Cheap Vs. Expensive Gear: What Do Working Musicians Really Use?

[@phildohogne1970]

I am 74. I have seen a great deal- mostly GTR type instruments. I hope all the younger musicians that watch you realize how much money and time you are going to save them with your expertise. They should be telling their friends to watch. You do and excellent job of explaining the modern guitar market to your watcher. I sold vintage guitars, so I watch your to learn about the current stat of affairs. Thank you.

[@themanalligator4813]

Guitars coming out of the Far East are some of the best playing guitars now.

[@johnvarner3854]

The death of the American economy in action. Shame on Fender and Gibson for their insane prices!

[@stoneysdead689]

I had some Gibson fanboys the other day giving me hell because I was talking about how if you work as a musician in low key venues like bars and so forth- your gear gets abused all the time. It's very common to have your guitar knocked over while it's on the stand- that's probably the most common thing I see- the second most common being ppl getting their feet tangled in cables- which also often results in your guitar hitting the floor. And we all know what Gibson have a tendency to do when this happens- the head stock breaks off. I've seen it happen to SGs as well, has to do with the way the neck is put together- I think Phil has even covered it in one of his episodes. And yeah- Strats tear up to- if they get knocked over the head stock may not break but often, something else does. That's why every guy I know who works these kinds of low-level gigs uses like Squier, Epiphone, etc.- something they can lose or damage and not cry about it. Strats are a little more common because of how modular they are- you can replace parts on them readily. But if they're vintage- no one would bring them to this kind of gig. I can't speak to what guys who get to play big arenas and stuff play- I'm sure in that atmosphere things are a bit more controlled on stage. Plus, they have the cash to replace stuff- they're not hurting. Guys who play at bars and stuff usually don't even make enough to say they make money- by the time they put out for expenses- they probably paid a few bucks to play.

[@chriskozak7356]

Why would working bar musicians haul around a gib custom when you can get one hell of a guitar in an Epi Modern, ebony board, neck heel, grover locking, probuckers for like 600 bucks.

[@stoneysdead689]

@@chriskozak7356 Idk- none of the musicians I knew did- precisely because of what i was talking about- they know their guitar is going to get knocked over and abused- possibly stolen- that happens more than ppl know. But if you do own a really nice guitar at some point or another- you're going to want to gig with it- everybody does. They usually won't use it every night- but they want to use it occasionally- especially for special gigs- otherwise, what's the point in owning it? These guys don't record, if they don't eventually use it live- no one will ever hear them play it.

[@Joe-mz6dc]

Rush isn't a jam band. They're hard prog rock.

[@MartinMCade]

I'm not sure how Phil lumped Rush with jam music. Maybe because the question also asked about bands with scripted shows? Or because Phil was thinking of bands with long songs? Yes, Rush improvised a tiny bit, but nothing compared to actual "jam bands."

[@DeckardRJ]

What is considered jam band? "The Aristocrats" is a Jam band? Dream theater in the early days? I'm really curious to know. I don't use that term. Cheers!

[@AAllinsonNN]

Hard prog is a bit of a stretch. They’re not even that progressive, they’re just different so they seem more progressive.

[@stuartangel8212]

Phish is a jamband

[@DeckardRJ]

@@stuartangel8212 thank you!

[@deddiev1718]

You need a good guitar or two and a good amp. Everything else is gravy

[@WinstonWhite-l9j]

I have no doubt if Springsteen played an off the shelf 499.00 Squier Tele on stage in a mix with seven musicians in front of 15,000 audience, no one can tell sound wise…

[@ryanwilliamson9578]

💯

[@theuserthatishere]

not the point

[@pmscalisi]

The only thing about the cheaper solid bodies is the poor quality electronics. It will show up.

[@thomasrobinson182]

I used to love buying pre-owned guitars at musical instrument stores, most of which are gone. Prices are usually unreal now. I'm saving up for some new gear...which I'll probably get from Sweetwater.

[@fawkesandhound]

If you want new gear only buy from Sweetwater. I’m currently having the worst issues with Guitar Center regarding them sending me used gear they sold me as new.

[@BrianBrazilHarmonica]

I know plenty of working musicians that don't take their best most expensive guitars to gig's anymore due to drunk patrons damaging their equipment or having it stolen at a gig. It happens way to often all over the country especially in major cities with high crime rates. It's easier to replace a Squier Stratocaster, Squire Telecaster or Epiphone ES335, SG or Les Paul than the high American brands of them.

