Don’t lose heart with this series Captain, for people like myself who can’t get to guitar shops and try guitars for ourselves these comparisons are gold! Perhaps think of them as showcases rather than shootouts with the goal just to allow people to hear all these similar priced guitars being played alongside each other and see which they like rather than to pick a ‘winner’. The commentary on the feel of the guitars is also useful but secondary to our own subjective view on which sounds the best!
I disagree with the last statement, you can always change how a guitar sounds but changing the feel is very invasive and frankly daunting if you don’t know what you’re doing. I’d personally prefer a guitar that feels good and looks good and the sound I can tweak after the fact; I have a PRS custom 24 in Bonnie Pink that I love but I’ve completely replaced the pickups and electronics because I didn’t like how it sounded, each to their own but I think being open to changing the things you can change about a guitar should be a consideration.
Well i agree with both statements to a point. Eg. I know that i far prefer a vintage style radius on the board so with that in mind, along with my, already known preference for a particular type or brand (im usually a Fender guy) the side by side comparisons are a really useful aid when limited to buying online (which some of us are). That said, some of the best playing guitars ive had I would have been swiped right passed and missed out on a potential keeper. "Playing first" is without question THE most important factor if its possible, even if it means uprooting your couch shaped butt and negotiating the sea of bottom feeders and other indescribable's and meet your potential new love... i reckon 🤔
I am a guitar buyer, unfortunately I live in Arizona, USA. But Andertons have always help me to chose my next guitar. I would love to visit Andertons some day in the future! ❤️
@@RmNaNtCbScRrn If you do get to the UK - do try to go to Andertons - I had a great experience when looking for an acoustic last year - room to myself and 5 or 6 to try - staff very helpful. Even tried out a couple of synths too - was there for over an hour. It is a great place to visit.
Conclusion: S style guitars are so similar it's sometimes difficult to differentiate them so go for what looks and feels like 'home' to you. And Danish Pete rocks.
The 'Herbie Flowers' at 31:00 killed me that was great. Love the guys at Andertons, not sure many others would feel comfortable about making fun of their boss in such a way. Just shows the fun loving environment over there, Lee is probably an awesome boss. Even the way he talks about the interview with 'Hancock's' god son shows how much he loves his staff
Yamaha Pacifica VIIFM, beautiful guitar, Seymour Duncan’s, Wilkinson trem, Grover locking tuners, graphtech nut and string trees, coil split on the humbucker, great guitar for a great price, I have a player series too and love that as well
The switch from the three Fenders to the Schecter was impressive, Nick's pickups are lovely, the guitar sounded much richer to me. I'm new to Schecter (recently bought a Sun Valley Shredder) and the quality is fantastic. Definitely a brand I'll favour in the future and if I'm ever after a more traditional Strat, I'll be looking at the Nick Johnson series first.
I watched this video during my break, felt like when I used to go to guitar shops with a friend just to try out some new guitars and understand new tones. This sort of video is gold :)
You should do a "NO CONTEXT" blindfold challenge where pete plays a completely random mix of 5 or 6 guitars having not seen them or heard them at all. Random styles etc. Think that would be interesting. Keep up the great work
Honestly, "they're all fine" is one of the most useful conclusions of a test ever. Knowing you aren't going to buy a pup, or miss out on a legend, is super-useful. Thanks.
i bought the schecter Nick Johnston HSS love it’s very versatile and high end appointments and hardware no need to upgrade any thing and for $1025 it blows away fender and others,from 80’s metal to fusion to blues 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🎸🎶 schecter is killing it right now and plenty of lefty models to choose from
I haven't even played one but just by looking at the Nick Johnston Schecter. I Mean come on, Fender won't Roast a Maple neck unless You got $2,000-$3,000 Dollars. What's up with that?
@@stephendouglas6106 exactly with the schecter you get premium features and upgrades for a good price,with fender and PRS you have to spend money 💰 to add the locking tuners and upgraded hardware with the schecter you get all that and a roasted neck for $949
@@axkmster I saw the Contemporary Tele. I tell myself I like a Satin Finish on the Maple but I found out that I DOn't I really like the "Slipperiness" of my Fender '50s Squire Tele! Not that it's any different then any other Neck. But, really, the nice shiny Laquer is preferable to me.
@michaelmetal71 I just bought a new SSS in atomic green for $500. Maybe they're trying to get rid of them by now I don't know. It's a great guitar that just needed tuning and played awesome out of the box. It's my second Schecter and they're both great.
@@jasonb2916 I would probably pick the Silver Sky SE because I’m more a fan of the SRV type tone. But I have a handful of guitars. If I only had one guitar I’d get the Schecter because it has the Humbucker. Could always change the Bass and Middle pickups if you wanted more of an SRV/McCready/Mayer tone. Enjoy
@@Rafabi78 Probably the Schecter because of the H. The SS is more blues angled to me so if you’re talking that style, SS. But like Metal, I’d got the Schecter. You really can’t go wrong but hi-gain I believe is more up that alley.
Love all of them, I'm leaning toward the PRS. Ventera is awesome ,schecter impressive, player plus very cool. Don't know what to say. Just great guitars.
Schecter hands down for me, the quality and the bang for your buck on the Schecters would sell me always, excellent guitars and finished to a high standard from the ones I've owned
Agreed. Both Fender and PRS just nickel and dime features like locking tuners and graphtech nut. Also I really prefer a flatter radius, since you usually buy a strat to have a versatile guitar, and having flatter neck makes lower action possible and fast playing much more appealing. Schecter has been on the up for a while now and they honestly make some of the best guitars at any price point.
I agree whole heartedly. I've got the pink s type myself, and in the absence of my Tele and LP ( both sold to fund my D18) it's the only electric guitar I own now.
Unfortunately ive had nothing but problems with schecter. Ive only owned 3 but I tried to buy 4 and after waiting 4 months I didnt get the 4th and got an Ibanez that I really dont care for either. I just got a players plus and its a amazing guitar. But I can't say for any of the other ones
@@captaintony1227 Sometimes unless it's made in somewhere like Japan or USA, the attention to detail when the guitar is being manufactured can be a bit sloppy. That's why USA and Japan made models are always more expensive. You were probably just unlucky, although if you were underwhelmed with it then the chances are a good setup from a professional will make it feel like a completely different instrument.
@@captaintony1227every Schecter I’ve owned has been outstanding. Almost every Fender I’ve owned including mexican and USA made have had several problems!!
Well, you can see from my avatar which one I prefer. The PRS SE Silver Sky. It sounds the best to me and plays more easily than my '63 Strat. And it doesn't fret out when I do wide bends and when I use the whammy bar it comes back in tune. It's light weight and I like it so much I just bought a second one in Moon White. Get over the headstock shape and go try one. The Schector sounded real good too while the Fenders sounded thinner.
Great vid as ever. I think you should do the blind fold bit at the start before Pete has seen any guitars. Then he can give an option on playability, tone & feel etc while having no idea what he’s holding. Then maybe go through the specs before telling him which order he put them in.
