DON'T TRUST GUITAR YOUTUBERS THAT DO "THIS"... - Long rant on channels buying gear to demo/review

Wanna check out my demo rates and info? here you go: 60cyclehumcast...
Feel free to ask anything you want about the ethics of guitar gear demos in the comments section. I will try my best to answer as many as possible over the weekend.
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[@davetrombetti4240]

George Carlin had a great bit. I think it was George Carlin anyway. He said that the IQ scale is adjusted so that 100 is the average. Now, if 100 is the average then people who are below average are half of all people. People who comment that kind of thing about whether you can trust a KZbinr or not are not thinking through their own comment. If someone buys something with their own money, then they’re biased towards liking it so buying a product for review is not necessarily any more trustworthy. Since you can never be sure one way or the other then the point is to get an idea of what reviewers are saying and listen to their demo. If you think this is something you want to try you now have a decent idea of what you’re getting. Ultimately the reason someone would watch a review/demo is to get an idea as to whether they’ll like it. So it’s almost irrelevant whether the KZbinr likes it or not. It helps a little but it’s up to each person. I personally have bought products that got bad reviews because I thought the bad points were irrelevant to my use. Midi implementation simply isn’t something I’m concerned about.

[@60CycleHumcast]

This guy gets it.

[@aliengreeter]

Believing youtubers is how I got stuck in a damned alien death cult.

[@wraith_1171]

...yet you're still alive.........or does the cult kill aliens?

[@gregmacklin9758]

Wow, I knew I'd seen you somewhere.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@wraith_1171 I've killed 1!

[@ColeBerner-s6s]

ok, but how do i join?

[@60CycleHumcast]

Alien death cults < Alien sex cults

[@BrantYaeger]

I just watched a similar video from Andy Ferris a while back, where he was being threatened with legal action by the company that sent him gear to review. They wanted to able to approve the video before he was allowed to publish. He sent the gear back and didn't do the video. Very interesting piece, Ryan. Thanks for all you do.

[@60CycleHumcast]

Yeah I remember that lol. That company is clueless.

[@petebrown8145]

There’ve been a few.

[@mr.giggles4995]

Would this piece of gear happen to have silicone strings for people with soft hands?

[@JasonTMays]

You just robbed me of my entire negative three dollars and one cent ad revenue…Thanks a lot Ryan.

[@lizapotts5667]

Thank you for taking the time to give us a peek behind the curtain. As a professor who teaches content strategy, information design, etc., these conversations are so valuable to our students.

[@60CycleHumcast]

Glad it was helpful! - steve

[@MashaT22]

Gotta love those skeptics! We ❤ you, Ryan! I couldn’t agree more with every one of the points you made, btw. I believe most people in the KZbin guitar space are doing it for the right reasons and with everyone’s best interests at heart. Sure we should be critical and careful, but that’s life advice and not specific to KZbin lol. However, we shouldn’t aim to be skeptical and think the worst of all channels unless there are repeated red flags and legit reasons to do so in a few isolated cases. And I really think your rates are quite fair for what you’re doing. I don’t think people even have a clue what is involved in this job. Someone should figure out a way to make a behind the scenes video that gives people a sense of what this job entails - planning, emails, shopping for supplies, keeping up with guitar and music news, packing and shipping stuff, unboxing and cleaning up the mess, setting up before filming, the actual filming, cleaning up after filming, editing video and audio, uploading videos, dealing with KZbin issues, staying on social media to interact with the audience and keep content flowing . . . I’m sure there plenty more that I’m not thinking about, but I don’t understand how people think it magically gets on the screen and how you guys all pay your bills. People need to understand that it doesn’t just magically happen.

[@60CycleHumcast]

It’s a full time job to get two videos and a podcast done every week. Sometimes it bleeds into the weekend because it’s hard to get it all done. It has it rewards but yeah, it takes a lot of work.

[@traviswaynedoyle]

As suspected there's A LOT of work that goes into running a channel like this. Thank you again for keeping us entertained and being real.

[@BCThunderthud]

You were the first demo channel I remember adding the promotional tag to your videos and that made me more skeptical of other channels. I think the guitar space is a little different, occasionally you'll get pre-release gear so you can put out your video on the day the product is announced--the Pod Express was a recent example--but that kind of video is a pretty small fraction of your total output. In the synth space (and probably cameras, PC gear, etc.) there are many channels where that makes up nearly all of their content and everyone is racing to release their video on the same day. Losing goodwill with manufacturers is a bigger deal to them, that's why I find their disclaimers of "I got this for free but it doesn't affect my review" unconvincing. Anyway you make some great points and I wish more channels were as frank as transparent as you are.

[@myrnabrean]

Cognitive Dissonance theory suggests that if I spend my own money on a piece of gear, my brain will tell me I like it even more, to ward off buyer's remorse.

[@celticwolff5429]

That is based on you making the purchase for yourself, not to review. Buying it for yourself means you're emotionally attached to it. You want the item. Buying it to review keeps you at an emotional distance. Whether the item is good or bad doesn't matter since it is the review itself that is important.

[@myrnabrean]

@@celticwolff5429 do a Google scholars search on the theory of cognitive dissonance if you would like to learn more about this. But this is a field that tries to measure implicit or inate biases even when the subject has every intention to be unbiased, emotionally detached, or otherwise objective. Your hypothesis that a skilled and experienced reviewer might be able to mitigate some of the impact of this type of bias is certainly plausible. There might be research comparing the reviews of novice vs experienced reviewers.

