I called my Sweetwater rep last week and asked to be notified when the Silver sky SE came out. He asked if were to get one what color would I would want assuming basic colors. I picked blue and he said he would reserve one for me. Called again today to order a Lock-it strap and was told my guitar would ship Tuesday..
Tim, I did the same. I got a hold of my rep immediately after the Twitter-verse blew up after Paul and Mayer made their tweets. I picked my color and plopped my money down immediately. My moon white will be shipping on 1/11/22. I need to add Schaller strap locks to my order as well. Thanks for the reminder. [edited to add] I got a discount. Mine came in just over the price with tax. It's good to be friendly w/your Sweetwater reps, folks!
Reverb was kind enough to put the wrong information on the 1099 and send it to the IRS then ignore all communication. My CPA still can't figure out how they arrived at the wrong income. This is lovely. They are already skeleton crew. And now I have problems with the IRS because of them. Beware!
I was lucky, I got an Ultra Luxe strat back in late December and just learned today about the price increases. I’m not new at guitar but I am super clueless when it comes to the new/used guitar market, so it’s cool that I lucked out on what seems like a small deal on my purchase
I LOVE my All-American American Pro Mom's Apple Pie Strat with the CANADIAN maple ne....oh no I meant the OTHER All-American American Pro Uncle Sam one with the INDIAN rosewood ....oh forget it. Time to go practice some cool Soukous guitar riffs on them, for that American Legion gig.
I wish PRS would offer those Silver Sky colors (or similar) for their other models. I love the guitars, but I’d like a more casual/colorful look than all the flame tops.
I agree. They did a Europe-only limited edition run like that for the SE 24 standard. I've got one in a sparky sky-blue. I much prefer it to their flame-tops.
My favorite guitar is my Fender Chinese made Thinline Telecaster p90 Deluxe it's fun beautiful and affordable 😋 lts as good as any American made Telecaster I've ever had!
I really appreciate that you say when you are sent stuff or you personally requested it. Also I'm glad you post the full podcasts cause I always miss them.
Sweetwater reached out to me and let me know I’ll be receiving the final PRS 35th Anniversary coming out of their factory. The finish is Yellow Tiger, and I’m really looking forward to its arrival! Thanks, Luke. 😎
I wanted to buy a Gibson SG Special with P90's recently. Had 3 different Guitars in my hands, all riddled with QC issues. Thats why i bought the Epiphone version instead, and am pretty happy with it. I swear if Epiphone would use Nitro finishes, Gibson wouldnt sell a single guitar anymore.
You're right with that. I'm glad they don't use nitro. That's actually a big part of why the only Les Paul I plan on buying is going to be an Epiphone. I understand some people like the allure, or feel, or the way the finish wears with a nitro finish. I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I like the clean looking, durable, easy to care for look and feel of the polymers.
I recently switched to Epiphone for the same reason. I'm really happy with the 2 new Les Pauls I purchased, (A LP Custom & a '59) and am about to order a new Epi SG.
Totally agree! Got 8 Fenders (and I'm more of a Gibson person) but I find myself reaching for my Squier VM Thinline Tele constantly, such a fun guitar and I like that it's Gibson scale too at 24.75". I even like the Fender Noiseless pickups mine has, and the metallic gold is a great color.
Mr McKnight, you're an artist, believe that... You paint a vision on CZcams. A vision not only containing rational comparisons of gear and all it's capacities, but a rational view of human understanding and philosophy. That's entertainment and artistry
PHIL nobody looks at your old videos cause your main page is absolutely 100% user unfriendly. Organize your videos, Sharpen your axes, podcasts, instructional, tests etc etc, make them EASY to find. I love your stuff but i'm not going searching for thing I don't know if you have done. Some regular should bring this up to you
Thanks for the show Phil. I watch the show every week and look forward to listening while I do chores or mess around with my acoustic. Hoping to get to try a Silver Sky SE soon
I do agree with the white guitar hypothesis. I've done a series of tests for my university dissertation about different acoustic guitars and their finishes affecting the tone. This essentially boiled down to higher frequencies are damped if there's a lot of paint and/or varnish applied. So this will transfer over to electrics as well but with a slightly less pronounced effect I'd hazard a guess. Would be interesting to fully dive into that at a future date tho.
You may not be doing many pedal videos, but I swapped a TC HOF2 for a Keeley Caverns because of your videos. Your thoughts on pedals come across loud and clear- actions speak louder than words.
@@azcoyote007 I had the HOF2 for about a year and a half and really enjoyed it. I mostly was looking to recreate Fender Amp reverb so I found my self using only one or two HOF presets after a while. I found the spring setting on the Caverns to be so useful and allowed more on the spot tweaking using the knobs on the pedal. In addition, I didn’t have a delay and the Caverns delay is really fun, so I viewed it as a trade up. Phil has commented in several videos about liking the Caverns because it offered really solid reverb and delay.
While the country of origin is outdated and they are all capable of producing good quality. The prices on import guitars are so high now that I can find a USA or Japanese made guitar used that's far superior for the same or less money.
Exactly, if their quality went up but their price didn’t it’s good for us. It is just making American made stuff more appealing when the prices are so much closer.
To be honest, (and I'm a conservative American that is now hand-carving electric guitar bodies), I truly don't understand why Americans overlook guitars from Japan. Their entire culture is built on survival through mastery and excellence. The Japanese are MASTERS at woodworking and many of their electric guitars are simply built better than many American guitars, (which still smoke most of the foreign competition) but Korean guitars have almost caught up and Indonesian guitars would be better if they were allowed to slow down and use better parts. This doesn't even mention the numerous small builders in Europe and Central or South America that are just plain amazing. Excellence is excellence and it should be celebrated.
