The OUTRAGE over Chinese made Guitars

I reviewed a VERY high quality guitar not too long ago that came from China. That's BAD, apparently. Get YOUR music online and out to the world: Go to www.distrokid.c... to get 7% off your first year!
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About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
Everything you've wanted to learn about recording Hard Rock & Heavy Metal can be found right here on this channel!
I also respond to your comments & questions: The best make it into the SMG Viewer's Comments series of videos. Loads of fun, lots of laughs.
Thanks for checking out my channel & please subscribe!

[@FatNorthernBigot]

I listened to "Chinese Democracy" and I have to say, for a Guns n Roses covers band, their first foray into original music was okay, I guess.

[@zz-.-]

I also enjoyed it more than I thought I would at the time. While not legends like real 100% GnR, there were a couple great tunes on that record.

[@cowwhisperer8927]

@@zz-.- Listen to the solo's on 'There was a time' and 'Better' I think it's genious

[@jaytyler5741]

Chinese democracy was not a cover band it was a guns and roses album that they used bumblefoot instead of slash obviously you don't know what you're talking about.

[@FatNorthernBigot]

@@jaytyler5741 I'm sorry my sarcasm was not more obvious. I forgot to add a winky face,

[@moddingmatrix2791]

​@@jaytyler5741 practically a cover band, no one from the original lineup other than axl was on it.

[@plumbummusic2051]

Hey Glenn! Here's an idea to piss guitar tone snobs yet again: Play/record with a "quintessential vintage guitar rig" (ex.: gibson, klon, vintage marshall plexi with 60s greenbacks) and then switch piece by piece to see what changes the sound and if it is noticeable at all. Maybe do three iterations with a blind shootout between the vintage rig, the second rig with the same speakers and the vintage rig with different (maybe worse?) speakers. That should rake in the dough hahah. Cheers for all the knowledge and mythbusting!

[@Typical.Anomaly]

If Fender really is afraid to send you that pedal, that is something to be immensely proud of.

[@ewm416]

I think it is more of a rock thing. Not a good match for a metal chanel

[@teddystevens6624]

@@ewm416not when it features high gain metal amps and cabs 😂

[@J.C...]

They aren't afraid. They just have zero to gain so they have no reason to send it.

[@alexrobertson9875]

Do American's not understand that to the over 95% of people who don't live in America, buying American made is NOT buying from a local manufacturer. To us they are an imported brand being sold at a far higher price than other imported brands. You may also not like how the rest of the world views how you treat your low paid works in the US.

[@StupidGuitar]

There’s a huge difference between supporting China and virtually any other import country. That’s some real false equivalency you’re doing there

[@IDGAF_PLUS]

I'd wager that not one single person on here has the slightest fucking clue how guitar manufacturers in China treat their employees.

[@StupidGuitar]

@@IDGAF_PLUS it doesn't matter. All you need to know is how the government treats it's people (sending them to re-education camps, imprisoning those who speak out against the party, big brothering people with social scores). And all this so people can save some money on a luxury good where there's good alternatives from other countries.

[@2WheelsGood.01]

​​@@StupidGuitarkeep sucking that sweet media misinformation and ignorance. Have you been to China? I work with Chinese factories and have been there many times, to many factories and many cities. Also, have you seen what the US does and has done to other countries?

[@StupidGuitar]

@@2WheelsGood.01 yes I’ve been to China champ… also for my work. Good job on those baseless assumptions. My company does business in China and are constantly having to deal with Chinese censorship issues. And again you bring up the US which isn’t being discussed by me at all. You guys really love to deflect on major issues with an oppressive dictatorship.

[@jloiben12]

It doesn’t matter how perfect it is if it isn’t done

[@bolillo5013]

Absolutely right

[@hedonisticpunkvatos]

Word.

[@8KilgoreTrout4]

How many things does this ACTUALLY apply to? My life would be in shambles if I did it this way. Perfectionism IS a curse, but so is the opposite!

[@dustinbrummett3774]

Gotta start somewhere

[@zhiracs]

Someone should have told Brian Wilson this while he was producing Smile

[@shannonm7981]

I know a lot of people give drum & bass plugins a lot of crap, but they are an honest godsend for people like me with autism, or other conditions that can affect someone socially. I'm 25 & have autism, ADHD & epilepsy, & it is so hard to network & just make friends, let alone people proficient at an instrument. Plugins have finally given people like myself the ability to fully express their musical vision, & isn't that what music is all about?

[@Birkguitars]

I was only assessed as autistic this year at the age of 58 and it explains a lot of my social problems that mirror yours - but I also have an issue with music that is too rigidly time aligned. EDM is like fingernails down a blackboard to me. Ever since I started buying music about the age of 12 I have always preferred live albums to studio ones. In a recent post-diagnosis group I discussed this with one of the other people there who is the opposite. He only listens to EDM because the variations of timing in live music are a trigger for him. You don't say exactly what sort of music you are creating but if it works for you go with it. As I have heard more times than I could count this year, if you have met someone who is autistic then you have met one person who is autistic. Everyone is different. It seems to be more like a QR code than a spectrum. So even if it may not be my thing I say you just keep doing you and I wish you every success.