[@Joe-mz6dc]

95% of the drunken fans in the audience have no idea what kind of guitar you're playing anyway. The only important things that really matter are: you play well, you're all in tune, your band sounds good and you're tight. That's about it. The art of performance has taken a back seat these days to flash and brand posing.

[@misteress3840]

I see local bands with a lot of SE’s (that sound great.) Most PRS look too simular to each other and don’t like the carve. Too bulbous. But I will make a Vela mine someday. Sound, feel , AND look great

[@WinstonWhite-l9j]

In a noisy bar with patrons talking over each other, no one can tell or care, if you’re playing a 400.00 guitar or 4000.00…

[@Rocktalk101]

I bought 2 PRS SE custom 24 guitars on black friday saved over $500 and both guitars are amazing!

[@1rwjwith]

On the Fender Acoustasonic …I actually don’t think it’s a great product, NOT AT 2k OR EVEN $1500 ..maybe at about $600 it would be good yeah I agree if they had a Squire one maybe they would sell some more. For real acoustic players they don’t really like them because they don’t really get a classic acoustic sound that well. It’s a good stage guitar for fitting into a band format maybe …the electric side is even more wanting in my opinion.Not that it is not a decent guitar but way overpriced…that’s my opinion. Maybe those new Fender Highway acoustic models are better?

[@dlflash56]

Hi Phil, Thanks so much for all that you do, it is much appreciated! I thought that I was the one who doesn't take my top end guitars/ gear out to gig. I am a bit of a collector, as well as a player (50 guitars and counting). For every Gibson, Fender, etc. in my collection, I own an Epiphone or Squire to play out with... for the exact reasons you stated... thieves and drunks are a catastrophe, just waiting to happen. I treat my amps the same way (15 Tube amps and counting). My high end amps stay at home and my lesser amps, gig out. It's easier to replace $1500 in equipment, than it is to replace $5000 in equipment. I learned this lesson early on in life, the hard way. Thieves aren't much interested in stealing Epi's, Squire's or Bugera's... no resale value at a pawn shop (or to other musicians), to speak of. This also allows me to mod those instruments, without much fear of losses. I have never felt the urge to "show off" what I own... as so many other musicians seem to need to do ( Hey... look what I have)... I still get the comments from my musical contemporaries, about, "Well someday, when you own a real guitar, amp etc. you'll look back on these and think about what you've missed out on, all this time". Truthfully though, most of them would be drooling over what I actually own and play, at home... and that, just makes me smile. The equipment that I play out with works just fine and does the job that's needed in a local bar scenario... and that's all that really matters.

[@joecoach7268]

I just bought a Fender Player Plus Tele new in cosmic green for $746. They retail at $1099 and are on sale at most places for $999. WINNING!

[@Brett-e4p]

Green has decent toan. Not sure about the cosmic green but the sea foam green usually provides excellent toan. Good choice

[@I.am_Groot]

Very cool. Getting noiseless pickups and a cool paint job for near used is pretty sweet. I am a fan of Fender rolled fingerboards fo sho

[@eocha24]

Love me that belly cut

[@poesybeat]

Mike Rutherford of Genesis playing Squier Strats on tour tells you everything you need to know about what you “need” as a working musician.

[@howardthrust]

Quite a "Marathon" Show, this...but, as always, there's great content here, again! Regarding the "Headliner": While I've been fairly "Maxxed" @ 100 gigs per year, I'm nowhere NEAR entering the "Wear Factor Zone". I DO prefer to include "guitar theft" as ONE element of what I call (the ever-escalating) "Gear Casualty Factor". This would include ALL gear I use @ gigs; and the chance of it being rendered "unusable" for ANY reason. How about doing a "Viewer's Poll" eliciting comments on our experiences about the ways our gear has been rendered unusable from gigging?

[@vansongs]

The Cult was staying at a hotel where I was security. Billy Duffy actually came over and asked me if he could get a room for his guitar. We gave him a complimentary room for a really cool Les Paul. He let me play it but told me to not get too passionate because he had a thing with it.

[@rickroberts9182]

Speaking of "cheap" guitars, I have several brand name guitars, including a very nice 1973 Strat and a 1981 Hagstrom Swede. What do I gig with? My 2019 Harley Benton Fusion ll with upgraded pickups and my 2010 Squier CV tele with a fishman piezo bridge. The Tele cost me $350 cdn and the Fusion ll cost $569 cdn and both are great and practical instruments. The fusion is a remarkable instrument and I can find no fault in it. I changed the pickups out because I thought it might improve the sound. It did but only marginally. No regrets!

