vintage guitar tone and gear are snake oil

[@rocketsurgeon4461]

Keep reposting these gems!

[@jfrankcarr]

A vintage guitar is the guitar you wanted when you were a teenager but couldn't afford it, but, now that you're 40+, you can afford it.

[@marksteward3434]

Or, as in my case, it's the brand new 1972 Gibson ES-335 you owned in high school 50 years ago, sold 40 years ago, and is now worth way more than you can afford now.

[@ByGraceThroughFaith777]

​@marksteward3434 yet it is worth that much today because of rarity and nostalgic value, but some morons do bilieve they perform and sound better than something that was built yesterday

[@arvetemecha]

psychoacoustics is such a powerful thing. And myths are so rooted in the music industry, it 's impossible to tell a guitar nerd friend of mine he's just wasted his money into "new old stock" capacitors which have such high ESR and are so far from the labeled capacitance they're just considered as garbage among the electronics engineers.

[@maxpuppy96]

It is all in the hands

[@onbedoeldekut1515]

It's like I've said for years. As long as the space between the nut and bridge is stable, anything can be a 'guitar'. Grain direction and grain number per square inch just determines how quickly the vibrations cancel themselves out, it's incredibly unrepeatable, because no two trees have identical grain structures. . Pickups only translate signal to malleable noise, their strength is largely negligible with modern signal chains. Amps amplify the signal, it's sort of in the name. Amp types also really don't matter with modern tone shaping possibilities, but the ONE thing that ultimately affects the FINAL element of the audible equation is the speaker cone.

[@fgoindarkg]

@@onbedoeldekut1515 There is a huge difference between tube amps and solid state. Tubes will almost always sound better than anything else.

[@K2teknik.]

@@fgoindarkg No, sorry, tubes will just sound different, not better. You may like the sound better, good for you.

[@teerexness]

Santa gave me a beautiful Chinese Gretsch Pro Jet for Christmas a few years ago. It was perfect right out of the box. Just exceeds all expectations, still. The same Christmas, a retired firefighter friend got himself his dream guitar for Christmas. A $2800 Les Paul Standard. It had issues, so he brought it to me to help set it up. Truss rod, intonation, action, pretty much everything out of whack. Got it all dialed in, plugged it in and bzzzzzzzzzz. He was told to take it to a Gibson repair center where they told him that they were hot pickups and it's normal for them to buzz. He sent it back, but meanwhile my $2100 cheaper Gretsch (not an outlier, I have two equally excellent Chinese Jets) played perfectly right out of it's cheap cardboard and styrofoam box. Regarding "tonewood", I think it's just used to hoover money out of people's wallets. Look at how great Danelectros sound and play. Also, is there a more readily available wood than maple? You can't wreck a car in North America without running into a maple tree! Ridiculous. I'm 62 now and I've been playing for 48 years. One of the great benefits to this "vintage" is the bullshit detector works so much better!

[@drewinman7171]

I'm glad to see you reposting the Whiteboard vids. I love those explanations. I want to thank you for breaking the paradigms, me included. It really helps get you back to focusing on what is actually important.

[@bakstabbath]

I've built my own clones of vintage guitars I've always wanted, for hundreds not thousands. The markup on vintage and new "old" guitars is nauseating.

[@cecilmusick8629]

love that you're putting your old videos back up, and your points are always spot on!

[@LaNwamNi]

Don't forget that vintage can also mean a particular year when talking about wine (which is likely why the word includes "vin") and in that respect it distinguishes between one year and another, even favouring a more recent year over another as "good vintage". So true vintage doesn't necessarily favour the oldest.

[@squidsleap]

"Tone plastic" had me dying.....and so did the realization that when I was a kid I had all the original star wars action figures. I play a lot more acoustic now days, nothing better for for realizing tone is in the fingers. It makes me play electric better, and for longer too. I had a shoulder replaced about 14yrs ago from dirt bike accident. It messed up the nerves in my fretting arm and caused me to stop playing for 8yrs. I started back up on acousic when my son was born, it helped him sleep and he still askes for guitar at bed time every night. He will be 5yrs old next month. Ill never play like i used to, but I'm happy to still be able to play.

