I own a true temperament Indonesian Strandberg and I haven’t been able to put it down in months. Light as a feather. More resonant than near anything I’ve ever held. Beautiful tones and supremely playable and fit/finished. Very very impressed
I own a South Korean made 8 string Strandberg (WMIC i think), and my experience is the same. Light as a feather and more resonant than any other electric i've played.
Completely agree on the Indonesian Guitar Factories quality level....and that they seem to be leading the others in improving quality levels & improving the way they are doing it. I've been very impressed with what I've seen.
I dont just see Indonesia as the future of guitars but the future of manufacturing, investment in indonesian manufacturing has incresed massivly in the last few years
My Indonesian made Squire Telecaster is currently my favourite guitar. It not only feels and sounds great but is by far the cheapest and best finished guitar I own.
Remember that cartoon, i think it's called "Snorks"? it was like underwater smurfs. The Parkers have always reminded me of that. Once you see it, it's impossible not to.
I think you're correct that we should be talking about each import factory separately rather than lumping everything together by country. There's definitely a lot of junk made in China but there's also really high end stuff like Eastman. I think since Gibson opened the Epiphone factory in China they just keep getting better and better. The current China made Epiphones are better than any of the older Korean ones that I've played. Fenders (actual Fender not Squire) have been made in the US, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and China. The factory can be indicative of quality but not always the country.
My Chapman ML-1 Modern Baritone, G&L Fallout Tribute Bass, Kramer "the '84" and Ltd. M-400 Gits are some of my FAVORITE axes. Nuff said there! Re EVH: I'm not overstating it when I say he IS one of the MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE in MODERN MUSIC...PERIOD! He CONCIEVED an amazing new sound, INVENTED the instrument(s) to play it on AND the MUSICAL GENRE to showcase it with (not to mention the IMPACT he had on the WORLD @ LARGE)!
Got a '13 vox phantom and '14 teardrop, the shortscale reissues made in Indonesia, they are a blast to play, have a classic tone, and have none of the balance issues of their long scale ancestors
Hey Phil. Really interested in the point(s) you made about Indonesian guitars and the future etc. I think you should do an update of that video you done several years back about about where various brands of guitars are made, factories etc
It doesn't really matter where a guitar is made, as long as the base material is of good quality, the workers have time to do a proper job and the QC is meticulous. Just look at certain US brands, that are fighting with bad QC for years now, even though the prices keep on climbing on those... I had a lot of solid Indonesian made guitars and never had much to do in them except a basic setup, which I do anyway on any guitar that I get. My bottom line is: Any factory is capable of producing great guitars, the only real differentiating factor between the manufacturing will be the QC.
My Indonesian Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster FMT HH in Black Cherry Burst came flawless. I can't leave it alone or stop looking at it. The frets are perfect. Intonation spot on. I could not be happier. If this guitar is any indication of Indonesian craftsmanship, I am down all the way.
I have the amber version! Its a fucking killer guitar! All my guitars are dark red or a variation of those colors, so im trying to trade my amber one for a black cherry burst. Im so jelly that you have one.
very good information about the Indonesian quality. Over the last several years I seek out those and have not been disappointed. I sadly can't say the same about the quality of the guitars coming out of my home state guitar factory in the southern U.S.
1:33:49 I purchased 3 superstrats and one DH LP style and a 6120 style new Ibanez guitars. All of them were purchased in the 2005 to 2014 time frame in Indonesia. They were in the $1,000 list price $500 sale priced guitars. Each one is fantastic in its own way for what it does. Even though I have upgraded them, they are still played, especially the S-470, oil mahogany, 24 fret, rosewood fretboard, FR style trem, ultra thin neck. It is such a super shredder and was delivered in perfect condition by the manufacturer. Sadly, all of those guitars are no longer available due to CITES.
Some of the best things about EVH Guitars from someone who owns a number of them, is the stubby short body style with the bridge set way back, the pickups and the Necks! Funnest most comfortable and enjoyable guitars you will ever play. Much like the musicman, it’s clear a lot of a guitar virtuoso’s thought went into the design. Agree, 100% a hard tail with 24 frets with a Wolfgang body and neck profile would be AMAZING!
Not to nitpick but actually Cor-Tek did not move to Indonesia due to problems with workers. They moved there to save money, laying off their Korean workers, who then sued them to show that the move had been unnecessary because Cor-Tek was profitable while in Korea. The SEs currently coming out of Indonesia are demonstrably as good as the Korean ones due in part to the presence of John Walker who was #2 at Fender for years (under Bill Schultz).
Fender should focus on building great guitars again instead of blacklisting channels who criticize them. The prices of their guitars have become way too high too
Phil, you are a true professional in my opinion. Thanks for your service to the musical community. You built your channel on being trustworthy and authentic, and there is no better foundation to build on. Your advice and content has been personally beneficial to me, helped me select instruments I truly love, educated me and continues to educate me. My little channel is now 272 subs strong and I am loving that also. I was inspired by you to start my channel, thanks my dude. Simply put, you rock and thanks from a friend on the beach in sunny Florida!
Got a Fender Am Pro II last summer. Needed a lot of work - high frets, unplayable setup, etc. Nothing that couldn't be fixed, but I had to pay someone to fix it up right. It plays amazingly well now. It's by far my number one guitar now!
I own a strandberg and it's on one of those spring loaded wall hangers that closes when there's weight on it. The hanger came with extra plastic to make the posts thicker for thin necked guitars. Worked perfectly. Nothing else necessary.
The label deep inside my Zager ZAD900CD says "Made in Jakarta, Indonesia". I think Zager sets them up or assembles them in the US. I've been playing guitar since 1968 and this one sounds really good. The Fishman Aura Pro is cool. I think it's worth the money and customer service was superb. I don't work for Zager and am not related to them.
I have 4 Indonesian guitars and they are all great. My favorite is my Kramer Baretta special. 150 bucks for a perfect neck and fretwork beautiful candy blue finish and awesome alnico humbucker.
I have a Strandberg, and if you flip a String Swing wall hanger upside down (prongs pointing downwards) the guitar hangs perfectly, safe and sound. No additional inserts needed.
