Ultimate Punk Rock Guitar Tone Challenge | Kris VS Guillaume | Thomann

Who has the best punk rock guitar tone? Leave a comment below!
Also check out our other music genre challenges:
Classic rock: • Ultimate Classic Rock ...
Blues: • Ultimate Blues Tone Ch...
80's rock: • 80s Rock Challenge | K...
Gear used: tho.mn/1ap6y
Recorded in Presonus Studio One: bit.ly/S1Pro6
Recorded and mixed with Universal Audio: tho.mn/uadx1
Monitors optimised through Sonarworks: tho.mn/sonar
Interesting bits and pieces:
0:00 Introduction
1:30 What is a punk / punk rock sound exactly?
2:37 Revealing Kris' rig
5:25 Revealing Guillaume's rig
9:05 Playing Guillaume's rig
10:47 Playing Kris' rig
11:44 Again, what is the punk rock tone?
14:04 Which amps work for punk?
17:30 Outro jam
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[@savethedandelions]

punk rock = whatever you've got + the attitude

[@Soldano999]

Whatever you're got + a dual rectifier

[@Lowtech14]

Guy’s setup is for the debut album. Kris’s is for the follow up album.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

I love that conclusion, it's so true! G has the "whatever" tone of a debut album and mine was more of a "now we actually have a producer" tone. 😆 Love that! //Kris

[@lucagrosser1081]

Hi, Kris and Guillaume. That was a great Episode. Can you please do a Alternative Rock, a Hard Rock or a Grunge challenge?

[@alwaysevolving281]

I’m going with the p90 because well…Brian Baker of Bad Religion. Perfect link between old school punk and modern day punk.

[@rome8180]

To the point you made later in the video, there's a video on Premier Guitar called "NOFX's Fat Mike on Why Les Pauls and Marshalls Suck for Punk." He talks about how they usually use single coil guitars and low gain amps in order to get clarity. Specifically, they use a Jazzmaster into a Silvertone amp. NOFX is my favorite punk band. I also love Bad Religion. And I love anything from Fat Wreck Chords. I guess some people call it "skater punk" or "SoCal punk." I love the melody and musicianship those bands brought to the genre.

[@Stanslick]

Each setup sounds very different, but together you guys sound perfect! They complement each other so well..

[@LeKajful]

Guil is absolutely right. Whatever you've got and what works. I play an old cranked AC 30 and sometimes use distortion but that's it. Punk is about attitude not money and tone.

[@Soldano999]

That probably explains why every punk band i ever saw had a dual rectifier

[@mikedamisch]

Best thing with this channel is that you guys play most style of music. I'm soooo tired of the same blues playing on most gear channels. I'm not into punk (more of a doom, prog, ambient player) but I love that you're doing this and it's interesting to see something different.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thanks man! Yeah we definitely do enough blues in our other videos, haha! We try to make things a bit more interesting though, thanks for appreciating it buddy! //Kris

[@mikedamisch]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses much appreciated.

[@GraniteSoundtrack]

I hear ya, I like blues a lot but it gets tiring hearing the SRV tone or the Robin Ford tone and others like them in so many videos. There’s still a lot of cool tones out there to enjoy.

[@rome8180]

Word. I'm sick of hearing people wanking off to the pentatonic scale.

[@MikeZimonyi]

Those tunes and sounds made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So good.

[@hugoleonardo7574]

Definitely my favorite music style to listen, favorite as well to play. Funny how G was using the “Dookie” setup and Kris was using the latter setup used by Green Day! Awesome guys

[@tarkett8529]

Both rigs complimented each other really well

[@alegutierrezmusic]

Yes the Mesa amps are everywhere: Blink 182, The Offspring, Pennywise, The Ataris, NOFX, Millencolin and many others.

[@cutez0r]

Thomann goes Pop-Punk! vol.1

[@aj81ds]

Finally some love for punk rock, thank you. More punk rock episodes please. I love all types of punk rock from 70's to now. My home punk rock rig is a Marshall Origin 5 into a Peavey 112-6 Cabinet with a WGS Retro 30 speaker, a Boss Blues Driver and a B.Y.O.C. Silver Pony (Klone clone) both modded by Alchemy Audio.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

You're absolutely welcome! This style really doesn't get a lot of youtube love because it's not flashy. You can't show all your *insert style licks and impressive solo skills when playing punk / punk rock. Too bad, it's such a cool attitude and spirit, it should be represented more. Cheers //Kris

[@aj81ds]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Yeah, I figured not enough views or likes for punk rock as to why there is not that many. In regards to solos and licks...Check out bands like Rational Anthem, Winona Fighter, RVIVR, Social Distortion, Strung Out, Lagwagon, Bayside, AFI, Big Wig, NOFX, Propagandhi, Donuts N Glory to name a few.

