Never has an origin story made more sense to me.

building an electric guitar setup from old scraps. Now that's Rock'n'Roll.

This guy straight up builds his own electric guitar at age 12. Respect

“Anything can be a distortion pedal” *runs to toaster*

as far as I know, this is similar to how the band Neutral Milk Hotel got that guitar sound on their albums, particularly the song Holland 1945 from In The aeroplane Over The Sea. They didn't use any traditional pedals, and instead just recorded an acoustic, overloaded the pre-amps and plugged straight into the mixer - and it sounds amazing. It's a great technique and I think it has such a unique sound, especially when used with an acoustic!

i did a similar thing with a Hello Kitty karaoke machine when I was a kid. I had a cheap squier tele and no amp so i plugged the guitar into this hot pink Hello Kitty karaoke machine i bought at goodwill for a few dollars. The cool thing about that machine was that it had a quarter inch input rather than just some built in wired mic. Also, there was an "Echo" knob which sounded amazing.

Your endless tinkerings never fail to astound me. You've got such a musically creative brain, you're a younger Les Paul. Big love, Mr Hilowitz ❤

4:15 that one chord brings back late 2022 flashbacks 💀

Ok that’s cool and all, but can it run doom?

One thing this video taught me is that you were more musically innovative at the age of 12 then anyone else I know at any age. Well done Sir.

I had kind of a similar story. When I was 11, I was given a beat up 1960's Teisco electric guitar with no amplifier. I had a couple of random pieces of stereo equipment that I used as an amp, and eventually discovered distortion when I fed the output of one amp into the input of another. It sounded pretty gnarly, but I loved it!

Genuinely thought you were gonna start playing the Better Call Saul theme at 4:15. Nifty tape deck honestly! Always really liked the look of mid 1970s tech.

:) one thing I love about your videos is not just your excellent musical knowledge... it's your masterful storytelling. Thanks for another great video.

This is great, man. I love that the tone took you straight away to something pretty early-Weezer-y. That's where my brain immediately went too!

The record/playback on that 45+ year old tape deck is EXCELLENT. Especially give its age.

Dude has been finding stuff in the trash since he was a kid, and made a career out of it! What an inspiration! Another reminder that real artists don't come from money. Art is borne out of need and wanting; it comes from longing. You can make a hell of a lot more with a little or nothing than if you had everything!

Lovely recollection; I’m envisioning a story 40 years from now where someone describes finding an abandoned Ableton Push in an alleyway as a kid and that’s what started it for them.

That classical electric guitar thing was so cool!

Everytime I watch one of your videos I am blown away with how aesthetically pleasing, curiousity driven, inspiring, and simple (the best kind of simple) they are. The videos really, at least it seems to me, are a piece of your mind/creativeness that you have tapped into so incredibely well. Thank you for doing what you do and inspiring myslef and others!

Fun fact, the area under both curves on the distorted waveform is (almost) the same, the height is very different (which is part of what makes the sound interesting) but so is the phase of the zero-point and that kinda cancels out

The story part of this is very rock and roll. You knew what kind of sound you wanted, then did the experimentation to invent it for yourself. There's something really wonderful about that entire approach to music-making and to life in general. I'm mainly a percussionist. Anything that can resonate is a percussion instrument. Not gonna tell my poor-boy story, but if you know you're a musician at heart and you don't have a lot of money to spend on stuff, you find ways to make your music anyway. Great song too. I love everything about this.

people like you are such an inspiration I really felt like I was supposed to make music like a formula to get success but people like you showed me there is sooo much freedom to music. Who cares if my music will be listened by 10 people at a peak as long as it was fun and I poured in my soul? Gear like this is so unconventional but sounds damn great. I love it.

4:14 this chord has been ruined forever for me

Bro the mic input just sounded absolutely awesome, i literally paused it and showed it to one my friends who doesnt even play guitar and he thought it was dope, thats awesome

My first "guitar amp" was also a radio shack stereo amp 😅 when I finally got a proper amp, it was just a head and we built a cab with old car speakers. I think these kinds of experiences are actually really beneficial because you learn a lot along the way, and it creates a lot of extra creative pathways in your brain instead of getting railroaded along the "proper" track

This is awesome! Ever since I was a kid I've always loved messing around with abandoned gear and experimenting with how it can be used 😁

Man if I had knew you as children we would have been the best of friends. I wanted an upright bass at age 11-12 so I made one out of a plastic storage tote, a 2 by 4, weed whacker strings, and screws for the tuning pegs. I went on to make various little crazy projects with my friends, one of them being a talk box (easier to make than you may believe!). I still make homemade instruments to this day. Thank you for sharing this with us!

Not only are you a fantastic musician but you're a fantastic storyteller. Every single video you make has me lost in your world and I love every chance I get to visit!

fun fact shoegaze artist astrobrite use this exact same method to achieve distortion on his recordings

this is one of my favorite channels on the entirety of KZfaq! always enjoy your videos David!

This video has nostalgia, passion and talent written all over it. Amazing!

