Guitar Legend Paul Reed Smith Unveils Secrets

[@chicagomusicexchange]

OK! So, first and foremost we here at The Chicago Music Exchange LOVE every one of you and love the spirited debate going on here! Please remember a couple of things, we sell an extremely broad range of guitars that cover you from a $300 couch acoustics to wickedly loud colored shredders, every color/shape of strats and all the way up to $400,000 vintage Les Pauls. And that breadth exists for a reason, because the breadth of interests and tastes of the guitar player industry is vast. And hence so is the breadth of opinions out there in regards to each and every type of guitar player! Please keep that in mind when you swing for the fences with each typed comment on here, please keep it civil and remember - we all just want to keep playing music and having fun while doing it! Thank you! CME 🤘🤘

[@chicagomusicexchange]

Also we have not deleted any comments and did not purposely hide likes/dislikes. By default that feature is turned off. We've turned it on so THUMBS AWAY!

[@jevans9359]

I dont think anyone is blaming CME for hosting Paul Reed Smith. I think many people are put off by his theories and condescending behavior.

[@dilesmavis1196]

"Breath of opinions" is an interesting way to put something that has already been settled scientifically. Love CME, don't hold this interview against you in anyway, I already know what a crackpot Paul is. But, realize you are inviting someone who's arguments are flimsy at best, and full of ad hominem arguments - the guy has had multiple embarrassing videos pulled from youtube - you gotta know who you're inviting.

[@GJ-yr5jo]

CME is absolutely not at fault for hosting PRS. It's part of the industry and you're doing a great job by facilitating discussion and driving the industry forward. It's just a pity that this time, it ended up in a windbag sounding like a fool on stage. But that reflects poorly on him, not on CME.

[@DMSBrian24]

No one's disliking because of CME and in fact, most of us probably appreciate PRS guitars, I own a Santana myself and it sounds amazing. It's cool to see that you're willing to provide a forum to this important discussion and I'll like the video just for that reason. The reason why many people dislike it is because they disagree with Paul on this subject or think that he's ridiculing their valid criticism (which if you ask me, is absolutely the case here), it's the same as News channels posting news about sth terrible happening and getting a ton of dislikes, often it's not about coverage, it's about the subject itself.

[@t23c56]

Everybody watch Jim Lill. Watch it now. It's unbiased and shows you exactly what matters in getting good guitar tone. It's actually backed by experiments and not just words.

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

💯👍

[@HALWASRIGHT]

Whhhhhhhhooooo cares?

[@joetowers4804]

​@@HALWASRIGHTif somebody is curious, then those people should. You cared enough to comment, ehy don't you give it a try?

[@matthewsommerville88]

It is compelling. But after everyone saying watch it, I did. It’s not nearly exhaustive enough at all to be conclusive in any way. It’s a few seconds of footage in an open tuning. I thought it was entertaining and creative, but as a working, well trained analyst, I didn’t find it to have much scientific merit at all

[@dilesmavis1196]

@@matthewsommerville88 I mean there's definitely some merit in his experience. Not sure what open tuning has to do with it all mr. analyst? BTW there are research papers out of germany that have scientifically debunked tone wood.

[@t23c56]

Legitimately was going to buy a prs guitar, but probably won't after watching that. I can't with good conscience give this man my money.

[@johnbach2380]

TO be fair 90 percent of the legacy guitar world are tone wood believers. 😂 Prs makes amazing instruments regardless of this crap.

[@Daledavispratt]

I'm with you on that. It's hard to separate the man from his product, although they are nice instruments.

[@ryangunwitch-black]

That’s funny. I like the man and not the guitar. They’re fantastic instruments but they’re just not for me.

[@adamwatson6916]

Now he is arguing that vintage guitars and amps are crap and his are better so buy his instead . He reminds me of the Scumback speakers guy . Another guy who won't get a 1 dollar from me . He speakers sound no closer to vintage Celestions than modern Celestions do or any other speaker Producer but he will tell you modern Celestions sound terrible but his are the second coming of Pre Rola Celestion . How did he recreate the Pulsonic cones ? Oh yeah thats right he didn't.

[@mike70s]

The man created a guitar company from the ground up building guitars. He would have played and studied thousands of guitars. He definitely has more educated opinion than most of the bedroom guitarists on the internet

[@rogerdat7807]

Where can I buy a balsa guitar with rubber nuts and bridge?

[@wvo2m]

Try the vaseline shop. 😂

[@GuyInnagorillasuit]

Rubber nuts and bridge? But I hardly know her!

[@shawnbell6392]

I'd love to own the kitchen counter top strat from a few years back the guy in the UK made.

[@jimflanagan8073]

Jim Lil really did just wreck the decades old snake oil guitar industry with one incredible video, didn't he? Paul is flapping like a wounded duck here. There are basically two camps at this point; the die hard cork sniffers who simply will never accept that tonewoods make diddly squat difference on an amped guitar. And the rest of us.

[@purrpocalypse]

Jim Lill's test is flawed. Someone will eventually do one that doesn't use a telecaster bridge.

[@doctorfuzzzdirtbox]

I'm very glad to find that so many people in this comment section see through the hypocrisy here.

[@Joelvete6]

Toanwood is super important. I think everyone had this moment where they recorded a riff on a guitar with an ash body and then think to themselves: "This is totally a mahogany riff." So they rerecorded it on exactly the same guitar but with a mahogany body and then it sounds amazing. I don't go near a studio without at least having 3 teles all made out of different wood nowadays. /S

[@tomguitar1963]

You should try a core PRS zero quality issues.

[@Dreamdancer11]

Now imagine that you get the same recordings but from a third person that didnt tell you about the differences....do you think you would still spot the difference?Cause if you cant( like almost everyone in a blind test ever) that means those differences werent there in the first place....

