The Problem With Guitar Gear Marketing.
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- We have all seen it, and I have been apart of it. Let's talk about the problem with how modern guitar gear companies are marketing new stuff.
Also this is NOT an attack on any one company, but a general industry-wide evaluation. Just my opinion.
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Exactly. The way it's supposed to work is: Andy from PGS does the demo, and then you buy it.
Andy was always my favourite, still the best demo videos in my view
Andy's the best. Great variety in tones and ideas on his channel instead of the standard "here's how you make sterile-sounding, generic, modern metalcore with this guitar/amp/pedal/plugin/doohickey."
But first you need to hear his clean tone
Dudes been part of the problem for so long, he forgot he’s the problem.
But aren’t you participating in the problem even going forward? Are you no longer going to participate in curtain up gear releases? I just did a deal with Zzounds where they are going to plug me into some of these early releases and I can do my first release day video. My channel will definitely get lost in that situation to bigger channels but I am curious to see what the view count will look like. I agree with your premise but the fastest way to shut it down is for us not to blow the video out when the embargo is lifted. Phil tends to hold back a few weeks and I’m doing that now - late to the party with Pod Express and the Catalyst CX. But yeah, WE can stop this easier than the marketing folks. Great video and food for thought
First let me say I like you and your channel. But, you are literally complaining about a problem you are a part of, and to some extent created. You court all of these companies for content for your channel. You are essentially complaining that other channels are diluting your views, I’m sure other channels feel the same about you. You can all stop it by stopping to agree to take everything that comes your way. Or, and here’s a thought…you could just BUY the stuff you review, because at the end of the day, even though you say “all thoughts and opinions are my own”, they aren’t are they?….because if you trash a legitimately awful product, that will damage your working relationship with the brand, and you’re not going to do that.
That’s the problem, Fluff leaves out of a lot of his opinions about the negatives of products. This is 99% of the RUclipsrs out there. Transparency and honesty gets in the way of their income.
Creators should just focus on making good content, and let the viewers/consumers decide who to watch. We, as consumers, WANT to see multiple channels reviewing products. That’s how the modern economy works. Make great content around the products you review, and we will all watch 👍
To in be fair, Fluff includes time-coded disclaimers at the start of most of his videos. He does a pretty decent job of being transparent and only really featuring the stuff he's excited about. The problem is that can coincide with product releases from companies that spray and pray all over RUclips.
I don't see it complaining by thinking about how getting guitar gear to the masses, for some today's way provides a unique way of bettering themselves, & something that can built on, has today's way cancelled out adds in mags? no because those glossy adds in guitar player sell a product from catching you eye, youtube catches you ear, its just the best of both worlds, & that's why youtube is flooded when new products are released,
I have to agree. Its an odd position to take when hes a massive player in the very problem he's describing. Saying he's unsubscribed from most of the gear channels because hes sick of it.... is that his suggestion? Unsubscribe from him too? Not sure he's fully thought this one through 😛
Talk about pot kettle. Most of your content is paid gear ads and has been for years. Insane take.
Exactly, the nerve to complain about a problem that you're actively participating in... facepalm.
Well lets see if any of it changes after this video and then we can talk again
Long time follower here, and wanted to say, that it feels a bit weird coming from you. I respect your contribution to guitar youtube, but lately it's mainly what you just described. I remember the good old times of 2012 Guitar RUclips, when only Andertons felt sponsored, but they were also pre-Chapman & Victory and felt genuine. I find myself viewing more and more Patreon funded buyings, or Cheap obscure pedals (Glenn, 60 cycle hum, Phill Mcknight), while i stopped watching product demos from other youtubers, as they always say everything's fine or great. Most of the oldschool Guitar-Tube seems to have lost demo-credibility, and I watch them mostly for news of new product, knowing that they are all great producers by now and can make anything sound great. I 100% respect your content creation, but you are also 100% a part of the problem. Pointing it out is the easy part, I would love to hear you say a product is not that good, haven't heard it for a while. How can I take your word when I only hear pros with no cons?
Glenn Fricker's channel has devolved into something almost unwatchable. It's all sponsored garbage, mostly budget guitars, or him arguing with people on the internet and using "science" to try to dunk on the people who disagree with him. Even when he releases something that seems like it would be a useful tutorial for recording, it's always showcasing a product he's pushing.
Great points, I think for me I never really 'reviewed' very much. Meaning, telling people what I liked and disliked about it. I have always worked hard to demo and do what I would do with a given thing and let you decide if you liked it or not. If that makes sense.
@@RiffsAndBeards I get it, I just feel that I'd like your opinion man. I remember (or maybe I just think that I remember) that you used to also comment what you liked and what was less to your taste. Still mad respect to your work, learned a lot about amps and gigging from you. Also learned to smell bong-water from rig pictures haha
@@travisspaulding2222he is also often paid, like the rest of gear tube, but I appreciate his objective of showing the community what actually matters for a getting a good recorded sound. He is rarely advertising whatever the newest toy is
@@dylanjastle All of his videos is advertising. Fricker's channel would be more watchable if he didn't insist on shitting on what gear he isn't pushing. He reviewed the Tonex, which is nice for what it is. It doesn't mean he has to shit on the Kemper or QC to do it. And no, the Tonex can't do what either of those things do. He reviews cheap guitars. It doesn't mean he has to shit on expensive guitars. He has an agenda. The agenda is obvious.
"All thoughts and opinions are mine" is sort of deceptive because the future of a RUclipsrs relationship is contingent on good reviews.
Here's a different take on it. Every player sounds different on a piece of gear. So hearing several different players will give you a good idea what it's going to sound like with me. When I'm buying a pedal, I'll as many demos as possible to get a real good idea of what it sounds like.
This is a great take.
Come on, Fluff. The real problem is not everyone releasing their demo at the same time. It’s everyone doing a hyped up marketing video for the company (like yourself) instead of an actual review of the pros and cons of the product. You’ve become a cog in the hype machine of the these companies. That’s the problem.
