A LES PAUL sounds SIMILAR to a STRAT: Test Results

By Request, we put a Les Paul up against an HSS Strat using a $16000 signal chain. It was pretty shocking just how close they sounded to each other in a blind test... and how many commenters liked the $269 Harley Benton once they finally used thier ears! Get the Harley Benton at this affiliate link: www.thomann.de...
Grab my signature SIT strings here: sitstrings.com...
Many thanks to ‪@ChristianVegh‬ for the awesome performance!
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I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
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[@robbirose7032]

Next you will be saying that the paint doesn't affect tone

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

BLASPHEMEY!

[@cycomiles4225]

Oh yeah, ive seen people say that, especially when it comes to nitrocelulose vs polyurethane guitar finish arguments. Whats up with that? I thought they were joking at first.

[@robbirose7032]

​@cycomiles4225 I was joking mate.

[@juliankirby9880]

@@cycomiles4225poly feels bad and nitro feels good. It’s literally that simple. Also. Nitro is slowly offgassing all the time, if you like the smell of drying paint. The. Nitro is the way.

[@cycomiles4225]

​@@robbirose7032Yes, i know. Im asking, are the people really serious about it?

[@breathinglead871]

"Yup. That guitar sounds like a guitar" -The bass player.

[@BlockDefender]

We need more videos debunking guitar player pseudoscience. I don't get why people can't just say they use expensive guitars to feel associated with the legacy/history of the brand and its players. I bought my Les Paul to fulfill some deep-rooted childhood desire to be like the players I admire, and while it was worth it, I probably should have spent the money on therapy to fix whatever mental illness makes something like that feel worth it. Thanks for the videos!

[@firebald2915]

Boutique Bedrooms are gonna be a thing now. Pillows or none. Jim Lill did the Amp comparison, too. Next we should do digital recording vs tape. Or... which hand you use to plug your guitar in with...

[@mopanda81]

To be fair since music is artistic and art is just human psychology taken form sometimes being inspired is more important than being good. Maybe not as important if you're too poor to heat your home or buy food but yaknow.

[@Levelity]

Just cause they are similar doesn’t mean they sound the same. I have cheap and expensive guitars and the expensive ones for sure, sound and play way better. No humbucker guitar can reproduce a strats 4th position. Just like no single coil can reproduce the bridge pickup lead tones quite like a humbucker.

[@robertdusziii4125]

Your comment (and the video) might have saved me some cash. Have a CS Tele which I love but was thinking about a Les Paul. Was considering the Epi Greenie but maybe a regular old Epi Les Paul is just fine.

[@jdrodi]

Agreed. Love the Mugi pic btw.

[@ryano.5149]

I've been playing guitar for 27 years. Every single guess with the clean was wrong, and I didn't even try with the dirtier tone. It is INSANE to me how close these guitars actually are!

[@D_Bear85]

Snap, albeit 24 years. Thought I had picked the strat out but kinda glad to hear I was wrong

[@cesarmagalhaes6169]

The satisfaction of the mind .. 😁

[@RubberStig]

40 years for me. I got the PRS and the Strat, but mixed up the LP and the Harley Benton - but to be fair, the ones I got right, I have a lot of experience with, and I have very little experience with the Gibson, and none with the Harley Benton (I'm not even sure if they are available in my country!).

[@goblinspy]

​@@RubberStig It was just a coincidence. They don't sound differently.

[@RubberStig]

@@goblinspy So what you are saying is you cannot hear the difference? Got it.

[@scottlinegar5474]

I once owned a USA Strat and a Les Paul, both equipped with Super Distortion Pickups. Now what I do recall is that both guitars sounded noticably different live on stage, however when I tracked both guitars for an album, they were almost undistinguishable.

[@Katerwaller12]

I think that’s because of acoustic resonance- pretty sure he mentioned that in a different video, I was trying to find that actually. I’m not sure why though, any idea?

[@maxcasey5655]

Dude, I love it, the difference in tone is pitifully minimal and NOT thousands of $$ in difference. Saddly, some people will never admit it at all.

[@alegutierrezmusic]

For me PRS sound amazing but is not 10 times better than Harley Benton for that price

[@PavlozKapeliz]

@maxcasey5655 Remember, it's about posing with an expensive guitar while cannot even play clearly, a single groovy power chord sequence...obviously it's the most important thing nowadays...🖖

[@Lodgiefitness]

Yer the price will always be about how the guitar looks and plays

[@meiji..]

​@@Lodgiefitness And even if it plays bad, just bring it to a decent luthier. It's 250$ at most if a setup + fret leveling is needed, and it will certainly play as good as custom shop guitars no matter the price point.

[@TomTomSGC]

While this is true, the counter to that is if you are not a pro musician who can make any guitar sing, a good expensive guitar will help you play more comfortably. I have an Ibanez Premium and it is not my favourite guitar, but it's the one all my friends say make me sound the best. It's lovely to play. I love my PRS Custom SE. It's not stupid money, but is more expensive than a HB. I bought that because it looked nice and I enjoyed playing it. I think what Glenn has done is show people the sound is actually more about the player than the kit in 99% of the cases. Yes there are small tonal changes from each thing (guitar/amp/cab/mics) but actually nothing beats practice and loving what you do.

[@pradyumnamukunda9222]

Glenn will one day do a blind shootout between a real guitar and an air guitar and prove that it doesn't affect tone

[@TranceMasterJack]

We all know it's the speakers

[@ReinhartSchneider]

He hasn't been able to prove much using real guitars and seems to only pull comments from the most emotionally charged and least articulate people that add their opinions to his comment section so I wouldn't hold your breath on that one.

[@hinduismwithpremananddasbhagat]

If you have the right pick-ups in a custom air guitar, you can't tell the difference.

