Blindfold Fender Strat Challenge - Can We Tell a £300 Guitar from a £3000 one?!? 

I would get 4 identical strats and sit around and laugh while they point out differences.

"the problem with cheap strats is that they are made so well" -Rob Chapman

Video definitely needed some caption graphics. Here's my rough summary: Stratocasters - Gloss Neck, No Frills, No relic-ing, single coil 1) Japanese “Texas Special” in Candy Apple Red (Lee thinks maybe Deluxe Line from Fender?) £699 - similar smooth lacquer to gloss neck similar to 50’s Classic Vibe:- Heavy?? Good sounding, not noiseless, vintagey pickups. Skinny frets. Rob guesses £600 to £700, but changes to £1000 to £1200 later. Lee guesses black 70’s Strat and £800 to £900. 2) New Old Stock (NOS) “Standard American” Custom Shop - Sunburst Brown - pearl tuners £2207:-Much lighter weight. Warmer & louder acoustically. Rob guesses cheaper. Maybe Mexican standard? £500-ish? Lee says nice rolled edges. Unusual pickup wiring. Lee prefers sound, not necessarily better. Different. Similar price, or cheaper than first guitar? £600 to 700? 3) Artisan Okoume - subtle sunburst Dark Brown body, neck & head - Custom Shop £2717 Gloss Neck. - Lighterweight - might feel like the Squier:- Very bright. Rob likes feel. Thinks most expensive. ~£3K custom shop. Unusual tone. Lee likes nicest knobs, and the nicest sound. Doesn’t think any of guitars are custom shops so far! Mid-pricey £700 to 800? 4) Squier 3-tone Sunburst Brown - John Mayer inspired “60’s Classic Vibe” Gloss Neck £374:- Rob thinks custom shop! Lee least rolled edges, and heaviest most frictiony knobs by some distance. Quite noisy pickups. Quite bright even on neck pickup. Rob - Feels nicest, sounds cheapest. Lee - Nice to play. None of the guitars felt rank or cheap cheap. Rob thinks sounds cheapest, most affordable. Lee says sounds thinnest. But great to play. Nice & light weight wise though. Correct descending price order 3, 2, 1, 4 Lee went 2, 1, 3, 4 Rob got it right 3, 2, 1, 4 Both got price of 2 way wrong. Rob got price of 3 right, and Lee got price of 3 way wrong. Rob got price of 1 wrong on second guess. Lee was close.

I love how when Rob plays the Squier he immediately shouts out that it's a custom shop! That just goes to show how well the Squiers are made now. If you put some Fender Texas Special pickups or something in there I bet it would've thrown them off even more. I bet you could upgrade the electronics and hardware and get a trusted luthier to roll the edges more and you'd have a custom shop for a lot less!

If I remember correctly, Mexican strats are made in Mexico, and American strats are made in America, by Mexicans.

Rob on the Squier, "This is a custom shop" xD

25:55 plays Squier: "This is a custom shop"

Hats off to Rabea for his thoughtful prep - made all the difference!

Would be interesting if he kept handing them the same guitar.

give them the same strat 4 times, say it's 4 different guitars grab some popcorn and enjoy :D

Some on-screen graphics showing price and model would have been nice.

Should have had a secret "Hello Kitty" Strat shipped in just to make them play it on video....

I bought Bobby one of those Fender Stratocasters last week, it said Bullet on the headstock so you know it's gotta be good. Boy can't even play the first Van Halen album front to back. That boy ain't right, I'll tell ya what.

Plays squire for a good 15 seconds "this is a custom shop"

I just see Brian May laughing him ass off and grinning as he remembers building his guitar out of furniture and old motorbike parts. I think his career did ok with it too.

"this is a custom shop" 1 Min later "yes this is the most affordable one"

That third guitar is absolutely beautiful.

When they pick up each guitar could you put the model and price so us less smart viewers know? ;)

You ‘ll hear the difference.......until the drummer kicks in....