[@taLLdavidproduction]

No its about being a hotshot youtuber that calls everyone stupid for doing something other than what they told you to do

[@Hue_Nery]

@@Birkguitarsthere’s a setting in your DAW called “humanize”. It adds variation to your midi drums so they don’t sound so mechanical. Also, there are midi packs from guys like Oddgrooves that are played by an actual drummer. With grace notes and all kinds of subtle touches. It still requires some work to fit into certain situations but with a good sample library like EZDrummer or whatever Spectre’s product is called, you can get pretty human sounding drums. Also, you can always just drum on a keyboard and don’t use quantization.

[@dustinbrummett3774]

Time spent on what you love is always a good time spent. Hell yeah

[@needsLITHIUM]

As someone else who is on the spectrum/neurodivergent, I can agree, that using sample libraries and virtual instruments is useful for people who can only play a single instrument, or even if you can play 3, sometimes one's own playing skill doesn't line up with compositional skill. I have a band, but even then, demoing song ideas to pitch to band mates is a lot easier with access to virtual instruments, or at the very least GuitarPro or ToneLib JAM.

[@allendean9807]

Last week, we had someone on the live mix reviews going through the same thing; wanting the mix to be perfect, over done. I’ve fallen into that trap so many times- until i finally accepted my limitations IN THE MOMENT. Finish your mix to the best of your abilities, then move on. After a bit, if you want, go back to it, and see if what you’ve learned can improve the mix/master. For myself, I’ve found my early recordings had bad levels, poor drums, and mistakes on how i used plugins to mix properly. Going back, i cannot fix the input levels, but i can retract, if needed, and use what I’ve learned to improve a good idea.

[@russellhltn1396]

"Art is never finished, only abandoned" - Leonardo Da Vinci. Who are we to prove him wrong?

[@Steve-us1ue]

I’m tired of perfect sounding music. I’d rather listen to a live album these days so I can hear some nuances here and there 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@HabAnagarek]

Live albums are likely goosed too, a good audience recording or even better, a pro live recording from the soundboard.

[@flprmn9448]

Agreed. Korn Requiem Mass live allowed me to hear the songs much better than the studio album

[@5urg3x]

Have you ever made a video that talks about the difference between rhythm and lead tones? Is it all in mic positions? I would love to see that. It's something I have struggled with for a long time especially with impulse responses and not having an actual cab to experiment with. But if I could actually learn the fundamentals I'm sure the knowledge could transfer over into the digital space.

[@ideitbawxproductions1880]

Maybe this is just me, but I think it all depends what vibe you're looking for. For example, one band I was in years ago basically wanted to be a Led Zeppelin rip-off, but while our lead guitarist was playing a beefy sounding Gibson Les Paul, our rhythm guitarist played a twangy Fender Strat. I insisted numerous times that they should try switching guitars, but not once did they ever agree to do it. It's not like it would've been hard to do, they were brothers and lived in the same house! So instead of sounding like Led Zeppelin, we sounded like Cage The Elephant. All because our lead guitarist couldn't bear playing anything other than his precious Gibson... even though Jimmy Page often recorded using a Strat 🤔 It's also possible that I'm missing the whole point of your comment. I'm still trying to figure out how to best mic an amp, so I don't know if I can really help you there

[@The_Tarmaster]

idk man, I usually agree with you, but the Fishmans I just put into my guitar sound wayyyy different than the EMGs and its not even comparable.

[@sparella]

Changing a pup and a preamp for a different pup and different preamp makes more of a difference.

[@superlynx98]

Good vibes of the week, that's a nice switch-up to have every once in a while. Cheers Glenn

[@sw4610]

When I received my HLK Bossman, the pickups were so microphonic that they made me very glad that I only paid the discounted price from their daily deal. I corrected the problem for only $50 with a full Epiphone pickup, wiring harness and push/pull coil split setup (no soldering too!). I agree with your research about pickups for the most part, but I really see the value that I got for that change. The Epiphones are far less microphonic, and the coil split option made a real difference. The guitar sounds so nice that I sold my Strats, since they were never getting played. Love the research! Please keep it up with the solid debunking of the guitar myths.

[@chrisboller46]

Just saw Guns N' Roses at Aftershock two weeks ago, I can't believe how many Chinese Democracy songs are in their setlist.

[@Arthemesia]

Speaking of Chinese Democracy, its been the same amount of time between GNRs last album in the 90s to Chinese Democracy from Chinese Democracy to today.

[@fleekwoodmac3705]

If pick up tone doesn't matter, which pick ups are the quietest pick ups? Having your pick ups not hum and hiss, for recording, seems clutch. Considering a shoot out to see which pick ups can give us those brutal guitar tracks without sounding like they are going to explode?

[@martianmurray]

Going to an Evangelical church and asking why they don’t talk about Satan more sounds like a fun hobby.