I’ve literally never done reviews. I do demos.
As someone on both sides, this is a fair take, but of course theres nuance.
Many creators don't understand what a marketer wants, they certainly don't want an objective review, and many seem to appear caught off guard by this. They want awareness of their product release, extolling the features/benefits. They want to hit a wide amount of demographics, hence the large amount of creators, and they want the blast off to get as high as possible. That is THEIR job. You can't fault someone to want to do their job as well as they can right?
I do agree sometimes it's a bit much, I do believe there is a limit - but often people follow who they follow and they are not following every gear creator, or else their feed will look like yours (which makes sense since it is your niche and you need to stay on top of the competition). People subscribe to the personality, not the content.
Trickle/Drip marketing generally doesn't work as well. It depends on the product, but our industry is very "flavour of the month", since we are driven by wants not needs, and you need to get those hop-ons to a trending item. You want to prep the rocket with as much fuel as possible so that you can gain as many organic advocates (purchasers) as possible to maintain the product lifespan. This is a very competitive industry and it's difficult and risky to be so virtuous as you ask brands to be. Though optimistically, I do think there is a happy medium somewhere.
The outcry from creators asking for less other creators at launch can come off as self serving. Gerald Undone said it best, if someone is worried about getting lost in the mix of a launch, then your content is probably not unique or engaging enough to stand out. Lots of creators I know don't get caught up in a launch cycle and do what is in the best interest of their audience.
I do feel these trends are all leading to "Gear RUclips" dying - people are making less buying decisions from RUclips as its becomes more of an entertainment focused, tv replacement platform. Which is why we are seeing big creators known for straight up demos of products getting very poor metrics.
The onus is not on the brands to make the change, they are following the proven practices of an industry that shifts very fast. The creator needs to do what is best for themselves and their audience. Those who don't will get taken over by the ones who understand that.
That’s your biggest complaint about guitar gear marketing? What drives me nuts are the “reviews” that are nothing but rosy ultra positive spins about a product. I like you Fluff but you’re one of these people. Baker is another. Only a handful of people call these brands out and I embrace those. Shout out to Henning Pauly for bucking that trend and keeping it real on his videos. I don’t know why others cannot do this - Henning still gets compensated. Other RUclipsrs: time to get genuine and stop being shills.
You're right, Henning does get paid for unbiased reviews, and from the major players. Henning is very smart and that seems to be what it takes. He rails against features, prices, and functions, but then he compliments something. I don't think many in the space can pull this off. It takes a lot of knowledge and nerve. But it works.
Thank you both!
Another person who’s honest and unbiased (and has been for a while) is Arnold Plays Guitar. He actually purchases the product himself so he’s not obligated to only give positives. If a product is trash, he’ll say just that.
My guess is when they get bad stuff, they just don't want to trash it in public, so you don't see those.
Great points, but I rarely do reviews. I demo things and let you decide. That has been my entire RUclips career.
I actually like seeing all the new stuff posted everywhere. I dig seeing the new stuff. It changes every couple days so i enjoy it. However, i am skeptical of all the positives with very few negatives.
I hate how they send the same product to everyone to the point where I don’t want it anymore.
This is the exact reason I don’t watch most of your videos (which have been recently
Largely gear reviews). I enjoy these videos that are more conversational or anything pertaining to mixing or vlogs. I rarely click on gear or plug-in reviews unless it’s something I’m really interested in.
Gerald Undone inspired?
100% - I just watched Gerald’s video yesterday and it was a good one!
I shot this weeks ago but interesting timing for sure
@@RiffsAndBeards oh wow, definitely odd then! Maybe multiple industries are burning out their creators and viewers? 🤔
I think you’re exactly right about viewers being sick of these huge releases where everyone publishes at once. Can’t we as creators just not publish at the launch time, and instead release a video when we’re well and ready and are sure it’s the best and most informative video we can offer? Also, that’s why i think it’s still important for gear channels to buy some gear they cover, because it’s finding stuff that you as the creator find interesting and covering it as opposed to just talking about the latest release. Very interesting video, and thanks for sharing your opinions on the topic.
But if they don't publish right away, they miss the hype train views.
@@scottyknowsbingo. This is the trade off. If you have the product in hand then you tend to want to push harder. I’ve talked with companies about trying to do product revitalization and it’s rarely interesting for them because they want to promote the new and shiny thing.
@@scottyknows Then we need to compete in terms of quality of video and value offered the viewers. Give people a reason to watch your video even if it’s not in the initial push.
In other spaces (like PC parts as one example) if you are paid outright to make a video it is not tolerated by the community. They also show the relevant competition and asses price to performance, build quality and all that with whatever they are reviewing.
Imagine a GPU ‘review’ that only shows the performance and features of that graphics card, without acknowledging the competition. How useless would that be?
Geartube is just a giant paid commercial most of the time. We as the consumers are bored of it. Creators aren’t entitled to say ‘this is my job, I deserve to run my channel like this’ without the viewers complaining. Run an add in the beginning of the vid that is obviously an add and doesn’t have to do with your ‘review’, and then review a piece of gear you bought yourself. Disclose that you were given a piece of gear paid to make the video on top of it, then we at least know we’re watching an add.
Oof.
Ok boomer
im still convinced that jackson only made like 2-3 of those American series and just passed the same ones around for months
Unpopular opinion here: when I'm considering buying a product I'm going to watch as many reviews as possible because local stores don't keep inventory and I end up buying on Reverb or Sweetwater, so I want to see as much about it as possible. If I was upset about being saturated by the same Jackson guitar I don't care about (love Jackson BTW), I'll click the little NOT INTERESTED menu item on RUclips and let the problem solve itself.
Those RUclips videos stay up indefinitely. So when you're considering a certain eg pedal, you do a search and see several different demos of it. It doesn't matter when it came out (so long as post 2012 or so.)
