Why Fender is the G.O.A.T

Fender will NEVER be surpassed! Because... Reasons!
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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!

[@invujerry]

I’m glad that my dad hammered “more expensive doesn’t mean more better” into my brain before I became a musician. This is my life mantra.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Very wise words!

[@lippi2171]

Yes, price is a result of a lot of factors combined. Availability, age, brand, quality etc. Ironically, the most expensive guitars ever sold are crappy half-broken guitars once owned by Kurt Cobain. But those guitars used to be dirt cheap second hand ones.

[@invujerry]

@@lippi2171 yeah, my favorite bass I own is an Aria Pro explorer bass. We paid $200 for it back in 2000, but now they’re edging on $700 because of collectibility.

[@amandamarinovich6164]

I have a few too many midrange basses, and I love them all in different ways- but my favorite, daily player is one that I think a lot of people would hate. It's a VMI p bass I got for 200. I did put a dimarzio pickup in. It feels super small in my hands which would make a lot of players toss it out immediately

[@davidshafer6388]

Depends on the situation. Have you ever bought tools from Harbor Frieght? Sometimes it is worth going over to Ace hardware and spending a couple hundred more for a bandsaw. It is difficult to build guitars with Harbor frieght tools because they break, or sometimes don't even work at all. inexpensive items are only good if they can do the job that they were created for. As far as guitars go sometimes people source their wood from non legal sources. Shure the guitars are cheaper. If anyone looks into the chain of custody paperwork for the lumber used, the manufacturer might be in some serious trouble.

[@larswesterhausen7262]

I'm 53 and have played guitar and bass for 40 years now. I learned more about the theoretical stuff by watching your vids over the past few months than I ever did before. Thank you, greetings from Germany and have a save happy new year.

[@mattw.6726]

Glenn, it's worth mentioning that not everyone who collects things does so to sell them later. I've got a huge collection of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd edition setting books for a tabletop game and don't expect to sell them. I just like having and using them.

[@denverrandy7143]

That schecter is a beauty. Thanks for the awesome content,Glenn!!!👍

[@manaayek8091]

I used to teach this older guy. He owned four Gibsons. He randomly bought a $60 dollar squire from a pawn shop and loved it. The least snobby guy on the planet. Great guy.

[@between2guitars331]

I’m 52 and I’ve been playing guitar for only about 3 years. My collection includes 5 pieces, two Gibsons (2021 LP Standard 50’s and SG) a Kramer Illusionist, Epi J45 and a PRS Se silver sky. I love all of my guitars and play each regularly. I have no illusions that my Les Paul makes me a better player or even sounds better than my Silver Sky. I love both guitars!

[@FangPaw]

I'm both a collector and player. I have acquired quite a few guitars over the years, including several Gibsons and a MIJ Fender Strat. They all get played from time-to time, but my go-to guitar - the one I play every day, is a Strat partscaster.

[@reverendprophet]

i've been playing bass since the late 80's. I own exactly one bass. I got it on ebay as a factory second for $250. Get compliments from almost every sound guy who hears it.

[@morbidmanmusic]

Then it's likely you are a good player, then the bass would be less important.

[@jamesmarkham7489]

Good playing is more important than good instrument. I have expensive gear but gif on squiers regularly. Good technique and knowledge is what people care about.

[@8KilgoreTrout4]

I believe this 100%

[@RandysRides]

I have 2.... an Ibanez and a Samick....I leave the Samick tuned to drop D so I don't have to retune mid set. Doesn't matter which one I plug in....sound guys always says it's great...even though they have different tones.

[@Lokidooki]

congrats on using ebay in the 80s

[@derekdenton8689]

Eastman does indeed make $2k-plus guitars in China, including some truly fine jazz archtops. Their steel-string acoustics range from $1k-3k and are also well-made. The great thing is that since Eastmans aren’t thought of as collectibles (yet) they can be bargains second-hand. I play one of their E-6OM models which sells new for around $1100 MSRP, bought it used for $500. Great sounding guitar, basically a Martin OM for half-off.

[@ferox965]

Buddy of mine swears by them.

[@CrushingAxes]

Man this sensitivity explanation was great! That's a masterclass! Really good!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Ty!!

[@thesearchlightsCW]

Went in on the bundle of courses and plugins as a Christmas gift to myself. Super high quality stuff, Glenn. Ive been skeptical about the plugins and I was proven wrong! Cheers!

[@CyberChrist]

Just from the point of view of an long time subscriber, I've said earlier that giving people organic reasons to subscribe is more seamless, and as far as I remember, I first came here for tutorials and reviews of reasonable gear.

[@bunsenn5064]

I bought a Fender American Pro II Stratocaster. It was around $1600, and I’m glad I chose it. It has a super delicate and extremely articulate sound, and it forced me to be a better guitar player because every little flaw in my technique could be heard. It’s also my most reliable guitar, and I haven’t had a single issue with it despite it being the first guitar I ever bought.

[@vwbyoy88]

Glenn, I'm SO GLAD you called out the Randall Jaguar speakers. I have a 4x12 cab I got off my buddy back in 90 or 91 for DIRT CHEAP. It weighs an absolute an absolute F ton!! I have a Washburn 333 with a Dimebucker and a Schaller Floyd run through a B52 100w head that is beyond my expectations. Had this setup ever since and it rips with my Ibanez Sonic Distortion.

[@ferox965]

Kudos on the Kyuss shirt. As far guitars go, I have two Les Pauls-a 2001 Standard and 2003 Special. Humbucker and P90. They work great for me and feel right in my hands. I got them for a SERIOUS deal years ago. Along with my Telecaster, I'm done searching.