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the 40th anniversary Jazz Bass that Squire released. Though the edges of the anodized aluminum pickguard were cut at 90 degrees exactly and while it wont cut you it feels like it almost might. You could peel a carrot with the edge. I also bought an Ultra American 2 Jazz in Texas Tea, the best color, that has a similar aluminum pickguard but it has a small chamfer to avoid this feeling that makes the Squire seem cheap. Actually I set up both basses to play fantastic but the fretwork on the Ultra is just beautifully finished and immaculate. Its all of the small details that add up to elevate the American guitar above the Squire. While one costs 4 times as much as the other you dont get many times the quality the way it used to be in the mid 70s when I started out. Boy there were some crappy cheap instruments back then. The first Squires were a notable difference back then. That being said I would have no problem gigging the 40th Anniversary Squire all night. New players have so many great choices in budget and mid priced instruments to choose from and Indonesian made instruments are a potential gold mine. Gibson and Fender need to watch out. While there will always be players who want that immaculately finished instrument it certainly is not necessary to spend a lot of money to get a nice instrument that will serve you well for years.
Phil, Check out Kingsley pedals & preamps. Not inexpensive, but the Harlot v3 OD is such a great pedal. My pick for best OD--the More stage on it, an EQ lift, is incredibly useful. I have a Page TS v2 coming in the mail too. Simon, the builder, is such a wonderful person and an incredibly gifted player as well. The real deal.
I recently bought a Hamer XT sunburst maple top - I think it's great - beautiful guitar - I replaced the bridge with a Schaller roller bridge - Made in Indonesia
I was just looking at a few guitars at Sweetwater. It looks like Squire Classic Vibes are made in Indonesia, at the Samick factory (ISS), and the Affinity's are made in China, also at a Samick Factory (CSS)......Four years, or so ago, I bought a new Squire VM70 Strat that was made in Indonesia, and was made by Cort (ICS)...At the time, Affinity's were $200, VM70's were $300, and Classic Vibes were $400.
I'm sorry Phillip, about the incident. My dad repaired and sold TVs 5 blocks south of Hollywood and we had people trying do dig in through the roof with a kitchen spoon and most tried and fail trying to steal TVs. My favorite times happen when stars of music, TV and movies came in like Mr. & Mrs. Roddenberry, John Lennon, TVs Adam's Family - Gomez, John Aston (he was my 1st star and I was 11) in his house while my dad was finishing up his repair, cool he put a cigar in my mouth, Gomez-WOW! I met Herb Albert and Charle Daniel's (his rig of trucks & RVs blocked all the traffic on North LaBra to buy batteries for his hand portable Sonny Walkman. It was fun!
Cort is known for their craftsmanship and quality of craftsmanship you're getting a professional quality crafted guitar from Cort facility whether its their own or making guitars for other brands professional quality either way
Thanks for the insight re: Indonesia. I have a lovely PRS SE Custom 24:8. That said, I have noticed on a couple of SE's I have tried these last couple of years that wiring is not always perfect - a recent 245 I tried in their dealers here had a silent neck pick-up. Won't stop me from trying a Tremonti SE that has recently popped up, though.
I recently purchased a LTD JM II, i was hesitant because of the cost and the fact it was made in indonesia, but after review the quality is A1, i could not find any flaws and it played great out of the box!
I agree completely about Indonesia. I have a pre se from Indonesia which is flawless. Just perfect. Similarly, a sterling cutlass ct-50 from indonesia which is also flawless. They both have the tangs on the frets trimmed back and have never had fret sprout. Meanwhile I’ve got a fender player Strat (Mexico) and a squire affinity tele (china) which are both astonishingly bad quality. They’ve both needed SO MUCH work from my tech. What a pain they both are. There’s no way the wood was cured properly on either of these guitars. The condescending excuse from fender about “weather” and “shipping” don’t hold up. Quality guitars from overseas don’t have those issues yet they experience the same or worse weather and shipping.
To add resistance to a pot wrap a rubber band around the shaft. Experiment with different size bands but multi wraps so it touches the body and drags a little. If it affects the finish it will be under the knob and not seen.
I have several Erine Ball and high end guitars. But my go to is a Indonesian Squire Strat. I picked it up new for $112.00 because the whammy bar was missing. I was going to mod it. I plugged it in and to this day all original. That was five years ago. The pick up has a great tone. It has a beautiful dark tabbacco burst with all black hardware. I have Indonesian Epi's and Sterlings all magnifcant. And I woulod buy a Wolfy Bass.
After the head less panel Ned Steinberger showed us a prototype of next guitar. Answered questions but no photos. No problem! Guitar builder/artist Steve Kline let me play an art guitar of his. Looked like a George Nakashima influence. Light, gorgeous, beautiful sound.
Re: NAMM I learned a great deal at the educator sessions. Played a ton of amazing guitars. Met cool people. Saw great artists. Saw a panel with Ola Strandberg and Ned Steinberger. Fender, Gibson, and PRS can kick rocks.
I have a Kramer Vintage that I recently bought, made in Indonesia and I was blown away with the quality. It's better out of the box than my Korean and US made guitars.
Same experience. I owned a Baretta vintage and featured it on my channel and the fretwork and set up was superb out of the box. It punched way above it’s class.
I got an Indonesian LTD M1000 from 2021 brand new. That guitar is very nice and well built. The quality, and the finish all White is perfect. Zero issue in the paint. I'm not afraid anymore to buy stuff from Indonesian factories, specially from the factory with the "IW" serial number, that factory where my LTD comes from!
If there is not enough friction on a CTS Pot (or other brands), you can put a rubber washer on the shaft under the knob so it squeezes the washer down. You can adjust the friction by how hard you seat the knob down. Foam can also be instead of a washer. I actually learned this from a Phil McKnight video.