[@Paul-lj3qw]

Thank you for posting this. We all get so caught up in this crazy vintage market. I have never bought a guitar that I couldn’t make play and sound great.👍

[@slicksnewonenow]

When R.C. Allen was still alive, I had him build me a quilted maple Jumbo acoustic... He was an apprentice of Paul Bigsby and ended up with Paul's stock of old wood and used that in his builds. That thing looked like it was glowing and moving, just sitting in a guitar stand! Someone broke into our band trailer in NYC and swiped that guitar, along with a couple amplifiers and some other equipment... That was way back in the early 90s. I sure do miss that one! Anyway... R.C.'s old stockpile of wood was incredible... The flamiest flame maple I've ever seen!

[@bozeeke]

There may not be differences in tone per se, but owning a really old Gibson or Fender if you can afford it (or if it's been in the family for decades) is like owning a piece of American music history, so from that standpoint it's very much worth it.

[@milankotevski1663]

Nah

[@vayabroder729]

Exactly; different strokes for different folks.

[@misterknightowlandco]

Atleast you’re being honest. If you want to own an antique for historical and preservation purpose then great. I’m happy like preservation. If people who bought these things were honest I’d have no problem with it.

[@weshinds9884]

I agree 100% especially on relic guitars. I don't understand why someone would pay more to have their guitar look like crap.

[@florisvanlingen]

I've got a lighty aged guitar. It feels like an instrument you have played for years and are not afraid to gig with. Fun thing is that from a meter away you won't even notice it's lightly aged, but it adds to the vibe and certainly doesnt look like crap.

[@vayabroder729]

The neck is where it’s at; if done right they feel more comfortable to play.

[@jasonmiller3167]

I hate relic guitars too. I have a mid-80s made in Japan Strat that has honest dings and scratches all over it. I bought it for $650 on Ebay. I love the thing. Neck is perfectly shaped and perfectly worn. Pickups have ceramic magnets and sound awesome. I had it refretted because the previous owner obviously loved the hell out of it too. Find what you love, don't believe the hype.

[@biggoofybastard]

I find it odd that guitarists want their new guitars to look old, but their old guitars to look pristine. There's no story to a guitar that's sat in its case for sixty years, or one that was roughed up at the factory.

[@waitaminute7257]

Agreed! Relic guitars are a joke. A buyer pays the "Murphy Lab" to give the beautiful $7k custom shop Les Paul a key job, scrape a belt buckle all over the back and smear crap all over the hardware. Then he has to pay another 3k. 🙄

[@Drew.Parry-Guitars]

I remember these vids first time around, tought me so much about making a guitar. You think outside the box. Learning from you helped me build outside the box. My favourite quote from you, is “an electric guitar tone comes from how you build the fu***ng thing” 👌🏻👍🏻 totally correct. ✅

[@squirelova1815]

The problem with some people is that they should have stayed away from the 'Brown Acid'.

[@Drew.Parry-Guitars]

I think a great point to make is that most of us do it when it comes to cars, only guitar players do it with music gear. But when it’s comes to a car you don’t go for a rusty chassis, yet when it comes to a guitar, the worse it looks over time the more it’s worth lol 🥴

[@zerosiii]

What about acoustic guitars? Somebody told me like the older the wood, the drier it is, then it makes a different (dare I say better) sound

[@literal_lee]

@@zerosiii Define 'better sound'. Different ? Sure, for acoustics. But why 'better' ? (Dried out wood can also go wonky and cause the neck to twist or warp. Is that better too?)

[@content-appreciator]

Reminds me of a certain vintage wire salesman. Oh, that was a fun arc. Good times.

[@nicholasaragon4126]

I remember watching this and Will's other videos years ago. At first some of his videos challenged what I thought I knew from "conventional wisdom" and online guitar communities. But as always, I keep an unbiased open mind and learned so much from Will regarding guitar building, repair, and maintenance. Much love and chilllll.

[@theopelarchive748]

I agree to a point if the technology remains the same. But if the technology changes then whether it's better or not is definitely debatable. Like recording for example - people tend to forget that all these vintage guitars they're hearing in recordings from the 60s and 70s were recorded using 'vintage' techniques and equipment. Is it the guitar or the analogue recording gear? Personally I would suggest the latter

[@blaineca]

I don't know I like some older technology. I like how the tubes sound in my amps with different gain. And tbh I wish all of my tube amps didn't have the modern boards that they put in a lot of them. But I'm new to this whole thing. I know you're talking about the instrument itself, but I just think sometimes there is technology that doesn't need to be replaced with modern technology. I think some people think pickups are microphones so that leads to a lot of misconceptions.