[@PooNinja]

Yea if you in spiritual combat wouldn’t it be good to discuss your enemy. I hear he’s quite the dapper fellow but i just deal with underlings to get these contract for soul ownership forms. So many lawyers in hell now we’ve cleared up a lot of the loopholes.

[@SyntheticFuture]

Pretty sure they talk plenty about Satan and hell. Just not in a positive way =l

[@NWTMasterWolf]

American made is a joke these days. When pride returns to manufacture here I will support it again. I support good products and ignore bad ones. NO MATTER WHERE THEY COME FROM. I want the most for my money.

[@2WheelsGood.01]

It never will, for the most part. It's unsustainably expensive for 90% of products and the end customer will never pay U.S made prices, for the most part. Not to mention, nobody wants to work a factory job. For soft goods, most US factories employ mainly central and South Americans. Because they're highly experienced and are willing to do that sort of job (sewing). Just as an example. A backpack I designed cost about $75msrp for the end user. That was made in China. I specd the same bag in a local factory, the end bag would've cost close to $300 for the customer, and the sample they provided was inferior in quality and features, as they didn't have the machines they have in China.

[@dcsteve7869]

there's more than just Gibson you know.....

[@dcsteve7869]

@@2WheelsGood.01 Channellock pliers are $22 at Home Depot. The made in China competitor is $17. I would rather buy the Channellock because I know they honor their warranty and it supports US workers. $5 isn't going to break the bank and in reality that is how it is with most US and N American made products. They are only marginally more expensive

[@2WheelsGood.01]

@@dcsteve7869 for products with that little price difference, sure, totally worth buying locally.

[@MickH60]

@@dcsteve7869 " They are only marginally more expensive", very selective example there , now try that with guitars....

[@trulsdirio]

Coming from the knife scene; Same thing here, Chinese made knifes have caught up and in many instances overtaken western made knives, they have upped their game majorly in the last decade. Super good specs, amazing tolerances and more and more good designs as well. Things have changed over there, they no longer need to take super low price offers from western brands as they can now easily market themselves thanks to the internet wich enables them to do the best job they can I guess.

[@aeoteroa818]

china can absolutely make quality products. when Chinese goods are shit, its because the manufacturer paid for shitty qc. if you pay for good qc you will get it.

[@trulsdirio]

@@aeoteroa818 exactly

[@CarlosKTCosta]

I will for sure press LMG team for that video. Dan is a music / audio buff, I’m sure he will love to work with you.

[@Dapper_the_slapper]

Loving the video editing you've been doing on your show lately. The little post camera movements are subtle but very effective 👍

[@rogerfurer2273]

I grew up with a Les Paul that burned out one of the pickups 3 months after I got it. So I spent many years trying different pickups, trying to get it to sound like Dwayne Allman's guitar. I eventually graduated to Marshalls and used either a 50W with a single 4x12 cab (for recording), or a 100W with 2 4x12 cabs (for arena shows). I'm a simple guy, no pedals, just turn every dial up to max and play. Obviously this wasn't metal, just LOUD rock. I eventually got Duncan 59 PAFs and there was my tone. So when you stomp on your gain it doesn't matter, but when you go for that clean sound, pickups make a difference.

[@joshspunkrockgarden9914]

Glenn! Speaking of speakers, I would really LOVE to hear some opinions on 10" speakers. I've read that you can expect a more focused low end in 10" speakers than you can in a lot of 12" speakers, and a 4x10 has the added bonus of being far lighter than a 4x12 when you want to bring a cab to perform live and use the same gear you recorded with. What's your opinion on the viability of 10" speakers for metal, and can we maybe see some in upcoming videos?

[@woodsnstrings]

I own and have demoed several guitars by Donner and Eart, and as a 35 year veteran player, studio musician and guitar tech they are light years beyond anything American made at that price point. Getting a high quality near pro- grade guitar is vital, especially for young players. This is the way to do it. Most are under $300 CAD, and some are in my regular rotation for gigging and recording.

[@chadwickhurlburt6529]

Undervolting a Ryzen 7 CPU so the fan isn't always ramping up like crazy and the clocks are more steady may be a good idea in a Recording/Gaming build. Lots of memory, and lots of I/O options. I would like to see several different DAWS demonstrated and compared under the same system, or even multiple systems. I've jumped onto using Reaper, it's fine. Over a decade ago I used Sonar Producer. Cakewalk stuff was great back in the day. If only I can find where I stored all of those old VST plugins...

[@JustinWalker951]

Just went over to LTT and commented in support of a collab w/ you. I've been watching them for 10+ years and you for at least half that. I'd love to see a collab.

[@Jayteaseepiirturi]

AHA! Good to hear it on vid you're up for the Linus thing! :) I remember asking you before, and you actually answered that you were open to the idea. This is cooooool!

[@nickrouse8426]

Glenn. I want to see you and Josh Scott of JHS collab. You aren't a genre match, and he is a gear snob at heart but recommends cheaper gear often. I think you two would be wildly interesting together. He's never given your pedal the JHS bump. Do it man.