[@hinduismwithpremananddasbhagat]

"He hasn't been able to prove much using real guitars and seems to only pull comments from the most emotionally charged and least articulate people that add their opinions to his comment section so I wouldn't hold your breath on that one." So, he didn't prove that the guitars sound the same? So, he should not use "real guitars", so he should use fake guitars? What would that be? As for emotionally charged comments, because pulling boring comments is boring. Do you really want to see normal comments? So, instead he pulls comments like yours.

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@Kevbo4]

I can totally tell which one was which when you show which one was which! So kudos to me for having my glasses on.

[@TobiasMantsch]

It is so much more important how the instrument feels in your hands and in your preferred playing position, how it looks to you and that it inspires you to play than some imagined tonal differences. People, touch and feel the guitars and buy the ones that "speak" to you and don't geek out over irrelevant stats.

[@clivebonehill3348]

Very true, how a instrument "feels" in your hands is so important to how you play it, is so often ignored by Guitarists ( particular electric ) but so often important to other instruments ( violinists are very particular about it !) The amount of EQ and sound shaping available to us tends to blind us to its importance .

[@rrolf71]

It's true not just for instruments. For example, the setup of a still camera makes a huge difference. Nikon and Canon DSLR brands are both extremely capable and very similar what they can do, but many people love one brand and hate the other for how they handle. I'm a Nikonian and any Canon in my hands feels.... wrong. I'm sure some Canonians have a similar, albeit reversed feeling. A really good tool of any trade can be "invisible", ie. at some point you forget you hold a guitar in your hands. It's just as if the music flowed out of you. You don't have to fight against the thing you handle.

[@frankorobinson1540]

I believe it or not never went by how a guitar looks because my first guitar was a squire strat and the white guitar man I throught I would play like hendrix 😂😂😂😂😂 I hated it string spacing and nut and fretboard was horrible for me after that I just went to the guitar store and would pull down guitars untill I felt comfortable playing the neck the playability of the neck is what sell me on a stringed instrument if its easy and smooth notes ring out with light touch I dont care what the rest of the instrument looks like yes I have my visual appearance that I would prefer but the playability of that neck and string spacing for my jumbo hands is the key selling point for me anyway my second guitar was a Wayne charvel with a floyd rose r5 nut and it works for me I just have to have wide string spacing ❤

[@marknicholson5508]

I think you're onto something. Like most people here I have a bigger collection of guitars than I can use, and my Squier Classic Vibe 59 Strat copy is by far the easiest and most comfortable one to play.

[@asquare9316]

@@clivebonehill3348 As a wind instrument player (and new guitarist - 7 months in to guitar, 55 or so years sax, flute, clarinet), the feel and setup of the instrument is so important. For instance, I love playing bari sax. It's not just the amazing sound, but it also just seems to fit my body so well. Soprano sax is almost as good to me, but I don't feel totally connected to it like bari. I can't stand playing tenor, it just feels wrong to me, so I don't play it. Alto is very good feeling to me also. Except for soprano, I prefer E-flat saxes. haha

[@niteshades_promise]

I love that you included prices.😂 Thank you so much for turning me on to Harley benton. About to get the 88 dollar les paul kit. Gonna leave it raw wood as paint effects tone!😂🍻

[@robertthurman9866]

Great work, keep it up. You and Jim Lill are attempting to bring sanity to music hardware.

[@DS-nw4eq]

Go watch the KZbin videos from Wildwood Guitars. This dude can’t mic up a guitar. And he may be skewing the results because he doesn’t like certain US brands.

[@randaji]

Jim Lill, absolutely. This channel could benefit from understanding the scientific method a bit more and eliminating variables. In this case, clip loudness, strings....

[@B3nja.s]

I thought D was the Strat and B was the PRS in the clean test. I'm very impressed by the results. Nice video btw, keep it up Glenn

[@DS-nw4eq]

Go watch the KZbin videos from Wildwood Guitars. This dude can’t mic up a guitar. And he may be skewing the results because he doesn’t like certain US brands.

[@GoldNettle]

​@DS-nw4eq Hes not the only person doing videos like this. All have cone to the same conclusion unless theyre a company that sells things, such as wildwood guitars.. whos whole catalog is from gibson or fender companies lol. Their company would go under if people quit believing the myth

[@nunninkav]

Why would you think an active pickup would sound darker than all the others?

[@biggcustomz8583]

A great experiment Glen. You proved that all answers are guesses. If you ran the same test again, most people will still get wrong answers. The tone is important but playability and reliability all also equally important. As always, your experiments are on point. Secretly humbling the guitar snob and teaching the world real facts. Keep up the good work 👍👏

[@ruipeixoto5737]

Most important thing is: tune your guitar. With a Les Paul you'll tune a guitar a lot. Gibson supreme master race confirmed... I guess! 🤣

[@DS-nw4eq]

You know what is a great rig? Gibson Les Paul and a Boogie Fillmore 25.

[@DS-nw4eq]

Go watch the KZbin videos from Wildwood Guitars. This dude can’t mic up a guitar. And he may be skewing the results because he doesn’t like certain US brands.

[@ErickC]

@@DS-nw4eq: how would the ability to mic up a guitar or lack thereof skew the results if what we're listening for are *changes* in the sound? That would affect the generalizability of the results if the hypothesis was "this is the sound of a recorded Stratocaster under all conditions" (which is not the hypothesis), but it doesn't affect the actual hypothesis of "the frequency spectrum shift of different guitars with similar pickups is minimal and not conducive to blind instrument identification" at all. You're conflating external validity with internal validity. Put another way: if the recorded sound of a Strat is so characteristic so as that it can always be identified versus a Les Paul, then regardless of the microphone used or the frequency spectrum of the recording, the characteristic shift will be detectable unless the recording is heavily laden with noise, which Glenn's recordings aren't. You can't take a photograph of a frog and an elephant and then claim you can't tell the difference between them because the photograph was taken with DSLR A and not and DSLR B. If the difference is significant enough to tell the difference, you're always going to be able to tell a frog from an elephant unless the visual data is absolute noise. But you could take photos of identical twins (who almost always have subtle physical differences) with any camera and have a hard time telling the difference.

