Underrated Guitar Brands / Should ESP Follow PRS

[@PhillipMcKnight]

Subject Index 00:00 Thank you Veterans! 01:18 my 26th Anniversary 02:45 Link to win the Pickups sweetwater.sjv.io/09QgzY 03:45 are tone pots the same as volume pots? 05:25 Do pedals sound the same with tube amps vs solid state and modeling amps? 10:20 the liquid finish from ESP guitars 11:15 Dear ESP Guitars Please stop doing This 12:45 How a 800k video I made changed the PRS SE guitars name kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnnRg6B9g6aElZo 20:00 Fender levels vs Squier Levels 23:28 My dog is turning 15 years old! 25:00 V type speakers 26:00 underrated guitar brands 39:50 Wattage is not always the same 41:10 Guitar Of The Week Is A Gift From My Wife 1:00:00 More ESP Talk 1:01:00 ESP to LTD to Gibson to Epiphone 1:03:00 Scale length on acoustics 1:06:00 Artist guitars and why I do guitar on Amazon 1:15:30 removing marker on Nitro finish 1:17:00 Why the Crossroads movie is important to me 1:23:40 Are guitar pickups really different? 1:33:19 Buying cheap bodies and expensive necks 1:37:00 Pickup pole spacing is not important 1:40:01 Why I only play Guitar and Bass 1:42:30 The winner of the Hils guitar 1:44:17 I pick two winners live

[@Dr-Stu]

KZbinrs with global audiences shouldn't promote competitions that are only open to a specific country. 😘

[@Bigboybooya666]

@@Dr-Stu If you're willing to cover shipping then maybe they'll offer it to international viewers

[@Dr-Stu]

@Bigboybooya666 it's sweetwater, they don't.

[@JoshuaC923]

Happy anniversary Mr and Mrs McKnight! You two have been quite the blessing to the bunch of us on this channel. Thank you!

[@LiveatVictoria67]

It’s Thanksgiving Day on Sunday/Monday here in Canada, Happy Veterans Day to all the American people Monday. Congratulations Philip and obviously your amazing Wife, Happy Anniversary to you both!!!

[@tonedragon8616]

No it’s not we already had thanksgiving. It’s Remembrance Day on Monday. Do you even live in Canada? 😂

[@brendaborgosano8422]

Happy Anniversary!

[@PhillipMcKnight]

Thank you

[@claudiajay8291]

?? Phil!! Happy Veterans Day. Thank you for your service . Congrats to you and Shauna for your anniversary . ❤

[@harlequingr]

G & L Tributes for around $500-600 are fabulous guitars. Godin is seriously underrated. They make a hybrid thst is up there with Taylor T5 or any of them. Godin stage is a nylon electric that is amazing.

[@ronj9448]

Yeah they're nice but the USA G&Ls are even nicer. Wow.

[@CameronJohnson]

Dude, a swirled Universe! Incredible. Absolutely a bucket list instrument. Wow!!!!

[@CameronJohnson]

I think the MKR's were swirled in Japan, and the others were swirled in the US by About Time Design. I have 4 Universes; a 91' Green Dot, a Silver Dot, a 91' white, and a 2000 UV777. These are such special and cool guitars. There is a reason they are so collectible. I'd love to have a swirl one day. I actually had no idea the 2010 reissues had a wider neck profile. The neck width is so important on these.

[@uv777gr]

@@CameronJohnson Agreed, the original necks are really special.

[@jgeraci1]

Such a great show you have created! Congratulations on your anniversary and all the best to you both!!

[@Glen-jn5fs]

MusicMan is also a very very underrated brand. Amazing guitars!!

[@davidkillen4292]

Hi Phil from Australia. Great show! I bought an Artist LP guitar a few years ago and my son bought an Artist strat. They're both great instruments and way better than other guitars I've owned/played in a similar price range. Artist make great quality guitars that most times play really well straight out of the box.