[@RectifyTheParadigm]

Just got a Harley Benton SG. Your videos convinced me to try one. I can't believe how good it actually is. Culdn't be happier

[@dragostego]

As a bassist I do love my fender P basses. But definitely nothing wrong with other brands!

[@Blaze_1221]

Everyone fighting over which cab is best: 🫵🏻🤓😡🥱😤🤬 Me: Hehe orange cab pretty

[@sydwynd]

I'm a proponent of playing the guitars you buy, not hanging them on the wall. They're instruments, not modern art. Also, impressed you have a GK amp. Those things were sick! I was always amazed and the sound you could get out of such a small amp! And unrelated, Sigma makes great camera lenses for way cheaper than OEM lenses. One of my kids is an amateur photographer and he gets Sigma lenses for his Sony mirrorless camera. Literally half the Sony lens price.

[@bmir89]

Same thing with tools. Watch some of the guys that do shop stuff with their wall of Milwaukee tools behind them. 80% I swear have never been touched. But it's their flex.

[@girhen]

I'm a proponent of both. But actually doing both, not just one *or* the other. Visual aspects of your instrument should play a deciding factor of your buy. A country player would be laughed off stage with a Warlock, and you better be joking around if you play with a pink Hello Kitty guitar. Now, dings, not being quite the right color, or whatever is still a passing grade (I've got one I wanted in Lake Placid Blue, but it felt so good I got over it for Seafoam Green). But your instrument's appearance absolutely plays a factor into if you'll like it going forward. And from there, hanging it on the wall makes it easier to play. I played a lot more once guitar was on the wall just over the amp, so I didn't have to go dig the case out of the closet. And if you bought ones you like the look of and are proud of, they save you from buying stuff that only serves to go on the wall, which can be just as expensive. My coworkers rather liked my guitar wall when we went work from home. Whole lot nicer than the other 20 people with painted walls and not much else.

[@GlobalTossPot]

@@girhen that person never said visual aspects shouldn’t play a part in your buy, just that they shouldn’t be kept on a wall to stare at to never be played like a painting. It’s more of the point of every guitar should be made to play and not where you have these boutique guitars that are over 10k+ in price where people are afraid to play them. They can be works of art but for the price you would never want to actually play them which defeats the purpose. This has zero to do with buying a guitar on its looks but the price and functionality You’re just rambling on about such stupid nonsense because you lack common sense.

[@sydwynd]

@@girhen Totally get that. The color of an instrument does play a factor in whether I purchase it or not. And my guitars all sit together on a stand in easy reach. But I would NEVER get an instrument just to hang it on the wall. It's a waste of the instrument. Side note, I would TOTALLY play a Hello Kitty on stage dead serious. I have at least 4 pink guitars in my collection that I love and gig. I love rocking the pink.

[@bigpooter9771]

the GK is my favorite amp of all time. the best iron maiden guitar tone is somewhere in time

[@needsLITHIUM]

The cheapest interface with inserts is the Behringer UMC204HD, and for a bit more, the UMC404HD has double the inputs. Both have TWO pairs of stereo bus outputs, and inserts, so you can route the things you want to run through the external gear out of outputs 3 & 4 and into the input side of the insert Y-cable, which is a TRS on one side, and a split TS pair on the other end, and run it back into the interface to be recorded again, or to monitor the sound imparted by the external gear while mixing. You can also set the DAW to output specific tracks to different outputs. The 404HD also has a separate Balanced TRS and XLR mains output pair. The 1-4 outputs are unbalance 1/4" and RCA.

[@ScottyWiard]

In regards to asking for subs: As a fellow creator, I get it. A call to action is actually super important and there’s a lot of psychology to back it up. And, as much as I get annoyed with the “only X% of you are subbed” type CTAs, those have proven to be more effective in recent times as opposed to the traditional “don’t forget to like and subscribe.” It’s just like the creators who include obvious typos in their on screen graphics to drive engagement because they know SOMEONE is going to come along and point it out.

[@1loveMusic2003]

I like how the neck pickup on the HB sg is on the 2nd octave like the Les Paul. SG has it pulled back and there's a reason the neck pickup is usually on the octave point.

[@SleepingLionsProductions]

Hey Glenn! I recently DIY converted a strat style guitar to a Baritone recently. This is basically my first DIY mod where I bought a cheap chonese baritone neck to swap out with one of my strat necks. This is basically a "how to do everything wrong" when it came to modifying a guitar neck to fit the scale length (I did not want to modify the body, cuz if i fuck up the neck, i can get another). I heard a lot about how guitar construction that affects the tone, and that the neck needs to fit snuggly and have no space leftover otherwise itll affect the sustain and tone (i think stewmac also said that in a video about using a shim, specifically one of theirs). After my DIY baritone conversion neck was done being modified, i had a tiny gap and my neck was a bit loose, but after screwing it on and stringing it up, it honestly sounded incredible. I learned from this that as long as your scale length and your setup and intonation is right, the actual body itself can be fucked and it would still be useable.

[@sinakaedwards2009]

Glen, if no one says thank you I will. DistroKid seems like an awesome tool for musicians who market their music and so it seems like a wonderful tool to have as a sponsor. By The Way, I am not a musician, I am merely a guy who abuses a bass and makes sounds with it. Still, I enjoy your videos and think your advice and tips are top notch.

[@zhiracs]

I use DistroKid. Love em.

[@dporter024]

I still love my old Fender Starcaster. Running through my Line 6 Vetta with orange back Celestions it sounds like a million bucks!! Both are old like me, but still rockin!! My most expensive guitar was 800 and that was only because it was an anniversary edition Fender Tele Nashville Deluxe Power with the Fishman Power bridge. I have to say both my Squier Teles play better though lol. My dad taught me as well that a 100 dollar guitar will sound just as good as a 1000 dollar one. Its all up to me on how much i practice.. thanks Glenn for all your hard work!!!