@@austinevans921 I just had some older techs, that I asked to do some of my electronics and setup, tell me that they only had one brand that they almost never saw in need of repair: Ibanez. The custom shop for ESP is, like, FOUR MASTER BUILDERS. Absolute artists, man. Out of respect to the channel, I won't name my guitars here but I'm having so much fun learning to carve and build and design my own stuff. Every buyer will have their name on the headstock. What's the point of "custom" that's copy/paste? I don't know why more companies don't innovate or design original styles. Weaksauce. Just be original and make your mark. I mean, Asian companies ARE going to catch up in quality, if they haven't already. Sire is certainly on it's way. PRS did it with their Korean factory and the Indonesians will only get better and better. But the Japanese are artisans. They always have been... and the lack of genuine respect for that is weird. You should see the badass customs ESP made for John LeCompt. I was with him in his studio, for a weekend, and it's a big horror movie theme so they made him this absolutely wicked custom shop "The Shining" themed axe. Just mind-blowing.
Regarding the gear insanity and not being able to tell the difference, I call all of it "tonewood" in that it does make a difference but the difference doesn't really make a difference. There's a young guy at my job who is a metal guy and we were talking about tube screamers, and did the various models of them sound different, and in the end we decided that they all sounded different but they were still all just tube screamers. It didn't matter because they would all do a tube screamer thing to your sound.
With the price increases, I prefer companies to do them outright instead of over time. Even if it comes out to the same end price, the one jump looks more understandable two or three smaller increases.
I have only been a sub a year or so, but this is a Weekly highlight for sure! And maybe its me but are these just getting better? :) love the show, love Phil!
I recently acquired a PRS SE Hollowbody Std. with the intentions of changing the p’ups, upgrading the electronics, and sanding the neck for a non-gloss/natural wood feel. I installed some OX4 Low-Winds, a USA PRS McCarty electronics kit, and will strip the neck soon. It’s FANTASTIC, even compared to the much more expensive guitars I’ve owned. I may swap p’ups and electronics in more expensive guitars, but I doubt I’d sand a Core 594. The SE makes it easier to customize. The level of SE (and other overseas built guitars) is so far beyond what was available when I started playing in the early ‘90s!
Fenders increases to me have been the most noticeable. Jim root jazz I bought last Jan was 1499….now they’re 1949 bro no one can afford that. I sure as hell know my wages haven’t increased that much.
I just found a good deal on an Imperial for my buddy. It blew me away. It’s like what you want a Deluxe to be, plus an amazing drive channel with the “bite” control, which makes it sound like a plexi
Fully agree @31:50 with Rickenbacker ... I have the 4003 Fireglo Bass and it is the best sounding passive instrument I have without a doubt. It feels great, it's stylish, it's well balanced ... Everything about it is phenomenal. That is one instrument I would never part with.
I called Sweetwater on Wednesday and was able to pre-order a Silver Sky SE in my chosen color. Was surprised to hear that they were getting about 50-60 of each color... not sure if that is a small.or.large amount. My guess is they will all be spoken for by release date.
I just bought a US Silver Sky, and it's absolutely phenomenal. I'm really wanting to A/B the SE model as soon as possible to see how the "S" pickups hold up. The current US Silver Sky competes well with Fender Custom Shop IMHO. I would expect that the SE will give the US strats a serious run. My SS is miles above my American Pro II.
Same, called Sweetwater Thursday, gave them all my information for pre order hold on dragonfruit. Even picked the weight. Said it would ship on Tuesday 01/11/22. Didn't get email thought yet. Said I would.
@@thomasdempsey4870 I don't think they'll be able to send the email until Tuesday. Didn't even charge me yet, though they took my payment already. They can't charge until they ship, that's their policy, so it's likely they won't email you until they charge you.
@@jimwoodard64 yeah, I did call this morning to verify I was on the pre order to ship list. I am. He was able to send me my invoice and pictures of my serial number and full guitar to confirm. Will be shipped Tuesday! Can't wait!!!
I’d like to know a lot more about is wood, sourcing, seasoning, and selection. I’m guessing that make a big difference in cost and potentially quality and value.
Our strange guitar shop is named "Guitar Bar." If you go there, you will see it is not a bar of ANY description. It actually is a large shop with two large rooms. The right side room is an ordinary pawn shop, and the left side room is a full-on guitar shop.
Phillip, If you're having trouble with your suppliers for the parts you need for your pickups. The same thing is happening to the big manufacturers for their guitars and amps. Not only were they having to catch up with their backorders and fulfill existing orders, but they were running short of parts for some of their most popular selling models. Many of the big chain music stores and big online stores were short of the hottest selling models. Now if new ones are suppose to be coming out you have to preorder them and wait to get them shipped to the store or to you directly.
Phil love your CZcams header title. It says it all. There used to be a stigma with anything made off shore. I think the quality of the non American made guitars should be understood by now.
USA vs MEX- phil, you’re spot on. Mexican strats are made by ,inimum wage workers in mexico. USA strats are made by minimum wage workers a few hundred miles away. A strat is a CNC guitar, designed by Leo to be as easy and cheap to make as possible. A squier is barely different to a fender.
Good talk, especially the country of origin part. My Reverend Corgan is from Korea. But it’s flawless and plays like a dream (for what I want) plus when you consider that we have no problem with the electronics they produce.
I have a Strat with a 7.25" radius neck. It was my first electric guitar, and over the years I found that I didn't like the radius. The frets we're wearing down, and I bought frets and a 9.5" radius block to reshape the fretboard before refretting it. Then I got to wondering what would happen if I just radiused the existing frets instead. To my surprise, it worked well. It confirmed that I much prefer a flatter radius neck, and I've extended the life of the frets.
So glad I bought my fender am pro 2 jazzmaster on December 31 2021... next day the price jumped from 1599 to 1899. 300$ increase in a matter of a couple hours.
Was able to grab an Ever Green silver sky this morning through sweetwater. Green and dragonfruit are the only colors left. I was still able to pick my weight (6.14oz) and look forward to trying this out when it gets to me in the desert
Hello from New Mexico, your the reason I bought the glarry semi hollow and the yellow srtrat..both needed a little work but there nice to tinker with..just orders the new jazz ggs 101 jazzy.hope you have a review soon on it,.took a chance on it..lol blessings brother.