That was wonderful. Great content, no waffle or timewasting and really well edited and presented. Well done sir!

Все що ви робите, пане - це неймовірно. Дякую вам

My early guitar journey was very similar. First guitar was an old Eko acoustic that my father found in a skip. I don’t remember what happened to it, but it’s no longer in my possession. My first electric was a Fender Tele that got traded for a step exercises machine, that I originally paid £10 for. I didn’t have an amp, of course, but saw that the old 70s tape deck my parents had, had a mic input, and it gave the exact distortion tone you speak of. At the time, it sounded amazing to my ears.

That combo sounded so good. I would love to have THAT in a pedal.

It's crazy how good both distortions sound!

If you have a cassette deck without a mic input you can wire a 3/4" jack to the tape head and get the same result. And if you have a cassette walkman you can do the same, then use the headphone out to go to an amp and you got yourself a distortion pedal 😁

Yeah! Another great video, David. Fantastic synthesis of your memories, interests, and skills. And that song! Thank you.

6 lines and 30 seconds @7:30 - @8:00 and now I'm addicted to your music. I feel lucky I was suggested this video

My first guitar - Epiphone FAT-210 and now I still have it. I saved money long time to buy it. Several years ago I decided to upgrade it. Changed frets to steel and upgraded electronics. Much better with respect for my poor childhood

As a non musician, I find your videos thoroughly entertaining and very well produced! Cheers!

I can relate to this. When I was a kid I had just enough money to buy a 2nd hand guitar, but not enough for also an amp. So I ran the guitar through some weird record player preamp into the stereo. It sounded about the same.

distortion changes a wave to a squarer sound wave which is the most harmonically rich sound wave which is why distortion and fuzz sounds so big and full.

The tone from the acoustic with the pickup and the preamp is awesome

David you must have been the most resourceful 12 year old kid. I really enjoyed watching this video. Really goes to show that expensive gear isn't everything. Creativity is much more important!

Okay, how much stuff do you find in the trash?

Cool! When I was 12, I plugged my first electric guitar into that same Realistic mixer, then into my parents stereo! Great memories!

I did experiments like that all the time as a teen, you brought back some fun memories with this video. My first "four track recorder" was made with two stereo cassette decks and one of those Realistic mixers.

My favourite artist of all time, Phil Elverum, always used a tape deck as his distortion to achieve this crazy abrasive tone, you can hear it on the song "The Glow, Pt. 2" really well

Hey! Your story is imcredible and interesting! I am from Czechia and in/on every video I must have turn on subtitles to understand what anybody says but you are the first person which I understand without turn on subtitles - I enjoyed your video like as if I watched it in my native language. Thank you for made my day!

Really well done - script, production, editing, and or course the content. I suspect that you have a great support system, personally if not professionally, and I hope that you value and appreciate them. Good on you, mate!

Dude, the freaking song and mix at 7:35 is very smooth. You need to be proud of that.

Your rock-oriented videos are always my favorite to watch. I've been holding on getting cheap analog trinkets to complement my in-the-box setup, but I wouldn't have the space and time to take care of them (apartment living obstacle)

as a guitar player, audio lover, and electrical engineering student, this is beyond awesome

That is SO COOL! I have a similar story I don't quite remember what it was but I remember having this radio-like device that I ended up discovering produced a BEAUTIFUL crunchy sound, nostalgic!

This tape deck tone is ridiculous! Nice work man - looking forward to what's next!

Awesome video! My experience was similar, my parents gave me a guitar but no amp or pedals. So I would plug it in the mic input of the stereo. For extra distortion I would take the output and plug it back into the other mic input, making the signal run twice through the preamp. Playing with the balance knob would give extra weirdness!

I can definitely appreciate the origin story in the struggle thereof. I wish more musically based charities were easier accessible to people who have that need to create. Cool track too.

I looks forward to your uploads and you never disappoint. You’ve taught me a lot and I appreciate it!!!!! Keep up the excellent content.

Great story and cool sounds! Reminds me of plugging into a Kenwood all-in-one stereo decades before collecting dozens of distortion and fuzz pedals.

7:16 I was hoping you would combine them in series (as in, in one signal path to a single track); that could be interesting and way crazier than layering the two tracks as you did. Btw, the tone of your childhood acoustic through the record player preamp was AWESOME! I want that now haha:D bangin lofi punk tone

Better Call Saul is at 4:14

what a fun, nerdy series of experiments with distortion. I can see you're a musical mad scientist like myself. Much respect.

I love how the Maesto Fuzz-Tone came pre-loaded with plenty of its own fuzz inside the casing

This channel is one of the pearls of KZfaq. You combine science, experimentation and emotional stories, aka. The formula of really good stuff!

Love your vids!

That's real passion. I somewhat can relate to that story. When i was 15 and got my hands on a used Strat copy, i at first had no amp. My Granny's sorted out Tuberadio worked great for that purpose. I used the Phono Input, some old guy gave me that hint. Still remembering how i was, by try and error, sticking some wires in the holes of that input jack. During lockdown i restored that guitar and the Radio is still here. I just wouldn't run it anymore, the thing was built in the 1960s.