[@YukonDemon]

Another great episode. Thanks Glenn. P.S. After 25 or so years behind strings I finally bought a 4 digit guitar. Was $1300 CAD. Godin guitar out of Quebec. Best money I've ever spent.

[@jimkirby1799]

Back in the 80's I had Fender Custom shop make me a beautiful Strat. It had all the bells and whistles for the time. Swamp ash body, Fender lace sensors, Wilconson roller nut, locking tuners, and a TBX system. Last year, as an experiment I purchased a Chibson Strat. The only things I changed on the guitar were the fake noisless pickups, the trem block, and the nut. The Chibson is one of the nicest guitars I have ever played. The fret board is maple, and is like running your fingers down silk. I opted for a set of custom pickups, and installed a Tusk nut. Aside from my Chibson LP standard the Strat remains the guitar that I play the most. Oh, in case your wondering I paid $ 1600.00 for the Fender Custom Strat, and only $ 260.00 for the Chibson. Even with the cost of the replacement parts, the Chibson still cost only a fraction of what the Fender guitar cost. Make of this what you will. Love your show.

[@needsLITHIUM]

So many people are unaware that wattage to volume increase ratios are reverse logarithmic - you need twice as many watts to double your volume. CSGuitars made a "Too Afraid To Ask" video about this almost a decade ago. Doubling a 20 Watt amp design to 40 Watts through the same speakers only adds half as much volume as it had at 20. So 50 Watts only has about 35% more volume than a 20 Watt amp. To double the volume and clean headroom of a 20 Watt amp you need a 100 Watt amp; ergo the 100 Watt amp is only twice as loud as a 20 watt amp. You'll get the same volume from a stereo rig of Valeton TAR-20G heads playing through a pair of open back 2x12 cabs.

[@mal1cious_]

if you want to use external gear with an interface you can also sacrifice inputs to do so if you don't have inserts send your desired signal(s) to an unused output on your interface, plug that output into the input of your outboard gear and plug the output of that gear into an unused input make a new track with the input set to what you just plugged in and just hit record to print the effect - it takes a little time but if you've got one or two outboard pieces you really like it's well worth it

[@TheMemo659]

I'm a Fender guy. Resale value is fantastic and my #1,#2 and #3 are Fenders. That said, It takes a lot of luck and searching to get "the" Fender of a specific model. They may look similar, but even same year same model will play VERY differently. I would never get butt hurt over someone saying Fenders sucked. If you do not have crazy good luck or the resources to play guitar roulette till you find one that works? Fenders could certainly be a terrible experience.

[@JayTheWorst1892]

Hold on Glenn I’m going to fake news you for a bit there…. Re: outboard gear question. You can absolutely use the 18i20 for I/O Assuming Gen3 18i20::: Set all gain knobs to zero you will not need We’re going to hook up Out 5 from interface to Input on outboard compressor Then take your output from compressor and hook up a TRS 1/4” cable INTO input 3 of the interface. DO NOT use XLR as the preamp will interfere Then use ReaInsert set to Out 5 In 3 and done Happy mixing

[@jacobnewell7845]

Me? I'm a player collector. I play the guitars I buy, and I'm always looking for something i think is cool to put into my personal collection. But as I like to put it: I'm a player first, and a collector second. But if you want to have a shot at something really weird? Get a Gibson Sonex-180 deluxe. It's a whacky piece from the norlin era. And the body is made of a weird material called resonwood. Seems Gibson disproved tonewood in electric guitar in the 80's.

[@georgejager6425]

My first fretless was a Squire, it worked great and when I had a chance to make a change, I was able to donate it to a charity in Jamaica (maybe the young student will one day become a superstar - hope so). I upgrade to an Elrick, which I love and use all the time…not an investment, a tool. Wanting another bass (and yes I want a 66 Fender) is just to have another tool in the tool box. But then again, a HB P Bass is on my list too…lol

[@danielwatson5005]

I own a Fender American Jazz Bass, took me 25 years to get one... Its good. I also have a Stirling Stingray sub which is also good, Harley Benton TB70 which looks cool(and sounds good), and my original Samick PBass i still enjoy playing (for over 25years) I got the fender as wanted something to pass on down the family, and seems to have good resale value. Maybe my great great grandkids will take advantage of this purchase one day. In the meantime it gets played :D

[@avjake]

Dead right on the "this guitar is an investment" thing. I purchased a big name single cut beauty and unfortunately found out that I just couldn't bond with it at all. Couldn't sell it fast enough. But I DO have a much less expensive model from the same giant corporation that I just love and feels great. Lesson learned. (maybe)

[@JackGraves]

Definitely right about the Jaguar speaker. I’ve got some IRs of the Jaguar speakers that Ola made. Very easy way to get Dimebag style tones. Can also be used to get White Zombie Astro Creep Tones when blended with a v30 IR.

[@solvospero]

I currently play a Squier Bullet Mustang that is my go-to. I own a few others, the one cheapo Mustang is the one I keep grabbing.

[@BikerEgg1]

Glenn, you look great in the back light. In the main light...... Love the channel. Keep it up!

[@mikeaustin4138]

After auditioning roughly a dozen 335s at my local Guitar Centers, I purchased an Eastman T59/V for ~$1700 USD. (About 60% of the 335 prices.) The Eastman is superior in every way except for the name on the headstock. I absolutely would buy another Eastman if I had the need and the money.