I agree regarding country of manufacture, I own a UK made 84' JCM800 and a US made Block Letter 5150, but my best amp is a Chinese made Jet City JCA50 that cost me a similar price to a Bugera. What can I say it's a brilliant amp and the best New gear purchase I ever made. It takes Drive pedals even better than the 800, & It does Cleans several leagues better than the 5150, also its Gain channel is like the 5150's but smoother and a little tighter, so seeing that I play Prog/Math Metal, that fits me perfectly
Happy new year! Thanks for all the great content! Question for anyone on here really. I own two AO Strats - 50s and 60s- I have no real intention to sell- but I am curious to what happens to value of guitars like that when production gets discontinued? Lose value? Still hold value? Does it Depend on what Fender will replace that series with? Thanks !
Dude. I got to do an EMG roadshow in Nashville pre covid. Morgan amps are kicking. I have a vid where he explains his amp with me playing. Great dude. Need a tour so I can afford his amp lol.
Called guitar center to ask about SS SEs and they said they have no control over buying (lol) and they just get shipped what they get shipped and it shows up when it shows up, what a wild way to run a business. Also I’m very excited to watch the secret guitar video this week
To celebrate a new career with a significant pay bump, I got a PRS custom 22 artist package. Gorgeous guitar, absolutely perfect, but it didn’t inspire me to play. After two months, I returned it and got a kiesel and can’t put it down.
I play a Fender Mustang. The pickups were of course a bit lacking. I picked up a custom set of Strat/Mustang sized P90s called Stra-Dogs from Craig Vineham of Vineham Pickups. They are so good and they were only $100 for the set.
Regarding the Silver Sky SE< where exactly is the value? It's a Squier Strat being sold at Fender Player Plus prices, with a worse spec sheet. I don't get the PRS cult.
Hopefully this SE Silversky helps drop prices for the old SE EG. cause the specs on that old EG are what I like better. 10” radius, 25” scale, set neck, yes please.
I saw Rhett Shull and Rick Beato both got a new Tone King Imperial mk ii recently. I've been lusting after one of those for a bit now - I'll be interested in your review. Especially how the attenuation works.
that comment phil said, can you gig with it, for that's all that matters . . . yes i know the 1.5K + guitars are great, but also totally agree with refining or learning to hear in tone chasing. I remember I tasted b33r for the first time. THought it was bitter and yucky. Now I love chasing local craft brews . . . same with wine. This is helpful in navigating electric guitars, so much about them. Also true country of origin doesn't matter, so many areas know to build quality guitars . . .
Phillip. I checked out StratOsphere, as you mentioned they’re a great source for parts. They have the goods, for sure. I get a kick out of the descriptions there…-Robert Cray knobs , Malmsteen strat jack plate …….. LMAO !
I also have a fascination and phobia of sharks. Saw jaws at way too young as well. Students and friends give me shark paraphernalia all the time. To terrify me and laugh lol.
Ironically the only time I got a dead pickup was a new pickup. I buy EMG B-stock from their factory outlet and used pickups whenever I can. Never had a problem.
I discovered RONDO MUSIC in 2003 and bought my first 6 string fretless bass, a BRICE private label model and my first Asian made bass. BAM!! I have since bought several from them, and a dozen Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indonesian, and have been impressed with the quality. A SADOWSKY line is now made in China,... There is a company in Germany named Thomann Music and they have their own private labels, one being HARLEY BENTON. I have a few. Unbelievable values.
I've seen Larry Carlton in playing a Sire at his tour dates now, and I know he's got a stake in it, but he wouldn't sacrifice his credentials if it didn't sound right at this point in his career IMHO .
Don't disagree with you, but here's an alternative thought: I am reasonably sure that Mr. Carlton could flat smoke 99.5% of the guitarists in the world playing any guitar which just functoned.( holds tune, electronics work, doesn't electrocute you or catch on fire, etc.)
Guitar center is doing well. Filed bankruptcy for reorg, but 2020 and 2021 were record, years, and completely fixed their financial issues. Analysts forecast another record year for GC in 2022.
As a Rickenbacker person, I've only known 2 kinds of people when I let them play mine ... they love em ,or think it's so weird to play they can't take it ... no middle ground it seems.
Reflecting on the country of origin subject, my question is , is Fender the best deal ??, They have there own Mexican factory and build there own products, were as everyone else builds in the same factory.. any thoughts??.
Hey Phil, thanks for the great education for a beginner 34 year old! Can you tell me what that orange/red, chrome, and cream Les Paul is in the background? I built an ebay bolt neck kit, vid is on my channel, and it looks exactly the same.
I’ve always thought there might be a difference with white strats, but whatever it is, I like it! I always felt white strats all had a particular vocal quality. But while typing this out, it feels like a stupid thought haha!
To the person that brought up the Beatles and Epiphone, those Epiphones were basically Gibsons. They were made on the same line, at the same factory, by the same people as Gibsons. Also George and John both used Gibsons as well.
Thank you for the honesty Phil. To summarize "spend that $3000-$9000 on USA made if you want resale value and the 'I have arrived' / street credit factor", it's a complete admission from an inside like Phil that there's a sort of snake oil component here with USA made guitars. The builders know this and refuse to build spec for spec the same guitar in Indonesia... Meanwhile the actual artist on stage well known enough to influence "USA better" get their instruments for free through promotional deals and many of them did play foreign built before the freebies started coming... The music instrument/gear industry is just such a minefield if you care about things like integrity and actually getting what you pay for... Have pointed out before too, there are foreign built guitars, even cheap ones like the Yamaha FG300 that actually retain their resale value just as well as USA made guitars, in fact some better than most USA made guitars... It's all about that % from final sale price to resale price.
Let's talk about OEM parts on USA guitars what a Lie. What exactly are people paying extra for. Fender Corona factory is 50 miles from Fender Mexico. Fender Corona also is known for sending bodies to Mexico to have them painted and brought back to USA for final assembly.
For Phil and everyone else…I have had no luck with Sweetwater and deals. Have had some luck with zzounds, but most recently called around for an expensive piece of gear, no luck with zzounds, so called musicians friend. Immediately got 15 percent off and honestly service couldn’t have been better. Not annoying and fake like sweetwater. Also got a direct line to my salesman for anything in the future (very sweetwaterish). Hopefully it comes in a new box with all the parts. Lol. Just an FYI for anyone annoyed with Sweetwater. Deals are still out there.
