WARNING: This Guitar Sounds TERRIBLE!!
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 07. 2024
- Out of the box, the Harley Benton Actives are terrible. However, with a little bit of work, they can be salvaged into something playable! See for yourself at this affiliate link: www.thomannmusic.com/harley_b...
0:00 At the Table
1:17 Continuity Test
1:38 The Fix
2:58 Moment of Truth
4:23 Play Test
9:18 Five Star Breakdown
About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
Everything you've wanted to learn about recording Hard Rock & Heavy Metal can be found right here on this channel!
I also respond to your comments & questions: The best make it into the SMG Viewer's Comments series of videos. Loads of fun, lots of laughs.
Thanks for checking out my channel & please subscribe!
Harley Benton needs to market these guitars as a DIY project. _Some assembly required._
Ah, the guitar is now relic'd by Mr. Fricker himself. Worth more 10x now.
Frickin' Fricker!!!!!
It's outstanding how something as menial as leaving the bottom of the bridge unpainted/uncoated can cause such horrible impression. I hope HB works on that
and the string holes/locks in the bridge
No it isn't menial at all, and menial is the wrong word to begin with, as menial refers to people as servants, and servitude of people, not objects, and the behavior is to be expected! For the most part you need metals to conduct electricity under anything but extreme conditions, and at the ~2V @ ~200mA a guitar pickup generates a single coat of crappy paint can act as a complete insulator.
HB Working on it will entail no more than telling the people wiring and/or assembling them to remove any paint from the bridge where the ground wire will contact it, and I'm sure it's not just HB with that problem, but any brand coming off the line at that factory, so just about any brand you can imagine.
The fix is simple….make sure that the black paint that they use is conductive
I know this sort of noise issue would be a HUGE disappointment to most new players, but also, these sort of videos and "Harmony Central Amp Forum" posts when I was a new player, saved my butt and save new guitarists butts every day! This little mod video is a MASSIVE resource for new players. These issues happen when you're saving money, and Glennnnnn my dude, you do us all a service with your outrage and desire to fix badly built guitfiddles. Love ya, Northern Mauler indeed!
Glenn throwing that guitar to the ground was absolutely hilarious, it still makes me burst out laughing.
Yeah, I lost it again when he showed the ‘ding.’
Good thing it wasn’t a Les Paul he threw. We all know what would’ve happened.
@@allenmitchell09As long as it was a Gibson and not an Epiphone, it’d be fine.
@@johnmaynes7142 The headstocks on Epiphones don't explode when you look at them funny
@@Mattormus Ain’t that the truth. I’ve got an ‘03 Epiphone Les Paul studio from Korea I’m refinishing. I stripped the pint back and the neck was maple to my pleasant surprise. Score one for that.
Although I am a metal head as well and love "Slayer" shapes, I actually love the look of the offset. Considering I know how to do all that work myself I wouldn't mind grabbing one for a project guitar.
It’s a great looking guitar. Fender could make a far better lookin version and not that same ole shit Color’s they put out
@@ScreaminT81Fender have. This is a Jazzmaster version of the Jim Root signature Stratocaster. Jim also has a similar Jazzmaster signature, but it’s a little different in that it doesn’t have a pickguard.
Tip for anyone considering this fix. When removing paint from the bridge use emery paper. Start with a coarse grade, place the emery paper on a table and gently rub the back of the bridge across it. Do the same with a medium grade and finally a fine grade. This will remove all the paint and give you a nice flat surface that wont cause you any problems with the bridge not quite sitting properly on the guitar. Wire brushes are great, but they dont give you the flat, even surface you are looking for.
Is it any useful to make a hole in the wood under the bridge and put a little spring inside and solder the ground wire to the spring that so when you put the bridge down the spring compressess and gives always a little bit of force against the bridge?
@@synugoth Not really, it just adds a level of complication that isn't needed.
Wire brush is 100% adequate. The current and voltage involved would be good with a half a human hair's width copper strand.
I've seen it done multiple ways. I prefer your method because it leaves little room for user-made mistakes.
@@Studio42dotCom-Real Just unnecessarily tedious. Take it to your wire brush on your bench grinder (something every male should have in their garage for making metal things clean shiny and new again.)