[@rk28984]

I think the comment about speaker wattage vs amp wattage was about "how to not break your speakers when playing at full volume". It's a valid question! I would always try to have a cab with at least the wattage (ideale a bit more) your amp can deliver. And the answer with "EVH used a cab with Greenbacks with his 100w amp and had no problem" isn't helpful, as a Greenback 4x12 is a 100w cab, not like the 50w a 2x12 Greenback cab could handle. So if you want Greenbackish tones with your 2x12, try some of the Eminence or WGS offerings with a higher wattage rating (Eminence Privat Jack, WGS Invader)to be save. Also yes you don't have to turn up your amp all the way, but the max wattage a amp can deliver is already reached at about half the max volume on your volume controlle (also depends on how the poweramp is designed). Normally everything above 6/10 volume just gives you more power amp compression and not a single dB more volume. It might be more perceived volume, but that's mostly because of the the compression.

[@cageliner]

I'm not into metal at all but I've been a subscriber for months. I'm here for the how tos and gear demos. And the comments LOL. I'm cheap so although I have a lot of gear, it takes a room full of it to add up to serious money. Among all of my lesser branded guitars I have Gibsons and Fenders; all but two are used, low end, mid-priced or discounted heavily. My most expensive guitar is an ES-235 that I paid $2,200 CAD for as an NOS. An entry level Gibby semi-hollow is now $4,000 so I did OK. I went for variety, not bling. Even my amps (I love amps) are small heads and cheap, low wattage combos. I'd love a Marshall 4x12 just because, but it's just not viable where I live. Keep on keepin' on, as the hippies used to say (I'm not quite old enough to be a former hippie, but close.)

[@howardmaryon]

I am a photographer who plays guitar a bit. In the camera world, the same kind of b.s. goes on about cameras, with people talking about expensive is better than cheap all the time. I show them a book of the greatest pictures of all time, and point out that the vast majority were taken with cheap cameras they would not look twice at. Human Nature I guess Glenn!

[@joshuaporterfield6774]

I used to work at a photo lab in a camera store. We had regulars who would come in constantly for the latest gear. Meanwhile, as someone with a bfa in photography sone of my virtually all my favorite photographers used simple or inexpensive cameras. The most sophisticated and expensive camera I used as a full manual K1000 clone I paid about $200 for, body and lens. I shot medium format on a $60 plastic Russian tlr (glass lens, though). Quality doesn’t come from your gear as long as you r gear is functional.

[@harrybryan9633]

I collect Fenders & Gibsons. Specifically Starcaster by Fender. Still haven't found the Pelham Blue model, but I do have all of the other S2 series (CBS Style Headstock) Gibson/Baldwin - I have 4 of the 5 that were made - I am NOT paying more than $100 for the LP Signature. I'm sure I'll find one in a pawnshop eventually. I collect them because they are beautiful to look at (they are wall hangers), and both Fender & Gibson want everyone to forget that they ever made them.

[@Padreblue11]

7:07 good point you’re making here Glenn, however Dime did switch to V30 cabs in ‘94 and onward. Something else people overlook, especially nowadays with modern guitarist herd mentality is just how much Dime LAYERED rhythm tracks in the studio, AND live his rig was FIVE heads all running stacks! Insane stage volume and headroom to try and match that studio tone

[@philgbrittain]

The best workhorse of a guitar I've owned is a Dean EVO Special that I got as a scratch and dent for $284 USD in 2000. The split coil pickups are good for playing clean tones. The neck is cut away a little extra to provide easy access way up the neck. The only mods I made after unboxing it were replacing the bridge pickup with a Carvin M22SD and the tuning pegs with a set of locking tuners.

[@narvul]

The Frankenstrat was definitely not EvH's first guitar. On the first album he played on a Fender Strat with a vintage tremolo and his own Ibanez Destroyer, both with a PAF at the bridge. He usually mixed the 75 Hz Greenbacks (or other Celestions) with JBL's. Most of the time in combination with a dummy load.

[@cake_9510]

I have a soft spot for Fender. Nowadays, they tend to do quality work for new/newer players and they have something visually that just really appeals to me. The headstock shapes are my favourite, they seemingly always have at least one colour option that's just perfect, and a lot of my favourite artists use/used Fenders. Kurt Cobain was the first musician I liked, or rather Nirvana's discography was the first thing that I really connected with as a baby. I associate my musical taste with two things: beat-up Fenders/Squires and sleek, extended-range Ibanez/Schecter type stuff, leaning towards certain ones at certain times. Fender shapes are my favourites by far. Strats, Teles, Mustangs, Jaguars/Jazzmasters, Jazz basses, I can't get enough of them. Simply gorgeous!

[@HobertMcFarlandtechandcargeek]

I, for one, am a fan of any guitar that can do what a nice Fender can do, and more kudos if you can make it cheaper.

[@karaokeitaliano]

On my Karaoke channel, I record backing tracks of every genre every day. If it wasn't for Harley Benton I wouldn't been able to have all the different guitars and basses that I own, giving me the chance to use the right tone for each song. And they all work great.

[@AdamYoudell]

Honestly after 30+ years of owning them all, the bolt-on neck design is king. The type of bridge is what makes the tone so use a fixed bridge for maximum tone if that is what you are looking for. It's easy peasy to change your neck as well

[@brianvillage5]

@fatsuperfly you dont “need” channel inserts to use compressors with your vsts. What you need is, depending on how many channels you’re trying to do this with at once, an interface that has at least 2 ins and 2 outs. In your DAW, while you’re mixing, you can send a channel out using your daws insert plugin to a compressor, preamp, reverb unit or whatever you’re trying to use, you’ll then bring it back in through the inputs. This is during the mixing phase. To be honest, these days, unless you’re a high end professional making tons of money or if you have tons of money to burn outboard gear just isn’t worth it. It’s too costly, you only get one (instead of infinity like with plugins) and the sound over cost isn’t justifiable.

