How Bad is Amazon's Cheapest Guitar Gear?

[@netcodeerror9420]

"I am super impressed to the point where I have human rights concerns" is just such a sentence

[@LazyCat010]

Why I buy used axes

[@mykneeshurt8393]

Future generations will be paying the cost...

[@CINEMARTYR]

Drive channel on that amp is rough, pheweee.

[@patrickkeenan6331]

Also, that distortion pedal is an exact repro of whatever Distortion is hip with the kids here in the states. Probably a Boss DS-1....

[@HaynesEllis]

DS-1 is great so that should be good too

[@almendratlilkouatl]

@@HaynesEllisDS1 is great? hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha *gasp* haaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Oh my Satan what a funny joke dude

[@RF-uz3qu]

Learn to dial it in

[@dekimyayyoga2426]

I like how you mixed up the equipment at the end. The amp seems to have the most effect in that setup. Then the guitar. The distortion was almost no difference. Then the wah actually sounded better with the cheap one, but that's because the expensive one was way more touchy and you played it the same as the cheap one.

[@MashaT22]

Fun fact: those Fesley guitars are made in the same Chinese factory as Squier. Another Fun Fact: they stopped selling those boxes here in the US because a bunch of American KZbin channels that reviewed Fesleys like @ScarMyGuitar totally told the company that it was a bit over the top. You also missed the Elecratic Guitar and other hilarious errors on the box. So yeah, the recently stopped shipping guitars with these boxes and all the crazy branding (like 11-13 times in total on each guitar) in the US. I guess Canada got stuck with the leftovers, lol. But I’ve heard Fesleys are great starter or mod platform guitars that outperform the Squiers from the same factory. I’ve heard this from unpaid reviewers who got them with their own money and actual customers.

[@Aeduo]

I'm guessing combination of language barrier and AI slop resulted in that word salad.

[@RyanWright]

8:20 "It smells funny." My favorite part of the gear review. lol

[@Retrovoider]

How lucky is this, I just went to the channel about 10 minutes ago and sammy flies in with the clutch upload

[@PhilBoswell]

"It's not very loud"…the VOX AC30 would like a word ;-)

[@dfkman]

AC30 is class A and this is probably class D though, so those 50 watts aren't the same

[@mdargusch]

Quality is more about durability than playability in the age of CNC. Cheap woods swell more under humid conditions, causing delamination of layers, cracking in paint, and fret lifting. It's also far easier to dent cheap wood or strip screw holes in cheap woods. Look-up the Janka hardness scale. Cheap metals wear down faster causing flat spots or grooves in frets, or grooves and burrs on tremolo posts.

[@muenchhausenmusic]

Very interesting info, hadn't thought about this before, thanks!

[@SEEYAIAYE]

There's a reason a lot of guitar makers went with Indonesia instead of China

[@mdargusch]

@SEEYAIAYE I saw many people trashing Indonesian guitars made with agathis, but it has a Janka rating of 610, which is harder than poplar, basswood, or Eastern white pine. Essentially, agathis guitars have more durability at a lower price point.

[@SEEYAIAYE]

@@mdargusch The only real issue I've heard over the years were the Indonesian made Ibanez's hardware rusting like crazy just from the sweat of playing.

[@PapunaOfficial]

funny thing is only wah was sounding exactly like expensive one

[@DeformedDevices]

A $30 pedal does have ramifications for the whole industry. I make boutique pedals and the key is that somebody can buy a fuzz pedal for $30. So why would they buy mine? I have to offer something unique. Be it the case, the sound, and going for people that want something by a guy in his garage. That's hand built. If all you want is the sound by the $30 pedal. Guitar circuits are basically all the same. Everybody makes a fuzz face. Everybody makes a tube screamer. Pedal companies that care have to come up with a different offering.