This video was well worth it for me! I love to hear you all demo and talk about guitars. It's very edifying and fun for me. As someone who wants to learn about guitars I always come away with something. Loved that you guys made some discoveries about neck radius.
My wife just gave me a Dragon Fruit Silver Sky SE for Xmas from you guys and I have to say a big thank you. In the video the good setup was mentioned in relation to the SS and I can heartily concur with that, in my case. I had been looking forward to setting it up but, to my dismay (jk) I didn’t have to touch it; not the truss rod, not the nut and not the bridge heights and intonation or the pick-up heights. To be honest I did experiment with the bridge height but it quickly started to buzz so I simply restored it. I love it. I love the slightly more mellow tone than the strat but the thing I love the most is the incredible sustain; I will often play a chord and just wait whilst it decays; hardy believing that it’s still sounding, without even being plugged in . And it was only £499, wow, thank you! 🎸🍾❤️
Lee! I was ready to vote for which guitar to give Pete first and in a flash of temporal hubris you just went ahead and chose for us. Also, I will go ahead and put in my vote for #2.
Silver sky wins it for me but holy crap was I surprised about the Nik Johnston! As a non shredder it’s not what I would pickup but it’s a really good sounding guitar.
For me it’s not the radius that’s critical. It’s the fret size. So I’d probably buy the Schecter. I have loads of nice guitars and the only commonality is that I prefer Jumbo Fretwire. I generally play 09-46 on trem guitars and 10-46 on fixed bridge. But on my Les Paul is 10-48. But I’m amazed more US Manufacturers don’t offer more models with jumbo frets. The best selling guitars of the mid-late 80’s had them & I’m sure there’s a lot of middle aged guys such as myself keeping techs in business with refrets to 6100 or Jescar Evo Gold.
I got the Nick Johnston Schecter. In 17 years of playing, that was the only S-style guitar that I instantly connected with and fell in love with. In contrast, I was appalled with the fretwork on Fender’s Player Series; super jagged. The NJ Schecter should be the new standard for the classic S-style guitars, imo.
I had an S500, but it interesting once set-up buy a pro. Gret sounding, more versatile than a regular Strat, but I found it too heavy, and I didn't like much the neck and the jumbo frets on it. Just a mater of taste. Electronic and Magnetic field pick ups are interesting though.
Lee, on the subjectivity of the fingerboard darkness, one of the definite reasons that I bought my Vintera Road Worn '60s Strat was the strongly striped grain of the pau ferro. My Les Paul Tribute also has a fairly distinctive red grain in the fingerboard. Not that I have anything against ebony or really dark rosewood. I just love seeing high-contrast grains. Subjective is right. 🥰
Thank you, you guys are great, i thoroughly enjoy the Captain and Pete! You're both excellent guitar players, you keep the shows fun and interesting. I just purchased the Silver Sky SE model and love it. I have other more expensive guitars but if I didn't buy a new guitar every six months I wouldn't be complete. I really like these comparison videos and seeing them review by players who know what they're doing. I always look forward to your videos, take care! 😊😊
I would even take indian laurel tbh and make the guitar slightly cheaper. Indian laurel mostly comes way darker than pao ferro but slightly lighter than rosewood.
Heavy emphasis on the second part too, if I may add. Why is it that you can have 3 of the same exact guitar, same color/same model, and one of them just feels and sounds way better than the others? I guess if the wood is good, right?
I agree, if a guitar doesn't say play me, don't buy it. You need to play a few guitars that you like before choosing the best one for you, then a full setup is a must.
I agree 100% with Lee. Fender should use dark rosewood on their boards. I purchased an American Professional 1 in antique olive. The board is pretty light in color. The strat would have looked way better with a darker board! Thanks for all your videos.
That was a pretty good ending, after all that playing you showed what I have been skeptical on the whole time and wether different radius effect the bending and wether it chokes out.. I know Pete's whole thing was that it's in the setup but it was pretty apparent in my opinion when you went from the flatter radius to the vinteras that it does make a slight difference.
..and yet the PRS didn't choke out (& has the closest radius to the Vintera). It's exctly what Pete says, it's down to set-up. If the neck is sitting at the correct angle and frets are perfectly radiused/no high spots etc., then choking out will be relative to how low the relief/action is set. Nothing more. Nothing less
Well, I definitely think the blue Vintera sounded the best. Has that classic Strat sound. As for 9s v. 10s I started using 10s, but went down to 9s about three years ago. The ease of bends and small string manipulations (vibrato, etc) make me stay with 9s. Very subjective though.
I'm not a long time guitar player, certainly do not have the experience you have, I do however like the Pau Ferro boards. The wood coloring and marbling of the grain is attractive to me. This is my favorite RUclips channel. Thanks for all you do guys. This comparison was perfectly timed for me as I'm looking for an S style guitar. I took away, string changes the feel, but blindfolded they all felt the same.
Strings change the feel for me more than anything. I recently picked up a PRS Custom 24 used, and it was a bit off so I brought it in to get setup, and for strings decided to try 9s rather than 10s. It was a huge difference, and it felt like when I first tried an electric back in high school. I got used to it though. I think you'd get used to anything after a bit, and any change is going to feel odd at first.
Rosewood or Ebony fretboards look far better than Pau Ferro which was introduced due to the ban on Rosewood, this ban has been lifted, but Fender sadly continue to use Pau Ferro.
@@RByrne same man. I used to run 10 on my strat all the time. I dont really strum hard in my guitar style. Im mostly finger style and light picking. My local music store had no 10’s in stock and my strings were bad so I desperately needed new ones and had the neck without tension cause I polished the frets and oiled the board etc so I picked up some 9’s to just have something to play. And im really considering never going back to 10’s for my strat. So buttery when I play compared to before. 10’s will forever stay on my les paul and tele tho.
I learn a lot from this video just simply from watching and listening to the subtle nuances between each one. Super helpful actually. Very helpful, thank you both very much. Good stuff
I loooooove my Schecter Nick Johnston! I have the Hss version, but that pickup aside, I love the way it looks, feels and sounds. I love the 2 know config (and I guess the volume knob being moved away from the bridge a bit is something a lot of people like. The side Jack is nice. 2 point trem with push in bar is nice. Locking tuners are nice too. The classic vibes with Modern ideas in mind. And as you said, it's cheaper than the rest, in this comparison anyway :)
What Antony said and, I like the Vintage sound (Fender fan) but the others all sound great. The SE is fabulous but it's different it looks like a strat but its not it is in it's own right a great guitar.Play them and buy the one that speaks to you! I believe is the phrase ☺
The Fender Vintera has best tone. The Schecter is the the most fun to play because it's simmer and light weight. I love taking Schecter guitars and basses and installing very high end pick ups to get the best of both worlds.
I agree with Pete. There is something about the Fender high end that sets it apart. In my opinion, if you want the classic sound, you need a Fender. However both , the Shecter and the PRS sound great. All great choices, especially if you sound like Pete. Cheers.
I love the blindfold test that you guys do all the time. I think you should blindfold him before he gets to play or hear them all without the blindfold.
