Even the PROS are not immune to this CRAP!

How many times have you read a statement by a guitar player you admire, only to ask yourself, "Wtf? Is he for real?" Turns out, they're human and can be misled by bad information too. Love the show? Support it by grabbing the new Singularity Bass LIbrary over at Spectre Digital: spectredigital.com/plugins/si...
About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
Everything you've wanted to learn about recording Hard Rock & Heavy Metal can be found right here on this channel!
I also respond to your comments & questions: The best make it into the SMG Viewer's Comments series of videos. Loads of fun, lots of laughs.
Thanks for checking out my channel & please subscribe!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Almost 70% of the viewers are NOT subscribed. I need your help to grow this channel, please hit the subscribe button!

[@shanewalton8888]

I’m a proud member of the 30 percent.

[@1sostatic]

Hey I made it to Butthurt. ....woohooo 🤪.. I hope you took my comment as the sarcastic British humour it was supposed to be.. .

[@adriankurt1872]

Didn't even knew I wasn't subscribed yet 🤪 Here have a new subscriber after idk 2 years of watching your content 🤣 Greets from good 'ol germany 😋

[@kaszaniarz]

I hate youtube beggars, unsuscribed

[@maxwellblakely7952]

Ive always to see a blind test between a real Gibson ‘50s burst vs a Gibson standard vs a Chinese Epiphone standard. I wonder how many of us could tell the difference between a $400k guitar and a $650?

[@jrhoadsHTI]

Oh, Aeroband sent you a guitar? They either just made the dumbest move they could have, or they're confident in the changes that EytschPi42 said they made. He did also say they were lucky they didn't send one to you because of how brutal you'd be. Either way, I'm looking forward to that. "We're going to have a hanging... or a wedding... either way, we're going to have a lot of fun."

[@tommydeamon7657]

Hell,s yes a blast

[@thomasladders7481]

Never heard of them. Harley Benton got a spotlight, it would be cool to do other cheap or bottom end name brand guitars.

[@CaseyBDook]

​@thomasladders7481 The aeroband "guitar" isn't a guitar. It's a really expensive and unplayable game controller. It was marketed to beginners, but it was 600 bucks last I saw and can't be played by a guitar player effectively. Nobody needs this. There are plenty of reasonable guitars and amps available for a lot less. It's definitely going to be a must watch episode if he tests this flaming turd.

[@daveleblanc3558]

Oh man looking forward to that!

[@mitchellturnbull3988]

Bruh. There are a TON of channels who did one of these “reviews”, and I can’t freaking WAIT for glen to do his 🤣🤣🤣

[@sturmi9tails]

Well, on my ibanez swapping stock pickups for black winters made actual difference, especially when down tuning it's got noticeably more controlled and articulated low notes and in some way more pleasantly distorting highs. And cleans got much better, someone probably would say they are only subtle differences but I think my expectations were more realistic to begin with, haven't regretted even once.

[@fatmetalguy6873]

I have the blackened winters, and I think there's a huge difference between those and say my stock Harley Bentons - with that said though --the SDBW are in a Jackson, and the HBs are in an (obviously) HB. I can't make a (fair) comparison unless they're in the same guitar/amp/etc. You're absolutely right though, there's a far bigger difference when I'm in D Standard vs Standard.

[@ChadwickRider]

I added a set of Black Winters to my Eart W2 Headless and it's amazing when compared to the PAF's it came with... great choice.

[@DiamondLifer]

I swap pickups around a lot in my 30’ baritones. Makes a big difference for me sound wise.

[@watersnortmoment3734]

Now put a mic to the speaker and don’t move it. And then record both pickups, the difference is going to be VERY miniscule.

[@ChadwickRider]

@@watersnortmoment3734 I don't disagree when it comes to tracking, because that adds many different layers (mic, interface, etc) ... but I swapped mine for live audio, and there is a definite improvement. But that makes since because I'm swapping a set of PAF pickups for high output humbuckers.

[@valuedcustomer5022]

"A MINOR ERROR" took everything you said out of context... Get him.

[@Sunke89]

Hey great videos, since I`ve started watching your content my guitar tone has improved drastically and I don't even play with high gain, thanks for all this usefull information.

[@bassplayer137]

I’ve had my Ibanez SA260 FM for almost 18 years now, and it still plays like a dream. And the price nowadays is around the €400 mark, so I would qualify this for affordable, well playing guitars

[@software533]

Bought this guitar two years ago, it plays perfectly, no flaws whatsoever. However the setup it came with was non-existent basically, the strings were loose, the bridge floated way too high when tuned, and i had to turn the truss rod like twice in the first 5 months.

[@TitaniusAnglesmith]

I bought the Black Winter too, only one so only about 150€, and it actually made a huge difference to the sound of my Ibanez. Turns out the stock pickup wasnt wired correctly 😂 Oh well, nownI have some soldering experience.

[@robmcd]

I was confused. I got a $200 Monterey 7 string 20 years ago and put a Blaze Custom in the bridge and changed the guitar sound drastically. 99% improvement

[@Petterstrojka]

I have a single black winter in my heavily modded ancient washburn mg40 and it honestly sounds exactly like the muddy evil mess i was after. Also, high output = more nice noise on a tiny single tube amp. I get almost the same output as active pickups, but less higs and clarity. More noise. All good for my application. But it woulsmd probably have been achievable with the original pickups and a simple boost. Also, i use transistor distortion that employs the transistors i reverse for more noise.

[@darksu6947]

​@@PetterstrojkaThat's a lot of noise 😮 I like noise!

[@dougworden4248]

I love how your videos backup what I have been telling other guitar players for years that the SPEAKER is the most important part for tone and sound. I personally still love my Eminence Lynch super v12 speaker.

[@brandonthompson8413]

On the topic of gain at the pickups vs gain at the amp. It depends on the amp. Vintage high output pickups were made when the highest gain amps the highest gain amps you could get were a plexi or a JCM 800 effectively acting as a boost. With modern high gain amps it really doesn't matter. Hotter pickups tend to be a slight bit muddier, but if you have low output pickups a decent boost pedal will give you the same DB boost but with the benefits of adding a buffer or eq to the signal chain. There is no wrong way to do it. Just what works best for you, your ears, and budget.

