To me, the difference seems subtle - certainly both equally good - and a good example of how the guitarists skills and techniques are the most dominant characteristic
The differences were 2 subtle for me. Great video of Dougall and a great side by side sound comparison. The thing is that these days, with the right gear, any well built guitar can sound great. The differentiators, to me, are the quality of materials used and the time taken to ensure a quality instrument. The lower the price, the more one has to do to make it yours. The higher the price now demands better quality. Great job, budget brands!!
Jon, I think guitar b is the budget one-more cheap twang and high end clarity loss(who knows? ) BTW I would love to see you do a post about modding a budget guitar.I recently bought a Fazely £70 tele copy and re wired it with new pickups, control plate, bridge and Tusq nut as well as locking tuners. Basically I turned a cheap guitar Into to a thing of joy-I just love it! I've never taken on a project like this but despite the swearing and frustrations it was so worth It! Love to Dougal🐾
I guessed correctly but there really wasn’t much in it. I felt the fender had a little more definition(as it should for the price ). The vintage held up pretty well though.
I got them backwards. Ha! Pleasantly surprised by the Vintage. I dig the way it sounds. You expect the Fender to sound the way it does, especially in the crunchy tones. But as a somewhat new appreciator of teles and what you can do with them, I’d gladly gig with either one. Thanks for the great demo!
during lockdown, I had 4 teles in my house - my yank and squier, a friend's yank and an old Ibanez. They all sounded pretty much the same. my fave was my squier for it's tiny slim non sticky neck, my mate's yank was the most comfortably light and the Ibanez was my least favourite. The upshot was that teles are teles whatever badge they wear. We did the same without the Ibanez with a CS instead which was very dear, quite pretty and still another tele.
Dougall is so adorable/distracting I could barely concentrate! But I got it right! I liked A so I wanted it to be the Nashville but then I realized that B had the muted tones of the Noiseless pups so B had to be the Nashville. I prefer the A, Vintage for sure as it sounds like a proper Tele. The Player series Nashville's Noiseless pups just cut too many of the desired frequencies to be useful as a twangy Tele pup. Seeing what they were actually made the Nashville sound better, so it's the idea of it I like not the tones.
There is Fender telecasters and copies of Fender Telecasters, both have a place. I think it is all down to budget and guitar snobbery. I have a made in USA Tele but wish I had a Tokai Breezy sound from the '80' as they are fantastic guitars.
Based on the parts with image, I thought the blue one sounded a bit brighter, more aggressive, more bite (let's call it English?), the Fender was more mellow, rounder, gentler (more Nashville?). So I guess it's just the style of music you want to play with it (and what you can do with EQ etc). But the joy of a guitar is not only in the sound. 'Feel' is a considerable part of playing. And in some circles the brand on the headstock.
Very close and without cheating I identified the Fender correctly. But I think it was more by luck than judgement. There were differences sound wise but I felt neither was 'bad' and both were good. These days with amps and effects most half decent guitars will sound half decent. So, based on the sound alone and were I to be in the market, is the Fender worth nearly double the price of the Vintage? It's a firm NO from me.
@JRobsonGuitar Thanks John. I think a Jet 300 is on the way. Bax have them for well under 200 Euros. I like the specs on the Fazley and the colours on the Jets. They are virtually identical in specs.
I actually got it right this time! tho only after replaying the track really LOUD!... Is the difference in price really justified? I'd say 'yes'... Not only if you're a serious musician, like your good self, John, but also for meat and potatoes guys like me. I've got a couple of 'go to' guitars that just keep calling me back to play; and they tend to be the higher spec'd models.
Not looked at the big reveal yet, but I prefer guitar b (through my phone speakers). To my ears it sounds louder with more biting midrange. Not much in it though…
There was a difference, but I didn't tag them correctly. I went on what I thought the Fender standard would sound like, but was wrong. Did either sound bad? No, so I guess it's all about the playing experience and money. Now if there's anyone out there that wants to send me a custom shop and watch me make it sound like £50 worth - dm me...
For the price difference, too little to choose between the two from a sound perspective. So the Vintage wins the "Value" proposition, but from a sound perspective, indistinguishable to my uneducated ear Enjoyed the test though. All the best for 2025
Here's the real deal, who can really tell anything about the guitars when you play with effects, especially over drive or Distortion! The only thing these test proves is comparison of one effects to another. The true test of a guitar is when the guitar is plugged into an Amp without effects turned on, one cord for using on both instruments, with the Amp volume and tone settings remaining stationary and the guitar volume and tone set the same. Of course if one guitar hasn't the same pickups, the same price range, and the only difference being, the copy Tele is capable of doing what the original is doing. Yes, I know that those who play with effects will disagree, but the facts are clear. when I have had one of my lead guitarist play (a truly amazing professional, take an😮 old China knock off Tele, that had only the fret wire filed down on the ends where they are usually rough from china)through a pedal board, Distortion and other effects that are normal for him and the strings he uses on his Teles (he has a nice collection of many Teles) and just the basic setup for string height etc., and he made that cheap squire Tele sound like the best made. You really couldn't tell it wasn't one of his (few thousand dollar) teles. But put through amps playing with effects, in reality you're judging the different effects, which on a heavy Distortion effect, you don't hear a lot of difference in guitars just the effects as they are programmed to make the same sound, which is why so many pedal players have so many different brands of pedals and are always telling why they choose one brand over another. Agree or disagree, the proof of the guitar can only be honestly compared when played clean on the same system. Thank you for allowing comments on your discussions.