Nice to see you recording your jams and having fun. Keep rocking Glenn. 🤘
I think these Harley Bentons are great platforms for learning how to mod guitars. Modest price, so any mods it needs out of the factory just serve that purpose even further. However, if someone is looking for a modestly priced guitar to use in the studio or in a band situation, I would recommend a used LTD or MIJ Ibanez. You can find them in the $500 ish range and they are excellent instruments in most cases are playable immediately. Unless the previous owner completely dogged it out.
Great advice. Cheap (preferably Indonesian not Chinese!) LTD will ALWAYS work and sound good. Also never buy oversized, pointy shapes. They're a nightmare to handle and transport. Get a moderately priced LTD superstrat and never look back.
@@Koziolrh Yeah, I sold off all my pointy guitars years ago and now have 3 MIJ Ibanez guitars. One of the best choices I've ever made, lol. Those gigantic cases are for the birds, lol.
There's a bit of a difference between a US$ 140 Harley Benton and a US$ 500 second hand LTD. The latter probably has the quality of a thousand dollars new guitar or even more, considering that LTDs are amazing.
@@demonoising that's the advice though. If you can afford it spend like 500 on a second hand Indonesian LTD and you will never need anything else. Especially if you're a beginner. If you can't afford it consider cheaper second hand LTD models:)
@@demonoising That's exactly my point. If you are a "working" musician, as in records regularly and/or gigs regularly and you don't have the time or knowledge to do the modifications necessary to get it up to studio/gigging quality, then you have to pay someone to do it. Getting a fret job and having someone correct the ground issue will easily cost a couple hundred dollars, at which point, you could have spent a similar amount of money on a far better instrument.
Thanks for calling out bullshit, wherever you find it, even if it means to burn some bridges! (pun intended)
Glenn, you got my respect!
So, I have a HB 5-string bass which i got last spring. In red. I hated that it was red, but as it was the only 5-string PJ in my price range, I figured I wasn't playing it with my eyes and bought it anyway. A few weeks later, HB announced their Summer line, which included a 5-string PJ in black, my preferred colour. I was gutted that I could have had it in black if I had only waited a few weeks. As it turns out, I was probably better off, if the bass had the same paint issues as these two. I would have had no idea what was wrong or how to fix it. You've done good work here, thanks you dirty Fricker.
Great to see you grinding and sanding in action. Ground is often overlooked, but it can cause big issues. Another question regarding amp sound: is this the right please to ask?
When setting up the amp, in my case Boss Katana, at low volume close bye I am happy with the sound, especially the 'low'. However crancking it up chagnes the sound, normally the "high's"" get more amplified. All in accordence so far, now what happens, if you move away lets say 4 or 5 meter, the sound completely gets out of taste, and it seems the low's are lost almost 50%.
Anything you can explain? Have experienced? The amp is on the floor, not angled upwards btw. Thanks so far.
It's weird since Thomann can do very good inexpensive guitars and basses that you've shown on this channel, and then they can do something like this...
So thank you for doing these videos. So we, the consumers can know what's a hit and what's a miss. But let's hope they step up and fix these issues...
"From my heart and from my hand, why don't people understand, my intentions?" - Thomann....probably
01:59 why didn't you use solvents like Acetone to help to get rid of the paint?
I would love to see frequency response video for pickups. I spent some time in a large music store once testing out some pickups with my amps and I think I could tell a difference. There are also some pickup videos on YT which when I listen to them I can hear small variations between different pickups. I would love to see if that translates to something that is measurable.
I recently got a dullahan shipped in and it had a grounding issue just like these active models you got. Thanks to these videos I was able to diagnose the issue. Paint on the bridge. You think it could be something going on at the factory? Maybe they're using a new brand of paint for some models, since your Dullahan is just fine.
Damn, i really want the
"ST-20HH Active SBK" but I'm afraid to get one now. Should i still get one, or should i wait and save up for the "Amarok- BT BKRD" 🤔
do the pickpups have to be grounded ? (the screews on top) like in p90 situation ?
Great video! Please do that vid about passives vs actives. Great show, many thanks!