[@napesdrk1174]

Missing Mixdown Mondays. Was at GC 2x in last week. 1st time about $80 of stuff, 30min being in line and it not moving, I gently left my stuff and got in the car. Last night had a $800 guitar, not in tune, strings brittle, high E and B were broke and locked down. 30 min and no help I brought the guitar to the set up station, found a hex and went to town. This is when I noticed the 2 strings were broke. I need to get the 'feel of the Axe" before I spend and cash. Never got that feel. I literally tried 4 more and each one had an issue why I couldn't. F em

[@K4RN4GE911]

Real quick, I just want to say that I recently got a Harley Benton DC-LTD in Gotoh Black and Gold and even though it's b-stock, it still plays and feels amazing. I had a Musicman Sterling where the tremolo system failed on me when I was attempting to change the strings and your vid reviewing said guitar came out a month after I first bought it. Over 600 bucks down the drain, so thanks for looking out for us!

[@rocknreplay]

I picked up a Nick Johnston Schecter from Goodwill Auctions last year. It was the same model, with the roasted neck and Olympic white finish. Great guitar, but the current FireFly strats are just as good IMHO. I love cheap gear. If I was making 100K a year off music, then maybe I'd buy some more expensive gear. And I love Reaper, great DAW. I've been using Studio One also.

[@caileanhunt8679]

Hey Glenn' I just bought a soloking guitar for £300. The quality is insane! Like a custom shop guitar and was set up perfectly out of the box. Go's to show you don't need to spend thousands or have Fender printed on the headstock to own a decent instrument.

[@christopherpaladin213]

Best of luck in 2024, Glenn! Love your channel.

[@chrisspegal5081]

Hey Glenn! I feel like I need to shed some light on this whole wattage debacle for everyone. I understand why people are confused, in general most speakers are advertised or rated in peak power handling. (Kind of like horsepower ratings.) Your speakers will never see that kind of power for more than a couple of milliseconds. The important rating is the RMS or continuous power handling, which I suspect is how most guitar speakers I've seen are rated. So the 25watt greenbacks can handle more than that for periods of time. Also chaining multiple speakers together increases the overall power handling as the amp can't tell the difference between 1 or 4 speakers in the cab. Amp ratings are similarly deceptive, even turned all the way up, they're not outputting maximum power without a constant input signal (sinewave). No matter how hard a 100watt tube or solid state head is played, it will likely never output maximum power.

[@withinthrall1445]

I will always have a special place in my heart for fender, because my first ever guitar was a fender. Was it a cheapo and did it play like ass? Absolutely. But it was the first guitar I ever owned, and the fact it even said fender on it (in super small letters) was enough for 13 year old me. If I was forced to play a gig and could only choose a vintage style guitar, I’d probably go straight for a strat, but there’s absolutely no reason to limit myself to one brand when there are so many kick ass guitars and basses out there to try.

[@chuckelator]

THANK YOU GLENN! There's a reason my 2x12 is way louder than any 4x12 I've played through and that is because I custom ordered a set of Weber speakers that had as high of a sensitivity rating as they offered! thaaat, and that 2x12 is 100wpc, trying to blow those speakers, I dare ya!

[@ronnielobosmith4870]

As far as Darryl's Tone goes yes you're correct about the Jaguar speakers but also the aphex aural exciter mxr doubler and Furman pro Q

[@jthugg1528]

Just subbed, great content. Here’s my take on expensive vs bargain gear: play what inspires you. I had a really nice $200 Aria Les Paul that sounded and played great but it just sat there on the stand unplayed for years. I decided to sell it to help pay for a Mexi JagStang and I cannot walk passed that guitar in my house without picking it up and playing it. I love the tone variability, the shape, the large headstock that says Fender on it. I can’t say which guitar is the better value, but I know which guitar I just can’t put down.

[@BrantleyAllen]

I subbed in 2018 when I first found your channel. Your work helped me make better drum mixes. You introduced me to IR cabs. You introduced me to Aurora DSP Mammoth (yes, I'm a useless cunt :)) I now use all Aurora's amp/cab sims. I've since gone on to pick up a couple of Hotone amps (to run through IRs) and built my own speaker cabinet. My buddies can't believe RECORDED tones I get from a 5W amp and a mic'd homemade cabinet. I do appreciate your work and dedication. I don't play a lot of metal, but your knowledge goes much further than just metal. Keep on doing it for us and Fuck You, Glenn! You rock!

[@roberteltze4850]

A Katana can be set for 100W, 50W or 0.5W. If you're really worried tell your son to stick the to 50W setting. Honestly I run mine on the 0.5W setting 95% of the time. Sounds great and saves your ears.

[@HandOfMetal]

Happy new year Glenn, you beautiful Canadian bastard!

[@AdonisMediaProductions]

with the ATHF clip and MC5 reference, I think this is worthy of subscribing.

[@morbidmanmusic]

Looping in anologue effects. Get an interface with multiple outs and you can run extrenal processing.myou don't need an interface with an insert necessarily. That is one of two ways to get it done. Just a thought.

[@mitchellmantell4754]

I think the guy with the comment about stepping your skills up to stand out has a great point. The best guitarists in the world sound great no matter what they play on. A great tone is good but a great player sounds great on any setup. Paul Gilbert doesn’t stand out because of what amp he plays he stands out because he’s a great player.

[@kylefranko6022]

hey glenn thanks for the videos. i used to be a real snob with gear but after some of your videos i switched over to an upgraded squier telecaster paired with a kustom defender 5H amp head (badass amp, worth a fearless gear review imo) hooked up to a Harley Benton 1x12 with the V30. killer tones for the punk and old school metal i like to play and write.