[@PlayFloyd_IN]

I've been subscribed to your channel since the tone wood days. I was in my early 20s at the time. I remember the guitar building courses by yourself and all of your health struggles. Always, much appreciate your work and thoughts, despite the fact that I may not agree with everything you say, as you've always exhibited yourself to be honest. Well wishes to you as always, and thanks for the video. 🙂🙏🤘♥️

[@johnDBoone]

I play acoustic mostly. Although I own several electric and have a few decent amps I'm just more into acoustic. So that being said. Maybe I am missing something but I never understood the whole chasing tone deal as far as pick ups go. To me a single coil sounds like a single and a humbucker sounds like a humbucker . The amp and speaker has way more to do with the tone from my experience with it. But if it gets you to spend more time playing the guitar and it inspires you to create that is all that really matters.

[@Murphy_R9]

There is no chance of me ever being convinced that a 1959 Les paul standard that can auction for $450K is $440K better than the Murphy Lab custom shop Historic 1959! Is it better overall? maybe? but not $440K better!

[@dezionlion]

Shutup

[@erikwade3668]

I still have my beloved '74 Gibson ES-175 and although it sounds and plays beautifully it's age is definitely part of the allure. If Gibson were to resume manufacturing of the 175, I presume that they'd be able to improve on it. For me, vintage and old is a purely sentimental thing. It's why my favorite period for cars is '55 to '59.

[@rowbags3017]

I kick myself these days because I passed on so many used '60s guitars when I started playing in the mid '70s. They'd be worth a lot of money now, but back then the attitude was "Why would I want an old second-hand guitar when I can buy a new one?". Little did we know what an investment they'd have been. 😕

[@brooklynsoundgarage]

I’ve found that the most important things is to play guitar for enough time to end up sounding good, and yeah it helps to have different guitars to switch to during this time of at least a decade, but none of them have to be anything better than guitars that just play well because they are set up properly and not broken.

[@j.p.7708]

I had a 1964 FENDER STRAT in good condition, it was no better than my new MIM FENDER STRAT ROLAND V guitar, I sold it and pocketed a nice chunk of change. It’s only good for a possible investment 🤷‍♂️

[@charlexguitar]

Where can I read scientific articles about the qualities of wood in relation to the sound of electric guitars?

[@tedgay8427]

Ever notice the guys that made the old gear desirable, Clapton, Beck, Lee, etc,. all play new guitars and amps?

[@arabofon]

Another healthy dose of common sense from Will.

[@zambot3325]

Squier ! All you need

[@adamwatson6916]

Pafs were never hand wound . They were wound on machines just like modern pickups . Some old pickups were handguided where the marchine turned the bobbim while the perosn winding the pickup guided the wire by hand but Pafs were not wound in this manner they were 100 percent machine wound .

[@K2teknik.]

It is hard to believe that there is any tone change between a machine and a hand-winding of a pick-up, sorry, it doesn't matter, all it change, machine or hand-winding, is the cost of the manufacturing.

[@TommySG1]

Hey man, I haven’t seen your feeds in quite some time and it looks like you changed your channel’s name? Anyhow, cool to see you back… I always dug your guitar repair videos 🤙

[@TommySG1]

PS ~ My worthless 2 cents on all these ‘vintage’ recreations are certainly all snake oil. I’ll use Tom Murphy’s CS as an example ( There’s a video out there as well with him showing you the railroad spike, keys on a ring etc… of what they use to achieve it too and it’s such a joke, even he’s laughing as he discussed it for christ sakes ). Back in the 50’s and 60’s there obviously wasn’t any custom shops, if you wanted a nice quality Gibson you purchased a Standard or whichever ones they offered at that point in time. I’ll never fall into this personally, if I ever do it would be a ‘made to measure’ so the new instrument actually looks new LOL! People want too much instant gratitude these days though because that’s what our world has come to. So many people don’t want to actually PLAY a guitar for 20 some odd years to give it a ‘vintagy’ feel. Your points on the ‘old wood’ is spot on and especially on solid body electric guitars 🤙 Tommy~

[@trevorclarey3336]

I hope Paul Reed Smith ain't listening .🤣

[@borowland5744]

Haha!

[@ByGraceThroughFaith777]

What matters most is how long it can keep tuning and intonation. Most people looking for vintage stuff can't even tell the difference. It's just the greed of having something rare and different.