[@LaminatorX]

I could definitely hear differences, but nothing that screamed "$4000 price difference." They're all within a few minor amp adjustments of one another.

[@JimBoom92]

Wow. Finally a proof. Thanks so much for all your efforts.

[@damianfennelly5752]

This is brilliant stuff to watch. I couldn't tell you which guitar was which in the original video in either of the sound tests. You're shining an uncomfortable spot light on whole chunks of 'accepted guitar wisdom' and highlighting that it's just not true. Keep up the good work.

[@eriklarson9137]

Exactly. And "experts" will ignore this and continue to say the same things over and over.

[@aj92-]

I’ve been a guitar tech for years, and have changed thousands of strings on guitars and basses alike. Although I feel like it does change tone a little bit, I’d love to see something done in a controlled environment! Much love and support dude 🤘🏼!

[@DS-nw4eq]

Go watch the KZbin videos from Wildwood Guitars. This dude can’t mic up a guitar. And he may be skewing the results because he doesn’t like certain US brands.

[@DrDanka69]

@@DS-nw4eqI keep seeing your comment on other comments lol

[@jphormiga]

@@DrDanka69 lol I know. someone needs to go out and get some sunlight

[@aj92-]

@@DS-nw4eq Well rightfully so. Gibson guitars are the bane to my existence as a tech. Anything from a twisted neck, to uneven frets, to the damn INLAYS popping out. That doesn’t exactly sound like a guitar that someone pays even over $500 for. Even Martin guitars have TONS of problems. Some US brands just don’t have good quality control sometimes and that’s ok. Just don’t buy it lol.

[@nathanstein589]

@@DS-nw4eqUnfortunately those brands qualities are in the shitter now. Gibson hasn’t been a quality guitar company since the 70s.

[@thorbjrnreppe7343]

I’m pretty happy I got one right! (Only answered on the clean test). Laughing at myself for thinking the LP was the emg’s because of its sterile tone. Very fun experiment! Quite excited for that string test. I think you should do it for both bass and guitar!

[@DS-nw4eq]

Go watch the KZbin videos from Wildwood Guitars. This dude can’t mic up a guitar. And he may be skewing the results because he doesn’t like certain US brands.

[@a_bass_player5622]

As someone who plays a lot of affordable guitars, the one thing I've considered a lot were pickup swaps. I'm so glad that I've been watching this series because after hearing the similarities on the video last week, It absolutely blew my mind that a $269 Harley Benton could keep up with guitars literally 20 times it's price range. Thank you Glenn for opening my eyes (and ears) to the reality of pickups! You have saved me some money.

[@soerenskleinewelt]

I don't think the reality of pickups is "they don't matter", but "cheap ones CAN sound good". I swapped a muddy LP Studio Rhythm for a P90 and I am super happy. There will be no "you won't hear the difference" blind shoot out, between the two of them, I'm very sure. On the other hand, I recently got a really cheap Epiphone Special Model and don't even THINK of swapping anything. Use your ears. If you like it, keep it. If you don't like it, be sure the replacement will be an improvement, not a dollar grave ;)

[@segueoyuri]

@@soerenskleinewelt exactly what I came to say. Most good pickups don't sound that different but some are really dark/muddy and you'd like to change those. If you think about it, in top quality guitars it should be expected the pickups would sound similar. It's quality control. Mostly the same kinds of materials doing the same kind of work with the same wiring. If you have a guitar that's well made it's very likely the PUs will be ok.

[@isaacness2647]

magic really is on the fingers, (and in the eq section of your amp)

[@rickraposo89]

also before swapping pickups, trying a graphic equalizer first might save your tone and a few bucks

[@ddilley83]

@@rickraposo89 This! If you're unhappy with the EQ of your pups, an EQ pedal will do more than a simple pickup swap will, and for a lot less money. There are times, swapping pups is necessary. I've had guitars with muddy, fizzy pups that an EQ pedal couldn't fix, and a pup swap was the answer. But I see so many people replacing pups on high priced guitars because the "EQ" wasn't to their liking, kind of remarkable. So long as it sounds good and isn't feeding back, just add an EQ to your signal chain, and EQ it how you want it. Guitarists are so obsessed with pedals, but then won't use them to their potential. It's the same with output. People will say, "Oh, this pickup isn't hot enough", well, have you tried a boost pedal in your chain? No, but I have 5 different drive and distortion pedals. Like, come on, this isn't rocket science. It's music. Use what you have, and make it sound good, the technology is there to make sound like anything you want. I don't see the problem. Other than, the boomers, that think only an expensive Gibson could sound good. Which, granted, back in the day may have been the case, I remember my first guitar and amp, sounded like hot garbage lol. But today, we are in the golden age of guitar and amp quality. I have the Zoom G6 multieffects processor that I bought to take on the road as a truck driver instead of an amp. I didn't expect it sound like it does, but it's amazing. Someone today, could take a cheap guitar, pair it with that, and have tones at their disposal that the boomers that criticize anything not American and expensive, couldn't have dreamed of having in their day. It's the nature of the beast I suppose, progress moves forward taking what worked in the past and making improvements on it. Pups, at the end of the day, is copper wire wrapped around a magnet. That technology has been around a long time. Guitars, thanks to CNC, are built to higher quality standards, and quality hardware is being mass produced more than it's ever been, driving down the cost. Digital tech, in various products has only gotten better and better, becoming almost indistinguishable from their "old school" analog counterparts. Recording quality has improved to the point someone at home can produce as well as what was being produced professionally in the 90's, which lets face it, is a large part of why Glenn's channel has done so well. We might have the technology to do it, but the know how is invaluable. So, didn't mean to make such a long reply, my bad, blame it on few too many lol. TLDR: an EQ pedal can be your best friend lol

[@davehunt2191]

Thanks Glen really appreciate your time to do your last two videos. Really interesting.

