Here's what I gather. You may or may not care: Spending twice as much money on a better pedal makes a marginal difference. Spending twice as much money on a better amp makes a big difference.

I used to use fairly high end gear in my gigging days. Now that I only play at home, I use decent quality less expensive gear, both in amps and pedals. I actually find my tone better now. Part of that I attribute to the fact that I've learned a lot about how to get the best out of a pedal/amp than I knew back then, and part is due to the fact that the tech has improved to the point where less expensive gear is better than it was in the 90's. I'd love to try some higher end stuff, but can't justify the expense now, as a living room player.

Spend your money on guitars lessons first, appropriate amps for your situation second, pedals last

From my Andertons degree that I got from watching hours of youtube videos… I learned that cheap pedals can compete against expensive pedals but a cheap amp will never compete against an expensive amp. Having said that, I am still very excited to watch this video and see the outcome.

I’ve always said that the closer it is to the end of your chain, the more important it is to your tone. Amps > pedals > guitar. However, the guitar’s feel will determine how much you want to pick it up and play, so it’s the most important in that respect. Pedals have the smallest delta between good and bad so they can easily be the most overpriced. But at the end of the day, if you don’t love your amp, you won’t love your tone. NOTHING will make up for what your amp lacks, no matter how many Klons and vintage guitars you plug into it.

Would love to see this but with modulation, delay, and reverb pedals. In my experience, you can get away with a less expensive dirt pedal, but cheap mod/delay/verb pedals tend to get nasty. Good content! Great Playing!

Speakers and speaker cab size isn’t spoken about , but , it’s the most important thing , plus some expensive valve amps need to be driven / played loud to get the best out of them , and it’s about the feel too , how do notes appear when you pick softly / hard . All good fun 😊👍

In the studio realm they are all usable sounds. In a live situation at high volumes the cheap amps will show their weaknesses regardless of pedals. Fun experiment. Enjoyed it.

My takeaway so far (haven't finished the video) is that expensive stuff sounds better but not as good as 10 guitar lessons per pedal to get me closer to Petes level That said I might spend 10 guitar lessons worth of money on a Halcyon anyway!

The leap from Hot Rod to Tone King is genuinely remarkable. It isn't until the Tone King where I hear the Halcyon do that Tube Screamer sound; which I'm not a fan of, but I know the distinct characteristics. And in the Tone King is when the Nux pedals sound like they've run out, that there's nothing more to give. Whereas in the other three amps they kept up; in fact in the solid state amps I thought the Nux sounded better.

I think in a live/band context, this minute differences in the tones in the pedals would not be noticeable at all

So Pete’s got the fourth best tele in his blind test. But yes, the most expensive.

The floating graphics to illustrate what amp and pedal are actively being used is an incredibly helpful touch. Well done!

Just here to say, the way Lee handled Instagram and the recent "controversy" was impeccable. Bought products from the store this week because of it. You guys are a storefront and the channel supports it. Haters will try to hate. Love the content you guys do!!

Interesting experiment. Until you got up to the Tone King Amp, I preferred the less expensive NuX pedals paired with the less expensive Amps. This may indicate that the Pedal Makers have a pretty good idea what type/price Amps their pedals will be used on. Customers should consider that as well to get the best results. Thanks

Excellent video. I agree with your findings, and I like all the tones. I'm not convinced the NUX are less attractive tones, but rather simply different. A few times, I preferred the NUX. What fun!

Well done, Lee and Pete. I thought this was a terrific way to highlight both how startling the difference between amps is and how subtle differences in the pedals affected tone. While an audience might not be able to discern the shift in tone, a player is going to have more confidence and a radically different approach when they don’t have to fight the equipment to achieve tone. And Pete is quite correct - once a player has developed abilities, they are more likely to maximize those subtle differences and wring the most out of the equipment.

I just love the "not much change out of three grand" line. That is how you do it.

Would love to see this video concept but with speakers. Expensive amps with great vs cheap speakers, and cheap amps with great vs cheap speakers. I think people might finally realize that speakers are one of the most important factors in how good your amp sounds.

Pedals can definitely change your tone more, as there are infinite options. But I always prioritize the amp, as it’s the basis for all the pedal tones. Plus, with all the amps and pedals available as captures and plug ins now, you have infinite cheap options that sound good now. But I find less issues with pedal captures than with amp captures.

Great video! Fortunately my OCD sounds pretty good through my Katana. The pricey amps are better but out of my price range. Lucky to have what I have.