I’ve noticed since Gibson has opened their Gibson Garage in Nashville, a majority of the country artists are now all playing Gibson acoustics. Gibson is putting their acoustics in every artists hands that will take them.
I'm tempted to get the PRS Se Silver Sky, but I have a Music Man CT50 HSS with a roasted maple neck and locking tuners in Rose Gold (a metallic color). I got it on a Stupid Deal of The Day for $400. I can't imagine that the PRS would be that much better than this guitar, so I'm holding off.
I learned years ago that the "country of origin" has little to do with quality. Good companies realized people weren't going to put up with crap products, and they had to have the same workmanship and QC standards regardless of where the factory was. My Tama drums were made in China. I was totally OCD when I was looking to buy a kit. Every major brand. Most major lines. Had a huge music store at my disposal with good turnover, and I measured for roundness and checked dozens of bearing edges on entire kits, top and bottom. Interior and exterior finish quality and consistency. Everything. Did this for literally months. My mid level kit was better in build quality and consistency than all but a few lines from other top manufacturers which were equal, which is to say no appreciable flaws. Every single bass, tom, and snare is about as perfect as it can be. All in perfect round. Impeccable bearing edges. Glass finish with tons of depth. All out of China. 🤯😱 But...but...everyone said it would be crap ?! 😳 Very much like the Fender Mexico/America/Squire and Gibson/Epiphone, etc. Money doesn't always mean it's built better, or has better QC. It's just as much about how much pride employees take in every step, especially with it comes to attention to detail. After my drum experience, I've become far more relaxed when purchasing instruments from China and Indonesia under solid brands.
But country DOES determine finer quality materials...USA Gibson has better materials than China, Period.......some people want That over QC which can be fixed.
you have an American flag as a profile pic but your guitars are communist !!! Pick a side or you will fall for everything! And your wrong I just got my first real Gibson and it kills every epiphone that I thought was as good as gibson...... We are all just slaves fighting for the cheapest anything
@@audiomonster303 lmao you say communist like it's a bad thing. But back to the point, there's lots of affordable asian guitars built better than a "low end" Gibson, Epiphone are usually not among these. Gibson are good when paying for the hi-end custom shop models but the rest is imo too expensive for what they deliver. And Epiphone nowadays is the even cheaper version of exactly that.
Although it is true quality guitars can come from anywhere, I don't see how CNC machines have anything to do with it. Electronics, hardware, fit and finish are usually where the corners are cut, not the shaping of the instrument.
Yeah, my wife has NO clue about my guitar addiction. But she likes it just the same. Because when I'm in my guitar room bangin' on a guitar, she knows EXACTLY where I am, and EXACTLY what I'm doin'....😝
My Epiphone LP custom is great. I wanted one because I've always wanted a custom but can't afford the ridic prices on the Gibsons so I went with an epiphone for a 3rd of the cost and I'm pretty sure it'll hold it's value. I've also had more quality issues with my Gibson than my Epiphone. I'm lucky to have 2 Gibson Les Pauls but I play my Epiphone LP custom and my made in Japan made ESP way more. I'm trying to make my brain get away from the whole. "it's American made so it's awesome" way of thinking. Mainly because I'm so sick of hearing how much better American made is when it really isn't. I'm not one to care if you like American made gear, that's fine, it's the whole making someone feel stupid for owning something else I have a problem with. Especially if said gear doesn't really have a difference of quality/sound to the American counter part. It's just toxic.
I have 3 2020-2021 Epiphones and they’re fantastic guitars. I swapped the stock pickups out and I have no urge to swap any of them for the Gibson versions.
Which, in regards to the title of this video, is why companies (with few exceptions ) don’t use the same hardware and pickups. They’d destroy the marketability of their domestic versions.
Phillip, If you want I can send you a link to the vid, then you can post if you want, I don't wanna be that guy that just shares. It's a cool 11 minutes. Let me know.
I called my Sweetwater rep last week and asked to be notified when the Silver sky SE came out. He asked if were to get one what color would I would want assuming basic colors. I picked blue and he said he would reserve one for me. Called again today to order a Lock-it strap and was told my guitar would ship Tuesday..
Tim, I did the same. I got a hold of my rep immediately after the Twitter-verse blew up after Paul and Mayer made their tweets. I picked my color and plopped my money down immediately. My moon white will be shipping on 1/11/22. I need to add Schaller strap locks to my order as well. Thanks for the reminder. [edited to add] I got a discount. Mine came in just over the price with tax. It's good to be friendly w/your Sweetwater reps, folks!
@@jimwoodard64 True my rep has always been good to me. Sweetwater seems to give them freedom to make deals.
Hey was able to preorder the ever green which is cool sweetwater only has the ever green and dragon fruit available for preorder
At least right now. The rep said this was so smart to have them ready immediately
⁰0000⁰0
Reverb was kind enough to put the wrong information on the 1099 and send it to the IRS then ignore all communication. My CPA still can't figure out how they arrived at the wrong income. This is lovely. They are already skeleton crew. And now I have problems with the IRS because of them. Beware!
This is an important comment and should be discussed with others.
Boost this comment. People need to see this.
I hadn’t been paid my Reverb earnings and got in touch. I had an email back within 2 hours and the issue was resolved. Maybe you just got unlucky
This is why the ec1000 I’m selling is listed on Facebook and i will likely just wait until someone bites there so i don’t have to deal with this
Phil, I'm not a musician but I really enjoy this virtual conversations. You are an excellent story teller
i can’t stop putting these videos on
I was lucky, I got an Ultra Luxe strat back in late December and just learned today about the price increases. I’m not new at guitar but I am super clueless when it comes to the new/used guitar market, so it’s cool that I lucked out on what seems like a small deal on my purchase
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on an ad before, but I have to complement the player for bringing out the versatility of this great instrument.
Phil, look forward to this every week. Thx for always coming thru! 🍻
I LOVE my All-American American Pro Mom's Apple Pie Strat with the CANADIAN maple ne....oh no I meant the OTHER All-American American Pro Uncle Sam one with the INDIAN rosewood ....oh forget it.