Did Chappers just assume my fender

now take the cheapest strat and upgrade it with store bought parts so it plays like a custom shop then vs it against the most expensive

Great video, made doubly great by Rabea picking such a clever selection of Strats.

"Good quality feeling knobs"- Lee Anderton

Third one was the best. Simply beautiful guitar.

That artisan strat is FANTASTIC looking!

OK! For all the viewers out there (and for science), I've listed the actual price and their guesses. These are the guesses they've made right after they've put the guitars down. The lists they made right before they took their blindfolds off were quite different :) It goes: actual price / chappers / captain SPOILERS AHEAD------------------- 1) texas special 699£ / 1000-1200£ / 800-900£ 2) NOS 2207£ / 500-600£ / 600-700£ 3)artisan okoume 2717£ / around 3000£ / 700-800£ 4) squier 374£ / both said it was the most affordable

25:58 *plays the classic vibe* "This is a custom shop" lmao that proves how well made are those guitars

“It’s so bright it has to be some custom woods”. That’s solved the does wood matter argument !!!!

plays a Squier "It's a custom shop" :D

The neck plate gives it away. All you have to do is feel it, and you know.

Video should be called: Two guys inadvertently unmask big brand guitar manufacturer's business model.

I love it when the Captain (as the Brits do) says "To be completely honest with you". So the conclusion is the rest of the day speaking something truthfull is kinda... optional? ;-) Seriously, love your vids guys! Cheers from Germany.

Goals: being so familiar with guitars that you can play blindfolded.

!CHALLENGE! Try to relic a cheap Fender strat to make it look like an expensive customshop!

Rob: *gets every one right* Also Rob: *Plays squire* "tHiS iS a CuStOm ShOp"

Love it, guys. I apologize if I missed it---or if others in this very large comments section have already said it--but some basic on-screen graphic/wording from time-to-time during the course of the video would really help the viewer keep track of which is which. Thank you.

Apparently: as for Strats, playing one takes 400 quid, a very good sound another 300 and the rest you pay is for looks and the feeling of the knobs.

Please get pete and bea to do a blind fold challenge!

Damn I really learned something from this video! When I’m buying guitars and gear I go straight to the most expensive, thinking that’s the best. Clearly I was wrong! Never judge a book by its cover! Great video🤟🏻

Video starts at 0:00

this just comes to prove that Japanese strats are the best

I'm glad Rob picked the Jap Strat as his favorite. I have a Texas Special 62 re-issue Crafted in Japan(1988) Candy Apple Red. It was my first ever Electric guitar and even though I now have a Gibson SG Angus Sig and an ESP LTD Kirk Hammett Sig.. My Jap Strat is the one I keep going back to. Although it could just be the hours I've put into it.

9:03 my heart skipped a beat when the captain almost knocked that customshop strat off the stand!

I have no idea why I watched this video. I dont know how to play guitar. I don't even know what type of guitars these are called. I want to say electric but with all the fancy words used in this video I'm not sure lol. Either way, interesting video.

"It feels expensive but it sounds cheap" So there's your answer - buy a Squier and put some expensive pickups in it. I'm left handed so Fender actually physically hate me, so been buying Revelations, getting the setup right and customising the shit out of them.

With all of the back and forth in the "Tone-wood" debate. I want to see a blindfold challenge on that. Same make and model of guitar with only difference being Rosewood vs Maple Board. Swamp Ash vs Alder vs Mahogany bodies etc. Since this would be a sound only challenge, someone else plays the guitars, while you two listen, and choose. Let's see REALLY how much difference Tonewood truly makes. Ha! :)

The fella who picked these guitars for the test did an amazing job, knowing if the necks wern't the right feel he didn't pick them, a very fair and enjoyable test.

1:43 I love Bea's laughing face so much hahah

These new $100 Indonesian made Squier's, if you get a good one (not that a blem is even that bad), feel amazing. They have been doing luthier woodwork for a long time there. You just need to spend maybe another $100-200 to upgrade the electronics (most of which will be for the pickups). Which is okay. It helps you learn and develop a personal connection with the guitar. That's worth spending what you paid for it, or more, in upgrades. For $200-300 you can absolutely end up with a brilliant guitar that you had a hand in finishing, that was born in a place that has a history of wood instrument making.