[@ianknopke5010]

I think you've proven the case that regular pickups don't make much difference to the sound for metal, but what about active pickups? I'd love to see a segment on whether low-noise pickups such as EMGs or lace sensors have an advantage for direct recording with amp sims, as regular pickups are basically antennas for all the electrical fields coming from computers, power supplies, etc.

[@alvarg]

basically what you have is essentially a normal pickup with a weak magnet that then has its output volume raised with a small preamp, the reason people prefer these for metal is generally tightness and they are tight because the weak pickups don't pick up a ton of low frequencies that muddy the mix. you can make a passive pickup sound active, just place a compressor and an eq in front of it reduce the output slightly but with a slight compression, then with the eq roll off the bass and create a peak around 4k ish, then boost the volume a bit to compensate boom you now have an active pickup.

[@BLAZINGwaffle56]

Yeah a ltt and smg studio collab would be a great time. It would be an awesome experience to see what a home recording/gaming setup would be. Maybe even through in some software and hardware costs with mics and or daws.

[@theatomicbunny2935]

GLENN!! Been a while! Whens your NEXT CONTEST? Always great videos; always super helpful info!! Keep it on 11!!

[@douglasnielson8250]

One thing I have noticed with some sub $1,000 guitars is the frets are soft. You see fret wear after the first string change. I have some American made guitars the frets have held up extremely well. The softer fret wire is easier to bend and shape. In general you cut your manufacturing costs in half by offshoring because labor is the biggest expense. You still can do good fret work in China for less.

[@MitchFraser]

Honest question - not trying to be a smart ass. I haven't tried re-amping yet, but will on my next project. If the tone is mostly in the speaker (agreed, especially in high gain) - why would the re-amp box impact the tone so much if it's the dry guitar signal? To me switching re-amp boxes shouldn't impact the tone anymore than switching pick ups - which doesn't do a ton with high gain tones. Again, I'm thinking this because it's the dry signal, first thing in the chain. Do you have a video comparing re-amp boxes that I've missed? As someone who plans to start re-amping, I'd be very interested in this. Not saying I don't believe you when you say the wrong re-amp box can cause major issues, just trying to understand. I appreciate how transparent and honest you are about this stuff.

[@urbanredstarski]

Just bought an Epiphone ES335 for $700 made in China, absolutely love it. Frets are a little round but quality is great, played my 69 Tele for 30 years but hated the bridge and the intense feedback when using anything anything above 60 watt Amp. Strongly recommend the model.

[@corontsurara3862]

It's interesting that immediately after you flashed the wampler equalizer pedal the video was interrupted for a Sweetwater ad.

[@solosabbath8940]

Imagine dropping $30,000 on a Gibson Iommi SG to have flaw finishes, poor/no shielding, bad soldering, loose pickups, and all sorts of issues out of the factory. Reminds me when I was 16 and bought the Epiphone Iommi SG which was promptly returned due to an extra cross inlay being seared into the fretboard, just to have the replacement show up with faulty pickups and no setup. So I bought a Korean-made Dean Gran Sport and never looked back (except for the noisy GIBSON pickups I regret installing).

[@edgardometal]

The first time i change a pickup I was dissapointed because it sounds the same, just a litlle more high output... Now I only consider change pickuos for the look (gold pickups are so beautiful), not for the sound.

[@ryanshinermusic]

I liked the dig at that Axl Rose/GNR album. I remember when I was in high school, some guy in my class got an advanced copy somehow for something. I asked if I could rip it or if he could put it in a thumb drive and he was adamant that he couldn’t and wouldn’t because “he wouldn’t want to do that to the radio station” someone he knew worked at. He had to return the copy but we all had iTunes at the time. I remember he said he was still going to buy it. I asked why since he had the files already and (mind you we were like 16 or 17 at the time and that’s important) he honest-to-God said, “Because one day my kids will ask me about this album and I will be able to show them.” I think I said, something along the lines of “Slash isn’t on it, I’m not sure it’s going to be that good.” I was right on that one. We’re in our 30s and I haven’t talked to him in years, but I don’t think he has kids yet. Maybe he still has the CD.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

The problem was Izzy didn’t write anything on C.D.

[@SoUnDMaN831]

Stupid guitar player: Buy American! Buy American! Me: That iPhone you are watching KZbin on is made in China.

[@jarrusjenkins]

Hi Glenn The use of a reamp box has always had me scratching my head, I want to get one and use one but I have no idea how to actually use it. Where does it go in my signal chain if I were to use a real amp into a load box or if I was running my guitar directly into my interface and use an amp sim and how would I use it to actually reamp the original signal... that kind of thing... imagine a bass player was asking you... thats my level of intelligence when it comes to stuff like this... Thank you for all your hard work, keep it up Brett

[@MrAndersonmm]

@5:00 - I'm not really a metal guy. I like some of the classics but am more of a rock/folk/blues guy. I love your channel and you content because of how you teach it and how you approach your research. You don't come at me with shit you can't define, you measure, record, test, and do it again and again to get real answers. It's not difficult to filter some of what you say that obviously is more geared towards metal, but in terms of pickups I bet the difference between my stock MIM Strat pickups and my custom-shop pickups on a recording is probably not as significant as I think it is. This makes me a bit sad but I don't really care if it makes me happy. I'm just not going to bother in the future if I buy a new guitar specifically for recording. Thanks for all you do!