[@Mindartcreativity]

Awesome episode. I play in Post-Hardcore/Post-Rock band but in spirit and attitude we are a punk band. My tone is a Rat (Walrus Audio Iron Horse) into a clean-ish amp (preferably Marshall JCM 800). I run delay and reverb before distortion and into the front of the amp. Guitars are an ESP LTD Phoenix with one bridge humbucker and a Fender Jazzmaster.

[@matzer8846]

This is fun for me ... was in my late 20ties when this era began in Berlin i.e. old 👴 Still remember Kreuzberg festivities with ... noise ... an i loved that "music" with this "just being loud and pissed off" attidude ... 📢🔊🔊🔊 Curious about "your version"

[@seanfletter9098]

I have this lpj and love it. Simple but so much fun.

[@brentphillips5286]

As a guitarist in a punk band, playing all over the country. I will say the move is to use 1 set of cabs for every band, bring your head, guitar, and pedals. Share drum shells, and bring your pedal, throne, snare, and cymbals. Play with Teenage Bottlerocket and Authority Zero in a few days. Playing festivals is kind of the same thing.

[@RomulusIova]

Hi you two punks😊. Blink 182 are my favorites punk band. Thanks for the video, I really enjoyed your gear. Cheers guys!

[@sch2412]

i must give it to kris this time. the tone was perfect. G's high gain sound leaned more towards metal. you both had the perfect choice for guitars

[@lucastedman9867]

You guys are awesome. As always. FULL FUCKING STOP.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Haha, thanks so much Luca! 💛 You're the best! //Kris

[@gottzilla4445]

my first thought was a p90 lp + brit voiced gain monster, but not in view of billie joe, but rather mike ness of social distortion!

[@KellyEastwood855]

To me 1990s punk and punkrock was about getting drunk, fellin' good with the fellas, headbanging to simple distorted guitar music. We didn't know nothing about fancy equipment like things in this video. Becasue of the simple mindset, I find Guillaume's setup and approach is more authentic. A "whatever amp" with a distortion pedal and a humbucker guitar. That's what we needed that time! Kris' tone is more professional, better for the ears of today, but loses some of the simplicity and maybe primitive way of the '90-s feeling of punk. Nice vid, I grab my axe and play some punk, with power chords only! Keep up the good work guys!

[@Lowtech14]

Archers of Loaf last night in LA were definitely punk. A Jag into a Fender Twin Reverb, and a Tele into a Vox AC30.

[@robertnijkamp2051]

what about Symphorock and progrock ?

[@motorrebell]

" Iggy & the Stooges" - Search & Destroy is the 100% Ultimate Punk rock song - sound for me !

[@alegutierrezmusic]

From Sex pistols to Green day everything is cool for me, great job guys.

[@GoenndalfTheBlue]

Me personally i used whatever what was at my disposal. Right now i'm using a Fender Champion 100 and a Harley Benton HM-100/OD-100 and a Harley Benton HB-35 Plus... and i get a really killer tone that ranges from light blues crunch over fast overdriven Punkrock to Hi-Gain Death Metal Saw... So yeah Cheap gear gets you also a lot of tones... and well i also have a lot more pedals of course...xD

[@fridaydrums572]

Kris: has Billie Joe Armstrong Junior proceeds to play Offspring

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Haha, yessss! 😆 But also Bad Religion and some American Idiot too. //Kris

[@joermnyc]

G has this. Going back to my days at CBGBs I think punk would be an oddball guitar like a Squier Cyclone or a Danelectro of some type. Marshall is a good choice, a cheap Fender is another, as long as it has reverb on board (crank it up high for some East Bay Ray tone). Pedals, either a DS-1, Turbo Rat (gives extra rattyness) or a Big Muff of some sort for the dirt, and a cheap but good at doing slap-back delay.

[@toonz9971]

I grew up thinking Offspring and Green Day were punk until one day someone gave me a cd with stuff from bands like The Flys, Sham 69, Buzzcocks, 999, Souixsie and the Banshees, Stiff Little Fingers, John Cooper Clarke, etc. That era of punk to me is the best.

[@BigEdWo]

is the bloodhound gang also considered to be punk? they were great.

[@toonz9971]

@@BigEdWo I consider them punk. They had some hilarious lyrics too!

[@immortalobelisk6302]

@@BigEdWooh god no

[@thorstensextro4516]

I have to go with kris, because it's near to mine 😁 my Set Up is: Orange Dual Terror, 2x12 V30, Vintage V130 & Vintage LP GT.... straight into the Amp...No Effects...a little Delay in Front and the Tiny Booster...80% is about the Finger 😁 or moore 🤘

[@andrewkaetz1967]

Tone is in the stickers!!!