[@joermnyc]

Nope, I have bought gear and after getting it I have an immediate “nope, not for me” feeling and it ends up being a return, or a Reverb listing. Best example: I was GASing for the Epiphone Koa topped LP Custom because I had a Fender Koa Strat a while agoand I was hoping it would be similar (those Koa Fenders are now really expensive)… I unboxed the Epiphone and I hated it… too heavy, and it sounded very generic… it was like “an guitar” in tone. It did not feel like a Custom should, it did not sound like I thought a custom should, and I was very disappointed and that went back in the box and was sent back to AMS for a full refund. (Mind you my LP Modern figured dealer exclusive from AMS was the exact opposite, I loved it out of the box, and am happy I have it.

[@myrnabrean]

@@joermnyc yes, the effect was not strong enough to overpower your judgement. You inspire the sort of engagement balanced with critical thinking that our host is encouraging!

[@raymondtuckerjr1886]

​Wrong. Not many, buy gear JUST to review....humanity says what I buy, reflects on ME, on some level.... Ain't happening. You WANT it to be good if YOU bought it, human nature says so.​@@celticwolff5429

[@justinTime077]

Listening to KZbinrs is how I ended up buying every frfr thing for my modeler instead of keeping my triple recto and a guitar cab

[@Issicra]

It's influencer marketing of the guitar gear sphere. At the end of the day, play with what you like and can afford. And for Pete's sake, don't get sucked into keeping up with the Jones' because you got sucked into a gear forum. Guitar KZbinrs have to eat too, and I wish them success, but do your own thing. Thanks for being a good guy, Ryan. I watch you because you're fun and entertaining, talking about things I enjoy.

[@TheSoundofForgetting]

Thank you for being straightforward 🤘 another reason I subscribed to you..Honesty.. wish more I followed were like this much like musicians use to help fellow musicians which now yeah they help a little but always a link to buy something or selling something and a reminder to buy. Maybe I’m just getting to old but I still after decades of playing I still help and when I do I get what are you selling or can I buy a pdf tab🙄keep rocking 🤘🎸🤘

[@charlie-obrien]

I've been watching for almost 5 years and I have never felt that you guys were ever being dishonest... Were you wrong a couple times?? You bet, but we all try our hardest and the results are the results. I still love the podcast and the surf related (reverb) demos the most.... 🎸👟🤙

[@IcanhearClemFandango]

I recently got featured by Glen on Spectre because I said there is quality control variation in cheap guitars. He basically just yelled CNC MACHINES and said I was wrong.

[@TheMack]

0:10 - Is that a line from "Epic" by Faith No More? "It's in your face, but you can't grab it" 😀

[@stevenpipes1555]

I believe you and I appreciate your honesty. I depend on lower price guitars. Most of my collection has been rescued from yard sales and flea markets. I know guitars like I know the back of my hand, and I'm not surprised about your experience with Firefly. That's the catch with Fender. They may be over priced but that price tag also subsidizes Squire, and say what you want about Squires, but they are good instruments. I have yet to find one that I wouldn't recommend to a parent for their children. And when a friend says they're thinking about learning, Again Squire is the first name in my mind.

[@jimhart1959]

I watch your videos mainly because they are really entertaining, but I've also come to trust you and your demo/reviews.

[@stevecassidyguitar]

I love how your guitars in the backdrop look like an A.I. Image prompt "KZbin Background with bright blue wall, amps on floor and Guitars hanging on walls" 😜 Great vid tho sir 👏

[@bubisamongus]

Im trying to find a pedal to run this rant through?

[@MrAaroncissell]

I wish I could have liked and commented on the preview. I completely agree with you in that I have selected down to about 3 guitar gear reviewers due to the fact that I watched the videos then went and looked at the item where the reviews come in at 3 stars with just a couple KZbinrs saying Oh this is kinda crap. I even bounced back and forth on subscribing to your channel because of the feeling that the videos were over scripted and that the items represented were staged. Obesely this way of viewing your channel has changed. I wish more bass channels felt more honest. Thanks for saying that this is a problem and people need to be careful. I am sure that for every honest review there are 6 that are bots or someone who dialed it in just to sell the item,

[@klisher]

bit of Faith no more there at the start 🤣🤣

[@BaritoneGoatStudio]

Another thing about reviewing or demoing stuff you buy is the compulsion to convince yourself that you didn't waste your money. You end up having a defensive response to your own buyer's remorse and might convey issues in a less problematic light. Plenty of brand defenders out there have some very interesting ways they argue for why stuff is acceptable...

[@60CycleHumcast]

it goes the other way too where people buy things and get super nit picky about the details, "oh there's a blem in the clear coat under the pickguard of thise $175 amazon guitar so im sending it because this is unacceptable!" uh, ok? But yeah, everyone has their Bias and its impossible to find 100% objective information out there.

[@BaritoneGoatStudio]

@@60CycleHumcast absolutely! An attempt to empathize with the average consumer should also require tempering expectations. What I find acceptable may not be the same as you, and visa versa, but I feel like the best thing is to be transparent about your bias when objectivity isn’t possible. I can do a set up, fret level, crown, dress and install my own electronics if need be… my personal tolerance for issues is much higher. But, I should also be able to say, “hey, you as a beginner or causal player shouldn’t have to accept scratchy pots, wiring issues, and uneven frets at a certain price point”. Hence why cheap isn’t always the way for a beginner!

