I completely agree. In my younger days I had clear preferences. Then I got into budget guitars which enabled me to try many different configurations including pickups and neck profile. I came to realize that I no longer have a steadfast preference. I like them all. Good video.
Thanks. I'm a senior citizen getting back into guitar and wanted a nice budget guitar. Listening to some of the folks on RUclips with their huge array of specs left me bewildered. I finally settled on a Tease Tele after watching your review and a couple others that simply pointed out that they were good guitars for the money. Thankfully, you were all correct. Thanks.
I walk into a shop and i try different ranges of what im looling for, i wanted a tele , tryed 5 or 6 different ones , walked out with a cv squire tele that had that feel for me. Its a personal thing , and if you shop open minded and not worry about name everyone will be a winner for you of all styles
For me, it depends... I've owned a lot of guitars, and I've eventually realized that very big necks aren't good for me. While I don't find them uncomfortable in general, certain chord shapes and stretches are too difficult for me to do cleanly on bigger necks because I have small hands. So I mostly avoid guitars with big necks, and big guitars in general (I'm a smaller guy). But I don't obsesses over other specs, such as fret sizes, the types of wood used, the kinds of pickup magnets, etc.
For me stainless steel is not that necessarry. Even How long does it take the nickel frets to wear out anyway. Especially if you have many guitars and play each of them once a week
Truly the only specs I care about anymore after trying to learn about guitar specs, is if it sounds good to me, and it has a comfortable neck. After that I stop
You bring up a very interesting question. 🤔 The first question that must be answered is what kind of music will you play. Once you know that, then you can figure out what guitars are typically used for that kind of music. I say typically, because some music sounds great even when you don't associate it with a particular kind of guitar. For example, blues sounds unexpectedly fabulous on a classical nylon string guitar. Spec's should not be treated as preconceived; they should be treated as what a particular guitar has to offer in the way of style, quality, durability, and performance. If I can play a guitar or related gear and visually examine its build after some research on the materials used in the guitar, that's always the first choice, but it's often not possible as you said. Then you got to consider reviews by people who've bought the guitar or gear and find out what they like and don't like about the guitar or gear. That's a big reason why I watch your videos and others' videos; you're a very good guide. After that, you just have to pull the lever and buy it when the seller has a good return policy. 💪👊
I've always been a creature of habit. It's all about how the neck feels to me. One of my guitars has the perfect feel and its the one I play on 99% of the time. I know there's a few guitar players out there that prefer one particular guitar. When I was younger I wanted every kind of guitar out there but the older I get I don't see the need personally. Everyone is different.
Specs and your ability to enjoy your guitar are two separate things. They often overlap, but don't necessarily have to. Specs are important however because they define what the guitar (or any gear) is and what it is not. If your playing regulary needs a 22nd fret and the guitar you got only has 21, that's a problem. If you play your acoustic guitar through an amp and the guitar you got has no pickup, that's a problem. If you need an amp with a great clean tone and you just got a 6505, that's a problem. You get the idea. Some things you can work around or modify, but specs can help rule out some gear that's just never going to work for you. I will say that as a guitar geek, I am generally excited by everything and try to give any instrument a chance.
You are right. Most published specs are vague and are only used as selling points. There are also trends on specs that are not well justified or tested; they come and go. Also there are endless discussions about specs that are fueled by different motives people have. Why is that? Simply because the vast majority of players don't exactly understand or know how these specs influence the instruments' practical / musical value (they are not supposed to; I know plenty of professional luthiers that also don't understand how these things work). Anyway, almost always you have to try before you buy or decide not to buy. That's the only safe approach, since you might be ignorant of the physics of these things but you can at least play and listen!
What a fantastic video as always Jack have a great day also happy first week of February from Canada old friend also today is my friend birthday February 2❤😊🎉
So funny that this topic is being talked about in this video. I have a Gibson Les Paul Classic which is a wonderful guitar. But I also have an Epiphone Les Paul Florentine that I play all the time. I play it in group jams, open mics and gigs. I just love the guitar. At times I think I wish it had the Gibson logo but then I think to myself you know what who cares I love this guitar and it sounds awesome. And I get a lot of compliments about the sound.
Completely agree. There are things I like and dislike about my guitars. America Standard Strat - A bit thin for me from frets 1 to 5, rest of the neck is great. Am Pro2 great from frets 1 to 7 maybe a bit too thick from there on......Epi Les Paul Custom - perfect neck but the guitar I play least, probably ergonomics. .... Epi Dot 335 =D shape, nice up and down the neck, nothing great, nothing terrible. I like them all, I just deal with it and make it work.
Neck thing is so true....I'm the opposite....recently traded away a great G&L ASAT with baseball neck yet always enjoyed playing it. Makes no sense..... Traded it for an aberrant Tele (HBucker in the neck...BluesBoy). Took the chance.....LOVE IT!! (Portland? You have my sympathy.)