[@Joelvete6]

@@Dreamdancer11 it's a joke bro

[@jordimateubartroli951]

​@@tomguitar1963Nobody denies prs quality: good hardware, good pickups, good construction, good finishes. They would still sound great with other woods.

[@realce666]

This is a good vid to dissuade people from ever buying a PRS guitar.

[@rustyshackleford288]

Paul does such a great job here...at alienating people who don't already own his instruments. He calls anyone who disagrees an idiot and a loser as if no one who would consider buying from him discounts the importance of tonewood. Btw, PRS guitars are not known for their amazing tone, they are known for their beauty and overrated quality control (believe me, I can find flaws on any PRS, especially in the finish work). paul is obsessed with the "science" of selecting tonewood but guitars made 70 years ago by people who didn't care sound way better? That makes him a failure at what he prizes most. And why do ppl say they don't sound as good? The pickups! Swap them out and they sound just as good as something else with the same pickups. No one argues that nuts and saddles and strings don't matter, only Paul makes that disingenuous argument. I don't think he knows what he's arguing against but it says a lot about a person that he so adamantly defends an argument he doesn't understand

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

He's been doing this same song and dance, almost word for word as far as a year ago (probably longer) there's a video from Dipped In Tone podcast that was around a year ago and he makes the violin analogy and all that, sounds like he's reading from a script.

[@johnbach2380]

If PRS has overrated quality control then I can't imagine who puts out their type of amount of axes and keeps a good QC and consistency beyond Ernie Ball Music Man.

[@johnbach2380]

I own like 8 PRS guitars... and they're all flawless in terms of fit and finish. Only other brand that kind of keeps up that I've had experience with personally is Aristides, and they're a small builder by comparison. So no, I don't "believe" you. 🤣

[@delamar6199]

You are absolutely right. Every PRS I played wasn't inspiring or sounded particularly outstanding. They are good but not a holy grail of sound PRS stamp them to be. Regarding QC. This reminds me of a good dozen PRSs I saw up until 2014 where the neck and bridge pickups were not in line... I also see more than enough PRS (USA Core) were the string alignment is slightly off center along the neck. With a brand like PRS and their own praise I expect absolute perfection with this kind of stuff. One thing PRS is undeniably really good at is sourcing beautiful wood and and finishing. I often feel the whole tonewood and sound science thing is the only marketing PRS can do in order to compete against the big names.

[@johnbach2380]

@@delamar6199 Yeah, it's not like Gibson doesn't charge DOUBLE the guitar price for something like brazilian rosewood. 🤣

[@Obiekb]

I really like PRS guitars, Paul, not so much. Yeah he knows how to build a guitar. I’ve played plenty of PRS guitars back to back, some resonate, some don’t. Pauls superiority air really doesn’t help his case. He sounds like a stupid angry old man.

[@joetowers4804]

Sounds like, lol.

[@mattwesthaver6909]

Why doesn't he just get Jim lill and try to convince him, it's the video we need

[@Airhead348]

Did you listen to that video on wireless earphones through your phone through youtube, or your phone speakers? Shit sounds different in person.

[@mattwesthaver6909]

@@Airhead348 no

[@Cougar139tweak]

as soon as Jim lill starts his own Guitar company......

[@davidtomkins4242]

@@Cougar139tweakyou mean “as soon as Jim gets a vested interest in selling instruments”?

[@acidoxyde]

@@Airhead348 no one argues that there is no difference acoustically, on the contrary, everyone agrees there is! What everyone is saying is that, plugged in, there is no audible difference

[@richardjorgensen1291]

I bought a wood library- hollow body 2 prs guitar with a torreffied curly maple neck and had to have the fret filed due to fret sprout. Also have been waiting 6 months to get this guitar back from prs repair shop due to blistering of clear coat on the guitar's finish

[@rogerdat7807]

Buy a Tyler (either you know or you dont). You'll thank me.

[@waveymattdavey]

Why does he keep saying the wood must have an impact because old strings sound different?

[@IMPULSOESTATICO]

Classic boomer starting the conversation blaming "the internet people in their basement" for opinions he doesn't like.

[@disco4535]

"Blaming"? Blaming them for what? He made a statement on a group's opinion, threw in a jab to make the basement dwellers cry,a dn then made his argument. Typical victimhood addict "why he blaming me reeee"

[@thefilmandmusic]

Or aren’t correct ..

[@G00s7-i3x]

@@thefilmandmusicthen why does he use ad hominem and not just address the actual arguments, not the ones me makes up in his head.

[@aboomer420]

@@thefilmandmusic Did you watch Jim Lill's video? Might want to before you make yourself look stupid on the internet again.

[@MezzMcGillicuddy1]

Oh, here we go with the “boomer” comments. FFS.

[@dilesmavis1196]

Embarrassing arguments, I had to eventually stop and walk away. The argument is about tone woods in electrics, but he's talking about strings, vaseline, violins, rubber bridges, putting electric parts on an acoustic - none of these things address the actual argument. What a smoke and mirror show. Love how he says the audience had the courage to bring it up first - he literally invites them to...

[@kylebollendorf4856]

He’s so hard to listen to…maybe he’s just a natural contrarian. even though I respect his opinion and skill as a luthier and businessman, he comes across like a complete condescending douche

[@pm9928]

Actually in mentioning those variables like nuts and strings and all he's talking about *holding them Constant* to find what rings the longest... seems fair

[@davidtomkins4242]

Paul fundamentally doesn’t understand what the tonewood argument is about

[@Slime-Man-Extreme]

@@davidtomkins4242 He knows the argument, I'm sure. It's just in his best interest to lie and strawman the argument because he sells very expensive guitars with exotic woods. IMO, he would be a much more likable person if he admitted that the wood has very little to do with the sound of an electric guitar other than looking cool.

