Does Brass = Country? 🤔

[@barackmycat9448]

The last line says it all. "If you like it, it`s a good guitar.

[@j-man9457]

@@barackmycat9448 yes sir! 100%!

[@dannymacnevin3939]

In my own humble opinion, as I own one of those guitars which I bought from you, and I also have multiple single coil Teles, to me it is not worth the cost. If I'm going to play a gig with my vintage 60s Telecaster, I set my rig and playing style accordingly. If I take a guitar with humbuckers, I setup my amp, EQ pedal, compressor etc accordingly. I've even played country chicken picken gigs on my SG. So to me, Brass = a slight difference in tone maybe, probably a bit more sustain and maybe a little increase in volume. But does it = country? Nope. You give any guitar to Brent Mason, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Johnny Highland etc... and I guarantee you, they will make it sound country. But that's just my humble opinion. We should team up and do a guitar build video this winter. That would be awesome! 😁 Great video buddy!

[@j-man9457]

@@dannymacnevin3939 good points buddy! Brass has always been associated to that country twang and I always wondered if it really makes a difference. I prefer the tone with the brass parts as I have always found this guitar dark, but it does have Humbuckers hahaha... However now, I find it thick sounding still but with more brilliance and snap to the notes.... But one thing is for sure, it's gonna take a lot more than brass parts to make me sound country hahaha! Yes a build of epic proportions would be awesome 😎👍!!!

[@Vern859]

Yes! Brass = country. I could tell a big difference ... I tried stainless steel before, and that is how it sounded stainless =stale I went back to brass, and i love brass... Very nice video of a good comparison. Im liking your videos.👍

[@j-man9457]

@@Vern859 ahhh thanks man! Yeah definitely a difference!

[@GtrPknMama]

Yeup, brass is da bomb! Brass nut,bridge and rings around the pickups on one of my guitars.

[@guitarzan0515]

Yup, the new channel should include your extra guitar science experiments! I actually hear a slight difference!😱😱 Cool experiment!! Great licks💥💪💪💪👍

[@j-man9457]

@@guitarzan0515 haha thanks! Yup there's a difference for sure... Surprising actually!

[@birdman316]

more "poppin" sounds with brass yay yaaa!! i always wondered if brass is a "soft" substance???

[@j-man9457]

@@birdman316 I'd say yes. It is classified as a soft metal!🙂

[@leblancmarcel]

Definitely brighter and snappier sound. Not quite Country, but closer.

[@j-man9457]

@@leblancmarcel yup I Agree!

[@DMSProduktions]

Def made a difference.

[@j-man9457]

@@DMSProduktions thanks. Yup, that's what I heard as well... 🙂

[@robjones7725]

I was surprised because the brass parts made that guitar more trebly and twangy BUT it didn't work for me on the heavy riffing lacking bass and solidity to my ears. Nice parts from Musiclily - I've had good quality 3-way switches from them that were much better than the Epiphone standard 3-way switch!

[@j-man9457]

@@robjones7725 100% I found the same thing. Brass = country, but steel = rock! 👍

[@colinbickley6647]

Yep. Brass = Country. Y'all done proved it and such! Lol

[@j-man9457]

Thanks Buddy!

[@2bikemikesguitartopics145]

There was a softer tonal Suttle change, but I preferred the original sounds

[@j-man9457]

@@2bikemikesguitartopics145 ahhhh interesting! Thanks bud!

[@calbrockocat8728]

New strings chime more, but not enough to make that much of a difference. Super mod! That green and brass just go together really well. Oh, it even spanked on the Metallica!! Fun experiment, J!

[@j-man9457]

@@calbrockocat8728 hahaha I just spanked Metallic! 😂😂 There's a definite attack / articulation that wasn't there before for sure!

[@GtrPknMama]

Brass modded one of my guitars.✨🎵✨

[@j-man9457]

@@GtrPknMama definitely brightens things up!😃

[@timtaylorguitarnut]

Not enough of a difference to change everything, should've just added a pair of brass ball 😂❤

[@j-man9457]

@@timtaylorguitarnut hahaha next time!