[@kalebthornsberry870]

A full Kramer video would be phenomenal! I have a Baretta Special I got for $179, I cut out the capacitor on the volume pot to make it work properly, put a new set of tuners and a new nut, and it's one of my go-to guitars. They might have a bit of a "dated" look, but it's a great husk, even at an entry level price

[@rompofotters]

I did the same thing. Replaced the pickup, and blocked the trem, too. Now it's my favourite guitar. Just takes a bit of work. They're the perfect project guitar, or for someone that wants to learn that stuff. Team purple.

[@icankillbugs]

I bought an 80s Stryker for something like $100CAD at a pawn shop. The guys there didn't know much about guitars so I'm like "ah man, neck is warped as fuck.. feel that, feel the frets sticking out? Ugh gonna have to replace this bridge it's fucked" and they let it go like I was doing them a favor. Didn't actually have any problems at all, didn't even have a scratch on it. Came with a Floyd Rose II which alone was worth more than what I paid for the whole guitar. Light as a feather and had a nice fat neck that played like a dream. I made that my main stage guitar even though I had $3,000 Les Pauls and stuff. Plus it looked tough enough to be playing in my death metal and black metal bands with a Marshall stack. Anyways, that's a long-winded way of saying I have a very positive view of Kramer. I feel they don't get enough recognition.

[@MaximusAdonicus]

@@icankillbugs Oh, so u lied to them to get the guitar cheap AF? Zero morals... You would have probably gotten it for a fair price regardless 🙄 $100CAD is 68 euros, which is an absolutely ridiculous price for ANY guitar, let alone 80's Kramer 😫 They got scammed!

[@icankillbugs]

@@MaximusAdonicus Like I should exercise any sort of moral restraint with a fucking PAWN SHOP lol. They'll rip off an old lady for her jewelry so she can pay her rent that month and then flip it for 20x what they paid for it lol get outta here

[@MaximusAdonicus]

​@@icankillbugs Well, some people actually have morals and some are scum... 🤷‍♂ I would have personally paid twice the money out of courtesy! I don't know the owners of ur pawn shop or any pawn shop, but I do know I do not rip people off even if someone else does.

[@neighbourhoodmusician]

I think that between you and Jim Lill, it's been quite freeing to step back and really look at what affects my tone. I'm mainly a live local cover-band player and cost, size and use case is my priority. If you know that what really matters when it comes to creating good tone, then you can achieve exactly what you want for the money you have and focus on whether the gear you buy actually fulfills the practical benefits of your actual use case.

[@aavavertu229]

For anyone wondering, it's speakers < cabinet < amp < pedals < guitar < pickups < cables. Order slightly depends on amount of gain and playing skill.

[@brentstewart59]

Absolutely agree with this. These guys are taking out the bullshit

[@neighbourhoodmusician]

@@aavavertu229 Sort of. For live music with a real cab, I would say it's (in order of significance for tone): number of speakers in cabinet, size of speakers, specific speakers, post distortion EQ, pre-distortion EQ, preamp, power amp, pickups, guitar.

[@neighbourhoodmusician]

@@brentstewart59 I've gone from lugging around crazy heavy and expensive tube amps to an entirely pedal-based power amp and preamp solution where I can plug into a cab or just go direct. My tone is as good or better than ever and I can get all my gig gear into the venue in one trip.

[@aavavertu229]

@@neighbourhoodmusician Yes, if we get this deep things get somewhat complicated as elements in the chain begin to have a cross influence. Whether or not multiple speakers are used, the single most defining tonal factor is the speaker itself. If we are talking about a guitar tone captured with a mic, the cabinet and number of speakers of course become less relevant or almost completely negligible.

[@Jager_sog9]

Coming from ESPs and Fenders, I was just amazed by the Squier Contemporary series, specially the Telecaster. First time I saw one in a store, I was amazed by how it looked and ended up trying it and just fell in love with the feel and the tone. It has a Humbucker omn the neck and a HotRail type on the bridge, adn it really feels like a 800+ bucks guitar for under 400! And the roasted maple neck is just gorgeous! I even lent it to a cousin who only plays American Fenders and he told me that finishes were top notch and that he would have believed me if I told him it was a Fender!

[@neilford7338]

I do love your pragmatism Glen, it's all about results with you - brilliant.

[@zwerko]

Did you say you're getting that toy guitar monstrosity for a review? I thought they've halted sending or selling them to anyone in fear of someone tearing them a new one... It will be glorious, can't wait!

[@paulmccourt6185]

I've got to say own a couple of single cut guitars with similar specs for playing live, most have rosewood and one has ebony boards, the reason I gravitate towards the rosewood is because I'm a rhythm player and the looder grain feels more anchored for playing chords! Keep up the great work Glenn

[@LUXXIVRECORDS]

Hi Glenn! Loved the video. I was once an electric tone wood believer but not anymore thanks to you

[@rmzzz76]

Keep up the good work. The guitar gear industry is so vile and even pro musicians easily influenced. I remember when EVH released the 5150 Overdrive pedal. I tried one and realizied quickly it barely gets in the ballpark of the real thing. Pete Thorn did a video on it where he praised it for its accuracy. Someone who's "made it" as a known player has incredible influence, with or without a KZbin channel. Even if they don't always get $$$ kickbacks, they are highly incentivized to say positive things about products when they have relationships with vendors. We live in an time when, with less than $1k of gear any pro player could buy what they need to get on stage and perform at professional level. It's all about the hobbyist and armature chase for the magic sword and giant egos that assume they have the talent part down and just need better gear. Target demo for gear vendors is mid-life hobbyist with money. Taylor Guitars, Gibson, Fender, etc.. that's the group they are marketing to.