[@nicolasreveco3748]

Hey Glenn, when kiko loureiro dropped his album Open Source, he uploaded a drive folder with stems for each song, so we can hear the drums, bass, rhythm guitars, lead guitars and fx on their own. Is that too hard to do as a producer, or is there a reason almost no one does it? And has anyone asked you to do that before in your career?

[@thomasritter3391]

I think it comes down to most studios just not thinking about it.

[@_NoDrinkTheBleach]

I know that people now hold guitars made in Japan and Korea in high regard, but they were originally chosen as places with cheaper labor than the US and UK. China and Indonesia are just where the profit vs quality goalpost is at right now.

[@phillipzx3754]

My "recording/gaming" setup is an Asus ROG MB with a (claimed) 120 db analog s/n ratio (but I could send the audio channels via USB if I wanted to) that feeds a Behringer X18 desktop mixer, driving 3 Crown XLS 1502 amps ( left/right, and sub) that power a set of JBL monitors and a 12" JBL sub.

[@sloshvonrubenhoff3928]

i bought from a chinese brand called NK guitars. Got a seven String multi scale headless and It is honestly up there with quality with my solar e1.6ET

[@7WAYSBAND]

I have multiple re-amp boxes. They are awesome.... I track with them "re-amp" phase flip tracked audio at the module and then back at the console. Being a 500rack unit is awesome because I can capture guitars via the front two sends and at the rear end and send the front two sends to two different sources simultaneously one to a mic'd amp and all back to the console plus a link through a SSL six ch strip and b-dyn and SSL EQ. Between the re amping and 500 SSL gear you can get huge guitars. Best part for me is one take usually with this method give just enough separation to only have to track one take per guitar player. If you aren't doing it. You should look into it. With the method that I am using I can track 4:1 I don't have to use all of them but the layering can go a long way. And the separation is just enough for the guitar part to be ever so slightly different per track although still being one performance. IT'S TRULY PRICELESS.

[@martymcpeak4748]

I just bought an older Edwards John Sykes model lp that was made basically in China and finished and setup in Japan. it beats any Gibsonbi have ever played hands down.

[@JoeBaermann]

Fender most likely didn’t send a unit to Spectre since the channel only covers Metal and for most of the time only with very high gain. If I had such a product that I wanted YT channels to review I would prefer more variety and not only a narrow part of a genre, makes sense?

[@JoeBaermann]

I did make request to NUX and Orange to send amp modeller and a power amp to SMG for review, as one of them replied, there is a cost attached to it, they probably want it reviewed with more than one genre too, unless they contacted SMG already. Would be nice though since together they cost less than powerstage and tonex while still providing several good metal tones and play loud trough a full stack. As an additional option for those that don’t need a trillion of amp models and in my opinion a better power amp section than class D.

[@michaeldurrant8446]

I bought a Tele clone from Monoprice - the same place I buy my Ethernet cables. I put $100 locking Grovers on it (I probably bend too much on Teles and the locking tuners seem to keep it in tune) but I'm not sure they were necessary. It plays amazingly. $200 + a six pack and a doob for my guitar tech buddy to swap the tuners.

[@tambow44]

I write/record dirty guitar sounding jazz music (think Howard Roberts with an fuzz pedal lol), and I gotta say I've learnt so much from your channel throughout the years. My taste in metal doesn't go past the 70s but that doesn't stop me rocking out with you every week or learning something new every video. People get so butt hurt that you don't focus on more genres of music but they fundamentally miss the point that what you're teaching us at its core is how to record sounds. Thanks a bunch and much love from New Zealand!

[@pelennorDSP]

Just a thought, you're quite rightly often on about the unimaginative choice of every guitarist and their dog using Vintage 30s, and encouraging us to look more broadly. However, your free impulse response is based on a cab with Vintage 30s, as are most of the most common free IRs online. How about doing a free 2023 impulse response with something other than V30s or a video on some free or inexpensive IRs that use other drivers than V30s (or both)?

[@needsLITHIUM]

Tube MP/C from ART Pro Audio is a great unit. Stepped knobs, which I know you're a huge fan of, built in compressor, pulls triple duty as an outboard tube preamp, DI box, and ReAmp box. You can set it up to add tube saturation/drive for guitar and preamp pedals or floor pedal style digital amp sims. There is a button on the back to toggle Line level and instrument level output from the 1/4" out, as well. The XLR input does impedance matching between mic inputs and line, and the 1/4" input does matching between instrument and line, so it can be used for all sorts of stuff. They got for like $145 on Sweetwater, but they're only $119 on zZounds. Grabbing two of them makes them usable for stereo processing. It would probably make a good budget option compared to that stereo ART rack mount tube compressor you have, in addition to having multiple uses.