[@Nosferdamus]

definitely more "country" with the brass

[@j-man9457]

@@Nosferdamus cool! I think so too! Thanks! 😊

[@zuperdee]

Brass definitely sounds a bit brighter and twangier. Those PAF-style humbuckers still give it a thicker, more mid-rangey sound though, so it’s still not quite as “country” as a traditional Telecaster. Personally, I’d pick the Slick SL-55 over this one if you want even more of a “country” sound, as those Filtertrons have even more spank and twang than the combination of parts on this guitar. I’d say the Filtertrons sound close to the PRS model NF-53. (That’s PRS’s unique take on the Telecaster, which Ask Zac has even confirmed im his review, it WILL do the chicken picking thing!)

[@j-man9457]

@@zuperdee yeah for sure. But the takeaway is that Brass does in fact affect your tone. Even with a " non country “ guitar, one will notice more clarity and articulation. So brass does help in achieving that country tone. 😉

[@Stratisfied22]

I definitely heard a difference. The tone was a tad brighter and the attack was more aggressive in a good way. Really cool comparison J, brass is better!

[@j-man9457]

@@Stratisfied22 hey Thanks! I got that same deduction too... I like it!

[@mr.beaver2822]

Great episode as usual!! Hi Mr J-Man I consider you sort of 'genius' you're up to make yourself all the necessary adjustment work and have a high level oh knowledge of the instrument! Fortunately I find a good liuther guy here he also is up to the job but i wish to recommend him some of the tools I have seen on previous episode! What kind of polish would you recommend for strings (just a cloth?) and metal parts?! Wow a 100 bucks to make that work?? So you're smart again MAN by the way very beautyful guitars you're using everytime I like your inspiring country licks either ....Cheers from Italy

[@j-man9457]

@@mr.beaver2822 hey Italy? Cool! I want to go there some day! Strings I just wipe them down with a cloth after a gig. There is some string cleaning products you can get but I don't bother with that. For polish, I just use a good car wax! Paint on a guitar is pretty much just like paint on a car hahaha. And my guitars are nice enough I guess haha. They are all budget guitars that I mod and upgrade the way I want. I like having unique guitars that you can't just buy at a local music store! I'm weird that way! Cheers man!

[@johnpittman3756]

I like the extra highs of the brass.

[@j-man9457]

@@johnpittman3756 hey John, yeah me too!😉

[@johnpittman3756]

@@j-man9457 You might want to put a brass nut on it. But I wouldn't tear up or throw away the present nut.

[@j-man9457]

@@johnpittman3756 yeah maybe down the road. The bone nut on this one is awesome 👍

[@1revwilly]

Does brass = country? Does the mod, plays about a minute of country licks then blasts out some Metalica! lol So I guess brass = metal as well then, huh? lol :-) Another great video, I'm a lover of brass so this was right up my alley for sure! Keep up the great work! :-)

[@j-man9457]

@@1revwilly hahaha. Brass definitely affected the clean tone, so I had to find out how it affected gain! Conclusion... Steel is better for high gain stuff for sure! 😁 But yeah the brass really adds clarity and articulation to your tone for sure!

[@1revwilly]

@@j-man9457 I agree, I like steel better for high gain as well. I first learned of the brass mods as a kid growing up around country tele players! 🙂

[@j-man9457]

@@1revwilly ahhhh Nice! Lucky!!I had no country tele players around here when I grew up. So I just fake everything today hahaha! Lots to learn lol!

[@1revwilly]

@@j-man9457 I don't know if I was 'lucky' or not. I got into blues, blues/rock and classic metal, not their country and folk and they cast me aside and ignored me ever since! lol 🙂

[@j-man9457]

@@1revwilly well that's not very country of them is it?! 😔

[@lazvt8469]

Yep...I can hear an 'improvement' in mellowness...that I prefer. Was there a sustain improvement too? That's why I always swap out modern/steel tele bridges/saddles with vintage/brass. That was a lot of work....much appreciated!

[@j-man9457]

@@lazvt8469 so I felt the sustain was better with the brass on the clean tones but with high gain at the end, it was better with the original steel saddles if that makes sense. 🤨

[@lazvt8469]

@@j-man9457 hmmm, where's a metallurgist when you need one?

[@j-man9457]

@@lazvt8469 hahaha none here that's for sure hahaha!

