Is Guitar Cabinet Tone Wood a Thing?

[@HandPuppet_Official]

Crazy to me that these types of videos don't perform as well as others. We appreciate the time and effort you put in! Thanks for all the saved money!

[@izzajoker]

I'll offer my reason for skipping these: As much as Glenn tries to deny it, some of his knowledge is useful outside the metal sphere. Since his "science" videos disregard all other genres, they aren't as helpful to me.

[@xrainymondayx]

I'll throw in my two cents as to why I skip these as well. Bedroom djenty boi who uses IRs. None of this applies to me, and I have a feeling most others are in my position.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@izzajoker Knowledge is still useful, wherever it comes from. I doubt that the end results will be that much different. At least its a good start.

[@izzajoker]

@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 that was my point, a lot of SMG's vids give tips that I can use as a ska and reggae guy. This one starts by saying it isn't for me, so I didn't watch it.

[@jeremythornton433]

I don't know why more people don't watch these either. I love them. My insatiable curiosity makes me just want to know more and more! About almost everything.

[@JavierSanchez-el4pl]

When soloed, B and C sounded the same to me, and A sounded a tad bit "bassier". But in the full mix, the difference was so negligible that I didn't notice any change.

[@SaleBSGN]

+1 on my 🎧

[@gumbomudderx7503]

Same to me as well…I can can tell A sounds different but can’t quite put my finger on “how” it sounds different.

[@werewolfmedialv]

same

[@larsge]

Ditto

[@josephmassey8031]

same

[@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn]

I've also experimented intensively. What I've found is that your left ball hanging free while playing will give you a certain amount of high end reverb, but having your right ball hanging loose will result in a darker tone. Having both balls vibrating freely sounds like a good idea, but in practice, you'll run into phase issues when they clonk together.

[@ovclay]

Hahahahaha dude you made my day. Hahaha

[@marcgardiner6278]

Well I never! What an astounding observation!

[@snap-off5383]

LOL like that old one, "I find I need to go on stage with my member pointed up in my jeans, that way when it gets hard, its pointed in the right direction."

[@derjohnnyb90]

Makes sense, after all toan is stored in the balls.

[@davidmurray9193]

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣 as stated by acdc big balls so much better when held every night 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@KyleBronkington]

*If there is a a difference* "See, we told you!" *If there is no difference" "You did the test wrong!" Keep up the good work, Glenn!

[@Charlie6969]

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

[@giancarlomartinez5630]

This video is amazing and eye opening. I heard no difference in the full mix, and the differences individually were so minimal, I won't even bother ranking them. I'd easily be happy with any of those tones. I get every artist wants to sound unique, but this video clearly proves that obsessing over the technological components of it will probably hinder overall creativity and output.

[@datajake1999]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@vexedpixels]

i think obsessing over technical aspects of tone is valid to an extent, but i absolutely follow science when it tells me this shit doesn’t make a difference.

[@madhatstand]

The only time I notice a major difference was from 12:20 when sustaining the last chord - when flipped from cab A to C and then to B there's a noticeable change in tone, more so in the bass - treble sounded close enough to my ears - but in a full mix, with the bass and kick drums blasting away, you'd never know!

[@tete1805]

My thoughts exactly!

[@KelticKabukiGirl]

B sounds best to me, I am sure all 3 mixed would sound great as A was treble heavy and C was high mids

[@totowylde]

I totally agree!

[@espertalhao041]

I noticed that, but also noticed on one point, in the solo, when it swapped from A to C. From 11:55 to 12:05, you can head the difference. Other than that, I heard absolutely no other differences. Maybe some smaller ones I wasn't sure about, but that was it. I only noticed it *WITH* the labels, not without.

[@MixedByTheScientist]

Chances are that those bass frequencies are going to be attenuated anyways to make room for the bass and kick in a full mix, so in the end, it won’t even matter.

[@JimmyDSausDE]

For me, on headphones, A sounded a bit "thinner" when compared soloed with B and C. In the full mix, I thought sometimes the guitars sounded thinner but I couldn't point out exactly when the change happened. So, I guess, in the end the only thing that is worth spending time and money on is finding the right speaker!

[@captainobviousn7551]

The overall Sound is great. But that Bass sounds is so brutal. Absolutely love it. Keep up the awesome work Glen

[@DerelictEarth]

Yes that bass sounds is amazing !