[@rflush4210]

Thank you, Glen. I don't listen to metal, but videos like this are why I love your channel.

[@timothystorm9576]

I always found most guitars sounded similar given similar conditions. There are always some subtle differences but we all the know the thing that makes the greatest difference in tone is the fingers. Skilled fingers make it sound great.

[@mihneazoican2479]

As it turns out, I was in fact able to correctly pick out the PRS in both tests. So I guess actives do stand out among passives when you’re actively (no pun intended) trying to listen to that. That being said, I didn’t even try to guess the other 3 because nothing really screamed “strat” or “les paul”

[@martyshwaartz971]

I thought the Strat was quite obvious in the clean test, I couldn’t pick out EMGs at all :,)

[@ASTROVERTAGRAM]

@@martyshwaartz971 I was able to pick out the strat and LP but I don't know PRS at all. So I got confused trying to place the other 2. None of the differences were great enough to even matter imo.

[@mihneazoican2479]

I personally have very little experience with strats and none with LPs, but I’ve frequently switched between actives and passives. It may or may not have something to do with it. I can’t tell, really, it was just my experience with this test

[@Kadotus]

I easily got them all correct. The trick is to watch this video first.

[@eriklarson9137]

I got all 4 right. I am better than you... - See how that works?

[@billzade8158]

I love that they are all so close. Yes, you can hear differences, but they're very mild. I've always wondered how much strings affected tone. Since it's about the magnetic resonance when strings vibrate, I've always wanted to know just how much difference can be made from the different string materials. Also, while I don't expect that it makes much difference for tone and definitely more in playability, I'm curious how much scale length plays a difference in overall sound? I don't have the first idea on how to objectively test that, but it's something I've always wondered about

[@ElShogoso]

I mean, you just gotta compare how new strings sound compared to old strings. Nothing makes a guitar sound ass like rusty strings do, so clearly their influence on the tone is tremendous.

[@ashscott6068]

String material only affects volume. A magnetic field is a magnetic field. It can vary in shape, and it can vary in strength. There's nothing else. There are no "flavours".

[@cosmocalypse3708]

For cleans I got the HB and PRS flipped. On Dirty, flipped the LP and HB.

[@citysideparanormal487]

Hey Man, Thanks for being brutally honest with your reviews and not giving a shit if it's a sponsor video. You've saved me heaps from buying advertising hype. Keep up the good work.

[@thefakeguitarplayer4124]

One thing to point out (I think) is the difference in scale length. Which can influence the sound as it makes you play in a different part of the string relative to another scale length.

[@ulfdanielsen6009]

Short scale basses vs. regular scale basses then? Bet I wouldn´t be able to hear any difference between two P-bass setups through the same DI and amp/speaker/mic.

[@DS-nw4eq]

Go watch the KZbin videos from Wildwood Guitars. This dude can’t mic up a guitar. And he may be skewing the results because he doesn’t like certain US brands.

[@ulfdanielsen6009]

@@DS-nw4eq That would just be him being Canadian. We factored that in.

[@billthompson3236]

There were 3 different scale lengths in this test and people couldn't really tell which was which.

[@Dreamdancer11]

You are 100% correct,your picking hand that usually falls on a certain spot it ll be closer to the bridge in one guitar and in another closer to the neck which in turn affects the sound...but in the end the distance isnt big enough to make an audible difference.I mean even if you wanna be fraudulent for example you can pick on the same guitar really close to the bridge and then really close to the neck and you ll get two totally different tones although the pickup was the same but the distance between those is usually extreme while in this case the distance is quite small to make an earth shattering difference......but you are right though on principle.

[@DarkLordLinkOfficial]

I was able to guess the strat and Les Paul correctly, but there’s honestly not enough of a difference for 98% of people to notice or care

[@asquare9316]

Congratulations. How about in a crowded concert venue with people screaming and yelling all around you?

[@rssbrry]

As a Fender fan, I'm happy that my favorite guitar from the clean samples was the Strat. But to be honest, I thought B was the Les Paul. Awesome videos, Glen.

[@CoffeeConversationMusicGear]

I thought I was subscribed until I checked and realized I wasn’t. I love your channel and your analysis of guitars and equipment from studio gears to minor stuff. You are appreciated for your brutal honesty about the gear, the industry and corporate crap.

[@Scapegoat-J]

Pride truly cometh before the fall. Thanks for going through this amount of effort just to help smarter musicians make some better decisions. You are awesome

[@sixtiviris]

So on the original video I had mentioned that I loved the last clean sound, I suck!😢 it is so amazing that on the distortion end seeing them and not, it all sounded the same to me as far as it mattered. Thank you for doing this ! Also, since you’re talking about strings, maybe if you have not, check the Rick beato take on that from a little while back !

[@DS-nw4eq]

Go watch the KZbin videos from Wildwood Guitars. This dude can’t mic up a guitar. And he may be skewing the results because he doesn’t like certain US brands.

[@clementnunes5070]

@@DS-nw4eqAre you a bot ?