The cheap ts sounded better (and quieter!) than the Halcyon in some settings! It'd be interesting to hear them in a mix, too. As for the amps, it's definitely a matter of speakers, too. Fun video!

Great vid as always! Here at our shop in San Diego Cali we sell the Marshall code 50 @ $299 100 x more than the katana. To be more accurate, we never sell any katana's when we A/B them and let the client choose. Cheers!

Bottom line, the Tone King amp sounds great!

Definitely worth putting more money into the amp.

15:42 pete definitely likes to play with himself

From my experience, a Peavey Bandit on the clean channel with any good $200 plus overdrive or distortion pedal and a good delay sounds quite professional in terms of sound quality.

Of all my years of pedals, guitars and Amps. I've learned: if it sounds good, it's good. Regardless of price.

Great concept, gents! Love to see this on the back end of another great blindfold video as well. Andertons strikes again!

The speaker the amplifier is going into is what matters the most.

I own a Tube King Imperial II, and it is without a doubt on every level, the best amp I’ve ever owned/played through. They are genuinely a well made musical instrument…after all, an amp is the vocal chords of an electric guitar.

I have some more expensive amps, but at gigs, I always take my Line 6 Catalyst and Pod Go (using it as a pedalboard). I get compliments on my tone regularly - you don't need an expensive amp or expensive pedals, IMO.

The real question is amp vs speakers. Is it better to have a good amp with a cheap cab and poorly suited speakers? Or a mediocre amp with the right size cab and the right speakers? I theorize that guitars are to amps as amps are to speakers. In other words cabs and speakers are the most important thing in the rig in terms of sound. You lock in the right size enclosure with the right speakers and any amp is going to shine. Electric guitar is an acoustic instrument after all, it's just that the acoustic part is at the speaker not the guitar itself.

Lee doesnt want to hear "all you need is cheap gear" lol. Whenever its implied even a little, the mood changes. The last thing an owner is going to do is push a beginner to buy less expensive gear. Thanks for your honesty Pete!

The more expensive amps just have such better dynamic range, which highlights the pedals capabilities. Having said that if you weren't doing a side by side comparision I'm not sure you'd even notice. Thanks as always guys.

This kind of proves the point of the people who always ask for you to use cheap amps though. Because if people hear a great pedal, and then buy it and find out it doesn't really sound much different on their affordable amp at home they're going to be massively disappointed. They _want_ to know that it wouldn't be worth it for them. I think that's their point. They think "Man that pedal sounds awesome, I should get one! But would it sound awesome on my cheaper setup too...?". So maybe do the full demos as normal, then have a short bit showing it on a cheap amp as well? It would be interesting to see the same kind of thing with other FX like reverb and delay and chorus etc, to see if you hear the smaller details that set different pedals apart on different amps. Also maybe the Halcyon pedals for the expensive was a "bad" choice? Since part of their appeal and price is all the extra features, rather than just how they sound when they're both trying to do the same thing. Great video as always! 💙

One comparison is missing...How do the pedals sound in front of a captured amp or even modeler... I think nowadays, so many people are using that configuration and it would be amazing to hear how they sound.. I am currently in exactly that situation I am using a toneX and since over a week, I am trying to figure out what pedals I want to buy.. .Looking mainly for a ambient delay, Reverb and a Fuzz without busting the bank. And more important is the TONEX or any other capture platform or these Amp pedals like UA etc even able to bring out the nuances of the higher quality pedals or are cheaper one enough... Would be so amazing if u could do a comparison...bet there are soooooo many people out there think the same! As always ...amazing content ❤ Thumbs up everyone who also likes to see it

What not to like about a telecaster paired with a hot rod , is just a perfect combo that any pedal would just sound great . In my opinion the Fender Hot Rod / blues / Deville are the best investment one can go for

I'm sure people have already said this, but with the Katana comes a range of Boss pedal emulations. There are Clean Boost, Treble Boost, Mid Boost, Crunch OD, Blues Drive, Overdrive, Natural Overdrive, Warm Overdrive, Turbo Overdrive, Tube Scream, Distortion, Fat Distortion, Dist +, Guv DS, RAT, Metal Zone, Metal DS, 60s Fuzz, Muff Fuzz and Oct Fuzz settings, and of course that's just in the distortion and overdrive, there's equally great options for dynamics and modulation and delays. So maybe instead of getting pedals, get a Katana and buy the foot controller for it, so you have a wide range of immediate switching options. If you have the budget and want a bigger sound, get a bigger Katana. I purchased the Katana Artist Head with foot controller and a secondhand Marshall 4x12 cabinet. I really do not find much use for my valve amps or most of my boutique pedals now.