A easy fix I have found when dealing with neck dive is tire wrights, the little weights they use to balance your car tires, for the fancier rims they use stick on weights, put some of them in the control cavity or out pit cavity (if there's room)
I think if you have the knowledge and want to get a project guitar, these really aren't too bad. Having a guitar that's already setup for active pickups at that price is pretty cool, especially if you don't like the pickups or have a favorite set you're fond of. I might have to get that V eventually
I want one of these guitars. I'm going to mod it out though with some EMGs and some lock-in tuners. Maybe some other stuff too after I actually see and play the thing. Awesome video Glen & thanx for showing the fix for these guitars.
Get a chibson and save even more $ That is all that HB is re-selling.
What’s your opinion on the SC-Customs line for Harley Benton?
That's an exact problem the entry level Ibanez guitars made in Indonesia also have. I just scrapped the paint off of an Ibanez RG7421 as well.
Hey Glenn, it might be worth mentioning that a suitable fret file will have a "safe" edge, which has no teeth, so it doesn't file away at the wooden finger-board whilst you're dressing the frets. Great content as always Sir. Keep it up 😊
He DID mention that...several times in a previous vid where he also showed working on it.
@@RandysRides fair play Sir, I missed that.
Hi Glenn !
i have the same issue on my harley benton ex 84 with HBZ pickups on it !
when i see the fix on the flying v , I make the same .
I sand the screw on all the thread and the part on contact with the stop bar .
I use a round file on the stop bar , i sand all holes in contact with the strings and sanding the notch .
And now no GROUND ISSUE !!!
perfect !!!
Thanks for the tips glenn !
Not even 2 minutes into this and so pleased that you carved out some time to explore the issue. I'll take my Lotus 1985 strat copy over this any day after this save your dollars video.
Any of you guys know what Glenn playing in the test part? It looks incredible and sounds so cool! Many thanks if someone could share this knowledge
Hey Glenn, don't know if you've heard about this, but the Harley Benton Fusion Tele with EMGs comes without springs for adjusting pickup height. People have tried adjusting their pickup height and realized that it is impossible due to the missing springs. The worst part is that they didn't even bother to let the customers know that pickup springs aren't included. Love the Harley Benton reviews and thank you for not being biased and honest with us!
I've tried my very cheap HH telecaster Harley Benton straight from the box with my band and it surprise all. Guess it´s not for making a record, but on a jcm800 sounds really great!. No ground issues.
Would you consider reviewing some of their basses?
I heard a trick about adding tire balance weights in a guitar could help fix neck dive. Putting them in the cavity so they aren't noticable. Giving some counterweight.
Also all Harley benton has to do int he factory to stop causing ground issues is litterally add a piece of tape to the bottom of the bridge while painting to its clean on the bottom. Its not hard and takes a couple extra seconds.
Hi, i wanted to ask if anyone knows something about the GTRS W900? Is it a good Guitar? Since i am starting to learn playing Guitar, can it be recomended for a beginner?
Ahhhh thank you for showing the ground to the bridge itself. I always wondered exactly how they connect
Just a quick note about QC, even the best brands will still end up with sawdust in a bolt on neck pocket, it's just kind of a side effect of pushing screws through through-holes into blind holes. So I'd give them a pass on that one.
I have a set of active emgs right in front of me .
A full set with wiring.
plug and play includes the 2 earth wire slots for your earth wire to the bridge in it .
I'm guessing that the active pickups ground through the battery so i think you need earths on an active guitar .
just my opinion I may be wrong
An active vs. passive pickup video is one I’d be interested in. For those of us who play Bass, how would passive pickups with an active preamp fit In?
I have been watching your videos for a couple of months. They are informative and entertaining. Thanks for doing high quality work.
Hey Glenn! Been looking at these FYV guitars (full neck/body) vs. bolt on neck, Viet Nam made. With electronics being the same, is there an actual difference in how the strings vibrate? ONLY you , yes you could put up a freak graph that explains such and if there really is a difference. Love Friday night comments BTW, to fun.
something i have done with chrome hardware that has tarnished is re finish them through electroplating which is also the way i remove all the old finish i think it would be cool to see this black hardware stripped and re chromed or Nickle plated or even cooler see how cold blueing looks the black oxide is conductive, super good at protecting from rust and is really easy to touch up any scratches years down the line
Hi Glenn glad you managed to fix the earthing issue on the hb jazzmaster style guitar
Has Thomann ackowledged the grounding issue at all? Any communication from them?