[@chrisroderer5798]

Für Liveshows ist der Orange Crush super Dankbar! Der ist platzsparend, nach dem Set schnell abgeschaltet und weggeräumt, nicht zu teuer falls mal etwas Bier daneben geht und trotzdem vom Sound her amtlich 👍 Nur ein SD1 oder Tubescreamer sollte davor sein, weil Palmmutes sonst etwas "wobbely" werden.

[@123Ir0nman]

Both were well done, but I think Guillaume wins this one because of how authentically he went for the budget guitar and pedals and "backline" amp

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Yeah and how authentically he got a 20w plexi with a Marshall 4x12. 😆 Like if that happens a lot in real life. I'm just kidding Rob, my buddy G really nailed the attitude and the mojo. Awesome job, hands down. //Kris

[@123Ir0nman]

@Thomann's Guitars & Basses What really saved him, though, is that he didn't have to dial in a clean tone lol

[@timhopkins3810]

Valvestates were great! The drive channel was terrible but the clean could be set to a really good platform for pedals - that’s what I did back in the 90’s 😂

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Ohh we never cared about the clean channel. We just cranked that Valvestate overdrive channel with all it's glory. 😆 //Kris

[@timhopkins3810]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses I played a guvnor into the clean channel. It was immense! 😂

[@fraenkiboii]

Having a shell pink strat with only one humbucker in the bridge, my points go to Jessica.

[@yetimatzenightcat8702]

😄

[@PatTheDude999]

I think Guillaume won this one. He definetly had the more so like Punk-Sound and he was prepared with some good old Riffs. Great Job G-Man!

[@henrychinaski2890]

This one goes for my man Guillermo. EASY.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Okay, I can live with that. I'm not crying. 🤣 Cheers Henry //Kris

[@latelierpunk1348]

15:39 - 15:44 This, mon cher Guillaume, is precisely the reason why I'm using an Orange amp 🤓.

[@Sean_Plays_Guitar]

There's always a rich kid with nice gear in every pop punk band. Today, that kid was Kris! LOL Great video guys!

[@Soldano999]

And there's always a guy whith a squier and a $50 pedal that somehow sounds better than you !

[@Sean_Plays_Guitar]

@@Soldano999 Truth, be told! LOL

[@yetimatzenightcat8702]

😄

[@GraniteSoundtrack]

Kris I liked your punk tone. That’s what I’d go for if I went back to high school.

[@klausfritsch4350]

My favourite punk band are The Exploited.

[@chotilottilot3431]

M.V. Electronics' Shreadhead pedal could have been a better choice... you won't fall short of saturation without having too much teeth. You can go from lagwagon, nofx, whippersnapper to mainstreams like Blink 182 and Green Day without depending on the gain of the amp.

[@yetimatzenightcat8702]

Punk ? bisschen steh ich immer noch drauf 😄 aber wenn dann fast nur noch Hosen. Hab jahrelang gehofft das sie's endlich mal schaffen aber die waren live immer grottenschlecht weil sie total zugedröhnt waren. Als ich dann wirklich nicht mehr dran geglaubt hab haben sie's doch noch geschafft 🥳 Genau wie mit den tonabnehmern von epiphone die waren immer für ihr dumpfes matschen bekannt und keiner wollte sie, heute rocken die dinger endlich richtig ab. Epiphone hat endlich die kurve bekommen.

[@CornPop.]

My 14 year old daughter is a punk

[@jamesfurz7406]

You must be so happy! Congrats!

[@CornPop.]

@@jamesfurz7406 thank you. Shes amazing. She wears a leather jacket everyday, sports a pink mohawk, and rocks hard on guitar and songwriting.She has her own band with her brother and is in 2 other youth bands as well. Her band has 10 songs ready for us to record this summer. Punk will never die!

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

That's awesome! 🔥 //Kris

[@CornPop.]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses thanks for the reply kris! Forgot to mention that she built a single cut kit (0 help from me) from you guys and painted it red with hamburger and fries and a McDonald's M on it lol.

[@idiotburns]

All those other genres are styles of music with said subcultures, but punk is a lifestyle and there is no genre.

[@DKN-nr7nv]

Please do one with grunge

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Sounds like a plan! //Kris

[@keithfranklin7489]

Bad religion Incomplete!! Yes!!

[@stanislavmigra]

Guill knocked it out of the park with his "kicking around tin can" sound, that is so oldschool rubbish Punk tone. Where Kris went for the more "modern" Offspring and onwards sound.

[@toonz9971]

Interesting. I would have said the opposite. I think Kris has a tone closer the '70s era punk bands and G is closer to more modern sounds.