[@edge13429]

I must say you look rested and a lot better hope you are feeling better!

[@WillsEasyGuitar]

this is an old video

[@vayabroder729]

90% of the time you can’t tell the difference. The player is a more important element in the equation. This all started with acoustic instruments in which the difference in sound and quality as compared to the earlier instruments was more apparent. Remember there is a vintage guitar market and there’s a lot of vested interest in pushing the hype for money’s sake.

[@johnnywhale]

a bit of topic...but: what are your thoughts on acoustic guitars, especially the tuning of it. i have 5 acoustics and they are all way out of tune. first i thought i just have bad luck, but after a while thinking about it i had my eureka moment: its the bridges: not adjustable. how in the hell can people like playing on such an out of tune instrument? i def can not! the horror. decent tuning doesnt seem to be necessary when it comes to acoustic guitars..they make decent bridges for electrics, why not for acoustics? you cant play open chords in tune, you cant play decent power chords beyond lets say the 5th fret..and you cant play riffs on it because: ITS OUT OF TUNE! is it just me? i dont see anything on thee web about this issue. what are your thoughts about it Will? thank you.

[@FW_190]

We need the tonewood video back now more than ever

[@jonbon7219]

why did ubtake these videos down? I'm guessing limit supply, increase demand?

[@luckysevens.AltRock8]

What is the oldest guitar you own.

[@tiomkinnyborg2289]

It is very easy to become an expert in guitar vintage tonewood. You just need to repeat what the 'experts' say. There is no exam or test to see if the belief stands up to logic. You will have many others to support you. 'Dark' sounds from ebony vs 'snappy' sounds from maple fretboard. In use the vibrating string is held aloft by the fret and bridge so how is the board material affecting the tone? Well done for standing up to the BS. Sadly no matter what proof you put out they will cling to the voodoo, I am just waiting for keyboard players to pay more for 'reliced' (seconds) gear. I want to hear how the plastic case with walnut side panels improves the resonance of the synth samples.

[@K2teknik.]

Many just have a guitar for sale that they bought a bit to expensive, then, puuf out of the blue they are suddenly an expert in guitars, especially vintage guitars.

[@ytsertd333]

I remember what you said years ago from one of your vids. Values are values when it comes to capacitors and pots.

[@HayesTech]

Just my opinion on tone for Guitars, they need to be played in order to get better. The more they are played, the more they open up. Dryer guitars, in my opinion, sound better than one that's humidified too. But you risk cracks when it's dryer. I would tell anyone who purchases a guitar and it doesn't sound right to them, to give it some time and play it for a while before getting rid of it. And last, I've got a 1965 Epiphone Texan FT79n and it sounds great, but so do the new ones, even the ones from Indonesia (Masterbilt Texan). They just sound different. And since it's made from a once living tree, they will all sound different.

[@Bluebuthappy182]

19:00 very true I remember finding a thing I used to tons of when I was young and grabbing it because I remembered how great it tasted. Man I didn't even cook it I just had to open the can and look at it, the went right in the bin. I ate some absolute shite when I was a kid lol

[@paulsguitarstudio126]

An electron far as I know has no conscience to ponder what sort of wire it is traveling. There is only capacitance difference. Wood is all about density not species, as our beloved Will has pointed out no two pieces of wood of the same species are remotely alike.

[@w1zard0f0h]

I can understand if an old guitar has a neck that just feels right and you can't find any new guitars that feel the same. But even then I'm sure someone can make a neck you like today.

[@JoakimPorscheCaymanS]

Great content as always Will. For the EYE or nostalgic reasons I can understand people paying overdose for a special old guitar. Bought/found my Ibanez Roadstar 2 1010 (Steve Lukather edition) that was my teenage dream guitar I couldnt afford back then. Now I got it in "mint condition" 40 years later from when it was made 1984. Payed 30% of usual market price. Special for me to get that old guitar, amazing buildt and sounds fantastic but NO it is NOT the latest updated good hardware stuff like i.e. the old bridge (F-Rose-style). Just love it. But of course NOT better than current premium guitars. 😅

[@connermolnar7108]