29:30 Let’s not forget one major point. Les Paul not only invented one of the most recognizable guitar, but it also created the multi-track recording, which is the base of any recording system to date and how modern music evolved by having the option to record one musician at the time and not as a band all together. It lead to many technics used today in modern music (good or bad tho). Without Les Paul, we would still record song in one single pass with the whole band and singer playing in the same time, with no additional tracks, no additional effects…
To get this straight: if Les Paul hadn't pioneered multi-track recording, all progress would have stopped in this area and no one would ever have developed it, forever condemning the human race to record on one track? Sure... ( For the record, Ross Snyder invented the multi-track recorder, which he sold to Les Paul. Separately, Les Paul invented the Log, which is far from the most recognisable guitar. The folks at Gibson invented the "Les Paul" and then got Les to put his name to it).
Always enjoy your videos! Overall I think Indonesian guitars are well made and have better quality control than China. I have 16 guitars/basses - 3 USA, 2 Japan, 1 Korea, 2 Mexico, 5 Indonesian, and 3 China. I would rank the quality in the order I listed, with the USA, Japan , Korea, and Mexico as all being excellent requiring little to zero set-up, the Indonesian as being very good but needing a little adjustment, and the Chinese made being very inconsistent and requiring a lot of work on 2 of the 3 (my Hofner bass being surprisingly well made). For the Indonesian made guitars, it was the Squires that needed some work, the Gretsch and the Guild were excellent straight out of the box.
I've bought several guitars that were made in Indonesia. They're (1) Squier 60s Classic Vibe Telecaster Custom, and (2) Sterling by Music Man Albert Lee HH models. The Telecaster I changed the pickups to Fender 1964 Telecaster pickups and the control pots and pickup switch replaced with better CTS parts. I had the pickup cavities and control cavities grounded and shielded. I wanted to give it the correct period look, sound and feel. The (2) Sterling Albert Lees didn't need to be changed at all. The nuts, tuning machines, neck profiles, fretboard radius, pickups sound, weight, balance and body size were all just right for me. I'm thinking of getting a third Albert Lee this one has (2) P90 pickups and is in (3) new colors that will be coming out in early May, 2023.
I’ve always found Indonesian built guitars really good. I can’t remember picking up a bad one…I’ve tried some really bad Gibson and Fender American made guitars…It’s very odd you don’t get what you pay for with guitars….
I agree with your Fender comments. Bought a Fender Professional Series II precision bass in 2021 from guitar center online. Zero attempt to set it up. I can set up guitars so I did it myself. Had to do significant adjustments to the rod, bridge (height & intonation) and pickup height. Almost $1900 with tax. Shame on Fender and Guitar Center. So be prepared to have a setup done on your Fender regardless of the price.
Well, I never liked you until I found out you had a pickup truck LOL - just kidding - so much good information and content - love the channel - my wife says you're the only person she knows who can talk more than me but she actually watches your show so that's a good sign! All the best to you Phil
After dedicating decades of their labor in unventilated rooms full of fumes and solvent, enduring forced overtime and below-minimum wage pay, incurring injuries and lung diseases, and undergoing the abuse of their managers, these workers unionized to finally get minimum wage. Only a short time later, they found themselves padlocked out of their factory in Deajon and were forced to sign resignation papers. It turned out that Cort had moved its operations overseas, for much cheaper and non-unionized labor in Chinese and Indonesian factories.
I purchase American made products, made of American made components, when they are available…knowing they will cost substantially more than foreign made products. As an alternative, I will purchase products made in England, Europe, South Korea and Indonesia when an American made product isn’t available. I do not purchase Chinese made products, or products assembled elsewhere made of Chinese components, to the greatest extent possible. I want my dollars to stay here in America or go to friendly trading partners.
I have a Revv Lunchbox head G20 a high gain amp with 4 savable channels and 2 note torpedo software on board and a USB cable to go directly to the website & it operates at 4 Watts & 20Watts with an option of 1 clean channel & 3 gain channels. Loud enough to play in a full band, my gigging days are in the past, I use it at 4Watts at home with a 1 X 12. Light up amp & cabinet if desired. My brother won it's big brother 5 or 6 years ago on a Christmas giveaway a Generator 120(?). Much louder but also can be directly used in the same software with multiple cabs & reverb types. Look for a video by Shawn Tubbs who is heavily involved with them & demos many of their amps & pedals. I'm VERY pleased with my G20! I wish there were small amps like that 20 years ago when I was playing live, hauling my gear home in the wee hours of the morning wouldn't have been nearly as much of an ordeal!
I held out on buying a Prestige until they finally started offering stainless frets. I feel they were dragged into that reluctantly because of the Indonesian and Korean offerings.
I disagree a bit about roasted necks. I have a guitar with 3 piece maple and ebony fretboard. One with maple/rosewood, one maple/maple, and a Warmoth build with roasted maple. That Warmoth is the only guitar i never have to tune when i pick it up. They all have floating bridges. Plus i live in Florida. Id also add the feel of roasted maple without a finish is second to none and looks fantastic. Figured Roasted maple will always be my first choice for stability and looks
I have 3 Warmoth 5 string basses, 2 Jazz and one Gecko bass. I bought them all used and all cost around $750. These necks are all fitted with either a pair of steel rods imbedded into the neck on both sides of the truss rod or for an upcharge you can get carbon fiber rods installed to save weight. These "Warmoth Super Bass" necks are what makes the tuning so stable. Roasted maple looks great for sure but while it does add tuning stability for many instruments from all makers I do believe that is the stabilising rods on a Warmoth neck that is truly responsible on the Warmoth instrument. One of my Warmoths is a solid walnut body with a bubinga neck and cocobolo fretboard and the whole instrument is finished with gunstock oil. I only mention this because I really like the warmth of that neck because there is no Poly or even lacquer between me and the wood. Roasted Maple necks do the same thing because they dont require a heavy finish and give that same nice feeling. Another nice thing is that small dings can more easily get steamed out or even sanded down and re oiled and look great.
You find excellent craftsmanship in every country on this planet, and that's what I look at rather than letting my politics steer my thinking. I'm fortunate that I can cork the political bottle long enough to make a decision on an instrument, but I sure know a lot of folks who have no idea where the cork is. They lost it long ago.