[@jimbofet]

I found out long ago that if I don’t write down which guitar I used in my tracking notes, I won’t be able to figure it out if I return to the project weeks later. When I heard your blind test I knew I had no chance of guessing correctly. Your videos and others (like Jim Lill’s) have allowed me to relax and enjoy my Epiphone Les Paul and spend the money I saved on more great guitars.

[@jhackett9482]

I agree. I record with a hss strat, lp copy and tele. I never know which guitar it was long after the recording. But, they all sound so different when you are playing them!

[@jimbofet]

@@jhackett9482 Yeah and once you play a Danelectro you realize what a ridiculous myth “tone wood” is. Danelectro and tone wood have never met, yet I can get glorious sounds from my cheap-ass Danelectro… made from Masonite and polyurethane. “Tone wood” is absurd. 😂

[@jhackett9482]

Yep i agree

[@DS-nw4eq]

Go watch the KZbin videos from Wildwood Guitars. This dude can’t mic up a guitar. And he may be skewing the results because he doesn’t like certain US brands.

[@jimbofet]

@@DS-nw4eq Worse: That time that Paul Reed Smith was on That Pedal Show and started talking about “tone wood matters because violins” was maddening. Paul Reed Smith himself not understanding that acoustic instruments are not solid body electric guitars. Sadly Mick and Dan didn’t call him out on that.

[@justinpeeler7729]

My take away is that you can get a great sound from pretty much any guitar. TBH I couldn’t tell the difference between any of the tones except maybe the cheaper guitar but it still sounded good. I was considering upgrading my gear but I realize now that it’s not as important as getting a good cab and microphones. Thanks for the video!

[@DS-nw4eq]

Go watch the KZbin videos from Wildwood Guitars. This dude can’t mic up a guitar. And he may be skewing the results because he doesn’t like certain US brands.

[@TrainsNStuff]

​@@DS-nw4equh oh we got a badass over here. He can mic them better than you, I'm sure.

[@2WheelsGood.01]

​@@TrainsNStuffthey've posted that comment on multiple threads lol.

[@Volver888]

He is totally right: Very hard to tell. Thank you for the blind test... I really enjoyed the experience.

[@willemadmiraal]

What a great project! You made a great point! Gonna use this video in my next discussion with snobs!

[@glebpalamarchuk9087]

Now I want you to put a pickup on an acoustic guitar just for it to sound kinda similar to any other guitar. Imagine the amount of butts exploded from such a video! After seeing some dude who put a bunch of strings in between two tables and getting a good tone out of it I wouldn't even be surprised. Keep up the good work!

[@thelongvirtuesignal8551]

i bet to a guy like you, all sounds sound kinda similar.

[@paulw.3967]

I used to jam with a flat top acoustic-electric guitar that also had a soundhole magnetic pickup. People were shocked when I switched to the mag pickup and rocked out. The soundhole pickup sounds more like a solid body electric than the direct acoustic sound, or the piezo bridge pickup sound, and it sounds good through distortion. Significantly less sustain than a solid body, though.

[@niaralosusa]

@@thelongvirtuesignal8551…I bet to a guy like you, magical mystical tone wood exists. LOL!

[@thelongvirtuesignal8551]

Yes, different woods sound differently, this has been known forever, but i guess if you put emg's in them and use enough effects, it all sounds the same. @@niaralosusa

[@manny75586]

Awesome videos. The difference in tones was quite negligible. As you said a tiny gain boost here or there and it sounds like any of the other guitars. In terms of really effecting my guitar tone, having an EQ pedal of some kind has always made the most difference. I can get an EQ pedal for like $150. Way cheaper than spending $2000 extra dollars on a Gibson or other "premium" brand name.

[@UltimateEngineering]

The new premiums are now HB's with roasted necks and stainless steel frets for about 400 Euro or some made in japan guitars.

[@DS-nw4eq]

Go watch the KZbin videos from Wildwood Guitars. This dude can’t mic up a guitar. And he may be skewing the results because he doesn’t like certain US brands.

[@UltimateEngineering]

I'm not hating on US made guitars. But they don't have good price-value quotient, exept maybe Fender. But still the MIJ Fenders are on the same level as CS Fenders. Or a 400 Euro HB Les Paul plays better than the original 2k Euro Les Paul. Still HBs have some flues, like also THE big brand from US. I stick today to FGN guitars, well made guitars from Japan. Even theier cheap line is outstanding. @@DS-nw4eq

[@jaysonlavie603]

Would be interesting to see a blind shootout of randomly changing a component in a guitar recording rig. And see if anyone can guess what actually changes.

[@leonardoguzman8935]

This channel is pure gold.

[@tim8745]

Great video! On the clean I felt like one guitar was more bassy or boomy but only slightly, I couldn't tell any difference on the edge of breakup sounds. I hit the subscribe button, looking forward to the different string test!

[@nunninkav]

The PRS has more output, it stood out.

[@PooNinja]

Never underestimate the power of arrogant ignorance!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

But Mah pickups! Tonewood! This stuff costs MONEY!

[@PooNinja]

Honestly I preferred the prs sound overall and 2nd the HB 3rd is the strat and the Lp was the worst of these. Im feeling even more confident in my choice to get a Floyd equipped SC from Harley Benton 😂 i saved over 90% over the price of a bully guitar even after it took a trip to the Luither to get a fret level and great set up.

[@andrewwest8334]

Great stuff Glenn! The only annoying thing is that the few viewers who guessed (and I do mean ‘guessed’) correctly will now be convinced that they have magical fairy ears and therefore superior beings with golden musical intuition…

[@DS-nw4eq]

Go watch the KZbin videos from Wildwood Guitars. This dude can’t mic up a guitar. And he may be skewing the results because he doesn’t like certain US brands.