[@andrewbecker3700]

I've actually tried explaining this exact topic to a goof earlier this year. If the Katana 212 is rated at 100watts, that's a peak/max number. If he was smart enough to look on the back panel near the power input plug, he'd see that the power consumption is only 77 watts. Well let's do the math on that. If it consumes 50watts RMS to power the main amp section, and the remaining 22watts powers the preamp and everything else. When it's going into 212's I'm sorry to inform you, but that's EXACTLY 25watts RMS to each speaker! Having 12"inch speakers that handle 25-30watts RMS at 16ohms is actually perfect, duh! Vintage 30's are called that for a reason genius.

[@medicallyunexplainedsymptoms]

There's no such thing as Watts RMS. RMS voltage in to a resistive load causes average power (the maths is quite simple).

[@09philj]

I have involuntary brand loyalty to Fender because I like 24" scale guitars and there are very few options to get that outside of Fender. Fortunately Fender do seem to put a lot of work into making an interesting variety of models for the Squier line so I'm not just stuck with a standard Jaguar or Mustang. I'm really pleased with the Contemporary HH Jaguar I got earlier this year. More guitars should have series/parallel switching for their humbucking pickups.

[@JustinWoo]

Just got the same guitar! It's a great guitar and I love the 24" scale too, and without Squier / Fender, there wouldn't really be many of them out there. It'd be 25.5", 24.75", and that's it.

[@darkmamba7025]

Maybe you would like a Charvel

[@09philj]

@@darkmamba7025 Don't think Charvel do a short scale... and in any case they're owned by Fender

[@darkmamba7025]

@@09philj I mean, it's true. But they are well equiped for more or less the price of a fender player plus, and the necks are really cool.

[@dylanpaterson7612]

I respect asking for subscribes, to be honest it’s actually been reminding me to like the video. Which people should also do more! Subscriber for about 4 years or something maybe. Even though I’m a pop rock guy, you’re knowledge is very transferable. Thanks for all the videos Glen 👍🔥

[@tonzokinawa]

A 4x12 with 25 watt speakers is actually rated for 100 watts. Rule of thumb: # of speakers multiplied by the lowest wattage speaker rating = the whole cab rating.

[@Insekkton]

Hi Glen ! I think you won´t read this because there are so many comments. I agree that the speakers are the crucial element in the hardware in order to get a tone change. Also that the variations on the rest of the gear affects quite less to the RECORDED sound. But here´s the point. I´ve been playing for more than 40 years and I honestly assure you that I can feel the differences with different gear changes while I´m PLAYING. Maybe not so much judging a recorded sound, but even so, wrong or not, when a LesPaul or a Strat come in the mix, I sometimes doubtlessly feel it. Ok, I wish I annoyed enough to earn one of those rants, ha ha, but this is what I feel. You have a proved point but I have also experienced mine. Cheers !

[@psychosbudgetsynth7445]

Thanks for the great video's this year! Learned a lot.

[@Momentvm]

How about a shoot-out of the lower end USB audio interfaces? Behringer vs Focusrite vs Audient vs Arturia etc.etc.etc.?

[@HomeGuitarMods]

On the topic of expensive guitars. I have a Gibson Explorer with evertune and an LTD Phoenix with Evertune. I have loaded both with a Duncan hot rod set and both have the same pots, caps, and jacks. I prefer to play the explorer as it resonates more against my body and seems to have a bit more bottom end (not because of tonewood or finish). However, the LTD has a much more expensive feel. Better frets, edge roll, and finish. Funny enough, my favorite has been an se PRS, and I’ve owned a US model. Play what feels and sounds good, screw the rest.

[@vara_v]

I’m a bassist (I know it’s a taboo here). I admit I play mostly Fenders, and I still think P bass is the best bass ever. But I admit that Fender has been releasing a lot of misses lately and at a ridiculous price as well. And I gladly admit that Schecter made great instruments. Probably the best value for money brand as of now. I have a Schecter diamond series jazz bass, and it’s probably one of the best active jazz bass I’ve ever played. Seriously I don’t know how they can make that good instruments at the price they’re offering. The only reason why I’m kinda shy away from Schecter is because of the looks, haha. I’m kinda conservative when it comes to the look of the instruments. So most Schecter kinda put me off. But still great brand.

[@Soldano999]

I believe in trying the guitars in person. The best guitars i own i bought at the store and were not planned. I did buy great guitars imported from japan vis the internet, but i also got quite a few not so great ones that i regretted buying. Like an edwards LP that was the most beautiful guitar ever but sounded like cardboard.

[@watersnortmoment3734]

I’ve actually had the opposite experience. My favorite guitars were purchased online. My 80s Kramer Focus is incredible, so is my Fender Aerodyne, although I may be getting extremely lucky. The guitars I’ve bought in person, I often end up selling them.

[@axemanfishing2703]

Grabbed the bundle in time. haha, Element bass is WICKED. Holy SHIT! Super happy with it.

[@PeterMoore350]

Just to be clear for anyone new to this channel. When Glenn is talking about pickups not making a big difference?? He’s not talking about cleans. This is a channel for heavy rock/metal call it what you want. My amp cranked on the dirty channel? 5 different brands of guitars all different pickups ? Sounds pretty much the same through the same 2x12 closed back CC212 (H&K) cab. Yes there’s slight skinnyness (?) on my guitars that have a single coil neck pickup but at high gain you’re not gonna know it unless you’re Superman reincarnated. Cleans ? Yes you’re gonna hear the difference. But FFS this is a metal channel Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘

[@spikeafrican8797]

The classic guitar inventors are taken for granted today. Their innovation paved the way for an entire industry. The strat, the tele, the es 335 the Les Paul were all miraculous at the time and still are today. Regardless of who is making it or copying them - and at any price. There's a reason these styles are still the best selling and most sought after. Seventy years and still going strong.