[@mouldypretzel]

Talking of collabs, I think I mentioned it once before that I would love to see a collab with Jared Polin. Maybe I and/or someone else should leave a comment on his videos and see if we can make it happen

[@fela001]

Can you please do the whole "pickups doesn't sound different" with bass pickups?? (P, reverse P, Jazz, Humbuckers..) if at all possible

[@niteshades_promise]

What about EV speakers? What about the black label version? We need a demo glenn!!!! What about cheap phantom power supply?🤔🍻

[@seanmetal4138]

I'll be honest Glenn, I have been pleasantly surprised by some Chinese made guitars I've acquired. I've also been really disappointed in 3 USA Gibsons I've traded away or sold for peanuts. Granted, the Gibsons were their "low end" models (2 LP Special Tributes and a Melody Maker M2 w/ bill steer pickups), but for American-made guitars they weren't as playable as the Chinese ones, or hold tune as good. American manufacturing has been playing catch-up to the Japanese since the 80s, and aren't far away from the same thing with China, Vietnam, and Indonesia on the rise.

[@ender_wiggum]

Woohoo, you showed my comment! Thanks! I get it, we should focus on the mic'd tone... I'm just trying to help bridge the communication gap between "I can hear that my pickups sound different" and "they don't sound different on a recording". Both of these may be true _simultaneously_. It may not matter, but it is a contributor the confusion surrounding pickups. I'd like to prove _the difference_ between human ears (or as close as we can capture) in a room vs a traditionally mic'd amp. You've gotten REAL close, I think: the DI of the guitars vs the re-amped guitars is the proof that you can hear one and not the other. I'd just like to show that the room experience is different from 'ANSI standard guitar recording techniques' in the same sort of comparison. It is a tough nut to crack, I think. To be fair, my goal is academic at this point, it isn't intended to improve recording results. I'll think about it and try to make proper experiment of it.

[@sparella]

My hypothesis is that the mixture of tactile and aural input in the room is the largest factor. Also a huge consideration is close mic and room mic positions vs head position.

[@scottudell7202]

Really dig the "Good Vibes of the Week" segment, Glenn! Nice counter for the "Butthurt" segments. We need more positive things in this world.

[@johnclark1925]

Pick ups are a good solution to balance out a guitars natural eq. Muddy guitars can be made more mid treble sharp. Ice pick guitars can be made more full or low output less resonant guitars can be boosted. Pick ups, for me, are not a tone solution they just make sure you get a good initial base signal capturing the best of the resonance of the wood n strings.

[@chipcaronte]

Speaking of collaborations, do one with Dylan, from Dylan Talks Tone... Interview each other... I think that would get interesting very fast.

[@tankdarla637]

Rob Arnold (chimara) bought 3 brand new Jacksons, the new Virtuoso, the Sepultura Soloist, and a new pro plus. He loved all three. His favorite ended up being the pro plus soloist, china made. Rob has been backed by ESP for at least 15 years and he bought 3 Jacksons. Not dissing ESP at all though. Still, speaks volumes to me...lots of quality guitars available to us right now

[@flashpadxxx]

I bought a Harley Benton Fusion 3... The first one had a loooot of issues ..a lot of dead spots ..sounded really dead.. Returned it .But the second one..Hollyyyyyy ..It's such a great guitar...so amazing .plays like butter...

[@RudeRecording]

Perhaps the problem with the "sound in the room" argument is the ROOM? Great studios spent THOUSANDS on room treatment. Most home recording environments don't have large acoustically treated rooms and to my knowledge, no one has been able to accurately capture the "feeling" of "in the room." I've been ITB for well over a decade now and the sims just keep getting better. A lot less expensive than thousands in room treatment. If you want a great room sound go to a studio with great rooms, just plan to pay for it.

[@jeromeclemente3672]

You do not need a perfect guitar tone or even a perfect original song. I'd like to thank you because you gave me the encouragement and assurance that I do not need expensive guitar and amps to sound decent in a recording. Together with your mixing tutorials, I'm about to finish releasing my very first album! The Johnny Skidmarks Project is all because of KZbinrs like you! Fuck You Glenn! No, seriously, thank you!

[@ElliotDelgado]

Hey Glenn! great video! really looking foward to that speaker video!

[@MrJingles021]

When I was 18 I bought my dream guitar. It was an American Deluxe HSS strat. I was never able to bond with it. Years later, I bought an Epiphone Les Paul and loved it. I've bought 3 more Epiphones since, all made in China, and after a set up and a fret level they are great. I bought a Nick Johnston Schecter PT (woooo Canadian!l), and if was flawless out of the box.

[@chuckelator]

Cool to hear you're gonna be demoing some Weber speakers. I have a 212 cab loaded with custom ordered Legacys, ordered the pair with 80oz magnets and 100w handling (and a few other options I can't remember off hand) and that 212 is the best cab I've ever used, bar none. Wanted speakers that handled down tuned guitars well, and it absolutely shines in that way!