[@I.am_Groot]

The Fusion line is gig worthy for sure I have a HB Tele with Roswell pickups has classic tones that could work on stage in a small rig setup. When they are set up to play well a good Squier or HB is just as good as a Fender

[@Gene_Cali]

ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ 🐾 Always a great way to learn about the musical equipment we own or desire. Thanks to the ones who make this possible. 🍯

[@Ecthelion9]

Love the bear

[@Gene_Cali]

ᕦʕ •`ᴥ•´ʔᕤ @@Ecthelion9

[@calebmorales6288]

I was saving up for a Murphy Lab Les Paul Goldtop and hit goal in October. But with all the deals, I decided to get a few PRS SE guitars. With many stores offering 10% additional off, and a couple places not charging sales tax (not sure why), the money has gone such a longer way. The McCarty may not be the genuine LP, but a handful of SEs cover more ground collectively, and every one of them plays incredibly.

[@JSK515D]

My brother would get Epiphone cases for his Gibson guitars because at the very least it keeps the "honest" people from stealing his guitars

[@mskman83]

My PRS SS SE came with a Gig bag that says PRS SE on it. Just thought I would point that out. Maybe the more expensive ones do not.

[@baileywatts1304]

OMG, Yes about the stealing things. I know that I make sure my Gibson is in a case that says Epiphone on it.

[@Rusty-METAL-J]

Most ppl be like, "I ain't paying for KZbin Premium. That's crazy." ALL THEM FUCKIN ADS That's why I have Premium.

[@Rusty-METAL-J]

I don't watch ad Numero Uño.

[@jasondorsey7110]

If Fender brought back the musicmaster bass as an acoustasonic model, that would be a real twist...a short scale would be more capable of a convincing upright tone, and the shorter neck would be better balanced...plus the novelty of it would get the collectors to pull out their wallets

[@Bluepillphil-d1w]

Short scale bass is the best.

[@jasondorsey7110]

@@Bluepillphil-d1w Shorties are my personal favorite, especially my 2014 vox teardrop, surprisingly the funnest bass to play in my 30+ collection

[@Bluepillphil-d1w]

@@jasondorsey7110 nice

[@LucasJRice]

I hope to have such an impressive connection someday.

[@Bluepillphil-d1w]

@@LucasJRice collection? I’ve begun buying lower end vintage player grade. 67 es355 and an 85 MIJ matsumoko epi casino, so far. The epi is my favourite. Beautiful guitar. Fender Music master 70s basses are a pretty good value point I have my eye on now. Good thing to get into, I’d recommend it

[@jacebeleren1703]

I just gotta say, as someone who got back into guitar again recently after a 1-year break, your content is just pure gold to listen to/watch! I was a fan even before, but now with some more musical experience under my belt (in other instruments) i can appreciate it even more!

[@neilpatrickhairless]

A lot of people I know that regularly play live shows own expensive gear but play out with cheap gear. Less of a hit if the gear is lost, broken or stolen

[@theuserthatishere]

probably cheaper gear, not really cheap gear

[@gsbguitarsgsb679]

I’ve had YT premium for a couple few years now and it is amazing. I’d forgotten what it was like not having It and was watching someone else’s KZbin at thanksgiving they did not have premium. It drove me insane, they had ads every three minutes. I wanted to break something into smitherines. So frustrating when your focused on whatever topic at the moment to be rudely interrupted by the same ad you just saw three minutes ago… lol there’s my two bits. Nobody cares I know, but haha, got mine in anyway…

[@rbae]

45:00 Coca Cola would never allow that to happen 😅

[@robertblumenfeld824]

The tele neck pickup discussion was exactly what i needed. I’ve been eyeing the Schecter PT Special with the p90 in the neck. Anyone have it?

[@lisamccarty4674]

I'm looking at those too. They look amazing!

[@producerman10030]

I use what works and is easiest to haul to the gig.

[@brandonanderson2066]

Truth is you really can't get a core for 4k. They are all pushing 5 or 6. Also a 10 top stood for the top 10 percent of tops in a particular batch. Somehow they are now almost all labled "10 top." I'd say 75 percent are 10 tops somehow.

[@I.am_Groot]

Serious question I am out of the loop just don't hang with many PRS faithful and have not owned one but played a bunch and totally get they are top notch elite level instruments at a number of price points... but outside of feeling good about being able to afford a core guitar what sense does it make? The S2 line is not much of a step down is it? Am I missing something?