[@knuckleheadcollections]

​@@Slime-Man-Extreme.... I respectfully disagree. Here's why .... I'm a newbie. I can barely play. Right now I'm trying to learn the pentatonic scales to give you an idea of where I'm at. I have three entry-level guitars, and all three of them sound different, when they're not plugged in. I mean I can can barely make an argument, but if they're unplugged, and I'm a novice, and I can clearly hear the difference between the three, to me that seems like it's the wood. I mean it's the only difference between the three. The tone and type of wood seem to make a difference to me. I don't know. Maybe I'm missing something here. I mean there's just nothing left other than the wood, considering all things equal that being the string, the bridges and etc. Anyway, that's my two cents. I welcome yours ... !!! 😎🤙🏼

[@abiishk]

was this guy ever dropped on his head?

[@leegollin4417]

Every time I post a link to Jim Lill it gets deleted…..watch his video on the subject for an unbiased and scientific take.

[@christopherguzzi1316]

It's not a conspiracy. The subject does not matter. Any link anyone posts will get deleted.

[@rong648]

What I liked about Jim's demonstration was, that he left it up to the listener to make the determination, do you hear a difference?

[@ronchorivera]

yup. Whats more accurate? A person who makes profit off of selling his "thoughts". Or a person who creates unbiased experiments then lets you decide.

[@Airhead348]

Listening through your wireless earbuds or phone speakers through youtube??

[@Cougar139tweak]

@@Airhead348 Amen, I don't understand why people don't just make their own guitar from a kit made out of plywood. There is more to it then Tone. Wood quality matters

[@kestrelmerriweather392]

Don't know who his retainer is, but they should have pulled him away the moment he started talking about rubber strings and rubber bridges.

[@brutalpedz]

Funny how he gave absolutely no technical information about tonewood but only argument from authority. He's acting like a sect guru doing his one man show. Silly

[@dave5655]

@dv8322 That's demonstrable evidence that can be replicated. Kind of like how there is a lot of technical information how an amp works. He has none and he knows it. I need to add that his entire argument is "nu uh" and "you should believe me because reasons".

[@dave5655]

Not only that, but he straw maned the hell out of the debate.

[@themeanmachine84]

@dv8322 "but nothing regarding sound that isn't subjective", so you just answered the question if the tonewood matters. The actual question should probably be "how much" does it matter and "in what sense". Cause I can believe there are things about it that matter in some ways but not when it comes to tone and sound. And it's a difference to have an opinion and to sell expensive products based just on opinion without providing any actual evidence to back it up.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@dv8322 Not exactly. You can measure tone with a spectrum analyzer. You can take a guitar play it, record the tone, then put all the hardware, neck, pickups and everything on a second guitar body made from a complete different species of wood and measure it again. It will either sound different or it won't. If it does the spectrum analyzer will show the difference at each frequency. And Paul hasn't spent his life "making" guitars, he's spent his life "selling" guitars.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@dv8322 Well you can be a genius and still be a bit goofy. I think Paul enjoys the debate. I think he likes to say things like that to get people riled up. He also said in an interview that it takes a talented player to draw the sounds out of the instrument, basically saying tone was "in the hands". So I kind of take what he says with a grain of salt. No one can deny Eddie VanHalen was a revolutionary guitarists, but he was kind of a nut too, and frequently told tall tales. Leo Fender and Paul Smith are very different in their approach to guitars. Leo took more of an engineer's view. He chose woods that were affordable and easy to source and didn't concern himself with the idea of "tonewood". PRS chooses wood for aesthetics and tone. But both learned from other people. Leo had Doc Kauffman who had worked for Rickenbacker and PRS learned from Ted McCarty who was president of Gibson. The thing Paul and Leo have in common is that they approached the guitar in a new way and brought some innovations. But that still doesn't mean PRS isn't a salesman first and guitar builder second.

[@rong648]

I wonder why Paul didn't play guitars made from different "tone woods" so we could hear the difference. He had a wall of guitars to choose from or he could have brought some with him.

[@kvanoss]

I was there and brought a $700 Epiphone Les Paul to trade in towards a 24-08 Custom. I really wish I would have asked him to play the Epiphone to “sell” me on the PRS. Went home with the 24-08 anyway. BTW, the PRS sounds 100 times better.

[@rong648]

@@kvanoss It looked like they had a lot to choose from.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Because the people in the audience, especially those that don't play guitar would go "what's the difference...sounds like a guitar."

[@rong648]

@@JayceAllanGuitar The bald guy in front with the Paul Reed Smith t-shirt agreed with everything.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@@rong648 Want to see someone that agrees with him, search for the KZbin video about Smith's presentation from the channel Play and Trade Guitars. That dude basically says "don't believe science, believe your heart"...

[@laciep837]

funny how the tone improvement correlates so exactly with the price of the wood. you want to know what tonewood has a better tone than the next tonewood? check the pricetag. triple-spalted zebra flamed burled cocobolo (or whatever idfk) will always sound better than alder. it's just obvious. it sounds better because it costs more. when are people going to realize this fact? Haters destroyed. Jim Lall in shambles. Debate conclusively ended.

[@wayfaerer320]

Tonewoods absolutely matter on acoustic instruments - acoustic guitars, violins, cellos, mandolins, and electric guitars unplugged - there is absolutely no debate and you don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand it changes the sound. But an electric guitar plugged in - the magnetic pickups are not picking up what your ear is hearing from the unplugged electric guitar. It's not the same thing and you also don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand that either. What's hilarious is that Paul keeps making the argument that the bridge, nut, strings, frets, and scale length change the sound (and he's absolutely right), but yet he still doesn't address the wood. He keeps comparing electric guitars to violins as if somehow an acoustic violin is a valid comparison to magnetic pickups on an electric guitar (it's silly).

