I hope you like my 5th annual end of year wrap up video! Timestamps, links, and information are all listed in the video description. I hope you all have a great end to 2021 and a great new year. There's some more videos coming up and worthy additions will be featured in the following years end of year wrap up. Take care and thanks again. 🕺🏻
Hey I’ve been trying to figure out your opinion. I have a 60’s tele original but am looking at my first and only strat… would you recommend the pro too or the original for over all feel, enjoyment, playability, sound, and versatility. Hardest decision ever
"I don't need another guitar". I don't think anyone has ever said that. I've gotten "You don't need another guitar" from the wife. And she has been wrong every single time.
@@dragonpundit.6443 I see no problem with people having a lot of music gear, especially when it comes to someone that actually plays. Joe plays just about every bit of the gear he has at some point in time. Plus, it is a hobby and something he likes to do. You can look at it as being no different than collecting spoons, or movie posters or weird ass troll dolls or something. If it is something you are into and actively participating in, then have at it. What I do take issue with are people buying guitars and sitting on them while they have no idea how to play nor any interest in learning. There is that one asshole in I think NY that has managed to get ahold of like 60-65% of all of the original burst Les Pauls and he just hoards them. He supposedly has Clapton's LP that was stolen way back when. Those people suck.
Hell, my wife only knows about two of my four guitars, and the only reason she even knows about the second one is because my daughter noticed it was a different shape and colour to the first!
Let me get this straight. One of the two main reasons you consider the "squier jazzmaster" to be on the list of "worst guitars", is that "it is overcomplicated in terms of switching". This switching system has been on the jazzmaster for decades now and it is strongly affiliated with it. Not only it really isn't that complicated for somebody who has been to primary school, but some people (like myself) love it and use it. Just because a product doesn't fit your personal taste, it doesn't mean it is bad. Please pick real reasons and do not mislead people.
I absolutely love that you really tried out a lot of this stuff in a band setting. Please do more of those live jam gear reviews! I’m sure it’s a lot more work but it’s much appreciated.
I'm not a collector. I'm not a very good guitarist. I'm reaching middle age and decided to pull the proverbial trigger and get what I have wanted since I was about 12 years old: a Fender Stratocaster. I got the American Professional II back in September in that same Dark Night color. I love it. I haven't enjoyed playing the guitar this much since I was a teenager. Now I have to show this video to my wife and say, "See???"
I really enjoy seeing reviews for us lefties. We don’t have a lot of the options that righties have available to them. It’s nice to know it’s available as a lefty going in. Thanks!
Jazzmasters just aren't as universal in appeal as other Fenders, sort of Marmite guitars. I'm pretty sure the Classic Vibe pickups are true to form and also use 1 Meg pots which add to the top end. A pickup change will make some difference but I think you either like it or you don't. Personally I love them Edit: nice video by the way.
I absolutely dont know how the Fender Deluxe Tonemaster amps didnt make your best list. Theyre incredible. And Godin is kicking ass for guitars. IMO. Thanks for the vid.
A friend of mine purchased the H&K TubeMeister 40 a while back, having owned the 18 for years and really enjoyed it. He uses either a 4 X 12" Randall cab he's had for many years, or a Mesa 4 X 12" cab he bought in 2019, and that amp sounds great in the older cabinet and sounds even better in the new one
Have to say I love these year end best/worst gear reviews. Now, I've only been watching for about a year as I picked up the guitar last December, and I've noticed how up front you are about how you receive your gear for review. It's why I watch you, Landon Bailey, 60 CycleHum, John Robson and, lately, The Budget Gutar Show. Honest feedback is hard to come by these days and you guys all deliver with you own styles and, yes, panache! Your channel is a lot of fun during these tough to take times. Keep it up, Shane (and Dr. Rick and everyone else)! Happy 2022!
Excellent video Shane. Content-wise it's bang on: interesting, entertaining and educational. But your speech and delivery is next level brilliant. You are smooth, easy to listen to and show no hesitation. You should be well pleased with yourself for this level of production! Merry Christmas :)
nice work, and it seems to me like you have a good philosophy on doing this- you've established an identity, keep that identity intact, while trying to see other perspectives through. Like, boiled down, you're a Tele, overdrive, medium sized tube amp blues player, which is awesome, but you're trying to keep in mind a Les Paul, fuzz, large amp rock player, or Strat straight into tweed country player in mind- hence, I'd trust your opinion.