Mate you got to do Epiphone SG vs Gibson SG

that classic vibe is way better looking than any other guitar in the lineup honestly

I want them to throw up the info when they play!

The guy on the right gets a much better tone out of every guitar. All in the hands.

"I'm pretty sure I haven't played a custom shop strat yet" lol

No one mentioning the fact that the guys play the guitars blindfolded?! As someone who has just recently began learning the guitar, that is astounding. Granted, I have played bass before (the big wooden thing, and just short of 2 years and electric one), I could hear differences, but could've never guessed the price tag on those. This goes to show how much we rely on our eyes to figure stuff out :)

Being a drummer I found this interesting. I think the difference in quality between the cheaper musical instrument and the much more expensive instrument is much less than 30 - 40 years ago. Better instruments use better parts and will last longer, but the manufacturing process is probably getting close. A lot of really spending a lot on an instrument is kind of a bragging rights thing. And do you really want to take a really expensive instrument to a gig in a smoky bar with a bunch of drunks? Most drummers don't.

Do more like this, please. Next video, do the same with Ibabez or Gibson and Epiphone. Cheers.

Do Epiphone and Gibson next!

"a vintage correct expensivve guitar or it´s just a Squier"... Just saying...

I think Rob Chapman spend his whole life listing to the tone of guitars such an amazing person with great hearing abilities to detect sounds.

A Blindfold PRS Challenge would be awesomee!

if even for a second one of the more expensive guits feel "cheaper" to them than one that actually costs less, that instantly delegitimizes having such high costing guitars. Like the part where Rob mistook the 2,207 quid Custom strat for a MIM standard.. that's such a slap in the face haha what does that say about actual quality vs. price points. They both pretty much agreed that based on blind feel and sound, the one that cost 2,207 was in no way, worth the expensive price ..yikes.. haha and he called the squier a custom shop. that's part of the very reason my main guit is a squier. simply put, price does not equal quality.

These vids are awesome... BUT Chappers should not be allowed to give his verdict before Lee has played.

Personal takeaway, 2 things: 1) If someone is on a tight budget, or wants to buy something inexpensive to get into playing guitar and see if it's something they want to pursue, the Squier is an excellent choice. Say, a parent buying a first guitar for their aspiring guitarist. 2) For others, buy a Fender Strat in the (Christmas 2018) $500 - $600 (or GBP) range, and you'll buy about 'all the Strat' you're ever gonna get, or need. Above that, it's more about 'bling' and / or 'eye candy'. Well done, Rob & Lee. 👍

CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE FROM A 2,999 POUND GUITAR AND A 3,000 POUND GUITAR

Pretty good evidence for tone wood making a difference that Rob called out #3 as having a unique tone and having a weird wood.

Man I could just sit here and listen to these guys all day long. Wait, that's exactly what i`m doing!

hahahaha Rabea really know what his doing to trick both Rob and the Captain 😆 good job man!

Shame you didn't iclude the Mexican one too - it seems just the sweet spot in price for a lot of people and many would be interested about where it sits vs American and Classic vibe. Good video though, thanks.

#qualityknobs

I honestly love that they have so much trouble telling the difference, says a lot about how good the affordable guitars are for their price. I wish I had seen more videos like this when I was a kid, because I think that's a lesson kids especially need to learn, even more so when they're looking to buy their first guitar. My Mom bought me a Squire as part of a set, probably 15 years ago, I can't play for shit but I still have it and it's in quite good condition, considering it cost probably $150AUD when I got it. That Okoume Strat is absolutely stunning by the way.

I'm here for the prices from 7 years ago

A couple years ago I popped round to see my dad, I'm a professional guitarist/singer and he's a hobbyist guitarist with more money than sense so he often has some new toy to show me when I go over. I sit down and see a baby blue strat sitting in the corner, my dad explains that he just picked it up in a pawn shop the other day for £150. I pick it up and give it a play and fall in love, the strat came home with me and became my new goto guitar for performances, over my "American Performer" Strat that I bought for £1000 My dad got a huge bargain. clearly the pawnshop didn't have the basic sense to check out the guitar, it's a 93-94 Mexican Standard that they could have easily charged double or treble for.