The best part is that it gives income to guitar RUclipsrs, who don't have to rely solely on RUclips checks. Isn't it great that these folks can get paid? Keep making videos?
Also small companies can get their ads out there for way less advertising budget than they ever could have when relying on TV or print. Most pedal companies are small. Chris Benson last week said he has 20 employees. A business his size could never buy an ad on prime-time TV. RUclipsrs give his potential customers the chance to hear and understand his new pedal.
I feel like whining that your algorithm has similar demos on release day is... whining. It's mostly working with one small drawback. Just don't watch the videos you don't want to see.
There’s no longevity with any kind of new release anymore.
You guys all film your stuff weeks if not months in advance, drop it all the same day. There’s hype for a week then it’s over.
There’s also no one pushing the boundaries because they won’t get paid. So you guys all make super processed songs, demo the gear (safely to not piss off the sponsors) and then it’s over.
You guys typically never revisit any products, never really let us know what you’re using a lot or how you’re feeling about certain gear because you don’t want to polarize sponsors.
What’s ruined it? Musicians exchanging their passion for commerce. It is what it is. I’ve had to outright stop watching some of my favourite guys because it’s just so formulaic and stale.
This isn’t a dig at you, I use “you” referring to the top tier RUclipsrs with massive audiences, of which you are one.
Shills complaining about shills...what....you are part of the problem my dude and have been, no disrespect.
While wearing a Liquid Death tshirt 🤣
I agree with the "naysayers" below. I'm still subscribed to your channel but in all honestly, 90% of the videos you post I'm not interested in, for instance, your product reviews. I've been thinking of unsubscribing from your channel for year, but once in a while I see a video title worth clicking that saves your butt. What your RUclips viewers are experiencing is product fatigue and you're one of the biggest culprit of that imo. I can barely look at gear anymore. I've bought more than I will ever need and I'm now in the process of selling everything people like you made me buy out of pure lust. Me and my consumer friend aren't falling for all of this as much anymore. Now I only keep the essential and I'll buy something when it addresses a specific immediate issue. At least, kudos for addressing the issue but I don't think you're out of the wood yet, I suspect the comments on this video will be brutally honest with you because what you're saying kind of stinks and I'm not sure you'll see it the way we see because you're too deep down there. You seem like a very good guy but you need a complete channel remodel tbh.
I side with Marques Brownlee and Mathias Wandel on letting people say whatever they want about a product; no bulletin points, no prewatching.
That, and for guitars especially, list the specs. If it's nickel frets, say so. If it's steel fret, say so.
It's stunning how many videos you can get through on a new release before someone mentions actual specs.
I support the current situation.. at least you immediately know who is a paid shill ... especially after this explosion of Tonex promotional videos !
This video seems goofy. You do have a choice. You can say no. I don’t mind those marketing strategies. You gotta get eyes on a product. Best way to do that is how they’re doing it. You could be more creative about it. Rhett seems to be the most creative when it comes to gear reviews. He comes up with a concept and almost makes the gear secondary.
But one other thing, fluffy boy. Let's say if it does change. Will you start going on saying you don't get any gear like you use to. I think you should enjoy it while you've got it.
This is one of the very few videos on this channel i dont agree with. It sounds more like "poor me for having too much competition" than bringing up a real convern that actually matters to anyone that iant getting oaid based off views and likes
So you want companies to be more selective on who they send their products to..only if you're included in the selection? You're part of the problem. How about giving more criticism & negative thoughts on future products. The wide array of diluted reviews is tiresome because to us, the audience, we hear nothing but positive praise for said products. If you take issue with wide-scale reviews on launch date, then don't participate. Simple.
I don’t care if I am apart of the launch or not. I don’t do reviews, I never have. I demo stuff. You decide if you like it or not.
@@RiffsAndBeards you offer "thoughts & opinions" yet it's not a review? Got it 🙃
The problem with the guitar industry? Nothing has changed for 30 years but we pretend it does. Except that everything is made in china and somehow still costs the same, or more
"Drives me nuts logging in and seeing the same thing for the first 50 videos", i felt that.
I'm looking at you, boden essential. 🙃
Fluff says he doesn’t do reviews, yet his hard drive video literally has a segment (“wrap up” at 9:25) where he goes: “so what do I think?”……
Yes sir and I will continue to do so
Just keep making videos with all the stuff the companies send you like a good little youtuber.
But other youtubers must stop, it takes away his views!
@@cirisirpula152 your family takes away views because one of them has a big butt. Youer welcome. Hi yaw!
You are part of this cycle as much as anyone. The first time it really hit me was when you and Ola both did a review of the Supro Galaxy.
Not a high gain amp at all. I can understand you checking it out, but the fact that Ola did too and neither of you claimed it was a sponsored video... I was a little put off.
YT is now exactly like guitar magazines years ago. I used to get mags. The tabs were great. But none of the reviews were ever negative on any of the products from what I remember. It wasn't reviews, it was advertising. Plus the amount of advert space in guitar mags was absurd for something you pay for. I just grabbed an old one to check and over 40% of it is straight advertising. Years ago I was looking through a mag I realized "why am I paying for all these ads??" and canceled.
The feeling of being burnt out on guitar mag ads is probably similar to what you're probably feeling @7:20 with all the other channels out there as you unsubscribed. It's all fast food consumer culture ads and it's exhausting. I watch your stuff and some of Ola now. I watched KyleBull for a bit, but he's been getting bad with clickbait titles and I'm tired of that crap.
Agufish recently put out a clickbait video called "I IGNORED THIS FOR YEARS..." and claimed he was plugging in to a 5150 stealth for the first time ever (WOW DUUUUDE). Meanwhile he posted a video 10 months ago unboxing and playing it. After I called him out on it, the video title was changed to "LET'S TALK ABOUT THE EVH 5150 STEALTH..." which is off-putting as well.
He claimed in a reply "Because I wrote and filmed it months ago, just forgot to get it edited and uploaded lol". But if that was the case, why the dishonest title and why the title change AFTER he was called out for it?