I had a vintage '66 Jazzmaster that I had to sell 4yrs ago. It's the only piece of equipment that I've ever regretted selling. I used to record my #1 hit surf song "Hang 10'. About 4 months ago, I saw a like new Fender Vintage Vibe Jazzmaster for sale at $125, and I brought it. It plays great, and had the same tone as the '66 I sold. I did replace both the term and bridge with Fender parts..I don't miss the '66 anymore..
Always enjoy the year in review episodes!!! Lots of cool gear was reviewed here and a few duds but always with an honest opinion and with playing live in mind. Looking forward to 2022 and what you have planned Shane!! Happy Holidays and a safe and fruitful new year!!! 🎸🎸🎸🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾
I switched to Ernie Ball braided cables and was shocked in the audible difference. I did blindfold shootouts with a couple friends and it was very apparent. Tight, silent, sturdy. Cables can make a huge difference.
Nice to see another BD-2 convert. I took mine off the board, (TS9 as well), when I got the D&M Drive. I miss it, and I think it will find it's way back on, just haven't decided on order yet.
Wow! you chose my Harley Benton tele !! I love her so much. I'm happy that you have the guitar I took so long pondering about on your list.. I'm a learner so I could have got it wrong. I'm thinking about letting my old artist dad loose on the rather Ikea kitchen look finish of the body. That'll make it special I'll sand it and see what he comes up with oil paints ...let it dry then varnish it ? Some people have recoiled in horror at the idea...but...even his doodles are fab ...plus he's 93 !!
I haven’t played that expensive Fender tweed Champ reissue but I can tell you with no hesitation that it’s not just nostalgia that makes players seek out the real ones. I ran a guitar store for many years and at one point we sold a fairly large collection of gear for a lady whose husband had recently passed away (and who had quite a few nice vintage pieces). Now, I have also been a recording engineer for twenty plus years and I love, love, love little, low-wattage tube amps for recording. Among this collection were a couple of vintage Champs - a blackface and a tweed. The blackface sounded really, really nice and didn’t last very long at all in the store. That tweed Champ, though - I have never, before or since, heard an amp of that size that had that kind of tone. I was floored and, in hindsight, should’ve figured out some way to buy it myself. We ended up putting it on eBay and someone in Australia actually bought it (and with import duties he paid a small fortune for it but I have no doubt it was worth it). It doesn’t surprise me at all that the reissue failed to capture the magic (for a while host of reasons. I mean, Weber makes a great speaker and all but they certainly weren’t putting them in Fender amps back in the 1950s). The tone that this thing had - THAT is the tone people have been chasing for years with these little guys. Great video, btw, although I started out a bit puzzled by a video purporting to show the best (& worst) guitar gear of 2021 which opened with a pedal released over 25 years ago (although I do admit that I held the same dismissive, prejudiced bias against that little blue dirtbox). Definitely some pieces here that I’ll be investigating for myself in the near future.
The lefty Epiphone Casino is a good modding platform, given that the USA models have not yet appeared in left-handed orientation. I picked up a lefty Chinese Epi (mine was well made with no obvious flaws). I changed out the wiring, put in Lollar P90’s with no covers so less microphonic, a Callaghan Bridge, a new black pickguard, and upgraded the tuners. The original nut and tailpiece did their jobs well and so remained but could also easily be replaced. Restrung with D’Addario NYXL 10 - 46, and the guitar has been set up and Plek’d. The cost of the upgrades including labour was similar to the retail price of the guitar. The Epiphone now looks, feels and sounds great. I also have a lefty Memphis era Gibson ES-330 which provides a good reference point for comparison. Thanks for all the videos this year.