[@jorgemosqueda9812]

​@@DS-nw4eqim not on this chanel side but are you sure? I really want to know if wood change the guitar tone

[@scacchomattho]

It won't

[@Jura_JS]

I’m a fan of LTD guitars. They’re well built, good mechanics, nice colors, just pleasant to play

[@WeeFreeMan78]

And that relates to this video in what manner?

[@alexj9056]

First of all, I completely agree with you, we put too much emphasis on features that do not truly affect the end sound. I do appreciate guitar features, but they make a difference only in what they inspire me to do when I pick up a guitar, definitely nothing so dramatic in the end sound. With that said, I nailed all 4 combinations with the clean sound, but true, the differences were not so dramatic, they never are. I think the two that sounded most alike were the PRS and the Harley Benton. I went back and forth between those two, and finally said A-PRS, C-HB, but I got it right mostly out of luck. I do think that the Strat and the LP sounded very different, from each other and from the other two guitars. However, when it came to the distorted sounds, I got all 4 wrong. It's much more difficult to distinguish a sound once it's processed, especially with some saturation... and that's how it is mostly in albums, so yes, it confirms once again that in the end, there are more important factors that make up the final sound.

[@newtonlkh]

I am happy enough to know which is the cheap one, and which is the Fender one, which I like The adjactives I use for the Fender one is "Bright and elastic", and the Harley one is "dull and elastic" And the EMG one is "Hard and blunt" , and the LP is "Hard and unconvincingly bright", which I was not sure which was which before the reveal. Thank you for including clean tones, making this whole test relevant to me.

[@scriblical]

Show us the unedited video of this test taking place. Without that anyone would be a fool to take this the least bit serious.

[@flogginga_dead_horse4022]

lol ok

[@Trustyfilms]

Fantastic test and points made as usual. Some of those responses will be forever embedded in my mind. Priceless!

[@TheWilliamHoganExperience]

Strings make a difference. Old vs new affect intonation and harmonics. Clean vs dirty affect sustain and note volume / clarity. Flatwound vs round affect harmonic intonation and Timbre. Heavy vs light affect intonation, playability, and frequency. Different metals / materials interact with magnetic fields (pickups) differently too. Rick Beato did a shoot-out with various string gauges and clearly demonstrated the sonic differences between 13s and 8s. The 8s gave up nothing on the top end, and sounded more crisp and refined / less thick and muddy on the bottom end in his demo. They are also far easier on the hands and fingers. The main problem I’ve found with light gauge strings on electric guitars is that they tend to break more frequently. I use a rock hard acrylic Dunlop jazz pick, and I like to do a lot of bends. Oh yeah, picks! Picks REALLY make a difference. It’s HUGE AND OBVIOUS Troy Grady did a shoot out between various picks and materials for plectrums and it was shocking how different the attack and tone sounded between flexible and stiff picks. It’s why I switched from floppy nylon picks to rock hard acrylic: Stiff picks have a much sharper, brighter, aggressive attack and tone. Flexi picks sound softer and mellower. It’s night and day to my ears. Believe it or not, pick WEAR affects tone massively too. Hard to believe, but compare a new pick’s tone to that of a cashed one, and again, it’s night and day. Yegway Malmstein is famous for throwing away his rock hard picks when the tips break or wear down. He knows…. ;-) So if you wanna sound consistently good, change your strings every other week, keep them clean between changes, play the lightest gauge you can without constantly snapping strings, and inspect your plectrums regularly, and toss worn picks immediately so you don’t accidentally keep playing cashed ones. …Nothing wrong with buying a $4500 custom shop guitar if it inspires you. There’s a lot more to a guitar than it’s tone - at least for the player. Expensive guitars tend to play smoother, easier and more comfortably. They are easier to tune and hold their tune better than cheap knock-offs. Their fit and finish are top notch, their frets are beautifully leveled and polished and they are a joy to hold and play. The switches and pots are silent and linear. They are well balanced. Their necks and fretboards are works of luthier art. Are they worth thousands of dollars more than that cute HB SG? It depends on the player. The fact is, 90% of guitars end up in the back of a closet gathering dust. If spending thousands of dollars on an instrument gets you to pick it up and PLAY IT every day, then that guitar is gonna sound better than a cheap knock-off. Mainly because your GUITAR PLAYING will IMPROVE because you PLAY REGULARLY, lol. The best money I ever spent on music was the $400 I paid Mitch Perry (Google him if you don’t know who he is) for four private lessons / master classes a few years ago. His instruction and mentorship took me from bedroom wanker to professional performer. Oh, and I have four guitars right now - 2 of which cost $1,000+ Two of which didn’t. One of my favorites is a Gretch 12 fret Parlor guitar called a “Jim Dandy” that cost all of $180 at Sam Ash Music. It’s hard to play ‘cause it’s small / short scale / acoustic with high action. The tuners are GARBAGE. It’s probably made out of cardboard, and it doesn’t even have a pick-up. It’s sound is harsh and boxy. It cuts like a switchblade though my vocals though, and has a unique and gorgeous ringing, resonant timbre, with under and overtones PERFECT for blues and even jazz work. One of my favorite LA musicians plays one when she gigs around town, and she should f*caking GREAT. So sorry guys, but sounding good is not really about the guitar itself. It’s about the player and their heart, relationship and skill with the instrument….

[@neart2810]

They all sounded really good.

[@ryanmcmillion875]

Can’t wait to see your string video! I’m really curious to see what the results of that are. 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@jaroslavbenes1075]

Well, I got one right so you definitely made your point Glenn. Well done! It was super hard to discern the difference. They all sounded good.