[@TheAntonio7102]

Yeah I was wondering how you got it to be so clicky! Perhaps an updated how to record metal bass is in order

[@captainobviousn7551]

@@TheAntonio7102 to get s good clicky sound out of your Bass look no further then Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. He has the String action as low as possible so that he basically smashes them into the Threatboard when ever he plucks the strings. There are a few videosby Didier Gerome and Bass Buzz here that show how you get that signatur clicky sound

[@i.m.22]

Yeah. I thought Bass and drums sounded great! While the Overall guitar sound was meh in the Mix...

[@matthewstorm8270]

I gotta say, the B amp had the best tone to my ears. It has a very full tone with each strong having value and not being muddied by the low string or ghosted by the mid and high strings. I like the precise feedback from each note. I liked the test and hope there is more cool ones down the road like this. Good Luck Glenn. Btw, you have opened my eyes up to a lot on both the financial side and recording side of being a musician. You have definitely helped me stay away from making poor choices as a musician with limited financial flexibility.

[@rowanmartin4397]

To me the A cab has a bit less clarity so my guess is particleboard, maybe B is plywood? I can’t tell the difference between B and C. They all sound near identical and in the mix, without labeling it, it’s effectively impossible to tell the difference. Edit: I was right about the particleboard, but B was actually mdf.

[@goodmanwiseman303]

Agreed, A was too thin, C was too thick, B was the best balance and sounded best to me.

[@worksofein6449]

Very interesting! I honestly couldn't hear any difference between them! The tone sounded really cool either way, and I love how much the guitarist gets into while playing.

[@legacyShredder1]

My thoughts on cabinet material has always been from a durability standpoint. I always thought the shape and size of the cabinet played more importance than materials. I'm at the 4:40 mark so I don't know the results of this test yet. Edit: I finished the video, and I don't have a favorite. Standing 15 feet away with my monitors cranked I couldn't tell any viable difference.

[@kennethsrensen7706]

True but also notice that those in video have microphone up close direct at the speaker driver so you really only get the sound from the speaker / driver itself and not whole sound as if in the room a few feet away ( or longer ) . To hear the real difference you need to listen far from the cabinet and not just a microphone close up to the speaker . After all the cabinets resonate at different frequencies depending of materials . For metal I think it doesnt do so big impact because the signal is already heavily distorted . The form factor or construction type will be of a real difference here . Especially with open compared to closed box and size ect .

[@legacyShredder1]

@@kennethsrensen7706 This was a test to hear it compared in a close mic recording situation specifically, as he stated at the start of the video. For this purpose it doesn't matter how it sounds in the room.

[@Fanafranky]

That's a very valid point. I notice way less of a difference than I was expecting since say a Mesa oversized cab will sound vastly different from a Marshall, but the amount of wood is definitely different between those 2

[@joshshultz1250]

@@kennethsrensen7706 Distortion level would make zero difference in noticing tone differential. I'm so sick of this deaf logic.

[@kennethsrensen7706]

@@legacyShredder1 Yes thats right and here it really doesnt matter because you have microphone up so close .

[@phantasmich]

I found cab B and C generating an equal sound when cab A had a different tone. For my taste I felt a lot more of treble on the cab A, which I didn't like that much after I listened to B and C that feels more balanced in the overall tone.

[@TR-zf6io]

@Jakob Nägler not yet. stayed tuned for more after this week long break

[@grayaj23]

I agree. A sounded inferior, and I noticed it in two places in different parts of the music. But the difference was slight enough that I would not be surprised to be told that they were all 3 the same cab and we've been punk'd.

[@phantasmich]

@@grayaj23 yeah it can happen, but I still find it very interesting

[@phantasmich]

@@TR-zf6io dang, I want to know already 🤣

[@HeavyInHawaii]

My thoughts as well.

[@nowheretoshower]

Thanks for doing all of that work, Glenn! B & C sounded practically identical to me and A was brighter than those. My guess for which is which material is B & C have the same baffle made of plywood while A is MDF. I can't wait to find out how wrong I am!

[@zacharysmithingell5460]

This is my guess too, and agreed about B and C being indistinguishable.

[@everrime]

For me, when solo'd A stood out a bit while B & C sounded very similar to my ears, but in a full mix I honestly didn't hear a difference. Looking forward to seeing the reveal. Thank you for doing these tests - awesome job as usual!

[@trajectoryunown]

Same for me at the start. After that, it got REALLY hard to pinpoint the exact difference between specific cabs. However, it was absolutely jarring every time it switched.