Thanks for sharing your journey and passion with us. You are one of the true artists out there. Keep the dream alive, man.

Dude building a guitar AND setup from trash has got to be one of the most punk things i've ever heard of

For better distortion testing or anything saturation related, when plugging your distortion-device in to the amp, try plugging into the fx return (if your amp got one). That way you skip the preamp of the amplifier. Edit: this way you can connect anything with a preamp built into, in to the amp. I do it with my acoustic instruments as I don’t have a dedicated amp for them

Keith Richards used a Phillips cassette recorder on the tracks "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Street Fighting Man". But instead of directly plugging in an electric guitar, he recorded his acoustic guitar (most likely his Gibson Hummingbird) with the included mic and then cranked up the volume

This is inspirational! Will try it with Dad's old stereo, Mam's old record player and 2 old tape recorders I've kept all these years👍

Todas las grabaciones de bandas de rock en los 60s y 70s en Argentina de hicieron enchufando la guitarra directo a pequeños grabadores de cinta, era la única manera de conseguir distorsión porque no se podía importar amplificadores o pedales de guitarra. Manal, Almendra, Pappo's Blues, Los Gatos ❤

This sounds great! And I love how the sound is produced. There's always something special to these kinds of approach. I always try to use the tools on my disposal "the wrong way" because it gives different results. In my case it means VST's, but I like to tinker with those. Putting drums through Amp SIms and whatnot. Many times the sound comes out kinda "basement" but I don't care as long as I like it.

Some of those old tape decks are GREAT for cassette tape loops. The reason why is that you can open the cover of the tape player and rattle the tape, its easy to see the loop and you can often pause the tape without the button locks which makes it easy to sync or use it for stutter effects :)

Fun fact: One of the earliest songs to use heavy distortion, "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks, was created by physically slashing the speaker cone with a straight razor. Distortion pedals were invented at least in part to stop people having to damage their equipment to get that sound.

Can my toaster be a distortion pedal?

This is why expensive effects pedals are actually a scam. They cost nothing to make and are extremely basic circuits with a lot of marketing behind them.

That tape deck sounds amazing for recording speech as well, gives a nice vintage effect

Especially if you plug whatever preamp you have, into a tube amp, it sounds killer. I found a free VCR with mic inputs, cranked the gain and plugged it into a vibroverb, it sounded like a very badass fuzz.

*It's called an Electric acoustic Guitar*

Your videos are so inspiring , educative and fun to watch! Keep up the good work! 👏

Isn't it funny how we experimented with the first things we had access to. I found myself doing the exact thing at that age. I'm still doing it today. Love the videos.

When I was little, I had no idea, that you needed an electric guitar to get distortion. That's why I used to tape a jazz broom from a drum set on to my acoustic guitar. The metal vibrating on the strings actually sounded a lot like distortion (at least in my memory :D)

THANK YOU FOR THIS! I have an old stereo mixing console from goodwill i was hoping to use to record but never really could because of how old it is! But my god it worked so good as a pedal!!

My best friend, when we were in high school, made an electric bass out of a 2x6, some screws like you hang plants from, clothesline, and a speakerbox. He set the bottom of the 2x6 on the back of the speaker cab and plugged it into the mic input instead if the speaker output.

A friend of mine had a guitar but no amp for quite some time so we used to connect the guitar to his cassette tape player and put the recording all the way up which gave this very distorted sound which we loved.

Instead of a pickup, I used a speaker from a musical card (it was popular back in the day), and to get a distorted sound, I connected it directly to the tape pickup input of my player. Sounded crazy!

that realistic mixer is key to my setup I have been using it for decades

I don't know why but both the tape deck and the mixer combined does something in my brain, idk the sound is just kinda magical to me

Love these videos of yours

Not surprised you find cool stuff. The universe is feeding into that sick diy energy

You rock man, this is some unconventional and creative stuff

Another blissful moment with David. Love it ❤

Brilliant. Brought back some memories. In the early 80s, I had a Realistic AM/FM turn table with a mic jack I used to play through.

First time seeing one of your videos. Subscribed! What a great story, and I really appreciate the "science" behind what's going on. I was a huge Realistic fan back in the 70's and 80's and my first full time job was my dream of working at Radio Shack lol, so that hit home even more.

This is so cool. A friend of mine showed me how to get distortion from a stereo like this. We were about 16 and just learning to play guitar and were talking about starting a band (we actually did about 2 years later, lol). Neither one of us could afford a distortion pedal or amp at the time, so the stereo speakers and the distortion we got from that provided many hours of fun and practice until we got real amps. That was about 1986 and I was so surprised to find a video on the subject. I always wondered how it made that sound, haha. Thank you so much for making such a great and informative video...also, thanks for bringing back some awesome memories!

The story of your first electric guitar is truly inspiring. Anyone can do anything really. Most of the time the only thing stopping someone is their selves.

This is a quality content. Short. Interesting. Nothing too much. Good story telling. Thank You!

you have this strangely warm dad's energy. i love it