Hey will, and anyone else who can give me some helpful advice, I am not too knowledgeable on guitars , and just wanted to ask why my guitars sound so treble-y and harsh. I wanted to know if its normal to have to turn my treble way down on my amo and tone knob to get that piercingly harsh attack sound to be as not harsh. I'm using a fender lt25 beginner amp and have heard it demo'd on KZbin vids and it never has that harsh attack sound I hear when I play. I have a Lee Paul jr, and a squier classic vibe so I know they are brighter than humbuckers, but I swear when I hear people play on KZbin videos, the chords sound so balanced and clear and mine sound harsh unless I turn treble way down. I've even lowered the pickups on my strat and its the same thing. I can just barely tiuch/tap the pick , or my finger on the e,a, d strings , and it makes a sharp noise. My question is , am I under the assumption that other guitars don't have this issue, or is it common to have to turn down the treble settings so much on single coil pickus? If anyone can help, that would be much appreciated. Btw, I'm a huge fan of your work will. The guitars, and projects like that chess board you crafted is amazing work.

[@WillsEasyGuitar]

If you plug various guitars into your amp and it sounds the same. It means there’s something going on with the amplifier. It’s unlikely that it’s the cable. If it is a single guitar that is causing this loudness and scratchy brightness it’s more than likely, something going on with the electronics. Sometimes if a pick up is out of phase or something has been wired incorrectly, you can get that. But don’t go by KZbin videos on how things should sound. Generally speaking practice amplifiers especially ones that are inexpensive. Don’t sound good.

[@connermolnar7108]

Understood, thanks will 👍

[@notanotherguitarchannel]

It's a hard pill to swallow that you don't know why you like or dislike certain pieces of gear. It's like a tradesman not knowing how their tools work. Makes you feel amateurish. Much easier to believe some story.

[@valium-fm7236]

Glen Fricker @SpectersoundStudios did a scientific test and proved the tone isn’t in the guitar, it’s in the speaker. What driver you use and what cabinet you use. Again the tone IS NOT in the guitar . ✊🏼😁👍🏼

[@WillsEasyGuitar]

before he did that, I previously proved tone wood false years prior.

[@valium-fm7236]

@@WillsEasyGuitar did you see the guy who made a guitar without a body to prove the sound isn’t in the wood. I’ve still to watch the video.. I bet you’re going to tell me that was you who built said guitar. And I’ve just made a fool of my self 🤣

[@Joe-mz6dc]

@valium-fm7236 No, but Will made his video before that guy too. That was a great video too. The tone wood youtube videos debates have been going on for ages.

[@esp901]

This whole tone wood, vintage, relic debate is almost as like to argue against religion. They want to hear a difference, so they hear a difference. And not only different - better.

[@anidemolimacnauj]

Used to check your videos back in the day. Don't now what happened. Good to reengage

[@nethbt]

You give Joe Bonamassa his basic Epiphone Signature guitar and he will make it sound like his 59 LP with the same rig set up

[@MarkStearle-w1m]

He just said in a vid about his new Epiphone that it will sound better than his old one,totally.

[@scottfromsouthcarolina3185]

I always thought of vintage as being broken in and played. Besides the worn look, the neck is probably smooth and the pick-ups have lost some magnetism and have a lower sweet output. Supply and demand may make it more valuable from a collectors point of view. Rich guys collect things and relish the fact that only a few of these left that they can brag about.

[@kieronjones7971]

My man, you are spot on

[@fgoindarkg]

Vintage Tonewood makes a huge difference in acoustic instruments. With EM pickups the wood has almost no effect.

[@ferenclucas2842]

vintage gear is wonderful it's a piece of history, tells a story and maybe holds a story in your life too. Recording: For recording it makes little difference what year the guitar was made, modern versions of everything exist now, and even though reissues and clones may be among the more expensive of new guitars, they are still less money than vintage prices because of the museum rarity of the piece. it is the speakers in your amp followed by your amp brand that will make the big difference in tone. Live: you can't bring your prized instrument made 70 years ago to a gig either. it will be dented spilled on scratched smoked on, worn out and stolen. so the vintage guitar is for home. kept in a glass case to safeguard it and increase its value as a family heirloom for the grand kids after you cant play anymore. marvel over the time in the past it represents and the music era it was made for. the same can't be said for synthesizers. the big music companies abandoned a whole type of instrument , its own class of true analog discrete through hole electronics with 80 watt transformers and replaced it with 100mA 5V usb virtual computer software in a box because profits. the fact that they refuse to reissue a jupiter 8 from 1982 like they reissue a 59 strat is the truly sad part. because a 59 reissue strat is damn close but a bunch of computer code in a cheap box calling it a JP boutique or jupiter cloud or zencore is not at all the same thing. its a completely dufferent instrument and you should record with a real jupiter 8 if you have one.