[@bengibson3955]

Another positive review on Artist Guitars. I’ve got 7 Artist Guitars ranging from acoustic to LP kit build to Ibanez-style fixed bridge, sub-20mm thick Wizard necked, dual HB guitar to a few Strat-style guitars ranging from basic and cheap to custom-wound pickups, roasted maple neck versions, along with a few Nu-X Mighty Amps and Plugs. I’ve had a couple of minor issues which were dealt with painlessly through their zero question returns. I’ve got MIJ, USA, Korean, Indonesian and Chinese guitars to compare and the Artist guitars are my most used. I’m not a luthier but I do setups and fret dressing for mates in exchange for beer. Don’t trust my advice though, because I suck.😭

[@rbae]

Good luck on timestamps, always appreciated 🤝

[@216trixie]

He provided them

[@216trixie]

He provided them.

[@BlazonStone]

Jackson does the "PRS thing" you talk about, no matter if you buy Custom Shop or a JS series, you get the classic Jackson hockey head with the classic Jackson logo on it :)

[@MrTraewilliams]

Steve Vai Passion and Warfare Album cover was so cool that I bought the album didn't like it but still knew Steve Vai was super cool. Crossroads was my induction to the blues. Congratulations on the guitar and the 26th wedding anniversary 💯✌🤟🤘

[@weehuge]

That Passion and Warfare swirl universe is so iconic. Congrats on the purchase and the anniversary!

[@geminidreamno2]

Happy Anniversary !

[@thegraymatter8107]

Big advocate for Artist Guitars, they make some of the best bang for buck axes around. Would love Phil to do a review at some point.

[@hugogavert2770]

That is very nice looking UV! Reference Jupiter is great, I love it. And I love it that you pay it - they are made to be played!

[@marknorman706]

CONGRADULATIONS PHILLIP ON YOUR UNIVERSE

[@mrtod13]

Crossroads is why I bought a telecaster 😁

[@Aloha_Snackbar_Everybody]

405,000 subs! I just noticed. Congratulations Phil! Thank you for the work you and the Mrs. put in, and all the information you provide. ✊🏻👍🏻

[@PaulVerticchio]

Hi Phil. Old guy here that began playing when the only FX were reverb and tremolo. Re: the question posed about pedal performance through SS vs. tube amps. I agreed in total with your evaluation. Perhaps an additional point would be the proper usage of time domain and gain (dynamics) pedals. Ex: dynamics modifiers belong in front of the preamp and time domain effects belong in the FX loop (post pre and pre power section). That clarification will help thousands of players answer the “Why do my reverb, chorus, flanger and delay pedals sound like crap when my amp is switched to the distortion/ high gain channel. Like your channel as your explanations are dead on. I’m a retired guitar technician and backline consultant with over 45 years experience. I’ve experienced/corrected 99.3% of the subjects covered on your channel. Keep outing the snake oil salespeople and congrats on the wonderfully long relationship with your wife. Behind every good man is a good woman. Ain’t THAT the truth 😃👍🏼

[@SilverHairCare]

I agree so much about re-issue. Same about the buckethead Les Paul

[@Mtlatc]

Great Guitar Phil - Congrats. First time I’ve been able to catch the whole show live.

[@stevedocherty1816]

Man, you got a great one! Those swirls could be hit or miss, but god damn! Thats beautiful! And yes, the holy grail for us vai/ibby/7 string fans!!

[@CarlosPCastaneda]

Hey Phil, through my years of being a guitarist and bass player, Artist Guitars has always been really bang on with quality control and their products have been way better than Epiphone and some other budget brands. My favourite one is the LP60!

[@NoBrakes23]

I was a Gibson guy in '91, and had almost no interest in Ibanez, but this guitar changed that. Not my cup of tea anymore, but man that was the Grail back then. Congrats, Phil!

[@vita-girl4345]

I agree on the Kiesel Becker guitars. By far the best bang for the buck. I have come to enjoy custom versions of them!

[@kiwistu]

Hi Phil. Greetings from New Zealand. I have 3 Artist guitars with another on preorder. They are all great guitars, mostly well set up and playing great out of the box. I highly recommend them. They punch way above their weight.

[@qman1434]

I agree dude! I have two designed by ESP LTDs. An EC10 and a Viper 400.