The only effects I used were a tiny bit of reverb and delay. Neither of these affect the fundamental tone of the guitars. Everything else was just the sound I had dialled in on the amp which wasn't changed from one guitar to the other. Yes, I used some gain in parts because how a guitar handles gain is an important consideration. Does it become microphonic? Does it clean up from the guitar volume control without turning muddy? Does a low output single coil pickup sound "raspy" & thin when going through a gainy sound even if it sounds decent when going into a clean amp? In short, all I was doing was subjecting both instruments to the kind of conditions most players would use them under. I've had people request that I only demonstrate guitars by recording the DI sound in the past. All in the name of hearing the "pure" sound of the guitar. Fine, but how many people play under those conditions?
To me, the difference seems subtle - certainly both equally good - and a good example of how the guitarists skills and techniques are the most dominant characteristic
The differences were 2 subtle for me. Great video of Dougall and a great side by side sound comparison. The thing is that these days, with the right gear, any well built guitar can sound great. The differentiators, to me, are the quality of materials used and the time taken to ensure a quality instrument. The lower the price, the more one has to do to make it yours. The higher the price now demands better quality. Great job, budget brands!!
Loving Dougle.
You could play a broom and make it sound great! I'm a Fender fan but the Vintage wasn't behind at all. Well done!
They sounded different, but I couldn't tell which was which. The Vintage stood up well to the Fender
Interesting. I preferred the vintage for the chords but preferred the fender for the lead. I guessed the fender but based upon the lead tone.
I got it right and could hear the difference. It was a close run thing, but I think the Vintage cut through a bit more than the Fender.
Jon, I think guitar b is the budget one-more cheap twang and high end clarity loss(who knows? ) BTW I would love to see you do a post about modding a budget guitar.I recently bought a Fazely £70 tele copy and re wired it with new pickups, control plate, bridge and Tusq nut as well as locking tuners. Basically I turned a cheap guitar Into to a thing of joy-I just love it!
I've never taken on a project like this but despite the swearing and frustrations it was so worth It! Love to Dougal🐾
I love Teles but I'm only really here for Dougal...
I guessed correctly but there really wasn’t much in it.
I felt the fender had a little more definition(as it should for the price ).
The vintage held up pretty well though.
I got them backwards. Ha! Pleasantly surprised by the Vintage. I dig the way it sounds. You expect the Fender to sound the way it does, especially in the crunchy tones. But as a somewhat new appreciator of teles and what you can do with them, I’d gladly gig with either one. Thanks for the great demo!
Same here.
I thought A had a fuller sound and better intonation, too so obviously assumed that was the older original! 🤦🏼♂️🤷♂️🙉
during lockdown, I had 4 teles in my house - my yank and squier, a friend's yank and an old Ibanez. They all sounded pretty much the same. my fave was my squier for it's tiny slim non sticky neck, my mate's yank was the most comfortably light and the Ibanez was my least favourite. The upshot was that teles are teles whatever badge they wear. We did the same without the Ibanez with a CS instead which was very dear, quite pretty and still another tele.
Dougall is so adorable/distracting I could barely concentrate! But I got it right! I liked A so I wanted it to be the Nashville but then I realized that B had the muted tones of the Noiseless pups so B had to be the Nashville. I prefer the A, Vintage for sure as it sounds like a proper Tele. The Player series Nashville's Noiseless pups just cut too many of the desired frequencies to be useful as a twangy Tele pup. Seeing what they were actually made the Nashville sound better, so it's the idea of it I like not the tones.
Subtle difference but noticeable (guessed right) they sounded equally good but the Fender had a more classic Tele tone, imho 👍
Isn't the real question 'which one do you enjoy playing most?' They both sounded good to me. The dogs the winner in my camp.
When it's good, it's good and the difference is just is irrelevant. Your playing is great and was a heap'a fun.
There is Fender telecasters and copies of Fender Telecasters, both have a place. I think it is all down to budget and guitar snobbery. I have a made in USA Tele but wish I had a Tokai Breezy sound from the '80' as they are fantastic guitars.