To be fair, I bought a Fender Jazzmaster HH player series and the plastic on the pickguard is still stuck under the screws and line jack because I'm too lazy to find a screw driver, and it was the noisiest grounded HH I've ever played.
Hi Glenn,question for HB,why not anodise rhe hardware?
anodizing is for aluminum..its the oxide coating thats stained.
stained rust is what youre asking for....steel will continue to rust
aluminum oxidizing/anodizing actually stabilizes and stops progressing by self sealing (not if done wrong tho)
clean it more, esp in the string holes, and where the wire is... maybe add a drop of solder on the wire too, make it thicker
The chops are really coming along nicely Glen, it's always great to see someone getting better at something they love to do. I've been pretty positive towards HB so far, I think they make some good guitars for not a lot of money, which forces some bigger brands to actually improve their lower end offerings. I think they really fucked up with these models however; they've gone for the matte black metal guitar look, but didn't put any effort into seeing what the outcome was before selling and shipping them. No one should be forced to scrub the bottom of their bridge at ground the strings, or remove the neck to get plastic away from the scratchplate, that is just unacceptable and Thomann deserve to get shit on for it. Imagine a beginner getting this thing and getting frustrated at the noise, not known wtf it was and ultimately giving up on learning the instrument.
It might take some time for the strings to wear through paint on the saddles also.
Yes you need to do the video with the pickup swap to passives.
normally i have seen the ground wire Soldered to the back of bridges. just odd that they had it just laying there loose like that
Sometimes, even a small change can bring really huge difference ... you made terrible guitar play like way more expensive instrument. My respect, sir, you are a genius!
Hey!!! Music nomad! Got that neck support myself! Awesome little piece of cheap gear isn't it?
Many guitars have black hardware and no grounding issues. HB should peel the paint on the appropriate places or work with supplier for a conductive paint (I use tonepros black w/o issue)
I wonder what's the difference between the paint they use and the one used on my LTD that has a similar black satin finish, and it conducts electricity just fine!
It's probably a cheaper paint... 😅
Glenn been watching your free beginner course and it’s so much help dude thank you so much!
Was thinking about getting one of these when I first saw them, now I'm not so sure it might make a good video for the pitfalls of buying a cheap guitar
I think Harley Benton needs to add a string to ground conductivity check to their qa checks. I realise in this case they all would have failed due to the paint. But having a simple device that you plug in to the guitars jack (for the ground connection) with a battery and a buzzer would allow the qa people to touch each of the strings and know it at least had some sort of connection.
I love the way you throw the guitar down. Priceless🤣🤣🤣great video!
Better grounding just one of the many positive side effects of my speed relicing service !
Have wire brush, will travel.
Love the video Glenn and very informative. Don’t know if you’ll read this but I know you don’t believe in the supernatural but do you like scary movies if so which one if not what’s your favorite movie in general
For a sub-$200 instrument, I think it's a pretty decent instrument. The issues with the fit & finish tells me that the necks are probably done ahead of the bodies so that when the bodies' electronics are done, they just slap a neck on them. Hence the plastic under the neck overhang. The black enamel is a HUGE mistake by HB, but not a catastrophic issue. Same with the fret ends.
As I say to everyone that I've taught or sold gear to back in the day, if you're going to make playing guitar your hobby, you HAVE to know the ins & outs of setup & maintenance. One of my bandmates was a guitar repairman while in college/medical school & he's got a million stories of people coming in for repair work because a string broke or a guitar received a battle scar. Just like I've got tons of stories about guys who bought guitar pedals & tried to return them saying they didn't work or sounded like shit because they didn't put a battery in/use a proper wall wart or didn't turn the knobs because "that's how they set them at the factory & I didn't want to screw that up." (True story) You have GOT to know the basics.
""didn't turn the knobs because "that's how they set them at the factory & I didn't want to screw that up.""
I had a good chuckle on that one. Cheers!
I think with pickups looking for frequency response is looking for something that isn’t what the pickup is for. You have placement and construction to shape the tone. A frequency response graph of just a pickup in isolation doesn’t sound super helpful to me for knowing what it’ll sound like in the instrument when shifting it half an inch back or forth or raising or lowering it a few millimeters, or changing from a single coil to a humbucker or a P90 or a filtertron is gonna make a fuck ton more difference by itself.