Herbie Hancock/Flowers 🤣 Hats off to Lee for not having it edited out. Fender ought to dye the Pau Ferro. Even though I don't mind either, in the line-up my eye is still subconsciously drawn to darker fingerboards. Years of accumulated visual memories is hard to overturn. If it really came to a coin toss and I couldn't split them, I'd go dark on the tie break.
I have several higher end guitars, but seem to frequently reach for my Schecter Nick Johnston Diamond Series. Put some Duncan Texas Antiquities in it, and you are set.
I really enjoyed the video and the banter about the weird perceptions we create about an instrument and how we jive with it. I like a two pot setup on a Strat style guitar since I always seem to roll off the volume accidentally every time with a 3 pot Strat, so my favorite is the Schecter and I love Schecters anyway.
The PRS pickups sound like the fender pickups after an engineer refined them a little bit. As an engineer, I support this message. I'd be pleased to mix any of these, but id have the least work to do on the PRS.
Guitar player who spends more time mixing these days. That Silver Sky sounds so mix ready in all the shootouts I’ve heard. The Schecter surprised me. Never been that interested in their stuff, but it was a top choice for me from this vid. Loved the shootout ✌️
I love my 9.5” V Shape Fender necks. It inspires me to play. So therefore it sounds better than a guitar I don’t enjoy playing as much. Could be a dumb comment. But I think we have different cuts, profiles and finishes because we are so different as players.
It demonstrates how many great choices there are in this price point. Maybe for these types of vids present it as more of a showcase than a competition? “These are our favorites in this price point and we will demonstrate them for you and objectively tell you the differences in things like neck shape/thickness”
The PRS SE seemed to have a smoother/more 'rounded' tone overall but still managed most of the Fender twang. I think the Schecter is a winner though - looks, specs and tone. My only visual criticism is that the Saddles look a bit cheap (especially. compared to those on the Strat Player plus). An easy & cheap fix. Final decision? I'll stick with my Ibanez AT10P..... 😜
I'm at the 15-minute mark in the video and, for me, the clear front-runners are the Fender Vintera '60s Strat (Ice Blue Metallic) and the Schecter Nick Johnston Signature. Very different from each other, but better than the rest.
A few things to say here: 1. Never stop doing shootouts. I think for a lot of people, myself included, shootouts are our favorite videos. I found this one very informative, especially about the fretboard radius and stuff. 2. One thing I wish would be spoken of more in videos like this is you can change the damn pickups! We get so wrapped up in how one sounds over the other, the PRS is darker, etc. If you love the look, feel, and vibe of a guitar but maybe the top end isn't as high or the sound isn't as full, for $100 you can swap the pickups out of a Vintera for a set of Texas Specials. In the case of the PRS, for $900 it is 90% as good as the full American one and you can buy a set of American JM635s for like $400 and you have a PRS Silver Sky that is 99% as good as the original for ~$1300. 3. I am a heterosexual man but it must be stated that Pete's handsomeness has increased 10 fold since he changed his lifestyle. Congratulations! May we all be so lucky to look that goos in our 40s.
I’ve just got the PRS SE from Andertons.. neck feels great, the action is high and came with 10’s on it .. first impressions .. it’s ok .. it’s no better that the Fender Player I bought my son last year, certainly doesn’t feel like a guitar that’s been reinvented.
Report back once it's dialed in to your liking if you don't mind. If/how well you bond with it at all. I'm curious, coming from a semi hollow guild SF1 DC.
I agree that the set up and string gauge make a huge difference. Bought a G&L S-500 sight unseen, didn’t like it at first. Had my guy set it up…completely different in playability. Proper set ups are key!
It really is all about the setup, the string gauges and the quality of the fret work in my honest opinion. Thanks for making this video. Now I need to go and try out the Nick Johnston model and the Silver Sky SE :)
I was recently trying out a bunch of all the Fenders in this vid. They sounded great, but all of the nuts were very 'sitar-y' on the B & E strings, and some of the saddles were cut sharp. Ended up going for a Charvel DK22. Build quality was just better, however I'm currently waiting on a replacement due to the Seymour Duncan bridge pickup being faulty 😑 I think due to the pandemic all brands are letting their QC slide a little to keep up with demand
They are all different in their own way boys. I have Fender Am Prof II Strat, PRS Silver Sky etc…while the same at heart in terms of looks they are each a bit a different here and at home. Setup makes a massive difference. I take my guitars to only one luthier close to me in Boston and he sets them up the way I like. Even when he does it sometimes the notes choke out up that high. It’s all relative as I love both guitars and both tones.
that A-B with the bridge pickups is awesome. the Silver Sky SE I personally think has the same amount of highs with just a little more mids to fill out the tone. It kind of sounds darker but I don't think you're missing anything. the neck carve on it is ridiculously good - feels better than any fender i've played.
Great comparison, gents. Sounds like the difference is matter of features/specs more than quality or fit/finish. I feel differently about fretboard radius though. My 7.25" Strat feels much easier to play than a 9.5" Strat, especially for Hendrix and Mayer style chord work up and down the neck. It does risk fretting out on bends above the 15th fret but as long as it's set up properly, whole note bends aren't really an issue anywhere on the neck.
The Tim Henson and Scott Le Page guitars should be considered here, a lil bit more expensive but essentially more affordable Ibanez AZ’s, that have great features and look great
The first thing I noticed was the Pau Ferro fretboards on the Mexican Fenders. That would be them ruled out for me straight away as I can't stand the reddish look of it. Epiphone saw sense and switched to Indian Laurel which looks much better imo. If I were to choose a Mexican Fender it'd be maple all the way which I prefer anyway.
That Schecter is clearly the fullest and loudest, the PRS the smoothest although the Fender Player Plus was right there with it. That Schecter is a real eye (ear?)-opener, to me the best choice as an all-arounder. I'd be. really interested but it seems from specs that the neck is too thin and flat for my tastes.
All nice guitars. I agree with Pete about set up, and yes fret dress matters. Also agree with Lee, more about tones you get from each. The last is looks. You've to like it. Money is last when they're that close anyway. Get what works for you. 50 difference or so... whatever.
Love my Fender Modified, but I did make some mods. Classic stack SD in the neck, SD hotrails in the bridge, and Kingtone SRV switch. Now it's a beast!!!
The SilverSky's colors are all over the shop. The dragonfruit with a blaringly-white pickguard, the darker fretboard and and the headstock all look like they were picked without any thought as to how they would go together. The Fender colors in particular integrate much better.
I enjoy the series keep it up! My only thought and this might have been said before is to start with the description of what’s being tested and then straight to the blindfold challenge without the tester been able to feel or hear or play what’s been tested. Then take the deep dive into the products.
I think they’re useful when you’ve whittle down your buying decision, and you have a better idea of what you plan on buying, but you just want some extra information like how it plays, any issues it may have and what the guitar sounds like when heard next to its peers
Just to say, Pete, with the way that radiuses “work” mathematically a 2” difference will not have a consistent feel difference, and what the Captain is feeling, that there seems to be less perceptible difference between a 14” compared to a 12” compared to 12” vs 9.5” and especially 9.5” vs 7.25” is completely mathematically based and very “real”. If we do calculations for each radius to work out how much higher is the centre of the neck compared to the edges of the fretboard then we will find that a 2” difference in radius is much less consequential at the higher fretboard radiuses than it is at the smaller radiuses, and this is why there feels to be so much difference between a 7.25” and a 9.5” and very little difference between a 14” and a 12”.