Based on the parts with image, I thought the blue one sounded a bit brighter, more aggressive, more bite (let's call it English?), the Fender was more mellow, rounder, gentler (more Nashville?). So I guess it's just the style of music you want to play with it (and what you can do with EQ etc). But the joy of a guitar is not only in the sound. 'Feel' is a considerable part of playing. And in some circles the brand on the headstock.
B is the shoutier of the two, A is a tiny bit "clearer", but other than that, I can't tell which is which on my tablet.
Very close and without cheating I identified the Fender correctly. But I think it was more by luck than judgement. There were differences sound wise but I felt neither was 'bad' and both were good. These days with amps and effects most half decent guitars will sound half decent. So, based on the sound alone and were I to be in the market, is the Fender worth nearly double the price of the Vintage? It's a firm NO from me.
My thinking is that it all boils down to Pickups and Fingers, an acoustic more about the wood used and construction techniques.
I got wrong, simlpy and worryingly because the Vintage sounds “better!” 😢
Are the necks as good(on the Vintage,especially) as the Jet necks,John?
I prefer the neck on my Jet Tele but the Vintage is by no means a bad neck to play on 👍
@JRobsonGuitar Thanks John. I think a Jet 300 is on the way. Bax have them for well under 200 Euros. I like the specs on the Fazley and the colours on the Jets. They are virtually identical in specs.
Nae difference on ma tablet 😮
Reminds me of, "I'm Dill the dog, I'm a dog called Dill!"'! Anybody remember that one? 😆 The video that is
Parsley the Lion was always my favourite 🤣
I'm a rather fat feathery Owl called Sage...
@@JRobsonGuitar "Celery, call on me, Celery! I'm the same boy I used to be", Stevie Winwood 😆
I actually got it right this time! tho only after replaying the track really LOUD!... Is the difference in price really justified? I'd say 'yes'... Not only if you're a serious musician, like your good self, John, but also for meat and potatoes guys like me. I've got a couple of 'go to' guitars that just keep calling me back to play; and they tend to be the higher spec'd models.
Not looked at the big reveal yet, but I prefer guitar b (through my phone speakers). To my ears it sounds louder with more biting midrange. Not much in it though…
(I’ve got expensive tastes) 😂
There was a difference, but I didn't tag them correctly. I went on what I thought the Fender standard would sound like, but was wrong. Did either sound bad? No, so I guess it's all about the playing experience and money.
Now if there's anyone out there that wants to send me a custom shop and watch me make it sound like £50 worth - dm me...
To my ears listening through my laptop speakers, no difference. both sounded very tele like.
For the price difference, too little to choose between the two from a sound perspective. So the Vintage wins the "Value" proposition, but from a sound perspective, indistinguishable to my uneducated ear Enjoyed the test though. All the best for 2025
Here's the real deal, who can really tell anything about the guitars when you play with effects, especially over drive or Distortion!
The only thing these test proves is comparison of one effects to another.
The true test of a guitar is when the guitar is plugged into an Amp without effects turned on, one cord for using on both instruments, with the Amp volume and tone settings remaining stationary and the guitar volume and tone set the same.
Of course if one guitar hasn't the same pickups, the same price range, and the only difference being, the copy Tele is capable of doing what the original is doing.
Yes, I know that those who play with effects will disagree, but the facts are clear.
when I have had one of my lead guitarist play (a truly amazing professional, take an😮 old China knock off Tele, that had only the fret wire filed down on the ends where they are usually rough from china)through a pedal board, Distortion and other effects that are normal for him and the strings he uses on his Teles (he has a nice collection of many Teles) and just the basic setup for string height etc., and he made that cheap squire Tele sound like the best made.
You really couldn't tell it wasn't one of his (few thousand dollar) teles.
But put through amps playing with effects, in reality you're judging the different effects, which on a heavy Distortion effect, you don't hear a lot of difference in guitars just the effects as they are programmed to make the same sound, which is why so many pedal players have so many different brands of pedals and are always telling why they choose one brand over another.
Agree or disagree, the proof of the guitar can only be honestly compared when played clean on the same system.
Thank you for allowing comments on your discussions.
The only effects I used were a tiny bit of reverb and delay. Neither of these affect the fundamental tone of the guitars. Everything else was just the sound I had dialled in on the amp which wasn't changed from one guitar to the other. Yes, I used some gain in parts because how a guitar handles gain is an important consideration. Does it become microphonic? Does it clean up from the guitar volume control without turning muddy? Does a low output single coil pickup sound "raspy" & thin when going through a gainy sound even if it sounds decent when going into a clean amp? In short, all I was doing was subjecting both instruments to the kind of conditions most players would use them under. I've had people request that I only demonstrate guitars by recording the DI sound in the past. All in the name of hearing the "pure" sound of the guitar. Fine, but how many people play under those conditions?
There is not much difference, its in the fingers, not the guitar! 😮