[@stolenlaptop]

I agree but... I grew up playing strats and lps. Soooo it's hard to say for sure as they're ingrained in my dna at this point. That said i had a kelly ke3 back in the day and it played awesome but the ergo omics of it was the worst so i stopped experimenting with odd shapes and things.

[@spikeafrican8797]

​@@stolenlaptop I hear ya. I haven't tried everything by any means. I scratch build my own guitars now and have experimented with many changes to the original designs. Doing so eventually led me to realize how good the originals really are! Many other guitar makers have made some pretty big improvements over the years but it doesn't matter. The originals with all their quirks are still amazing. Take care brother.

[@bgz42]

I own a Gibson Les Paul anaconda. I modded the hell out of it, FR FRS Trem (Yes, I drilled holes in the headstock), upgraded slash pickups (came with it used), swapped out the volume pots for killpots (part pot, part killswitch... they're cool). Oh, I play that shit... fun guitar. I bought it cause it has a sick flame top and was cheaper than most the other ones (probably because it didn't have original pickups... all good, rather have the Sash pickups... they look cooler lol).

[@myopicautisticmetal9035]

happy new year to you Glenn.

[@charlotteice5704]

I absolutely agree on getting lights first for filming. Even the cameras of cheap smartphones are good enough nowadays. Of course, it won't have that cinematic look, but it'll be fine. That is, if there is enough light. Low light capabilities make up a large part of the difference between cheap and expensive cameras. You could spend more and more money on cameras that work better in low light... or you could just light your shot properly, it's a studio sutuation. A lot of the bad video you see on KZbin nowadays would be best helped by better lighting, not by a better camera. Also, the lights you buy will be useful to you,no matter if you're filming with a smartphone or an expensive camera, so it's a worthwile investment. If you're someone who doesn't know what to pay attention to, here's a few pointers: - color temperature, which is how warm or cool your white light is. Make sure all your lights are set to the same color temperature. - color rendering. The color rendering of a light (usually given as CRI or TM-30) describes how accurate the colors look in that light, with 100 being basically 100% accurate (this is very simplified). This characteristic is inherent to your light source, so you need to look out for it when purchasing lights. This is a common disadvantage of cheap lights. Don't buy anything with a value below 90. Just don't. This also applies to lights where no such value is given. Get the highest CRI light you can afford. Tungsten lights have a CRI of 100, btw. - hard vs soft light. Small light sources create harsh shadows. In theatre, we usually want this, but in film, we don't. That is what softboxes are for. In a pinch, you can point the light towards a white ceiling or sheet of styrofoam, its reflection will be the soft light you need. - light function. Glenn mentioned key light, fill light and back light. Key light and fill light refer to the job of that light as the key light tells the viewer where the light is coming from in that scene and the fill light fills up the shadows. In order for the key loght to do its job, the fill light needs to be a bit darker. - light direction. We just talked about the jobs of different light sources, now we talk about their location. You don't want light at face level from the front. It makes the face look too flat and there'll be shadows on the background. Instead, position your key and fill light so that it is roughly 45° from the front and side, just like the position Glenn showcased. Your backlight should also come in at an angle, but there is a much broader area where it looks good, and the precise placement (more from the top or from the back) depends on your preference. For basic film lighting, it is best to stay away from more shadowy light directions such as uplight, downlight or sidelight.

[@PeterMoore350]

for anyone doubting Glenn's constant referral to that sparkly blue Harley Benton Gotoh SG as being a stellar guitar ? I bought the single cut equivalent and it is definitely a stellar guitar. They are always out of stock and sadly i had to sell that and a few other guitars to pay for some medical bills, but they all went to great homes and i've first dibs should they ever want to sell them again. Buy Glenn's SG, buy my single cut equiv - you will be pleasantly surprised and TBH ? they are keepers, if you can get one. cheers from NZ EDIT: and yes Glenn is correct - they don't f'ing go out of tune either, unlike their Gibson equivs.

[@orderd29]

I know it's not the kind of music your channel is aimed towards, but with regards to inexpensive guitars that made a made a momumental impact with the people who played them, Prince and his Madcat Hohner telecaster has to be right up there. Bought at a gas station for $20 dollars in the late 70's whilst he was travelling the USA.

[@mlwsf]

To the fella who wants to use external compressors, I use my old Alesis board with channel inserts and bus that into my interface with the preamps off.

[@HippyDruid77]

I found a brand new Fender '50s Vintera Telecaster up the coast last week. It's a beautiful guitar, the build quality is great. It's not a Metal Guitar by any means, but it's lovely to play. It was less than a third of the price of the Official Fender website here in Australia. An absolute bargin! 🤘

[@sheppy951]

"warping the head around how the speaker affects the tone" is not the only thing my bands guitarist dosnt under stand. he got that fancy Headrush Prime board, profiled his engl(every knob to max) and putted even more effects on it on max setting "because it pushes more". his sound turned out like hes playing in a canyon with alot noise and a very thin sounding guitar at best

[@ApostolisPaspalakis]

Eastman. Plain and simple. Handmade amazing guitars from China. Same wood supplier as Collings. Collings are custom made american guitars with the cheapest being 11000 dollars i believe. So Yes, The chinese can definetely make 2000 dollar guitars that are worth EVERY penny. They made two of my acoustics that cost 800 and 1200 respectively (back when they waren't as known) contend big time with 3000+ dollar Martin acoustics. Also, their les paul sb59 models are AMAZING. Would love to see your opinion on one Glenn. Keep being your awesome self!