Within the same construction of pickup I think what really matters is just that it’s doing it’s thing well. That everything that pickup is supposed to do is actually there. Not that changing one bridge humbucker to another is gonna drastically alter the tone, but that changing from a kinda shitty one to a better one is simply gonna do the sound inherent profile of a bridge humbucker better.
Probably within some variation on what you specifically want out of a bridge humbucker. There is a reason PAF’s exist and so do EMG’s even if the difference is probably something you can very much engineer around. It will change, though how much you have to engineer around it. And that’s what good pickups do. They spare you time to compensate for the lack of something. You don’t notice a pickup sounding good, you notice a pickup failing to sound good. Because the stuff that changes the sound profile is already more or less set in stone in how your guitar is constructed and routed. You wouldn’t expect changing the bridge to improve tone (ppl actually do but… I think that is some tonewood type of stuff expect for maybe saddle material since it actually touches the string) but you do expect it to not rattle, or make some other kind of noise, or make your strings sound dead. Likewise you expect a bridge humbucker to sound like a bridge humbucker and not have a weird kind of lack of some part of the frequency spectrum that a bridge humbucker shouldn’t have.
Hey Glenn can you make a top 5 entry level metal guitars video
Please review the prs model ! Paintjob looks amazing, and actual prs are expensive as shit
I’m a fan, can you pls do a review of a Ibanez jem?
Are they going to fix this in the next runs?
Your playing gets better every video Glenn! Keep it up. As for the guitar. You know, I've seen guitars with black hardware and own one that grounds perfectly fine. Maybe the other companies use some type of conductive paint I'm not aware of. I don't claim to be a paint guy though I spray canned a few things in my life haha. But I have a Wilkinson trem on a strat I built thats black with bare metal saddles and it seems to do just fine.
saddles to bare metal holes to bridge through the screws to wire is often/usually the case
Yeah, I have the ST20HH and put a real Hipshot bridge on it (black). Grounds just fine.
It's not the paint that is conductive, but the parts where the ground wire and the strings touch the saddles are bare metal.
I’d definitely enjoy a swap out video with the HBZs for passives or equivalent active pickups.
Not really necessary. After shielding of all cavities with any component or wiring, these pickups has decent sound, a bit brighter than EMGs, and comparable low noise level. Most of noise is generated by EMI, not pickups electronics itself. I would bet that electronics is almost the same, only difference is with absence of any internal EMI shielding in pickup’s case. Seems to be EMG’s case has grounded conductive layer inside the box. That’s the reason why EMGs are really quiet even on unshielded guitars. So, after properly done shielding, sound is decent, without excessive noise.
Some blue painters tape on the bottom when applying the powder coat or epoxy coat would avoid these problems. It is quicker and cheaper just to do the whole thing, and it avoids leaving a method of chipping the surface later. Even so, this simple fix shouldn't be something to stick to the end user, this should be addressed by adding a step or by QC identifying the issue and sending it back for correction. For the money, I would be willing to do that too. At least I know what to look at in case I see coated hardware in certain areas and the guitar sounds like it is channeling the sounds of the universe when turned to 10.
Please consider doing a fearless review of one of cheap Kramer guitars. Would be interesting considering who currently owns Kramer.
Too bad there's not markers on the fretboard. I'm a bit lost without those.
I like these videos. Buy a cheap guitar, find its weaknesses, share the solutions. If you're not comfortable with the DIY part, factor in what a local shop might charge. A shop here in middle-Tennessee might charge well under $100 to fix the grounding issue and perform a setup, fixing frets would bring it up over $100. $139 Guitar + local shop fix/setup is still a
You should get one of those Valiant offset guitars on your channel (if you haven’t yet!)
I love the look you gave us when you said "strap on this thing"😆
I would like you to change the actives to another actives and really see if it changes the tone at all.
"at all" it does change it, "radically" probably not; there are several factors people like to argue about when it comes to tone, pickups are one of the ones that count, active ones too.. but it always comes to "to what extent", and that's also depending on how much gain is applied (and other dials), how is the mic recording done (mic type, mic placement); but you're looking for a very isolated 1 to 1 comparison , aren't you. in which case a bodyless / neckless setup would be the best, like the one the dude testing the tone wood myth did.
Coming from a manufacturing perspective, not painting/coating the back would save time and materials. Keep the cost of the guitar the same, shift that cost savings to quality.