[@BrantYaeger]

You should start a new series - J-Man, the Guitar Science Man 😅 Give Bill Nye a worthy challenger

[@j-man9457]

@@BrantYaeger hahaha! Thanks!👍

[@joereddy3146]

Definitely better. 🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@j-man9457]

@@joereddy3146 spankier for sure! Better? Well that depends on what your ear likes to hear! I like it. It's brighter with more bite!

[@joereddy3146]

@@j-man9457 guess I’m more old school when it comes to Tele’s. I gotta have brass. 👍

[@TedTalksGuitars]

What a cool experiment. I definitely heard a bit more country spank with the brass. Thanks for sharing another journey.

[@j-man9457]

@@TedTalksGuitars thanks, and yes I definitely hears a difference in the room here. I was surprised to be honest 😃

[@TedTalksGuitars]

@@j-man9457 - That is the joy of experimentation... you never know what you will get.

[@TheJohnburghardt]

Nice mod! I think I could hear a difference - but it was pretty modest. I tried to brass out a budget guitar once and even filed down a brass nut. In hindsight I don’t think it was worth it because the brass started to discolour after a few months. But you sure made the mods look easy and the saddles stand out against the green! I’d be curious if you think it primarily the saddles or primarily the block that made the difference.

[@j-man9457]

@@TheJohnburghardt hey good question... Not sure. Ideally I should of changed only one thing at a time to really know. However the take away here is that the pickups, although key to your sound, are not entirely responsible for a guitar's tone. 😉

[@danrunnoft6642]

I don't know if it's country, but it's definitely rural.

[@j-man9457]

@@danrunnoft6642 hahahaha! Good one!

[@Acreustic]

It seems there aren't anymore M-Musi guitars available that I can't find Canada :(

[@j-man9457]

@@Acreustic I know, they are out of stock in Canada. I bought 13 of them that were unsold at the beginning of the summer. I kept a few, sold 7 and Instill have 3 for sale... Check facebook market place if interested 🙂

[@thestonecutter768]

Tone is such a subjective thing and means nothing, especially to a genre. You've proven time and time again that the player truly makes the difference and you can make anything sound like country if you want it to. Tone truly only matters to the artist, because they are the ones who are conveying the message. Most people will not notice or care what tone you are using and those who gate keep by saying wrong tone, wrong guitar, wrong amp and so on, will always find something to criticize anyway. That being said, the brass does affect the tone, no doubt about that. Brighter and punchier in my opinion. Gets closer to that pedal steel type sound, which is subjective in itself, seeing as I decided what a pedal steel should sound like in my mind. I like the idea of having a brighter tone overall, that can be dialed back if needed to sit better in a mix rather than using EQ to boost the highs. Is it worth the effort and the money? Well, yes and no. I do all my own work as well and I can see myself making changes like these, if that's what I really need to love that guitar and picking it up time and time again. Financially speaking, tone is a rabbit hole. It's really good for feeding our gear acquisition syndrome. Today it's brass, tomorrow, it's another guitar, or an amp, down to that small detail, the pick, whatever makes it different for some reason. In the end, it only matters if it gets someone to play, practice and get better, the artist makes the difference, not the gear.

[@j-man9457]

@@thestonecutter768 Nice man! Well said! 100% but in light of it all, it's still fun to experiment. It helps you get answers to that illusive sound you hear in your own head hahaha! Yes I realized long ago that the problem with my sound wasn't the guitars, the pedals or the amps... It was me the whole time hahaha! Lots to learn over here! Thanks for stopping by and for the detailed, well thought out comment! Rock on!

[@Spiderdog-1995]

What about saddle height and the radius of the fretboard?

[@j-man9457]

@@Spiderdog-1995 don't know, but on this guitar both were the same before and after....🙂

[@AnnoyingCritic-is7rp]

I ordered some brass block saddles a week ago. And then I wondered, how do I know if they are really brass? Would the company get sued if they just gave everyone so-called "chrome" or pot metal? What if the majority just thinks they are brass and so they play better? And then most are better off, so nobody sues?

[@j-man9457]

@@AnnoyingCritic-is7rp unless you go down to your local metal shop and have them analyzed, we'll never really know. But an audible difference is present so regardless the metals are different for sure...😉