[@vittorioballeriocastoldi6171]

As a boutique builder you can offer so much more. I get that everyone does the standard fuzz face, but you can make all the versions and flavours that Chinese manufacturers doesn’t make. Correct me if I’m wrong, but boutique makers can also make bespoke pedals. Obviously you can’t sell a pedal for 30€, but doing so would cheapen the product for how is it perceived

[@DanStack16]

I have had a few of those mini pedals over the years- more often than not they've been awesome. You can find some absolute monster gain pedals, solid choruses and other modulation effects, and even multi-band EQs all in that same kinda housing. They're pretty awesome for a gig on a budget and the small size makes them great for travel pedalboards too

[@Aeduo]

Yeah there's no reason something like a distortion needs to cost much at all. So much of the process is going to be mechanized and done in bulk, most of the labor is probably just putting the parts in and screwing things down.

[@DigitalChemistryBand]

They're crap... you're deluding yourself

[@Aeduo]

@@DigitalChemistryBand I suppose it's possible they might not be up to gigging as far as reliability and durability (though maybe they are, not much to go wrong) goes but totally fine for home use.

[@DanStack16]

@@DigitalChemistryBand I’m certain some are for sure.. but when you’re broke and can get a pedal that, to the normal listener, sounds no different than a klon, who cares? I don’t care if my highs aren’t as crystal clear or if the sound is a little muddy I don’t have the $100 to get a better one and when I go play a show the audience can’t tell. Honing my abilities to actually play my instrument will do far more for me than a name-brand pedal will.

[@jaad9848]

@@Aeduo This. If you ever try building your own pedal you understand why a pedal could be built on the cheap.

[@Bread-o7f]

for the guitar blind test my ears liked “C” the most :)

[@rainbowslushy223]

the cheap amp with the expensive guitar had this really nice lofi tone

[@netcodeerror9420]

@@rainbowslushy223 yeah it caught me off guard as probably my favorite tone in the video

[@Adam-Z96]

Yeah, I thought the same about that. I liked that a lot.

[@DylanShield]

That Daphon wah was my first ever wah! I can't believe they still exist!

[@kinhxfolf8852]

Could you review the Amazon basics dreadnaught acoustic? It’s like $80 I have one and love it think it sounds amazing with some quality strings

[@samuraiguitarist]

Should we do round 2?

[@J0T4Z0]

@@samuraiguitarist YEAAAAH

[@Josh_728]

@@samuraiguitarist Absolutely. Cheapest acoustic with the cheapest no-name strings vs expensive strings vs a more expensive acoustic with the cheapest no-name strings

[@niceleverace]

Other than the pickups having a little less punch its not too bad for the price.

[@BanBanChi]

The upside down pick up cover makes it the Greeny of Fesleys.

[@XCHADHIGGINSX]

I know I'm crazy but I preferred the sound of the cheap wah to the expensive one. It might have been the way you were playing it though.

[@samuraiguitarist]

Ya I should probably have noted that the expensive wah also has a range of settings. So sound wise you could set it to have more or less the same tone if you wanted, I just didn't think to do that, though I should've

[@seandaniel23]

Fesley baby!!!!

[@TheBeardedCarrot]

I remember buying one of these wah pedals from Amazon about 13/14 years ago, I didn't know that much about guitar tech then and got fed up having to click on and off the wah by hand. I ended up gluing in a small scrap of wood to make it foot switch activated! Still got it today... However, it seems to be very dead even with a new battery.

[@jamesraward]

I’ll be honest, I’m not surprised by the guitar. I’ve always maintained that pretty much any guitar in the hand of a great guitarist what sounds good (at least). Distortion, overdrive Sarah are now much of a muchness. Aside from individual character of specific paddles, given that it’s just electronics and very easy (and cheap) to copy, the components themselves are never that expensive so they can share these out a Dyme-A-Duzin. Edit: I’m gonna leave that last phrase in there, I’m dictating this and I fully expect it to appear on the bone Apple tea sub Reddit

[@Zundfolge]

Most of the guitar channels that routinely review cheap guitars have given the Fesley guitars rave reviews.

