YouTube Guitar, Pedal & Amp Demos - They really aren't that useful

[Pete Dabell]

I think most of these gear demos are in the main a bit pointless, you can`t really judge a piece of gear from them as there are so many variables in the recording process and real life. The one thing they can show is the scope of the equipment, particularly multi effects - my main gripe with most of the ones I`ve seen is that they take forever and a day to get to the point, all the meaningless chat about basic settings and their guitar collection? the main things I`d like to know is how they perform with humbuckers or single coils but very few appear to? ( or am I not wasting enough of my life watching these things?

 

[TonePilot]

Depends on who you are following. If you are talking about some dude at his house, I have no idea as I don't follow them.

If you are talking about guys like Greg Koch and Pete Thorn, I completely disagree. You don't need a sound guy if you are just noodling at home. Who cares what your signal chain is in that setting?

Guys who only play at home don't need the same sorts of equipment required to play in a live setting or recording studio.

You are unable to sort out tuning? This sounds like a list from a beginner or a bedroom only player. Nothing wrong with that but at that stage of development, I'd suggest the focus should be on developing ability, not gear issues.

No. I play out. It’s not about me. It’s about how easy someone, anyone could get those tones if they buy that gear. Your ear is good enough to tell if one or two strings are dropped a semitone? I’m not able to. I can guess that a guitar isn’t in standard tuning but why guess. They should just tell us.

 

[derekd]

No. I play out. It’s not about me. It’s about how easy someone, anyone could get those tones if they buy that gear. Your ear is good enough to tell if one or two strings are dropped a semitone? I’m not able to. I can guess that a guitar isn’t in standard tuning but why guess. They should just tell us.

Yeah, I can hear if a guitar is in another tuning. It may take me a bit to figure it out if I'm motivated but when those fingers and notes don't line up, something is amiss.

When I look at these sorts of vids, I watch the big boys. They are typically very detailed about what they are using and I always have something exactly like it or very similar.

 

[prototype]

thinking about the wild west days in the late 2000s and early 2010s when amp demos were one guy noodling in his bedroom into the camcorder mic

 

[tweedeater]

I have a pet peeve around these demos but first let me say I do appreciate the efforts YouTubers go through to get us these reviews. However, I feel they're highly inaccurate and a recipe for letting us down for the following reasons:

• Almost all of them now use something like a Torpedo Capture to send the amp's output into a DAW or a streaming utility. Of course it's going to sound good. Devices like the Torpedo exist because their cab simulators are among the best in the business. And, who knows what tweaks might have been made in the DAW.
• The big channels have a sound guy. Andertons and others have someone in the booth constantly adjusting levels and the mix. Most of us don't have a sound guy to help us when we're noodling.
• Other than Phil McNight and Robert Baker, they rarely tell us what tuning they're in. Thin guitars and amps will often sound richer and fuller on videos when drop tuned.
• They mostly pick 412s as their cabs in the DAW or capture device. Most of us don't have 412s sitting around.
• They have setups (i.e. attenuators or isolation booths) to get the amp into its sweet spot. Again, few of us are able to turn ours up that loud.

I wish they'd be more open about tunings and provide at least a few seconds of what the amp in the room sounds like (although I know that's hard to reproduce accurately). This is even more important now as we're ordering more and more gear on-line without the ability to try it first.

So my pet peeves for pedal demos are as follows...
Those players who clearly aren't skilled, and/or out of tune
Lack of a clean amp/platform for overdrive pedal demos..even when they claim it's their "clean" sound. Heck.. sometimes their pedal - off tone is what I'm looking for!
Personally.. Mike Hermans is not my cup of tea. His approach/style of playing makes every drive or distortion sound the same. Don't know whether to give him props; or just find it strange.

 

[tweedeater]

So my pet peeves for pedal demos are as follows...
Those players who clearly aren't skilled, and/or out of tune
Lack of a clean amp/platform for overdrive pedal demos..even when they claim it's their "clean" sound. Heck.. sometimes their pedal - off tone is what I'm looking for!
Personally.. Mike Hermans is not my cup of tea. His approach/style of playing makes every drive or distortion sound the same. Don't know whether to give him props; or just find it strange.

Ahhh but this IS about amp and guitar demos. Sorry.. I was headed more down pedal demos - way. Been a long day.

 

[soundchaser59]

The thread title should have included pedal demos, too. Every ingredient and setting matters, but how many of them ever tell you every thing in the chain that is making that sound? Maybe Gearmandude? Pete Thorn? Peter Stroud? that's about it.

 

[Paleolith54]

I believe you are assuming everyone is as experienced as you. Free isn't the point. Just because something's free doesn't mean it's valuable. Also, sending things back is a huge hassle and often you are the one paying the return shipping or a restocking fee. Also, it's bad for the environment.

Yeah, free is the point. It's churlish to complain about something you pay nothing for not meeting your whims.

Nobody said because it's free it's valuable, but good job of rebutting that.

Who else would you expect to pay for shipping and restocking?

Bad for the environment? Wow, why didn't you lead with that? That's huge! It makes Gaia cry, too, so there's that.

 

[Cate]

I find it most valuable to hear the opinion of the player rather than hearing them play. If sales and profit aren't the driver behind the reviews you often get a more comprehensive evaluation.

 

[EpicEsquire]

 

[markmann]

I only use reviews to get a general idea of what to expect and I always watch more than one of the same product to hear different players and environments. I would never buy solely based on an online review.