[@YukonDemon]

I have nothing against Chinese guitars, but I bought a Canadian made Godin. Not so much because of where it was built but because it's a fantastic instrument and a dream to play. Not to mention it's gorgeous af... (Godin Radium Carbon Black)

[@jimhhenry2898]

notice you are using Harly Benton now. great suggestion Glen. got one love it!

[@MBouchard]

I am working on a mobile jam space out of the bed of my pickup. Band practice at the river, or park.

[@nekot9274]

I remember modding a schecter omen6 with seymour duncan pickups. I didnt ear that big of a difference but I tried really hard to persuade myself. When I get to the next session with my mates, THEY eared a big difference and that makes me feel good for a moment... Never changed a pickup again (unless noise issue or feedback).

[@nathonc4957]

I just ordered my first Harley Benton from their reverb shop! I’m super excited but I really hope it lives up to what I’ve heard…

[@MyBichSustained]

I recently listen to a bootleg recording of a Samhain concert I assume is 86-85 with Damien on guitar and the recording is excellent,RAW and Crappy but, that's Samhain. The recording pick up the amp sound so good,so damn good it has me running around trying to get info on his live gear, the headroom was so massive and I want it for myself,Not the tone but the headroom. What I am trying to say is,Put your mics back 10 -15 feet away from the cab and not up on the cab,and crank it...pure sonic joy! Lighting in a bottle!

[@nopants3560]

It's all made by a Korean company called "CORT" their huge factories are in china and Indonesia , well paid by far east standards. They Make Squire , PRS , G&L , IBANEZ etc etc etc

[@tedrackley6233]

Great idea! I would like to know how to tweak a Windows PC and choose hardware for the best recording studio performance, for example, lowest latency, most simultaneous tracks that can be recorded at high bit & sample rates, most simultaneous reverb, pitch, dynamics or otherwise CPU-hungry plugins, etc. Does a video card make ANY difference at all? Does more RAM and/or bigger (or smaller) SSD drives improve performance, or is it only the CPU? Do multi-core CPU's improve performance? Or is performance better with higher clock speed CPU's with fewer cores?

[@109acepilot]

“No matter how good the violin may be, much depends on the violinist.” -Alexander Pokryshkin

[@sixtiviris]

Hi Glenn! let me start by saying I don't play hi gain super distorted music, I actually am JUST getting back into playing altogether after YEARS of just grabbing the guitar to noodle and maybe play a part of a song that I remember, having said all that, I know you have been discouraging of anyone to change pick ups on a guitar for tone, my question is more for your opinion on a Harvey Benton clean sound and if even then you think those pickups are great as they are or spending money on something that is not too expensive ( as far as a pick up) is even worth my time. sorry if the question infuriates you, just trying to cure my ignorance, just found your channel a few months ago and have not seen all your videos, but I love them!

[@ImmaculateEric]

OMFG i would LOVE to see you and LTT do a build!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[@russellhltn1396]

3:05 - I think the best way to test theory of "only recording a small slice of sound" is to record it direct and then play it back though a re-amp. See if you can tell the difference between pickups then. If you can't, then there's no difference coming out of the guitar.

[@dinein1970]

A guitar like Shije, I'd absolutely consider. They are a smaller company, have vids of themselves cutting and building their guitars. It doesn't look like some big conglomerate/interest. But a Chinese made Epiphone or Squier, Ibanez... no, I have zero interest.

[@ledoynier3694]

Reamping is SOOOOO much fun... when i got my reamp box i noticed something that should have been obvious to me : You don't set your amp the same way when you play vs when you listen only. I don't know what it is, if it's the acoustic sound of the guitar, the fact that you feel the vibration or whatever, but i tend to always put too much treble when i play, and i sound way better reamped when i just tweak the amp with the guitar away.

[@thegailen]

And a parametric EQ actually impacts the tone. Not just the amplification.

[@ArifSondani]

I actually regret buying and installing new pickups years ago... If I actually knows that it makes little difference in tone, I would have rather save my money for an actual decent multieffects that has IR capabilities...

[@Emily_M81]

I mix Celestion Redback and Crate Blue Voodoo IRs and call it purple...

[@Lovell93]

I gotta somewhat agree with the guy. As an American, I try my best not to buy anything Chinese made(which is tough sometimes) because I don’t want to support the CCP. I will buy from other countries, though! That being said, there are still some American companies I don’t want to support, either. I’m sure you could guess who lol.

[@peterschmidt9942]

Glenn, I wouldn't worry too much of a collaboration with LTT. A lot of specs those guys having been putting out have been incorrect for years. Which sort of goes against what your whole channel is about (even though you were wrong about pickups LOL). But keep up the good work.