I got my Godin HSS for 800 US, it was a steal for that price and I would highly recommend that brand to anyone in the US looking for a gigging or recording guitar that is reliable.
That was a really good vid guys, you hit the nail on the head at the end I think with the reference to SET UP as I think it trumps everything else trouble is, that it is difficult to find some one to do this work once you have bought the guitar. It has always interested me since a local music shop made a strong point of selling the fact that they had set up all guitars sold from the shop. Don't know how that works with the industry now days as the local shop dropped guitars five years ago and only sells Yamaha organs and keyboards.
I have absolutely no music shops anywhere near me and wouldn't trust independent 'luthiers' without a personal recommendation. I ended up teaching myself (via RUclips etc.) how to do set-ups. Bought a few tools etc. Soon discovered how I like a guitar to feel. I tend to buy my guitars used and give them a full service & set-up as soon as they arrive. As such, I'm able to achieve a much more consistent playing experience across different makes/models of guitars
I love Anderson’s videos and Pete’s playing but I do wish he’d tell us more about what he likes and pros and cons when do blindfold tests rather than just trying to guess which one is which.
G&L Legacy HSS or all singles. They're very tough to beat and can be found used for 900 British pounds = $1200 USD. I have fallen in love with this guitar.
I played a second hand one which had the pickups replaced with noiseless Fender ones ! Neck is great but wouldn’t stay in tune -maybe 8s on it -priced at £850. The Schecter neck looks like a Sire !!
Cort g300 pro is spec loaded and costs less... Charvel dk24/22 2pt SSS/HSS (MiK Red Ash version is very very nice), Yamaha Pacifica 612v are also some solid alternatives...
Wish you could have included G&L but they are not exactly in that price range. I own two Fender Player strats, then got a G&L Tribute Legacy for less than $400 on sale and love it, almost as good as the Fenders. Not long ago got a G&L Tribute Comanche on sale for less than $500 and it kicks butt. Better sounding with all the Strat tones but fuller with more low end (with MFD Z-coils), the separate bass roll-off is great and the neck is fantastic, I love it! To my ear sounds better than any in this video for less money.
I think that was a great shootout. I don't think you should worry about declaring a winner. Maybe there isn't one. But it gave us a great overview of features, feel, and sound of a nice collection of guitars. I was actually surprised at how much I liked the schecter because that's a brand that I've never paid any attention to because I always associated it with metal or something but it actually seems like a contender and when I go shopping now, which I will be because I was kind of thinking about a silver sky, I'll try and play the schecter as well, so you may have steered me towards something that could work for me but that I wouldn't have ever considered otherwise! For me a big thing is the neck profile. I cannot get along with super skinny necks. They always feel like student guitars or something. So knowing or at least having some idea of what the neck profiles are like across those guitars gives me some useful data as well and I prefer a flatter radius. So all in all, good work guys!
YES!! EBONY OR ROSEWOOD PLEASE!! I've bought 2 different new guitars and received a 3rd new guitar as a gift in the last couple of years since the exotic wood problems caused so many manufacturers to go to Pau Ferro. 2 fender strats and another popular branded strat copy. All 3 have had Pau ferro fingerboards. I have hated all three. I still have the one fender the was sent to me as a gift but, only because it was a gift. If I didn't feel guilty, it would've been long gone as well. Now, it bothers me that it just takes up space. Neither of the fenders are that great as far as playability, frets,, etc.. Especially for the prices they charge. I try to grab good ones, when I can find them. New or used. They are few and far between and with each new year model, good ones are becoming even more rare. They ain't what they used to be. Which is a shame because they could be much better quality. Plenty of other brands have guitars in similar price ranges and even less that are made in the same or similar factors and they blow fenders out of the water. That saddens me greatly as I have been in love with fender strats since the 70s when I was 12 years old.
Don’t lose heart with this series Captain, for people like myself who can’t get to guitar shops and try guitars for ourselves these comparisons are gold! Perhaps think of them as showcases rather than shootouts with the goal just to allow people to hear all these similar priced guitars being played alongside each other and see which they like rather than to pick a ‘winner’. The commentary on the feel of the guitars is also useful but secondary to our own subjective view on which sounds the best!
I disagree with the last statement, you can always change how a guitar sounds but changing the feel is very invasive and frankly daunting if you don’t know what you’re doing.
I’d personally prefer a guitar that feels good and looks good and the sound I can tweak after the fact; I have a PRS custom 24 in Bonnie Pink that I love but I’ve completely replaced the pickups and electronics because I didn’t like how it sounded, each to their own but I think being open to changing the things you can change about a guitar should be a consideration.
Well i agree with both statements to a point. Eg. I know that i far prefer a vintage style radius on the board so with that in mind, along with my, already known preference for a particular type or brand (im usually a Fender guy) the side by side comparisons are a really useful aid when limited to buying online (which some of us are). That said, some of the best playing guitars ive had I would have been swiped right passed and missed out on a potential keeper. "Playing first" is without question THE most important factor if its possible, even if it means uprooting your couch shaped butt and negotiating the sea of bottom feeders and other indescribable's and meet your potential new love... i reckon 🤔
I am a guitar buyer, unfortunately I live in Arizona, USA. But Andertons have always help me to chose my next guitar. I would love to visit Andertons some day in the future! ❤️
@@RmNaNtCbScRrn If you do get to the UK - do try to go to Andertons - I had a great experience when looking for an acoustic last year - room to myself and 5 or 6 to try - staff very helpful. Even tried out a couple of synths too - was there for over an hour. It is a great place to visit.
@@taylornotswift03 I'm looking for some custom 24 pickups at the moment, did you keep them?
Conclusion: S style guitars are so similar it's sometimes difficult to differentiate them so go for what looks and feels like 'home' to you. And Danish Pete rocks.
I bagged a PRS Silver Sky for £600 during the current sale. Best guitar I’ve ever bought. Absolute quality.
@@edlicari3909 PRS haters when they realize an 850 dollar guitar is better than their 1300 dollar fender
@@lukeguest7748 maybe but i play Kiesel guitars! 😁
@@edlicari3909even worse.
@@garycastronova7939 yeah ok dude! LOL
@@lukeguest7748 tried a silver sky today. Bought a fender.
The 'Herbie Flowers' at 31:00 killed me that was great. Love the guys at Andertons, not sure many others would feel comfortable about making fun of their boss in such a way. Just shows the fun loving environment over there, Lee is probably an awesome boss. Even the way he talks about the interview with 'Hancock's' god son shows how much he loves his staff
I'm the 1st person to hold my hands up when I make a mistake!! The world would be a boring place if we were all perfect :)
I'd love to work for the captain, genuine guy.