Time to go practice some cool Soukous guitar riffs on them, for that American Legion gig.
I wish PRS would offer those Silver Sky colors (or similar) for their other models. I love the guitars, but I’d like a more casual/colorful look than all the flame tops.
Same. PRS is classic “try-hard” look.
I agree. They did a Europe-only limited edition run like that for the SE 24 standard. I've got one in a sparky sky-blue. I much prefer it to their flame-tops.
My favorite guitar is my Fender Chinese made Thinline Telecaster p90 Deluxe it's fun beautiful and affordable 😋 lts as good as any American made Telecaster I've ever had!
Great video Phil as always. In these trying times I love just sitting back and listening about guitar gear.
I really appreciate that you say when you are sent stuff or you personally requested it. Also I'm glad you post the full podcasts cause I always miss them.
Sweetwater reached out to me and let me know I’ll be receiving the final PRS 35th Anniversary coming out of their factory. The finish is Yellow Tiger, and I’m really looking forward to its arrival! Thanks, Luke. 😎
That's pretty dope.
Welp, at least now I know where my guitar went lol
I wanted to buy a Gibson SG Special with P90's recently. Had 3 different Guitars in my hands, all riddled with QC issues. Thats why i bought the Epiphone version instead, and am pretty happy with it.
I swear if Epiphone would use Nitro finishes, Gibson wouldnt sell a single guitar anymore.
You're right with that. I'm glad they don't use nitro. That's actually a big part of why the only Les Paul I plan on buying is going to be an Epiphone. I understand some people like the allure, or feel, or the way the finish wears with a nitro finish. I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I like the clean looking, durable, easy to care for look and feel of the polymers.
I recently switched to Epiphone for the same reason. I'm really happy with the 2 new Les Pauls I purchased, (A LP Custom & a '59) and am about to order a new Epi SG.
They need to use better wood, better frets and maybe level them . The list can go and go. Buy higher level Gibson.
Yeah I own Gibson,US fender,Mex fender,etc etc but on any given day my fav guitar can be my "squier vintage modified thinline tele".
Totally agree! Got 8 Fenders (and I'm more of a Gibson person) but I find myself reaching for my Squier VM Thinline Tele constantly, such a fun guitar and I like that it's Gibson scale too at 24.75". I even like the Fender Noiseless pickups mine has, and the metallic gold is a great color.
Dear Philip, thank you very much! Happy New year!
Is it just me, or are there a LOT more ads on these podcasts than there used to be?
Mr McKnight, you're an artist, believe that... You paint a vision on CZcams. A vision not only containing rational comparisons of gear and all it's capacities, but a rational view of human understanding and philosophy. That's entertainment and artistry
PHIL nobody looks at your old videos cause your main page is absolutely 100% user unfriendly. Organize your videos, Sharpen your axes, podcasts, instructional, tests etc etc, make them EASY to find. I love your stuff but i'm not going searching for thing I don't know if you have done. Some regular should bring this up to you
Thanks for the show Phil. I watch the show every week and look forward to listening while I do chores or mess around with my acoustic. Hoping to get to try a Silver Sky SE soon
I do agree with the white guitar hypothesis. I've done a series of tests for my university dissertation about different acoustic guitars and their finishes affecting the tone. This essentially boiled down to higher frequencies are damped if there's a lot of paint and/or varnish applied. So this will transfer over to electrics as well but with a slightly less pronounced effect I'd hazard a guess. Would be interesting to fully dive into that at a future date tho.
You may not be doing many pedal videos, but I swapped a TC HOF2 for a Keeley Caverns because of your videos. Your thoughts on pedals come across loud and clear- actions speak louder than words.
Love to hear why?
@@azcoyote007 I had the HOF2 for about a year and a half and really enjoyed it. I mostly was looking to recreate Fender Amp reverb so I found my self using only one or two HOF presets after a while. I found the spring setting on the Caverns to be so useful and allowed more on the spot tweaking using the knobs on the pedal. In addition, I didn’t have a delay and the Caverns delay is really fun, so I viewed it as a trade up.
Phil has commented in several videos about liking the Caverns because it offered really solid reverb and delay.
Nardo Grey is the car color. Named for the Nardo ring, which is a track where manufacturers test some prototypes.
Great podcast this week Phill, lots of great topics. Loved the term "she shed", OP naming right there
While the country of origin is outdated and they are all capable of producing good quality. The prices on import guitars are so high now that I can find a USA or Japanese made guitar used that's far superior for the same or less money.
Exactly, if their quality went up but their price didn’t it’s good for us. It is just making American made stuff more appealing when the prices are so much closer.
To be honest, (and I'm a conservative American that is now hand-carving electric guitar bodies), I truly don't understand why Americans overlook guitars from Japan. Their entire culture is built on survival through mastery and excellence. The Japanese are MASTERS at woodworking and many of their electric guitars are simply built better than many American guitars, (which still smoke most of the foreign competition) but Korean guitars have almost caught up and Indonesian guitars would be better if they were allowed to slow down and use better parts. This doesn't even mention the numerous small builders in Europe and Central or South America that are just plain amazing. Excellence is excellence and it should be celebrated.
@@jamesdeananderson1411 my best guitars are made in Japan. They do it better than anyone else.
@@austinevans921 I just had some older techs, that I asked to do some of my electronics and setup, tell me that they only had one brand that they almost never saw in need of repair: Ibanez. The custom shop for ESP is, like, FOUR MASTER BUILDERS. Absolute artists, man.
Out of respect to the channel, I won't name my guitars here but I'm having so much fun learning to carve and build and design my own stuff. Every buyer will have their name on the headstock. What's the point of "custom" that's copy/paste? I don't know why more companies don't innovate or design original styles. Weaksauce. Just be original and make your mark. I mean, Asian companies ARE going to catch up in quality, if they haven't already. Sire is certainly on it's way. PRS did it with their Korean factory and the Indonesians will only get better and better. But the Japanese are artisans. They always have been... and the lack of genuine respect for that is weird. You should see the badass customs ESP made for John LeCompt. I was with him in his studio, for a weekend, and it's a big horror movie theme so they made him this absolutely wicked custom shop "The Shining" themed axe. Just mind-blowing.