[@howardthrust]

Missed last weeks show 'cause I was in LA on the beach and then @ the King Gizzard... show (few bands in HISTORY have rocked a THREE HOUR no-break performance THAT well 🤘😆) Just took delivery of an xlnt Godin Redline 3 Art Series that is just AMAZING...for $500 shipped ("underrated" = happy buyer!) Conversely, I absolutely LOVE ESP's "product-line structuring"...and EVERYTHING else they do that differentiates them from PRS!! 😀

[@Unchainedmaple888]

Gee I sure do love paying nearly $3k for an "E-II" *sarcasm*

[@howardthrust]

@@Unchainedmaple888 Of course...when LOGIC fails, you can always resort to THAT kind of a response...

[@trailblazeratv6306]

G&L and Musicman make great quality guitars & basses for the money

[@ronj9448]

Love G&L and Heritage guitars. My G&L Legacy was a great buy.

[@ronj9448]

Play / Learning several different instruments here. I always find learning a new instrument is like learning a new language that is related to your native language. Different but feels familiar. I'd also add that with every instrument I have learned something skipped the first on the previous instruments. So I feel that time is lost on the earlier instruments. Music is music.

[@stephenHablinski]

the guitar of the week story is amazing!

[@TheMUSKIEJUNKIE]

I love my Godins!

[@j.jester7821]

i find Keisel and PRS with fancy tops are way too pimpy for me.

[@michaeleaster1815]

Crossroads was huge for me too. To this day, it is the only movie that I own... Maybe just OK as a movie, but fabulous as a guitar movie. I watch the cuttin' heads duel every 3-4 months or so. I can still hear Willie Brown saying "If you spent as much time with your fingers on the strings as on that girl's ***, then you'd be getting somewhere!"

[@Bredaxe]

Hi Phil, beautiful guitar and a belated happy anniversary. My wife and I have been married as long. My forever guitar has been the Ibanez Petrucci faces. I wanted to comment and say that it seems the higher spec Ibanez guitars have seemed to hold their prices or even increase! Why do you think that is?

[@69TirmsOfUse]

esp is the 12th fret inlay on the eII im looking at ?

[@stringsattached67]

I've been using the fender tone Master pro unit for almost a year now and I cannot tell the difference between my tube amps and this unit. It's that good .

[@bc454irocz89]

They USED to say ESP on the headstocks come on phil!

[@BOSSenjoyer]

ESP have Edwards as well which are pretty high-end. $3K waifu guitars.

[@Halfaloaf599]

Thanks too to the coolest community here.

[@rbae]

Hey Phil, thanks for answering my questions week after week! Looking forward to an acoustic video soon :)

[@robphillips8351]

Happy veterans Day 👍👍

[@johnnylayton1672]

ESP is such an awesome name for a music instrument manufacturer & in the camp of Heritage & Vox not Gibson, Suhr, Fender, Kiesel, Collings, Martin, PRS, Taylor, Tyler, et al.

[@grimm756]

Nice to see Artist guitars getting some love. I have 5 of their guitars. They can't be beaten for the money. I'd put one of their LPs up against an Epiphone any day! Happy anniversary to you guys and keep up the great work.

[@boabmatic]

always preferred the disappearing pyramid inlays compared to the tree of life .. amazing guitar .. I’d take a 6 string version with those inlays in a second

[@podoz]

106:40 about Artist Guitars.... i've bought many from them, they are seriously the best value guitars around, and their customer service is amazing. Couldn't recommend them highly enough. Their strats and teles are seriously awesome.

[@stevewoz4153]

Artist guitars from Australia are a really good professional instrument. I have multiple different models, well made, fantastic customer service and the best bang for your buck.

[@mazzxtmusic8805]

Artist Guitars in Australia sell great instruments. Their guitars punch way above their weight for quality and price👍

[@snowdevil7727]

Always used to say my old ESP Mirage Deluxe was a “real ESP.”