YUP poo
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PL
LLK,
PO
Deal breaker for me is Schecter. Roasted maple plus ebony board plus locking tuners at the same price as the others. That should be the standard imho.
but ugly as fuck guitar
i´d much rather take any vintage style strat without all that you mentioned
@@modestoney1577 Thats a matter of taste. I would prefer the Schecter even without the locking tuners. 🖤
@@modestoney1577 what u consider ugly on it ? its literally a standard strat
Unsaid is that the trem system feels PREMIUM on the NJ as well.
@@modestoney1577 lolwut
Please keep making this type of videos. Teles, Les Pauls, Super Strats, Semihollows, etc. And as always, thanks for the awesome videos! :)
Yamaha Pacifica VIIFM, beautiful guitar, Seymour Duncan’s, Wilkinson trem, Grover locking tuners, graphtech nut and string trees, coil split on the humbucker, great guitar for a great price, I have a player series too and love that as well
Love my SE Silver Sky! The fretwork on them is unbelievable.
Fretwork, fretboard and neck are all fantastic on the SE Silver Sky. I love mine too.
The switch from the three Fenders to the Schecter was impressive, Nick's pickups are lovely, the guitar sounded much richer to me. I'm new to Schecter (recently bought a Sun Valley Shredder) and the quality is fantastic. Definitely a brand I'll favour in the future and if I'm ever after a more traditional Strat, I'll be looking at the Nick Johnson series first.
I was about to write the same comment. Impressive difference. Much richer sound, without losing the strat tone at all.
I have my sights on a Schecter too
I watched this video during my break, felt like when I used to go to guitar shops with a friend just to try out some new guitars and understand new tones.
This sort of video is gold :)
You should do a "NO CONTEXT" blindfold challenge where pete plays a completely random mix of 5 or 6 guitars having not seen them or heard them at all. Random styles etc. Think that would be interesting. Keep up the great work
Or best "shredder guitar for clean sounds"
The thing about the PRS SE is the balance. You just play it, you're not holding it up, you just tip the frets
My tele has ridiculous neck dive as does the fender Strats I’ve played. My silver sky se balances perfectly
Honestly, "they're all fine" is one of the most useful conclusions of a test ever. Knowing you aren't going to buy a pup, or miss out on a legend, is super-useful. Thanks.
i bought the schecter Nick Johnston HSS love it’s very versatile and high end appointments and hardware no need to upgrade any thing and for $1025 it blows away fender and others,from 80’s metal to fusion to blues 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🎸🎶 schecter is killing it right now and plenty of lefty models to choose from
I haven't even played one but just by looking at the Nick Johnston Schecter. I Mean come on, Fender won't Roast a Maple neck unless You got $2,000-$3,000 Dollars. What's up with that?
@@stephendouglas6106 exactly with the schecter you get premium features and upgrades for a good price,with fender and PRS you have to spend money 💰 to add the locking tuners and upgraded hardware with the schecter you get all that and a roasted neck for $949
@@stephendouglas6106 if you're about the baked maple necks then check out fenders contemporary series with baked maple necks going for under 500$
@@axkmster I saw the Contemporary Tele. I tell myself I like a Satin Finish on the Maple but I found out that I DOn't I really like the "Slipperiness" of my Fender '50s Squire Tele! Not that it's any different then any other Neck. But, really, the nice shiny Laquer is preferable to me.
@michaelmetal71 I just bought a new SSS in atomic green for $500. Maybe they're trying to get rid of them by now I don't know. It's a great guitar that just needed tuning and played awesome out of the box. It's my second Schecter and they're both great.
I own the Schecter HHS and Silver Sky SE. They're different enough to enjoy and keep both.
But if you had to pick one to keep forever... which one would it be... your answer will help me make my decision ...
@@jasonb2916 I would probably pick the Silver Sky SE because I’m more a fan of the SRV type tone. But I have a handful of guitars. If I only had one guitar I’d get the Schecter because it has the Humbucker. Could always change the Bass and Middle pickups if you wanted more of an SRV/McCready/Mayer tone. Enjoy
For a Hard rock, shreddy music wich will you choose?
@@Rafabi78 Probably the Schecter because of the H. The SS is more blues angled to me so if you’re talking that style, SS. But like Metal, I’d got the Schecter. You really can’t go wrong but hi-gain I believe is more up that alley.
The Schecter is brilliant. I've had that exact pink model for over a year.
as a Novice guitar player, watching these is so so helpful, and the banter is brilliant!!
Love all of them, I'm leaning toward the PRS. Ventera is awesome ,schecter impressive, player plus very cool. Don't know what to say. Just great guitars.
Schecter hands down for me, the quality and the bang for your buck on the Schecters would sell me always, excellent guitars and finished to a high standard from the ones I've owned
Agreed. Both Fender and PRS just nickel and dime features like locking tuners and graphtech nut. Also I really prefer a flatter radius, since you usually buy a strat to have a versatile guitar, and having flatter neck makes lower action possible and fast playing much more appealing. Schecter has been on the up for a while now and they honestly make some of the best guitars at any price point.
I agree whole heartedly. I've got the pink s type myself, and in the absence of my Tele and LP ( both sold to fund my D18) it's the only electric guitar I own now.
Unfortunately ive had nothing but problems with schecter. Ive only owned 3 but I tried to buy 4 and after waiting 4 months I didnt get the 4th and got an Ibanez that I really dont care for either. I just got a players plus and its a amazing guitar. But I can't say for any of the other ones
@@captaintony1227 Sometimes unless it's made in somewhere like Japan or USA, the attention to detail when the guitar is being manufactured can be a bit sloppy. That's why USA and Japan made models are always more expensive. You were probably just unlucky, although if you were underwhelmed with it then the chances are a good setup from a professional will make it feel like a completely different instrument.
@@captaintony1227every Schecter I’ve owned has been outstanding. Almost every Fender I’ve owned including mexican and USA made have had several problems!!
Well, you can see from my avatar which one I prefer. The PRS SE Silver Sky. It sounds the best to me and plays more easily than my '63 Strat. And it doesn't fret out when I do wide bends and when I use the whammy bar it comes back in tune. It's light weight and I like it so much I just bought a second one in Moon White. Get over the headstock shape and go try one. The Schector sounded real good too while the Fenders sounded thinner.
Great vid as ever. I think you should do the blind fold bit at the start before Pete has seen any guitars. Then he can give an option on playability, tone & feel etc while having no idea what he’s holding. Then maybe go through the specs before telling him which order he put them in.
This video was well worth it for me! I love to hear you all demo and talk about guitars. It's very edifying and fun for me. As someone who wants to learn about guitars I always come away with something. Loved that you guys made some discoveries about neck radius.
My wife just gave me a Dragon Fruit Silver Sky SE for Xmas from you guys and I have to say a big thank you. In the video the good setup was mentioned in relation to the SS and I can heartily concur with that, in my case. I had been looking forward to setting it up but, to my dismay (jk) I didn’t have to touch it; not the truss rod, not the nut and not the bridge heights and intonation or the pick-up heights. To be honest I did experiment with the bridge height but it quickly started to buzz so I simply restored it.