[@TheChrisdurkin]

Great rant 👍

[@peterschmidt9942]

Still wise words there Will. Nothing wrong with buying back your childhood memories - If it makes a person happy go for it.

[@TheForce_Productions]

Everything is about marketing, for example that misconception of alnico pups sounding better over the years. Firstly alnico doesn't have any advantage over ceramic or others, everything is about the pairing of amount of copper and magnetic field strength, and regarding they doesn't sounding better over the years, it's actually the player skill that improves over the years, giving the false impression of better tone from the pickups when it's all in your hands instead. Stay well Will.

[@ratspam7655]

So many famous guitarists searched long and hard for a good sounding instrument at a time when manufacturing was inconsistent. What they hung back on the hook at the guitar store decades ago is now a high priced vintage item that was once a reject. The vintage nonsense of today is a direct result of the shareholder corporations like CBS and Norlin cost cutting the product to increase their profit margins. Once the quality returned after the buy backs, a vintage guitar simply became the equivalent of an old painting once the artist passed away.

[@redstrat1234]

The voice of reason. Thank you.

[@joannalewis5279]

So interesting. It's the recording not the instrument. Question: in the 90s Is reading that string vibrations over a long period does tone magic to the wood. So not in a plastic bag but playing amazing music for decades. Is this BS?

[@pony-boy3822]

Will, I usually agree with what you teach and over the years I’ve learned a lot from you on this channel I would say. I do agree with most of these points you’re making here. But you can’t tell me that an old 59’ Les Paul that has the mojo and rings like a bell is the same as a Les Paul coming out of the factory now. I’m talking clear articulate notes nothing muddy at all. You can’t tell tell me it’s all sound editing just because I haven’t played one myself. And what about an electric guitar that rings out so loudly and differently when played acoustically than others when not plugged in, what’s your theory there? How about the famous Stradivarius violins. I mean, there is no pickup in there. How about really good old Martins etc. I understand a pickup is really just a microphone under metal strings and it accounts for a lot of the tone/sound. Do you actually believe that if you took a set of pickups and the same strings and switched them out of 10 different guitars all 10 will sound the same just because it’s the same pickups and strings in the guitar. Maybe it is just the pickups……idk. Wood?! I know I can’t put good pickups in a piece of clear acrylic and make a great guitar too……I also know I can go to a big box store buy some 4/4 ‘s glue them together and make a guitar body of my choice, but your saying that wood is the same as a pristine untouched forest that has trees standing for thousands of years. I just happen to come across some wood that is like this. It is dry as can be , straight as can be and when I tap just lightly with my finger ,I hear music coming from it that it’s so resonant! I can verify it’s definitely over 200 years old from where it came from. The question is how old is it really? Idk, I’m a big believer in the tone is in your hands and your playing, but I also know when something sounds like shit and how much better I sound when I have better tools at my disposal. Better sounding instruments. Maybe I’m just ranting here now and missing the point, I think there is just a little more to it. I do think this is over thought about and exaggerated like you say, it’s definitely driving me crazy. I like simplicity……people need to spend more time playing and making music then chasing this type of shit. Life is to short and the clock is ticking!🤷🏻🎸🤘🏼 (Everything is energy, frequency,and vibration in the end).

[@michel333100]

I have a Gibson lucille guitar. Back in 1995 my luthier told me about Tom Holmes pickups. Well I wound up phoning him. He sold me a set of his humbucking pickups for $250.00 . Well these pickups sound ok but they aren't magic sounding or different than any other pickups. They are fine but nothing special. Now apparently these pickups on Reverb or Ebay go for huge sums of money. I would trade these pickups today for some Seymour Duncan's. It's all a myth about a lot of these pickups today that sell for huge money and all of my Gibsons sound the same. They are all 30 years old and still sound the same as when I bought them. Just my own personal observation.

[@bluwng]

Same for cars

[@zen234]

Great talk you have confirmed my suspicions,the guitar worlds a total rip off. "All hail Harley Benton"! I remember that Antonio Torres built a classical guitar whose back and sides were made out of papier mache just to prove that the wood had no impact on tone Also one famous classical builder suggested making the body( except the soundboard) out of concrete but guitarists are so conservative that they would never buy it.