[@jacebeleren1703]

On the whole pickup swap thing, my own pickups WERE doing the squealing thing you describe at medium-high gains (Squier Classic Vibe 60s strat) BUT, i got a great deal, 130€ on a set of vintage Fender Custom set from a local luthier, 200€ total to put em in + new strings + setup, and now i got a 600€ gutiar that basically smokes any Fender up to an American Professional. Couldn't be happier with it.

[@redsolosendyboi3455]

I've been a fan for years glen, keep up with the great work! I somehow managed to guess the LP and strat correctly, but I got the HB & PRS backwards. I wish you'd made these videos 10 years ago when I started my guitar journey! I could've saved so much money on pickups.

[@keegankelly2415]

From an electrical engineers pov, different pickups will have a different frequency response because of the changes in resistance, capacitance, and inductance due to the wire, number of windings, magnet ... . That being said as soon as you put that into a tube amp we leave our nice little linear and ideal bubble. The amp will distort and compress the signal which will sort of flatten out the frequency response changes that we see between the pickups. That's why changes further down in the signal path after alot of the distortion and compression like your amps eq, speaker, and microphone will have a larger effect (the filtering they impose on the signal aren't compressed and distorted like the pickups)

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Exactly!! This is the important part.

[@victorbicudo1374]

it's amazing how we "can" hear more difference in tones with the video supporting our decision making

[@bobbyfields7359]

This was a great comparison and proves to me the power of suggestion! I’ve seen this so many times. A KZbinr I’ve watched for a while tried out a cheap Fazley Tele as a review but couldn’t let it go back because he just loved it. He swopped out the pickups for a modest set, none of the unicorn dust over priced stuff. And he reaches for it all the time (his words, not mine) even though he has a very nice Fender Nashville Telecaster hanging on his wall. Thanks for the content! You never fail to crack me up! You’re like a hybrid cross between of George Carlin, John Beluchi and Ted Nugent! 😆

[@cesarmagalhaes6169]

Thank you, Glenn !!

[@DolanM13]

Oh my God! Thank you for the laughs! I'm couch bound from covid and this video is just what I needed! Sure, you can hear very slight differences in all the guitars, but I would never be able to pick one out from the other and I've been playing 50 + year's. Love it when these tone snobs get smacked down. I'm putting a Harley Benton on my list of guitars to buy! Lol

[@refneleb]

Awesome vídeo, keep up the good job glen!

[@dralithi]

Met Glenn at NAMM a few years back and he was so kind to talk to me and let me grab a selfie as he was heading out for the day. Such a good natured dude!

[@gohazpeda5836]

I have a squier and a beginner. So proud of my self to hear the strat tone out in clean. I don't think there's a difference with distortion, but if you play an instrument for enough time you can hear a small difference

[@Timat-s4n]

Fascinating, might as well go with the Harley Benton then. Looking forward to the string tests.

[@Indierockguitarist]

I didn't comment on the original video but... I do remember that I guessed the strat being B on the clean playing. Only difference I could pick up on was the string tension of the longer scale length which gave the strat away. But that's just using learned knowledge to really listen for those very small differences. At the end of the day no one can really tell with gain or in a mix. Thank you Glen for the content and laughs! I would love to see a series about the only types of pickups you need for their differences like humbuckers, p-90s, Single coils, Jazzmaster single coils, Filtertrons, etc. vs what you can get with just using an EQ. I know this is a metal based channel but a guy can dream. Thanks again!

[@yobanyhernandez125]

I really do believe strings change tone. Can’t wait for the video and I’m sure you can get sponsors easily for that.

[@marlynbrando9506]

your videos make my soul happy

[@flmason]

All that said, back in the 80's I tried a number of pickups in my '73 Gibson V... and they all definitely sounded different. Tried, Dimarzio Super Distortion and Duncan Invader among others... ended up going back to the factory PAF type since those were all darker. Amp was Marshall 2203. It definitely made a difference to me as a player. In those days digital recording hadn't happened yet. All I had was a Fostex X-15. (4 track on cassette). Didn't record any of it. So maybe as a recording, they may have sounded more similar than they do when you are playing the guitar.

[@MrWillco007]

Hey Glen, I got (jagged) it 😁! Cheers dude and thanks 😎

[@Purple_cactus_17]

Love the video Glen, and i think the string video you mentioned might be an interesting and fantastic video. anyways keep up the good work of saving people money and the quality of the content.

[@martyrocks2091]

I've had my HSS Strat for over 20 years. Glad I got that one right lol. I was all over the place with the others.

[@TheStrykerProject]

Man I love these blind tests. Keeps me subscribed!

[@seabreezy3368]

I picked the strat out immediately in this particular lineup. The last E note was the kicker for me. I also noted more harmonics in the others vs the strat; however, when viewing the beautiful finger work closely, there is a definite vibrato on every one except the strat. Listen and watch again folks. Easy to hear and see.

[@Tach4nk4]

As a Gibson owner, I love my guitar for making me want an ESP more

[@bstoner1300]

Great comparison. Not a huge metal guys but I subbed anyway cause your no BS approach continues to stand out more than different types of guitars…

[@maxonmendel5757]

longtime fan and subscriber, but I dont record so i dont catch most of your videos. the algorithm really pushed that video out there cause i got to see it. and it answered a question i didnt even know i had, but ended up being exactly the next question for me to ask. thanks for all the videos, Glenn! -sent from my water closet 💩

[@hubertj041]

So I got A and B right (clean tones) but only because I've played an american strat for the last 7 years. I confused the Harley Benton with the Les Paul. Just goes to show how you don't a lot of money for a pretty awesome tone. Thanks Glenn!

[@nunninkav]

Good ears, to me the HB and the Les Paul were almost identical. The PRS was killing everyone with output and the Fender was much darker.