[@sinakaedwards2009]

My thoughts on Chinese knockoffs and cheap guitars are as follows. There is nothing wrong with them if you are looking to hang them on your wall but want them to look accurate. I have thought about ordering a Rickenbacker bass from China, however, I don't want it to get confiscated. If you're talking about imported from China as in Epiphone and such, I think they are ok because as long as the wood is good, you can swap everything else you don't like out.

[@darwinsaye]

My Chinese made Squier Telecaster is equal to the quality of the late 90s California Series Strat I used to own. A couple of years ago I wanted an ES-335 style guitar. the cheapest Epiphones here in Canada start at around $700. I decided to try a Chinese version, but the Fireflys and Harley Bentons and ones that everyone has given decent reviews about are pretty hard to come by here in Canada, so I decided to take a chance on one by a company I had heard *nothing* about, named Musoo, for $300 CAD. It’s probably on par with the Epiphone as far as quality. No complaints.

[@snarewizardgroulx7369]

I appreciate the knowledge you’ve shared on pickups and for a guitar that has new or at least average pickups I definitely agree, but my first ever guitar needs them replaced because they make sounds that you definitely don’t want a guitar to make so I must buy pickups regardless of the lack in tonal change…

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Sure! If your guitar makes screechy feedback, definitely get better pickups!

[@snarewizardgroulx7369]

@@SpectreSoundStudios it’s an old jay Turser, probably going to become something way different when I’m done with what I have planned

[@alrecks619]

Striving for perfection is like chasing your own tail, you will never catch it.

[@martianmurray]

I have a dog that’ll prove you wrong lol

[@victorblakey4260]

I’m not a bass player, I don’t have a tail …

[@br00talbr00skeez]

Well said❤

[@br00talbr00skeez]

Striving for perfection is like farting to a specific pitch.

[@courier11sec]

Joke's on you it's right here!

[@sadpotato7029]

i learned something when i was in a local band 5 years ago, average music listeners dont give a single fuck about your expensive guitar's tone/rig. only around 5-10% does and those are the fellow guitar nerds

[@DE-GEN-ART]

or you could find a local luthier and commission a custom, hand made guitar, thats an option i never hear in the "American vs Chinese" conversation. we should be supporting "small" business when ever possible, instead of supporting a billion dollar conglomerate, or the Chinese economy.

[@georgemacdonald3087]

Canada is in North America as is the United States of America. So, he is not technically wrong in saying he will buy American if he is referring to Godin or any of their other brands, Seagull, Simon & Patrick, Norman, La Patrie and Art & Lutherie.

[@huskyspade3461]

Love the idea of the collab with @LinusTechTips ! I subscribe to several LMG channels and will certainly start asking for the collaboration!

[@mr.nobody68]

GGGLLLLEEEEENNNNNN! I have a PRS MT15 head (think 90s Mesa Rectifieresque tones) going into a Crate VTX65 1x12 combo, which has been gutted and now functions as a 1x12 "cab". Do I need to get a different cab altogether, or can I just get away with putting in the speaker that you're about to recommend? Must be 8 or 16 ohms. Love the channel and the knowledge, big love from the States

[@davidmurray9193]

Just got a chibson, new bridge, new pickups (iron gear) and a jimmy page pot set up, tusque nut all for my self for Christmas wrapping it up to me from me and still under £500 spent, quality's well better now as for brand names like my black jeans and black t shirt I don't give a shit if it works it rocks

[@iamamish]

David Friedman once made a really great observation about international trade. Let's assume for a moment that a US guitar manufacturer came up with a new production strategy to make guitars as well as the Chinese and at the same price point. For those who favor US manufacturers primarily because they're in the US, this would seem like a great deal. One day you are able to take a tour of the US guitar maker's production facilities, and you realize their new technology for making guitars consists of farming grain, then shipping the grain off to China in exchange for guitars. The point is, trade is just another type of production technology, and if we can make guitars more efficiently through trade rather than direct construction, we should do so. (I think I got the essence of Friedman's point correct)

[@raduneguravoinea]

Hey Glenn, how you doing, ever think about doing a video review / band situation recording with a poweramp pedal + preamp pedal combination ? Something like, I don't know, let's say Ola's Chug Preamp Pedal into a Harley Benton GPA-100 power amp pedal, in a mix. And do you think it would be enough for a small gig or rehearsall room. I was thinking about this combo, I think it would be quite cheap, very small, very convenient to cary around, and a good enough tone. Add a nice reverb pedal and maybe a tuner pedal, and you're set. Thank you.

[@sillyness3456]

I would love to see Rhett Shull play an 8 string guitar for a video. He is a great player and I think, he could do stuff on an 8 string, that most of us would not think about.

[@pile63]

About the topic of change a pickuo on my guitars is this. I changed pcikup for either a more hot pickup or less hot and go fram a pssive to and active. Not to change the tone of the guitar. It more to the kind of songs i am going to use the guitar on. I have a Epiphone specail 2< cheap as guitar and it has a great tone in it and it still has the original pickups. And strangly, it stays in tune.

[@themaschi]

Glenn: "play the good vibe music......." Aaand a ad starts rollin and i'm like: surely that can't be right