[@ironblast5]

I bought two of them and used them with ir's live in place of hauling my jvm210 head and 1960 cab out it definitely did the trick even if it wasnt accurate to a real evh 5150 amp it sounded pretty spot on to the marshall in my use case

[@ironblast5]

Even better still the bogren amp knob evh did too so we use that for scratch tracks and rehearsals now the tube amps just get used for reamping on final products

[@Aaron-zh4kj]

Important to note, those weren’t designed to replace a 5150 head. I’ll say, with those amp in a box pedals, the power section and speaker of your amp you’re driving them into are quite important. I’ve never really been impressed by any amp in a box pedals, but I’ve heard some people make them sound fairly useable here and there. Personally, I’d rather have a pristine, perfect sounding overdriven one trick pony amp that cleans up well with the guitar’s volume that can generally cover most bases (like a Friedman or some other variant of a hot rodded Marshall). I’m doing exactly that digitally at the moment. Even with it being digital (Line 6 HX Stomp), while digital historically usually doesn’t do the roll off volume thing well, I think it sounds even better than what I was able to get out of the 5150, v30 2x12, and full 4cm pedalboard rig I used to gig with (with all the hassles and imperfection of things like the speaker choice I had to make for budget and the wild card of changing mic placement and how temperamental amps are)

[@kcpolog]

Hi Glenn, I really like that you're one of the very few music youtubers that tells us to NOT buy unnecessary gear. I am not immune to the marketing tricks that companies like to play on us, but I was fortunate enough to see through the pickup marketing bullshit quite early in my 'career'. Out of curiosity I bought this Korean hot rails pickup for the equivalent of like 20 USD. Aside from the poor soldering from the factory this pickup is amazing. On the recordings I can't tell the difference between it and my LP studio. If I have a chance, I'll always go to the cheaper pickup first. If it works - awesome, if it doesn't - there are always other options.

[@STORMBREAKER_250]

Glenn, I am so glad you've made these videos, because now my bandmates can't complain about my BC Rich guitars anymore!

[@castigo1986]

Thanks for your insights, Glenn!

[@ctothekaye7989]

You should make a video on changing volume/tone pots. A lot of times people consider swapping PU's when going from a 250k to a 500k is a far cheaper and more effective way to fix a dark sounding guitar.

[@jeanjeanjean2541]

changing pots only affect tone when turning down the knob or does it also have an impact if we keep the knobs at 10 ?

[@jralanmorgan]

​@@jeanjeanjean2541It has an effect on 10. Simply put the higher value pot lets more higher frequencies through.

[@ctothekaye7989]

​@@jeanjeanjean2541 actually it does. Some humbucker guitars come with 250k pots and switching those to 500k almost always sounds better. The higher the value, the more treble will pass.

[@ctothekaye7989]

I don't understand why it works on volume pots when turned all the way up, though. On tone pots it makes more sense, because the higher the resistance, the bigger the share of the signal that gets taken away through the capacitor.

[@Billiamwoods]

This has been something that's really been on my mind. It's one of those things that nobody seems to be interested in testing even though there's a solid scientific basis for how it would affect your sound. It's not like tonewood where it's vibes and contradictory opinions, there's like a clear 1:1 correlation, but I've never heard it tested.

[@Turboy65]

I select those guitars and pickups that actually work for me. And yes, pickup choice can make a substantial difference. For a long time I was pretty happy to have a JB humbucker in the bridge of more than one of my guitars. In recent years I started to really hear its quacky, midrangey nature and it started to bother me. Eventually I pulled the JB out of one of my most played guitars and put in a regular Duncan 59 Bridge. Quack gone. I do like this better. I have another guitar that still has a JB in it, and both guitars with JBs did sound very much alike even to my ear. Now they clearly sound different even with a lot of overdrive, as one still has the JB and the other now has a 59 instead. Yes, pickup choice can materially alter your tone. NOT saying that EVERY pickup that's a different brand and model will have its own readily identifable distinctive sound or that it'll sound way different from others. I'm saying that SOME have a very clearly different tone than certain other models.

[@PegeCovers]

LMAO that Aeroband video is gonna be glorious. It's gonna be like an early christmas present. Bless you Glenn.

[@NuclearWizard69]

I enjoy your content a lot I hope the information just gets absorbed. I currently record from a moto smartphone and run a squire through a super cheap fender champ 20. It's super refreshing to find someone who reps cheaper gear and isn't just wow-ed over a price tag. I don't understand mixing or editing in the least yet as I don't own a computer or an audio interface yet but it's encouraging to see less "oh you absolutely need this, if you don't get this thing for this certain sound it's just not right" thanks for sharing the facts and helping broke people with dreams, do more than dream.

[@WIMPY86]

Morning SMG buddies!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Good morning, Wimpy!

[@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn]

G'day!

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Greetings

[@DigitalChemistryBand]

Hello from Seattle

[@BlueMoonFuzz]

Sup

[@madmonkey7411]

I personally love the my Jackson JS32s. Especially my Rhoads but I know that they can be a hit or miss sometimes. However I would love to see you try one

[@ricksanchezito8972]

I got a JS32 Rhoads that is a beast!

[@aceruiz8151]

I wanna get one

[@kennyjohnson336]

I love the feel and look of an ebony board. Never heard a difference from my rosewood Les Pauls. Just love the feel under my fingers much better.

[@JaredMuskego4490]

Gleeeen!!! Ur awesome :) love from Saskatchewan

[@rompofotters]

I bought a Kramer Baretta Special a while back. The stock pickup seemed way too hot for me no matter how much I lowered it. So, I changed it out for a Duncan Distortion. The sound of the guitar through my amp didn't change much, but the output was much more even, and in control. Feels much more satisfying to play to me. Was it worth the price? Probably not, but I'm happy with the result.

[@twobarsfourstars]

Had the same experience with that guitar not liking the stock pup and upgrading it to one I researched before buying and now I’m enjoying it like a lifer guitar (still cost under 400 with upgrades). I don’t think it’s wrong that it sounds and feels a little yet meaningful amount better, it’s just wrong if you assume it will always sound better or sounds wrong without upgrades inherently or spend the 150-500 on new pups when you really should have bought a speaker or an equalizer pedal. Sometimes that 5% makes the difference, but that’s far less likely than the way the marketing and board discussions have been for a long, long time. Look what they did to Glenn!!! Lol

[@adamlayng4423]

I got one in White, badass guitar for cheap. I left the pickup, it sounds great to me, but I changed the tuners to locking tuners, changed the nut to a brass one, and replaced the saddles to copper. It's now suitable for gigging. parts were 110$CAD.

[@216trixie]

Fun story. I am a 62-year-old professional musician and music teacher. I am tired now of playing on stages that are so quiet we could talk to each other and hear each other over the instruments. I miss the days of moving a lot of air with big amplifiers on stage, so I have started a new band. It is coming along nicely I am buying 100 w 412 stack to play in this band and move some air. Fuck the sound man we're going to move air off the stage just like the old days. Best project I've ever been a part of. Oh yeah now I can turn around my guitar will feedback when I face the amplifier.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

Good luck getting gigs with that attitude! You piss off the sound guy and the venue, you better well be bringing in a full house of audience or you'll get blacklisted.