I think it's so funny how no one ever mentions the human factor. The way a neck feels to any given player is obviously directly related to the size and dexterity of their hands! Years ago I dislocated the little finger on my left hand. That seriously affects the reach and ability of my chording, so I compensate. The same applies to hearing when it comes to pedals. Everyone's hearing is different... from slightly from drastically. Maybe you hear better in the higher frequencies or the lower freqs. Ultimately, your personal experience is the most important factor.
I won't buy a guitar or any other gear without knowing the specs. The specs are very important to know espically when you are ordering. If you go to a music store to try out new gear then that is a little different because you use feel, hearing and sight to tell you if the specs are right. That's right 1/16" makes a big difference on a neck. The output of the pickups. A lot of little details of the specs makes a difference.
Specs are for me a guideline. They let me know what I should try, even go out of my way to find. (Prs for example, i have to go 4 hours 1 way to find a store with any decent amount of prs stock.) And what I shouldn't worry about finding. (Poplar bodies for example, I'm fairly sure I won't like the the new standard strats due to them having poplar bodies like the silver sky se's) but once I'm at the store they don't have any say in the final purchase. Drove 4 hours to play a bunch of prs stuff, and was pretty certain I would like either the se dgt, se nf 3 or se swamp ash special. Ended up going home with a se pauls guitar. Going back to the new standard strats, if I ever see one at a good price I'll probably give it a try because maybe it'll end up better then I expect. I'll never say. I should go buy a sire online, because they have better specs then this player series I'm playing and like.
The other thing is changing out the pots. That is more work and frustration than it’s worth. Just get some decent pick ups a decent amp and you’ll be fine.
I think the take away here is, it’s ok to like different things. All of my Les Paul’s have different pickups from low output hum buckets to high output EMGs. I like fat necks on Gibsons, 60s style on Strats and Teles. Thin on Ibanez. If all my guitars were the same, I would own way less of them. I believe you would be the same way. I too have an SG with a fat neck that isn’t my favorite. I put pearly gates pickups in it.
@@JackFossettI'll have to get Brian to take thumbnail pictures for me if I ever do RUclips lol Just imagine: A channel where every thumbnail is this unnamed guy and it's just never addressed to the audience. I like that.
If sth. doesn’t bother me too much, like a neck (I like slimmer ones) even of it’s not in my taste, but the guitar sounds and plays great, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day.
Does this have to do with the new fender standard? Spec, price, and where its made, affects my buying decisions. There are some high spec Chinese guitar that are really affordable these days. Why go with a low specs expensive guitar.
No, just in general. I actually haven't checked out the specs on that one yet, but I do find it an odd offering from Fender - it's like they'll wind up hurting two of their other models.
@@dontwannhandle Unfortunately Sweetwater is half the world away. I'm in Hiroshima Japan. I suspect 99% of people can't make it to sweetwater on a regular basis to try out gear either.
Its no different than with people, or food....you judge each thing individually. You hand someone who says they dont like a certain neck,or width and think they need 8.5k pickups or a vibrato bar, and they may just love that guitar the most
Dead right. But how is anyone going to sell new guitars if they don't come with NewExpensiveFrets, NewExpensiveWood, special new hardware by GoToTheBank or that ExtraTollBridge?
There's no way on God's green earth that I would buy a guitar or amp without hands on trying it out first. Strings, picks, a new pedal? A tried and trusted cable or two? I'm always clicking to buy that kind of thing.
I've been considering converting to catholicism for 5 years. Been reading a lot. Studying a lot. Never considered the jokes. Seems I've got more studying to do.
I debated between Catholicism and the Children of the Rapture for a while. Rapture had better coffee which almost won me over, but in the end, the Catholic jokes were too good to pass up.
Your videos lack anything interesting or thought provoking and your delivery is BORING. Share more stories about the smug guy you smoked at golf though.......:((
The three most important things for me in a guitar are these, 1. How it looks, 2. How it looks and 3. How it looks, everything else is a toss up.
I completely agree. In my younger days I had clear preferences. Then I got into budget guitars which enabled me to try many different configurations including pickups and neck profile. I came to realize that I no longer have a steadfast preference. I like them all. Good video.
I played a Jim Dandy for two years at GC before I bought it on-line at Sweetwater. I am a hands on first type of guy. Thanks for the validation.
Weight - that’s something I now look for 👍
Thanks. I'm a senior citizen getting back into guitar and wanted a nice budget guitar. Listening to some of the folks on RUclips with their huge array of specs left me bewildered. I finally settled on a Tease Tele after watching your review and a couple others that simply pointed out that they were good guitars for the money. Thankfully, you were all correct. Thanks.
Precisely. The on-line dating analogy was spot on.