[@misterknightowlandco]

The fact that no one wanted the old stuff until the late 90’s tells you all you need to know. The trends with guitar follow the ear lifespan of the baby boomer. Boomers starting as teenagers played the newest things until the boomers hit their 40’s and 50’s, which started in the mid to late 90’s, and their midlife crisis started to kick in and they wanted the stuff of their youth and tried to justify it by saying it sounds better. That’s it. The new stuff is just as good if not better than the old as long as the builder is trying to build the best guitar they can.

[@ronws2007]

Glad to see this resurfacing. It needs to be repeated. And the old tonewood debacle. I still laugh at that, though I know you, Will, took some heat from that pile of feces who was going to dox you and threatened you. Over wood. Edited to add: one of my favorite sounds was Ted Nugent's Birdland Gibson ES-335 semi-hollow body. And the first thing I do with my solid body and a new amp or effects box or combo, such as my Fender Mustang GTX 100, is seek out that sound and usually make it. And then launch into "Cat Scratch Fever" or "Snakeskin Cowboy."

[@stephenedgecock]

i play my Chibson 1959 Les Paul Standard through a dimed PigNose amp and a BOSS Metal Zone pedal

[@matt-fn9gr]

The one point people don’t bring up is if someone has the money and they want a vintage guitar or a PRS wood library they should be allowed to buy it without other guitar players acting like a nagging wife.

[@HorneHarris-no6qw]

The truth has been spoken love it.

[@BAJARACER43X]

Guitars don't matter, sound wont change much, but amps are different old vs.new

[@hansemannluchter643]

So, if I buy a Burns Baby Bison, I'm not going to sound like Jeff Baxter? How disappointing 🤣

[@ShayneLewis-rg3rb]

Preach it brother! All that marketing to suck in uninformed people.

[@kellecetraro4807]

I fkn luv you man 🙏🏼🤘🏼

[@Panic42000]

I like relic guitars because they feel better. It’s not that they sound or look better. I hate a shiny glossy sticky neck. It’s no different than buying a vintage guitar. You weren’t the one that put the scratch’s and wear on it. If a vintage guitar inspires you and makes you want to play it’s worth the money. That’s value.

[@k33pstrumming39]

I remember these videos . Spoke the absolute truth . Its all a momey gimic

[@SidLives]

I’ll guarantee you can hear the difference between oh let’s say a Les Paul from the 60’s and a Bluesbreaker from the 60’s compared to the Modern counterparts and I’m talking about playing them in a room side by side, there is no placebo effect the old products sound better the problem is can you afford the $$$? I personally can’t, I have to be satisfied with a used LP from 2019 that had a headstock repair which I used to negotiate a good discount and a used SV 20 all the while wishing for the Combo from the 60’s, also try telling someone that owns a ’65 ‘Stang that he’d be better off with a new modern one…

[@NicholasANappiNick]

What did Jeff Beck play how about BB King . Brand new case closed 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@buffalomusic57]

All I need is sound.

[@UrryKurtz]

Yep. Guitar sound is all about picking and vibrato. Articulation. Gear can't change that. On the record the low and hi shelfs are often cut. Lower than 70-100Hz and higher than 6-9kHz. So it has almost nothing in common with the actual sound of the amp. Btw synthesizer world has the same issue. Analog is good. Digital is bad :)))

[@werdna_sir]

What is a man, but a miserable pile of secrets.

[@ItsaCatsLife]

Actually 'vintage' means more than just old... Vintage is a term to describe something from the past of 'high quality' or 'superior quality' when compared to a modern version... A guitar from the past may be old, but cannot be described as 'vintage' if the quality is poor. Age can improve [some] wines, but not guitars that were of low quality in the first place. 😎

[@WillsEasyGuitar]

When you are talking wines then perhaps you are correct. everything else just means old and outdated. vintage computers are not better than current ones. vintage medical equipment is not better than modern day. it is just old, obsolete, and no longer in fashion.

[@ItsaCatsLife]

@@WillsEasyGuitar Quite so, but the topic was guitars, no?

[@robhaag6102]

I think people buy vintage guitars because there made better or maybe where it was made ie Japan has a great reputation for making great guitars

[@user-he1pp9gh1l]

How many Guitar models are there 6 million. Pedals 6 million Amps. 6 million Seems Sketchy to me.