[@murrayguitarpickups9545]

Wow, I was expecting a bigger difference than that, the differences were almost impercievable. I think the wood of the guitar body only sounds percievably different with microphonic pickups so I wonder if some speakers would just sound the same and others may bring out the tone of the cab wood more? I'd love to see you try this experiment a couple more times with wildly different speakers, maybe a 5 inch and a 15 inch speaker?

[@aguynamednathan]

I am fuckin' LOVING the deconstruction of the tone wood myth! When I was learning to play as a teenager back in the 90's, I was SURROUNDED by old guys who SWORE by tone woods, tubes, and brands. These videos of yours are nothing short of VINDICATING for a guy like me who got overwhelmed by all these idealistic rants about how to make distortion sound good.

[@psmith2403]

Interesting! To my ears, I really couldn't hear that much of a difference in the mix and, with the guitars soloed, there was a slight difference, but it sounded like with some simple eq'ing onc could get any of the 3 cabs to sound like one another. Like, if you really wanted the tone of Cab A but owned Cab C, you could get Cab C there.

[@DonnieDistortion]

This.

[@KelticKabukiGirl]

Not B though, B had more bass and better presence, C had higher mids, less bass, A was kind of thin

[@bobsurface908]

Pretty much. An accidental nudge of a treble or presence button would easily make the difference between any of these and any other. Fascinating though.

[@ericwilliams538]

We're you listening through your phone speakers?? Some times listening through head phones ( good ones), and or good studio speakers make a big difference with videos like this...

[@psmith2403]

@@ericwilliams538 I have studio monitors. There is a difference in the tone of the three cabs that becomes less obvious in the mix. The three cabs are similar enough to where some basic eq'ing could have any one of these cabs sound like the other two. Are they different? Yes. But can they sound like one another? Also Yes.

[@drdandalf]

I normally don't put a 'like' on videos, because I keep on forgetting to, or am typically am just listening to videos instead of watching. But because you worked so damn hard for this scientific experiment, and deserve the attention for all this hard work, I made sure to put a like, which I hope everyone else will, to help your algorithm.

[@TxBassMan31]

I look forward to seeing the results. B and C are very similar and A just sounds smaller than the other two. Great job!

[@thedickens6490]

That's where I landed as well. I think C was the most versatile, but it's impossible to tell until someone tells me what to think. All three sounded great for lead, and I'll die on that hill

[@elmonkeh]

Noticeable difference between A and B+C but he could fool me by saying B and C were the same cab.

[@scourge34]

@@elmonkeh Exactly what I heard also.

[@tonebone69]

Yes same here though i thought A sounded prettier than the other two. But i have no idea what it's made of.

[@alexcrouse]

The intro/background was a great idea. Hopefully, this goes viral and you get a ton of new subs from it!

[@thesteamycreamofdualjabbar6486]

I’ve always wanted to make a cabinet out of solid oak and fully varnished so it can double as a piece of furniture.

[@Powermad-bu4em]

It would have to be furniture. You'd need a forklift to move that bad boy.

[@kazzTrismus]

i did...it ends up looking like a kitchen cabinet...i redid it in black and it just looked like a giant shelf speaker...and if i didnt get the wood for free i wouldnt recommend it....stupid heavy & the sound difference was minor too

[@Powermad-bu4em]

@@kazzTrismus My best friend's dad had to cabinets for his home stereo system that were made out of oak back in the 70s. He had 15s in them. They sounded pretty good but they were pretty much a permanent fixture I'm the living room. 🤣

[@dannychane]

Thank you for putting so much effort! 🙏

[@icestorm_rb9057]

Okay so here are my thoughts on this after multiple listens in: I was expecting there to be a more significant difference between the speakers given the densities of the three woods, but I'm very surprised that the differences are a bit more subtle than I thought. One thing that did stand out to me though is the resonant frequencies between the three cabinets. You can hear a whistling frequency around the 500 to 600 hz range for all three cabinets. In the guitars that have been soloed, this is much more obvious. For cabinet A, there is this resonant frequency at around 515 ± 3 hz while for cabinets B and C, the resonant frequency is around 585 ± 10 hz. Now this is just purely speculation on my end, but here's what I think which cab is which. I think Cabinet A is the MDF cabinet. This is because the the whistling frequency is quite prominent which suggests that the material around it is much denser, reflecting more sound energy into cavity of the cabinet and then creating some sort of resonant spot. For cabinets B and C, it is much harder to discern which is which because their differences are a bit subtler, but here are my guesses: Cabinet B is plywood and Cabinet C is particle board. I say this because cabinet B's resonant frequency is slightly more prominent than cabinet C's suggesting that cabinet B is made of a denser material than cabinet C which explains (or at least I think it does) the differences. Personally, I like all three of them, but cabinet C was my favorite because its resonant frequency, though still audible and prominent, is not as much compared to the other two, especially to cabinet A. That's my thoughts on this, can't wait for next week! Fuck you Glenn for all this effort!!