When you had the strings loose and you were moving the bridge back into position after scraping, you got some very cool noises, bringing images to mind of giant mechanical robots plodding along. Kind of "Star Wars"y. You should save those for a sample 😎
sir, i had those exact thoughts. i very reached for my sampler during those moments. cheers to you!
after the last video I learned why my bass hums ;) there has probably changed even after 22 years nothing at harley benton. I also had the same problems with the fretboard but had help with the processing in the beginning. for the price it is still worth considering if you know where to start but as a beginner earlier for me that was already very annoying.
Definitely do the pickup swap with frequency response graphs video. I'm very curious about what science says the real differences are. Thanks!
Not sure HOW to get frequency sweeps on pickups.
I always have to set up my guitars somewhat after buying them. But with that said, I just bought my first stratocaster and when it arrived it was in horrible playing condition. It also had the same issue with the plastic coating. Had to take pickup screws and all knobs off including the nuts to remove film plastic. Neck screws wasn't even tight at all. For $1000us it's the worst I've seen out of the box. Luckily after about 2 hours of tweeking it, it wound up playing like butter. But I did have buyers remorse at first.
Glad how over time you're actually running into the real quality of these rebranded asian guitars. Hoping you'll eventually get to ordering directly from the asian factories, since needing work is a crapshoot, but the CNC printouts of American guitar makers' cnc files are great. If you get a chibson they'll do you the solid of stamping "Made In USA" on it for you since you'll be doing most of the work involved in the production of the final product here in the USA.
Interesting if Thomann takes notes and improves that thing!
I noticed that HB did a no talking just playing video on this guitar and they used different pickups. Thoughts?
These pickups aren't new the issue goes back many years from what I've seen on YT.
Wonder why they went HB pickups and not the Roswell's they usually use. Those things are silent
If HB addresses this I’d consider buying that model… but even knowing how to fix it a person shouldnt have to!
I had similar grounding issues at really expensive guitars like mayones - so, copper tape and iron is your best friends
Squier makes a jazz master with active pickups just like that one for 389 dollars brand new with free shipping you can find em on reverb
The reason EMG or any other high quality Active pickups do not need to ground the strings is because the coils have considerably less winding which makes them inherently low output and less sensitive to electromagnetic interference. That’s the reason they are more consistent and silent from venue to venue. On the other hand, that’s the same reason you need an Active pre-amp to amplify the signals to the same level as a Passive pickup.
I suspect these are “fake” active pickups. I mean they seem to have same winding as passive pickups but perhaps the “active” pre-amp does not really amplify (unity gain) and only serve as a buffer to lower impedance.
I bought an active V last wk here in the UK . . Got no feedback issues so I think HB have taken notes on your comments.... Well done...
I think it would be cool and interesting to hear some serious p90's gritty thing on that guitar.
Dude I know this is getting old now, but holy fuck your playing has improved massively. Even in the last few guitar reviews. Really fucking well done mate
Ibanez, for example, has done this same mistake with non-conductive black paint on the bridge with guitars several times of the price of these HB-s.
Thomann is odd about these things. I bought the EX84 EMG (the same model that the stealth buy was) and the frigging pickups were reversed just like that one, 60 in bridge & 81 in neck. Easy fix (one WE shouldn't have to do) and I let them know this is a problem as it was the 3rd I had seem this way (Glenn's, a friend's, and mine). They DID respond...kind of. They wanted me to make a video showing the problem and format it to send to them so they can show the "team". They even sent instructions on how to reformat and record so it would be easier for them..go figure. I was NOT doing this as I would have to actually revert back to the issue as it was already fixed and told them so. They haven't responded.
Man…you are an angel. Imagine how many people purchase this model and have no idea how to fix…
You are awesome!
So you had to take the neck off because of the plastic wrap on the pick guard??
I would really like a "pickups" scientific run through. I do believe pickups make more of a difference than just clarity and response as I have many different guitars with everything from Seymour Duncan Distortions, EMG 81/85s, Fishman Moderns, etc...and truly think they have a unique tone and definitive sound that makes them unique. Yes, I know playing with EQ settings and pedals can make them all sound very similar but when unplugging one guitar and plugging in another without changing settings there is a very unique and distinctive change in tone.