[@216trixie]

@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 I was waiting for this comment. Like I said I'm professional. The fuck the sound man is a joke. I will have a sound man. In fact I already have one. And a dancer in a cage on the stage. And I'm setting up the show at a venue. With lighting LED panel and what not. The sound man is going to work with our stage volume like the old days. A big buzz is already building up around this band.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@216trixie Good luck then and my condolences to the poor sod who has to do your sound. I've worked enough FOH and festivals to know that the soundguys that come with the band easily make the most mistakes. They may know the band but they don't know the gear they have to work with.

[@216trixie]

@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 I'll try one more time. I'm professional. My soundman is among the best in the area. He runs sound on most of my quiet stages. I play small gigs parties festivals you name it. This is a different gig. It's going to be loud and we're going to love it. Just imagine, before all these modelers and quiet stages, back in the way olden days of the '80s and '70s and even the '90s, there was stage volume!

[@216trixie]

@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 also, before quiet stages, audiences used to crowd up to the stage to be close to the band and enjoy the volume that they enjoyed. You could hear the amps. You could feel the bass amp pushing the air. Now, you need to stand back 20 ft to get a good sound. Get up close to the stage and you're going to hear crap.

[@calavera7581]

Greetings from Ukraine! I don't usually working on metal tracks, but some of your advices are still legit for rock or even electronic music. Keep energy high and thanks for your enlightenment work!

[@GCKelloch]

A very ambitious Nashville musician did a very thorough comparison of guitar cab sizes, materials and speakers per cab, and the only significant recorded difference was the cab size affected bass response. Recording a 4x12 with one mic on one speaker will mainly just have some increased bass coming off-axis from the other speakers, and 4x12 IR's also tend to have a cancelation at ~700Hz. You want a 4x12'' mic'd sound from a 1x12". Put it in a bigger closed cab, or just increase the bass with an eq and maybe reduce ~700Hz.

[@freddano]

Thanks Glenn! Love the show. I'm a 48-year old dad, a bureaucrat to boot, that plays guitar for my own enjoyment and recreation. I really like the LTD EC-10. It's about 250 €, has a nice heavy (as in weight) feel and I thinks it looks good! (in a sort of "where ever did my youth go" kind of way...) I plug it into a Scarlett 2i2 and the noise level is really nothing to bitch about. Let me tell you - this guitar will for sure last for many years before I'm "better" than the guitar as a player. Thanks for the show! It's awesome!

[@shanewalton8888]

I'd skip the Kramer. They have been crap ever since Gibson bought them out. Seriously, what can you expect from Sue Authentic. They have the reverse Midas touch. Everything they buy turns to crap. Case in point, Kramer, Steinberger, and Epiphony.

[@ithemba]

well Kramer isn't what it was back 40 years ago concerning high end guitars - but Kramer actually does very good guitars in the budget to mid level. The 200 bucks baretta special is a very solid shreddy guitar out of the box. I'd say Kramer is by far the best bang-for-buck Gibson has to offer.

[@shanewalton8888]

@@ithemba Nah. Wishful thinking. Ibanez and Schecter put Kramer to shame. A Kramer is like a toy compared to a Schecter.

[@j.r.warren5794]

I want to be able to hear a 5% difference in tone. That's just amazing. I bet that guy could even score 100% on a blind test for pickups. If he saw the pickups first that is...

[@_gosoka]

As far as affirdable guitars go, I heard good things about Slick guitars. They are lookers for sure (at least on pictures) but it'd be cool to see you have your way with one.

[@adrianmedeiros8431]

2:09 I actually own the Kramer Nite V he's referring to and I absolutely love it, specially how the neck feels in my hands. Also, mostly stays in tune

[@razorsharpness4]

I have had a Jacson JS32 with a floyd for 5 years and i like it. good setup by a proffessional and its great for me. I also changed the bridge pickup to Seymour Duncan AHB 2B metal blackout.

[@dipperstowing954]

As someone who’s been playing guitar for only a few years, I never thought to look into modding any of my guitars or getting any better gear like amps or cables. Almost all info I’ve gotten on different gear has come from you and one other person, and I’ve kept it all in mind! Also, I don’t know if you’ve already done this, but maybe you could test a couple Fender/Gibson guitars against Squier/Epiphone guitars to show the differences and similarities between them? Others have done this, but you go into much more detail about tone, price, and other equipment and how they effect sound. Anyway, great video and keep up the good work!

[@SammiD71]

Damn man I might have to check out that bass sim. Been playing with having VST backups behind my physical recordings and am loving the sound so far. Plus I may or may not have been a rule #2 in my bass days lol

[@chrislariviere3669]

Definitely feeling the "amp Sims are easier" thing this week, I unplugged my amp and the ground prong stayed IN the wall outlet. I could still play, if I wanna ride the lightning ⚡

[@steveclark9934]

Super interested to see the upcoming video about the metal recording mic.

[@chasinglatitudes1424]

I agree with a lot Glenn said. I love my Strandberg guitar the most because of how comfortable it is to play. I do believe they are massively over priced but though. I just ordered a GOC to obtain almost the same concept but at a much lower price. Real funny thing is I know go back and listen to songs I’ve recorded and cannot tell which guitar I used when recording the song.

[@theliesisire7485]

I've even used different guitars on the same song (to correct parts etc). No one can tell.

[@mouldypretzel]

I have a white Chinese Telecaster and yes it does give me great metal tones. The setup was fine, I chose it before I knew where it came from because it did what I wanted it to do. I changed the pickups on it and surprise surprise, no notable difference

[@TheDeedeeFiles]

Awesome show man

[@hadleymanmusic]

Thankyou Glen made my rainy day better. Now im procrastinatin openin this stageright monoprice el84 little combo. If I like it im sellin this st100 b52

[@clmdeprav]

4:00 about wax-potting & saving money : it's actually not that complicated to wax-pot your pickups yourself rather than buying new pickups. I had to do it for my Squier CV Jag's pups because it was squeeling like crazy everytime I'd push the gain, and it did the trick just fine. No more squeeling and pickups became way less microphonics and didn't notice any shift in tone. Just gotta be careful with the temperature, wax/paraffin melts around 60° (celsius) and you need to control the heat so it doesn't go above 70-75°, you don't want it to boil but just become fluid and translucent. If you heat it too much it can be a nasty mess to clean up and it could ignite on its own so "bain-marie" is the way to go.