[@joecinder3828]

This is a super professional video, and any views on it are well deserved. I hope this video blows up Glenn!!!

[@mason8971]

Hey i really dig that disclaimer in the beginning. Sharing this with other musicans/producers in the future with that big "HEY THIS IS FOR METAL" really clears things up when your bass players watches the video

[@ravingpotato8339]

First of all: Thank you very much for your time and effort!! I couldn't distinguish the cabs from another in the full mix. The most most noticeable changes were at the very end of the A/B/C comparison, where the note was held a little longer. But the changes are in the realm of overall random tone variation in one song. My personal conclusion: The wood of the cab does change something, but it doesn't matter.

[@Kevin.Kelly.]

First. I appreciate the hard work. I’ve been waiting for this one. I heard different nasal/mid qualities with each cab. B was a bit brighter so I preferred it. Probably more subtle than a speaker difference though. But a noticeable difference nonetheless. Much more of a difference than the guitar wood comparison.

[@zackakai5173]

I thought cab B was slightly darker than the other two tbh

[@aprilkurtz1589]

Thanks for your huge effort in pursuit of da troof of where the tone comes from. Those cream backs sounded really great at the beginning of this vid. Do you have to know physics in order to make your own cabinet? Your experiments make me wonder why, since everything sounds the same, is gear so damn expensive?

[@hethaerto1]

I appreciate the work you put into your videos. Of the three cabs I discerned no audible differences.

[@pastelcia42]

man, I really wish someone made videos like these for other styles of music, with well-thought out experiments controlling all the variables, can't say I've found a lot outside of this channel. Great video! I think I prefer tones C and A, but the differences are subtle between them and I only really heard them in the solo clips. Tone B was the most different and my least favourite, but I'm not a metalhead, so take that with a grain of salt. My theory is that people obsess way too much about tone (me included) and in the end it doesn't make enough of a difference to matter

[@thekramer1097]

I'm pretty sure in other styles of music people rely on tonewoods and other buzzwords to make a living so I dont think there would be much

[@pastelcia42]

@@thekramer1097 I tend to agree with you on that, but right now I can't say that for sure because of the lack of experiments, especially on the amp/cab/speaker side of things

[@thekramer1097]

@@pastelcia42 Makes sense

[@leekayfabe]

Jim Lill is a country guitar player (I generally hate country music) who does lots of tests like this. Really smart dude makes great videos.

[@jellevanmourik8250]

Thanks for putting in the effort man! I've build a couple of small and odd cabinet my self and found that the (slight) difference in tone usually is not worth the extra expenses on the wood. A surprising candidate is "betonplex" (the stuff usually used for flight-cases). In my experience (as a hobbyist I must add) the size of the opening in the back (if any) and the angle of the front face, make a larger difference. Thanks again for showing the world how a A-B test is actually done and hope the video does well!

[@BlackChromeJamTracks]

Great work Glenn! Not sure if it’s possible, I’d love to see null tests between them all

[@dannychane]

There is a difference, but it not like night and day. To be honest: I only noticed a few cab changes in the full mix by paying attention to the high end. Sometimes the sound got a little bit muddier. However sometimes even the thickness of the pick and the angle how you hold it can make such differences, too.

[@mickfretty8038]

Thank you Glenn, for all of your time and effort, your videos are very much appreciated. The results of your research enable us to make informed decisions when buying gear, that we tend to hang onto. Before finding you, I made some bad choices, wasted my time and money, sold gear at a loss (because it was crap) - it's longer journey and nowhere near as much fun as the road I'm on now. It's great to have you as a go-to, trustworthy place to for answers. Have an awesome week. 🤘😎🤘 ❤

[@nathanchennault6104]

Cabinet B. Looking forward to seeing the results. Thank you very much.

[@SteveAddeo]

C was definitely the best sounding with B being a close second, it just wasn't quite as tight. My money's on A is the particle board, B being MDF, adn C being plywood.