[@LIKEFUNK]

Vid demo or reviews are fine regardless for sure, I never buy anything unless its able to be checked in person (by myself only) I don't but name brands either no matter who etc same deal and I would never but via a shop via their 'accepting orders' or ships in 24 hours thing either, I have a simple rule I never vary from as mentioned, I selected a new guitar from about 7/8 of the same model and it was the standout to me, that alone is why I test stuff myself only in person. If any product isn't available to be tested before buying I'm not even slightly interested.

[@mikemcconville2495]

Glad I didn’t fall for the Fender accoustasonic

[@hughschick6847]

One twist on this is influencers buying something they hate out of pocket so that they can summarily ream a product with no blowback. Great example is the recent Scarred review of a Silver Sky. Dude can barely contain his hatred of PRS / PRS SE and the very idea of an $850 guitar.

[@60CycleHumcast]

KZbinrs can certainly fall into the trap of trying to drive clicks with drama and hyperbole.

[@GearBoxTy]

Another reason people that review the gear they have bought might make it sound better than it is; they don't want to feel like they made a bad purchase!

[@ddos_attacks]

The only thing that really makes me skeptical is when I open youtube one day and there are 4-5 different videos with a guitar youtuber holding up the same pedal in the thumbnail. I mainly enjoy watching boutique or just plain strange gear reviews than whatever new amp sim product one of the big manufactures are putting out.

[@60CycleHumcast]

Why does that make you skeptical? It’s clearly a product launch when that happens. There’s no great conspiracy at play.

[@ddos_attacks]

​@@60CycleHumcast maybe skeptical is the wrong word but more of how some youtubers overly exaggerate the "gains" of some of these products and not list the downsides. I end up watching a bunch of reviews to form an opinion anyways.

[@60CycleHumcast]

@@ddos_attacks what kinds of downsides would you like to know about?

[@grishyroy9271]

I trust Ryan, Henning, and even loud-mouth Fricker (his whacky personal life opinions aside), when it comes to their reviews. But, I trust them like I trust a friend telling me about his/her gear…and that it is their opinion. It’s insight, and entertaining, and exposure to a product I may not know.

[@thisdyingsoul76]

The one thing when a manufacturer gives a reviewer free gear or pays them, is they do cherry pick stuff. It's great when you see reviews where there are issues. Also the content creator of these pro shot videos have the opportunity to clean up the audio with effects and stuff. When I am seriously considering a piece of gear, in addition to the pro shot videos, I look for low budget "warts and all" type videos. Cell phone vida capturing the room sounds, etc. If something can sound good in a shitty recording, then it should sound good in person.

[@60CycleHumcast]

Those are interesting theories but they don't line up with the reality of what I've experienced in my years of doing paid demos. I can see how someone could have those suspicions though.

[@Lowtech14]

Yep. Where’s the money in saying something sucks? And then you try to sell that piece of kit on the used market.

[@60CycleHumcast]

in clicks, you can actually do pretty good smearing products for clicks. people like drama so they tune in. Some of my best performing videos were for products that sucked. Some channels fall into the temptation of chasing that because clicks = ad revenue from youtube and getting more subs helps your channel grow which makes you more attractive to that algorithm and brands.

[@music-writinglife1813]

When I research something....Reviews are about 50% of my decision making......totals of star ratings mean more 5% 1-star of 50,000 is worse then 5% 1-star of 5,000 .. YOutube reviews are different because your dealing with other veribles like KZbinrs personal preference, whether they are a sponsor etcc.,..what he/she likes might not be what I like, Like music gear, Some person might like a certain pedal but then they are demo'ing Cookie Monster music...where I play more rock-pop-country.. The bottom line here is at the end of the day whatever someone says it still takes a little Grey matter to see between the lines.

[@fpvtv2222]

I dont really watch KZbin gear reviews. When I do I feel like Im watching an infomercial on late night tv. If I do watch a review its to see how something works not how it sounds. Most of the time sound can be fixed when a amp is recorded, if they even use the sound from the amp in the demo. Sometimes those 200.00 amps sound to good to be true on KZbin.

[@60CycleHumcast]

you're getting into conspiracy theory territory here. You think youtubers are recording different amps that what they are demonstrating? I would be 100% shocked if that was happening.

[@shawn_ten_toes]

Guitar youtubers are the new creepy guys in vans offering candy or puppies. Most of the time, you shouldn't trust them. The candy is never sweet and and puppies are never soft. Trust me.

[@wraith_1171]

I just need to know where I can that shirt??????

[@taylolz]

A lot of KZbinrs are a cult of personality. They are clearly selling you something, but people don't see it.

[@lovelandguitarman]

I pay more attention to the Guitars, Amps, Pedals that content creators keep for extended periods of time. Did it impress them so much they added to their live rig? I prefer to try gear myself as well due to differences in taste.

[@blues62751]

Well said, Ryan ! 👍🎸

[@sawdustcrypto3987]

I'll trust a reviewer who bought the product and doesn't like it way before I'll trust a reviewer who didn't buy the product and likes it

[@60CycleHumcast]

I didn't touch on it in this video but there is money to be made trashing on products. Drama gets clicks and clicks build channels and pull in ad revenue. Like I said in the video, use your ears and don't automatically trust anyone.

[@zAvAvAz]

YESH!

