The clarity on Guillaume's rig made me expect some Floyd studio session to begin ... kinda insane. Darn close to a cosmic experience. Well done guys. I've always have found that there is nothing wrong to have something to even aspire to. Kinda like those classic Lamborghini posters of my youth.
@@musicadikto absolutely!! I have 2 PRS Customs 22&24...plus the Fusion II...the difference would be more subtle with a guitar swap....meaning you'd not hear much differences - the expensive rig would still largely sound the same and be 14k less expensive.
Wow, Kris rig sounds A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. If I was listening blind folded I swear I'd believe it would cost 2-3x times expensive than this. It's time to buy more HB products :)
The expensive rig was used based mainly on effects. We can add a second HB Tube 15 and a second HB 2x12 then use stereo effects as well for much cheaper. Then play the same riffs on both.
Looks like expensive rig sometimes sounds like synths, not a guitar. It's good sound, I like it, but I believe that the cheap rig is more guitar..ish :)
You’re not wrong, however, that expensive rig is just how modern age guitar playing is. A lot of ambient style playing, lots of delay and big reverbs. Less simple crunch tones. I think this is more of a test of different styles rather than a test of cost of gear
When Guillaume opened the guitar case and Chris mention "private stock", I thought: Private stock? Since when has Harley Benton a private stock? :D Then I saw the birds on the fretboard. Nice video guys.
That PRS... holy moly, and the sounds are just magnificent. However the Harley Benton stuff still sounds amazing too. And i kinda fell in love with that sparkly silver top. HB are bullies, they want all my moneys! Got way to many HB guitars on my wishlist.
Guillaume is having best day of his life First he was like "holy *goat sound*, his rig sounds great" And then PRS started blasting I had great fun watching you guys. It's great to have guitar content made by nerds for nerds. I've had my headphones on and I was laughing too after these amazing sounds
Twenty years of experience and guitar geeking speaking here: I must say one thing first, If you put the guitars in context of a recording you won't probably be able to tell the difference. On their own they sound different because everything is sonically different, not only expensive. But I prefer the harley benton one, maybe the player knows better how to let the sounds really shine, but the expensive rig is not sounding better. The only things that matter on a guitar are the way it was build, and how comfortable it is to play it, and how in tune and correct sounds. The sonics can be changed afterwards in so many ways. So don't spend a ton of money, spend money WISELY!
I'm kinda biased nowadays because of my HBs but That being said, I still believe that the HB rig had no reason to hang it's head down. It took an awful lot of money to slightly out tone the HB rig.
Yes of course Guillaume tone is amazing and it have to be sooooo cool playing such rig, but honestly Kris's tone is awesome too no shame to have there ! I'll be curious to hear Kris's gear pluged in Guillaume's amp
In my opinion, choose Harley Benton for the vintage sound, and choose the expensive rig for modern sounds, i prefer the PRS guitar with the Harley Benton Amp and pedals, i am almost 60 years now and still searching for the perfect sound. great video gentlemen
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses I almost had an heart attack when you placed the PRS on top of the stool :P Well... Maybe you'd get a discount as b-stock on it, if it fell... That could be a plan :p
Kris' first riff was so on point, those chord progressions.. I even forgot to pay attention to his tone. I thought the HB was a little nasal in direct comparison but when they both play together at the end it is magnificent
1. I love HB. I own 3 already with plans to get maybe 20 more. But when I hear people say "tone is in the hands or fingers" I feel like punching them in the nose. 2. Instruments, equipment, I think they are very very overpriced. This video shows that clearly. Better sound? Yes. $24,000 better sound? Definitely not. Absolutely loved the video! Keep them coming!
I dunno man! I believe in finger tone quite a lot! I think it’s only worth spending the extra money for a guitar you can play as best as possible. You could plug a 100 quid guitar into a Kemper these days and nobody would tell the difference
If I'm in a basement with all the lights turned off, then the expensive rig wins. Anywhere else, the HB mess is for me. Oh, on top of the 25-G's for the guitar stuff, I gotta buy a new house with a basement.
but hey - it's super adorable how Kris just tries SO DAMN hard with the guitar and his playing to even come just a tiny bit close to Guillaume's rig so tips for that dude !!
I would ***LOVE*** for you guys to start recording these videos with a Binaural rig!!! BTW, the PRS rig did sound quite a bit better to me, as it should for the cost difference. The HB was really good though, which shows what a great time it is to be a guitarist!
I‘m in love with both rigs just because the sound is 90% in the fingers and both sounded just fine. Where can i get the decibel meter behind Kriss‘s back? Would appreciate any hint. Thanks.
Thanks a lot! :) Here's the dB meter in the video: www.thomann.de/gb/dateq_spl_d2_mkii.htm And here's a more affordable one: www.thomann.de/gb/thomann_dms_v1.htm cheers! //Kris
The Harley Benton rig sounds muddy compared to the crazy expensive one, but it still does the job. I couldn't afford the expensive rig, and even if I could, I'm not sure I would go so far. But it does sound amazing!
You could do a "where to put the money"-vid. My guess would be: work at the pedals first ... So you could put up each OD, REV, MOD against each other ...