I feel compelled to correct the record on one thing here. You mentioned that Les Paul invented one of the greatest guitars of all time. Actually, the first Les Paul guitar model was designed by Gibson FOR Les to use. Les actually didn't have much of a hand in the design of the original Les Paul guitar. I know this because I'm reading a book called "The Birth of Loud," which is all about the early history of the solid body electric guitar in the 40s and 50s and the competition between Fender and Gibson at the. Very informative and eye opening book.
Ahhh better check, Gibson used the design that Les had taken to them previously, and consulted with him during the process. They were reluctant to build solid body, but because Fender were so popular they were forced to build it. They built it based on Les original designs, and gave it to him, calling it the Les paul because of Les and his wifes huge popularity and exposure. This garnered from Les Paul interviews.
@@markhill9275 it's also important to note that Les Paul was more then happy to take credit for things that weren't really his. He did it many times throughout his career on many things (this is talked about at length throughout the book "The Birth of Loud"). So when he said later in life in interviews that the Les Paul design was his, he was knowingly being dishonest. Les Paul was, unfortunately, not an upstanding guy. Mary Ford divorced him because he was mean to her and overworked her. After reading that book and learning about the kind of person he really was, I lost respect for him.
EVH nearly became a Parker endorsee but apparently he wanted the rights to the shape as well, which Ken Parker /Korg refused to give up. Peavey conceded the shape rights so eddie went with them (hence why when the peavey deal ended, eddie took the shape for his own company)
I moved from Coachella Ca to East Texas and it rains about every three days here so far. This is playing havoc with my guitars. Intonation is a distant memory on my acoustics. I think the truss rod adjustment would help but I have trepidations. I ruined a Strat plus neck once.
Get a dehumidifier. I'm in the Texas Hill Country, and it's still necessary here. Primarily have it for my wife's pianos, but still. Keeping guitars in the case helps too. Had to have my archtop repaired this year from humidity damage from when I had it hanging on the wall (damage occured before we got the dehumidifier).
@@Vykk_Draygo Someone at the music store recommended a dehumidifier and keeping it in the case (pain in ass) I think also that the truss rod might not help, i need to intonate at the bridge and thats not going to happen with acoustics. There doesn't seem to be any kind of Tune 'O' Matics for dreadnoughts?
Gotta say, went back through the comments on the Squier video and did not see one negative comment. If there's any negativity on the comments, it's tough to find. Phil, unless you pull a "Fluff" and refuse to apologize to a Reverb seller you falsely outed for selling illegitimate products or advertise for Better Help like the guitar playing "Sharon" Stevie T.....I think you'll be okay. Keep up the good work buddy.
I must have been extremely unlucky buying two "top of the line" Cort guitars and both had many severe issues. Real issues. Thomann that I bought from did cooperate (except total lack of inspection and very poor packaging for shipment) but the fact is the guitars were not very good. I returned the first one, but kept the replacement once Thomann gave some discount. I fixed it myself, and only for this reason I decided to keep it
Most of my mains for many different applications are Ibanez guitars from the higher end Indonesian lines, I must say the quality is definitely there! I'm even more impressed by the more standard lines from them for around 500$ they're making now. I used to own one from 2008 that was pure crap, now I tried a few and now I want one for a mod project :)
I own a couple Indonesia made Squier Telecasters, and they are killer quality made instruments! So much so that I've played the American made equivalent versions, and considering they are usually 3x or more the price, they quality differential in assembly is negligible! I also own a 2006 FGN made Epiphone Les Paul Special that has an Gibson style headstock. It is a Japanese domestic market version that was not intended for export, but someone bought it and brought back to North America with them and I bought used from the second owner. Same thing that the quality of it outstanding so much so I have no desire to have a Gibson version, unless someone wanted to trade a vintage one for it. Wouldn't even entertain a Gibson version made within the last 20 years as a trade for my Japanese Epiphone Les Paul Special.
I own a true temperament Indonesian Strandberg and I haven’t been able to put it down in months. Light as a feather. More resonant than near anything I’ve ever held. Beautiful tones and supremely playable and fit/finished. Very very impressed
I own a South Korean made 8 string Strandberg (WMIC i think), and my experience is the same. Light as a feather and more resonant than any other electric i've played.
Love the guitar wall for this episode!
Thanks for hanging out with us Phil.
Can u fix a stripp nut in a Clapton neck
Completely agree on the Indonesian Guitar Factories quality level....and that they seem to be leading the others in improving quality levels & improving the way they are doing it. I've been very impressed with what I've seen.
I dont just see Indonesia as the future of guitars but the future of manufacturing, investment in indonesian manufacturing has incresed massivly in the last few years
My Indonesian made Squire Telecaster is currently my favourite guitar. It not only feels and sounds great but is by far the cheapest and best finished guitar I own.
Remember that cartoon, i think it's called "Snorks"? it was like underwater smurfs. The Parkers have always reminded me of that. Once you see it, it's impossible not to.
Not only do I remember that show, but I started singing the theme song in my head when I read your comment! 😂😂😂
I have 3 Indonesian made EVH Wolfgang Standards. They are nearly perfect guitars out of the box. Amazed at the quality.
I think you're correct that we should be talking about each import factory separately rather than lumping everything together by country. There's definitely a lot of junk made in China but there's also really high end stuff like Eastman. I think since Gibson opened the Epiphone factory in China they just keep getting better and better. The current China made Epiphones are better than any of the older Korean ones that I've played. Fenders (actual Fender not Squire) have been made in the US, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and China. The factory can be indicative of quality but not always the country.
My Chapman ML-1 Modern Baritone, G&L Fallout Tribute Bass, Kramer "the '84" and Ltd. M-400 Gits are some of my FAVORITE axes. Nuff said there! Re EVH: I'm not overstating it when I say he IS one of the MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE in MODERN MUSIC...PERIOD! He CONCIEVED an amazing new sound, INVENTED the instrument(s) to play it on AND the MUSICAL GENRE to showcase it with (not to mention the IMPACT he had on the WORLD @ LARGE)!