[@seth6691]

He comes off SO pompous and patronizing.

[@blandest4788]

You can just try out an aluminium guitar. It will sound very different.

[@2morrowillcome]

Exactly.

[@josephhutchins8]

@@blandest4788 You're talking about a material which is completely different, if you have a guitar with a mahogany body and one with an alder body 99% of people will not know the difference just by sound.

[@johnsausage]

At least what we can say is that the construction / material of the body, neck, nut, bridge have an effect on sustain (which to me is not equal to tone). Imagine a bridge made out of rubber xD. So we could settle (to some degree) to call it "sustain wood***" whereas "***" states that it also depends on other pieces of the guitar. Or just call it "sus wood" 🤣. Edit: With sustain there will also be "sympathetic resonances" (not sure if this is the right expression?).. when the volume of certain note is elevated (or diminished.. or even dead in the case of deadspots) based on the resonances of the guitar itself. So some notes will be louder than others. But this again is not tone in my opinion, just how balanced each note is overall.

[@groovydjs]

Who would have thought that this kind of thing would be happening when I started the tonewood thing all those years ago? Too funny.

[@Michael-bm8hi]

If there is a heritage coming from PRS guitars, he is destroying it with every of these events. Maybe he thinks he is the Steve Jobs of his industry. But he isn’t. Think of Collings guitars: far less talk, less curly tops, better looks, colors more friendly to the eye, superior in sound and feel - simply the better guitars.

[@Metal-lz8td]

It makes me sick to see a room full of people smiling and nodding their heads to these kinds of completely dishonest and fallacious arguments. Like a dude can stand in front of you and literally yell lies in your face and you're going to laugh and applaud because he owns a major guitar company.

[@jevans9359]

Not to mention the guy Paul keeps looking to for affirmation who just happens to be wearing a Paul Reed Smith t-shirt.

[@stuco]

What do you dispute? Just curious

[@Metal-lz8td]

@@stuco First of all, everything he said to represent the arguments that tonewood doesn't matter was a clearly dishonest and reductive strawman. No one has ever said something like you can put a rubber bridge and nut on a guitar or fill an acoustic guitar with water and it doesn't change the sound. Secondly, every analogy and justification he made to support his side of things applies only to acoustic instruments wherein the sound is actually being amplified by the wood of the instrument itself, in which case the type of wood obviously matters. Absolutely nothing he said supported his side of things when it comes to solid body electric guitars, yet he presented it as if it was a given that it did, and that you should just take his word for it because he makes guitars and you don't, which is just gross and manipulative.

[@adamschronk3620]

Sounds like he’s selling a pyramid scheme!

[@Metal-lz8td]

@@adamschronk3620 I mean if you buy a PRS at least you get a good guitar but his pitches definitely have that vibe lol

[@Scott-si1hb]

Charlie Brown's teacher "wah waaah wah wah waaaah"

[@MelloState]

Ya know... I was thinking about a prs se.... Gonna save my money and look at a squier or schecter

[@jessefillmore]

Paul didn't set any record straight . He just confirmed he is either a mental case or just lying to sell people snakeoil tonewood electric guitars . This is why I will never buy a PRS . Plus IMO they don't sound as good as a Gibson Les Paul . Keep lying to people , Paul and you will run your company into the ground .

[@wvo2m]

I vote "mental case."

[@doctorfuzzzdirtbox]

Consider this: the SOLID BODY electric guitar was developed for the precise reason of NOT resonating because resonance distrupts amplification (feedback.) Put an electric guitar pickup into an acoustic guitar and see for yourself. Wood is a convenient and tough material to construct with. Technology had to move along before we could add a pickup to a fully acoustic guitar and amplify it significantly. Before that, there were hollow body guitars that introduced the pickup. These initially closed off the sound hole before they added a center block - all in persuit of REDUCING VIBRATIONS. So, to all of you tonewood evangleists that continually refute the physics of how and ELECTRO MAGNETIC pickup works - what the fuck do you even want from a guitar?

[@janzahalka9096]

I own 3 SEs and am happy with those, have been Paul's fan for years, seen most of his talks and interviews online, and this is embarrassing... Strawman parade, no logical coherence... Now I am no luthier, but I am lawyer by trade, so argumentation is kind of my field of expertise and this was just shameful. Sorry to see him like this...

[@gregorystone9459]

Is sell them

[@Dethfield]

You aren't fooling anyone, Paul. Everyone knows Tone comes from the balls.

[@TelevsionCanyons]

what an unpleasant guy...

[@deanmccaskill5495]

Absolutely. He bothers me so much I’ll never buy one of his guitars. I’ll stick to my Gibsons and Fenders.

[@ronchorivera]

um. rubber and vaseline arent tonewoods. also tries to tell us a specific wood will make you play like vanhalen. "everytime we make a guitar out of it, it does what comes out of their hands." then goes on to say dont believe what you see on the internet.... if he had any integrity this video would not be available online. VHS is the most appropriate medium for your talking.

[@peachmelba1000]

Aristides guitars exist. EGC guitars exist. Pine body Novo guitars exist. They all sound great.

[@lex.cordis]

Steinberger. The best of the best.

[@peachmelba1000]

@@lex.cordis True!