[@ddgarage7025]

I think these are my guesses too, rigidity of MDF and Plywood seem to be similar.

[@emiliogarcia1795]

I was able to pick up on when the changes in the mix happened but couldn’t really tell which I preferred in the context of the mix. I was only able to detect a slight tonal shift. I preferred the cabinet B isolated. Seemed the most balanced to me. A sounded a little thin and C was a little darker. I’d guess cab A - particle board, cab B - plywood, cab C - MDF

[@666Timur666]

I’d love to also hear the roomtone, if there’s a difference. I know it’s all about recording, but i’m about to build a new cabinet for myself, so it would be wonderfull to hear if i need to consider the matererial and if so, how much, because playing at small venues means that most of the sound is coming straight from the cabinet, not PA so much. Cheers from Finland!

[@bkinblack]

B > C > A. B is the most noticeable in the mix when compared to the other ones, it sounds more "open", it's the one I like the most

[@westonhunnicutt6272]

i really appreciate the free value! you do a lot for so many of us, keep up the good work brother

[@finnadunk]

That bass tone was killer. I was listening on a loudspeaker with my back turned and eyes closed. I heard zero difference. It all sounded like 1 seamless track.

[@BrunoGomes666]

From the most favorite to the least favorite: B, C, A. Cabinet B sounds the fullest. C is very close to B, up to a point that the difference might be negligible. A sounds thinner, but in the context of a mix it might actually help cut through. The differences from A to B aren't that big and I bet you could easily compensate by using an eq. I'm thinking that the wood of the cabinet might actually make a bigger difference if I'm listening to the cabinet directly with my own ears, but when using a mic, as it is so close to the speaker, the tone differences might be less pronounced. Glenn, could you please address this matter in the next video? Cheers.

[@enemyandy]

I like this assessment. I had a similar experience with B C and A. I want to guess that B is MDF and they C is plywood and that A is particle board but I suspect A is probably plywood even tho emotionally I want the stronger material to sound better.

[@BrunoGomes666]

@@enemyandy when Glenn knocked on the wood, I think plywood was the brightest one, which makes sense as it's the harder one. In this case, I think plywood would be A. But my memory could be playing tricks on me or I can simply be wrong. Anyway, I'm curious about the final results. I've been waiting for these videos since he announced the tests.

[@YannSelka]

In the full mix it was really subtle most of the time, there were about 3 times where I thought I heard a difference and one where I was 100% sure (10:55) With the guitars only, I can say that personally C was my favorite, followed by B and then A (being worst by a fairly large margin).

[@drdandalf]

I agree, I disliked Cab A the most.

[@gabihakler868]

I liked the a the most

[@kazzTrismus]

@@gabihakler868 honest question...are you an emg fan?

[@gabihakler868]

@@kazzTrismus no i like the dimarzio super distortion the most

[@gabihakler868]

@@kazzTrismus plus what does that have to do with anything. For metal rythms emgs are amazing. Especially with a mesa boogie which i use

[@TheRealFreekBos]

These vids are SOOO VALUEBLE!!! Thank you so much Glenn for taking the time and spending the bucks to help us and SLAM those myths to bits! Truely amazing...

[@paulselka7410]

You were Right again! I heard no measurable diffference with my ears!

[@ItsDrewsif]

As a man who just bought a cab made of MDF, I’m hoping the answer is “no” Cab A sounds the murkiest to me, B sounds very standard, and C has a very nice crisp top end. I think B and C sound similar, so I’m betting A is the MDF…

[@tommytomthms5]

note: I think there was some fuckery here. the second time he cycled them.

[@nickrosaciaudiodesign993]

To me, A and C were very similar, whereas B was slightly brighter than the other two. But, I think the difference is still extremely negligible, and any of the options would be more than fine in the mix.

[@suddenswarm5944]

I only really heard a difference when soloed, especially between B and C rhythm playing, C had a more "nasal" quality to my ear. In a full mix i couldn't hear the difference, so the overall effect isn't that strong. Maybe listening back i might hear something different, but only if i know what to look for, so I'd say its negligible

[@jpmosher6508]

Glenn, it is so sad to hear, these videos don't get the views, due to the fact they give so much information! I did not hear much difference, from cab to cab. The isolated guitar track, you gave us, people were saying that cab A had a little more bass, but that was the first part of that track. The cabs got a different part of the track. Hence, the human playing variable has come into the equation. This would mean playing a few bars, switch cab, replay the same few bars... I don't know if you had done so, if yes, then Dang, you are spot on, in your editing and Great job. If no, could you just do a short doing the same few short bars repeated? Thanks again and keep doing this great work!!! 🤘

[@guilhermealencar5646]

Unfortunately not much people watched this video, but it will really help me make my final work of college, so thank you very much!