[@lonewolffgrey8983]

thank u.. love your stuff bro..☠☠☠

[@masterofreality230]

Yea, I dont blindly trust anyone, but them buying it is just a factor among many.

[@APMTenants]

Trogly’s shilling a guild guitar that that looks like it rolled off the same production line as a Squier Bullet and telling his audience that the $500 list price sounds believable to him. Literally like a $125 guitar. Lost what little respect I had for him.

[@joshwokojance3790]

I get what you’re saying but when there’s people reviewing products that they get for free and they give glowing reviews to keep getting free gear, then who can you trust?

[@60CycleHumcast]

I literally made this video to tell you to not trust anyone.

[@upStomp]

The KZbin comments section is only slightly better than Reddit.

[@IsabellaCatherine19XX]

Anyone wearing a t-shirt with Jet Jaguar on it is A OKAY with me.

[@bubble-and-scrape]

I don’t trust any KZbinrs, it’s that simple.

[@leebuck8532]

I used your links for all my effects bakery pedals. Using a link isn't real hard and I want the show to be successful. Because if it fails, I can't watch or listen anymore! And who doesn't want 60 cycle hum? We even have a community based around it! Support people!

[@gregmacklin9758]

Do you do that for Dan and Mick on That Pedal Show?

[@mjdbruyn]

What, no baritone? Unsubbed.

[@jamwayofaiken-augustarockb7643]

He only did it to enforce the no trust statement. Please forgive.

[@Screaminwitchdoctors]

"Be critical, be cynical, don't trust anyone". "Use critical thinking". "You are in the internet, who knows what's real?" I never read anything like that in Guitar Player, Total Guitar... Memorable. That is why I pay much more attention to guitar youtuber gear critics than I ever payed to guitar magazines' reviews. The reviews in guitar magazines have been ludicrously laughable and snobbish (something like "only 4,000$ guitars are decent"), they never had any credibility. Most people understood them as similar to ads. However, I have discovered many products with great price-quality ratios thanks to youtube reviewers. I like that Ryan recognizes, for example, in its Cuvave Cube Baby review "it sounds cheap, but it IS cheap!" Good information, good entertainment. And it is surprisingly honest that you recognize the ways of making money. Hats off to Ryan.

[@Chucksguitargeekery]

I buy everything for my channel just because I haven’t reached the point where the companies that sponsor videos want to send me stuff, and that’s ok. But I’ll never say “this $15 pedal is better than the $200 pedal it cloned!!” I just present it as “this is what it sounds like, here are where it falls short, it’s up to you whether the more expensive version is worth it”. But, I’m just a dude on the internet trying to break even to fund my GAS, you should question my judgement, hell, I do. I just wish “do your own research” didn’t receive such a bad wrap over the past few years.

[@mitchpattimusic]

Yeah right Ryan. Like I'm gonna believe any of this paid shill crap. I'm gonna go roast you on r/gcj now.

[@DasOmen02]

I appreciate your honesty here! I'm team "watching for entertainment" rather than team "watching for gear to buy" :) that and tbh you really remind me of my late guitar teacher for some reason, in a good way.

[@AM2PMReviews]

I should talk bout this with my mattress videos. I often get beds for review or I just buy things to review. For me, it's just like my job. I dont value mattresses like the average person but I dont really care if it's a good review or bad review. I just talk about my experience with it. It's so subjective with mattresses or guitars anyway. I hope it just actually describes my experience. I have been working on KZbin for over a decade and it usually takes a whole weekend to post a video. It's not super lucrative but I do want to provide value and have you click a link if it also provides the viewer value. I have only really posted a few videos of beds that I really hated. I guess I dont want to review things that are just terrible so I try to say no to a lot of crap I am offered to review. I used to love memory foam beds but now they seem to only last a few years so I usually recommend hybrids now. But back in the day, I would love those memory foam beds since they were new. So my opinion has changed over the years and people often to see that in videos since they might watch an older video that is no longer my current view. I do try to always be honest but it is a business as well so I tell people why I like a bed and if it's soft, I say it might be good for you but maybe not for me.

[@soapninja]

"If you have any doubt in the quality or features of your own product you probably shouldn't be sending it out for demo/review..." I clicked the subscribe button after reading that. Thank you for the transparency!

[@toddwilliamson8557]

I started watching this shill from KZbin, some dude from San Diego or So Cal area, not a virtuoso or anything, but very enthusiastic about surf music. Anywhoo, years later I have like 15 different reverbs that just get that 'surfy sound'...what's that dudes name again?... I think you know him 🤩🤩 ha ha we love you Ryan! 💕💞♥🥰

[@1rwjwith]

I enjoy your channel and I agree with you…STAY CYNICAL…I think your methods are ethical….thanks! TRUST BUT VERIFY!

[@kmjansen]

I initially thought that this video was goingt to be a rant about the opposite of what it actually was about. Thanks

[@MrJosephSeely]

A few years ago now, I was in the market for a few different pedals. I watched a couple of your shoot-out videos comparing several brands of comparable types. I ended up buying 3 pedals that you compared, I have no regrets. Did the pedals do what I expected? (as a result of watching your videos) Yes..., well one goes way beyond what I expected, but that is on me. Were these the top choice in the comparisons? NO. I like to think I used critical thinking looking for the most applicable for MY usage. Again, I have no regrets. Thank you for what you do!