I have multiple Guild and Gretsch guitars made in Korea. Every one of them is gorgeous, play very well, and were flawless on delivery.
Thank you for another episode! I think it’s funny we all were shocked by the SS se, I feel like people have been talking about it for months.
Regarding the gear insanity and not being able to tell the difference, I call all of it "tonewood" in that it does make a difference but the difference doesn't really make a difference. There's a young guy at my job who is a metal guy and we were talking about tube screamers, and did the various models of them sound different, and in the end we decided that they all sounded different but they were still all just tube screamers. It didn't matter because they would all do a tube screamer thing to your sound.
With the price increases, I prefer companies to do them outright instead of over time. Even if it comes out to the same end price, the one jump looks more understandable two or three smaller increases.
I have only been a sub a year or so, but this is a Weekly highlight for sure! And maybe its me but are these just getting better? :) love the show, love Phil!
1:10:30 I've actually wondered what you thought of that guitar and where it was on the wall these days. Glad you talked about it.
I recently bought my first Gibson last week, and I did in fact have the “I’ve arrived” feeling myself. Well put Phil.
I recently acquired a PRS SE Hollowbody Std. with the intentions of changing the p’ups, upgrading the electronics, and sanding the neck for a non-gloss/natural wood feel. I installed some OX4 Low-Winds, a USA PRS McCarty electronics kit, and will strip the neck soon. It’s FANTASTIC, even compared to the much more expensive guitars I’ve owned. I may swap p’ups and electronics in more expensive guitars, but I doubt I’d sand a Core 594. The SE makes it easier to customize. The level of SE (and other overseas built guitars) is so far beyond what was available when I started playing in the early ‘90s!
Fenders increases to me have been the most noticeable. Jim root jazz I bought last Jan was 1499….now they’re 1949 bro no one can afford that. I sure as hell know my wages haven’t increased that much.
I just found a good deal on an Imperial for my buddy. It blew me away. It’s like what you want a Deluxe to be, plus an amazing drive channel with the “bite” control, which makes it sound like a plexi
Fully agree @31:50 with Rickenbacker ... I have the 4003 Fireglo Bass and it is the best sounding passive instrument I have without a doubt. It feels great, it's stylish, it's well balanced ... Everything about it is phenomenal. That is one instrument I would never part with.
I called Sweetwater on Wednesday and was able to pre-order a Silver Sky SE in my chosen color. Was surprised to hear that they were getting about 50-60 of each color... not sure if that is a small.or.large amount. My guess is they will all be spoken for by release date.
Same. I was told my guitar will ship on time.
I just bought a US Silver Sky, and it's absolutely phenomenal. I'm really wanting to A/B the SE model as soon as possible to see how the "S" pickups hold up. The current US Silver Sky competes well with Fender Custom Shop IMHO. I would expect that the SE will give the US strats a serious run. My SS is miles above my American Pro II.
Same, called Sweetwater Thursday, gave them all my information for pre order hold on dragonfruit. Even picked the weight. Said it would ship on Tuesday 01/11/22. Didn't get email thought yet. Said I would.
@@thomasdempsey4870 I don't think they'll be able to send the email until Tuesday. Didn't even charge me yet, though they took my payment already. They can't charge until they ship, that's their policy, so it's likely they won't email you until they charge you.
@@jimwoodard64 yeah, I did call this morning to verify I was on the pre order to ship list. I am. He was able to send me my invoice and pictures of my serial number and full guitar to confirm. Will be shipped Tuesday! Can't wait!!!
I’d like to know a lot more about is wood, sourcing, seasoning, and selection. I’m guessing that make a big difference in cost and potentially quality and value.
YES!!!
Our strange guitar shop is named "Guitar Bar." If you go there, you will see it is not a bar of ANY description. It actually is a large shop with two large rooms. The right side room is an ordinary pawn shop, and the left side room is a full-on guitar shop.
Time to pay back those stimulus checks that we borrowed!
Phillip, If you're having trouble with your suppliers for the parts you need for your pickups. The same thing is happening to the big manufacturers for their guitars and amps. Not only were they having to catch up with their backorders and fulfill existing orders, but they were running short of parts for some of their most popular selling models. Many of the big chain music stores and big online stores were short of the hottest selling models. Now if new ones are suppose to be coming out you have to preorder them and wait to get them shipped to the store or to you directly.
Phil love your CZcams header title. It says it all. There used to be a stigma with anything made off shore. I think the quality of the non American made guitars should be understood by now.
USA vs MEX- phil, you’re spot on. Mexican strats are made by ,inimum wage workers in mexico. USA strats are made by minimum wage workers a few hundred miles away. A strat is a CNC guitar, designed by Leo to be as easy and cheap to make as possible. A squier is barely different to a fender.
Good talk, especially the country of origin part. My Reverend Corgan is from Korea. But it’s flawless and plays like a dream (for what I want) plus when you consider that we have no problem with the electronics they produce.
I have a Strat with a 7.25" radius neck. It was my first electric guitar, and over the years I found that I didn't like the radius. The frets we're wearing down, and I bought frets and a 9.5" radius block to reshape the fretboard before refretting it. Then I got to wondering what would happen if I just radiused the existing frets instead. To my surprise, it worked well. It confirmed that I much prefer a flatter radius neck, and I've extended the life of the frets.
So glad I bought my fender am pro 2 jazzmaster on December 31 2021... next day the price jumped from 1599 to 1899. 300$ increase in a matter of a couple hours.
Was able to grab an Ever Green silver sky this morning through sweetwater. Green and dragonfruit are the only colors left. I was still able to pick my weight (6.14oz) and look forward to trying this out when it gets to me in the desert
Hello from New Mexico, your the reason I bought the glarry semi hollow and the yellow srtrat..both needed a little work but there nice to tinker with..just orders the new jazz ggs 101 jazzy.hope you have a review soon on it,.took a chance on it..lol blessings brother.
I agree regarding country of manufacture, I own a UK made 84' JCM800 and a US made Block Letter 5150, but my best amp is a Chinese made Jet City JCA50 that cost me a similar price to a Bugera.