[@Spladoinkal]

As a non-guitar player that came to this channel to learn how to RECORD guitar, I've decided to pull the trigger on the Gotoh once I'm able and take some guitar lessons. I'm not looking to be a rockstar on guitar, just to be able to write the music in my head. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@wrench7665]

First, thanks for the great content Glen. The speaker argument was a complete eye opener for me personally. Pickups, I've kinda known this for a while but the examples you've shown sealed it. HOWEVER, as a semi-pro luthier for the past 20-ish years, I can add one tiny detail about pickups from personal experience: Yes, "tonal shifts" on high gain are mostly BS esp in a mix, but there is one damn pickup that now features on almost all my and my clients' guitars: Fluence. Why? It is the ONLY pickup I have come across that forced me to almost relearn guitar because of how unforgiving it is at showing your faults. Must be the PCB coiling because holy crap you can't hide any of your flaws (particularly sweep picking) if you're playing on fluences. Not tone, and I hate to say it, but individual note clarity.

[@wilhelmniklas3165]

I like the Ibanez GRG121DX-WNF. I bought it two years ago and must say the guitar feels nice and sounds nice.

[@bracket12]

I bought a cheap 7string schecter guitar and changed the bridge pickup to 7stringed Paf, didn't do it for the sound change, but when i record direct into my daw via my soundcard, the lower output makes finding the correct gain level easier and a nice sideeffect is that electric noise from monitors and pc is reduced quite a bit:) Love the show Glen!!! and please, can we get more mixing tutorials, make a new series on maybe drum mixing? Maybe difference when mixing toontrack (or similar) or live sets? thanks yet again. (btw sorry English isn't my main language so sorry for any errors:P)

[@TiagoCostaMusic]

GLENN!!! I play in a Heavy Metal band and recently the other guitarist and myself wanted to introduce some very needed change to our live shows, so each of us purchased a Jackson King V JS32. Both cost around 300€ and play very well. For cheaper guitars, they do have a couple of short comings such as the joint of the neck and body being a larger block like a Strat, instead of those smooth and more ergonomic ones that allow you for an easier access of the upper frets. The other issue would be the balance that's just a tad off but nothing like a cheap 90's BC Rich Warlock! No one attending our shows has ever complained about our sound. We both have more expensive guitars but these are just really cool guitars. Plus we're newer guitarists in a band that was founded in 1979, and we use multi-fx units and in-ear monitoring instead of amps, to the surprise of stage managers and other bands. Our gig set up (including festivals) got shortened to 10 minutes. If you can sound good and make the job easier for yourself and for the people handling the sound and stage, you owe this to yourself!

[@ghostsmoke11]

As a drummer I'm glad I don't have to worry about any of this. I just got a tube amp and a guitar that I thought looks cool. Sounds good and I'm happy. :)

[@rocinblues]

Thanks VG video. Next up checking out your bass software. Cheers!!

[@calebmckinney1442]

On the topic of gain staging and pickups. I recently made the opposite rig choice by switching from high gain humbuckers boosted into a dimed amp to a Jassmaster into an amp at 3 o’clock. The amount of definition I have gained especially on the higher strings is insane. I think one of the biggest problems when room vs recording is that a dimed amp sounds great in the room but is super muddy when recorded.

[@RoderikvanReekum]

No computer could ever replace a Bass player!🎸🤘🤟

[@CyberChrist]

No bass player could ever replace a computer ^^

[@RoderikvanReekum]

@@CyberChrist Even a Bass player could count to 1 so it would be possible.

[@sparella]

​@@RoderikvanReekum😂

[@guitarproducerenjoyer]

Thanks Glenn, you and Jim Lill prove that most of what musicians and music producers assumed as facts were completely wrong and most of the time things that companies and gear snobs invented in order to spend as much money as possible in things that don't really matter. It's time to put into test most of the things that we considered as irrefutable truths about music production and sound. Keep going!!!

[@TheMixClub]

I have been using a sE Electronics Voodoo VR2 Active Ribbon mic on loads of Sound sources. It sounds killer on what ever I throw at it.

[@jcrbama]

ESP LTD EC-256 Falls just under the $500 mark. I have a couple of pricey guitars (over $3,000) and about 50% of the time I pick up the LTD. I swapped the tuners out for some locking ones and it plays like a dream and is solid as a rock. I think they ship them with locking tuners these days, but mine doesn't have them. Even the stock pickups are damn nice and they have coil splitting as well, very versatile.

[@jseaux]

There was a video of Jim Root years ago saying he doesn’t like maple fretboards, because he says they are too bright. Then he launched a new guitar with Charvel with a maple fretboard. He then came back later and says maple wasn’t as bright as he remembered.

[@damillionmalania]

I think it's generally hard to shop for instruments because the setup will change my perception of the quality completely. It's hard enough to guess the potential of the instrument in the music store, let alone if you decide to buy online.

[@opentls]

I bought a Ibanez RGRT421for 495 euros recently and I'm absolutely loving it. Plays so nicely, looks so good. The only thing I regret is that I didn't ditch my Gibson 5 years earlier. I put some locking tuners on, and I'm probably gonna replace the nut. But it survived its first gig without a problem, and the tuning stability was amazing.

[@AtoragoN1]

well, there is a difference between low gain pickups and hi gain ones which is quite hard to "correct" just by increasing the gain, and it's mainly in the low end: a low gain pickup, if you crank the gain in the amp, has usually a more muddy and less tight/controlled low end (if you match the volume between the 2). There can be also some signal to noise ratio difference, which is one of the reasons why also David Gilmour plays active emgs in his stratocaster.

[@Celmondas]

Oh cant wait to see the Aeroband Guitar Review

[@seansterling5322]

Glenn, I gotta say thanks for all the info during the last couple of years. Honestly, Im pretty pissed at all the bullshit I bought into from companies that were simply trying to sell a few more units. I always felt like I couldn't hear a difference between about 90% of the sounds of say before/after tube changes or between this pickup vs that when played through the same amp with the same settings. But I always assumed that maybe I just didn't have the "magical hearing" to find the differences. Thanks for helping me realize the truth of if it fucks like a duck, it's probably not a chicken.