It makes these reviewers lose all credibility. I just roll my eyes when a new product is released and you see who’s in the manufacturers pocket. And all the stuff they get paid to review… is just SO GOOD!!!!
Amen. Having launched a collab pedal w David Barber this year we built a “staged” launch designed to show what the pedal can do in the hands of a variety of players.
You aren't part of the problem, Hypes
@fivewattworld - The Buss was a well done launch without hype. Both you and David are accessible for questions. No BS, just what it is. Most importantly no one made me watch it.
Yet I have no idea which pedal you are talking about. Mass launch works because it reaches everybody. Having just a couple of folks doing videos about product is great, but the reach is much more limited. People are not subscribed to every guitar channel there is.
You tube shrills are the worst. The scripts they follow are so obvious and y'all refuse to admit that you follow them. Be a part of the solution mot the problem.
I agree with everyone here, dude you are part of the problem. How often do you do rate or roast or ridiculous reverb listings. You talk about how you have so many submissions, but do a video for them maybe once every month, month and a half, and some sort of sponsored gear review every few days with ‘thoughts and opinions that are your own.’ When the DGT amp came out I had like 30 I subscribe to reviewing it. I watched Rhett Shulls because his was less of a gear review and more so discussing use of the amp. I get that this is your job, but maybe make it less of a job and do more of the fun things you used to do 🤷♂️
Well, I don’t do more Rate Or Roast or Reverb videos because I don’t want to. Also the PRS video was not sponsored or paid. I did it cause it was fun for me. So you are sitting here telling me to do more of what you find fun but not what I find fun.
@@RiffsAndBeards those were the videos that set your channel apart honestly, that’s why I mentioned them. Otherwise your channel is just like all of the others if they are just the same type of reviews everyone else is doing (the DGT just being an example since that was the latest open RUclips and see 30 review videos all lined up for the same thing.)
This isn't limited to the music gear industry by any means. The tech space for computer CPUs, GPUs, cases, coolers, and other computer components has been a hotly contested space for at least a decade, if not more.
What ironic and sad times we guitarists now live in! The market has never been more saturated with a seemingly endless selection of guitar gear. At the same time, the record industry is totally messed up, there are fewer venues to perform at, it has become even harder to make a living as a guitarist,pop music no longer is based on the Blues and the guitar no longer has the cultural (or counter-cultural) significance it once did. So this amazing cornucopia of guitar gear is pretty much all that we have left. An interesting statistic would be: how much of the gear currently being sold ever gets used to create music that is heard (live or recorded) by other people?
I literally just had this conversation with someone yesterday. I played professionally for over 28 years, and now that I'm older and no longer play shows, I have more gear than I ever did back when I made music that people actually heard.
I don't mind when a new product comes out and my subscribed page on RUclips has a bunch of videos suddenly show up one day, it's usually how I learn about a new item. I'm okay with a hundred channels getting the item, as long as it's different styles of playing so you can see the piece of gear being used in a variety of different contexts.
What I do wish was different was that there were more "Reviews" of gear, but I understand why there isn't. No one wants to risk alienating a company because they said something negative about the product. No one also wants to waste time making a video for a piece of gear that sucks, but as a consumer, I find reviews that do point out the flaws or cons of an item are incredibly helpful when making an informed purchase.
I think the content creators need to better clarify that their video is a "Demo" and not a "Review" if they're not going to be critical of the piece of gear. I think companies need to realize that not every thing they make and release is going to be perfect. I think they need to embrace negative feedback in a more constructive manner and not take it as an insult.
You are absolutely right, Fluff. Things do need to change... You were also apart of the new Jackson American made marketing push too... 🤔
Absolutely I was. The first Soloist release I was like whoa ok ok and the newest one, I didn't make it about the guitar and released the video weeks after the guitar came out. So.
After reading some of the comments, I can kinda sorta understand how some are calling out Fluff about complaining about the monster he created, except he didn't create the monster. Manufacturers are marketing their stuff and they're spamming it to every influencer who wants to pay their bills. I'm not gonna shame them for wanting to heir coin, but he is playing a fine line by biting the hand that feeds him. And that's okay to do, because we all have our pet peeves. I get his POV, but I don't mind it. In fact, the way I see it is if I get enough reputable opinions on a new product, I can better form my first impressions on it and decide if it's something I want to purchase.
It's part of the game, and the game has some annoying rules. Like Fluff, I have my rules when watching content. If I see a video thumbnail and it has an arrow pointing at something (Stay Metal Ray comes to mind), something is circled, has an emoji applied to it, a shocked/or incredulous facial expression from the creator (Spectre Sound Studio and some Rick Beato stuff comes to mind), or if a title uses all caps to emotionally drag you into watching some ragebait video (Young man elegantly DESTROYS CLUELESS FEMINIST), has an ambiguous title that doesn't provide a clear subject matter (I think I may have made a mistake....), or the line "We need to talk" is shown anywhere on the video, then I won't watch it. That eliminates practically half of all videos on RUclips, but I don't appreciate being sucked into an app that I'm trying to be addicted to, and these strategies are designed to keep your eyes glued to your device.
I 100% agree. It drives me nuts too. Having my subscription feed filled with the same product on one day sucks. The system is broken. All new product reviews are advertising and are intended as such by the manufacturer. The YT guitar ecosystem has now replaced magazines but without any of ethics and transparency required in the world of journalism. Print journalism has long debated with the ethics of that grey area between editorial and advertising but guitar YT now live in that grey area! Transparency and trust requires more than just clicking the the "sponsored content" box when we upload. And we need negative reviews. Real world products are never perfect. The reviews shouldn't be either. We can't trust anything when everything is positive all the time. The magazines weren't like that, and YT shouldn't be either.
"Promoting the exact same thing..."
Like Evertune bridges, Strandberg guitars, and Fishman Fluence pickups?