[@TheDrunkenScoundrel]

How about this: Squire does a T-Style Acoustisonic, but with a P-90 in the bridge.......

[@bradconklin2878]

Late to the party, but, I believe the initial Greeny was 50 guitars at $50,000. Then the "cheap" Custom Shop ones at $25,000. Then the "really cheap" USA Gibson ones at $2,500 or so. And, then, the "give em away" EPI's at $1,500 (or something like that:).

[@copperaudio9664]

I love Warmoth mahogany necks with narrow and tall stainless frets.

[@j_freed]

I thought about those… Do you get an Ebony fretboard? Kind of a Jake E Lee vibe. His personal guitars are mahogany neck.

[@gdawgs101]

Mahogany is just worse than maple as a neck wood. Considerably less stable against temp/humidity

[@drumsNstuff79]

My brother bought a "lawsuit" era no-name Les Paul copy from now defunct but beloved guitar shop here in Maine. He knew what he was getting, he knew how low they were selling it for ($99), and it was to be a beater project guitar for experimentation. It was also a nice cherry red stain with gold hardware. One of the gold metal Gibson style tuning pegs snapped right off in his hand as he was tuning it up after just bringing it home. The metal was that flimsy and cheap and old. The tune-o-matic saddles had so much wiggle and slop, the stud tailpiece always felt loose, the frets were sharp ended (factory, it had never been worked on fret-wise) and overall the fit and finish was poor, plus everything plastic had yellowed to almost orange in color. Also this same shop got a Chibson in one time too. I think the owner of the instrument didn't know and the shop owners didn't catch it sadly. I know they wouldn't have even taken it as a trade if they had known. But everytime someone pointed to this black custom with binding, they would angrily say 'No it's not real.. it's a fake!" Me and my guitar nerd brother wanted to ask what had happened but we never did as we knew it was a sore subject. But I've seen all the videos and articles, so l looked for all the tell tale signs and didn't find any on the guitar! It looked legit to me.. I'm guessing they opened it up and saw something or knew something I didn't.

[@erickaufmancustomguitars1351]

3/4 size guitars are smaller bodies and the neck scale is the same as it's full size counterpart. The difference is : You skip the first fret distance, and add more frets at the end. Think like a neck from fret 2-23 , only now it's called fret 1-22 fir example. Put a capo on the first fret, reimagine the dots= 3/4 size.

[@guloguloguy]

THANK YOU, VERY MUCH, PHIL!!! HEY!, HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT ANY OF THE "JET GUITARS" MODELS??!!!...

[@68halfcab]

That EVH Crop Circle Strat looks sweet on the wall!!!

[@dw7704]

I have picked up guitars in a store and put them back down before even playing them, because I knew instantly I didn’t like it. Others i merely held, and knew before playing them that I loved them And I bought a couple that way I don’t own as many as a lot of guitar players I know, and part of that is trying before I buy I love every guitar I have bought, and I love them even better after owning them. Buy the way you like, but try before is where I am at.

[@xcx8646]

When you lose inspiration to play music then do a couple of exercises for accuracy, dexterity or hand synchronisation. It is better to practise one or two exercises regularly for a few weeks than many. Just make sure that the exercises are musical as well as mechanical and that they help to improve an aspect of your playing that could do with brushing up, in a style you want to play. For instance, I practise a couple of shredding exercises when I get this way. I don't - and never will - put in the hours to build up shredding speed, but when I'm not in the mood to play then running through these two exercises for however many weeks really tightens up economy of movement, hand synchronisation, accuracy, and so on, which benefits all of my playing. It's better than not picking up a guitar at all, or mindlessly playing through the same pieces of music you know inside and out.

[@surrogatesdan]

Loved the Squier Acoustasonic discussion but we just got a MIM version for $499 Brand new never opened. Fender obviously dumped them They had a ton of them. (Edited to remove the name of the place so the trolls stop whining - I’ll keep my finds to myself)

[@Joe-mz6dc]

Buy an ad.

[@surrogatesdan]

@@Joe-mz6dc I’m a Patreon member and sharing info from my personal buying experience because I missed the live show. I guess I’ll keep my hobby to myself because f’n trolls like you just won’t go away. So tired of a-holes with keyboards.