I love it. I love the slightly more mellow tone than the strat but the thing I love the most is the incredible sustain; I will often play a chord and just wait whilst it decays; hardy believing that it’s still sounding, without even being plugged in .
And it was only £499, wow, thank you! 🎸🍾❤️
Lee! I was ready to vote for which guitar to give Pete first and in a flash of temporal hubris you just went ahead and chose for us. Also, I will go ahead and put in my vote for #2.
As always, the editing was simply fantastic. Nice job to all involved.
Silver sky wins it for me but holy crap was I surprised about the Nik Johnston! As a non shredder it’s not what I would pickup but it’s a really good sounding guitar.
At 26:25 when he flipped the pickup switch and it added those overtones to it! 😩😩 when of the greatest sounds I’ve ever heard
For me it’s not the radius that’s critical. It’s the fret size. So I’d probably buy the Schecter. I have loads of nice guitars and the only commonality is that I prefer Jumbo Fretwire. I generally play 09-46 on trem guitars and 10-46 on fixed bridge. But on my Les Paul is 10-48. But I’m amazed more US Manufacturers don’t offer more models with jumbo frets. The best selling guitars of the mid-late 80’s had them & I’m sure there’s a lot of middle aged guys such as myself keeping techs in business with refrets to 6100 or Jescar Evo Gold.
I got the Nick Johnston Schecter. In 17 years of playing, that was the only S-style guitar that I instantly connected with and fell in love with. In contrast, I was appalled with the fretwork on Fender’s Player Series; super jagged. The NJ Schecter should be the new standard for the classic S-style guitars, imo.
I feel the same way about mine. The best strat style guitar I've ever played. The neck is smooth as silk and it sounds fantastic. Great guitar
A G&L S-Type, any one of them, should have been included in this video. Pick one…they are all fantastic.
Not played a G&L S500 but I own a Fullerton made Comanche and it's a seriously good guitar with amazing versatility and no 60 cycle hum.
I had an S500, but it interesting once set-up buy a pro. Gret sounding, more versatile than a regular Strat, but I found it too heavy, and I didn't like much the neck and the jumbo frets on it. Just a mater of taste. Electronic and Magnetic field pick ups are interesting though.
Lee, on the subjectivity of the fingerboard darkness, one of the definite reasons that I bought my Vintera Road Worn '60s Strat was the strongly striped grain of the pau ferro. My Les Paul Tribute also has a fairly distinctive red grain in the fingerboard. Not that I have anything against ebony or really dark rosewood. I just love seeing high-contrast grains. Subjective is right. 🥰
Thank you, you guys are great, i thoroughly enjoy the Captain and Pete! You're both excellent guitar players, you keep the shows fun and interesting. I just purchased the Silver Sky SE model and love it. I have other more expensive guitars but if I didn't buy a new guitar every six months I wouldn't be complete. I really like these comparison videos and seeing them review by players who know what they're doing. I always look forward to your videos, take care! 😊😊
I agree with Lee. MIM fender needs rosewood fingerboards.
I would even take indian laurel tbh and make the guitar slightly cheaper. Indian laurel mostly comes way darker than pao ferro but slightly lighter than rosewood.
@@NYSeaNile or ebony wood. its very dark and cheaper
@@A-Wa ebony is more expensive than rosewood
What it boils down to is a proper/personal setup and whether you connect/bond with the guitar. 🙂
Yeah picking a guitar is so personal. I personally love a strat with an old school thick neck which many others hate.
Heavy emphasis on the second part too, if I may add. Why is it that you can have 3 of the same exact guitar, same color/same model, and one of them just feels and sounds way better than the others?
I guess if the wood is good, right?
I agree, if a guitar doesn't say play me, don't buy it.
You need to play a few guitars that you like before choosing the best one
for you, then a full setup is a must.
Best way to have a local builder custom. Better buck for the money, and none of these production stuff.
@@bassyey and also no resale value.
I agree 100% with Lee. Fender should use dark rosewood on their boards. I purchased an American Professional 1 in antique olive. The board is pretty light in color. The strat would have looked way better with a darker board! Thanks for all your videos.
That was a pretty good ending, after all that playing you showed what I have been skeptical on the whole time and wether different radius effect the bending and wether it chokes out.. I know Pete's whole thing was that it's in the setup but it was pretty apparent in my opinion when you went from the flatter radius to the vinteras that it does make a slight difference.
..and yet the PRS didn't choke out (& has the closest radius to the Vintera). It's exctly what Pete says, it's down to set-up. If the neck is sitting at the correct angle and frets are perfectly radiused/no high spots etc., then choking out will be relative to how low the relief/action is set. Nothing more. Nothing less
That PRS is really good I think. I've had it for a couple of months and it's fun to play and sounds good.
I just bought myself a Schecter NJ HSS for my birthday and think it's phenomenal 👍. A lot of guitar for the $
Well, I definitely think the blue Vintera sounded the best. Has that classic Strat sound. As for 9s v. 10s I started using 10s, but went down to 9s about three years ago. The ease of bends and small string manipulations (vibrato, etc) make me stay with 9s. Very subjective though.
Here I've been looking at the 60s Vinteras Strats for like a week and y'all release this video. Amazing timing.
Vintera takes the cake for me. Nothing I love more than a classic strat.
I've got the Vintera 60s but in the road worn lake placid blue - beautiful and faultless.
@@karlff7 same !
Moded sounds best for my taste
This is an excellent comparison video of all of the S-style guitars in the same price range. I think it just boils down to personal taste.
I love the sound and playability of my Fender 60’s Strat Modified.
I’m a beginner but the mod Strat makes me think that I do t need any other Strat.
Take my word,,,,,,,you will need lots more it's a drug quit now or join us ,have fun
I'm not a long time guitar player, certainly do not have the experience you have, I do however like the Pau Ferro boards. The wood coloring and marbling of the grain is attractive to me. This is my favorite RUclips channel. Thanks for all you do guys. This comparison was perfectly timed for me as I'm looking for an S style guitar. I took away, string changes the feel, but blindfolded they all felt the same.
Strings change the feel for me more than anything. I recently picked up a PRS Custom 24 used, and it was a bit off so I brought it in to get setup, and for strings decided to try 9s rather than 10s. It was a huge difference, and it felt like when I first tried an electric back in high school. I got used to it though. I think you'd get used to anything after a bit, and any change is going to feel odd at first.
Rosewood or Ebony fretboards look far better than Pau Ferro which was introduced due to the ban on Rosewood, this ban has been lifted, but Fender sadly continue to use Pau Ferro.
@@RByrne same man. I used to run 10 on my strat all the time. I dont really strum hard in my guitar style. Im mostly finger style and light picking. My local music store had no 10’s in stock and my strings were bad so I desperately needed new ones and had the neck without tension cause I polished the frets and oiled the board etc so I picked up some 9’s to just have something to play. And im really considering never going back to 10’s for my strat. So buttery when I play compared to before. 10’s will forever stay on my les paul and tele tho.
@@Barbarapape That's your opinion.