[@iforget8716]

Saying « Look out for the planet » after a ‘I bought cheap Chinese crap from Amazon’ video hurts my soul 😔 I found that cheap Amazon pedals usually sound pretty good but the parts don’t last very long when used seriously. I think they’re good for a beginner to tryout when figuring out their sound before making serious purchases. But still, I feel we should be encouraging the used marked, similar(ish)prices for better gear… and we would be looking out for the planet 😉 Good vid though!

[@slek_cs]

My setup is a 150$ used Yamaha guitar with an audio interface for 30$, both from Facebook marketplace. I use my computer for pedals and everything.

[@Krzygeley]

If someone asked why I’d recommend this channel and I wanted an example of SG’s wit, expertise, and tasty playing, this is the video to which I’d point them.

[@valentinziegler1649]

Most important factor contributing to a great sound is the player. If I could get my hands on the most expensive guitars and amps, I will not sound nearly as good as Sammy G playing through that cheap gear.

[@mik99D]

They use MSPA13 transistos. ou can make the circuit for $ 2. Input and output jacks will cost extra $5. So $8

[@fearlessdaveandthetsuanami7037]

I have a fesley I use as a knock around back up guitar especially for when I'm on break at work and for the price its really worth it

[@ironmooss1946]

The distortion on the “cool music” amp sounded HORRIBLE 😂 it made me burst into laughed when you switched it

[@HELLNAWW]

Donner DST400 are pretty good for their price when they go on sale. I got mine for like $140 on Amazon 🤷 AliExpress also have really good cheap pedals in the $30-40 range (eg any model of Rat from DemonFx or Mosky). There's always the Joyo American Sound as well. The amp is one thing that cant and shouldn't be cheaped out on, but nowadays you can look used and find a good amp for a good price (tons of used Peavys, Boss Katana, etc on the market for like $150 or less). Going Digital or tube amps is where stuff starts to get complicated and expensive. Idk, i saw the price scales you mentioned and my eyeballs popped out of my head. I feel like you can get pretty solid intermediate stuff for below around $350 nowadays, maybe less if you shop used.

[@jeremyklein9679]

I didn't notice any tonal difference between the guitars. But what do I know, I'm a humbucker guy, so all single coils have that same jangly sound.

[@The_TooKings]

Great video idea!

[@dougotto1451]

Had the same reaction from the Squier’Debut’ strat. Needed a Strat to demo some pickups and it was $129 on US Amazon. My pickups, new pots and cap and a bone nut and it’s a decent guitar.

[@qazwer333]

I know about this because I was looking at bass gear but squire or someone pretending to be them is offering a Fender Squier Debut for both bass and electric. I have no idea if they are the real things or not and you do need to provide your own setup. but for 120 for a name brand guitar or bass, it may be a good deal as most name brands start at 200 or around there.

[@MisterJWJ71]

The saying "you get what you pay for" is not as true as it used to be. It was never completely true in the first place. However, if you buy the cheapest stuff you can find you likely aren't expecting it to measure up to high-end gear. While cheap gear is better than it was in the past, expensive gear seems to have gone down in quality (based on complaints I've seen online where people point out issues on Gibson and Fender guitars that you wouldn't think would be there considering what the guitar cost).

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

As much as anything else, they'd potentially all (except that wah, I guess) be usable for adding a slightly different layer to recordings.

[@drno2141]

you should check the cool music delay and crunch..two amazing pedals

[@DropkickJimmy]

Been watching your vids for a while (and just realised i wasnt even subbed, YT feed is a strange place) and just signed up to the Dojo, I've been playing for many years completely by ear and feel I'm missing huge chunks in my knowledge, particularly when it comes to theory. I've been looking to fix this for a while and that price is just insane, looking forward to firing into it.

[@doknox]

I have what i would consider a cheap setup and it cost over a grand...🤷‍♂️ Man the fesley just sounds like the tone knob is rolled back a bit. Not bad at all for 120. Better pickups and pots would probably take care of that. Also sounds like the speaker is the problem with that amp. I could be wrong but....try a speaker swap and see what you get.

[@johnhmaloney]

I have to admit that I liked the sound of the Fesley the most in that blind test. And when you switched from the cheap to the expensive distortion, when using the expensive guitar and amp, I didn't hear any difference. On the other hand, the cheap amp sounded like absolute trash and, while the cheap wah didn't sound that bad, nothing that's intended to be repeatedly stepped on should be made of plastic.