[@OakCityGamers]

Price can justify any opinion. “This Gibson has a hair in the finish” it’s too much money for a hair in the finished. “This guitar is crap but for 100$ it’s worth the price” By the way. I tried Nepotism to get better faster. It works, but it’s toxic. Lol😅

[@blakejackson4483]

KZbinrs influenced me to get fireflys, worse mistake ever lol. Horrible waste of money. I really appreciate your honesty and I love your channel

[@dougbuchanan784]

You almost never see this level of transparency in the KZbin OR guitar world, so thank you. Wish nothing but the best for ya boss, hope you and your family have a great summer you deserve it ❤

[@gregmacklin9758]

Yeah, well , in the first place, he's not your boss. Second, he gets to work remotely To push product, enough so that he's living comfortably, which isn't a bad thing necessarily, but he's still a pitchman. Anytime I see any of these "INFLUENCERS" I think of Sham Wow. Are ya keeping up with me, camera guy? Do I watch this guy, sure. But in the world of guitars, I recognize that it's about like marketing skis and ski apparel. If you get right down to it , what's the difference between a pro ski versus a beginner ski ? The answered of course, is the skill level of the person who happened to be on the ski. The guitar industry is a rabit hole, same as baseball cards. Nobody wants to give you anything on a trade when you're done with it.

[@davidbarton1928]

So are you Falling To Pieces or just having a Midlife Crisis? Just asking - after all We Care A Lot.

[@TheGuitarGeek]

I am commenting before I watch like a good boy

[@killroy123]

That sneaky "Faith No More" lyric in the intro was impressive. Bravo.

[@ampthebassplayer]

Completely agree with every word.

[@Rowe4900candymachine]

The only true way to get an honest review is to have someone who just really hates guitars review the guitars. They should always be really angry too and have a catch phrase.

[@stevenpipes1555]

THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR THE FAITH NO MORE REFERENCE! LMAO! I love it. One of my all time favorites, and one of the most under rated bands ever!

[@60CycleHumcast]

I felt the setup happen and I couldn’t not go for it lol. Glad someone got it.

[@stevenpipes1555]

@@60CycleHumcast lmao. Right on man.

[@grogueQ]

You have to watch multiple reviews from a certain channel for them to build trust. I trust your word because I've watched dozens of your videos and I've learned something about you and the way you review things. What I always do if I see somebody review something really cheap is I watch several other videos from the channels I trust and see what they say about it, definitely never make your decision from just one review.

[@JPTRFX]

For the record 60ch never showed us material beforehand! I don’t need to. I trust my product and know who I send it to 🤷

[@JPTRFX]

And if channels do that it’s more because of “this knob is clipping right?” If I would tell them to change the review to “it’s the best pedal on the market” I would get the finger and bad reputation because people can smell bs. In 9 years as a brand I been NEVER been asked from a channel what they have to say 🎉 it would be so easy but it’s not it’s hart work

[@ParabolicDavid]

Summer viewer. In fact Ryan’s quirky rambles are a mainstay of my buying cycle over the past few years. I’ve been here since the grey backdrop and can always count on candor and honesty in your reviews. Even though we disagree about spring reverb, you can trust that I’m good for a few beers if you ever find yourself close enough to Notre Dame for a drop into my office/home studio. Stay awesome.

[@dstarling61]

Buying the products increases the cost of producing a video, unless you’re independently wealthy, that needs to be offset somehow. Paying for the product, means you have skin in the game, not a good place to be for a unbiased opinion. I also don’t trust customer reviews on retail sites. I believe there is a bias inherent in the purchase, you chose the product, so you must have had a favorable opinion going in. Also, people don’t like to admit mistakes, they will tend rationalize their purchase. This may also apply to video reviews.

[@60CycleHumcast]

Everyone has bias. It’s unavoidable.

[@seanzinger]

I agree. Buying online is always a risk no matter who demos it. You have to try it out in person to know if it works for you. You sometimes even have to just have it for a few months to really know. That’s why I mostly watch just for entertainment. You are extremely entertaining and honest. I love that the talking in this video wasn’t edited. Doesn’t get much more honest than that.

[@cap9041]

Another thing I thought of that can skew a review of something someone bought themselves is trying to justify the purchase. If they spent a lot of money on something, they might want to overlook a problem to make the purchase seem great to themselves. Not just the viewers.

[@60CycleHumcast]

We’ve all been there. Now throw a camera and an audience into the mix lol.

[@ywtcc]

Review channels have an inherent short term bias. The best information usually comes from long term users. This is part of the reason why new products have a hard time breaking through. Early adopters are the ones that produce the information about the product. Music gear is tied to the techniques used on them, and the techniques and the product market evolve hand in hand. I think the best advice is make sure you know how to get the most of the product. If you're an early adopter, know that comes with challenges that will require innovation to overcome.

[@Desirsar]

I see that Meowdulator back there, stop holding out on us and release the video of you surfing it!

[@60CycleHumcast]

Keep an eye out for my next Temu video.

[@codelicious6590]

I LOVE that Ryan mentioned his reduced rate for the small makers and shed-builders etc. I hope evryone who watches this catches that little, "side tangent" Lol

[@Trinin]

Great work as usual Ryan. But where can I get that AMAZING Godzilla and kaiju shirt! I love how it progresses chronologically!

[@diamondj3509]

Seconding the comment on where'd ya get that shirt? That is awesome!