@@Barbarapape some companies and artists chose pau ferro on purpose before the entire rosewood ban, eg on expensive Musicman fretless basses.
I learn a lot from this video just simply from watching and listening to the subtle nuances between each one. Super helpful actually.
Very helpful, thank you both very much.
Good stuff
I loooooove my Schecter Nick Johnston! I have the Hss version, but that pickup aside, I love the way it looks, feels and sounds. I love the 2 know config (and I guess the volume knob being moved away from the bridge a bit is something a lot of people like. The side Jack is nice. 2 point trem with push in bar is nice. Locking tuners are nice too. The classic vibes with Modern ideas in mind. And as you said, it's cheaper than the rest, in this comparison anyway :)
Yep, Schecter Nick Johnston for me too.. I have an Atomic White HSS.
What Antony said and, I like the Vintage sound (Fender fan) but the others all sound great. The SE is fabulous but it's different it looks like a strat but its not it is in it's own right a great guitar.Play them and buy the one that speaks to you! I believe is the phrase ☺
The Fender Vintera has best tone. The Schecter is the the most fun to play because it's simmer and light weight. I love taking Schecter guitars and basses and installing very high end pick ups to get the best of both worlds.
I agree with Pete. There is something about the Fender high end that sets it apart. In my opinion, if you want the classic sound, you need a Fender. However both , the Shecter and the PRS sound great. All great choices, especially if you sound like Pete. Cheers.
I have a Godin Session HSS HT for $600 US I think the build quality is up there.
I love the blindfold test that you guys do all the time. I think you should blindfold him before he gets to play or hear them all without the blindfold.
Herbie Hancock/Flowers 🤣
Hats off to Lee for not having it edited out.
Fender ought to dye the Pau Ferro. Even though I don't mind either, in the line-up my eye is still subconsciously drawn to darker fingerboards. Years of accumulated visual memories is hard to overturn. If it really came to a coin toss and I couldn't split them, I'd go dark on the tie break.
I have several higher end guitars, but seem to frequently reach for my Schecter Nick Johnston Diamond Series. Put some Duncan Texas Antiquities in it, and you are set.
I really enjoyed the video and the banter about the weird perceptions we create about an instrument and how we jive with it. I like a two pot setup on a Strat style guitar since I always seem to roll off the volume accidentally every time with a 3 pot Strat, so my favorite is the Schecter and I love Schecters anyway.
Very taken back by the NJ model, not only does it look spectacular but it's got great tone and seems like a lot of thought was put into it
The PRS pickups sound like the fender pickups after an engineer refined them a little bit. As an engineer, I support this message. I'd be pleased to mix any of these, but id have the least work to do on the PRS.
Guitar player who spends more time mixing these days. That Silver Sky sounds so mix ready in all the shootouts I’ve heard.
The Schecter surprised me. Never been that interested in their stuff, but it was a top choice for me from this vid.
Loved the shootout ✌️
That coral pink on the Schecter is real nice -- especially paired with that neck. I might have to get one if I can find one to play in-person.
If it's cold in GB use the Silver Sky for firewood. Give me the Schecter. Enjoying the channel guys. Keep' em coming.
I love my 9.5” V Shape Fender necks. It inspires me to play. So therefore it sounds better than a guitar I don’t enjoy playing as much. Could be a dumb comment. But I think we have different cuts, profiles and finishes because we are so different as players.
It demonstrates how many great choices there are in this price point. Maybe for these types of vids present it as more of a showcase than a competition? “These are our favorites in this price point and we will demonstrate them for you and objectively tell you the differences in things like neck shape/thickness”
Love the Herbie Flowers edits 😆
Great work as always guys
The PRS SE seemed to have a smoother/more 'rounded' tone overall but still managed most of the Fender twang. I think the Schecter is a winner though - looks, specs and tone. My only visual criticism is that the Saddles look a bit cheap (especially. compared to those on the Strat Player plus). An easy & cheap fix.
Final decision? I'll stick with my Ibanez AT10P..... 😜
Ehh …
I'm at the 15-minute mark in the video and, for me, the clear front-runners are the Fender Vintera '60s Strat (Ice Blue Metallic) and the Schecter Nick Johnston Signature. Very different from each other, but better than the rest.
really love those deep-dives on s-types and t-types, esp telecaster videos lately!
well put together, nice video! I prefer the snappiness of the fenders - completely agree with Pete on that one. loved lee's tone on the vintera 60s!!
A few things to say here:
1. Never stop doing shootouts. I think for a lot of people, myself included, shootouts are our favorite videos. I found this one very informative, especially about the fretboard radius and stuff.
2. One thing I wish would be spoken of more in videos like this is you can change the damn pickups! We get so wrapped up in how one sounds over the other, the PRS is darker, etc. If you love the look, feel, and vibe of a guitar but maybe the top end isn't as high or the sound isn't as full, for $100 you can swap the pickups out of a Vintera for a set of Texas Specials. In the case of the PRS, for $900 it is 90% as good as the full American one and you can buy a set of American JM635s for like $400 and you have a PRS Silver Sky that is 99% as good as the original for ~$1300.
3. I am a heterosexual man but it must be stated that Pete's handsomeness has increased 10 fold since he changed his lifestyle. Congratulations! May we all be so lucky to look that goos in our 40s.
I definitely prefer the Fender top end 😊 ....and also 9's 😄
I’ve just got the PRS SE from Andertons.. neck feels great, the action is high and came with 10’s on it .. first impressions .. it’s ok .. it’s no better that the Fender Player I bought my son last year, certainly doesn’t feel like a guitar that’s been reinvented.
Report back once it's dialed in to your liking if you don't mind. If/how well you bond with it at all. I'm curious, coming from a semi hollow guild SF1 DC.
I agree that the set up and string gauge make a huge difference. Bought a G&L S-500 sight unseen, didn’t like it at first. Had my guy set it up…completely different in playability. Proper set ups are key!
It really is all about the setup, the string gauges and the quality of the fret work in my honest opinion. Thanks for making this video. Now I need to go and try out the Nick Johnston model and the Silver Sky SE :)
I was recently trying out a bunch of all the Fenders in this vid. They sounded great, but all of the nuts were very 'sitar-y' on the B & E strings, and some of the saddles were cut sharp. Ended up going for a Charvel DK22. Build quality was just better, however I'm currently waiting on a replacement due to the Seymour Duncan bridge pickup being faulty 😑 I think due to the pandemic all brands are letting their QC slide a little to keep up with demand
They are all different in their own way boys. I have Fender Am Prof II Strat, PRS Silver Sky etc…while the same at heart in terms of looks they are each a bit a different here and at home. Setup makes a massive difference. I take my guitars to only one luthier close to me in Boston and he sets them up the way I like. Even when he does it sometimes the notes choke out up that high. It’s all relative as I love both guitars and both tones.
that A-B with the bridge pickups is awesome. the Silver Sky SE I personally think has the same amount of highs with just a little more mids to fill out the tone. It kind of sounds darker but I don't think you're missing anything. the neck carve on it is ridiculously good - feels better than any fender i've played.