I walk into a shop and i try different ranges of what im looling for, i wanted a tele , tryed 5 or 6 different ones , walked out with a cv squire tele that had that feel for me. Its a personal thing , and if you shop open minded and not worry about name everyone will be a winner for you of all styles
For me, it depends... I've owned a lot of guitars, and I've eventually realized that very big necks aren't good for me. While I don't find them uncomfortable in general, certain chord shapes and stretches are too difficult for me to do cleanly on bigger necks because I have small hands. So I mostly avoid guitars with big necks, and big guitars in general (I'm a smaller guy). But I don't obsesses over other specs, such as fret sizes, the types of wood used, the kinds of pickup magnets, etc.
For me stainless steel is not that necessarry. Even How long does it take the nickel frets to wear out anyway. Especially if you have many guitars and play each of them once a week
Also my issue with people who want nitro because it ages faster - only if you play it hard and sweat on it every night under stage lights.
@JackFossett thats also true
Truly the only specs I care about anymore after trying to learn about guitar specs, is if it sounds good to me, and it has a comfortable neck. After that I stop
Great video as always, Jack!
You bring up a very interesting question. 🤔 The first question that must be answered is what kind of music will you play. Once you know that, then you can figure out what guitars are typically used for that kind of music. I say typically, because some music sounds great even when you don't associate it with a particular kind of guitar. For example, blues sounds unexpectedly fabulous on a classical nylon string guitar. Spec's should not be treated as preconceived; they should be treated as what a particular guitar has to offer in the way of style, quality, durability, and performance. If I can play a guitar or related gear and visually examine its build after some research on the materials used in the guitar, that's always the first choice, but it's often not possible as you said. Then you got to consider reviews by people who've bought the guitar or gear and find out what they like and don't like about the guitar or gear. That's a big reason why I watch your videos and others' videos; you're a very good guide. After that, you just have to pull the lever and buy it when the seller has a good return policy. 💪👊
I've always been a creature of habit. It's all about how the neck feels to me. One of my guitars has the perfect feel and its the one I play on 99% of the time. I know there's a few guitar players out there that prefer one particular guitar. When I was younger I wanted every kind of guitar out there but the older I get I don't see the need personally. Everyone is different.
Specs and your ability to enjoy your guitar are two separate things. They often overlap, but don't necessarily have to. Specs are important however because they define what the guitar (or any gear) is and what it is not. If your playing regulary needs a 22nd fret and the guitar you got only has 21, that's a problem. If you play your acoustic guitar through an amp and the guitar you got has no pickup, that's a problem. If you need an amp with a great clean tone and you just got a 6505, that's a problem. You get the idea. Some things you can work around or modify, but specs can help rule out some gear that's just never going to work for you. I will say that as a guitar geek, I am generally excited by everything and try to give any instrument a chance.
You are right. Most published specs are vague and are only used as selling points. There are also trends on specs that are not well justified or tested; they come and go. Also there are endless discussions about specs that are fueled by different motives people have. Why is that? Simply because the vast majority of players don't exactly understand or know how these specs influence the instruments' practical / musical value (they are not supposed to; I know plenty of professional luthiers that also don't understand how these things work). Anyway, almost always you have to try before you buy or decide not to buy. That's the only safe approach, since you might be ignorant of the physics of these things but you can at least play and listen!
What a fantastic video as always Jack have a great day also happy first week of February from Canada old friend also today is my friend birthday February 2❤😊🎉
I’m a neck guy…of course the pickups and pots too but I can fix those. The neck is the gem, just know it immediately.
Vintage specs tried and true are easy wins. The best vintage attributes are what have stuck around and are made well in new instruments.
So funny that this topic is being talked about in this video. I have a Gibson Les Paul Classic which is a wonderful guitar. But I also have an Epiphone Les Paul Florentine that I play all the time. I play it in group jams, open mics and gigs. I just love the guitar. At times I think I wish it had the Gibson logo but then I think to myself you know what who cares I love this guitar and it sounds awesome. And I get a lot of compliments about the sound.
Completely agree. There are things I like and dislike about my guitars. America Standard Strat - A bit thin for me from frets 1 to 5, rest of the neck is great. Am Pro2 great from frets 1 to 7 maybe a bit too thick from there on......Epi Les Paul Custom - perfect neck but the guitar I play least, probably ergonomics. .... Epi Dot 335 =D shape, nice up and down the neck, nothing great, nothing terrible. I like them all, I just deal with it and make it work.
Neck thing is so true....I'm the opposite....recently traded away a great G&L ASAT with baseball neck yet always enjoyed playing it. Makes no sense..... Traded it for an aberrant Tele (HBucker in the neck...BluesBoy). Took the chance.....LOVE IT!! (Portland? You have my sympathy.)
