup brands. I have a lot of experience with Gibson pickups and Seymour Duncan pickups and they each have their own characteristics that are present, even in different models. Theres a character that Gibson pickups have that I've not found in Duncans, or any other brand I've tried. One isnt better than the other, the Gibson pickups just give me what I'm looking for.