[@CentaurusRelax314]

It’s mindboggling, that this veteran guitar maker still doesn’t understand how illogical his arguments are. The fact that his conclusion is one that I subscribe to makes it all the more frustrating. He twists the actual discussion by moving the goalposts and adding a “rubber bridge” to the tone woods argument. Well, the bridge is actually in contact with the strings, so, yeah, that affects vibration. That’s not the tone woods debate. Then, he makes the comparison between a violin and an electric guitar-stupefying. The violin is a wholly acoustic instrument. The discussion is about whether or not woods contribute to the tone of a guitar where the pickups are the amplifying device. The fact that he can’t process the argument properly and that he is so incredibly arrogant about his ‘expert perspectives’ makes him just so unlikable. I get it now. The more you hear him speak, the less of an amicable presence he creates. I have an SE594, and it’s a fantastic guitar (once I put Bare Knuckles in it) and I once had a USA Custom 24. Even though I’ve seen interviews with him where he displays charm (Andertons?), it’s like he’s growing into an irrascible, senile, ego freak.

[@mikedfurman]

He’s been like this for at least a decade IMO. Sold my CU24

[@ronchorivera]

Dude is totally full of himself because he can copy others. Yeah, many people copy guitars but do they act like this guy? What a schmo

[@wesleymorris1]

Paul is 100% right, differnt woods vibrate diff. The magnet in a pickup is there to make the strings magnitized, then the vibration is pickup by the coil of the pickup. U can take a magnet out of a pickup and put it down by the nut and still make sound. Its the vibration is what pickuped by the pickup, longer it vibrates, longer it sustains, wood matters. Argument done

[@CentaurusRelax314]

@@wesleymorris1 You missed my point/didn’t understand what I wrote. I said I agreed with his conclusion. The issue is with how he arrived at it. His arguments are specious, and it’s bizarre that someone who is responding to online criticism of his arguments didn’t comprehend those arguments. Very similar to your response to my post….

[@JJDon5150]

@@wesleymorris1 except natural vibrations don't matter at all for sustain There are a lot of factors which can contribute to sustain (aka vibrations as you're calling them). I have a compressor pedal on my board and could literally get rid of any sustain if I set the squash high enough. If I put in a sustainer pickup in the neck, then I could also make it sustain as long as I wanted. Nothing have anything to do with the wood of the guitar, and everything to do with an external factor in the chain, like a pedal, pickup, amp, etc.

[@alittlebitgone]

Day or night, rain or shine, if a Dad needs a guitar, PRS will be there.

[@andreil1234]

I'm unaware of any given brand that would refuse someone in need, if daddy's got the bucks :D

[@GabeHelma]

Haha thats and Gibsons/Fenders

[@Afghamistam]

Dentists and lawyers approve.

[@stoneybologna186]

"This store if full of experts." March '22 I bought a mail order Gibson SG SME in Oxblood that was a marked down demo model (came with a bit of buckle rash so I know it got played, no worries) and it had an unsoldered wire (not desoldered, or broken solder, but never soldered, wire wasn't even tinned) to one of the neck tone pot leads. Gibson missed it. CME demoers missed it and any QC'er pre ship. I play it for 3 minutes after waiting 24 hours to open the box, heard the crackle, opened the back cover and found it in a second. 2 min later, the wire was soldered and it sounded great. I'm no expert, but I do listen, and I'll continue to trust my own ears.

[@Gogoku49]

What I realize right here is that Paul basically said SE series is not worth to buying.

[@Daledavispratt]

Wow, Paul just made me very happy to have purchased a bold-faced, nicely-made and great-playing Asian copy of his Custom 24, and I'm not talking about his SE line, either. I thought I couldn't be happier with the guitar, until I watched this.

[@davey_tones]

He said if you want stainless steel frets, order a Private Stock. I went to spec a private stock a few months ago and I was told stainless steel frets wasn't available as an option...

[@Trh1]

Time to get wacky with Paul.

[@spokes28]

So, PRS is going to convert to Stainless Steel frets. When?

[@frodeleirvik]

It's a shame to see the man making such a fool of himself...

[@jzoomradog583]

tonepaint is the best way to change tone of electric guitar. my blue guitar sounds very bluesy, my brown guitar sounds very warm.

[@the92project]

Paul disgraced himself here. Was thinking of buying a PRS SE. not anymore

[@YooTooobJeff]

All woods have their characteristics and natural resonances, which are minimized by the way electric guitars are made, but are important in acoustic instruments... After all, a Stradivarius violin has unique wood and construction and so it IS the standard

[@stratmagic6893]

I find it ironic that people only talk about tonewood when it comes to vintage Fender Gibson or high end guitars like PRS. When it comes to brands like Ibanez or Schecter or any other metal type guitars there is no talk about it. Paul's logic is faulty his examples are horrible and he is just a used car salesman.

[@johnnyxmusic]

Well… You have those music man, John Petrucci Majesty guitars… That have different words, inserted in different places little blocks here in big blocks there.

[@JohnnyP23]

Fret sprout: I have a SE Silver Sky maple, it’s a beautiful instrument that sounds amazing but… I got it in July 2023 and the craftsmanship was fantastic but the setup job was terrible ( not a deal breaker as I’ve been doing that kind of maintenance for years) and by September had noticeable fret sprout I had to get a fret file kit from Stew Mac and carefully take care of the ends. After correcting those 2 issues it is my favorite guitar of my collection.

[@paternuin]

What an annoying speaker he is

[@danielvelazquez18]

tone wood isn't real, but the fact that PRS guitars have perfect QC is real.

[@soofitnsexy]

tone wood is everything!!!!

[@sythe77]

@@soofitnsexy Not in solid body electrics. Paul is a great promoter of his unquestionably fine guitars, but he straw mans and obfuscates. His personality quirks have always cast a bit of a pall on his company, IMHO. I own a 2002 Custom 22, among dozens of the obvious brands. It is unique and beautiful, but I guarantee it isn't the gorgeous wood, tuners, nut or finish that makes it sound awful, it's the pickups. Lollar Imperials or Fralins are going in, finally. It will get played much more as a result.