Hey Shane. Long time subscriber, and I have my first ever disagreement with you, so to offset that I clicked the LIKE button for this video because 99% of your video was spot on. I have to come to the defense of the Squire Classic Vibe Jazzmaster. I've always been a Strat and Tele player, and last year I got my first Jazzmaster and thought "what is this unicorn doing in my stable of horses? Nothing makes sense." However I've learned to embrace it for what it is. The Trem system is so much more "watery" that the Strat or even a bigsby trem system that you have to learn how to use it, but it can do things that the others can't, like surf rock. There's such a long space between the bridge and the trem system that you can actually play string bends behind the bridge to get an almost Steel pedal sound, or at least a G or B Bender sound. And the top rhythm section? For a rock player, try switching to the Rhythm section through a true Fuzz pedal, and it's REALLY throaty and deep, and then you just switch back to the lower section for lead. I know we all have our own preferences, and I hope I didn't offend you with these comments, but I bought one and learned to embrace it's unique attributes, and now it's another "horse" in my stable that will work when nothing else will, so I've learned to love it. BTW, Thanks for all the great info you have shared, i have bought equipment based on your recommendations in the past. Just sharing my honest feedback here.
A great improvement shown here and the other vid, well done Rich that lesson has definitely improved your playing and musical feels. As the vid progresses we can see you settling into the scale and your choice of notes without excessive duplication and you’ve a good use and appreciation of Wah too Keep it up, keep practicing and watch the rewards roll in!
I have been watching your videos for years Shane, and this the first time i have commented, absolute dig your videos they are brilliant, looking forward to more in 2022, have a great xmas Cheers Dave from Wollongong
Trustworthy channel. My hope was to get an Artist TweedTone for 2022. Not available in the States, so went with another favorite of this channel, the Fender Super Sonic 22…used. It’s replacing my Orange. You were spot on. I could not get it to fit in a band mix. Tried everything.
Thanks for the video . Was surprised about your lack of enthusiasm for the Epi Casino esp the build quality . I had a Casino Coupe and it was the best built guitar I have owned under £400. Hope you have a brilliant 2022 and I look forward to many great videos .👍
I don't trust any of them, companies are throwing guitar related gear at channels with high subs, it affects the reviewers judgement...but i must say Shane has been around a while and is consistent in his judgement on certain items.
Hi Shane, great reviews as always. This year I got me a Gibson Les Paul Studio ($1599) and a Epiphone Les Paul Studio. Surprisingly this 2021 Epiphone Les Paul Studio sounded pretty good. The sound and feel was great, not as great as the Gibson, but for $379 it is even better. Thank you for posting this.
I too thought that Jazzmasters were over complicated, but now I have a CME /Andertons exclusive Squier Late 50's Classic Vibe JM. What got my past my reservations was figuring out that the rhythm circuit is pretty much the same as having a two channel amp. Its just a second set of controls, the low profile controls keep it from getting in the way and kind of push it into set and forget territory. This works for me, maybe not everyone, but easy enough to ignore if that where you are. As far as the brightness, thats for real, and in part a product of the 1 meg pots paired with single coils. It took a youtube video to point out to me that the tone knob on the JM has some of the best tone shaping ablities on any passive guitar. Being a "just leave the knobs on 10" guy, it took a second for this to sink in. For me rolling back the tone and just a bit off the volume, it's got treble comparable to strat. For me this guitar works great now, as always your millage may vary. It is at it's best through a Fender Super Reverb style amp, not as great through a Marshall Origin 20, Fender through Fender makes sense. Thanks for all your reviews, keep up the good work.
You’re doing a good thing. Never apologize for commenting, the more you comment the more RU-vid shows this particular video love. It all helps feed the algorithm! Comment away!!!
Totally agree about that Squier Jazzmaster. I’ve had a few of the CV line and they were all great with the exception of that Jazzmaster. Pickups were shrill as hell no matter what I did. Hey, stay healthy and safe and Happy Holidays to you. Here is to 2022. CHEERS!!!
I have fallen in love with my Epiphone LesPaul Special I with P-90. pickups, I put a good adjustable intonation bridge in place of the lightning bar non intonation bridge. I also had a great setup and Reverend Willy 7s. The neck is really nice with the light strings and the bridge I put on it had zero effect on the sustain unlike what many people claimed it would do. The Soapbars after adjustment is done it is like a Tele. You can drive it harder before losing its chime. It really sounds amazing. After dressing the nut and slicking it up the Willys bend so well and also tightening up the tuners with a touch of grease in the gears, they haven’t changed tune since it came from the bench. My luthier is really good and set it up perfectly! I wish I had a pick guard. A $149 guitar with a $69 setup, can’t complain and I can’t put it down. It s worn black, almost flat. I first learned on a Tele from Donnie Clinton Thompson in Springfield, MO back in 1974.