[@SArthur221]

i missed this video

[@barefootnblues]

You know it and I know it but folks have to justify the exorbitant prices they pay. What folks call vintage now are not. The legend is myth. Prior to 1984 guitars were still mostly made my hand including Fenders. In 1964 the demand for guitars exploded and neither Gibson nor Fender could keep up the demand and were facing stiff competition from other manufacturers. So Fender sold to CBS and Gibson sold to some South American finance group that was eventually called Norland. Both had to began mass production . In the 60s, word was not to buy the new stuff, get earlier used models. Quality dropped so much that Fender authorized Japan to start building their instruments and well Gibson, just read the history. Now with the the top two making guitars in the 50s and early 60s had inconsistencies due to the build being hand made for the most part. There were ones that were really good and then their were dogs. Just because it was made in the 50s /early 60s doesn't mean it sounded and played good. Most musicians did not want late 60s/ 70s instruments unless they had no choice because the myth had already begun. The presenter is right about what engineers do to recordings and that was on vinyl. Now add the digital compression for CDs and you're not hearing as it was in the studio. Now on KZbin, you're in compression hell. I want to thank this presenter for good solid education but I doubt it will make a difference with the "vintage" crowd. Guitar? Pick it up and if it feels good, if it is easy to play for you then that's your guitar. An equalizer pedal can make any tone you are seeking. Keep listening to this guy folks and the naysayers will come, but they provide and endless argument that has no right or wrong answer, only continues to increase the price of old guitars that have no magic whatsoever.

[@jeffwombold9167]

I have no use for a smelly old worn-out guitar. I don't want one that looks like they drug it down a gravel road. "Vintage" is baloney and may apply to acoustic instruments simply because the materials have settled in. Other than that, give me a nice new or gently used one that hasn't sat in a basement for a couple decades. Yes, the quality of some manufacturers can change over time. Gibson, for instance, took a quality nosedive for a spell, but they've come back to some degree. But vintage.. nah.

[@southernfriedawesomeness9464]

The wood was better cause it didnt come from farms and had time to grow w stronger grains you cant take a guitar from the 50s and make it out of new wood cause it will bow. Houses from the 40s are still standing today w all original wood. New wont last that long.

[@WillsEasyGuitar]

this is false. logging industry started in 1607 and in 1890 it changed because of the concern of deforestation. Wood bows because of the grain direction, moisture content, drying method, and shape. it has nothing to do with how old a tree was when it was cut down.

[@milankotevski1663]

22:13 The ultimate truth.

[@w1zard0f0h]

And people are listening to records and think that is their guitar tone. When there was a mixing engineer and a mastering engineer that are EQing and adding stuff to the track to make it sound that way. I can make a Marshall sound like a fender just by mixing. It's all a bunch of bull. And also, I want to say, Quit trying to sound like someone else. Sound like yourself.

[@MarkStearle-w1m]

If a vintage guitar is plugged into a bunch of effects is it going to sound vintage?

[@w1zard0f0h]

@@MarkStearle-w1m No it will sound like you.

[@MarkStearle-w1m]

@@w1zard0f0h I liked your video,thanks

[@w1zard0f0h]

@@MarkStearle-w1m It's not my video. I just commented on it.

[@Ausf.D.A.K.]

Also, don't be brand bunnies.

[@morganghetti]

Yeah. Cheap important guitars have gotten really good. Modelers gave gotten extremely good and less expensive . Electronics have gotten more accurate. Literally everything has gotten better except for the American Strat and Les Paul. Somehow 60 years of manufacturing improvements havent made their way to American guitars lol. Everyone hears with their eyes.

[@Music-lg8yk]

I have almost always preferred new guitars to old ones. I really don't like the idea of playing on a fretboard infused with cigarette smoke and ball sweat. Sometimes a guitar just clicks with you and your signal chain. I've heard horrible vintage and horrible new guitars, expensive and cheap. That being said, I do have one vintage guitar from the 50s and it just works for me. It doesn't have anything to do with age. The neck is great and it sounds nice. Each guitar is it's own specimen. Reliced guitars just remind me of the fat white lady selling the fake looking aged farm decor at any bad trade show you go to.

[@waitaminute7257]

@Music-lg8yk ball sweat 😂🤣😂🤣 Never even considered that but you make a good point.

[@CaribSurfKing1]

No different than antique furniture. Its old and rare...that's it. RIch people can trade rare baseball cards...same deal. I have played vintage guitars and amps, some are good some are horrid. I have played modern guitars, most are great, some are crap. Same with everything