 

[TonePilot]

Ahhh but this IS about amp and guitar demos. Sorry.. I was headed more down pedal demos - way. Been a long day.

I edited the title. Let's talk pedal demos too.

 

[TonePilot]

Yeah, free is the point. It's churlish to complain about something you pay nothing for not meeting your whims.

Nobody said because it's free it's valuable, but good job of rebutting that.

Who else would you expect to pay for shipping and restocking?

Bad for the environment? Wow, why didn't you lead with that? That's huge! It makes Gaia cry, too, so there's that.

Not going to get into a debate with you. You just keep making the snide comments but I encourage you to focus on the discussion and less on me. Hope you're in a better place today.

 

[TonePilot]

The thread title should have included pedal demos, too. Every ingredient and setting matters, but how many of them ever tell you every thing in the chain that is making that sound? Maybe Gearmandude? Pete Thorn? Peter Stroud? that's about it.

Done

 

[mikebat]

If you can't tell how a sound translates into a real world scenario, so you can compare to a guitar/amp/pedal you know, whether it is captured on an iPhone, pro mic's/cabs/console etc..... I don't know what to tell you.

AT this point we all should know what an iPhone does to a guitar sound and a human voice.

Same for a pro recording of a Les Paul into a Marshall, or a strat into a blackface.

Is it perfect, no? It is useful, absolutely.

 

[caledoneus]

I have a pet peeve around these demos but first let me say I do appreciate the efforts YouTubers go through to get us these reviews. However, I feel they're highly inaccurate and a recipe for letting us down for the following reasons:

• Almost all of them now use something like a Torpedo Capture to send the amp's output into a DAW or a streaming utility. Of course it's going to sound good. Devices like the Torpedo exist because their cab simulators are among the best in the business. And, who knows what tweaks might have been made in the DAW.
• The big channels have a sound guy. Andertons and others have someone in the booth constantly adjusting levels and the mix. Most of us don't have a sound guy to help us when we're noodling.
• Other than Phil McNight and Robert Baker, they rarely tell us what tuning they're in. Thin guitars and amps will often sound richer and fuller on videos when drop tuned.
• They mostly pick 412s as their cabs in the DAW or capture device. Most of us don't have 412s sitting around.
• They have setups (i.e. attenuators or isolation booths) to get the amp into its sweet spot. Again, few of us are able to turn ours up that loud.

I wish they'd be more open about tunings and provide at least a few seconds of what the amp in the room sounds like (although I know that's hard to reproduce accurately). This is even more important now as we're ordering more and more gear on-line without the ability to try it first.

Fair points. When I do a review, I usually use the camera mic (or blend that with the output from the DAW) and I don't do any DAW tricks to improve it. I most often play in standard tuning for reviews, and if I change it, I usually will point it out. I definitely don't have a sound guy... or camera guy... lol.

As far as not being able to turn em up to the sweet spot, that is true for me, and why I lean towards my Helix and my Katana over my tube amp.

I do usually use a 412 with with my Katana, but that is mainly b/c it is the only cab I have for it.

 

[TelePlayr]

i have only been using YouTube gear demos since the shutdown, mostly to check out pedals. I can't imagine buying a guitar or amp without actually playing it. I've found them helpful for researching pedals, and giving me a general idea of what the thing can do (and not do).

 

[NGJohn]

I have a pet peeve around these demos but first let me say I do appreciate the efforts YouTubers go through to get us these reviews. However, I feel they're highly inaccurate and a recipe for letting us down for the following reasons:

• Almost all of them now use something like a Torpedo Capture to send the amp's output into a DAW or a streaming utility. Of course it's going to sound good. Devices like the Torpedo exist because their cab simulators are among the best in the business. And, who knows what tweaks might have been made in the DAW.
• The big channels have a sound guy. Andertons and others have someone in the booth constantly adjusting levels and the mix. Most of us don't have a sound guy to help us when we're noodling.
• Other than Phil McNight and Robert Baker, they rarely tell us what tuning they're in. Thin guitars and amps will often sound richer and fuller on videos when drop tuned.
• They mostly pick 412s as their cabs in the DAW or capture device. Most of us don't have 412s sitting around.
• They have setups (i.e. attenuators or isolation booths) to get the amp into its sweet spot. Again, few of us are able to turn ours up that loud.

I wish they'd be more open about tunings and provide at least a few seconds of what the amp in the room sounds like (although I know that's hard to reproduce accurately). This is even more important now as we're ordering more and more gear on-line without the ability to try it first.

I think you may be confusing a demo with a review. Think of them this way and it'll make more sense (and be less frustrating):

A review provides you positive and negative information regarding the product so that you can make an informed decision whether to buy it.

A demo, on the other hand, is merely a demonstration of a product's features in order to convince you to buy it. In other words, a demo is a sales pitch.

Sadly, company channels and paid demonstrators and "influencers" have all but killed real reviews. I use demos to obtain basic information about gear and to get a very rough approximation of how they might sound, but that's it.

 

[vintageguitarz]

I agree 100% Percent! There are too many variables on how the video's are recorded (equip to the person's expertise in recording) to the equipment you are listening on.

It amounts to remotely reviewing wine by video.

 

[sinasl1]

I agree 100% Percent! There are too many variables on how the video's are recorded (equip to the person's expertise in recording) to the equipment you are listening on.

It amounts to remotely reviewing wine by video.

Hard disagree.
Why do I disagree?
Watch this vid if you can't tell exactly what this pedal does, and what it'll do in your hands with your guitar and amp within 60 seconds of the start, well....