[@surrogatesdan]

@@Joe-mz6dc GFY

[@meganbower127]

??? Hey Phil! What on earth is the deal with the Stratacoustic. I play mine 10 times any of my other rigs, including my G&L Fallout (the MOST OVERLOOKED tone monster EVER).That acoustic SHREADS! I Got mine for 300 used.Best deal ever, andi couldn't care less if its Chinese. The Acoustisonic is goofy A.F. I donta silly new CONCEPT rig at any price. The neck on my Stratacoustic feels like a perfect solid body unit, and the body is totally unique.when you really dig in with the pick it "breaks up" a lot like a tube amp does, BEAUTIFUL. ALTHOUGH they are out of production I would love to see a deep dive on one from you. Have a Great Day man. Know you are appreciated muchly😊

[@barrycole]

I choose 5 string fretless for versatility and playing comfort. This gives great tone and impact. If tone was my most important consideration, I would choose a stand-up fiddle. I learned over time, that you will know you have good tone, when you no longer use a pick. Having both, acoustic and solid body bass is the best path for greatest versality.

[@martinclayton7260]

I've wanted an N4 for years! I saw Extreme live in 1992, and they were fantastic! Nuno is one of my favourite guitarists, and the N4 is just right for me, I love the minimalist type of thing, and I love your swirl N4 even more!

[@oldsledpurgatory3595]

Crate Powerblocks! I bought two of 'em brand new for $75 each many years ago. Both still work and they're awsome!

[@DRChevalier]

If you want a guitar or bass that does what the POS acoustasonics are alleged to do, and without all the preprocessed sound nonsense, get an Emerald Guitar. They only sell direct from the factory in Ireland. They are amazing instruments, sound fabulous and no audio fakery

[@ZacCostilla]

On the Tele pickup, I use a Mojotone Johnny Winter Firebird neck pickup and their ‘52 Quiet Coil in the bridge. This cuts down on noise AND lets me use 500k pots without feeling like I mismatched them to either pickup.

[@embreesmith7613]

Philly Cheese steak. 🙂

[@Zoso981]

The quality of the big import guitars (Epiphone, Gretsch, Squier) amazes me. When I started out 35+ years ago, guitars of this quality would have set you back thousands of dollars. And what some people don't realize is that the quality of the big American brands wasn't always so good back then either. I've always been a Les Paul player. I still own several of my old, prized Gibsons. But these new Epiphones are fantastic too. Young players today really have it good.

[@Rusty-METAL-J]

Most ppl be like, "I ain't paying for KZbin Premium. That's crazy." ALL THEM FUCKIN ADS That's why I have Premium.

[@PerryCodes]

Someone asked about the Volt 2 and its latency. ALL modern professional (such as Apollo) or semi-professional (such as Volt 1/2) interfaces are going to have low-latency ASIO drivers. They will have software that let's you adjust the buffers. If you're using a professional or semi-professional audio interface, that vast majority of buffer-related issues are related to the motherboard/cpu/ram. A good analogy is to think of your studio computer as a highway system. The world's best audio interface with super low buffer settings is like a toll station with 100 booths. The motherboard and RAM are the roads with a CPU acting like the traffic controller. If you only have 2 or 3 lanes feeding the toll booths, the vast majority of the booths will be meaningless. If your CPU isn't fast enough to keep traffic moving through the booths, you'll have congestion. The point is: Your computer is just as much a factor in latency as your audio interface is. Sometimes more so.

[@GlenRoberts-xy1vd]

It may be a bad case for marketing- big guitar companies are getting complacent with there Products. Throwing in catch phrases to boost Sales and appeal to customers who obviously Can afford to buy them . I have yet to hear any Difference in guitar amps , be it made in Indonesia South Korea, China and to some extent Canada Affordability is by far more accurate than what They’ve been attached to . Students guitar or Worse yet Beginners Guitar . The gap is between The prices , is so close that it makes little sense To spend more- certain circumstances you don’t Necessarily get more . This is something I would Like to see more often- within the industry itself Especially looking at combos . Guitar small amp Picks cord and tuner . If you can score a guitar And not fret ( guitar humour) about resale value Or buy it because your favourite guitarist buys It - doesn’t make much sense. Buy it for all the Right reasons.

[@RaviSingh-ph2uw]

I found a picture of the Nuno N4 tattoo guitar on Pinterest - Uploaded by Julien Falcone (labeled) Washburn N4 Nuno Bettencourt Signature Tattoo Model (only 50 made for Japanese market)

[@claudiajay8291]

?? You’re right Phil …everything is junky when it comes to appliances. Like Shauna , I’m not going to buy anything complicated . I love the Neve interface. But it’s so much $$$

[@johnvarner3854]

Love your video content Phillip! FYI - Rush is not a jam band. When they play(ed) live, it was always closely matched to their original recordings.