Great comparison, gents. Sounds like the difference is matter of features/specs more than quality or fit/finish. I feel differently about fretboard radius though. My 7.25" Strat feels much easier to play than a 9.5" Strat, especially for Hendrix and Mayer style chord work up and down the neck. It does risk fretting out on bends above the 15th fret but as long as it's set up properly, whole note bends aren't really an issue anywhere on the neck.
Your absolutely right about using rose wood necks with Fender.
I think that 'Fender snap' may be the result of imperfect fretwork (as the bending test would also suggest).
The Tim Henson and Scott Le Page guitars should be considered here, a lil bit more expensive but essentially more affordable Ibanez AZ’s, that have great features and look great
The first thing I noticed was the Pau Ferro fretboards on the Mexican Fenders. That would be them ruled out for me straight away as I can't stand the reddish look of it.
Epiphone saw sense and switched to Indian Laurel which looks much better imo.
If I were to choose a Mexican Fender it'd be maple all the way which I prefer anyway.
That Schecter is clearly the fullest and loudest, the PRS the smoothest although the Fender Player Plus was right there with it. That Schecter is a real eye (ear?)-opener, to me the best choice as an all-arounder. I'd be. really interested but it seems from specs that the neck is too thin and flat for my tastes.
All nice guitars. I agree with Pete about set up, and yes fret dress matters. Also agree with Lee, more about tones you get from each. The last is looks. You've to like it. Money is last when they're that close anyway. Get what works for you. 50 difference or so... whatever.
Love my Fender Modified, but I did make some mods. Classic stack SD in the neck, SD hotrails in the bridge, and Kingtone SRV switch. Now it's a beast!!!
The SilverSky's colors are all over the shop. The dragonfruit with a blaringly-white pickguard, the darker fretboard and and the headstock all look like they were picked without any thought as to how they would go together. The Fender colors in particular integrate much better.
The dragonfruit is aged torino red. No one complains about those.
I enjoy the series keep it up! My only thought and this might have been said before is to start with the description of what’s being tested and then straight to the blindfold challenge without the tester been able to feel or hear or play what’s been tested. Then take the deep dive into the products.
23:12. Still frame. Now there's an iconic look if I ever saw one!
I think that Schecter sounds great. I do prefer a radius of 7 1/4 or 9.5.
I think they’re useful when you’ve whittle down your buying decision, and you have a better idea of what you plan on buying, but you just want some extra information like how it plays, any issues it may have and what the guitar sounds like when heard next to its peers
Just to say, Pete, with the way that radiuses “work” mathematically a 2” difference will not have a consistent feel difference, and what the Captain is feeling, that there seems to be less perceptible difference between a 14” compared to a 12” compared to 12” vs 9.5” and especially 9.5” vs 7.25” is completely mathematically based and very “real”.
If we do calculations for each radius to work out how much higher is the centre of the neck compared to the edges of the fretboard then we will find that a 2” difference in radius is much less consequential at the higher fretboard radiuses than it is at the smaller radiuses, and this is why there feels to be so much difference between a 7.25” and a 9.5” and very little difference between a 14” and a 12”.
I got my Godin HSS for 800 US, it was a steal for that price and I would highly recommend that brand to anyone in the US looking for a gigging or recording guitar that is reliable.
That was a really good vid guys, you hit the nail on the head at the end I think with the reference to SET UP as I think it trumps everything else trouble is, that it is difficult to find some one to do this work once you have bought the guitar. It has always interested me since a local music shop made a strong point of selling the fact that they had set up all guitars sold from the shop. Don't know how that works with the industry now days as the local shop dropped guitars five years ago and only sells Yamaha organs and keyboards.
I have absolutely no music shops anywhere near me and wouldn't trust independent 'luthiers' without a personal recommendation. I ended up teaching myself (via RUclips etc.) how to do set-ups. Bought a few tools etc. Soon discovered how I like a guitar to feel. I tend to buy my guitars used and give them a full service & set-up as soon as they arrive. As such, I'm able to achieve a much more consistent playing experience across different makes/models of guitars
I love Anderson’s videos and Pete’s playing but I do wish he’d tell us more about what he likes and pros and cons when do blindfold tests rather than just trying to guess which one is which.
60`s Fender Vintera far and away the best of the bunch.
Was hoping the Sire was going to be in there. Want to see a comparison of the Sire vs Silver Sky!
G&L Legacy HSS or all singles. They're very tough to beat and can be found used for 900 British pounds = $1200 USD. I have fallen in love with this guitar.
I played a second hand one which had the pickups replaced with noiseless Fender ones ! Neck is great but wouldn’t stay in tune -maybe 8s on it -priced at £850. The Schecter neck looks like a Sire !!
Cort g300 pro is spec loaded and costs less...
Charvel dk24/22 2pt SSS/HSS (MiK Red Ash version is very very nice), Yamaha Pacifica 612v are also some solid alternatives...
Wish you could have included G&L but they are not exactly in that price range. I own two Fender Player strats, then got a G&L Tribute Legacy for less than $400 on sale and love it, almost as good as the Fenders. Not long ago got a G&L Tribute Comanche on sale for less than $500 and it kicks butt. Better sounding with all the Strat tones but fuller with more low end (with MFD Z-coils), the separate bass roll-off is great and the neck is fantastic, I love it! To my ear sounds better than any in this video for less money.
I think that was a great shootout. I don't think you should worry about declaring a winner. Maybe there isn't one. But it gave us a great overview of features, feel, and sound of a nice collection of guitars. I was actually surprised at how much I liked the schecter because that's a brand that I've never paid any attention to because I always associated it with metal or something but it actually seems like a contender and when I go shopping now, which I will be because I was kind of thinking about a silver sky, I'll try and play the schecter as well, so you may have steered me towards something that could work for me but that I wouldn't have ever considered otherwise! For me a big thing is the neck profile. I cannot get along with super skinny necks. They always feel like student guitars or something. So knowing or at least having some idea of what the neck profiles are like across those guitars gives me some useful data as well and I prefer a flatter radius. So all in all, good work guys!
Thank you guys, awesome comparison. Silver Sky SE for me
YES!! EBONY OR ROSEWOOD PLEASE!! I've bought 2 different new guitars and received a 3rd new guitar as a gift in the last couple of years since the exotic wood problems caused so many manufacturers to go to Pau Ferro. 2 fender strats and another popular branded strat copy. All 3 have had Pau ferro fingerboards. I have hated all three. I still have the one fender the was sent to me as a gift but, only because it was a gift. If I didn't feel guilty, it would've been long gone as well. Now, it bothers me that it just takes up space. Neither of the fenders are that great as far as playability, frets,, etc.. Especially for the prices they charge. I try to grab good ones, when I can find them. New or used. They are few and far between and with each new year model, good ones are becoming even more rare. They ain't what they used to be. Which is a shame because they could be much better quality. Plenty of other brands have guitars in similar price ranges and even less that are made in the same or similar factors and they blow fenders out of the water. That saddens me greatly as I have been in love with fender strats since the 70s when I was 12 years old.
The fact that you were playing s style guitars through a valve amp made them all sound good to me.