[@crankydragon]

I just got a Squire Affinity Telecaster Deluxe and I am super happy with it. I do want to upgrade the saddles and the pots but those aren't necessary. It's pretty damned good stock.

[@michaelgallegos8811]

Good morning Glen happy Friday man!🎉

[@Lieutenant_Dude]

If you enjoy testing differences in pickup sound and construction, buying cheap non brand name versions may be something to look into. I bought Artec pickups one time to put a higher quality component in an alibaba strat knock off I bought. I thought it sounded much nicer. And they were 30 dollars for a set of 3.

[@LRRPFco52]

At 11:00, it reminds me of when I first saw Chimaira in 2001. They didn't have any cabinets on stage, but their sound was so massive and clear. They blew Slayer off the stage, which was the only reason why I was there (to see Slayer). I talked with their sound guy afterwards and asked him what they were doing, and he said they just went through their amp heads direct into the PA to then EQ out the mix for a full, balanced sound. I later saw them open for Fear Factory and Slipknot, and they blew them both off the stage as well at House of Blues in Myrtle Beach. It was a great concert mainly because of Chimaira. Threy made me look at gear set-up differently after that. Subscribed

[@jacksonhoward3743]

On great value guitars - my most reliable guitar is my 'old' Jackson Js23 HSS Dinky from about 2013 or so with the natural finish. The stock single coils are great, but I did put in a Duncan Full Shred as the output of it blends better than the stock humbucker did. (although it sounds great in the other guitar I put it in) I bring it to every gig. It is always rock solid in tune, the maple neck never seems to move, it's plays wonderfully with no sharp frets thanks to The binding, and the HSS pickups mean it can work for whatever style I need

[@fallencrow1936]

A couple of things I learned building some pickups: 1) for my tests what Glenn says about the relation of the output of the pickup and gain stage of the amp is correct 2) The type of pickups (single coil vs humbucker vs p90 etc), the size of the bobbin, magnets and diameter of the copper wire your using do change the sound of the pickup, but all the other bullshit like material (look at the prices of plain enamel wire ahah) of the wire, in my experience doesn't. 3) Inductance is the most important quality of a pickup, it can be controlled with how much metal is present in the pickup. Measuring and testing the Inductance with a LCR meter at specific frequencies is the only way i found to have an IDEA on how the pickup will sound, an higher value will make the pickup sound louder and darker. 4) Advertised DC Resistance is bullshit. It will change a lot with the ambient temperature and it will be only useful to get an IDEA of the output of the pickup. I could build 2 humbuckers with the same Resistance but with dramatically different sound because the inductance is different. 5) Magnets do actually make a difference. The stronger the magnet the more output and more string pull. Alnico magnets have also more iron in them, making the Inductance raise and consequently darker. Most of the advertised things are bullshit. And the most important thing is having a pickup not too bright or not too dark. If i had to choose i would say that a brighter pickup is better than a darker one though because most of the guitars have a (passive) tone knob.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

You forgot the part where putting even a tiny amount of gain on the signal completely negates the tone of a pickup :)

[@cbreitigan1]

Glennnnn! I love your videos and I had a questions about your production timeline - you say here you're trying to hit 450k subs but the channel is already passed 500k (congrats by the way!). What is the average turn around time between recording and publishing a video for you? Not hating, just genuinely want to know. I think it would be really cool if you did a "behind the scenes" and gave us a look into your KZbin workflow. Thanks for all you do!

[@Guilhermetmfranco]

He corrected that information at 17:06...check text on screen...

[@thefinalpie]

I think your pickup video worked cuz some guy is selling his set of SD Black Winters for less than a third of the price on Kijiji. Needed a set of high output pickups anyway for a project so thanks for the sweet deal Glenn.

[@soundman1402]

If you're interested in ribbons, take a look at the Shure KSM313. It uses a more robust material for the ribbon so it can take high SPLs without deforming. I've used it on guitar cabs a number of times, and it pairs well with a 57 if you want more sizzle. Ribbons usually EQ nicely, so if it's too dark, give a boost to the highs. One side is also usually brighter than the other side.

[@br00talbr00skeez]

Dear sweet Glenn, I bought an Epiphone SG pro in Pelham blue (alot like your HB, but maybe a bit more pale in blue). And it was an awesome guitar. It was a “vintage reissue” and had humbuckers with coil tap. It was pretty affordable and really bad ass. I wish I kept it😢.

[@1loveMusic2003]

The only time pickups (humbuckers) mattered for me was when I got a Japan Les Paul with PAF style pups and when I was chugging the low strings it was very muddy and undefined so I put Deactivators in it and the chuggs tightened right up. The PAFs sounded warmer for cleans because the Deactivators were too aggressive. Less dynamics with your pick attack with high output pups.

[@DJClassicAuto]

I have, since the 60s, gone through a number of guitars and put a staggering variety of pickups in them. My first good guitar was a '64 Gibson Melody maker D with those, I think that they were called, PU380 single coils that I bought for $50 in a pawn shop. But, having gone through those and everything from DiMarzio to Seymore Duncan and everything in between, I am forced to quote Bertrand Russell on his meeting with Lenin in 1920. " I was less impressed by him than I expected to be." I have now scaled back to one guitar, a 93 American Standard strat that I bought when it was brand new, still completely stock in every respect, and that suits my needs just fine.

[@DreadedMetal]

Hi Glenn. On the high output VS low output thing. Ive found that high output pickups tend to have a higher noise floor to signal ratio so if you want to run higher gain sounds its easier to gate out the nosie of a high output pickup then a medium or low output. its only marginal but if your running somthing crazy like a HM2 chainsaw tone.

[@Mandilore89]

Before this video, I also was considering the Kramer Nite V myself. It looked very well made!

[@zwerko]

The only issue I have with Kramers are their but-uggly headstocks on pretty much any guitar I'd consider from them... I know, I know, but I just can't look past it...

[@TitaniusAnglesmith]

@@zwerko Put a paper bag over it. Problem solved

[@punkassfunk]

When I changed the stock Epiphone pickup for a Seymour Duncan JB, it changed the tone drastically. Pickups DO change your tone regardless what anyone tells you 👍🤘

[@TitaniusAnglesmith]

Only if they're wired incorrectly 🤷‍♂️ You can get the same sound with some amp tweaking

[@truescotsman4103]

You're not going to get the same sound out of a single coil pickup You're going to get out of a JB. You're not going to get the same sound out of a 59 humbucker that you're going to get out of a JB no matter what you do to the amp

[@jackbootshamangaming4541]

IDK Glenn, I normally agree on pickups, but I can still hear a big difference coming from Schecter's duncan designed AHB-1s to my fishman fluence, I can even hear the difference in between the modes, while in high gain.