Got a '13 vox phantom and '14 teardrop, the shortscale reissues made in Indonesia, they are a blast to play, have a classic tone, and have none of the balance issues of their long scale ancestors
Hey Phil. Really interested in the point(s) you made about Indonesian guitars and the future etc. I think you should do an update of that video you done several years back about about where various brands of guitars are made, factories etc
It doesn't really matter where a guitar is made, as long as the base material is of good quality, the workers have time to do a proper job and the QC is meticulous.
Just look at certain US brands, that are fighting with bad QC for years now, even though the prices keep on climbing on those...
I had a lot of solid Indonesian made guitars and never had much to do in them except a basic setup, which I do anyway on any guitar that I get.
My bottom line is:
Any factory is capable of producing great guitars, the only real differentiating factor between the manufacturing will be the QC.
I love, love, love the Parker Fly. Wish I could get my hands on one for a price I could afford.
My Indonesian Fender Special Edition Custom Telecaster FMT HH in Black Cherry Burst came flawless. I can't leave it alone or stop looking at it. The frets are perfect. Intonation spot on. I could not be happier. If this guitar is any indication of Indonesian craftsmanship, I am down all the way.
I have the amber version! Its a fucking killer guitar! All my guitars are dark red or a variation of those colors, so im trying to trade my amber one for a black cherry burst. Im so jelly that you have one.
thats r one of my favorites lookin guitar, cuz it combine all my favorites things on a one guitar
Love the color the finger board and the sound 🔊. Sounds awesome Robert
I have several Ibanez RGs from Indonesia, including a Premium, they are fantastic!
very good information about the Indonesian quality. Over the last several years I seek out those and have not been disappointed. I sadly can't say the same about the quality of the guitars coming out of my home state guitar factory in the southern U.S.
1:33:49 I purchased 3 superstrats and one DH LP style and a 6120 style new Ibanez guitars. All of them were purchased in the 2005 to 2014 time frame in Indonesia. They were in the $1,000 list price $500 sale priced guitars. Each one is fantastic in its own way for what it does. Even though I have upgraded them, they are still played, especially the S-470, oil mahogany, 24 fret, rosewood fretboard, FR style trem, ultra thin neck. It is such a super shredder and was delivered in perfect condition by the manufacturer. Sadly, all of those guitars are no longer available due to CITES.
What woods were used in them that you can't use now?
@@JohnOShaughnessy Rosewood fretboards
Some of the best things about EVH Guitars from someone who owns a number of them, is the stubby short body style with the bridge set way back, the pickups and the Necks!
Funnest most comfortable and enjoyable guitars you will ever play.
Much like the musicman, it’s clear a lot of a guitar virtuoso’s thought went into the design.
Agree, 100% a hard tail with 24 frets with a Wolfgang body and neck profile would be AMAZING!
Just picked up a Cort X700 Duality and it is an absolutely fantastic guitar. Hard to believe the quality you get for the money.
Not to nitpick but actually
Cor-Tek did not move to Indonesia due to problems with workers. They moved there to save money, laying off their Korean workers, who then sued them to show that the move had been unnecessary because Cor-Tek was profitable while in Korea.
The SEs currently coming out of Indonesia are demonstrably as good as the Korean ones due in part to the presence of John Walker who was #2 at Fender for years (under Bill Schultz).
Man, just wanted to say thanks for the great content every week; you continue to raise my guitar IQ all the time!
Fender should focus on building great guitars again instead of blacklisting channels who criticize them. The prices of their guitars have become way too high too
Phil, you are a true professional in my opinion. Thanks for your service to the musical community. You built your channel on being trustworthy and authentic, and there is no better foundation to build on. Your advice and content has been personally beneficial to me, helped me select instruments I truly love, educated me and continues to educate me. My little channel is now 272 subs strong and I am loving that also. I was inspired by you to start my channel, thanks my dude. Simply put, you rock and thanks from a friend on the beach in sunny Florida!
Got a Fender Am Pro II last summer. Needed a lot of work - high frets, unplayable setup, etc. Nothing that couldn't be fixed, but I had to pay someone to fix it up right. It plays amazingly well now. It's by far my number one guitar now!
I own a strandberg and it's on one of those spring loaded wall hangers that closes when there's weight on it. The hanger came with extra plastic to make the posts thicker for thin necked guitars. Worked perfectly. Nothing else necessary.
The label deep inside my Zager ZAD900CD says "Made in Jakarta, Indonesia". I think Zager sets them up or assembles them in the US. I've been playing guitar since 1968 and this one sounds really good. The Fishman Aura Pro is cool. I think it's worth the money and customer service was superb. I don't work for Zager and am not related to them.
I have 4 Indonesian guitars and they are all great. My favorite is my Kramer Baretta special. 150 bucks for a perfect neck and fretwork beautiful candy blue finish and awesome alnico humbucker.
"That tree doesn't even know its dead yet..."
😂😂😂
I have a Strandberg, and if you flip a String Swing wall hanger upside down (prongs pointing downwards) the guitar hangs perfectly, safe and sound. No additional inserts needed.
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the 40th anniversary Jazz Bass that Squire released. Though the edges of the anodized aluminum pickguard were cut at 90 degrees exactly and while it wont cut you it feels like it almost might. You could peel a carrot with the edge. I also bought an Ultra American 2 Jazz in Texas Tea, the best color, that has a similar aluminum pickguard but it has a small chamfer to avoid this feeling that makes the Squire seem cheap. Actually I set up both basses to play fantastic but the fretwork on the Ultra is just beautifully finished and immaculate. Its all of the small details that add up to elevate the American guitar above the Squire. While one costs 4 times as much as the other you dont get many times the quality the way it used to be in the mid 70s when I started out. Boy there were some crappy cheap instruments back then. The first Squires were a notable difference back then. That being said I would have no problem gigging the 40th Anniversary Squire all night. New players have so many great choices in budget and mid priced instruments to choose from and Indonesian made instruments are a potential gold mine. Gibson and Fender need to watch out. While there will always be players who want that immaculately finished instrument it certainly is not necessary to spend a lot of money to get a nice instrument that will serve you well for years.
I just bought a 40th anniversary Squire Stratocaster in ruby red a couple of days ago. It has become my favorite electric guitar in my collection.