Reminds me of when there was a graphic card shortage and there was a whole bunch of youtubers that had the cards for reviews but no one could buy them everyone was pissed
What you are describing (basically influencer burn out) is why that won't be a long-lasting occupation in its current form. It will have to morph and change. How many people got into social media in 2005 thinking MySpace would be around forever?
You guys were lucky in that, while you weren't the first generation of RUclips influencers from 2005-10 or so, from 2010 on you were the second generation. You were the first to influence with great production values that looked more like TV shows/infomercials instead of low res cellphone cameras.
The Marxist in me says you have formed a new occupational class (influencer), and the reason why you are seeing such an echo effect across that class is because the same products are being promoted at roughly the same time (quarterly business cycle). It's similar to the fall when auto companies introduce their model advertising for the next year or network TV shows off its fall lineup sitcoms/dramas.
If people on both sides of the content divide are tired of it, it is because social media through a smartphone is the newest and best way to commodify consumerist culture. And that's pretty much all it is. Mass produced culture.
You guys also seem to have a variation on the same business models that can potentially create conflicts of interest. German gear influencer EytschPi42 has put out videos on paid reviews and influencer transparency/integrity.
I have advocated influencers forming a "Consumer Reports" style non-profit where people from a variety of fields gather to review products/services. People pay subscriptions for this content, similar to Patreon, but directly to the influencer non-profit instead to cut out the middleman.
As a non-profit of thousands of influencers working from home with great production values, way you can diversify income streams by reviewing practically all products/services, not just music gear. Companies would also have a reliable source through which to market their products. All influencers would get a base salary and hopefully a reduction in overhead as a non-profit.
As far as guitar gear, working musicians buy whatever is used that is a reasonable price and they have experience with. Marketing memory and what the customer's influences used when the customer was growing up are also factors.
As an example, I'm still more comfortable with Mesa Triaxis and Marshall JMP-1 rack rigs from the 80s-00s than Fractal/Kemper modeling rigs from 2010 on. But as that vintage analog rack gear goes out of production and becomes older and more highly used on the used market with less chance of successful repairs, I have to switch to new tech. Enter Fractal and others suddenly becoming interesting to me, even if it is a generation or two old. Even an old Pod Pro XT or Digi Eleven rack perhaps?
So there is always a 5-10 year lag time between products being introduced until they become something of a standard. A few are lucky enough to become gold standards across decades (SM-58, JB, EMG-81, Super Distortion).
The truth is so many new products are being introduced now I feel more pride in owning something from the 80s-00s than I do new products currently in fashion.
*In conclusion, my advice: influencers, form a non-profit/LLC like Consumer Reports and review ALL products and services across ALL fields in return for subscription fees. Work together instead of as self-employed people. That way you aren't repeating yourselves so much and cannibalizing each other's subscriber bases. You also have more reliable, though possibly smaller, income streams.*
How many Revv G3 reviews/videos are there? I noticed Your nod to them yet they are the most over rated and produced madness In this mix. Other companies have to clone them at a fraction of the price (Thank You China?). I have a Joyo Dark flame (g3 cloney) Uzi and Argos; precision drive and Friedman clone, DemonFX R4 G4 clone. And they re TS9/808. My 7 band is a Behringer. I have all clones and sound phenomenal doing so. I don’t care, there should not be pedals priced like tube amps. No one get made when Guptech or Darta or past Fx and on and on and on. Been watching You since the beginning with the Bugera Tri Rec and Your Solo 6 white Schecter demo videos. Look how far You have come Mr. Bruce. And now Your making demands, ghost pumping Revv, trying to desaturate the Algorithm that is everything You with New marketing plots? Go for it. I still Love You.
You are a shill. I am fine with shills. Now you are a shill upset about other people being shills while you are shilling. It is the big channel picking on the little channels. I want 100 different takes on a piece of gear because people will use it differently. I would also like to determine quickly whether I want said piece of gear before it sells out. Meanwhile, you are telling me all of this with a Liquid Death shirt on, Mr. Topo Chico. I like your channel, but I am having a hard time with this hot take on Marketing 101.
To think I almost wore my Pepsi shirt for this video. Missed opportunity.
Fluff. I am giving you something new for the music world. If you want to talk about something new in the music world that no other RUclips channel is talking about. Here I am you all! Fluff! Help me get my amplifier technical expertise to the world! I want to start with plug-ins. Then goto real physical amps with my technology. You want new music gear. Here I am Fluff. The name is Brian Llewellyn. Only your channel rocks then! Thanks Fluff. Unless you want I make a video with demo of my GOD MOD Amp! Then my channel rocks also! The guy that managed the teams at Groove Tubes that set up the amps for live shows of Metallica, Kiss, Def Leppard, and hundreds of other famous bands taught me what I know that professional musicians including yourself don't know Fluff! You all can call me Distortion Daddy! Distortion Daddy don't need no boost or overdrive! Just your tube amp & your happy ears! I'll make a video on here & I'll post you the link when I finish! And you can see what & why I call it The GOD MOD!
I don't want to come off as blaming any content creators with this statement, but with that same wave of the same product... They're all doing the same process too. As a viewer I'd just be choosing the video to watch based on music genre. If the videos were structured to feature different aspects, then I'd probably watch more of them. If there was only 1 video with 1 guy doing some slow blues riff, I'd watch it. But if there are 50, I'd choose more carefully.
This one’s a catch 22 for me. It is definitely annoying as shit to see the ridiculous carpet-bombing style marketing. On the other hand, I do actually appreciate having a number of reviews for the same product. Because everyone has their own style and uses the items differently, it gives a kind of cumulative view of what it can do. For instance I play a weird mix of styles mashed up (picture Neurosis, Willhaven, Sunn 0))) and High on Fire had a demon baby😂) Most reviewers don’t align with that obviously lol. Having multiple videos to piece together an idea of what I could do with the item really helps.