What's interesting is the expensive rig is much fuller across the EQ whereas the lesser expensive is more in the midrange. It's very possible that much of the frequency outside the mids would be lost in the mix of a band. Those old Ozzy recording, Randy's guitar didn't sound great without the band, but with the band there it was great. A lot of players get their sound all dialed in alone, but with a band it's a different animal.
Preferred Guillaume’s sound for rhythm (like a nice big bubble of sound) Kris’ sound for lead (focused sound to cut through a mix) but that’s always been my feeling on guitar tone anyway a nice stereo or wet dry wet for rhythm and a single mid focused amp like an ac30 for lead
Bottom line, both rigs sounded different as expected, neither sounded bad, add in a parametric EQ and add a mid boost or mid cut too adapt to what you're going for, and you can get close to whichever one you want, of course pedal functionality can change depending on pricing. But the gist of the sound comes mostly from the cab and the pups, the pups defining the gain and gain structure that hits the amp, and the speakers reproducing what the guitar does at said frequencies. The pedals are your filters (removing or adding frequencies), your gain and your modulations between the guitar and amp and the amp adding another layer of gain and gain structure (but that can be replaced by pedals depending on what you're going for) the rest is comfort and the feel that helps you play better and that can be very much independant on pricing and differs from person to person No sound is bad, just we all have different tastes
My first guitar was a Harley Benton TE 52. And I'm keeping that bad boy! Soon buying the exact thing Kris is wielding in this video. Keep up the good work, that will be my 4th electric HB, not to mention the insane acoustics. I want to see your name up there with Ibanez and Fender some day
My first electric guitar is that exact HB model (different color) and I bought it 3 years ago, before this video. Sounds like I made the right choice. :)
Guil won this one with that rig, but Kris got some incredible tones out of what he had! The explanation of the economics of it all was great! Well done! 😊👍
It's hilarious when you see one of these guys it a note that just kills it...they just start smiling. Great video. For the price, that HB setup sounded great. G got the sounds with that 25K setup though. LOL
I agree with the conclusion about how much more money you need to get a better sound. Honestly I really like the sound of the HB rig, maybe even more than the expensive rig, way more band-friendly imo. What makes the expensive rig sound epic like that are the strymon effects and the stereo amp. I think the biggest improvements you can get are upgrading your amp and your effects, I am convinced a guitar like an Epiphone well set would sound very similar to that on that rig. Finally I think it all depends on your taste and how well a guitar pairs with an amp + effects, I think you can achieve a better sound just by being good at tweaking what you already have rather than buying expensive stuff and not taking the time to get the best sound you can get out of it.
Both sound good, really demonstrates the power of diminishing returns. Of course the 25K is going to sound better, but its not 25K better, a PRS of a lower model with the same pickups would have sounded exactly the same, cheaper cables wouldnt have had an effect and can guarantee a cheaper amp of the same style would be near imperceivable in a blind shootout for "which is best." What they need to do now is the 25K rig vs 10 or under...
Guys that was fun ! Epic sounds from both Rigs I’d be scared to have a 20 k rig .. I’d love to have Kris’s rig but the guitar in natural Thanks for letting us hear something we’d but unlikely to hear elsewhere It would be interesting for you both to have the same rig and the same guitar ( single coil) and see what sounds you came up with on your own
Hi Kris and Guillaume, enjoyed watching your video. What I think would have been interesting to see in this kind of comparison is to switch only the quitars between the rigs and then the pedal board and finally the amps (maybe just the cables once?). In this way one could have made a better idea where to focus future rig investments for more significant sound improvements. I hope to see that in a future video and I'm sure a lot of people would find it, if not useful - at least interesting.
Wow that PRS is gorgeous and what a rig. If only is my reply. First rig was good but the second was incredible however it should be for the price. I guess it boils down to what your looking for to gig or just for home use. If your gigging the second makes more sense. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
The follow up video should be what bits of gear do we need to take from the expensive rig to put on the cheaper rig to get a similar sound to see how much money you do have to spend to get somewhere close
So… a stereo rig is always going to have more Nuance and ambient color than a mono rig. I would say your almost playing two different “types” of set ups at that point. It’s a little difficult to truly evaluate even the taste differences in these two set ups, because the stereo nature introduces such a wide gulf of variance. Ultimately, either set up can work for a player if they FEEL the sound. To that point, When you are in the room, my experience has been that high dollar gear FEELS better and drives my creativity more. But in the recording, there is a lot of that nuance that is lost in translation, and from simply listening and consuming, it’s easy to be equally wowed by cheap gear as expensive gear. That feeling when playing in the room however is really where the differences begin to present themselves. Good show though. It’s always fun to hear a fantasy rig!! Cheers
Hey Kris & Guillaume!! That was great!! Why don't you do another video of this kind but this time both of you are blindfolded/don't see the rig? I think that would be great!! 🤘🤘
Obviously the expensive rig sounds awesome but....I still can't believe the Harley Benton rig it's under a 1000 !!!! And sounds great 🥰 Ps That PRS ............... jaw dropping
Hey guys! Great video! - Please keep that "Guillaume-Rig" in mind, when Thomas Blug sometimes will arrive with his all-new "Amp-X". I wish to hear that BluGuitar Amp-X in stereo against the Magnatone Panoramic Stereo Head. That should be a real challenge for Thomas, shouldn't it?