[@phucue887]

I dont know much about Tonewood .......but all my red guitars play and sound better than my blue guitars ! So red is the superior tone color !

[@TheAxe4Ever]

I could definitely hear a difference. The difference between cab A and cab C was slight, but noticeable. Cab B sounded a bit warmer and had a bigger low end. But it sounded “looser” in the low end. Sounded really good, but maybe not tight enough for modern metal. It seemed to muddy the low end a bit. To me, cab C would be my preference. A bit deeper on the low end than cab A but still tight. The mids and highs on all 3 cabs didn’t have enough of a difference to make a difference. Just my 2 cents and opinion. Cool video and appreciate all the work that went into making it!

[@Angellus502]

Agreed

[@KUTEY]

I feel like A gets lost in the mix... So I'm assuming MDF one. The other two sounds great, so I'll say B is Plywood and C is particle with plywood baffle. I think the baffle is vibrating with the speaker, so I think this is the most important part of a cabinet, a bit like the top of an acoustic guitar

[@mattz0rr]

Just wanna say my favorite part was the guitar performance... he was havin a blast and killin it at the same time.. nice one!

[@reilleygudaitis5310]

These are easily your most interesting and inspiring videos. I’ve already shared this to all my recording buddies.

[@adammayo9302]

Glennnn. I pretty much did this test unintentionally over several years. Being a woodworker and guitar player, I had to build my own cabinet. First one was MDF and sounded great but MDF isn’t really resilient and I wanted an ornate and unique so I made the exact same cabinet a few years later out of Walnut, Hickory and some Purple Heart. I noticed a pronounced punch in the low mid range but like you said, that’s really only in the context of playing it in a medium sized room. If you mix them, they pretty much are exact. I think what I really learned from this video is that it is possible to play interesting stuff on more than the first few frets of a seven-string guitar. Whoever that guy was is awesome.

[@themog4911]

Smashing up below par equipment never gets old .. Keep up the good work :)

[@mortin2608]

I’ve been waiting for this video for a while now. Thanks for all your effort Glen. It’s appreciated !

[@ninjaquest]

I'm loving all the scientific videos, so helpful! I couldn't spot a single difference between the three cabs, shockingly...

[@matthewvistnes5603]

Couldn’t tell a damn bit of difference. Wouldn’t have known there was a change if you didn’t tell me there was. Great video Glenn 🙏🏼

[@caseykittel]

Yes. Jim Lil’s videos on tone were mind blowing - pickups made the largest difference. So 1) pickups and then 2) the speakers Love it.

[@radishlive]

I played the video through an iphone 11 and i had trouble noticing the cabinet swaps. Only a few times did i notice the cabinet change without looking at the video screen and paying extra attention. The differences were super minimal all of them sounded stellar

[@michaelsnydermusic]

First off, thank you Glenn. I know it’s took a ton of work and the views won’t reflect that. I’ll post on that in a min. As for the results, I have to say I actually didn’t care for the tones (which is unusual here). However, cabinet A sounded the most unique but not in a pleasing way (thinner?). I couldn’t hear changes in the lead tone nor anywhere in the mix. Only during Isolated guitar was I able to hear any changes. However, none were very significant and again, in the mix I had no clue. Thanks again!

[@_Orothin]

Awesome video. Head twirly dude was fun to watch too haha.

[@Psuperbrain1]

This video is going to trigger so many people. I love it! Triggering people with facts, not opinion, is commendable. Great job!

[@howardmaryon]

My dad was a hifi enthusiast and he also happened to own a wood import and sawmill business. He knew wood, including particle board, shuttering board, mdf, chipboard etc etc and every soft and hardwood on the planet. He used marine grade plywood for speaker baffles and any old thing for the rest of the cabinet.

[@seandempseymusic]

I couldn't tell any differences in the mix but when only hearing solo guitar tracks I could hear slight differences. Honestly makes me think that I shouldn't pay any mind to what wood is in my cabinets or my electric guitars because in a mix there's no perceivable difference in tone. As an aside, I love these types of videos from you. Thanks for another awesome video and I hope it does extremely well 🤘

[@howardmaryon]

Why am I only seeing this in Late November 2022? This is essential watch for every electric musician and recording producer!