Great discussion Brotha,😊
I will add that just a Few years ago B4 we saw this cheesyAF one day, Every channel, launch nonsense, you would see a new guitar product take a week to ten days to pass thru all the guitar channels, it was awesome! Much More natural and Way More memorable for the product.
Short sighted corporatism is insanely antiquated but mostly it's just Lame AF... Nice work Fluff😎
I really don't see the problem here. If I'm looking for a review on Guitar A on youtube I'm going to seek out the creator's who I either trust or value the opinion of. Who cares if that same guitar is sent out to 40 youtubers? I agree, seeing that same guitar with the thumbnail 'I review the new Fender Guitar A' 20+ times is annoying but I'm sure the algorithm will sort that out eventually. And, again, I'll just watch those I trust/like.
My advice. Don't go to RUclips channels that are sponsored if you want honest and fair reviews. If company sends stuff for reviewers, first of all...gear is specially prepared for review, before sending to reviewer and has to be the best. And even if you find some flaws, videos of the reviews must be accepted by the companies. If happens, You say something bad, as it may by "mistake" that you get "bad batch" (like normal humans that must pay hard earn money for gear), you'll not be sponsored anymore. Especially with big brand, you definitely don't want to say bad things about their stuff. If I see 50 reviews on the same day of the same gear, it means all is just sponsored BS. I would wait few days/weeks and check small channels where folks buying stuff of the shelves for reviews. Peace
What, you dont want a Boss Katana mkiii or PRS DGT15 amp too? Come on man! Get with the cookie cutter program buddy!
Yeah, its getting really sickening. Glad you spoke up. Somebody needs to break it to them gently. Its gotten pretty bad recently.
I’m at the point where I’m gonna make my own demo videos, I’m on the other side of the glass. Every amp release is cool to have third party people check them out but, nobody does knob turning. The Iconic release was a good example, it’s electrically like a 5150iii 50watters with its controls’ tapers but, everybody compared it to 100Watters and Peaveys.
The RUclipsr demos are good for myths and hype…very bad for everybody turning up the presence and complaining it’s too bright.
One thing is for sure, in ten years things will be just as different.
Whenever I see EVERY channel making a video about a thing, such as the recent Boss Katana Generation 3, I WILL ONLY watch the Andertons video, and maybe one other guy.
F*** the hype train. I like seeing what the creators I follow like. That's mostly why I follow them because their views align "mostly" with mine. When their views don't align I get introduced to new gear that I never would have looked at. I'm sick of seeing the latest and greatest one every channel for a week straight, I want to see interesting things or new combos of gear i didnt think of. I love watching guitar build videos or videos like Agufish's "High Intergrity" build videos, hell some of my favorites are Trogly's videos documenting rare and obscure guitars from Gibson and other brands. I also love your videos, Fluff that compare different items from the same line of products or your informational videos explaing things like strig gauge and material type. That's the stuff that pulls me in, I don't need 15 videos on the new Boss Katana V3 or the newest Helix unit, ect.
This has been my Ted Talk, i hope you liked it. 😅
Don’t disagree, BUT … if I, as a consumer, want to check something out … I’ll always go to creators I trust. I trust them thru experience of buying products they recommend and it panning out. There are certainly some hacks out there saying things like … “Damn this Fesley guitar is awesome!” I usually check 4-5 of the creators I trust. Then you need to also account for 5 years from now when folks search something. I think integrity solves your issue. If folks promote garbage for $$$ … they lose credibility
I find the mass influencer releases annoying, especially when they all use the same clickbait titles or bullet points. “GAME CHANGER!”
I’ve chosen to only watch the release videos from creators who I believe have some credibility & that are likely to do a more in depth review & are authentically candid.
It is a problem, but I don’t know that you’re the voice of reason for this. I’ll preface by saying I respect your playing & believe you can & have produced good content over the years.
That being said, there are clear ulterior motives here. You don’t appreciate the guitar gear space being filled with dozens of other creators producing similar content because it impacts your views & ad revenue.
There is a real sense of entitlement here, because you want less people getting the free gear, or getting paid for the videos, because it impacts your bottom line.
This also all rings a little hollow because long time viewers see how fluid you are in your gear recommendations based on who is sponsoring you at a particular time. e.g. Fluence, EMG, Seymour Duncan
Are you really complaining that you are not unique and other youtubers get to do videos also? You don't have to watch all the 100 videos, pick the two videos you want. What makes you think everybody wants to watch your take on a product? I like that I can choose whos take on the product I watch and if only 2 youtubers would cover a launch I would miss it, because I am not subscribed to 100 guitar gear channels, I am not insane.
I don't get why people get mad om launch day, just scroll past them like you scroll past 90% of other recommendations. It is just one day.
But if you only subscribe to a couple of RUclipsrs channels, they would be missing out. Like I only really subscribe to you, Ola and Andertons. If you three aren’t covering whatever product comes out then I’m not hearing about it. I don’t subscribe to 50 different gear guys so I don’t get the saturation.
I'm not sure why you are complaining. Is it because the content isn't "exclusive" enough for you? You always have the option to opt out. You can buy it yourself once it's available and say and do whatever you want to with it. You can only deal with the companies who put no limitations on you. In the end I think people complaining about how businesses operate is largely a "me" problem. Not always, obviously. And if you want it to stop then you need to look at the numbers. You are probably wrong on what's more an effective way of marketing.
And I look for Shawn Tubbs' reviews first. I'm not saying it to be a knock on you. It's just my taste. For me, his demos speak to me more. I'm disappointed when I can't find a video from him on a product I'm interested in. Metal guys are my least sought out reviewers. It's like they all seem to find some way to make everything sound the same.
You do the same shit... Wtf??
"The Problem With Channel Saying Yes to Guitar Gear Marketing". There I fixed your title. It is not the companies fault.