[@howardthrust]

...and I still DO!!🤘😆

[@itstodd1345]

If you can get your hands on an “Artist” brand guitar go for it! I have a few, and I don’t just have cheap guitars. They are the best and raved about here in Australia for good reason 💪🏽🔥🔥🔥

[@jimmxjx2854]

Hey Phil, Jimmy Carr here in Sydney. I have been buying Artist Guitar gear for a few years now and always been well worth the investment. Currently have 4 AG guitars and a beast of an amp in the Tweed Tone 20R. Hands down the best amp I have ever owned. Give them a shot as would love to see and hear one on the channel..🇦🇺👍

[@golfrick007]

Don't worry I have to break out the calculator for the kids' age.😂

[@sbootstrap4588]

?? I just finished watching Crossroads (for the first time). So, Phillip, was the Tele and Pignose package from the Pawn shop for $400 a good deal back in 1986...? 🐷🎸

[@fighterXmusic]

What an amazing gift! So freakin awesome.

[@dandjurdjevicplus1]

Please do a review on Artist Guitars (the Australian company)! I have owned 5 (still own 3) and they are outstanding, especially for the price!

[@mattytwohatsmusic]

Well done on the Vai. This was my dream guitar when I was young. 😊

[@Yardbird68]

Funny you mentioned the Enhancifier. I placed an order for one when you did the review of the new version, and so did a lot of other people🙂 It's now been 2 1/2 months since I ordered it. They added this to their website, in response to my email, when I suggested to let people know, why it is taking longer. This is what they added: "Sometimes, like when we have a prominent KZbin Presenter doing a demo for us, we can quickly go into a back order situation. That means, in a very short time frame, more orders can come in than we can fulfill quickly. Even though we try and project what materials we need to have in stock and/or ordered, sometimes orders coming in dramatically exceed what our projections are. This can lead to situations where it can take us even up to 8 weeks to get orders out to customers." 😆

[@AJgeartalk]

Happy Anniversary Phil and Shauna! That is one special guitar! Enjoy it Phil.

[@MichaelC76x]

I was totally inspired by Back to the Future and Crossroads lol

[@scramblesthedeathdealer]

That Universe is gorgeous!

[@ArtistGuitarsDemo]

Thanks for the mention guys! Just wanted to clarify that we personally design our guitars in-house. We take pride in offering some of the best value guitars available. We're based in sunny Sydney, Australia and are just dipping our toes into the US and UK markets. I'll drop you an email Phil and give you the inside scoop on what we do here at Artist Guitars. In the meantime, feel free to check out our channel if you'd like to hear the guitars in action!

[@CarlosPCastaneda]

Legends

[@harlequingr]

Anything to me under $1000 is affordable and just as good as any $4-$5000 guitar. The Epiphone Melody maker is the cheapest Epi and is great.

[@paulbullock7196]

So happy you got your dream guitar...stunning!

[@Zwidawurzn]

Yea i'd much prefer the old ESP instead of E-II on the headstock.

[@markbough2606]

I see a dragon on your guitar

[@BigBendBlues]

Congratulations on that beautiful guitar.

[@BigBendBlues]

And happy anniversary. Steve Vai rules. I have a Carvin half stack from 1985 because of him and Craig Chaquico and great advertising.

[@TommySG1]

Congratulations on your life long dream Phil 🤙 I’m sure you’re over the moon about it, cool gift from the misses man.

[@jessebatchelor]

Happy Anniversary to you and Shawna, and congrats on the Universe!

[@Wyldwulf]

The fact that Kiesel can run operations out of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA and offer such competitive prices....they should be running the US economy not a guitar shop.

[@misteress3840]

Good point. And they’re not awful to their employees like Fender. My fellow guitarist buddy’s from Mexico City and has done factory tours at Fender’s So Cal factory and Mexican workers there told him Fender are shitty to work for (en Español). Often speaking Spanish is like having a backstage pass in So Cal cos folks will share info with you wouldn’t get otherwise.

[@Eric-t8c3c]

Excellent point!

[@StavK]

Congratulations on your anniversary!

[@lorincowell6944]

Victoria Principal's Mom's name: Ree Veal (don't know if I'm spelling it correctly)

[@NakedCookies]

EII was esp like ten years ago?

[@nedludd3641]

What is the deal with the strange nut on the Steve Vai guitar?