There's nothing like a boutique (ish) amp and, thankfully, I own one. But with all things valve, it needs to go into the shop right now. So I end up using my Katana and have no issues whatsoever other than it's just more fun and 'creative' to play the quality amp. I own several pedals, some expensive, some less so. Depending on the tone I want, there are times the inexpensive pedal is actually better than the expensive one. Where I find differences between pedals, actually, is in unwanted noise (hum or hiss). In general, if I find a pedal to be noisy, I won't buy it regardless of price. But it's worth noting that one of my favorite dirt pedals, currently, is a pretty low cost one. There is some noise, but nothing that comes out when playing.

Great explanation.... The increments of price are greater than the increments of quality, (specifically sound).

I've got a katana 50 and a mix of different priced pedals. Sounds great!

I believe that your mind and experience matter most. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder.

Nice comparison. But i see that the eastcoast and imperial were set louder than the others, as seen from petes outro at the end. Volume on the amp greatly affects tone overall

Good amp wins all day

Concluded that the NUX pedals are awesome and great value for money.. 👍🇦🇺

You gota realize 90% of folks are listening to this on crappy phone speakers, watch it over with some good headphones and you will hill nuances better as if you where in the room. Also don't overlook youe speaker. Most Chace after a new amp but a speaker swap can drastically change your tone. Also try running into a 2x12 or 4x12.... A 4x12 makes a huge difference in how it feels and sounds. Punches you in the guts in a good way and reason why legends used them often

Very interesting! ALL I have learned from this is that I have to have a Tone King ImperiaL..Crikey that is a great sounding amp!

You guys always have the best, informative, and fun videos. Hello from Ohio! 😊

17:15 just add a compressor or a volume pedal into the loop. I heard it on TPS and tried it. It’s absolutely perfect now, sounds great at probably -15db

This has been the most informative video ive really seen tbh . I own a 1999 Fender US Stratocaster which ive owned from new , and love . Im looking at amps just now as im currently using a small Orange and was considering getting the Orange Crush 60 or a 50watt Katana . I think ill keep saving as the better amp does sound so much better .

I get what Captain is saying, listening perspective is a real thing, sometimes we don't hear how ice picky we can sound because the amp is behind us, but in front of the audience. You only catch glimpses of your true sound when you turn to hear it more direct on.

Pete is right. When novice or average players are playing more expensive equipment, the wish is that it improves their playing. the equipment doesn't make the player, the player makes the equipment. Hours, weeks, and years of practice improves and maximizes the sound of any equipment.

My dog left the room when you played the Tone King - maybe there are some extra high frequencies in that amp that I could not hear - he definitely reacted to it.

Lee, that was great. Thank you for your channel.

The number one problem with cheap pedals is reliability. In my experience they will at some point let you down in a live/gigging situation. Every now and again I put a £40 pedal on my board and within months it's acting up, cutting out and generally screwing up my sound. For home use they're fine but DO NOT gig with them.

Great vid! Appreciate the effort in putting up these videos. 👍

Would be interesting to hear how the difference would be with the pedals and amps through the same Eminence custom speaker sitting in that ToneKing. The pedals do make a difference upon response in what you hear from what your hands do, same with the amps and pickups, but quite some of the frequency difference is from what the speaker can deliver, assumed that the amps are set to sound close to each other. There is also a difference going between fully analog and having a digital preamp in between. Just got a Blackstar Dept. 10 Dual Drive which I use with LPB-1 in front and a Orange Pedal Baby as Power Amp, 2 x 16 ohm cabs, 2x12 vertical and 1x12 with V-Type Neo speakers. When I use a Nux Amp Academy instead of the Dual Drive there is close to no difference between humbuckers within the same output range, with the Dual Drive there is a major difference, especially in how loose the lowend sounds, but also in mids and treble when playing rythm and even more when playing solos. I do like the sound of both regardless, it’s just like the digital preamp is more forgiving with tone difference between pickups that all as example have a high output, sustain, feedback and attack also feels and sounds pretty even at the same gain levels. So if I start to use the Dual Drive on stage I will need to have the same pickup in my backup guitar for it to sound the same and also react the same way. Just like how easy it is to play fast legato style with the difference found between drive circuits, I think that has more todo with how clear note definition/seperation comes through though.