[@Lazarus_G]

I grew up playing sax, and it can be difficult to get away with an inexpensive sax. Added keyboard, and getting something that felt good was ind of the same. So, when I started playing guitar, I assumed the same thing held, so I had my mind set on a nice Gibson Les Paul. I spent the better part of 2 days and going to a few stores and ended up with an Epi Les Paul that sounded better than the Gibsons and cost almost half as much as some of the more inexpensive ones. Upgraded pups and a bit of hardware to taste and it's perfect to me. My favorite 5 string bass and acoustic guitar were similar. I budgeted over twice as much for what I ended up getting after playing a bunch of stuff for hours. Upgraded pups and some hardware to taste and had extra money for other gear. Oh, and of course a good setup. The action on my 5 string bass is so low that I almost had to re-learn how to play, because I was used to having really high action from the first crappy bass I borrowed.

[@two50ne77]

Rush is not a jam band

[@Funkybassuk]

I have a Godin A4 Ultra Fretless - absolutely wonderful instrument. It also has a built-in MIDI pickup so you can plug it into a guitar MIDI interface and then into any MIDI synth. Superb!

[@cockysonuvaB]

Companies ARE accountable! In a free market economy, consumers learn and adapt quickly to junk. The problem is many people are just too poor to be choosy. You can blame the I.R.S. for that.

[@samizdat113]

The comparison should be quality vs crappy gear. Professional musicians will use anything of good quality.

[@LukeMosse]

I got told by DylanTalksTone that my having an objective sense of instrument quality rather than just believing that Fender custom shop instruments were higher quality without sound logical reasons was me 'insisting in how cheap I am' and that interest in value in instruments is a 'race to the bottom'. If anything it's a hard baked attitude towards my tools that comes from having spent time as a professional musician earlier in my life. Its funny when posers think they're higher status because they treat guitars like luxury goods. Someone forking out on something they chose to impress others without developing any sense of discernment never impressed me.

[@94SexyStang]

Disagree, you're NOT playing a luxury guitar at $3000, you're playing a Proper HAND crafted instrument...... the way it used to be!.....and due to inflation and CNC machines, now those are expensive and not practical the way they used to be....that's all it is, simple economics.

[@davidc1878]

45:13 Another aspect of 'cheap crap' is that it allows people to buy more. Whether it is a fridge or a new smartphone, there are actually many people out there who don't really care because they actually like getting something new and shiny. "Well, my fridge died and it is only 6 months old, but now I want one with a touch panel and internet access so I was going to buy a new one anyway." We are our worst enemies when it comes to obsolescence and poor quality.

[@chrisguitar1268]

Fender acustasonics suck. I had two of them within a week of having them they were both returned, insides came unglued started vibrating and rattling. Complete garbage.

[@MusicTherapyLaz]

Now I understand why you really like Short Scale Basses... they are much easier to hand over your shoulder for hours at a time in a gig bag! Great stream Phil! And... get a cheap looking gig bag... like Harley Benton... maybe that will throw them off? 😎🤘🎸

[@polarbear7791]

I had a Hofner 501 63 Original McCartney bass back in the day.... Short of cash, needed to sell it for nothing, but that had a short scale neck. Easy to play and it weighed nothing .... Oh dear we do look back at our mistakes!

[@SLO7HProductions]

I gotta ask, why don't people insure their guitar? If you have a 6k guitar, get some insurance so you are covered if something happens. It's that ease of mind. Let's look at the watch world, at that price people are insuring their watches that they wear every day. People get their watches stolen all the time, they don't stop wearing really expensive watches.

[@funfreq9282]

I like the idea of a landfill tax but better yet make it a worldwide law that you cant build or manufacture something with obsolescence in mind,building crap! If you want a good washer and dryer by a Speed Queen!

[@actuallyitskevin]

I bought a MIM Acoustasonic Tele for traveling and I love it! It's a great couch guitar too! Paid $1k for it and the only thing I regret is that I didn't buy it sooner!

[@guitarandotherthings6090]

Im sure his opinion will be unbias despite having overseas guitar sponsors... 🙄 Dont say that receving a guitar for free isnt a sponsorship, because you can always sell the donated guitar later.