Enjoyed the video and agreed with a lot of your opinions here but I would really like to see you compare the Orange Rocker 15 Terror with the Marshall DSL20. The Rocker 15 is a great amp that's extremely versatile. I've played a lot of Orange products but I've never played the Tremlord. That's a different amp that has never interested me. The Rocker 15 sounds like more of what you were hoping from the Tremlord. And try to play the Rocker 15 through an Orange 2-12 or some other high quality V30 loaded cab.
I have an AmProII Jazzmaster (Mercury) and Strat ( Miami Blue). I’m 58 so I’m set for life. Amazing guitars. The push push are very useful on both. The Jazzmaster turns the bridge into a wonderful low output 60s tone. The Strat engages the neck in positions 1 and 2.
@Neon Thunderbird I just love it. With the phase circuit on the AmProII I can get a great hollow Peter Green tone. With the regular circuit since these pick ups are nice and clean hot I can get a great 76 77Garcia tone as well. It’s unbelievably versatile.
I’ve followed you for oh, 7 8 years. Your playing has been fun to hear develop. You rip, you were just a regular player, not anymore, you’ve got that thing which cannot be taught, passion, motivation , phrasing, dynamics and touch. It’s been a pleasure to see. Great player with a wealth of knowledge. Oh and Tone. I have the Classic vibe 70’s and could not agree more, turned it into a Gilmour. Phenomenal
I also love those tribute les Paul’s. I have a 2011. Everything you said is true about the neck and the satin finish. Mine has P90s though! Great video!
Apparently there was a few rough years but my 2020 came PLEKD with great QC and no problems. And that’s in the worst of times considering when it was built.
I have made gear decisions on your word and trying stuff out. You Always seem to bring it to the table when reviewing Shane and hope to see a new guitar search Saturday soon
Sounds like I need to get me a Jazzmaster 😀 I do like overly bright guitars though, think Tele bridge pickup into a TS or Klone with all the tone/treble controls maxed
2 года назад
I love the "Gravity V2.0" by Nordvang! It's just built to play on and on!! I also have the 3 other pedals Nordvang! Just great pedals!
Hey Shane top vid as always. I always like the end of year recap you do, and this one is no different. Yep the Jazzmaster is a buyer beware, love it or hate it sort of a guitar, and a Squier version can exaggerate it even more so (they need a different set up to a Tele/Strat). Thanks again Have a Happy Festive and stay safe. Pete from South Oz.
@@dragonpundit.6443 Yep I am an offset tragic. I have a CV Jaugar and after setting it up with a neck shim, raise the bridge and a few drops of loctite it is brilliant. Saving up for a Jazzmaster next.
For real, I've been playing Jazzmasters and Jaguars exclusively for the past decade, and I can't stress these two things enough: 1. The setup is going to matter more than it would on say your run-of-the-mill Strat or Tele because of the bridge/tailpiece. I love the character/resonance it gives, but a little clear nailpolish/threadlocker is essential for bridges like these (even Mastery stuff sadly). Thankfully, this isn't super difficult if you like getting under the hood, and my guitars have been serving me well this long. These were designed at a time when trapeze bridge jazzboxes were the big thing, and players strung 13s on the regular. These can take 12s/11s and feel like 10s. 2. Somewhat related to the time these were designed for. I'm pretty sure these are brighter as a means of compensating for how dark many amps were back in the day (same logic behind a lot of amplifiers having bright switches). Fender should probably have something in their promotional material that says you should run your Jazzmaster with the tone on 5, and crank it open from there for leads etc. ---- If you stick around long enough, you may find yourself enamored by the strange textures you could wrangle out of this thing. The resonances feel like home to me, and I miss them when I move to my fixed-bridge guitars. The tone is raunchy in a way I just don't get from other single coil axes, and takes heavy fuzzes like a champ.