[@bronsoncarder2491]

...Did you also use a cheap camera for this video? lol Idk, just doesn't seem like it looks as good as usual. Great video though!

[@ZethKeeper]

"Whelmed" is a great verb.

[@colourofthunder]

it was at this point I realized what a good idea it was to get the black friday deal. That song at the end was niiiiice

[@TheAndostro]

5:50 yeah like i expected that when magic ends cheap guitars (new or used) can be great often cheap amp have decent clean tones but when it's comes to overdrive distortion fuzz (depends what kind of overdrive it's have) it's starting to sound bad

[@travisfischer4727]

The pedal's cost/quality doesn't surprise me. I've built fuzz pedals for about that cost, ordering from a Candian parts dealer.

[@bczarrockbeast6264]

I have a problem of searching for budget gear that is actually awesome. What I've spent on it could probably buy me a killer pro setup but the feeling when you get a diamond in the rough is amazing. Best guitar in my collection atm is a IYV jackson arch top kinda style strat made in Vietnam I got for $150 shipped.

[@brandonjackson5865]

I got a staxx EQ as some boot on a trade and I’ve had it close to 10 years and it’s fine a little noisy on a wall power supply but ran off a 9v on a dongle as quiet as any other quality pedal.

[@dacresni]

hang on, that's WILD that the fret edges are smooth. I bought a $69 open box "beginner" davidson bass on ebay and it's fret edges still cut me. you could have gone cheaper.

[@Shysleeves]

Food $200 Data $150 Rent $800 Guitar Gear $13,000 Utility $150 someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my family is dying.

[@ULTRAVISTA.]

Put all this wasted money into dogecoin and just leave it and wait. I've made money before off little down.

[@RyanWright]

I mean, they all sounded fine IMO. I'm not a huge "strat" guy, but they all sounded fine. I would definitely say the $4000 one is not worth they extra $3800 bucks IMO.

[@LazyCat010]

I made a meme out of a picture of a Fesley guitar box. If you watched Homestar Runner in the 2000s, you'll remember Senor Cardgage and understand how I was inspired by "latested design" Belinda.

[@robswystun2766]

Okay, but did the wah smell funny before or after you used it?

[@AmbientJoe]

I had that Wahwah pedal around 15 - 20 years ago! It was crap back then as well!

[@wackywankavator]

For just $40 more, I got an awesome PRS clone electric guitar that is pretty awesome

[@mykneeshurt8393]

I own a few of those super cheap pedals and they all sound amazing. I can get great sounds out of all of them.

[@Briansm15]

1 time during the start of covid I got an unbranded strat on Amazon for $60 USD an I had it set up it sounds nice to me

[@t89pain]

driving me nuts that the neck pickup is installed the wrong way lol

[@daniellarson3068]

A $40 Wah Wah pedal. That is what I paid for my Japanese Wah pedal around 1970. I still have it. It's metal.

[@Zundfolge]

$40 in 1970 is equivalent to $325.05 in today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation. (this is what the Federal Reserve has stolen from us). A Crybaby is only $80 on Sweetwater.

[@hijmestoffels5171]

I wonder if the Fesley brand is the same as the Fazley brand you can buy here in the Netherlands.

[@chrisparker5278]

Josh Homme will soon be using this gear as his secret weapons!

[@WandaBread]

I got a nice Fender amp I've been using for months for $120 off of Amazon, and it wasn't even the cheapest, I went for the next thing above the cheapest... Am I missing something?

[@CannonMusic05]

I think I’m gonna buy one of those distortion pedals

[@ShreddingFinn]

Dang I'm getting one of those distortion pedals asap

[@superburrito5635]

I saw an Amazon guitar for $60, didn't want to waste the money but am so curious of the quality

[@LazyCat010]

No surprise the expensive amp makes the most difference.

[@DavidMadeira29]

When the Reverb is really kicking in with this one?! I don't know. Namastè.