Got my KYG shirt years ago and love it. Held up very well, wear it all the time. Saw another camper at a festival wearing their’s too. Cool!!!
Phil,
Check out Kingsley pedals & preamps. Not inexpensive, but the Harlot v3 OD is such a great pedal. My pick for best OD--the More stage on it, an EQ lift, is incredibly useful. I have a Page TS v2 coming in the mail too. Simon, the builder, is such a wonderful person and an incredibly gifted player as well. The real deal.
I recently bought a Hamer XT sunburst maple top - I think it's great - beautiful guitar - I replaced the bridge with a Schaller roller bridge - Made in Indonesia
I was just looking at a few guitars at Sweetwater. It looks like Squire Classic Vibes are made in Indonesia, at the Samick factory (ISS), and the Affinity's are made in China, also at a Samick Factory (CSS)......Four years, or so ago, I bought a new Squire VM70 Strat that was made in Indonesia, and was made by Cort (ICS)...At the time, Affinity's were $200, VM70's were $300, and Classic Vibes were $400.
My Indonesian PRS beat all competitors for versatility, playability, cosmetics & price.
Really cool idea about the two guitars. Hope to see it.
I'm sorry Phillip, about the incident. My dad repaired and sold TVs 5 blocks south of Hollywood and we had people trying do dig in through the roof with a kitchen spoon and most tried and fail trying to steal TVs. My favorite times happen when stars of music, TV and movies came in like Mr. & Mrs. Roddenberry, John Lennon, TVs Adam's Family - Gomez, John Aston (he was my 1st star and I was 11) in his house while my dad was finishing up his repair, cool he put a cigar in my mouth, Gomez-WOW! I met Herb Albert and Charle Daniel's (his rig of trucks & RVs blocked all the traffic on North LaBra to buy batteries for his hand portable Sonny Walkman. It was fun!
Cort is known for their craftsmanship and quality of craftsmanship you're getting a professional quality crafted guitar from Cort facility whether its their own or making guitars for other brands professional quality either way
Brilliant thanks for clearing up how the gunman got caught, love your videos and your knowledge of guitars etc, 😎.
Thanks for the insight re: Indonesia. I have a lovely PRS SE Custom 24:8. That said, I have noticed on a couple of SE's I have tried these last couple of years that wiring is not always perfect - a recent 245 I tried in their dealers here had a silent neck pick-up. Won't stop me from trying a Tremonti SE that has recently popped up, though.
I recently purchased a LTD JM II, i was hesitant because of the cost and the fact it was made in indonesia, but after review the quality is A1, i could not find any flaws and it played great out of the box!
I do love my Yamaha Revstar RSS20... made in indonesia! 👍
I agree completely about Indonesia.
I have a pre se from Indonesia which is flawless. Just perfect.
Similarly, a sterling cutlass ct-50 from indonesia which is also flawless. They both have the tangs on the frets trimmed back and have never had fret sprout.
Meanwhile I’ve got a fender player Strat (Mexico) and a squire affinity tele (china) which are both astonishingly bad quality. They’ve both needed SO MUCH work from my tech. What a pain they both are.
There’s no way the wood was cured properly on either of these guitars.
The condescending excuse from fender about “weather” and “shipping” don’t hold up. Quality guitars from overseas don’t have those issues yet they experience the same or worse weather and shipping.
To add resistance to a pot wrap a rubber band around the shaft. Experiment with different size bands but multi wraps so it touches the body and drags a little. If it affects the finish it will be under the knob and not seen.
To increase tension on a pot you can always try the trick of putting an O-ring under the knob. If it doesn't work, you're only out a couple of cents.
My Squire classic vibe telecaster dude you can't ask for nothing better I'm so happy with it
I have several Erine Ball and high end guitars. But my go to is a Indonesian Squire Strat. I picked it up new for $112.00 because the whammy bar was missing. I was going to mod it. I plugged it in and to this day all original. That was five years ago. The pick up has a great tone. It has a beautiful dark tabbacco burst with all black hardware. I have Indonesian Epi's and Sterlings all magnifcant. And I woulod buy a Wolfy Bass.
Fantastic dagan boy ugot alot of talking skills on that review that was just super nice equipment for 2023❤ thanks yer the best 🎉
After the head less panel Ned Steinberger showed us a prototype of next guitar. Answered questions but no photos. No problem! Guitar builder/artist Steve Kline let me play an art guitar of his. Looked like a George Nakashima influence. Light, gorgeous, beautiful sound.
Very true about guitars made in Indonesia. I have Squires, Yamahas, and Sterling by Music Man. All are superb.
I *love* that Parker. I am so jelly.
Re: NAMM I learned a great deal at the educator sessions. Played a ton of amazing guitars. Met cool people. Saw great artists. Saw a panel with Ola Strandberg and Ned Steinberger. Fender, Gibson, and PRS can kick rocks.
Bacchus have a factory in the Philipines -its is basically japanese because it has the same quality control-just a different landscape.
I have a Kramer Vintage that I recently bought, made in Indonesia and I was blown away with the quality. It's better out of the box than my Korean and US made guitars.
Same experience. I owned a Baretta vintage and featured it on my channel and the fretwork and set up was superb out of the box. It punched way above it’s class.
Nice man. It’s become my favorite guitar
There is no future Phil, we are just having some fun with the time we have left.
Going down swinging like Benny Goodman and Sonny Liston
Amen
I got an Indonesian LTD M1000 from 2021 brand new. That guitar is very nice and well built. The quality, and the finish all White is perfect. Zero issue in the paint. I'm not afraid anymore to buy stuff from Indonesian factories, specially from the factory with the "IW" serial number, that factory where my LTD comes from!
The Korean M1000s are far superior
If there is not enough friction on a CTS Pot (or other brands), you can put a rubber washer on the shaft under the knob so it squeezes the washer down. You can adjust the friction by how hard you seat the knob down. Foam can also be instead of a washer. I actually learned this from a Phil McKnight video.