Honestly, I feel like Kris won. just preffered his sound. Also, If I had Kris his rig, I'd play it all day If I had Guillaume's rig, I'd sell it and buy a house/
You both played so well! It's more about getting the best out of the given rig! Me playing both rigs, there would be not much difference in sound, I will spend more time in practicing though! ;-)
The most important variable in this discussion is the player. I know guys who would make a can sound amazing. If you suck, you will sound bad regardless. This is the most underrated variable when discussing music equipment. This discussion can only be valid and accurate if you take the same caliber musicians and compare it. Otherwise, it won't make a difference otherwise.
It’s a great idea for a video. Maybe you could do it again, while you spend some time trying to dial in sounds derived from one rig on the other and vice versa?
“ … I would be happy with that … “ Will you ? You are playing with evil forces my friends. When I first tasted my first really fine (and expensive) bottle of wine, I couldn’t go back to the 3 euro cardboards anymore. When I first heard my really expensive hifi set, I didn’t buy the one I could afford… So I worked my ass off, saved a lot of money and after 20 years I have a wine cellar and a hifi setup of dreams. Although … I could have used that time at work to learn how to really play the guitar very well…. Ah… Demons 😈 Excellent videos guys. Keep ‘m coming Regards from the Netherlands 🇳🇱
It's like being in a small club with 50 people and a three piece band is killing it....and Carlos Santana walks in...LOL It's really not fair. I'm almost laughing as much as Guillaume is.
If you told me to go shopping and these were my choices, I'd go with the Harley Benton rig. I'd have a great sounding rig and still have money left over to either buy more effects, or add to my drum kit.
The sound was awesome, and both videos were fun, but what I keep tripping on is that decibel meter in the background. What is that, and where can I get one??? 😏😏😏
It's a cool comparison video indeed. The stereo component made it kinda unfair though. You could have put another 25k rig against that - if it comes in mono it will still lose because it will always sound a little flat in comparison to the stereo signal. Again, fun video, though!
An interesting twist would have been to plug the HB guitar into the Magnatone & plug the PRS into the HB amp and repeat the sound comparisons. I suspect the HB - Magnatone sound would be just as good as the PRS - Magnatone sound. IMO the amp has more affect on the overall quality of the sound than the guitar does. Either way, the HB rig gets it done and honestly, would you want to haul around 25k worth of gear to gigs over and over and risk the potential damage to the guitar & amp? I would not.
Ahh man, thank you! Thank you so much! Don't worry about my fingers though, just embrace your inner music. That's what I'm trying to do and man, it makes playing the guitar so much more fun! //Kris
Ok, it’s time for a Thomann to have a fantastic Rig giveaway. That Harley Benton rig you built would do. How cool would that be.come on guy’s hook us up. All in favor say hell yea🤘🏼
It'd be great if you did a video specifically for PSUs. Their construction methods, pros and cons and do a shootout between a PSU like the ISO-2 PRO and a one-spot.
I want to see a midrange rig (1000-1500 eur guitar, 500-1000 eur guitar, 500-1000 eur pedalboard) to compare to that monster of a rig like can that kind of a rig, well tuned, something a musician could work with quite well, be comparable to the insane rig
No matter how the guillaume's rig sounds, the best is the harley benton rig because it makes music more accessible to more people. And often the people with the least money have the most talent.
Considering that the PRS guitar was $17k and the fact that the main difference in sound in any guitar rig is the amplifier and pedals(Strymoon volante is just magic), I would put my money on a great amp and good pedals. 10-20% of the budget would be on a guitar.
The winner is....... the look on the faces of both when G started playing through his rig! Now what would have been a better comparison would have been to play the same guitar. Now that would have been the truth!🤐
Hey Mike, the guitars on their own were very different, sure. But. :) The biggest difference here were the amp and the pedalboard. At least that's how it felt to me in the room. That Vemuram Shanks and the Magnatone are pure magic together. //cheers, Kris
@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses I must say that G rig played in stereo is an advantage..but I must admit the guitars are very different as you say..and as we can ear #madnessoflight
I personally find myself playing better and being more inspired on two very different instruments : a Gibson Les Paul worth $2000 and an old classical guitar worth $20 that my first guitar.
Hurraaaaaaa Kettensägenlärm 👏👏👏👏❤ Lololoooooool 😅🌊🌊🌊 da hat wohl einer zurück geschlagen 😄 Aber ganz ehrlich, die fusion 2 wäre mir deutlich lieber. Ein Rig-tausch wäre schön gewesen, da bläst die fusion 2 die prs locker ins nirvana. Ich hatte in den frühen 80ern mal so einen riesigen tower der so hoch war wie ein stockwerk, da konnte man einen alten besenstiel einstöpseln und es klang wie totale vollbombe. 🥳🤪😄 V.G. 🐈