First time checking out your channel, your content, and I enjoy these types of reviews, enjoy these year-end review of the reviews, so to speak. Personally I would have enjoyed a little more variety and a little less Fender Fender Gibson Gibson Fender fender, but if this is a collection of the gear from this past year that tops your list then this is your list. As someone who builds guitars and basses, as well as components and parts for these instruments, I'm always interested to see and hear what people are enjoying, what people are discovering, what people are rediscovering... I'll be back to check out some more of your video content soon. Take care.
I think you’ll find that his channel does have diversity, but he does run into supply issues being in Australia…and being a lefty. Unfortunately, many of his favorite alternative brands are hard to get in the states.
I got the JOYO Sweet Baby on your recommendation and have been very happy. I've been looking at the Stapleton amp but I've never spent that kind of money on equipment. Your review may be what I need to do it! Thanks man!
One of my favorite honest gear review channels. Love the fact that you don't go ga-ga over everything you test like some out there who get stuff for free. One problem I have though, you make everything you play through sound so freakin' good it's hard to tell what sucks without your input at the end :)
+1 on the 68 Pro Reverb. Just got mine yesterday…it’s freaking awesome. I could sell my Princeton, Deluxe Reverb and HRD now and not miss them…but who am I kidding lol 😂 I’m keeping them all.
Love your work Shane it's good to have an Aussie / lefty player on a RU-vid channel that makes is so relatable for me on so many levels onya cobber cheers 👍
I was saying above I actually ended up with 2. Literally my least favourite guitar. Are the pickups supposed to sound like that or is there after markets that sound quite different?Jazzmaster I mean
23:12 You should try the russian ARB pickups too (mostly they're close to the Bill Lawrence's, but with higher output) Another thing: "Gladio" (1. double sharped roman small sword, 2. NATO "unofficial" tsirorret/nisassa goup(s) in the '60s-'70s era, what worked mostly in germany, italy, and france) Happy new year anyways :)
These are older than 2021 but I first bought them in 2021, so I count them as my best 2021 item to get. The D'Addario Auto Trim Tuners are awesome! They are the best tuners in the world. They work like regular locking tuners with one added cool feature! As you tighten the strings they turn as usual. Once you get close to pitch the tuner will auto clip the string for you! Meaning, there is no string ends sticking out, and no more bloody fingers from being poked by a string. No wire cutter needed to cut the strings as well. I love these tuners! They are surprisingly not that expensive. I think the chrome ones, and the black ones, are $65, or in that ballpark. I bought gold ones, which were a few dollars more but still well worth the cost. BTW, I'm not affiliated with D'Addario in anyway. I just like these tuners!
Cheers Shane, great bit of feedback. Let's face it without honest reviews you could end up with something you just don't want. This hobby is expensive enough without getting the wrong gear. I made notes of the good the bad and the ugly so as to speak. So thanks for that. And have a very great Christmas🌲🎄🎸
I enjoyed the Video, thx. I was suprised that you didn‘t mentioned the Tone Master super Reverb … I would like to know if it works well to combine bd2 with a Tube screamer Style Pedal? Best regards from Germany. 🙏🏻✌🏻
You missed the Fender Player Plus Telecaster - top-of-the-range Mexican guitar; superb. American quality, Mexican price, plus that kickass push-pull knob.
2021 Personal best; Prophecy Flying V. 2021 Personal worst; the 317 day wait. Also got a $20 Kliq tuner for the bench. Behaves so well i think it's going to replace the TU 2 on the board. Boss should jump into mini's. Great show, thanks!
I'm a big fan of Kliq. Got the headstock tuner yrs ago after breaking 3 of those crap Snarks. Found a Kliq pedal tuner cheap when I built my board. And to me a board tuner is mostly a mute to switch pedals on and off w/o extra noise. I'll check my tuning with it but really use the headstock tuner the most especially with my acoustics. They're all electric also.
I have 3 old HDFX 100 watt marshalls,I use the clean channels and my pedals sound awesome through them.People scoff at those amps, but when I play live everyone complements on my tone and sound, Great pedal platform,clean 100 watts. I use two amps and pair it with a 50 watt marshall tube head. Usually two half stacks . Those heads and that 30 watt you have there are great,.it is what it is, if sounds good it is good.