I usually want less friction
29:30 Let’s not forget one major point. Les Paul not only invented one of the most recognizable guitar, but it also created the multi-track recording, which is the base of any recording system to date and how modern music evolved by having the option to record one musician at the time and not as a band all together. It lead to many technics used today in modern music (good or bad tho). Without Les Paul, we would still record song in one single pass with the whole band and singer playing in the same time, with no additional tracks, no additional effects…
To get this straight: if Les Paul hadn't pioneered multi-track recording, all progress would have stopped in this area and no one would ever have developed it, forever condemning the human race to record on one track? Sure...
( For the record, Ross Snyder invented the multi-track recorder, which he sold to Les Paul.
Separately, Les Paul invented the Log, which is far from the most recognisable guitar. The folks at Gibson invented the "Les Paul" and then got Les to put his name to it).
It would have been invented by someone else at the same time
Thank God the young man never fired the weapon.
Didn’t Mr. Rogers do factory tours too?! No knock on Lavar Burton, but let’s not leave out the man in the red sweater! 😎💯
When you said KYG picks, I honestly though you were saying pics and were going to hold up some snaps.
Hahaha koodos to your wife for having you "expand" the gun wielding dude story! Sweet Columbo ending!
We love you🇲🇨
Always enjoy your videos! Overall I think Indonesian guitars are well made and have better quality control than China. I have 16 guitars/basses - 3 USA, 2 Japan, 1 Korea, 2 Mexico, 5 Indonesian, and 3 China. I would rank the quality in the order I listed, with the USA, Japan , Korea, and Mexico as all being excellent requiring little to zero set-up, the Indonesian as being very good but needing a little adjustment, and the Chinese made being very inconsistent and requiring a lot of work on 2 of the 3 (my Hofner bass being surprisingly well made). For the Indonesian made guitars, it was the Squires that needed some work, the Gretsch and the Guild were excellent straight out of the box.
I've bought several guitars that were made in Indonesia. They're (1) Squier 60s Classic Vibe Telecaster Custom, and (2) Sterling by Music Man Albert Lee HH models. The Telecaster I changed the pickups to Fender 1964 Telecaster pickups and the control pots and pickup switch replaced with better CTS parts. I had the pickup cavities and control cavities grounded and shielded. I wanted to give it the correct period look, sound and feel. The (2) Sterling Albert Lees didn't need to be changed at all. The nuts, tuning machines, neck profiles, fretboard radius, pickups sound, weight, balance and body size were all just right for me. I'm thinking of getting a third Albert Lee this one has (2) P90 pickups and is in (3) new colors that will be coming out in early May, 2023.
❤ always informative
Hey Phil, I’ll 3D print an insert for you, that would be awesome!
I love 3-piece necks. They never twist and once adjusted they stay stable for a lifetime.
I have a Premium Ibanez RG with a 5 piece maple/walnut neck, best neck I own!
34:33 Notwithstanding, Budda Amps has its own website, Peavey still shows the Budda logo on its website and shows their amps for sale.
Regarding NAAM, I suggested Devon Basses before. He was at the show and does have unique features. You should look at his stuff.
My Indonesian Cort is absolutely amazing. The build quality is top notch!
Acoustic or electric ?
@@stringrip electric - the G300 Pro.
I’ve always found Indonesian built guitars really good. I can’t remember picking up a bad one…I’ve tried some really bad Gibson and Fender American made guitars…It’s very odd you don’t get what you pay for with guitars….
A roasted maple 5 piece neck with graphite rods sounds awesome
Japanese companies like Yamaha, Ibanez, ESP, Fujigen/FGN had a big presence at NAMM.
I agree with your Fender comments. Bought a Fender Professional Series II precision bass in 2021 from guitar center online. Zero attempt to set it up. I can set up guitars so I did it myself. Had to do significant adjustments to the rod, bridge (height & intonation) and pickup height. Almost $1900 with tax. Shame on Fender and Guitar Center. So be prepared to have a setup done on your Fender regardless of the price.
Well, I never liked you until I found out you had a pickup truck LOL - just kidding - so much good information and content - love the channel - my wife says you're the only person she knows who can talk more than me but she actually watches your show so that's a good sign! All the best to you Phil
After dedicating decades of their labor in unventilated rooms full of fumes and solvent, enduring forced overtime and below-minimum wage pay, incurring injuries and lung diseases, and undergoing the abuse of their managers, these workers unionized to finally get minimum wage.
Only a short time later, they found themselves padlocked out of their factory in Deajon and were forced to sign resignation papers. It turned out that Cort had moved its operations overseas, for much cheaper and non-unionized labor in Chinese and Indonesian factories.
Yes. Thanks for stating this -- it shouldn't be forgotten.
Great show brother
I purchase American made products, made of American made components, when they are available…knowing they will cost substantially more than foreign made products. As an alternative, I will purchase products made in England, Europe, South Korea and Indonesia when an American made product isn’t available. I do not purchase Chinese made products, or products assembled elsewhere made of Chinese components, to the greatest extent possible. I want my dollars to stay here in America or go to friendly trading partners.
Phil, You can use Deoxit Fader to put the friction back in the pot.
I have a Revv Lunchbox head G20 a high gain amp with 4 savable channels and 2 note torpedo software on board and a USB cable to go directly to the website & it operates at 4 Watts & 20Watts with an option of 1 clean channel & 3 gain channels. Loud enough to play in a full band, my gigging days are in the past, I use it at 4Watts at home with a 1 X 12. Light up amp & cabinet if desired. My brother won it's big brother 5 or 6 years ago on a Christmas giveaway a Generator 120(?). Much louder but also can be directly used in the same software with multiple cabs & reverb types. Look for a video by Shawn Tubbs who is heavily involved with them & demos many of their amps & pedals. I'm VERY pleased with my G20! I wish there were small amps like that 20 years ago when I was playing live, hauling my gear home in the wee hours of the morning wouldn't have been nearly as much of an ordeal!
I held out on buying a Prestige until they finally started offering stainless frets. I feel they were dragged into that reluctantly because of the Indonesian and Korean offerings.