[@matzer8846]

Who won ❓ Punk is the only way to let me inability ans incompetence shine 🐖 You guys are way to good to get there ... sorry Also ... were the heck was the 1PU Tele?

[@eldorado5319]

Kris's sound 😍

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

🙌 Thanks man :) //Kris

[@szrnkabela]

HétköznaPICSAalódások 🤘🤘🤘

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Az ám! Meg a régi Tankcsapda (Punk&Roll album). 🙌 //Kris

[@rivalmjd8541]

Thank you for not using extremely expensive guitars.

[@jamesfurz7406]

No Dual Rectifier? C'mon... must try harder....

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

We tried really hard. There were no Mesas in stock. Nothing at all. Too bad, next time! //Kris

[@jamesfurz7406]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Next time then :)

[@gkuzmanov]

The little plexi + the DS-1 sounded pretty rectum firing though

[@idiotburns]

It my lifestyle, and its NOT a sound its a way of playing and rocking without ever caring about what others think or do, it comes through if you are punk, no matter what your music will sound punk!

[@Soldano999]

I don't know punks these days seem awfully invested in what other people think

[@idiotburns]

@@Soldano999 exactly why its not, these days, punks comply and wear a mask, lmao, they go get boosters

[@idiotburns]

They are playing sitting down 9:40 definitely should be standing :)

[@greatsouthernpansy]

To sort stuff out: 1. To pick this topic You have to be FEARLESS. When I grow up, I want to be like You two. 2. Kris is guilty of having too pretty tone. He can't be punk. 3. Guillaume is quilty of having too pretty face. He most definitely can't be punk. Nice amps tho :D

[@SlowToe]

Needs Fuzz, but I'd say that about every video 😊

[@richardopavsky3527]

An old rigged up git with the cheapest possible vsts on some old repro would be more punk spirited tho. I get its thomann and stuff but this is pop punkish replica not make it yourself and dirty.

[@Soldano999]

A squier and a 50$ pedal seem awfully punk to me.

[@combopybrosharkfrenforhire6420]

i just use my boost channel with high reverb drenched in chorus (don't ask)

[@instant_coffee_is_evil]

I'm literally teaching those riffs to my 9 y/o daughter... then I'm wondering why she wants to drop classical 😂

[@911Polini]

Bad Brains!

[@tarkett8529]

Ac30, something with a humbucker or filtertrons doesn’t matter what and a treble booster of some sort, then bash ten shades of excrement out of it

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

If you like cranked AC30s you might wanna stick around. We recorded a video yesterday that blew our minds, haha! Cheers //Kris

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

When I hear the word Punk, my mind automatically goes to bands like The Ramones or Rancid.

[@JohniluzDelgado]

Im biased lol. Id pick the blink182 side lol

[@Soldano999]

So basically Guillaume with a 55€ pedal and a Squier sounds better than me who's been chasing after that exact tone for the last 20 years. Got it.

[@immortalobelisk6302]

Trying too hard = not punk

[@HenrikMoos]

To me it’s Billie Joe’s sound on dookie. That was back when I learned to play guitar

[@Purusam]

IMO Kris won this. JCM800 and P90 is a great combo.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Yes please. Please and thank you! 😆🙌 I obviously agree with you good Sir! //Kris

[@Crash.7434]

Once you add melody and any real music theory, that’s where you’ll lose the punk esthetic. Punk was music for people that didn’t know how to make good music. They made anything sound alright. Me personally I like the germs, gg and the jabbers, black flags and a few other bands.

[@unfcknblvbl]

This is punk pop, not Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, MDC, JFA, Reagan Youth, Battalion of Saints, et al.

[@KirkyDrums]

Tom Delonge TOYPAJ album best punk guitar tone alongside Dookie

[@maikfohnan1415]

Kris sounded way too nice. But head plus cabinet is pure luxury too. There must have been a metal band before the punk gig.

[@JoeBaermann]

For Punk any loud amp will do, there are no rules for a good punk tone.

[@TheFeatalion]

Nobody in the comments has mentioned Black Flag, what a lost punk generation...

[@PooNinja]

Jupiter efx Titan = punk tone and feel, RAW power ! Gatekeepers be damned but Punky Brewster is not punk!

[@KanariasLibre7]

P90 its all.

[@musicwired1]

i didnt hear punk.. i heard modern pop rock maybe

[@gkuzmanov]

Kris wins

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

YASSS 🙌 //Kris

[@gkuzmanov]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses Kudos for the Bad Religion riffing, man :)

[@idiotburns]

I always really like the punk bands that were really nasty and vulgar, like Fear

[@jasminduncanson2520]

I think Kris won

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thanks a bunch! //Kris

[@jingleballix]

This is NOT punk rock........this is the pale American imitation.