[@justbob9006]

I have 4 firefly guitars. Spanning 3 yrs. All came in with little need to do set ups. Frets were spaced correcty and leveled correctly. Maybe i have been lucky. I had all of them looked over by a luthier and he was impressed with all of them.

[@MrDwrench1]

Thanks for the information, Ryan. When a piece of gear gets on my radar, I watch several channels that covered that gear. I read articles as well, if they are available. It wasn't too long ago that we didn't have the resources we have now. We pretty much had to go in blind. My biggest problem is if I do decide to purchase the gear, do I use a link from a KZbinr? If so, which one from the 3 to 10 videos I watched. Guitar KZbinrs provide a great service, for the most part. I have used your links, and I have used your fellow KZbinrs links. Luck of the draw. Maybe I liked their T shirt more....

[@daccrowell4776]

Back in the day, when the majority of reviews were in print and little else, things were actually a lot less transparent. Having done some of that during that period, I can safely say that manufacturers trying to "push" reviewers was most definitely a thing. However, it was more "top down"; reviewers like myself would write about a product, send it in, and the people who caught the flak were the editorial guys. Bigger corporations were actually far worse to deal with, tbh. Here's what I look for in online reviews: 1) Do they make a disclaimer that the company has NO input into a review? This is usually a good sign and tends to mean that the reviewer isn't hamstrung by outside influence. Usually. 2) Do they really dig into the gear in question? If they hit the good AND bad points, I tend to pay attention. Also, if there's nothing BUT bad points. But if I feel that some company has their hand up a reviewer's a** so far that they're making them talk...and it's pretty obvious when you encounter that...I'll tend to reject anything they say from that point. 3) Is the reviewer themselves competent with the device they're using? For example, let's say that I make pickups for woodwinds. It wouldn't make sense to tune to your channel for that, irrespective of how that device wound up being reviewed by you. Likewise, if I want the lowdown on some new pedal, I wouldn't turn to, say, Trent Hamilton...because that's not his lane. But if you run across someone reviewing literally EVERYTHING with lots of prime accolades for all of it... that's sus as hell, and I avoid reviewers of that sort. 4) Is there a real, genuine passion in that reviewer for the MUSIC...or are they doing this purely for clix 'n' bux? Fact is, you fit into that last one. Like a glove. The reviews and other bits you put out really show that sense of exploration that I look for. And it's all of those cues that make your review work something I follow. The Afford-a-board thing, for example... There's other reviews of Chinese pedals out there. But it was via that running series that I got turned on to the sonic bonkers-ism of these. It started with that demo of...you guessed it...the Cuvave Fuzz. To just look at it, you'd think it was some kind of a joke: it's a little beige nondescript box with the worst brand logo in history that just says "fuzz" and has a few knobs. It looks like a joke. But it's not a joke. And that was apparent in the demo, especially since you had much the same "oh, s***" reaction I had upon hearing it there. Several days later, I ran one of my B'ger 606 clone drum machines thru it, and this vista of corrosive, NASTY industrial beats spilled forth! Total glee! So I got into that part of sonic weirdness thanks to that review, and then I subbed and kept an eye out for further troublemaking stompboxes from the Far East (including Sehat in Indonesia and of course, obscure Japanese widgets). Total win. BUT...yes, it was a review...an HONEST one at that...that opened up a whole new weird sonic doorway. So it matters to me about ethics AND how a device gets framed by a clearly-qualified user of that gear. This isn't print, though. The reviewer is right there on the screen. You can interact. And you don't have to second-guess what a publication might or might not be doing inside of the concealing walls of a print gear mag. If there IS nonsense afoot, it becomes real obvious, really fast. Plus, I catch plenty of flak over long posts (like this) as opposed to little one-line quips. But at the same time, this characterizes much of the Internet. The TL;DR mentality is something that plays into bad reviews, though; music gear being as subjective a subject as it is, it helps no one in the end when reviews are reduced to near-identical blurbs. It also makes me mourn the apparent death of READING as a tool. But when I run across long, detailed reviews... that's when I pay attention. And it's when everyone should, IMHO. Case in point: one of the best synthesizer reviewers out there is Loopop. When I need something TOTALLY broken-down into individual features and details, Loopop is the proverbial Gold Standard. Or when Hainbach gets his mitts on some fascinating hunk of avant-garde electronics, he shows how it slots into his sound...and does so VERY aptly. And Florian's "Bad Gear" is a must-watch for demystifying older synth tech...or just the hilarious meme barrage he cooks up each week. So we've got our good and bad reviewers in that lane, too. It's just a matter of finding the really "real" ones that's a pain. Keep doing what you do, Ryan. Gut feeling here tells me you're on the right track. It's not exactly easy to articulate what that gut feeling is like, but when I run across something "right", I rely on it going off to let me know if I really AM right. It's like being on a road trip, seeing a little, dumpy food joint, and all but going 100% Tokyo Drift to get in there because the "diner radar" went off in my brain. Like that. Not explainable, but if you know, you KNOW, y'know?

[@60CycleHumcast]

This comment won a 60 Cycle Hum Magazine Editors Top Choice Award.

[@DMStern]

I worked for a music-adjacent company for a while, and to get the products reviewed in music mags we essentially had to buy ad space, which is such an incredible conflict of interests. These were UK-based magazines, I don't know if things were better elsewhere.