Well -- I don't live IN Portland. I have common sense. :-D
I think it's so funny how no one ever mentions the human factor. The way a neck feels to any given player is obviously directly related to the size and dexterity of their hands! Years ago I dislocated the little finger on my left hand. That seriously affects the reach and ability of my chording, so I compensate. The same applies to hearing when it comes to pedals. Everyone's hearing is different... from slightly from drastically. Maybe you hear better in the higher frequencies or the lower freqs. Ultimately, your personal experience is the most important factor.
I won't buy a guitar or any other gear without knowing the specs. The specs are very important to know espically when you are ordering. If you go to a music store to try out new gear then that is a little different because you use feel, hearing and sight to tell you if the specs are right. That's right 1/16" makes a big difference on a neck. The output of the pickups. A lot of little details of the specs makes a difference.
Specs are for me a guideline. They let me know what I should try, even go out of my way to find. (Prs for example, i have to go 4 hours 1 way to find a store with any decent amount of prs stock.) And what I shouldn't worry about finding. (Poplar bodies for example, I'm fairly sure I won't like the the new standard strats due to them having poplar bodies like the silver sky se's) but once I'm at the store they don't have any say in the final purchase. Drove 4 hours to play a bunch of prs stuff, and was pretty certain I would like either the se dgt, se nf 3 or se swamp ash special. Ended up going home with a se pauls guitar. Going back to the new standard strats, if I ever see one at a good price I'll probably give it a try because maybe it'll end up better then I expect.
I'll never say. I should go buy a sire online, because they have better specs then this player series I'm playing and like.
The other thing is changing out the pots. That is more work and frustration than it’s worth. Just get some decent pick ups a decent amp and you’ll be fine.
I think the take away here is, it’s ok to like different things. All of my Les Paul’s have different pickups from low output hum buckets to high output EMGs. I like fat necks on Gibsons, 60s style on Strats and Teles. Thin on Ibanez. If all my guitars were the same, I would own way less of them. I believe you would be the same way. I too have an SG with a fat neck that isn’t my favorite. I put pearly gates pickups in it.
Best thumbnail face on RUclips
Some guys got it, some guys don’t 🤷♂️
@@JackFossettI'll have to get Brian to take thumbnail pictures for me if I ever do RUclips lol
Just imagine: A channel where every thumbnail is this unnamed guy and it's just never addressed to the audience. I like that.
If sth. doesn’t bother me too much, like a neck (I like slimmer ones) even of it’s not in my taste, but the guitar sounds and plays great, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day.
I'm a hands on type guy. I like playing a guitar before I buy it.
I only care about the kicks ass spec.
👆
Does this have to do with the new fender standard?
Spec, price, and where its made, affects my buying decisions.
There are some high spec Chinese guitar that are really affordable these days. Why go with a low specs expensive guitar.
No, just in general. I actually haven't checked out the specs on that one yet, but I do find it an odd offering from Fender - it's like they'll wind up hurting two of their other models.
These days they won't let you test out gear in stores anyways, or they take it away after 5 minutes.
If you're in the area Sweetwater will set you up in a small sound room with a selection of amps.
@@dontwannhandle Unfortunately Sweetwater is half the world away. I'm in Hiroshima Japan. I suspect 99% of people can't make it to sweetwater on a regular basis to try out gear either.
Its no different than with people, or food....you judge each thing individually. You hand someone who says they dont like a certain neck,or width and think they need 8.5k pickups or a vibrato bar, and they may just love that guitar the most
Dead right.
But how is anyone going to sell new guitars if they don't come with NewExpensiveFrets, NewExpensiveWood, special new hardware by GoToTheBank or that ExtraTollBridge?
Became Catholic for the jokes 🤣
There's no way on God's green earth that I would buy a guitar or amp without hands on trying it out first. Strings, picks, a new pedal? A tried and trusted cable or two? I'm always clicking to buy that kind of thing.
Care about specs after you find a good one, not before.
Does your wife take kindly to picking a soul mate the same way you'd pick a guitar?
I've been considering converting to catholicism for 5 years. Been reading a lot. Studying a lot. Never considered the jokes. Seems I've got more studying to do.
I debated between Catholicism and the Children of the Rapture for a while. Rapture had better coffee which almost won me over, but in the end, the Catholic jokes were too good to pass up.
Jokes? Hmm? I'm Catholic so I don't have to drink all by myself. 🤷🏻♂️ 🍻 🎉🤣
I get your basic point, but that analogy was absolutely terrible.
People are much more complicated than guitars. And, hopefully, always will be.
Your videos lack anything interesting or thought provoking and your delivery is BORING. Share more stories about the smug guy you smoked at golf though.......:((
and yet you watch them, what does that say about you?
Your Mom doesent think he's boring.
@@SeanAllocca😂😂😂😂😂
@@johndaugherty4127😂😂😂😂😂
Watch something else dumbass