[@mateuszcielas3362]

7:24 because these companies ramp up the margins to profit out of people like us

[@bartekjamroz3360]

Effect pedals even as cheap as $10 off of AliExpress are quite decent. Well, at least the ones made from metal.

[@agingmillennialmainer]

Cheap by Flo & eddie comes to mind.

[@DigitalChemistryBand]

Yea... 25 dollar pedals are noisy and are not buffered... why I bought a HELIX LT

[@hikupmusicofficial]

I'd imagine if your getting a distortion pedal most people wouldn't use the amp distortion

[@misterdark6466]

Fesley guitars about always get great reviews for the price.

[@maddoxgittman]

I HAVE THAT WAH IT BROKE IN A WEEK🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@propyro85]

And then 2 days after this review, the distortion box goes up to ~$80.

[@mik99D]

Oh. I signed up for your guitar lessons but I dont know how to access them.

[@samuraiguitarist]

Thanks for joining! Direct any customer support stuff to [e-mail] and we'll make sure you are taken care of

[@milleniumtardis]

I almost bought this at a pawn shop but I couldn’t get it to work so I saved my money

[@patrickkeenan6331]

There was a difference between the strats, but it was not enough to distinguish the cheap from the American.

[@mikebauer6917]

The cheap one was sharp sounding, but good enough for players at my level anyway.

[@HaynesEllis]

Honestly kinda like the Ichika guitar tone a bit. Slap some mega reverb on and you got it.

[@Stemma3]

Cheap guitars now are amazing compared with 20 or 30 years ago. If you want to record your own shit and don't want to be a pro. Buy a cheap singlecoil guitar, a cheap humbucker guitar and you are good to go.

[@josephculmone2402]

Guitar Price is incorrect...It's $175.99....how did you get it for less?

[@iancurrie8844]

That Fender strat looks like a used toilet brush in a run-down highway gas station.

[@GingerBass]

Antigua is an acquired taste for sure. I hated the look originally but I now lust after a p bass in antigua

[@bkfViking123]

disturbing how good that guitar sounds ,,, too bright ,,,, but it sounds good bright

[@ULTRAVISTA.]

DOGE COIN FLYING BABYY!🚀🚀

[@purposefully.verbose]

Behringer makes great cheap pedals :)

[@billmozart7288]

I'm sure it all sounds better than those Trump guitars

[@elvissuperkarate3893]

The worst pedal ever is Texan Twang by Pedal Pawn

[@spastickitchen]

I think you gave the amp too much extra credit

[@davidlisteresq]

I've got some insider knowledge that might blow your mind. I used to work for an instrument website. We started our own brand of guitars and sold them for about £100. But here's the kicker ... We bought them from the same factory that made Ibanez guitars. They were literally the same, we just put our logo on them instead. And this practise is pretty common so it's no surprise that the cheap guitar sounded decent.

[@YellowBrickGoodbye]

Do the same but with Facebook marketplace and the same budget!

[@samuraiguitarist]

This is a great idea, but also I'd have to leave my house...stay tuned

[@WalkMannMusicOfficial]

I've had that wah pedal for over a year 😭, its all i could afford lol

[@GornGornStudios]

still more expensive than my gear

[@demi3057]

Did I just see Sammy G sweep?

[@schmeckledwarf]

I had that wah pedal and yeah, it was complete garbage.

[@ringsystemmusic]

*laughs in my entire rig is $180*

[@immy4104]

Yes, the pedal circuit was stolen. Almost every pedal circuit is stolen. Every pedal maker, cheap, mass produced Chinese to super expensive handmade boutique, steals circuits from everyone else. That's just how the pedal scene is.

[@monkeymatic]

Do it again!

[@slek_cs]

What about finding the cheapest acoustic guitar? but not something that turns out to be a toy.

[@ULTRAVISTA.]

Amazons cheap ass pedals will surprise anyone!

[@Akuma_yuk1]

Ok one problem, stop using that beep sound its the same as my ps4 on button sound and i keep thinking my ps4 is turning on...ty