[@doctorfuzzzdirtbox]

Tone wood is real. It's just irrelevant to electric instruments.

[@elliottorion4235]

@@soofitnsexydentist or lawyer?

[@soofitnsexy]

@@elliottorion4235 miami beach dancer!

[@haroldculhane4110]

Not buying

[@koreyarmstrong456]

If tone wood is so important then why does PRS use poplar for the bodies on the SE Silver Sky and not alder like they do for the USA built model? Never heard a reviewer say anything about the SE sounding different because of the body wood

[@jamesdoll]

“Feel” and “Sound” are different, super fine line though, so yes every component on the guitar does attribute to its sound/feel. I t’s just an argument on where you draw that line

[@zvonimirsarcevic7928]

oh Crist. The only way that he can prove ist that his company makes 10 same guitars from different woods, and that he blindfolded said which one is made of which wood. Nobody can do it. When you look guitarist onstage, you cant say from which wood is made his guitar...

[@51RainArmy]

I subscribed thinking CME was a legit music channel with knowledgeable folks able to help players figure out gear related questions. Whatever this was, has the vibe of a Scientology seminar. Also is it true that a burst finish leads to rounder warmer tone while aquamarine AAAA flamed maple sounds like the ocean?

[@lukekalawsky4776]

Every time Paul fights back on the tonewood topic, he uses the acoustic resonance of the instrument as the argument for whether tonewood matters in an electric instrument. Tonewood matters in an electric instrument... until you plug it in. He says the argument that tonewood doesn't matter is ridiculous and then compares an electric guitar to a violin. He also never does any actual testing and comparison. He just calls everyone on the internet crazy and justifies his thoughts with non-parallel comparisons. Makes me not want to have his signature on a headstock.

[@mikedfurman]

Sold mine! Paul always irks me in interviews too.

[@lukekalawsky4776]

@@mikedfurman For real, I'm gonna sell mine as well. Probably assemble my own, knowing full well that whatever wood I choose... is gonna make a great guitar.

[@fela001]

That's because even he knows it's bullshit and there's no way to fight it directly; tonewood will immediately loose.. What he is doing here is spewing out something else to make it seem like he's making a counter-argument but really, it doesn't have anything to do with the real topic (what he is saying is not wrong, but they are entirely different topics) but he does it anyway in the hopes that it'll confuse and convince some percentage of the crowd.

[@mikedfurman]

@@fela001 He’s the type who needs to be reminded that the emperor actually does not have any clothes on. I imagine there aren’t many people in his orbit who tell him ‘No, Paul, you’re wrong.’

[@christopherguzzi1316]

Paul Reed Smith knows.a ton about guitars. But he knows more about selling guitars. He loves to conflate concepts and use properties of acoustic instruments for electric instruments.. If you say the kind of wood a guitar is made from doesn't affect tone he will say well then, why don't you make the nut out of rubber. Because I wasn't talking about the nut, I was talking about what kind of wood it is made out of.

[@leegollin4417]

Tonewood matters on an acoustic instrument. Not on electrics, the way electro magnetic pickups work.

[@kylebollendorf4856]

Only if you play high gain metal, then maybe I’d agree. For clean/edge-of-breakup, there is absolutely a difference in the guitars construction and how the wood resonates. I’ve never met or heard a respected guitarist say the tone is all in the pickups.

[@michaelr.4878]

​@kylebollendorf4856 Guitar construction matters. Like..a set neck is going to play and feel different than a bolt on. But I know what the guy who made the original comment meant when he said that due to the way pickups work, wood shouldn't matter. Especially if you are using potted pickups. When your pickups are not potted, they feedback and pick up sounds and vibrations from the body of the guitar (the wood). But in theory, if you are using properly potted pickups, the type of wood really shouldn't matter...based on how pickups work. I'm not saying one way or another. But what he said is correct in theory.

[@leegollin4417]

@@kylebollendorf4856 kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGGVpXyjmMpmd6csi=fu8ILgWlH587YevU

[@soofitnsexy]

wrong

[@brutalpedz]

@@soofitnsexy That's an argument ! :D Do you know that in a debate you need a little bit more substance than that ?

[@peachmelba1000]

Fender made a cardboard bodied Strat a few years ago. Guess what? It sounds like a Strat 😂

[@russellzauner]

I was really hoping that when he said "let's have a disagreement with the internet" he was going to try and defend his choice to switch from WMIC to Cor-Tek as he's never answered any questions regarding the decision - sure the new factory is pretty (and Cor-Tek has factories in all the standard countries now) but how come Cor-Tek can no longer build guitars in Korea? Sounds weird but it's true. Cort is registered in Korea but Korea won't allow them to have factories there anymore. :-)

[@2morrowillcome]

Since when are strings "tonewood"? I don't even have to be firmly entrenched in this argument to understand that of all the steps involved recording and producing a track, the signal chain from the guitar to the board and everything in between... If we're to keep all of that the same as well as the strings and pickups... And _all you did was change the wood on the guitar_, the sound of that guitar in the *recording* with effectively be *no different*. It might be noticeable (a bit) in the room, but in the end "tonewood doesn't matter".

[@Hsiss]

"Someone disagrees with me on the internet" moment.

[@benspeeds]

The title of this video had a much more provocative title a few days ago. It was something like,"PRS IS SICK OF YOUR BULLSHIT!!!" I guess CME decided to go with a "safer" title. I don't blame them because the subject of the great tone wood debate tends to get some people pretty worked up. I wish we had more accurate ways of measuring and detecting the difference in sound between components in general. Because every component in a signal chain "matters"...Right??? I have to admit that the appearance of a guitar is usually the first thing that draws me to it. After that, i can play it and see if I like the feel and sound.