The expensive equipment is only expensive if it doesn't last very long. If we buy an expensive item with good sound, and low background noise, which lasts for many years, you've made a wise investment.

8:15, amazing catch Captain!

Great experiment that should turn into a very popular series!

Hey Lee and Pete! It’s funny how the more trash that KDH talks about you, the more I want to watch. I got hooked watching the “sound Like --“ and I’ve been a fan ever since. I’m happy that you’re a successful business and a great KZfaq channel. 💜

Honestly, I think the Nux pedals sounded better in my ears in all cases, it was easy to hear the difference. I was especially fond of the tubescreamer clone. But it is VERY different experience in the room, I totally get why they would say there's less of a difference with the cheaper amps. And the experience of playing a Halcyon might very well be better than the experience of playing the Nux pedal.

The difference in the two peddals is in the compression, I think the cheaper ones would sound better then the more expensive ones once they are both connected to a compression peddal.

After playing for 55 years that Tone King is the best sounding amp I’ve ever heard …. Worth every pound 👍🏽

As far as the amps go, the Tone King is the best sounding of all, but it still doesn't sound like $3,000. To this day I've never tried an amp that sounds like $3,000, including amps priced at $6,000. Not even the Dumble I tried in 1987 sounded like the price the owner paid for it. I tried it at a shop. The owner of the Dumble was showing it off to the owner of the shop who wanted to buy it for $8,000. The Dumble owner, who had showed up in a Porsche 928, said, "No. I wouldn't sell for ten times that amount. I just wanted to show you the amp." So this man was just showing off! It was another thing, another toy, like his Porsche. Did it sound great? Yes. But it's just foolish in my book to pay a fortune for any piece of gear.

A good quality amp can't be beat.

I own two Tone King’s. The Imperial 2 and the Gremlin. They are far and away the best for practice (Gremlin) and gigging (Imperial) amps I’ve every owned. I enjoy my Blackstars and Marshall, but none come near the Tone King’s for ability to get any sound you want.

Can you guys do a video on how you mic your amps? Or how you capture these tones? They always sound so good compared to what I get when I'm recording at home. A lot more clear, less muddy/bassy. If they've already done this, can someone link it to me?

Cool comparison. Also this is a good "solid state vs tube" demo. And thanks to Noel, amp settings are important again lol

NOW the criticism. You used tube screamers and Klons, essentially. Both circuits KNOW for not always sounding as good, or responding with ALL amp circuits, even very good or expensive amps.

I learned expensive pedals for expensive amps. Cheap pedals for lower cost level amps, since they can't capitalize on the total sound. Mid level cost amps, you need to try in person to determine. Another great vid by the boys!

I've had experiences where the right pedal could make a very cheap amp sound absolutely great. A good pedal is pure magic.

You guys should do a blinded test. The guy playing shouldn't be able to see which one is plugged in, and then should rate which ones sound better. This prevents bias towards the more expensive equipment

I feel like. 1. Just play and have fun. 2. Don't go outside your means for guitar playing, buy what you can afford. 3. Everything matters when it comes to "tone". You could have a Klon through a dumble, if you're micing it and running it through 150 pa speakers, doesn't make sense either. Love these kind of videos though. Fun stuff.

great show chaps. a very good ad for budget pedals, and a reminder that the amp is so important - don't buy boutique pedals - save that money up for a tube amp.

If you are minted buy the expensive rig. If you are not buy the less expensive rig. Once you learn to master using amps and pedals and what guitars go better with what amps, what pedals go better with what amps, what guitars go better with what pedals. You will be able to a good tone out of anything. My most expensive rig was a Fender pro 2 telecaster, Vox AC 15, the dane, strymon sunset, hall of fame reverb, boss digital delay, MXR phaser, boss chorus. It was epic and sounded amazing. Due to financial hard times I now rock a Vintage V6(strat) katana mk2 100wat and tone city pedals. Does it sound as good as my expensive rig use to, no. But I am still happy with my current less expensive rig, yes as I can still get epic tonnes. Can still get my Hendrix, SRV, Clapton, Frusciante on with no probs.

I liked Henning Pauly’s explanation- if you demo a £50 pedal using a £5000 guitar and a £5000 amp, you know that anything dodgy in the sound is most likely coming from the pedal, not caused by limitations anywhere else (paraphrased).