[@willlewis153]

Now this is the type of video i subscribed for! Can’t thank you enough for all the time/money you’re helping me save

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

My pleasure, Will!

[@heey_George8904]

This information for new guitarist and bass player or any musician is Gold and this channel is the fountain of the knowledge 🔥👑🤯

[@dylanocarrilho6866]

Glen maistro you amaze me! I was going to buy a 1500 euro(dutchie here) guitar because the wood was beter they said, that night in the bus to work you video of tonewood shootout came out while listening on my rolfstone neo I didnt hear any fudging difference. So now I saved myself a wopping 1000 euros by just buying the guitar with the same shape and pickups but it wasn’t a gibson and now this. I love these videos keep up the work tou deserve more love for these! And I could hear some difference between A and B/C, A was somewhat thinner in my case. Thankss again!!

[@ichbrauchmehrkaffee5785]

As soon as you mentoined tonewood, I imediately thought of Jim Lill's extensive tests, and got all the more hyped, once you mentioned it. That guy is a legend!

[@colemclain3563]

I was real surprised at the difference in cab A and B/C. Couldn't tell in the full mix but in isolation I could hear a change. Thanks for your hard work, man, cool shit.

[@spencerharding5328]

One of my favorite channels to watch by far. Keep up the hard work. Love tuning into your channel Glenn.

[@willimitus]

Well glen, I watched this. Happy to help your viewership Also, after watching the video, Cabs B and C were very similar to me while A sounded thinner in the midrange. C had the most grind up top and B was pretty even across. Both B and C were better to me, but I couldn't find any differences in a mix.

[@troyredford149]

Couldn't hear a difference on my end. I've always been fascinated with these types of experiments and appreciate all the work you put in and share with us.

[@BartoszXIV]

Hi Glen, when it comes about guitar body I can't agree material (wood) doesn't matter. Maybe it doesn't affect tone but it does affect sustain. Guitar made of great material will resonate as you play your strings and will keep them vibrating for longer. I did the test in a music shop and tried different guitars hanging on the wall by holding the body with one hand and hitting the strings with the other. I was blown away by the sustain you can get from Andy Timmos Signature Ibanez AT-100 if I remember right.

[@mdb-music7620]

In the full mix I didn’t hear any noticeable changes. Thanks Glenn! No more wasting money on expensive cabs for me!

[@kevinvandeventer8690]

Sweet video and timely that I ran across it just as I am looking for a cab for my Joyo head I just bought.

[@ericsyre9418]

The SM-57 in front of it also has a HUGE influence on what's captured.

[@Michael.Larsen]

The science nerds in us (and those of us looking to not feed pre-existing biases) LIVE for these videos. Thank you so much for putting in the time and attention you do into these. You are part of the reason my 4x12" was rebuilt with Warehouse Veteran 30s (and I LOVE it!!!)

[@Loki6669Alpha]

I watched. Love these deep dives. Thank you. Ranked in order of preference, greatest to least: B>C>A B sounded the most full bodied, A the least. C sounded closer to A to me with just a little more low end than A. B sounded the best. In the mix, couldn’t tell a difference and I’m too lazy to rewatch that part to see if I can discern a difference after the solos. Great work and may you receive many views👍🏻

[@OttoOreh]

Listening in Sony WH-1000xM2, the difference is so small I can only hear it if I look at the video and see when the cabinets changes. That’s tells me is Im psychologically biased. If there is a difference it’s audible only when the guitar is isolated. At the same time the change is so minimal it can come from air temp or moisture differences in the room!!! Thanks for this amazing video!

[@CaseyJust]

Great video Glenn! The guys playing were badass. For me B had a little something extra (something in the Lower mids) than A or C but only slightly. Definitely not enough to worry about when recording and that’s why we close mic guitar speakers. It gets it right at the source. NOW the next test you MUST do is to test putting batting/insulation in a cab to see if absorbing standing waves in the cabinet improves or ruins the tone.

[@timclark5435]

I've been planning to build a cab once the snow is gone, and have been waiting for this video since you announced it. My first two listen throughs were completely blind. No differences I could ID in the full mix. Solo'd there are maybe only the slightest variations, and they were small enough that on a third pass watching the visual queues, I found out I was mistaken about where one of the cab changes happened, and even doing a pass on the "good" headphones, it was hard to detect.