[@bradgray5875]

Hey Glenn! While I've never been a huge metal fan, I've watched your show and reviews for years - most excellent work! Quick thought in regards to your gear shootouts. You've done a great job in dispelling the myth's behind pickups, tone woods, and brand names making a big difference. What about testing plugin's versus real equipment? As you were mentioning the inserts on interfaces, which many of us have, I've often wondered how close are some of the top quality plugins (I.E. UAD). While that could be insanely expensive to A/B, perhaps you already have some analogue gear you can test with vs the plugin version.

[@watersnortmoment3734]

@blurry.magnets Neural DSP is basically there. I have a handwired JTM45 with a master volume, I still use amp sims sometimes out of convenience.

[@corontsurara3862]

Ah I love Carl. He was such a great character.

[@MercyNoMore]

One of the things I like a out my Behringer UMC404hd is that it has 4 send/returns. For less than $200 its a steal.

[@nathanbrown816]

I'm a guitar player who plays vintage gear not as an investment, but just for the cool factor. There's just something about the stuff from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s and hell, maybe even the 80s that just can't really be easily replicated today. A lot of those old electric guitars are built from old growth woods that tended to come from trees that were growing for years and years and years and when crafted properly, resulted in some of the nicest guitars that could have come out of any factory. I have never really played many quote on quote "bad" vintage guitars that people would consider dogs, but that's just one guy's opinion from me. The materials were higher quality back in the day, and there were more hand craftsmen that were making them before CNC machines were even a thought for most factories. Hell, Fender amps from back in the 1970s when things were starting to go CNC and other manufacturing methods do have their good and bad examples, I have a 1971 Fender Twin Reverb that completely blows a reissue out of the water as far as sound quality, but the cabinet has seen better days (and I will eventually get a replacement) I am planning to eventually find a Fender Quad Reverb, which is essentially a Twin on steroids. I do apologize for the wall of text, but I tend to kind of ramble on how I feel about guitar gear a lot. My advice to people is this: If the gear you are playing sounds good to you, then don't rag on somebody who's got worse or better gear than you do, you don't really know somebody's situation as far as gear is concerned. Could they be financially challenged? Could they be from daddy's money? It doesn't matter if the person playing it sucks or is the greatest thing since sliced bread, my opinion is, if you enjoy it, play it. Play what sounds good to you, there are many ways to catch a fish, as they say. And to all the guys who are going to probably ask "What's my entire rig?" I will describe it to you like this. My guitars are a 2022-23 model Epiphone Crestwood Custom reissue (a reissue of a 1963 model), A 1963 Kay Vanguard I (the K100 "TrueTone" as it is known), and a borrowed (potentially coming into my collection) 1961 Zen-On VES-60 "Victoria", and those are going into a pedalboard that I spent about 3-4 years building properly, which the signal chain goes like this. The guitar output goes to my Boss FV-500L volume pedal, which then goes to a Crybaby wah (Hendrix sig from the 90s), then a TC Polytune Mini which then goes to a really cheap Kokko compressor that a friend gave me, which then goes to a 4 loop true bypass looper, which controls an MXR Micro Amp for my boost, a Schaffer Replica for my regular distorted/crunch tone, a really cheap Muzizy chorus for the chorus stuff from the 80s that the same friend who gave me the Kokko compressor gave me, And a Boss DD3 delay for the delay stuff, then the output from the home made looper goes to a JHS 3 Series reverb pedal, which then goes to a Boss RT-20 for my Leslie sounds, and then to an MXR Noiseclamp for the gate, which then outputs to a Fender ABY pedal which they no longer make anymore, and that outputs to my Twin that I mentioned earlier, with the option to output to a second amp which will eventually drive my home made $50 guitar Leslie that I picked up from Facebook Marketplace, and if desired it will act like a kill switch to kill the rig if something goes wrong. Eventually I plan on adding a tape echo of some kind which will go on the second amp, along with a Vox V-133 preamp module which is from the 60's that will be getting a new reverb tank and grounded properly. I play a lot of 60s and 70s stuff, so vintage gear for me is kind of warranted mainly from both a sound and aesthetic point of view. I don't expect Glenn to read this comment, but your mileage may vary when it comes to gear. Play what sounds the best to your ear, and play it solidly. Cheers from Australia!

[@morbidmanmusic]

That's a book, not a comment. Shorten your thoughts for bad social media.

[@icetech6]

I played guitar for 30 years and switched to drums... I don't miss the magic tone wood shit at all :) I have 1 amazing kit, no need to buy anything else and life is good....

[@Hoeah01]

About the $ 2.000,- Chinese Guitars: I bought a € 2.000,- Eastman SB56 yesterday and it is incredible! I put it up against a € 2.700,- Gibson and the difference was night and day!

[@davidwood9966]

I'm going low end with stuff after I got a bit of inspiration from the vids you've been doing lately and bought a Cort four string, the thing plays fine out of the bag and it's got balls too. I don't reckon I'll buy a Warwick or a Music Man again.

[@thomasbaldiscola4671]

Happy New Year! F U GLENN!! 🤘🤘

[@x3a3x3]

If you can afford something nice just buy it. That’s why I went to school and got a good job. But if you want a fender and your budget only allows a squier there’s nothing wrong with that, just buy what you can afford, and if you really really want something more expensive start a savings account and put some money aside when you can and keep looking for good deals used locally. There’s nothing wrong with wanting nice things. Just don’t think your shiny new toys will make you a better musician. But they might make you feel cooler! And when it comes to being cool some guys need all the help they can get 😆

[@8KilgoreTrout4]

Schecter will most likely be my next purchase for a hardtail 6

[@adamstrachn]

The Schecter Sunset Extreme HT is a great guitar.

[@mikehurley5052]

@@adamstrachn I have a Schecter Omen 6 Diamond series, awesome.

[@8KilgoreTrout4]

@@mikehurley5052 those diamond series are sick