What can I say it's a brilliant amp and the best New gear purchase I ever made. It takes Drive pedals even better than the 800, & It does Cleans several leagues better than the 5150, also its Gain channel is like the 5150's but smoother and a little tighter, so seeing that I play Prog/Math Metal, that fits me perfectly
Hey Phil, I bought the Ruby Sea Strat shape after watching your video. Can't wait to hear the Bare Knuckle pickups.
Happy new year! Thanks for all the great content!
Question for anyone on here really. I own two AO Strats - 50s and 60s- I have no real intention to sell- but I am curious to what happens to value of guitars like that when production gets discontinued? Lose value? Still hold value? Does it
Depend on what Fender will replace that series with?
Thanks !
Dude. I got to do an EMG roadshow in Nashville pre covid. Morgan amps are kicking. I have a vid where he explains his amp with me playing.
Great dude. Need a tour so I can afford his amp lol.
Called guitar center to ask about SS SEs and they said they have no control over buying (lol) and they just get shipped what they get shipped and it shows up when it shows up, what a wild way to run a business. Also I’m very excited to watch the secret guitar video this week
To celebrate a new career with a significant pay bump, I got a PRS custom 22 artist package. Gorgeous guitar, absolutely perfect, but it didn’t inspire me to play. After two months, I returned it and got a kiesel and can’t put it down.
called a small shop, got the old price, free shipping, and a discount on top for a case. I love sweetwater but that was hundreds saved.
I play a Fender Mustang. The pickups were of course a bit lacking. I picked up a custom set of Strat/Mustang sized P90s called Stra-Dogs from Craig Vineham of Vineham Pickups. They are so good and they were only $100 for the set.
Regarding the Silver Sky SE< where exactly is the value? It's a Squier Strat being sold at Fender Player Plus prices, with a worse spec sheet. I don't get the PRS cult.
Hopefully this SE Silversky helps drop prices for the old SE EG. cause the specs on that old EG are what I like better. 10” radius, 25” scale, set neck, yes please.
I saw Rhett Shull and Rick Beato both got a new Tone King Imperial mk ii recently. I've been lusting after one of those for a bit now - I'll be interested in your review. Especially how the attenuation works.
that comment phil said, can you gig with it, for that's all that matters . . . yes i know the 1.5K + guitars are great, but also totally agree with refining or learning to hear in tone chasing. I remember I tasted b33r for the first time. THought it was bitter and yucky. Now I love chasing local craft brews . . . same with wine. This is helpful in navigating electric guitars, so much about them. Also true country of origin doesn't matter, so many areas know to build quality guitars . . .
Phillip. I checked out StratOsphere, as you mentioned they’re a great source for parts. They have the goods, for sure.
I get a kick out of the descriptions there…-Robert Cray knobs , Malmsteen strat jack plate …….. LMAO !
I also have a fascination and phobia of sharks. Saw jaws at way too young as well. Students and friends give me shark paraphernalia all the time. To terrify me and laugh lol.
Ironically the only time I got a dead pickup was a new pickup. I buy EMG B-stock from their factory outlet and used pickups whenever I can. Never had a problem.
Nice work man ! Thank you for sharing.....
My Rickenbacker guitars are keepers, the only brand I will never sell.
I discovered RONDO MUSIC in 2003 and bought my first 6 string fretless bass, a BRICE private label model and my first Asian made bass. BAM!! I have since bought several from them, and a dozen Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indonesian, and have been impressed with the quality. A SADOWSKY line is now made in China,... There is a company in Germany named Thomann Music and they have their own private labels, one being HARLEY BENTON. I have a few. Unbelievable values.
I've seen Larry Carlton in playing a Sire at his tour dates now, and I know he's got a stake in it, but he wouldn't sacrifice his credentials if it didn't sound right at this point in his career IMHO .
Don't disagree with you, but here's an alternative thought: I am reasonably sure that Mr. Carlton could flat smoke 99.5% of the guitarists in the world playing any guitar which just functoned.( holds tune, electronics work, doesn't electrocute you or catch on fire, etc.)
great news I have been wanting to try the silver sky so bad but why tempt 2600$ 850 I'm in cant wait to hear your thoughts on it
Guitar center is doing well. Filed bankruptcy for reorg, but 2020 and 2021 were record, years, and completely fixed their financial issues. Analysts forecast another record year for GC in 2022.
As a Rickenbacker person, I've only known 2 kinds of people when I let them play mine ... they love em ,or think it's so weird to play they can't take it ... no middle ground it seems.
Reflecting on the country of origin subject, my question is , is Fender the best deal ??, They have there own Mexican factory and build there own products, were as everyone else builds in the same factory.. any thoughts??.
Hey Phil, thanks for the great education for a beginner 34 year old! Can you tell me what that orange/red, chrome, and cream Les Paul is in the background?
I built an ebay bolt neck kit, vid is on my channel, and it looks exactly the same.
What’s up with that Ibanez RG770 DX 👀👀👀
I’ve always thought there might be a difference with white strats, but whatever it is, I like it! I always felt white strats all had a particular vocal quality. But while typing this out, it feels like a stupid thought haha!
My response to 1099s, I can not blame reverb…Let’s Go Brandon!
To the person that brought up the Beatles and Epiphone, those Epiphones were basically Gibsons. They were made on the same line, at the same factory, by the same people as Gibsons. Also George and John both used Gibsons as well.
Thank you for the honesty Phil. To summarize "spend that $3000-$9000 on USA made if you want resale value and the 'I have arrived' / street credit factor", it's a complete admission from an inside like Phil that there's a sort of snake oil component here with USA made guitars. The builders know this and refuse to build spec for spec the same guitar in Indonesia... Meanwhile the actual artist on stage well known enough to influence "USA better" get their instruments for free through promotional deals and many of them did play foreign built before the freebies started coming... The music instrument/gear industry is just such a minefield if you care about things like integrity and actually getting what you pay for... Have pointed out before too, there are foreign built guitars, even cheap ones like the Yamaha FG300 that actually retain their resale value just as well as USA made guitars, in fact some better than most USA made guitars... It's all about that % from final sale price to resale price.
hope you review that blue ibanez behind you too.