[@60CycleHumcast]

I’ve heard similar stories about the American print mags - steve

[@daccrowell4776]

​@@DMStern Similar. Big companies can get really difficult on this. If one or two "bigs" pull their advertising buys, they could cause some serious fiscal damage. So you have to have that in the back of your mind at all times when reviewing gear in print. The SOLE exception to this, these days, is TapeOp. Because you have companies big and small vying for ad space there, losing one company just means that you just wheel in a different advertiser and that's that. Plus, they're VERY clear about their review rules...no control whatsoever over the content, money cannot change hands, and so on. Because of that editorial model, TapeOp's product reviews are perhaps the best AND most objective in MI mags. And the articles are beyond compare.

[@matthewf1979]

Trust is a commodity in this market. You have to earn it just like you earn money.

[@60CycleHumcast]

Yep!

[@chrisbernal1120]

I ordered an Oceans 11 online an hour ago. If I don't like it, I'm going to blame you for everything. 🌊

[@JackTaylorGuitars]

This is such an interesting take and I think you're right. I buy my own gear to review, I'm not a big enough channel to be getting paid and the collabs I have done are all under the agreement that I'm completely honest. I've turned down a few opportunities because they wanted me to say certain stuff. I buy what I want and if I like it, awesome, if I don't then I tell people but I always try to be clear this is how I feel and guys should try stuff themselves before they take any of my advice. Being critical as a viewer is just as important as being honest as a guitar/gear channel but I also think most people are clued up on that. Cheers man!

[@andybungert]

UPDATED WITH ANSWER! Can anyone tell me what that 3 pickup monster in blue/seafoam is on the left? That guitar is rad! Want. ANSWER: SX LIQUID RN ALDER 3P90 (NOTE THAT IT LOOKS LIKE RYAN CHANGED THE BRIDGE PICKUP!)

[@greevar]

I know where this question is coming from. It's regarding people like Glenn Fricker of SMG Studios and Jim Lill . Glenn often buys gear out of pocket through a proxy the vendors don't know. He often gives praise to affordable gear that he thinks has earned that praise, which upsets those who need to feel validated that buying expensive gear ensures that it's the best quality. Jim demonstrates how little wood, pickups, and amps matter. People say "don't trust guitar tubers" because they're mad that someone with the reach of SMG would dare spread the idea that you don't have to spend over $500 to get a good instrument or a good amp. Thanks to people like Jim and Glenn, I've discovered that I can reduce the size of my home rig to nothing but a pedal board and cab sim. I got a fantastic guitar for under $500 that is better than guitars I've paid twice as much for. Yes, use some critical thinking, but don't presume someone is lying because they say good things about a product you think should be trash simply because it doesn't have a specific name on it.

[@60CycleHumcast]

I wasn’t thinking of Jim or Glenn at all lol.

[@trukr817]

I used to watch Glenn Fricker a lot, agreed with him tossing the trashy Marshall off the roof and smashing it. People were upset, but the thing really did seam to be utter trash. I bought the plugin version of his noise gate (CockBlocker) and thought that most of his points were valid. I just got bone weary tired of the insults to Christians from him, it just got old. I figured if he thought I was that stupid, maybe he was right, I was stupid enough to consume the content of someone who thought so little of me. Never looked back, don't know if I could even get that plugin back if I wanted to.

[@greevar]

@@60CycleHumcast I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about the people who complain about Glenn and Jim.

[@Screaminwitchdoctors]

@@trukr817 Felt exactly the same. Fricker made interesting points about affordable gear, but I got really turned off by his videos against Christians. Besides, I don't like metal....

[@scorpionleader1967]

I consider KZbin reviews as advertisement, and I appreciate it.🥰 Sometimes just seeing someone handle the guitar can help. I don't like tons of effects on the guitar, and I can immediately move on. I gather information and make a decision. As many reviews as I can find.

[@aaronkaaimarino]

My fave part about 60CH is that the videos have the same feel like when I was a kid with my friends and someone would get a new piece of gear and we would hang in the garage or room and just take turns spinning the knobs or playing guitar and you would just enjoy geeking out on exploring the gear. Always a fun experience! 🤟

[@mikestrowbridge]

A useful owner video I watched recently was with a Gibson Les Paul Custom and the Kalamazoo Headstock Epiphone Les Paul and the most recent Epiphone IGC Les Paul Custom and he had all three. A lot of KZbinrs are hungry for more of the IGC so it was nice no matter what but he also did a great and honest review and that usually comes through.

[@AutismRocksOfficial]

Jazz Hands! 🤗

[@russellgraves7396]

Ok I read this comment right after seeing Jazz hands.

[@basiltiffani8850]

Ppl want to be suspicious and have little capacity for critical thinking.

