Your Favorite YouTube Guitar/Gear Reviewers

[soups]

Originally Posted by Corndog

JP Cormier doesn't just come off as a blowhard, he is a blowhard. He acts like a shill for whatever dog will hunt with him, and his hyperbole is tiresome. He's one of the last people I would take advice from. The dude can play though.

Glad to see others calling this guy out. He’s intolerable. I bought a Boucher guitar before happening upon some of his videos basically declaring Robin Boucher a luthier Jesus. I was more turned off by his videos than I care to admit - almost makes me irrationally biased against my Boucher which is actually very nice.

[sinistral]

Originally Posted by Justbrandon

Most of the time I just want to hear the guitar or player. My favorite channel for that is WMsoundpresentse

I completely forgot about WantMe Sound in Korea. Im not sure how many guitarists they have demoing guitars, but JoiL is my favorite. One thing I found about their recording set-up is that, compared to various other maintream demo artists/channels (Alamo, Music Villa, Ian Meadows, etc.), when wmsound demos a guitar model that I own, the recorded sound sounds closer to what I hear.

[abn556]

Originally Posted by sinistral

I completely forgot about WantMe Sound in Korea. Im not sure how many guitarists they have demoing guitars, but JoiL is my favorite. One thing I found about their recording set-up is that, compared to various other maintream demo artists/channels (Alamo, Music Villa, Ian Meadows, etc.), when wmsound demos a guitar model that I own, the recorded sound sounds closer to what I hear.

The JoilTV channel has some beautiful playing on it. Check out his bid on the LG-2. Incredible.

[Ralph124C41]

I am not going to name some reviewers listed here as favorites for one reason.

I do not trust the word of ANY Youtube reviewer who doesn't reveal how he or she received the guitar to review. Did he or she buy it themselves with their own money ... or were they paid for the review and/or was able to keep the instrument?

If the reviewer received any form of reimbursement to me that is the same as a paid advertisement. Would you trust, say, a restaurant review if you were told the reviewer was being paid for the review?

These reviews may ... or may not ... be fair and factual evaluations. But then again the reviewer may be giving a false positoive because he or she is being paid or reimbursed.

At the very least the reviewer should post somewhere in the video or in the comments attached to the Youtube video the basis for being reimbursed ... or not being paid at all.

In general if the reviewer does not post the source of the instrument I generally won't even view the entire video.

There is one reviewer listed here that I will not view at all ... because the reviewer seems, to me, positive on any guitar tested ... in fact, glowingly positive in some cases. And to this date has never revealed how he or she received the instrument. Until I find that out I will continue to pass on the videos.

[abn556]

The guys that work for the stores all take them right out of store stock and make the vids. There is a long list of good store vid guys:

Quentin at Music Villa
Greg Koch at Wildwood
Cooper at Alamo
The guys at The Acoustic Shoppe
TFOA players

[Justbrandon]

Originally Posted by sinistral

I completely forgot about WantMe Sound in Korea. Im not sure how many guitarists they have demoing guitars, but JoiL is my favorite. One thing I found about their recording set-up is that, compared to various other maintream demo artists/channels (Alamo, Music Villa, Ian Meadows, etc.), when wmsound demos a guitar model that I own, the recorded sound sounds closer to what I hear.

JoiL is also my favorite guitarist on their channel and has been a huge influence on my personal playing.

I also agree with your comment about their recording set up—IMO their recording setup is about as close to an accurate representation of the guitar that you can get in a YouTube video

[Jeremy]

Originally Posted by Ralph124C41

I am not going to name some reviewers listed here as favorites for one reason.

I do not trust the word of ANY Youtube reviewer who doesn't reveal how he or she received the guitar to review. Did he or she buy it themselves with their own money ... or were they paid for the review and/or was able to keep the instrument?

If the reviewer received any form of reimbursement to me that is the same as a paid advertisement. Would you trust, say, a restaurant review if you were told the reviewer was being paid for the review?

These reviews may ... or may not ... be fair and factual evaluations. But then again the reviewer may be giving a false positoive because he or she is being paid or reimbursed.

At the very least the reviewer should post somewhere in the video or in the comments attached to the Youtube video the basis for being reimbursed ... or not being paid at all.

In general if the reviewer does not post the source of the instrument I generally won't even view the entire video.

There is one reviewer listed here that I will not view at all ... because the reviewer seems, to me, positive on any guitar tested ... in fact, glowingly positive in some cases. And to this date has never revealed how he or she received the instrument. Until I find that out I will continue to pass on the videos.

I don't consider most of these people to be true reviewers, but rather demonstrators. Which is fine by me, I watch the demos and decide for myself if the guitar is worth trying out.

Acoustic Guitar Magazine was once called out for their lack of criticism in their reviews. Their response was that they won't review a guitar they don't like.

[doctone]

Oh... JoiL could probably sell me anything.
Listen to his FS5 demo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4G3XCgIWLw
(They got the title in the video wrong, it's actually the FS)

[Mr. Paul]

Another thumbs up for Dream Guitars. Of course they are putting on the sell, but their recording setup is consistent so you can hear the difference between guitars. The other big plus for Paul & gang ... the selection of guitars they present is, well ... dreamy . Cedar Rock too, for the same reasons.

LOL and agreed on the Cormier blasts.

[Puddleglum]

As far as demo videos go, I really like The Fellowship of Acoustics. They often have a fellow called Erwin van Ligten that is just insanely good.

[CharlieBman]

I kind of like the 2 YouTube dudes from Alamo Music Center. Though their job is to sell guitars, they seem to be pretty straight up and honest about their opinions. Cooper is a really good player to boot.

[jmagill]

The conversation has, perhaps inevitably, drifted from the OP's question about favorite reviewers to that of favorite demonstrators.

Regarding demo videos, no video is going to sound like the guitar would sound in your lap. It just won't.

So, when listening to videos, keep in mind that they are not comparisons of guitars but comparisons of recordings of guitars.

Many times I have listened to a guitar video, and was intrigued enough that I went to the shop to try it out, only to find that it sounded very different.

I listed Matt Chulka and Spoon Phillips as excellent reviewers in a previous post because, after trying out the guitar, both take the time to give a description of its voice from the perspective of a knowledgeable player. Then I can take what I hear from the video and compare it to what they hear after playing it, and develop an approximation of the guitar that is at least as valuable to me as their demos.

I also included Carl Miner (who doesn't describe the guitars he demos) because... well, because he's Carl Miner, and no one can make a guitar sound better.
.

[davenumber2]

Originally Posted by Dogma

So, this would be like the reviewers who give a positive review to every instrument? Has anyone ever heard a guitar that did not sound great when played by Carl Miner?

He’s not exactly playing garbage guitars now is he?

[llew]

Originally Posted by doctone

Oh... JoiL could probably sell me anything.
Listen to his FS5 demo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4G3XCgIWLw
(They got the title in the video wrong, it's actually the FS)

That was a great job by him with the FS5. Just curious what the purpose is/was of what looks like a hair scrunchie behind the nut weaved in and out of the strings before the tuners?

[jmagill]

Originally Posted by llew

That was a great job by him with the FS5. Just curious what the purpose is/was of what looks like a hair scrunchie behind the nut weaved in and out of the strings before the tuners?

It mutes unwanted sympathetic vibrations in the strings between the nut and tuners.
.