I've never met Johnny but he is undeniably one of the greatest guitarists ever, while being a genuine, nice guy. I don't see how anybody can blame him for promoting stuff. We all need an income and Johnny deserves every dollar he earns.
Idiots refer to that as "selling out". If "selling out" means getting paid for your efforts, we are all "sellouts". My sister paints for the love of it but it is now a job and she likes to sell her art for big dollars. She is really good at it and I told her this spring - while watching her - that she impresses the hell out of me when dabbing different patches ofcolors on a canvas to make beautiful landscape scenes, her forte.
Hiland is a super talented guitarist. He can have as many endorsers and signature guitars as he can get in my opinion. Some of you have no idea how hard it is to be a pro musician trying make a living in the modern age. Kiesel having the volume knob closer to allow the fax violin technique is a great feature on a T style guitar. GO JOHNNY GO!
I've been playing guitar for over 40 years and I've seen all the best, hendrix, Clapton, van Halen etc, even Steve Vai and all the hot hands on RU-vid . None of them can do some of the things Jonny does but Jonny can do all they can do. I think he is one of the best I've ever seen
I first found out about Johnny Hiland by accident. I was getting out of my car at my local mall and I looked down, and on the ground was a guitar pick, a white pick with black writing with his signature on it. I'd never heard of him, this was 5-6 years ago. When I got home I googled him and a bunch of videos of him just tearing it up, like Satriani style came up. I was blown away, he's an amazing guitar player!!
What a humble guy, he designed the most versatile tele I have ever heard. The switching is INSANE marrying the best of a tele and a strat and designing a real burner.The pickups sound killer and Oh yeah he can really shred too!
Johnny, there is one reason why I find it hard to believe anything you said here - you have the ability to transform a low-quality guitar into something spectacular. We love you, Johnny. 😂❤
I've never been much a country music person but his playing is so beautiful that I can't help but want to explore his music. He really displays versatile sounds with his guitar. Great demo!
WOW!! What's with all the nasty comments about Johnny?? The guy has pulled himself up all by himself. As a legally blind guy that showed up in Nashville with $90 he sure has accomplished a lot. I have not found a nicer guy and one of the most versatile players on the planet. I consider myself a friend of Johnny's and he is one of the nicest people I have known in a long time. Damn give him a break!!
Johnny does seem like a very nice guy, and a hell of a player obviously. Integrity isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think of him though lol. For a guy that hasn't sold even 100,000 records in his entire career, I find it pretty silly that he's had so many endorsements.
+Jon Bailey what's lacking integrity? His business acumen? His playing on dozens of other people's records? The fact that guitar companies WANT to endorse him?
Anyone that has followed Johnny for any length of time knows that every piece of gear he plays "Is the best" until someone offers him a better deal, so yeah I'd say that lacks integrity. Nobody is discounting his abilities.
I don't get the hate either Bill. It's so hard to make a living in music nowadays, even for someone as incredibly skilled as Johnny and I'm happy for him. I don't blame him or any other artist who goes with whatever brand is gonna help pay his bills. Of course he says whatever brand he uses currently is great- helping sell is part of any endorsee's job, and they all were great guitars so it's not like he's lying, so how can anyone question his integrity? It's just business, and just like with any other business, deals are made & later dissolved - companies have no loyalty to individuals and individuals owe no loyalty to companies.
ZACK COFFMAN I know he does I wasn't referring to him. I was referring to variety of tones from the pickups. Usually some switch positions sound better than others, but this all sound good
Notice that his pickups, wiring harness and switching system hasn't changed. Just the plank of wood they're installed in. And by the way, I don't care if he changes who he endorses every other week. He's a working man, trying to make a living, get exposure and demonstrate a lot of new gear that most of us would never have a chance to in our busy lives. Give him a break, he's got bills to pay, never has an unkind word about any of his associations,still uses the same brand of strings.