[@kindsthaler]

True. Took me an eternity to mic up my Amps so i feel good with that. But Every Engineer loves a guitarist who knows how to set up his sound so it works well when miced up in the Mix. not just "in the room". btw the harley benton cab i use is more than fine.

[@insidethestudio3886]

I've got an HSS Squier Strat I picked up for $199 at Guitar Center that sounds pretty good through the Peavey Windsor. Granted, I was using an oversized Fender 412 cab (vertical configuration) with a Greenback, V30, and a Peavey Blue Marvel in it (the original Fender Blue Label was unhooked since the voice coil was warped from age), but on the Celestions, it sounded amazing. I've since switched all of those speakers to a cheap Crate 412 cabinet and have been meaning to test it out.

[@matzo570]

So my suggestion is a Hagstrom Ultra Swede. I bought my for 459€ in 2019. Unfortunately now it is over 500. But i would like to see a review or a comparisson to other guitars in this price range. My second one is an ESD LTD EC-256. I love both versatile sound options an good playability. The Hagstrom has a very small and light body, i love this. Thanks for your videos Glenn!

[@JohnGeldreich]

I bought a Slick SL54T from GuitarFetish in the Indigo Ash finish and it quickly became my favorite guitar. It goes for $239 USD and I was able to upgrade the tuners, the nut, and bridge saddles without going over $500. One of my favorite features is that fingerprints never show up on the open pore ash finish. You should try one out.

[@EddyDarkNightmare]

Hey Glenn, I know a brand that does stuff pretty differently than others, it's called "Eko" and it's an Italian manufacturer that has an Asian and an Italian production. Italian stuff is not cheap but what I'd like to see on your channel is something made in Asia. Have a great one and thanks for the awesome content

[@offseteraofficialband]

I just picked up a few Zemaitis Z22 Les Paul style guitars for under $500! Great guitars!

[@k2rocksstl]

Another great weekly wrapup, Glenn! I gotta say that I dig your channel because you SEEK tonal dynamics as opposed to just relying on the opinions of the "industry". I have never bought something because My guitar hero said it's the best in some rag somewhere because I realized that the only reason he's saying that is that they gave him what he's using, and probably cash for more fancy footwear. Endorsements are salesmanship. Maybe that's why Gibson hasn't given Joe Bonamassa a full fledged deal yet is because he plays the hell out of Fenders, also. Maybe Kirk Hammett won't "sign" with Gibson is because they won't make a strat-style with graphics? Or Hetfield because of his loyalty to Kirk. What I'm saying as a person IN marketing, look at whats not being said as much as what is and by whom. And remember that the biggest smokestacks blow the most smoke. Keep up the great work and thanks for the new bass player (Singularity)!!! No more ride sharing, COUCH sharing or "ol' lady" problems!!!! THANK F*CK!!!!!😂

[@bluetopia42]

Yeah, I just got me an HB R-446 with greenish flip flop (interference) color. Except the 1 or 2 things, this guitar is quite something for under 200 bucks. Don't forget to marinate the fret board in lemon oil if it's too sandy... for at least 10 days (and polish the frets). Greetings from Germany, Glenn! Always nice to hear from you. Hope to see you at the next Guitar Summit. 🤘 I'd love to see you maybe connect with other guitar nerds from here like Bernd Kiltz...

[@martin-1965]

So glad to have Butthurt back - love that sound - makes my day. Glenn - I've been playing for 48 years now. I still record at home onto an old Mac running Logic. Now I frontend into a Behringer UMC404HD and signal chain Keeley Andy Timmins, EHX String9, Headrush MX5 for effects AND ToneX into the line in on the interface. I'm playing parts - not heavy stuff mainly - for a small tv channel in the UK called the BBC and for their radio channels. I use Squiers, Epiphones, Vintage (brand not age) and a Fender Ed O'Brien Strat with a killer Sustainiac set up for insane sounds. I play all my synth parts on the guitar and freak out my BBC producer who goes WTF how did you do that??? LOL On top of that my home rig for practice and fun is a Harley Benton Tube 15 (Monoprice in the US/Canada I believe). What a freaking crazy good amp. Tried many small amps after I had to lose my Marshall Bluesbreaker 1976 due to poverty years ago (hey musician, money comes, money goes lol) and frankly I think my experience over the years playing metal, rock and even effing country (harder than metalheads might think that picking shit) has proved that - COUGH - "Everything Glenn says about tonewood, pickups and all the other snake oil bullshit is 110% true. I wanted to write that in fucking permanent flames across the sky so that even Paul Reed Smith would STFU. For 30 of my years I only ever had one guitar I will never sell. An Ibanez 1978 Musician with active circuitry. The circuitry is fucked long ago and all I use is a Seymour Duncan Invader in the bridge for the last 30 years. The switch for the active is now my "kill switch" which is amazing. Recorded 14 albums of which 2 were my own band, and the others guest spots and only claim to fame is co-writing credits on a #3 chart album and single in the UK from decades ago. I say all this because, like Glenn, I am sick and tired of you wonderful guitarists getting ripped off by these bastards in companies selling you bollocks that, at best, gives you bragging rights. Christ, I tried a Dave Mustaine Explorer a year ago and it sounded like shit so I sold it for peanuts asap, which made me sad as I love Megadeth. Kids - and at my age most of you are kids to me bless ya - save your money, listen to Uncle Glenn, focus on becoming better riff and song writers, don't worry about breaking some speed limit in your playing - you'll never be the fastest gun in the west AND it's boring. Finally - LISTEN TO YOUR PRODUCER. Ideally get them to a) see you live or b) attend a rehearsal, so they can get a handle on the sound you make as a band THEN when you go into studio your producer, Glenn or otherwise, will know what you after. Sorry for long rant but I meet so many players who are putting their hard earned money into the wrong things. Yes, get a guitar that you connect with and fall in love with - be it a Gibson or a $300 overseas guitar - and go and fight for the right to rock and roll. We can't let this mofos with their sad raps and crap rule the charts forever. It's down to you guys to save rock and roll and you are outnumbered on all sides by crap corporate bollocks. Difference is - YOU ROCK and they suck. Never let the rock and roll spirit die. I need to hear your music to give me hope as I move into my twilight years AND I have already heard some great demos on Glenn's demo review show so I know there is hope and you ARE out there working hard. Don't get distracted by shiny things and bollocks - crank it up and as Motorhead said "Everything Louder Than Everything Else" lol. Much love and peace to you all. Music is the only religion you or I will ever need. PS: Sorry for long post bit I had to vent 🤘🤘🤘

[@a.t.mandragon761]

I have a Washburn Parallaxe V260 from 2018 only thing i did was install Seymour Duncan invader pickups to replace the stock duncan designed ones. My favorite metal machine.