[@MikesTrueStories]

Honestly given how obnoxious Paul’s personality is I’m shocked at how successful he has been. His arguments make no sense and his analogies are ridiculous

[@soofitnsexy]

huh? hes one of the koolest people ive met in the industry? u ok??

[@daviddawson1718]

You could always fuck off. Thanks for saying that you are honest. Spoken like a truly dishonest bitch.

[@ramonmoreno8014]

those 'qualities' successfully sell everything from soup to wars

[@RobertoReyesChHC]

@@soofitnsexy No he isn't. He's super passive aggressive, has bad faith arguments, impressed with himself to a fault and socially inept many times. lol.

[@soofitnsexy]

@@RobertoReyesChHC hes a great guy a truly wonderful person...actually the best in the industry

[@Michael.Jamie.Foxxworthy]

When you exaggerate and change the argument completely, tonewood makes a lot of sense. Chances of me ever buying a PRS just got even slimmer.

[@MikesBigMusic]

that kid playing Cliffs of Dover, who is this guy, he is AAAAAmazing!!!!

[@akwamarsunzal]

Oh lord, Tone fretboard now?

[@naturalianoss]

no , tone fret wire !

[@jonjenkins5253]

Black T-shirt guy is loving it. He probably camped overnight to ensure that seat!

[@ramonmoreno8014]

So many times, beard boy doesn't know where to nod until the punchline; sometimes he morphs from derision to affirmation within the same phrase. It's like watching Oprah 😂

[@ayeapprove]

Well there are scientific videos regarding this topic (I especially like Jim Lill) and Paul is just like "I just know what I'm talking about, you gotta believe me". 6:55 is the perfect example of how not to make a good point. What is her reference in this whole experiment?

[@aliensporebomb]

The guy who did "I saw her standing there" in two parts -- bravo! Especially with that amount of drive on the guitar. And Eric Johnson. And Led Zeppelin.

[@DimKAt21]

Normally I m not into stand up comedy but that was hilarious

[@diangara3298]

I was going to say something about this strange guy and his bizarre arguments but i dont have a basement.

[@2morrowillcome]

LOL dislikes are disabled by owner... can't even see them with an extension. Real classy CME. Are you guys gonna disable comments too since they are loaded with people calling out this bs? Kinda reeks of old world industry elitism. Gotta buy the >$5k guitar because _tonewood matters_ but we all know the reality. I certainly think less of PRS and CME.

[@reginaldhofner865]

Pretty sure KZbin turned off dislikes across the platform? CME is not Paul so idk why this would make you dislike the store?

[@2morrowillcome]

@@reginaldhofner865 You can still view dislikes with a browser extension and CME has disabled them for this video. This isn't Paul's channel, it's CME so they made the decision to hide that. I'm not surprised because both PRS and CME are going to benefit from convincing consumers that _tonewood matters_ and that you "really do need" that more expensive guitar if you want to sound like (insert guitarist). And this isn't to say that there is anything wrong with buying an expensive guitar, but don't bullshit people into thinking the price point is unlocking something unattainable on other guitars because of "the wood".

[@Slamthulhu]

@@2morrowillcome Oh no I see them! this video is up to 1.7k dislikes as of right now😂😂

[@Markleford]

Hey Paul, could you please explain the difference between how a pickup and a microphone work? Because either you'll demonstrate that many of your arguments about "acoustic properties" of an electric instrument are made in ignorance, or they're being made in bad faith.

[@donanders2110]

His argument was full of adhoms, strawmen and just about every logical fallacy one could think of!! Just ridiculous!

[@grahamstuart9164]

Here is the end of the tone wood argument once and for all. You take a Paul Reed Smith guitar. Made from the finest wood available. You plug it into a wireless system. The sound comes out of the amplifier. 1 of 2 things happens. The vibrations and the warmth of the wood magically transfers Thru thin air into the amplifier...... Or what you are hearing coming through the amplifier is a digital reproduction of the microphones built into the guitar and transferred digitally into the amplifier and recreated as sound vibrations at the speaker. Believe what you want. Do high quality materials hurt in the process? No. But if you think acoustic qualities of the materials being used are being transferred through a wireless system into an amplification device..... 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Skullskalle]

Yep! Definitely not buying a PRS after watching this. Great work Paul!

[@smartmammal9926]

I am a huge fan of PRS guitars as well as Chicago Music Exchange. Paul's condescending, Trumpian (insult people personally when he has zero to add to the the debate), inaccurate (hypocritical) approach to an argument, which also is void of evidence, is a real bad look. I feel some reflection is in order.

[@stomp43]

You notice he only mentions acoustic instruments in regards to tone wood. That really matters. He also mentions hardware. Paul makes guitars with extravagant to Elwood for looks

[@DredgenX]

The Guitar @41:00 is SOO GOOD. Sounds like an amazing pink floyd solo incredible power and sustain in the notes, so much emotion in there

[@kvanoss]

Sounded so so much better in person!

[@DredgenX]

@@kvanoss did he ever say how much that guitar is worth? ive never played a prs before i play teles

[@DredgenX]

@@kvanoss i think what makes a great guitar tone is when it sounds more like a voice, some of the best guitar solos sound like someone singing! each note has character and makes different vocalizations even without a wah or expression pedal

[@smallfry89]

2 of my prs’s came with fret sprout from the dealer, but that’s out of six I own so I guess that’s not bad. They were se’s but still they are real prs’s.