[@JasonT-xp3kh]

What's strange about it? It looks normal to me.

[@nedludd3641]

@@JasonT-xp3kh - So you got a load of screw heads and tank traps where the bone nut should be. They mangle yer fingers?

[@sammydavej]

Saw a great show last month - Beat, songs of King Crimson with Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Steve Vai and Danny Carey. Both guitarists seemed to be using Roland JC-120s, Belew's apparently from the 70s!

[@Halfaloaf599]

Great episode, great show. Thanks again Phil for the lift.

[@bstoner1300]

Looks like a bowling ball to me lol and I LOVE IT

[@peterkatznelson12]

Thanks Phil, have a wonderful weekend❤

[@marcoz9651]

Congrats on that amazing guitar! The Vai JEMS are all cool and you have an amazing wife that feeds your addiction.

[@ChainsawChristmas]

Does it seem like the ads have gotten crazy lately?

[@iankeel7914]

Yeah, but Epiphones only say Gibson on the trussrod cover of certain models, but since Fujigen don't make any of them anymore, I don't buy them. Also, I think Squires only mention Fender on the box ?

[@MauriceArenas]

If you want new blood on the channel you should try LSL Instruments made in California

[@mitchvitale7370]

Congrats on the jem… what a beauty.

[@edwardberthelette2700]

Congratulations my friends. So happy for U2.❤

[@DecoDoesYT]

Love my Artist guitar!!!

[@AndyH2O]

Guitar of the week was great, a brilliant anniversary gift and what a terrific story to go with it.

[@littlerhodyguitar2169]

Congratulations on the swirl. I always wanted one when I seen the Vai album as well when it came out. Stoked for you sir. Happy Anniversary to you both. ☮️❤️🎸

[@216trixie]

Yep

[@chadwickhurlburt6529]

I'm curious as to how many of those where made? If anyone knows, please share.

[@diegolugo5360]

Artist guitars are great, specially for the price, you’ll rarely find a better guitar for that kind of money

[@scottakam]

Congrats on the guitar Phil. It's almost as cool as your wife!

[@picksalot1]

Your wife "Knows you're dear." Congrats on your Anniversary and good luck - Awesome guitar!

[@SpartanPridePod]

The "Fender Mexican Custom Shop," aka the Fender plant in Mexico making signature models like the Jimmy Page, Mike McCready, and Brad Paisely, have been coming out really well in recent years. I think the Shifflet is the next one coming off that line. They've really become pretty solid, value wise.

[@meanmrmustard7042]

I have a Mexican made buddy guy strat that is built better (and feels better) than the custom shop Tele I bought earlier this year. I’m not saying the Tele is bad but my buddy guy is higher quality, not by far, but without a doubt for sure.

[@SpartanPridePod]

@@meanmrmustard7042 I had the same experience taking the McCready Strat into a well known guitar store in the southeast. They joked that the Mexican Custom Shop was more than giving US Custom Shop a run for their money on fit, finish, & build. It seems the game has changed. Let's see how the Shifflet run comes off next in those terms

[@WEEwillycoolb68-q5r]

Praise Artist guitars? Well, I have a number of them, seven or more. The reason is that they are great to play and sound great. And, really quite affordable. I have the usual three, Les Paul, Strat, and Tele, and the usual big price. . These are wonderful guitars, but the Artists are great, in their own way, just EQ the amp, and they are so very good. I have had two for about eight years, and still ne sign of defects at all.

[@Wunderkind7]

Swirl Universe in the thumbnail...straight to guitar of the day! Congratulations! Dream guitar for me too.

[@waffl3st0mp]

ESP should just reverse the S. E2P but it would look the same logo wise.

[@Milton_Andrew]

Oh shit, you got your grail guitar?

[@PhillipMcKnight]

It is the one I always wanted.

[@gsimons213]

Phil you deserve the wonderful wife you have. ❤ happy belated birthday 🎉 oops, anniversary 😅

[@scottpoynton9517]

Hey Phil, aussie here and have a few artist guitars. They don't seem to be a repack, they are very good quality and have they're own unique flare. Chameleon bass is awesome, their newer relic stuff looks fantastic too.