[@YURI-OFFICIAL]

The Harley Benton R-446 was my first guitar that i got and for only £120, it's mazing for both metal and rock, and came in superb quality, and plays really well, even a 5 way pickup select and also just looks really nice (I got the plum pink one). Really good recommendation for an entry level guitar for aspiring metal/rock guitar players at a cheap price.

[@MaximusAdonicus]

Facts. I got the red one. Though I have a buzzing issue with the strings, but haven't had the time to dwelve into it... :/

[@YURI-OFFICIAL]

@MaximusAdonicus I know there was a very small issue with my nut not being filed down quite enough as its a stronger material as the usual, but I didn't find it to really be an issue. You could take it into any guitar shop and get it done pretty cheap and quick probably if it's the same issue as it probably is

[@MaximusAdonicus]

@@YURI-OFFICIAL Hard to tell. I hope it's just an adjust on the truss-rod... I hope I don't have to take it to a doc, there's only 1 guitar shop in this city and the guy over there is a dick who charges a ton of money!

[@SlyRyFry]

The Ibanez GIO GRG121SP is a great budget guitar (around $300), the blue metal chameleon finish looks even better in person. Not the biggest fan of the medium sized frets and the pickups/electronics could use an upgrade, but they're amazing mod platforms. Just wish they'd offer the green yellow chameleon finish that only shows up on the EU version of the Ibanez site at some point

[@Pj32Sr]

Luv my gios, all 3 have been better quality than 800 to 1k I've purchased

[@rocpile2517]

I repair and do set ups on guitars and have a nice sound system For live and recording and I hate to admit it but just about everything Glenn says about sound is spot on correct from my view point.

[@andyhamm6389]

You mentioned that everyone is going direct with guitars these days, which is great from my pov as a live sound tech. In ear monitors is another investment that can make a band's live act so much better, especially i you are striving for a tighter sound. You get undelayed sound no matter where you are on the stage (like monitoring with headphones while recording) and less sound pollution in the FOH mix. Can you maybe do an episode of prepping for a live show and demonstrate what loud guitar and bass amps bleeding into a full set of drum and vocal mics spread out in distance like they would be on a stage, EQ'd for their individual intent?

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

I don't think that is Glenn's forte. He is a studio engineer. And I think he's said that live mixing is not his thing. I have done live FOH and monitor mixing and the loud a$$hole guitar player with his amp dialed up to 11, a rule Number 2 jumping around on stage inconsistently hitting his bass strings, drummers that think playing loud makes them better and the singer needing to have his ears bleed from hearing himself on the monitors are easily the biggest things that complicate a live mix. I never had a problem with the guitars intruding in the drum mics, but an a$$hole guitarist with a big loud amp, there was just nothing you could do with that, and me and my colleagues just turned the guitars down out of the FOH mix. Enthusiastic bass players tend to hit the bass strings very mixed. The notes could come in either much louder then originally gained in or softer, depending on how well they were practicing their pogo skills at the same time. Which was why we would often compress the sh1t out of a bass player to get a more even result. Very loud drums force the whole band to play louder as well. And like with the a-hole guitar player, past a certain point you can't compensate for it any on the FOH and you just turn the drum mics off. With singers the problems come from the monitor mix and they are the ones most at risk guitar and bass amp bleed. What makes a good monitor mix hard is always the struggle between turning up the monitors so the artists can hear them and trying to cut out the frequencies that most cause feedback. Which are often the ones you still need to be heard. Singers demand a lot of volume on their monitors, which often causes their mics to feedback. Which becomes worse with bad mic handling techniques, like cupping the mic and holding it too close to the monitors. I was always glad to have a singer use inears or have a guitar player go direct. Eliminating the singer from the center monitors always removed like 90% of mic feedback problems. The rest of the band usually always wants to hear the singer too on their monitors, but never as much as the singer themselves. And having the guitar player go direct also makes your life so much easier. For a while there were, and maybe still are, a lot of soundguys who don't know how to handle guitar or bass going direct, but it's 2023. I reckon by now even the old dinosaurs have caught on.

[@YukonDemon]

"Be excellent to each other" at the end. A Bill and Ted reference?? Fuck yeah, Glenn. Fuck yeah. Lol!

[@Frank_Kreepy]

According to Rick beato's interview, Yngwee run's a really clean single coil with an indecent radioactive level of gain at the amp. I guess the gain staging topic would deserve a deep dive at some point Glenn.

[@garyk4417]

I bought a 1997 Epiphone Les Paul jr some years back with a single stock P90 in it for $100. Guitar feels great and sounded great too. I used it as my backup guitar at shows. Ultimately I dropped a Lollar P90 into it and I love it even more, despite the fact that it's one of the sandwich plywood guitars.

[@Joey.Darkwoods-Studio]

Since the early 2000's I picked up on the cab being key in a tone. I usually had five 4x12 cabs in an apartment, yeah I know, crazy right!! A mesa, 2 VHT's (slant/straight P50E's), custom Splawn with X pattern, and Marshall 1960. I know pickups don't change a lot, but there is a difference, and I still reference the Keith Merrow Duncan videos, I mean even you can't say those videos don't show off a difference. You mentioned a future remake of that test, still waiting on that one.

[@francobuzzetti9424]

Gleen! i would love if you could expand(or test?) the diference between higher output at the pickup vs just a clean boost right after. IMO knowing how everything works a change of pickups would just equate to running an EQ pedal 1st on the chain (it's just frequency and output variations) if this proves to be effective you could just use a low wounds humbuckers to retain the highs a bit more (if that matters to you) and just boost the output of that before hitting the amp ! thank you for all you work demystifying the guitar