Spyder Logan You are no dummy , I don't get the haters . Somebody builds a better trap you get it . If they are gonna give it to you and pay you it's a no brainer ...
He''s an unbelievable musician. Holy crap I don't car who sponsors him. Some of us who are handicapped are treated like we have.an IQ of 40 so we tend to over-compensate so Johnny is using his handicap in a positive way.
What a nice looking guitar. And I’d like to add no matter the genre you prefer. Johnny is top,top shelf. And the nicest most pleasant and down to earth guy. A solid pro. With insane skill and sound. You want to sit and watch and listen to him for hours!!
He was doing a video for them after the Kiesel one. Then onto Carvel, Carwin and finishing off with Vigier. The best guitar family in the business and a pleasure to work with, Jason.
I'm digging the way Hiland designed this guitar. It looks and sounds like a workhorse axe for any style of contemporary music. The knobs and switching layout is simple and uncluttered, and all the tones sound very usable and musical. Impressive.
I played the white wash a few weeks back at Keisel and it is SweeeT! Feels really good, the neck plays even better. Johnny reminds me of Tinker from the movie Road House! Great player for sure.
Section at 3:40 kills me! So sweet. Johnny is a helluva guitar slinger and I love all the fast stuff...but I also appreciate that Travis picking, or whatever it's called.
Excellent player! And beautiful guitar! I have a Carvin TL60 but mine is neckthru and it has 24 frets... I'm really digging this new bolt-on model though👏
Nice shot of that giant Fender logo in the background throughout this video, hahahaha (hard to resist that one...). Really though, I had a Carvin that I ordered back in the early 80's...It was a DC160, so I'm absolutely not here to bash Carvin/ Kiesel...mine wasn't quilt, it was maple flame, hard tail, but I had a Kahler put on it after, so it is unmistakable in identifying it...wish I could at least see a picture of it, but don't see it on line on the web. Never had any trouble with that guitar's neck...no fretting out...anyway, nice demo of this guitar.
That's exactly the same combination that I prefer on 3 pickup guitars. Except that my middle pickup is on a 3rd position and both neck and bridge is on the 2nd. Vice versa with Johnny's version, but it's not a problem. The only problem is that you need your bridge pickup to be RWRP to have at least two quiet positions. If I could live with that headstock :)
Maybe Dudebro Jeff Kiesel will make some Johnny Hiland custom gauges for your earlobes, too. I know I wasn’t the only one who giggled like a child when Johnny said “I love swamp ash.”
While you worry about the hit on resale for a smaller brand like Kiesel (who actually aren't that small), it's hard to argue that this doesn't blow an American Professional Tele (which is priced similarly) out of the water in terms of build quality and features
rob oliver I don’t really see it being much competition. People who want a fender telecaster typically want it for the tradition/vintage appeal and tone. This is a super modern guitar imo. I dig it. But don’t see how it replaces a classic fender telecaster. I wouldn’t buy this if I wanted to twang out on a t style. But I would buy this for many other reasons, it looks awesome.
A very seriuos fidler on tele/strat guitars! 😘🎄🎅 Absulot great! 👍🏼 Unreachable.......only with Chet, Albert and some few others! 😘 X U man, RGDS Johnny Bass
If you put those pickups in a pick guard on top it would do wonders for the tone, hard mounted sounds like a Chinese epiphone les Paul Jr going direct to a digital 4 track. DEAD AS A DOOR NAIL.
you finally put on that phone pic then you son this is the old friend Aubrey Nash but I'm going by Junior now..... keep picking at Guitar son you going to be able to play one day
I only know of two signatures from Johnny. I own the prs one. Great guitar . Johnny is one of best and certainly knows incredibly much about guitars. If that knowledge goes into signature guitars, the better for us! ..... and this seems really a great sounding versatile guitar at a reasonable price. But much more exciting is for me the fact that he seemingly has switched to playing with a thumbpick... and sounds even better! Hows is that possible ?