Will do
Let's talk about OEM parts on USA guitars what a Lie. What exactly are people paying extra for. Fender Corona factory is 50 miles from Fender Mexico. Fender Corona also is known for sending bodies to Mexico to have them painted and brought back to USA for final assembly.
For Phil and everyone else…I have had no luck with Sweetwater and deals. Have had some luck with zzounds, but most recently called around for an expensive piece of gear, no luck with zzounds, so called musicians friend. Immediately got 15 percent off and honestly service couldn’t have been better. Not annoying and fake like sweetwater. Also got a direct line to my salesman for anything in the future (very sweetwaterish). Hopefully it comes in a new box with all the parts. Lol. Just an FYI for anyone annoyed with Sweetwater. Deals are still out there.
I know its a little late, but would you do a video on the Fender American Pro II line? I love my APII Strat!!!
I have a brand new set of Wilkinson pickups from music Lily I believe also from England, I gave$60 2 years ago.
I’ve noticed since Gibson has opened their Gibson Garage in Nashville, a majority of the country artists are now all playing Gibson acoustics. Gibson is putting their acoustics in every artists hands that will take them.
Hey was able to preorder the ever green which is cool sweetwater only has the ever green and dragon fruit available for preorder
I'm tempted to get the PRS Se Silver Sky, but I have a Music Man CT50 HSS with a roasted maple neck and locking tuners in Rose Gold (a metallic color). I got it on a Stupid Deal of The Day for $400. I can't imagine that the PRS would be that much better than this guitar, so I'm holding off.
I learned years ago that the "country of origin" has little to do with quality. Good companies realized people weren't going to put up with crap products, and they had to have the same workmanship and QC standards regardless of where the factory was.
My Tama drums were made in China. I was totally OCD when I was looking to buy a kit. Every major brand. Most major lines. Had a huge music store at my disposal with good turnover, and I measured for roundness and checked dozens of bearing edges on entire kits, top and bottom. Interior and exterior finish quality and consistency. Everything. Did this for literally months.
My mid level kit was better in build quality and consistency than all but a few lines from other top manufacturers which were equal, which is to say no appreciable flaws. Every single bass, tom, and snare is about as perfect as it can be. All in perfect round. Impeccable bearing edges. Glass finish with tons of depth. All out of China. 🤯😱 But...but...everyone said it would be crap ?! 😳
Very much like the Fender Mexico/America/Squire and Gibson/Epiphone, etc. Money doesn't always mean it's built better, or has better QC. It's just as much about how much pride employees take in every step, especially with it comes to attention to detail. After my drum experience, I've become far more relaxed when purchasing instruments from China and Indonesia under solid brands.
But country DOES determine finer quality materials...USA Gibson has better materials than China, Period.......some people want That over QC which can be fixed.
you have an American flag as a profile pic but your guitars are communist !!! Pick a side or you will fall for everything! And your wrong I just got my first real Gibson and it kills every epiphone that I thought was as good as gibson...... We are all just slaves fighting for the cheapest anything
@@audiomonster303 lmao you say communist like it's a bad thing. But back to the point, there's lots of affordable asian guitars built better than a "low end" Gibson, Epiphone are usually not among these. Gibson are good when paying for the hi-end custom shop models but the rest is imo too expensive for what they deliver. And Epiphone nowadays is the even cheaper version of exactly that.
My wife knows next time we go to Montana we’re stopping in Bozeman. I’m pretty excited.
Although it is true quality guitars can come from anywhere, I don't see how CNC machines have anything to do with it. Electronics, hardware, fit and finish are usually where the corners are cut, not the shaping of the instrument.
Why isn’t this posted in the podcast app yet?
Yeah, my wife has NO clue about my guitar addiction. But she likes it just the same. Because when I'm in my guitar room bangin' on a guitar, she knows EXACTLY where I am, and EXACTLY what I'm doin'....😝
My Epiphone LP custom is great. I wanted one because I've always wanted a custom but can't afford the ridic prices on the Gibsons so I went with an epiphone for a 3rd of the cost and I'm pretty sure it'll hold it's value. I've also had more quality issues with my Gibson than my Epiphone. I'm lucky to have 2 Gibson Les Pauls but I play my Epiphone LP custom and my made in Japan made ESP way more. I'm trying to make my brain get away from the whole. "it's American made so it's awesome" way of thinking. Mainly because I'm so sick of hearing how much better American made is when it really isn't. I'm not one to care if you like American made gear, that's fine, it's the whole making someone feel stupid for owning something else I have a problem with. Especially if said gear doesn't really have a difference of quality/sound to the American counter part. It's just toxic.
I have 3 2020-2021 Epiphones and they’re fantastic guitars. I swapped the stock pickups out and I have no urge to swap any of them for the Gibson versions.
Which, in regards to the title of this video, is why companies (with few exceptions ) don’t use the same hardware and pickups. They’d destroy the marketability of their domestic versions.
Iron Gear Pickups sound great, I have replaced Seymour Duncans and dimarzios with them in some of my guitars. Phenomenal customer service as well.
I hear great things
6:05 Ford calls that color "Area 51" on their new trucks and SUVs...lovely color!!
When was there ever such a hype around a signature guitar since the 80s with the Jem or something like that. Weird.
Reverb is not to be blamed.
I blame the people who voted for all this chaos.
Just stop man. It was coming any way the wind would've blown...Don't be so naive.
@@oshikiri999 no you wake up Foreigner
@@anthonyrampino8148 born and raised in Kentucky bud...nice try
You probably blame Biden for your hemorrhoids too. 😒
@@fatamorgana4318 this 👆👆👆
That would be an improper use of a 1099
It's not " income' when you sell your used stuff
File s Complaint for a bogus document
Iron gear are affordable and super good. (Currently my preferred brand)
Phillip, If you want I can send you a link to the vid, then you can post if you want, I don't wanna be that guy that just shares. It's a cool 11 minutes. Let me know.
I mean i have a Duesenberg Caribou Stardust and i think it's built in Germany but there's no country of origin on it, no "Made in..."