I'd say there's a difference between something that is good for a cheap pedal, and something that's a good pedal that is affordable. So get something better than the cheapest equipment, but getting something expensive is unnecessary. I'd recommend starting with an amp that already has a sound you like, and get pedals that pair well with it. Maybe invest in nice cables, they make a bigger difference than most think. Cheap cables fail. I've had Fender and Monster cables fail quickly. Ernie Ball cables last and provide a higher quality signal. Pick and string sizes also make a huge difference.

As per Danish Pete's driver analogy, please grab a willing beginner guitarist from the shop floor and do a beginner / pro gear use comparison. To hear the difference with sounds from different gear!

I was just thinking a video like this should be done. A bit freaked out that Lee said my name though haha

I learned a long time ago that a great amp can solve most problems with tone. I play several Squiers and they ring out well with a nice amp. I use a variety of pedals some expensive and some budget. You have to know what you want out of your guitar adventures. Most of my budget pedals will do a great job any day of the week.

My very first "rig" (if you can call it that) was a tiny practice amp and a Digitech RP200 multi effects pedal.

3:30 Okay, are y’all watching me watch you? 😧 I don’t know if they meant Noel Gallagher but as someone who doesn’t hear their name often in media it caught me off guard 😂

1st amp: tubeman>green, gold>horseman 2nd: tubeman>green, gold>horseman 3rd: tubeman>green, gold>horseman 4th: green>tubeman, gold>horseman

I use my bassbreaker 15w combo when I'm running a lot of pedals, and it handles them EXTREMELY well. I don't have crazy expensive pedals, but they aren't the cheap ones either; in my experience though, price of the pedal isn't a big factor. In fairness, the bass breaker doesn't have the "magic" on it's own that my Princeton '68, or even my AC15 has played straight in, but it's a much more versatile amp for me. I'll still keep the Princeton and Vox because they're so good at what they do!

P.S. I mean to add, it's taken me years to learn how to dial in sounds on amps and FX, there's a huge learning curve with all that gear, as well, nevermind playing. That really is almost an art unto itself. Just learning how to use the preamp EQ on your acoustic electric guitar, let's say, is a good idea, to spend the time to learn it properly. Most beginners and intermediates, don't. Just how to use GAIN properly on the amp or guitar, etc., whatever, is crucial.

I remember hearing from Rebea on the 1000 BP rig video that he chose the "expensive" Earthquake Devices Dispatch Master because he's able to get the result he wants totally quicker than with cheaper gear, so there's that. Your facilitation of the equipment is almost more important than what you spend on gear. You do have to know know how to play your instrument, to a certain extent, to get what you're after.

SPEAKERS!

Nice work guys loved it I find it expensive amp is the way to go coz it gives more dynamic and there's more head room for the pedal to do its thing even with cheaper(but worth every peny spend) pedals . Thanks so much for this content

Now what we need is this same test done with the same speaker in each amp to see what kind of audible difference there is

Final comment, non metaphorical too.. I have a cheap nux type screamer and it broke quite quickly. Build quality and reliability has to come into it

I think this is a tough experiment to do because having gone down this rabbit hole myself recently, the amp itself does make a lot of difference to how the pedals sound so even if you were going between two different expensive amps the pedals might sound better or worse depending on the amp's voicing. Realistically, for my money, putting decent sounding pedals regardless of price through a nice sounding amp will get you what you want and then from there it's all about how far you want to go with the minor tweaks to get those few extra percentiles of difference to your sound.

I wish they would get more into how things feel under the fingers (sustain, compression) than just sound in these comparisons.

I've never seen Pete cope so hard 🤣🤣🤣

Great video chaps. I learned a lot. About what I'm not certain, but it was fun....

1) The Tone King better sound the most pleasant, given the bill of materials 2) The Hot Rod Deluxe has a reputation for finding its happy place in the upper reaches of its capabilities, so it sounded like it was barely getting good, and might not have been the best choice for the venue, and really only its physical presence makes it look the natural step up 3 The East Coast and Katana were most similar but for their bottom ends, kudos to the East Coast for being willing and able, its often more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.

Although, if we remember the teachings of Dan... the cheap amp through a 4x12 probably sounds awesome 🤘🏼

Tone king Imperial is the best amp in my opinion as I own one!! Strymon pedals sound fantastic through it!!

My favorite pedals of all time are the original ProCo Rat (although there are some great knockoffs), Ibanez Tube Screamer, MXR Distortion +, Boss Overdrive, Boss Super Overdrive, Boss Distortion, and Boss Blues Driver, the latter of which is my main pedal these days besides a Boss Delay, Boss EQ, Boss Chorus, and MXR Phase 90 which I use sparingly.