Robert Lynn has good RUclips videos on pedals
I disagree a bit about roasted necks. I have a guitar with 3 piece maple and ebony fretboard. One with maple/rosewood, one maple/maple, and a Warmoth build with roasted maple. That Warmoth is the only guitar i never have to tune when i pick it up. They all have floating bridges. Plus i live in Florida. Id also add the feel of roasted maple without a finish is second to none and looks fantastic. Figured Roasted maple will always be my first choice for stability and looks
I have 3 Warmoth 5 string basses, 2 Jazz and one Gecko bass. I bought them all used and all cost around $750. These necks are all fitted with either a pair of steel rods imbedded into the neck on both sides of the truss rod or for an upcharge you can get carbon fiber rods installed to save weight. These "Warmoth Super Bass" necks are what makes the tuning so stable. Roasted maple looks great for sure but while it does add tuning stability for many instruments from all makers I do believe that is the stabilising rods on a Warmoth neck that is truly responsible on the Warmoth instrument. One of my Warmoths is a solid walnut body with a bubinga neck and cocobolo fretboard and the whole instrument is finished with gunstock oil. I only mention this because I really like the warmth of that neck because there is no Poly or even lacquer between me and the wood. Roasted Maple necks do the same thing because they dont require a heavy finish and give that same nice feeling. Another nice thing is that small dings can more easily get steamed out or even sanded down and re oiled and look great.
Warmoth two matching guitars? Very strong yes!
You find excellent craftsmanship in every country on this planet, and that's what I look at rather than letting my politics steer my thinking. I'm fortunate that I can cork the political bottle long enough to make a decision on an instrument, but I sure know a lot of folks who have no idea where the cork is. They lost it long ago.
I feel compelled to correct the record on one thing here. You mentioned that Les Paul invented one of the greatest guitars of all time. Actually, the first Les Paul guitar model was designed by Gibson FOR Les to use. Les actually didn't have much of a hand in the design of the original Les Paul guitar. I know this because I'm reading a book called "The Birth of Loud," which is all about the early history of the solid body electric guitar in the 40s and 50s and the competition between Fender and Gibson at the. Very informative and eye opening book.
Ahhh better check, Gibson used the design that Les had taken to them previously, and consulted with him during the process. They were reluctant to build solid body, but because Fender were so popular they were forced to build it. They built it based on Les original designs, and gave it to him, calling it the Les paul because of Les and his wifes huge popularity and exposure. This garnered from Les Paul interviews.
@@markhill9275 it's also important to note that Les Paul was more then happy to take credit for things that weren't really his. He did it many times throughout his career on many things (this is talked about at length throughout the book "The Birth of Loud"). So when he said later in life in interviews that the Les Paul design was his, he was knowingly being dishonest. Les Paul was, unfortunately, not an upstanding guy. Mary Ford divorced him because he was mean to her and overworked her. After reading that book and learning about the kind of person he really was, I lost respect for him.
EVH nearly became a Parker endorsee but apparently he wanted the rights to the shape as well, which Ken Parker /Korg refused to give up. Peavey conceded the shape rights so eddie went with them (hence why when the peavey deal ended, eddie took the shape for his own company)
I moved from Coachella Ca to East Texas and it rains about every three days here so far. This is playing havoc with my guitars. Intonation is a distant memory on my acoustics. I think the truss rod adjustment would help but I have trepidations. I ruined a Strat plus neck once.
Get a dehumidifier. I'm in the Texas Hill Country, and it's still necessary here. Primarily have it for my wife's pianos, but still. Keeping guitars in the case helps too. Had to have my archtop repaired this year from humidity damage from when I had it hanging on the wall (damage occured before we got the dehumidifier).
@@Vykk_Draygo Someone at the music store recommended a dehumidifier and keeping it in the case (pain in ass) I think also that the truss rod might not help, i need to intonate at the bridge and thats not going to happen with acoustics. There doesn't seem to be any kind of Tune 'O' Matics for dreadnoughts?
Gotta say, went back through the comments on the Squier video and did not see one negative comment. If there's any negativity on the comments, it's tough to find. Phil, unless you pull a "Fluff" and refuse to apologize to a Reverb seller you falsely outed for selling illegitimate products or advertise for Better Help like the guitar playing "Sharon" Stevie T.....I think you'll be okay. Keep up the good work buddy.
wave of the future, wave of the future, wave of the future
I must have been extremely unlucky buying two "top of the line" Cort guitars and both had many severe issues. Real issues. Thomann that I bought from did cooperate (except total lack of inspection and very poor packaging for shipment) but the fact is the guitars were not very good.
I returned the first one, but kept the replacement once Thomann gave some discount. I fixed it myself, and only for this reason I decided to keep it
I have a Faith electro acoustic guitar made in Indonesia. I can't fault it. Looks, feels and sounds amazing.
I always loved them but never had the chance to try one. Which model did you buy ?
@@TonyHawkTuah I bought the Natural Venus Electro cutaway. Engleman Spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides and ebony fretboard.
My Silver Sky SE is a solid well made guitar, fretwork is amazing
Most of my mains for many different applications are Ibanez guitars from the higher end Indonesian lines, I must say the quality is definitely there!
I'm even more impressed by the more standard lines from them for around 500$ they're making now. I used to own one from 2008 that was pure crap, now I tried a few and now I want one for a mod project :)
Cream guitars were one of the highlights of NAMM
I ordered the Hyper Switch. Not thrilled about having to use a 9 volt. But definitely is interesting.
I own a couple Indonesia made Squier Telecasters, and they are killer quality made instruments! So much so that I've played the American made equivalent versions, and considering they are usually 3x or more the price, they quality differential in assembly is negligible! I also own a 2006 FGN made Epiphone Les Paul Special that has an Gibson style headstock. It is a Japanese domestic market version that was not intended for export, but someone bought it and brought back to North America with them and I bought used from the second owner. Same thing that the quality of it outstanding so much so I have no desire to have a Gibson version, unless someone wanted to trade a vintage one for it. Wouldn't even entertain a Gibson version made within the last 20 years as a trade for my Japanese Epiphone Les Paul Special.
Wow proud to be indonesian
I just got a Fender Dave Murray sig. Hideous setup and huge fret sprout. All fixable, plays great now