[@justinmckinney39]

Like many people, I searched for a unique guitar voicing . . I had the benefit of having an electrical background from Purdue Uni, so that helped with things like . . building a modular tube amp and switching out resistor / capacitor values, until I tuned the amp perfectly to my fingers, ears, guitar and pedalboard. With a custom padouk archtop, fingerstyle of a bass player, flatwound strings, paf humbuckers wired in England . . If I had it all to do over again . . I would tell myself the following - 1) Start with the guitar. Nail that down first. The neck shape with your hand size, the weight, the body shape. What do you like to hear the most? Fast syncopated rhythms (probably a Strat 25-1/2" scale) or thicker riffy leads (probably a humbucker 24-3/4 scale). The pedals are mostly about feel and EQ filters - different EQ circuits just feel different. Again, the feel you want really depends on how fast you want to play. Faster Rhythms will require a much thinner sound (less bass / less mids - more poppy treble). The other side of the spectrum being a one note lead line that you want to sound like a human voice with complex overtones . . maybe a Joe Cocker smoky voice - you're going to need to start from a different place. Think of a Sax vs a Trumpet - a Sax cannot play nearly as fast as a trumpet . . but there's alot more overtones with a sax

[@elmersimeon989]

I bought 3 guitars from watching KZbin videos Like all 3 of them. 2 grote Telecaster type bodies. And 1 Firefly 338 type. I just have to set him up the way I like Them. The 338 type added String locks and find tuners. That's all. All of them play Real good. 😊

[@tundratom]

Well, of the infinite number of Guitar KZbinrs. I have eventually come to trust you Ryan. I have changed many pedals now due to your afford-a-board reviews. Every thing was spot on. Keep up the amazing channel. F*ck the trolls….

[@rainshadowband3161]

Learnt my lesson about KZbinr guitar reviews years ago. I'm not gonna say which one, but it was a specific Epiphone model. Review made it sound so good, glowing review, etc etc etc. I was sold! Then the guitar showed up and was... mediocre. Needed some TLC and I never could get the bridge PUP to sound like the video. Reealized later that many KZbin guitar channels layer so many effects and post production onto the recording that you can make a Firefly sound like the far more expensive Gibson model it was cloned after. I'm far more picky these days. Can't fully trust anyone on the internet... who would thunk it? 😂

[@mr.k905]

The whole guitar gear consumer bubble is obscene. So many collectors (mostly not even musicians!) buy and hoard stuff at ANY price as if they were stamp collectors on amphetamines. That's just stupid and self-destructive for many reasons. I won't go into detail here, but everyone should know by now that we are all being played by a million dollar industry. They have us right where they want us. When this all started they couldn't have imagined in their wildest dreams how stupidly we would all behave and bring them these huge amounts of revenue. It's like we're stuffing ourselves with unhealthy fast food every day, even though it's making us miserable, sick and poor with zero nutritional value. And on top of that, we would claim that it keeps us slim, makes us smart and is a culinary delight while looking like whales on land. This is the world we live in. Just sick. No movie maker could come up with a more surreal plot that feels like a conspiracy theory in which we full knowingly conspire against ourselves while telling ourselves that we’re not. Even better: Many of us don’t even realize this FOR REAL. Mankind, yes, we are THIS stupid. 🙈🙉🙊

[@pfote65]

lets throw some fitting music on the player (Jackson Browne, Lawyers in love), and comment this fine man's video, so the mighty algorithms are happy, shall we? I think being cynic all the time (and assuming everyone is a crook and a liar and a fraud) is a bit over the top. Not every one is a "Littlefinger", but once in a while you meet one of that kind. Use your brain (assuming you haven't been fooled when they were handed out, otherwise you're lost anyway), apply some critical thinking, it's not so hard. There's one thing to be said in favour of guitar buying reviewers in general: they raise their own bar how much they make out of a video (or if they make anything at all), and it all boils down to the money in the end. You mentioned that firefly video that got you what, a thousand bucks .. what would have happened if it had made you 10000? 50000? There surely is an amount where you start putting your morals aside, we all do, with very few exceptions. Do you know the Dreigroschenoper? Brecht? "Erst kommt das Fressen, dann die Moral" ;-) cheers man, greats from Germany PS: making a video with a title thats a little clickbaity, a little to shortened to represent the nuanced video, to potentially ruffle a feather or two .. whats that about? Clicks, followers .. money ;-)

[@JamesJones-th3ml]

I am suspicious at some of these guys reviewing guitar amp sims!!! One channel in particular seems to ALWAYS have AWSOME tone whatever he is trying to review!!! I also noticed that the tone just seems exactly the same HAHAHAHAH Strange!!!!

[@xneurianx]

There was asemi-popular guitar KZbinr a few years ago who I ended up blocking because of how annoying they were, but basically all of their content was just click-farming obnoxious nonsense about everything and everyone being trash. Hating most products, starting 'beef' with popular KZbinrs (specifically directing a lot of hate to Rob Chapman if I remember properly) and basically just being extremely negative. Obviously no one wanted to do collaborations or get sponsored content, but his view count for each video was enormous because of the sheer level of clickbait he put into each video. And obviously the comments section was full of other people piling on the hate for whatever product or person he'd decided to hate on that particular video, and then all the people responding to that. Also some guy who managed to shoe-horn his weird Trump/Conservative/Conspiracy politics into his videos and complaining about how YT was censoring his views. On guitar videos. Why are you talking about "woke culture" in the first place you muppet?! I don't think I ever saw either of them play guitar. Just talk rubbish about stuff and people tangentially related to guitars (or not at all related to guitars in the second guys case) and farm the clicks. Horrible.

[@fortheloveofnoise]

I am a synth guy, and even I watch your videos....because they are good, don't have that "corporate shill feel" like some others....and you don't seem snobby either. I use pedals with my synths, so even though you test them with guitars, a lot of the info is still useful.

[@AlexanderXtcSlayin]

Unfortunately because Rock is dying in popularity I'm guessing guitar channels have some of the toughest uphill climbs on KZbin. If it were the 90's and KZbin existed, Ryan you'd be a millionaire, and genuinely.