[@JPiattelli]

No they are not they are scrub PRS. Core would never have fret sprout

[@bartwitiak]

Paul really does not know how to argue his case. He has all the resources in the world to conduct a blind test and gather data, but for some reason he resorts to insults and ludicrous comparisons. Even if he was right about tone wood (which I don't belive he is), he will not convince many people with his attitude. Besides, even if tone wood is real (which I don't believe it is), one could not state that one species sounds a certain way while another species sounds another way. There is too much variation in density, rigidity etc. within one species, not to mention huge overlapping physical qualities between the different species. It all depends on the conditions in which the trees grew in: the humidity, winds, how fast it grew, how tall, etc. Even within the same tree the wood from the base will be denser than the wood from the top. It is not like it is a specific density value applies to a specific species. It's a range of values, and those overlap between the species. Just because of that one could not say that maple always sounds one way, and mahogany another - they can overlap. I remember a video of Steve Vai's Woody Jem build in which the builder stated that some mahogany can be dark, some bright sounding, some can be light, some can be heavy. Which adds up to it being whatever, but nothing specific. And when amplified all the differences go away anyway, since wood does not affect the electro-magnetic field of the pickups.

[@M_EvoBass]

Ive got a Les Paul. My mate played it and it sounded amazing, I play it it sounds crap. So I thought mebbe its the tonewood! So I bought a cheap chinese LP copy, swapped all the electrics and hardware over. My mate popped over and he played the copy, sounded amazing, in fact it sounded exactly like the LP, I played it, it sounded crap again! Turns out he can play guitar and I cant! Go figure! True story this and dont let them convince you otherwise...the tonewood.... Its in the fingers 🤫

[@Dave24078]

Stop me if you've heard this one,,,,,, "Hay remember that time Grandpa stumbled into the music store and called us all stupid for no reason?" That was fun.

[@zemlidrakona2915]

I'm sure PRS has many more resources than Jim Lill has, and could easily prove tone-wood makes a difference. This of course assumes tone-wood actually does make a difference. The fact that he refuses to actually prove his claims is telling.

[@louisxue3292]

I respect Paul and loves to play his guitar. With that said, I don't like the way he keeps repeating "it just doesn't make sense that wood does not matter!!" - without giving out any real logical evidence. Typical leap-of-faith kind of action... All he talks about is how the wood affects the acoustic sound, which we already know. The guitar community needs ONE real scientist / engineer, shouldn't be this difficult...

[@Jayteaseepiirturi]

The moment Paul Reed Smith lost the argument was his smug introduction from a position of authority...

[@ludvanlazarz]

Man these players are killing it! And it sounded so good! I wish we can all agree about that 🎉both EJ tunes and ZZ-top very well done

[@GJ-yr5jo]

So refreshing to see multitude of sensible people in the comments section. I was genuinely worried that it was just gonna be tonewood-religion fanatics blindly agreeing with Paul's shameful failure of a "speech". PRS is undoubtedly an AMAZING guitar maker, that's just objectively true. BUT when the man goes on stage and acts like a conspiracy theorist building logical fallacy upon logical fallacy and sounding like an uneducated bum at the bus stop....I think I'm gonna spend my money elsewhere.

[@danyeo]

Just my opinion but builders like Paul put too much into the tone wood difference. Others have posted videos, we can watch and LISTEN for ourselves. I've learned tone wood is NOWHERE near as important as I thought it was. It's just a piece of the puzzle though. IMHO pickups do make a bigger difference, but even then not as big of a difference as pickup builders want you to think.

[@ThatGuysGuitars]

Something people forget about in the “tone wood” debate, is semi hollow instruments. If wood doesn’t matter, and it’s only the pickups, potentiometers, and the rig itself plugged into - why does a semi hollow with the same pickups sound different than a solid body? Because the resonance of the instrument affects how the strings vibrate. That’s how “tone wood” works. All these different woods affect the resonance of an instrument - which affects how the strings vibrate. How long they vibrate, and this makes an impact on the sound coming out of your instrument Is it some majestic, mind melting difference? No, not usually, at least in an electric, compared to an acoustic - but construction, and yes; the type of wood can affect the sound of your guitar It might be 1st, 10th, or last; in your chain of command, but it does make a difference.

[@jeffdo1974]

Used to want a PRS... not anymore

[@paulm6397]

Wood makes no difference, the string vibrates between the metal fret at which it’s fretted and the metal bridge. There is zero connection to the wood between these points. The string is vibrating in fresh air between two metal objects

[@ramonmoreno8014]

not always so fresh 🤣

[@paulm6397]

Yup! 🤣 The thing is it’s like the Emperor’s new clothes, no one wants to be the first to admit it. Each note is a vibration at an exact frequency, if the wood affected the vibration the notes wood sound strange and out of tune. The wood will affect the feel under your fingers and may inspire your playing but it does not affect the sound of the guitar

[@kaisound868]

@@paulm6397 you're an old man and you don't know poop about shit

[@kaisound868]

@@paulm6397 you are a poopoo head who knows turd about shit

[@Anson120]

Tonewood on electrics matters just a extremely small amount. Its really what ever touches the stings and the pickups. If Tone wood mattered on electrics,makers would carve the bridge and all the other parts out of wood. To capitalize on the phenomenon. Just like a acoustic. I never did like PRS guitars. Yeah, they have no break angle over the nut and other stuff, however I love the flaws on the popular guitars like Fender and Gibson. They help me think for some reason. Also,I am not inspired by the artists that play PRS. If the Beatles never played PRS, then I wont be interested. No offense.

[@obsidiancrow450]

Guys the wood salesman says the wood DOES matter!

[@christianraef]

Whoa I didnt know he was like this… talk about humility; If i was in the room I probably would have walked out the way he talks to the audience

[@louisxue3292]

Those people nodding their heads like little kids are probably the ones who'd pay big $$$ for brazilian rosewood FINGERBOARD

[@flu55ball]

702 likes & 2,756 dislikes for anyone wondering

[@Robert_Browne]

Now let's demand the violin maker in Cremona make a violin out of mahogany or alder.