[@AttillaDeHunt]

Minis are one thing, but I saw yesterday that Fender/Squire are selling mini Strats and Teles with only 3 strings! WTF!?!?

[@michaelgibson7403]

My GE Frig just turned 40 yrs. Fingers crossed.

[@stauffrt2]

You remain the funniest, kindest and most honest guitar guy on planet earth.

[@MartinMCade]

Back in my day, making a phone call meant putting a finger in the rotary thing and spinning it to dial the number. "Touch tone" was the new tech and cost extra, so my parents wouldn't get it.

[@I.am_Groot]

Oh yes back in the day before call waiting so if dad ever had anyone tell him they got a busy signal you got chewed out and you were jealous of friends who had their own phone line

[@nigef334]

I have a 1974 lawsuit era Japanese LP copy. Its excellent quality and plays like a dream.

[@I.am_Groot]

I ran across a few of those in the 90's when I was a dummy and didn't know much. I didn't want to spend and get a Gibson and at the time 'budget' guitars were often junk so me and my friends basically bought what we could afford at pawn shops or music stores. When I got my money together bought a new Charvel with active EMG's and a Floyd so not really into classics at the time lol

[@DCOM20.]

lol i remember you used to use a phone for your shows.

[@ThatGuysGuitars]

“Franklin Guitar works” on reverb has been blowing out HUNDREDS of Mexican acoustasonics for $500, and aerodynes at $600 They’re brand new, they just have to sell as used, to not piss off fender It’s just like Phil said Fender got in over their head w/ estimates, and now have to sell out thru their 3rd party Gray Market distributor (MIRC/Frankliln Guitar Works) - just to get a handle on it.

[@zoeherriot]

I think all those “cheaper” Gibson guitars are about to go away.

[@leslieperry3001]

Interested in an acoustic bass…check out GoDpsMusic

[@imaxeman69]

I have a Yamaha SL550, and it is better than any Les Paul I've ever had.

[@allentkatch1762]

When I was just 17, I had some very good gear...

[@TheOlesarge]

Rush is not a jam band. They do play some long songs, though!

[@trailblazeratv6306]

Music-man owns the 5 string market with the SR5

[@anthonynonya]

I'm in a similar boat as John 13 guitars guy. After a few years of being self-taught, mostly just learning songs and a little instruction, I've hit a wall. I'm not a creative or artistic person, and I've tried all kinds of artist endeavors without any success. But guitar was different, I went in determined to not let it beat me, and when I started playing along to songs and felt like it was doing it I was having fun. But I can't "play" guitar, I can only play the songs I know. I wish I had a real musician as a friend who could tell me whether or not I should continue.

[@perbacksten6149]

Im not a professional, but play as long you have fun. And when can a person "play guitar", even a PRO learn new stuff. Thats what i think is fun.. Learning and being better than i was the year before.

[@davidwilliams7552]

Of course you should continue! You are doing greatm. Find others to play with and you will progressm

[@Nizodizo]

Going to the landfill has never been cheap for me.

[@braddietzmusic2429]

If I don’t believe I would gig with it due to it’s price or value, I won’t have it. Perhaps not coincidentally, I don’t own an instrument more than $1800, and I am not seeing the $5,500 PRS in my future. I’ve happily played gigs with my $40 bass and my $99 bass.

[@elbib2446]

a good knowledge of the different tiers of mij lawsuit guitars is good to have,like fresher is the sub brand of camel etc the camel will have better spec,the bolt on lp copys,though some are decent ,are the lower end models.the higher tier tokai/burny/greco/kasuga/fernandes/esp navigator/momose/bacchus/early mij levinson blade etc are the guitars that put the wind up fender/gibson,and japan didnt hit top gear until around 76 onwards.most of the top japanese factories who made the best copys ,dyna gakki/tokai/fujigen/terada ended up being contracted to make fender japan and orville by gibson guitars at various times,deviser factory momose/bacchus/77 make some of the best stuff from japan

[@avatarquinn]

Hey Phil! Been watching your videos for years now! I am a Manager of a Pawn Shop in California and have a large selection of guitars! Been doing this 15 years and have seen it all! Fakes, Vintage, Holy Grail, super rare, signatured guitars, all kinds! I would be glad to do a pod cast with you! Let me know!

[@ib6903]

Can I be the 6th person on your plan. Thanks!