Bea is just evil when it comes to these things. He is so crafty and really pays attention to the little details. I wouldn’t stand a chance!

"S**T! This is a custom shop !! This is like mine..can you tune it for me?" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I am thankful that my tight budget will never force me to choose a guitar by doing a side-by-side test like this.

I'd live to give them my Encore Blaster E6

Just realized Lee owns andertons 😱

60s CV Strat owner here, and yes, it feels pretty close to a custom shop, and sounds excellent. I know these guys are selling stuff, but I vouch the CV series hard

The fact that he said "can you tune this for me" to the non customs should have been a dead give away. Don't y'all agree the better ones would stay in tune?

I'd like to see a PRS SE 245, SC 245, and SC 250 comparison.

They can still play better than me while blindfolded

Buy what ya TRULY can afford right now, and get to playing! Ya can always upgrade later. 👍 Your commitment to being a musician is in the hands and the heart, not the wallet.

What a GREAT bunch of guys. REALLY enjoyed this video. (1 Malmsteen original, 1 American 40th Anniversary, and two gorgeous Japanese Strats right behind me...)

Pretty sure that EVHs stripe series are made in Mexico in Fender plant, so it wouldn't be cruel at all :)

Strats and Teles are guitars that are as a hole unnecessary to spend a whole lot of money on. A $3000 strat will not be x10 better than a $300 strat. Once you get past the American Standard/Elites there's not much of a point to shelling out the big bucks. If you want a fancy strat from a custom shop go G&L or used Fender Custom.

Classic Vibe + Grover tuners + New pickups or loaded pickguard by CustomShop, Vintage reissue, Lollar, BareKnuckle or Dimarzio. You now have a guitar that will match or beat any Fender in a blind test for a fraction of the price.

The ultimate blind test showdown: Squier classic vibe strat (stock); fender in the $700 range; a custom shop; a Squier classic vibe that's had a really great set up with rolled fretboard and upgraded wirings and pots. Either that or use the classic vibe pickups in one of the customs. All of them should have a great set up similar to each other.

Can't wait for the blinfold tele challenge!!!:-)

9:04 mini heart attack

So from what I'm seeing; the classic vibe takes another dub. Rob literally thought it was a custom shop as soon as he played it.

Sometimes I forget that I'm watching a british channel, and when someone says "this is a 300 pound guitar" my first instinct is " Jaysus, that's the heaviest guitar ever!"

Amazing demonstration into how all major guitar makers these days just charge you 1000 extra bucks for 3rd party materials!

Conclusion: buy a classic vibe and rewire it with custom shop pickups and knobs. Great guitar for around 500~600 £.

Very entertaining video guys! Really refreshing to hear the Captain being so candid about guitar values. I wish more retailers could be so honest.

Captain: “it’s either some vintage correct expensive guitar ... or it’s just a squier”

The idea of any stratocaster being equivalent to $4000 US is really bizarre. They are an intentionally cheap modular design that I'd bet Fender can make in the US (the american standard) for a production cost of about $400. and made well overseas for a quarter of that.

For years now I've been saying how amazingly improved cheap guitars have gotten. You can pay 300% more for a 3% improvement on an expensive guitar. BUT keep in mind that lower priced guitars (like high dollar) are going to vary from guitar to guitar, you might play ten of them and find one that is exceptional and one that is below par.

I'm partial to American Fenders because I've been playing 'em for years, but Fender Japan has made some GREAT guitars. And now their Mexican models are getting better. Recently I was surprised by two Mexican Fenders: a Nashville Tele', and the new Hendrix model. Both guitars were surprisingly nice and they didn't "feel" cheap.

A nice addition to these back to back videos would be a text line showing which guitar is actually being played... (be easier to associate the random comments and sound with each model). Love your videos guys.