[@rsluggy6485]

Regardless of what KZbin tells you, addessing these kinds of scientific issues are among my favorites of your content! Party on, Dr. Glenn! I'll be the first to admit that I rarely hear a difference in almost any of your tone comparison content, particularly changes within a mix. I attribute that equally to both my relatively untrained ear and listening to KZbin on cheap USB headphones; I generally listen while working from home with the same headphones I use for work calls. However, even I could hear a difference between cabinets A & B/C, especially in the guitars only presentation. Not so clearly in the mix. As for scientific method, an interesting (but probably irrelevant) metric would be recording a frequency sweep to see where the responses peak and valley. I understand you would also be characterizing the room and the microphone to some degree, but I think keeping the test methodology consistent as you definitely are doing would still render valid results. The cabinet material may make some big difference at some frequencies and less at others and this response curve is probably masked within the context of a musical performance.

[@LTDusersince99]

I like the "fizz" on some cabinet i'm not sure the other could reproduce, but, today... with all these free EQ plugins and THE saturation knob plugin... you can have the any tone you want.

[@coelhovinicius140]

Defnitely apreciate those experiments! As some said, allways had it that most of the difference would come from shape/size and maybe how that would behave with the particular speaker being used at the time? Keep up the great work!

[@corbinsmith6777]

I was too busy listening to how awesome the music was in the mix and totally forgot I was supposed to be listening for the cabs

[@helgijonsson3537]

I heard only minimal differences in the full mix, not sure I spotted every switch. With the guitars soloed, I preferred C. A sounded brittle, B sounded a tad thin but C had that top-end grind and low end rumble which I love. But none of these are bad tones (considering how much I had to strain to hear the differences in the full mix) and all three cabs sound good enough for studio use. I couldn't begin to guess which cab is which. Thanks for another awesome mythbusting test, Glenn!

[@nickf2170]

Great job on the test. I could not discern any difference in the sound clips.

[@cfreeman5631]

Glen, absolutely appreciate the effort. On headphones, all sounded great, very little if any difference. Love the sound of the EVH speakers. How are they with clean sounds ? another video? Thanks. Good luck in Canada.

[@saulgoodman1390]

Just wanna say thank you for doing all this and putting this information out there for all to see (and hear)! The efforts are appreciated

[@doca9357]

probably the biggest thing you'll notice is carting around a cabinet made of particle board vs void free plywood, the weight. Years ago I built some speakers from a designed/tuned kit. The designers said then particle board was the most consistent for sound(audiophile quality stereo speakers) plywood(void free, not the stuff at the lumber yard) is lighter, stronger and preferred when making cabs that are moved around constantly. MDF I haven't personally had experience with, except small near field monitors. I imagine the baffle material might be the biggest difference. cool test

[@berserkersquad499]

Thumbs from me just purely for the effort you put in the to making this. I couldn't really tell there was a difference. If you would have said that it was really the same cab in all clips I would have believed you. I guess the next video should be does cab size make a difference. Good shit Glenn.

[@frodrigues1011]

Glenn, your work is amazing, I'm not a full metal guy, I like metal, classic stuff, but I'm more a rock roll type of guy. But this kind of video is very very good even if you are a metalhead shredder or just a casual rock/blues musician. This helps people to know the gear they use, also helps to choose where to invest the hard-earned money. So yeah TOP content my friend. The tone from speakers is far more important, just lock at IR the whole idea of IR is the impulse from the f#$% speakers. This is the kind of video that is also good for sims, because IR is based on speakers! so yeah. For sims I got far better results getting good IR packs compared with different sims software, the amp head and pedals are just a background part of the tone. I used several amps heads, pedals, in the same IR, and the difference is? THE HEADROOM, how soon will distort and how much maybe some EQ particularities of the amp/pedal, but yeah the rest of the tone "the bigger part" comes from the speakers. So Glenn good job.

[@solarpixiejournals]

Glenn, these are some great videos. Thank you.

[@Arthemesia]

I think a very cool control would be suspending the speaker without a cab. Just speaker sound by itself. Not exactly sure if you could get a little wooden frame made for that, but would be interesting

[@AlexSMarie]

Can't wait to see the result next week, I hardly noticed any differences, it was so minimal but i kind of expected it a little bit

[@EddieWinebauer]

We needed this out there Glenn.