Does A Decade Make A Difference?

Adam and Tom from AStrings have posted a cracking comparison video. They’ve taken two reverb pedals that are currently in production, but a decade apart in their design, to try and answer the question: does a decade (of progress) make a difference?

What a wonderful, original idea for a gear demo video!

Have a listen, see which one you think, and then please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment and let them know which pedal you preferred and why.

Kemper vs Tube Amp

Camilo Velandia has posted an interesting comparison video. He’s made a Kemper profile of his Indigo Amps El Mariachi, and then put them side by side for comparison.

Have a listen, and see whether you can hear the differences between the two.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed his video.

Do Thicker Strings Sound Better?

Chris Buck is back with another Friday Fretworks video. This week, he’s looking at how string gauge affects tone,

Have a listen, and then head over to YouTube to leave a like and say which string gauge you preferred the sound of.

Blindfold Tubescreamer Challenge

Chappers and The Captain have posted their latest blindfold challenge. Can Lee tell a real Tubescreamer from a pool of clones? And which ones will he like?

The Tubescreamer is possibly the most-copied pedal circuit of them all. Most pedal brands have a TS-style pedal in their range, and there’s a TS-style pedal to fit every budget.

It’s not really an overdrive pedal, and that’s very confusing when you get one for the first time. It’s more of a colour pedal, thanks to it’s pronounced mid-hump. Run it into a dirty amp to shape the overall sound, or run it after a gain or fuzz pedal to act as a great boost.

A Strat -> Zendrive -> TS signal chain in particular is a very special sound.

Over the years, I’ve had a few of the pedals in the video, and the one I use is the Mad Professor Little Green Wonder. You can’t get a sense of it from this video, but one of the great things about the LGW (and, indeed, all Mad Professor pedals) is the low noise floor.

I’d love to try a Wampler Clarksdale one day – just waiting for one to turn up at a good 2nd hand price. The J Rockett Blue Note is another pedal featured in this video that I want one day. Burgs did a demo of it years ago now that really sold me on it.

And just how good does the new Hot Rod Deluxe Mk 4 sound?

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed the Andertons video.

Pedals Into A Clean Amp vs A Dirty Amp

Brian Wampler has posted a video of what it’s like to run drive pedals into a clean amp, and what it’s like to run the same pedals into a Dirty amp.

He’s picked an Orange Rockerverb 50 Mk 2 for this. It’s an interesting choice, as it isn’t your typical Fender-voiced or Marshall-voiced amp.

If you’re interested in running pedals into an Orange amp, hopefully you’ll find it useful.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Brian’s video.

PRS Silver Sky vs Original Fender 1965 Stratocaster

The first batch of PRS Silver Sky guitars is out in the wild. Tim Pierce has borrowed one, and he’s posted a comparison of the Silver Sky vs an original Fender Stratocaster from 1965 – a guitar that costs about 10 times as much as the Silver Sky.

Have a listen.

I couldn’t hear a difference between the two guitars, not in the mix at any rate. And, honestly, I think that’s impressive.

Folks have been trying to recreate the fabled 59 Les Paul tone for decades, and so far no-one – including PRS – has managed to do so. We’ve ended up with some really good instruments to choose from if we don’t want a Gibson, but that hallowed tone has remained elusive. (In part because no-one can agree on what it is …). The PRS McCarty 594 is a fantastic guitar, but it does not sound like a Les Paul.

With the Silver Sky, it appears that PRS have managed to recreate that 60s Strat tone, and then improve on both the tone and the playing experience.

Once people get over the headstock, I’m sure this guitar is here to stay.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Tim’s video.

Comparing Two Fender Custom Shop Teles: 52 and 63

Dan and Mick have posted a video all about Dan’s new Fender Custom Shop Telecaster 52 Reissue, and how it compares to the Custom Shop 63 Reissue that he’s been using on That Pedal Show for the last couple of years.

This video is full of surprises: side by side, the 52 reissue doesn’t sound anything like they (or I) expected. It’s nowhere near as bright or sharp as a modern maple-boarded Tele would be, and of course it doesn’t rock like Dan’s red Tele famously does – yet it still has its own thing going on.

Even if you’re not into Fender Teles, it’s still worth watching just to watch them geeking out over gear, and trying to learn licks off each other. There’s an important lesson there: it’s no different to the last time you and your mates did exactly the same thing.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed this video.

250 Dollar Rig vs 7000 Dollar Rig

Paul Davids (and … er … Paul Davids) is back with a video comparing his first rig to his current rig.

We don’t learn how old his Squier is, so please don’t refer to this when trying to decide whether or not to buy a brand new Squier today!  These kinds of videos are meant to be a bit of fun 🙂

Hopefully Paul will post a follow up where we hear both guitars into the Tone King.

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Paul’s video.

Do Microphonic Guitar Pickups Explain Tonewood?

Johan Segeborn is back – and his beard almost is too – with another of his mad science experiments about tone.

Ah, tonewood – and the endless debate of whether wood makes a difference or not. (It does, and so do other things.)

This time, Johan tries an experiment with pickups. How microphonic are they, and does that explain why tonewood makes a difference?

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and join in the lively debate in the comments section there.

5 Way Amp Recording Shootout

Check this out. Michael Nielsen has posted a video comparing a real mic + cab setup vs 5 different ways to record silently at home. And he’s picked a great way to do it too.

He’s recorded the best sound he could with each approach, and used them in a mix so that you can hear the kind of final results you might be able to get. Best of all: the guitar is soloed to begin with, to give you a taste of what it’s like to simply noodle through each setup.

It isn’t a straight comparison. The real cab has V30s in it, and is mic’d using an SM57. The impulse responses used are of G12M Creambacks with a couple of different mics, and I’d swear that the OX is emulating G12Hs not G12Ms. But that’s kinda the point. He’s gone and done exactly what we’d do ourselves – dial in what he thinks sounds the best.

Do have a read of the comments people have been leaving on his video. It’s clear that not only do people have different tastes, but that different people actually hear different things too.

The other thing that’s interesting? Play it back to back a few times. Once ear fatigue kicks in, just how much difference can you hear any more?

(And just how good does that BE-100 sound?!? Me want …!)

Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment for Michael’s video.