[@chickenlickin3820]

Thanks G-Man

[@D_Bear85]

Thank you for justifying the fact I am playing a 1997 limited edition green Epi LP (with a Het set in it) through a Line 6 HT and LOVING the sounds I can get out of it. I'm attached to this thing and had zero intentions of "upgrading"

[@tonybowen455]

Thanks for doing these!

[@killobatt]

They were all the same to me, I only could hear A/B difference. Now I know I can hear single from humbucker. Thanks for that!

[@simonize251]

I’ve never been one to put any stock into the hype of the differences in tone woods, bolt on versus set necks etc etc I like this guy

[@agdtec]

I have to say I liked the HB. I am not a metal player but I like listening to metal. I have several guitars and the Biggest difference I hear in my pickup is in the TV Jones pickups, the Dearmond gold tone pickups, and my lollar Gold foil pickups. Way back in 1984 I went to Columbia college in Chicago and took the audio engineering classes. I did work as a sound engineer for live music venues, but never landed a studio job. But the little studio time I did have I was shocked how good the cheap demo guitars they had there, they sounded way better than I expected.

[@russ6697]

I have the HB, bought it for £70. The guy put locking tuners on it for me too. It looks good and sounds great!

[@erichfrederick9229]

B is my favorite of all of them. I'm a fender guy anymore. My first guitar is a fender stratocaster. I played Les Paul's for a minute. But my favorite recording of everything I've ever done of everything I've ever done was fender. I've recorded with with Les Paul's from Gibson to Epiphone to Ibenez RG's. After 25 years of off and on recordings. Yes I've played with emg's to stock pickups. I don't think pickups was the big thing over the guitar itself.

[@ralphhathaway-coley5460]

The strings comparison will be interesting, it makes intuitive sense that they will effect the sound given that on an acoustic old strings sound so different to new ones.

[@rroobbeerrtt121]

Thank you Glenn for making this video, definitely learn some great information here today.

[@RJMachinegun]

In the past you’ve done some AB comparisons with Cheap VS Expensive drums, I think it’d be interesting to do a blind shootout and see if people can tell which one is expensive and which one is cheap

[@jvin248]

Glenn, Make sure your String Shootout separates actual factories from ghost-building. D'Addario apparently builds strings for several brands and they are not the only one. And then most of the string manufacturers are buying raw wire from once company in Tennessee. So there can be a lot more overlap. Make sure to include Curt Mangan strings.

[@pgmurray76]

I can hear fret differences and solid maple neck more than anything else. Clean tone was semi-easy. I am not a guitarist but have been around all of these popular models for decades. I used to play bass at home a long time ago because I loved, and still love the sound. I had an ebony fretboard, 35inch scale, and through body strings. I gave it all to my best friend a while ago who had a big basement and smart children.

[@alekstan]

Great content Glenn. I wonder how many Harley Benton SG-type guitars you helped sell. I appreciate your work helping us navigate through all the marketing BS.

[@TimDullawayMusic]

Can’t believe my clean tone guesses were right 😂 I’m amazed at how similar they all sound!

[@thepostapocalyptictrio4762]

I don’t play metal guitar, and you scream WAY too much, but you’re also one of the most honest guitar KZbinrs there are. I finally subscribed.

[@Inlay76667]

Love your work Glen, you’re a bloody rippa mate!

[@drackaryspt1572]

Ok I'm late to the party and just watched the previous video and I have to say that I only got 1 right in my first guess that being the strat but I unfortunately changed it in my final guess so it probably was just by chance or maybe I do know my guitar but it definitely seems like chance, great vid Glenn!

[@drackaryspt1572]

Ho I got the assignment wrong I didn't think you'd change the guitar on the second showing so I guess I did get the strat right the first time around but on the second got the gibson rigth I guess it 100% was by chance lol, again great vid!

[@billthompson3236]

I own several Gibson's and other mid range guitars. A decade ago my buddy gave me a cheap starter, 3/4 scale, peavey rockmaster. I still have it. It doesn't play the best and tuning can be iffy, but it's got this sound. It's just a solid rock sound. I can't even describe it. It's practically a child's toy, but it ain't leaving my stable. Use your ears, not your eyes or fanboy allegiance.

[@mopanda81]

Super interesting results. I do think the distortion added tests revealed a lot of differences in sound and the Harley Benton sounded a lot sharper on the high end just to me personally. Clearly not unplayable unusable or impossible to enjoy though! I definitely find in a lot of hobby spaces there's a split between people who enjoy doing the actual thing and people who enjoy spending money on gear. It's not right to shame people for falling into that latter category but it's important to make sure they don't take over the discourse around how things actually work even if their purchases are driving the market.

[@eriklarson9137]

Shame? Talk about a soft human. How can you feel shame because a stranger doesn't like your choice in something? Oof.

[@charlielopez.gtr1]

I thank your videos as the reason why I spent a fraction of money to buy IRs instead of another "magical" tube head and now base my guitar selection on how they "look" rather than the top of line pickup set that comes with it and will give you similar results as any other set of decent pickups. Cheers from Costa Rica!

[@mir9302]

Nice work. I have that same HB (Which I love dearly) and I couldn't pick it out of the mix. But then I am an old dude who has been playing for the last 40 odd years and has hearing damage from too much exposure to loud noises.

[@neurokinetik]

Looking forward to hearing the string shootout.

[@jasonwells4670]

Effing outstanding shirt , also great series 🤘

[@francobuzzetti9424]

Thanks!! Gleeen! i was just about to ask about strings! specially, does it really matter if they're all just the same type? i mean no coating or anything just plain nickel plated or whatever they do to them and do i really need to change then between songs? like wth?