As someone who has worked in traditional marketing / advertising for the last 15 years, I’ve witnessed the death of good creative, commercials and ads that made you feel something, and seen them almost entirely replaced by influencer campaigns. Campaigns that no one trusts anymore for good reason. Thats not a knock on you, as I think your videos are sincere. But when 75 people tell me Fender’s new modeler is worth nearly $2K without picking the thing apart, I am fairly confident that at least 70 of them are afraid to speak up for fear of being removed from the approved testers list. The gear community is smart enough to know when they’re being sold. I’m personally a lot less likely to try a product if that’s how it’s introduced, and I think others agree.
I just wanted to comment here because I think actually most viewers are probably more like me and less like the people that usually comment on these videos. I don’t subscribe to 50 different guitars channels, I subscribe to like 3 or 4. So when a new product launches, I only see a couple of videos on it on that day. That doesn’t burn me out, it gives me a couple of different perspectives of the same product from people that play a similar style that I enjoy. That’s why companies launch with so many different channels all at once, because it gives them the coverage they need to hit all the demographics they want to hit. They did the same thing in the print days, the difference is that there were only like 5 guitar magazines; but when a new amp launched, you can be assured that all five magazines had a full page ad and a review of that amp in the same month issue.
And frankly, you’re complaining about a problem that you are creating, both as a creator and as a consumer. You create all the content by partnering with these brands or accepting review units, as does everyone else; you can’t be upset that other creators are getting a bite of the same apple you are to reach their audience. And then you turn around and subscribe to all the creators (which is probably a good idea from a competition survey perspective), so you end up seeing all the videos at the same time. But that’s like working for Guitar World and then subscribing to the other four guitar magazines and then complaining that the other four magazines also got to review that new amp that you reviewed at the same time and you’re tired of reading about it in all the guitar magazines. That’s how capitalism works. Now if you don’t like capitalism then fair enough, I’m with you, but make your point about that, not about this one specific manifestation of it.
To be clear, I don’t have a problem with you doing these reviews or even ads (as long as there’s disclosure), you do you, everybody’s gotta eat. And I like watching gear videos every once in a while. But I just don’t understand the point of this video. If you have this problem, you’re literally one of the people most likely to change it, either by changing the content you produce or changing the content you consume. But it doesn’t make sense to sit here and act like Agufish’s or Ola’s viewers shouldn’t get to see day 1 demos/reviews of a product just because you did it, or vice versa.
EDIT: I was just reading through some of the comments after posting this and they prove my point. People are saying “oh yeah, this is just like the tech channels,” or “this is just like the camera channels,” or “this is just like X or Y industry.” Yea, because this is a capitalism problem. And it’s always been there. The only difference is that there used to be like four niche magazines and like 3 TV shows on one of the 13 different channels available that covered some specific sector, and now there are 100 youtube channels and 1000 Instagram accounts covering a sector and you can access it immediately and any time you want. This is just the other side of the democratization of the media people consume. You have to take the good with the bad, and either you want to go back to the days when all the content was made by a handful of media conglomerates, or you realize the problem is bigger than just the RUclipsrs that cover the one specific niche that you’re interested in.
Love ya dude, but this came out like you're basically bit**ing about other channels diluting your channel's views and spotlight when it comes to a new product. A little cringe my man. Still gonna watch you as always though, just gonna pretend I didn't see this odd one from you. Peace 🤘🏼
Pffff this is hilarious. YOU ARE THE PROBLEM - Riffs Beards and GEAR SALES
This is why i dont even bother watching product reviews unless is Agufish. Its just spam and feels like im reading the same paper advertisement over and over.
Market Saturation is annoying! Like the MSNews... repetition of exact same data across channels and or demographics. Tiresome
You touched a good topic. But there's another point you didn't touch yet. The long standing effect of these promotions on your channel. Guys like you start preaching certain guitar brand, pickup, whatever. And after a year of having that you switch to some other brand and now it's your favorite. So now you preach it even more. This shows everyone how the opinion on the channel is paid and people simply stop paying attention to it whatsoever.
I buy all my own gear and make gear reviews solely for the fact I think it’s fun to do. They have also helped me build my channel. I personally think the more videos on a product the better. Interesting take tho.
This rings so true to all niches. Unfortunately it will always be. Greed. We all want it all. Now.
Kids think this could be a viable career. I blame Ryans world for that. Machines funded by corporations.
Hmm, yep, there are more RUclips "influencer" videos than the actual stock of products being presented / reviewed. Not a bad thing, though
They do this because they're using you as a mouthpiece. You are part of the problem. You've never said "do not buy this product" or "I would rather buy pedal X over this", most likely out of not wanting to lose your access to these pre-release products.
They will never stop doing these fake launch bonanza's, because they know you will clap like a seal to keep getting products to make videos for your youtube channel.
This over satirizing of marketing had the same effect on me. It made me stop watching a lot of people I watched because I felt like they were just salesman. That perceived personal connection was lost that we once had with the creators. It’s like….aanother game changing fuzz pedal……another best tube screamer……Klon Klone 50000 etc
I'm just tired of seeing the same videos of the same thing in my feed when the NDA drops. It makes me want to see it less because I just know these were sent out to them. I'd rather watch someone who paid money for it and actually gives an honest opinion. I'm also sick of artists jumping from endorsement to endorsement saying this is the best product they've ever had.
What I want to see is great budget gear reviews, free stuff and people who come up with something drastically different.
Good video. It’s been getting too repeated. A lot of YT has become formulated and less original.
In other news: the wife overheard your voice while I was watching and thought you were Dane Cook. 😂
Hey Fluff. You've hit it on the head! I'm sick of seeing the same ol video. I hope they do change,which they will, but will they do it better, I don't think so. That's why they call it advertising.🤷 I do believe they will sell more to the customer when they do less, which is more. I used to be so excited when I saw anything that I liked. Now, I don't even watch a full video anymore. I go through my subscription & see all the same stuff when I only need to see it once. As soon as you put it down someone's mouth to much, they walk away.