I am definitely confused regarding him saying " I'm not sold on the whole notion of pickups as tone shaping"
Is he saying pickups don't affect the tone??
Aspect of that which a lot of people don't necessarily think about, is the distance that the pickups are mounted from the bridge or neck, and the height of the pickup. With those being different from guitar to guitar, those will actually account for a considerable difference in the perceived tone of the pickup. I know I was a little bit disappointed when I changed out the EMG HZ H4 from my guitar to a DiMarzio and didn't notice a massive difference.
@@nicholasmullins3693 There is a noticeable difference but it's ridiculously small compared to swapping speakers. I guess that's where he's coming from when saying he's not sold on pickups as tone shaping tools. To me they really are more of a feel thing (amplitude). They react differently to your picking, because of varying output power and impedance. Also, in terms of signal to noise, that's really where you love the actives, more than the actual tone they put out.
When i swapped the bare knuckles pickups on my V to put Fishmans, the tone did not drastically change, but the noise level just dropped massively.
So yea, i kind of agree with him regarding tone, but new pickups can have other effects that are very desirable, and not precisely tone related.
Now testing it will be a mess :p active, passive, potted, non potted, open coil vs metal covered, magnet types.. good luck!
@@ledoynier3694 model depending the eq change may be different but usually not, as you mentioned output is what is most effected, they are just magnets wrapped in copper dipped in wax, but the way they interact with the amp or pedals is the big thing I noticed. Send an absurdly hot output and it will seem really compressed but send a weak signal like "vintage voiced" pickups and the dynamic difference of not clipping your input gives them that "clarity". Pickup height probably has more effect on the eq curve than the pickup itself since you are for sure adjusting the level of lows to highs. Another thing that has more impact on eq is the capacitor value on the tone pot, the bigger the number the more treble gets rolled off.
What is a scientific run through going to do? If YOU hear a difference, like I do when I swap my ESP Eclipse which has an EMG 81 in the bridge for a Seymour Duncan JB4 (which I do from time to time), no video/research is going to change the fact a tone difference is noticeable to you. Is it a drastic tone shift that Glenn is over shooting this on? No. But a difference is there, at least to me. I don’t care what evidence anyone has or what they want to say that there isn’t a difference, I hear a difference. The biggest difference is clarity. EMGs run tighter and more crisp (clear) than to that JB4 I just talked about.
But, to an extent I think what Glenn is trying to say is if someone wants to change their tone, start with the speaker. However, changing pickups can have a subtle/small difference if that’s what someone is after. One could argue to just get an eq pedal and achieve similar results, and you know that’s true too.
GLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!!!!! could you make a video on the other HB victory Guitars with a different paint job
Greeting from Netherlands
Would like to see the cheapest, highest output pickups available installed
HAHAHAHA My twin brother's Charvel Jackson comes with a feedback so horrendous we needed to toss it! Today's the day!!! 🤣
Hey Glenn, I've struggled for years & spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to achieve that "perfect guitar tone" to appease the guitarist community, but I've realized lately, who cares? If I want to record an album with a professional engineer, I will let them worry about the tone to fit in the mix, as that's their job. If I'm playing by myself, I will use whatever preset that sounds good to me & focus on playing. Is this a bad mindset to be in?
Get a sound that YOU like. Who cares about the sheep. The best new bands always have an original sound.
This reminds me of the cheap-arsed Encore Precision copy bass that I bought in 2010 from Argos for £80, including 5w combo amp, in that the buzz was horrendous.
So, I took it apart, nullifying the warranty in the process, even though I then knew nothing about guitars and, lo and behold, the earthing wire didn't even protrude from the body to contact the bridge, never mind even touch it.
This I fixed easily, but the neck dive issue was off the scale to such an extent that I renamed it the Enderby aka NDB aka Neck Diving Bastard.
That said, when I've been to my local practice rooms, with a few different bands, they all remarked how good it sounded, and were shocked when I told them what it is (by that point I had added half of a Mod roundel to cover/hide the manufacturer) and how little it cost to buy. Go figure.
Ps I still have the bass, but haven't touched it for several years.
Actives vs high output passives would be really cool to see.
I've always disliked the idea of needing extra batteries for a guitar thats gonna be ampllified anyways
I used to have this mindset but stop caring once I noticed how long the 9v will last.