[@Spetsnazty]

I want a blonde tele, I have been stopping around strores looking for thje right one, played an affinity, it was pretty good, tone knob fell off, no big deal, just a set screw, grabbed the MIM fender, frets sticking out so far I was shocked it was still on the wall, I have NEVER seen a guitar that bad before, screws missing, glue seeping from the maple cap fretboard, blue me away how bad it was.

[@j_freed]

01:12:00 yes, Japan guitars can be overhyped like any mass-produced instruments. I've seen one shop (Paul's boutique in Kensington market, TO) trying to sel a Squier JV Strat with the wrong body, it wasn't even shaped correctly contours were wrong and had a weird color. Just exploiting the high market value for a fast buck. Clearly, somebody took the original body and put a better neck on it or ?? Fender's Japan necks tend to be small.

[@stevepelham9010]

I would argue expensive gear. Me invited into an band ok my ticket was gear worth of ruffly10 000 bucks, cause no one would help me out in lending me their fine gear! We are talking mature players that do not trust in inexpensive stuff and there is an serious story to it, the short one is that it is no fun when gear goes major crap infor an audience. A friend of mine had to by himself an guitar worth 3000 to get on a tour in Japan with his brothers band, 3000 dollar guitar only a brother and an hell of an guitarist do not count when things are set to be as serious he had to coff it up.

[@Johnnybananass-_]

I explain it to people like builders, and home enthisst crafts people. Builders bu the best bang for your buck tools from home depot,or similar, the home enthusiast crafts person wants to spend $500 gonna hand sewn rasp because they are sending hobby money, the guy putting up sheets rock and laying floors, is using tools that work and he can use day after day and still put money in his bank, I know players who have had the same pedals and 2 guitars for decades playing 4 times a week + and session work., they have gear that's reliable and works, and isn't some rare off the wall piece they cant replace at last minute ,

[@stevenbarton7474]

I brought a second - hand spark mini on your recommendation and it's absolutely brilliant practice amp. It replaced my Marshall MG10 which I thought was crap.

[@sesa2984]

I could really use a good little tube combo amp, but purchasing anything for pleasure is not anywhere on the horizon realistically. I sometimes jam with friends at low to medium volume, and I'd like something I could do a small coffeshop style gig with if need be , or livingroom practice volumes. My question is: Does anyone have any leads on contests or raffles where you could win such a thing? I work for a food pantry, my fiancees a library assistant, we want to have kids and someplace to live so reality I mean its gonna be years before I can drop any change. But I'll take the hail mary of a contest! lol

[@anthonydevito1815]

Bought 3 guitars online. Love all of them. However buying from reputable places. Not drop ship type stuff.

[@buddehaole]

Hermanos Guiterrez has me wanting a 6120 now. Tried the nashville, Eddie cohcran, and Setzer smoke this summer.

[@j_freed]

I should have gotten into Appliance Delivery & Install 15 years ago, Those guys will make money forever and don't even need to buy inventory. Just replace junk every 5 years.

[@louis6331]

40 to 60 gigs a month I can’t imagine. And yes that would wear out things really quickly, so why would you want to buy a really expensive instrument like you said, just to have it stolen or just from constantly wearing them out? But I do want to ask you about something else . now I’m sure you must’ve heard about this guitar. Slash ,apparently bought the last available one. Here’s a hint. it’s what Van Halen, aside from Eddie ,Of course I’m sure , used to call Valerie Bertinelli. It was their name for Eddie’s wife. It’s also the name of a guitar. Like I said, I believe Slash bought the last available one. And talk about the limited amount of guitars they made some of them were just Proto types that didn’t even play yet. I can’t remember the name of person or persons who came up with the idea for this guitar. I’ll have to look that up I guess unless you know it. So those are your clues. Let’s see if anybody knows.

[@CANNIMAGINE]

There is another KZbinr(a great player) who plays Harley Benton Tele with mods when he does his gigs. He states "you think I'm going to take my vintage Tele into a bar where someone can steal it or get drunk and knock the stand over?" He said if somebody steals this Harley Benton I can afford to buy and mod another easily.

[@Bastion71]

Ha! The Spark GO is up to $114, just 2 days after this stream! I'm ordering one anyway, Christmas present to myself.

[@DevilsAvocado69]

So much is subjective in music its hard to pin down exactly what is good and what isnt. Some people wont admit their 5k custom shop sucks, other will over hype their squire and say its just as good as anything else. People will spend hundreds on pedals and never spend the time dialing in tone, others buy one archetype and launch a successful youtube channel. Its honestly just what works for the individual. Try stuff, music stores are great places to spend time.