Be the change then guy. Start buying the gear to review and don’t review items from companies you are sponsored by. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I can't stand it. I unsubbed from quite a few people this week after the Katana release. I just don't want it cluttering up my feed anymore. With that said, no hate on anyone who does it. Get a piece of that pie.. I would
I think you made some valid points. But your point of view is actually not very worldy. I dont live in a country where I'm able to go and try new products. I need these many, many videos to provide me with as much information as possible to make an informed decision to buy a product.
And, not every reviewer uses a product in the way many people would. Remember when Tonex came out? It was everywhere. But there were literally no videos of anyone putting an overdrive or distortion in front of it. How does nobody think to try that with a pedalboard amp sim?
I don't watch all the videos released now. I know who makes useful videos now. Henny is amazing for showing what a product can do, and he always says where the product falls short.
Ryan, first of all I want to say that I love your stuff and I recognize you as one of the pioneers in this industry. But to be fair the problem is not the marketing companies, the problem is the content creators. Back in the day we all wanted to be like you and it came to a point where there is thousands of people imitating your content. So the “originals ones” are no longer especial. Everyone became the same molded way. You all became very comfortable in the reviews world that you don’t focus on the main point of all this anymore……..make music, be a band. You all want to grab a cash in the comfort of your homes without hustling. And we all got bored of the same thing. If the original RUclipsrs offered art and music you all be relevant as Ola is today (that guy is a workhorse). Sorry to say my opinion since I don’t really know your personal life and challenges but most of the times when we complain about something we must look on what we are doing wrong and we are not doing. In my case, since you left Dragged Under and stopped creating music I lost interest in your channel and content because there are hundreds of way better guitar players with technical abilities that showcase products better than you. You let go of one of the most important things that made you stand from the pack! Love you bro! Please go back at being a musician and song writer (the best talent you have). Love You Bro!❤
Companies release too much product so fast these days. Keeps people constantly scrambling for the newest piece of gear. As a person who was in search of the right sound and gear that works, once that was achieved, I unsubscribed to those gear channels because it almost felt like spam. For people who don’t know better and are sucked into the never ending gear cycle, you guys are the reason it’s happening in the first place. Just stick with a piece of gear and make it work. You don’t need “x” piece of gear. You really don’t. Once you accept that, all these gear reviews become spam videos tbh.
Most of us have no choice about going into a piece of gear blind, companies don't just mail us stuff. It's a lovely idea, but pretty much we have to base our opinions on other people's presentations.
And, show of hands. How many negative reviews have you guys seen on the bigger gear shows in the past couple years?? I've seen probably 1 negative review on a major channel in the past 3 years. No joke. Just think about it.
Respectfully disagree...
I can handle one day, even a week of my feed being flooded by a "flashy" new product. I actually enjoy seeing the, albeit slight, differences in the way each person approaches it. And I can come to a decision quicker about whether or not that product is right for me.
If we are gonna go with more of a restrictive approach, then I lets just let Rabea have all the stuff so we can get more tunes out of him.
I don't think it is entirely the marketing teams either. I'm also a 3D artist and I mainly use Blender. So being subbed to a bunch of 3D art channels most of which also have a strong focus on Blender whenever something new is coming, or there's a big change I am bombarded with videos on that thing. As well I catch more and more RUclips creators talking more and more about the Algorithm, and doing what they have to do to stay relevant/have growth these days. So I think that is a factor too. I think what we are really victims of is google's need to get paid for doing basically nothing.
I get your point, or at least i hope i do, but thats how the advertisement cycle works for essentially every product, tech, even new cars have embargoes and NDAs and timed launches. Its not just the gear industry, its the system. Are you "part of the problem"? Just as much as any product reviewer that needs to make money to survive. It is a larger conversation than its made out to be in this video definitely. RUclips is just too commercialized now, and that won't change
So typical for a business to see something that is working for them and then f@#k it up by getting greedy.
I definitely prefer the slow release of gear reviews over a few months. Sometimes it takes a little while for me to gradually become interested in a product.
And I think the reviews have become sterile because the companies are telling everybody what to say. Let each RUclipsr do what they do.
That’s how they became popular.
I rarely put any value in gear review now because it’s obvious they are basically just commercials.
Kdh made a similar video to this before, and I agree. It is tiring when the same gear is being force-fed into you. That recent trivium plug in. It's yet another 5150 plug in, yet all the videos never mentioned that it's yet another 5150 plug in.
I feel exactly the opposite. As a bass player when their is an instrument that either gets a bad video from fender like the suona jazz bass (also hard pressed for independent reviews), or fender Japan signature guitars (exact same circumstances) and bass I simply cannot get enough videos to watch. So when the opposite of your video is true I feel starved if I’m not able to source or afford said instruments.
Gear reviews have been pointless for a long time. Even if we discount all the fake excitement and shilling where still left with the fact that people are never going to get the same results as the video. Between different technique, mic placement, interface, other pedals, rooms its almost impossible to hear a pure sound on youtube.
Take this with a grain of salt….
Right on… you’ve all unintentionally sold out by induction… I now avoid these channels anymore. I search out the low volume non sponsored channels looking for those that don’t have a relationship with companies to get an idea how their products work and sound. Sometimes I have to watch more videos but it feels more real rather than contrived (paid for in some way).
Great video!
Yup i agree! I’ve definitely unsubscribed to a few RUclipsrs like that. And why I’m glad a bunch of them have pivoted away from gear reviews. Imo the RUclipsrs need to say no more. Though if they pay well i get why people would do that. I see it a lot with lewitt in the pro audio area. Gear reviews should be by the choice of the creator not the company if you will.
I don’t see it as a problem
I don't really care about the timing. Release them all the reviews on the same day if you want, only other youtubers care, and if every video is the same it's only because no one is digging deep enough into the features of the gear to bring something unique to the table. Like all those Tone-X reviews where it seemed like everyone played presets and said it could profile amps and pedals without trying it. Or all those demos where the new thing has sparkling highs, a bold mid-range, thick lows and really cuts through the mix - but no info on what frequency is actually being boosted or cut and by how much.