New video: Did a Swimming Pool Rout Destroy My Tone?

Tackling the tough questions....for SCIENCE!!

I enjoyed that. I thought they were very very close which surprised me! I swear the universal occasionally seemed to have a tad ,
,,scosh, smidge, more air at times? Too close to make a difference. For a second there, I thought you were gonna get all "Snarky" on us. Well done!
 
I wonder if a very slightly convex pickguard could be made that would resonate some? Hmmmmmm
 
One of the "guitars that got away" was a Tex-Mex Strat I tried – poplar body, swimming body route, all the things corksniffers hate. But it was so open and resonant. I was never sure if it was just the piece of wood or the route, but one of the few times I would use an ambiguous term like "airy" to describe a guitar. Plus, the Tex-Mex pickups really more flexible than the Texas Hot. Unfortunately, Fender only offered the Tex-Mex for a year or two before they reworked it into the Jimmy Vaughn sig model, and I never got around to getting one.
 
I recently worked on a Schecter Nick Johnston Strat that they wanted to pull the bridge hot dog and put in a custom Lamberton hamburger. I was so pleased to find a generous pool route to make adapting so seamless!
 
Another great comparison video, thanks! Whenever I read comments where people claim they can hear a difference, I wonder whether it's only because the clips were labeled. I think it'd make for a great addition in future vids like this to end with a quiz. After the labeled clips plus your comments, have 5 or 10 more *unlabeled* clips (with any visible differences blurred or blacked out as needed) so those who think they hear a difference can test themselves. The answers would be in the description--or a follow-up vid that reveals 'em after people post their answers.
 
Another great comparison video, thanks! Whenever I read comments where people claim they can hear a difference, I wonder whether it's only because the clips were labeled. I think it'd make for a great addition in future vids like this to end with a quiz. After the labeled clips plus your comments, have 5 or 10 more *unlabeled* clips (with any visible differences blurred or blacked out as needed) so those who think they hear a difference can test themselves. The answers would be in the description--or a follow-up vid that reveals 'em after people post their answers.

Haha....a study/calibration period followed by a quiz. I love the idea!

Yes, I would definitely have to go further than simply not labeling them though. Otherwise the lighting, clothes I'm wearing, etc would give it away. I would need black out the screen entirely, so all you had to go on was the audio.
 
Haha....a study/calibration period followed by a quiz. I love the idea!

Yes, I would definitely have to go further than simply not labeling them though. Otherwise the lighting, clothes I'm wearing, etc would give it away. I would need black out the screen entirely, so all you had to go on was the audio.
I could swear on sample #2 I heard a barely discernible bit of something. (Using ok headphones)
 
Haha....a study/calibration period followed by a quiz. I love the idea!

Yes, I would definitely have to go further than simply not labeling them though. Otherwise the lighting, clothes I'm wearing, etc would give it away. I would need black out the screen entirely, so all you had to go on was the audio.

Yeah, you could black out the screen or, having seen a lot of your videos, I'm confident you could come up with something entertaining or amusing to put on the screen during the audio clips.
 
It's a really good video. To me the version with the Pool route is a bit more resonant. A lot of people seem to prefer that, but it is not strictly a vintage strat. IMO the impact could be bigger on a guitar with a trem cavity on the rear as it is more of a 'swiss cheese' scenario. People can obviously make up their own mind if they hear a difference or not, so it seems a useful video in that way.
 
I heard no significant difference.
With that said; that's a great-looking guitar. Love the hardtail bridge and the Warhead headstock.
 
By ears discerned no difference, but when I kept my eyes open there was. Victory to the ears ... no difference.
 
I do also wonder if the amp was cranked at least halfway, if a more pronounced difference would be apparent. ????!
 
I did notice a slight difference with headphones, but nothing massive.

The test of course needs to be redone with the volume pot in the correct place otherwise as "everyone knows" that the volume pot position can influence things to a marked degree 😀 ;)
 
I did notice a slight difference with headphones, but nothing massive.

The test of course needs to be redone with the volume pot in the correct place otherwise as "everyone knows" that the volume pot position can influence things to a marked degree 😀 ;)
Stratamania are you giving me the "business"?!!! ooooh your gonna get it now!!
 
I did notice a slight difference with headphones, but nothing massive.

The test of course needs to be redone with the volume pot in the correct place otherwise as "everyone knows" that the volume pot position can influence things to a marked degree 😀 ;)

What really infuriated me is that the gravitational field from planets in our solar system was blatantly ignored.
It is well known, in the deepest corners of online forums (and thus the most expert ones), to greatly affect tone as the distance between pickups and strings changes ever so slightly.
It's unfortunate this was accidentally ignored by not routing the body as fast as possible between takes; but maybe it's alright since most mere mortals were somehow unable to hear the difference in a blind test anyways.
 
Back
Top