"If you want a perfect review, make a perfect product". Very well said Andy, this company's actions only reasures how insecure they are about their product. This community can't be bought. Period.
Quite so! Andy has a reputation to protect as well, which should be that he is impartial, and making this video very, very necessary. I'm so glad that he did. This is not unlike telling a test examiner that if he/she doesn't give you a pass or high score it would damage your reputation, which of course would have to mean that you didn't have a reputation in the first place. How these people have the brass neck to send Andy this email is frankly mind blowing, yet they lack the confidence in their product for it to receive a genuinely positive review. If you were a vintner, would you send a less than great tasting wine to a connoisseur and tell him, "By the the way, if you don't give this a good and positive review I'll sue you for damages"? I think not!
As a US lawyer with 32 years' experience (and a guitar player with 50 years' experience), assuming the company is in the USA, they have no case. They suggest that if you DEFAME their product, they will sue you. But opinions are not actionable, only FALSITIES are. Personally, I would post the video, and if they sue you, it'll give you MORE FAME, and likely, a local attorney in your jurisdiction (who is a musician) will offer to represent you for free! Also, keep in mind that proving in court that YOUR review cost them sales is almost impossible. Lack of sales can be for a dozen other reasons. Stand up to these pricks and do it!
All very good but it could be construed as a breach of a contractual term and a liability for breach of such contract.....and a claim for damages. Easy solution, just buy one of their guitars and say what you like.
the courtroom is not a place to determine right or wrong. Its a place to make attorneys wealthy. Avoid a courtroom at absolute all costs. The juice is rarely ever worth the squeeze even with a favorable judgement (which can often take years).
honest manufacturers know that and know they are rolling the dice if I'm reviewing their product...I don;t go out of my way to be mean, and I clarify issues with them before release, but if you lay a balut egg in the electronics cavity, I'll report the smell
@@A_A_ron-Phillips agreed. Framus makes Warwick basses. I have 2 corvettes: one fretted, one fretless. Tone, ergonomics and playability are excellent. Even had a friend check out the fretless, and he thought it felt great. Can't argue with a blind man on that.
This video came up randomly in my feed, and I was impressed with your professional response to this situation. Your integrity was clearly on display. Liked and Subscribed.
Professional response? He bent over and let them fuck him. That's not the kind of response I want from a professional reviewer. "I agree not to post a bad review because you strongarmed me". "From now on I will give only good reviews no matter if the product is good or not" is the next step
Likewise-- just saw this randomly in my feed, never saw the channel before. This video makes me feel very much like I'm joining this situation in the middle. The letter from the company makes it clear that they were not offering a product for review. They were offering a product for paid promotion. Under the circumstances, every word in the letter is entirely appropriate. If you hired an advertising agency, you wouldn't let them make ads expressing their honest opinions about your products. You'd tell them what to say, and sue them if they didn't follow your instructions. Maybe the company sent out a product for promotional purposes without first explaining their intentions to the influencer. If so, that's their mistake. But maybe this particular influencer contributed to a misunderstanding, and if so, there's blame to be shared.
Yep... same here. Popped up on my random feed. I'm not an enthusiast..., I don't even own a guitar. However, honest reviews, from genuine users are a dying art. i really miss the days of when you read a review, or watched a review video it was from someone who cared, someone who loved the product space they were in, and would give their opinion with the least amount of outside influence they could muster. I commend you for working on keeping your integrity and being honest about what goes on outside and inside that work.
Reveal who they are. Let them try to sue you. This is the last company I would want to buy a product from. Transparency and honesty about a particular product is paramount.
One thing that has stood out in your videos from day 1......how real and "normal" your reviews are. Just a guy. Sharing his passion. A gear head. One of us. And this good sir ......simply cements that further. Huge huge respect.
This video was the first of yours to enter my feed. Great job! It’s obvious that this particular company feels that if they are paying you for a review, it should be what they want as an “employer”. I applaud your honesty and integrity. Can’t wait now to dive into some of your other reviews!
"honesty and integrity?" The guy is a shill. -definition of a shill A person engaged in covert advertising. The shill attempts to spread buzz by personally endorsing the product in public forums with the pretense of sincerity, when in fact he is being paid for his services. He seems upset that a company won't pay him for writing a bad review of their product. If he didn't take the corporate money in the first place, he could write an honest review of a product. Shills has no integrity.
Yeah, but they asked him to review it not advertise it, so they are trying to stack the deck in their favour. I find this dishonest at best, morality and legally wrong at worst. Not a company I would EVER deal with.
You've sold me! If ever I were to make a guitar, you're the first person I would go to to have it reviewed. Any criticisms you would have regarding the instrument would be taken into account to facilitate its improvement. Honesty wins. ❤ from the UK.
I'm 74 and stumbled across your 'very professional' channel, I just love listening to opinions. You sir, are an example of what a true professional product reviewer is, or at least, should be. Any manufacturer that approaches a reviewer of your integrity and professionalism should 'take the bad with the good'. If a product does not live up to what it's supposed to, they should be extremely greatful for bringing it to their attention. What they then should do is this: They should update their marketing literature to include: "Based on customer feedback, including from professional reviewers in this industry, we have now carried out further tests and made some design improvements we hope you will enjoy. We are a company that listens to our customers and those with professional knowledge, this is how we improve our products for you, the end user".
Just watched the video, dude tell them to fuck off and I’ll happily send you a bunch of Guitars to review in their place - their loss. You and I have been through so many situations like this in the past, together and separately, I sometimes feel like this industry needs a shake up before it gets rudely woken up… Love you, man
If a company is trolling for positive reviews then their quality is not up to par. If they believe their product is cutting edge and everything they say it is then the product will stand on its own. It won’t require bribery to help increase sales. I know this because I’m retired from a career in Quality Assurance. Not Quality Control. There is a huge difference between Quality Control and Quality Assurance. Quality Control is essentially sorting the good from the bad. Quality Assurance is to build quality INTO the product by design. Negative reviews should be utilized as an opportunity to improve. Great video!
Well. I‘ve been doing what you‘re doing for 20 years. That was through musicians‘ magazines - before everything was online on UA-cam. What happened to you, happened to me a lot of times. And nothing actually happened to me, even though some US and German companies really turned on the heat with fierce threats like they sent you through their lawyers. So keep on doing what you‘re doing and don‘t mind these people. Every single company I‘ve criticized then isn‘t here anymore today. Their products were inferior and no legal battle could make them better. They had to give up the legal battles very soon anyway, because most of them ran out of money. So, have no fear, you‘re absolutely doing the right thing. Helping to neutralize these people is a service to all musicians.
Exactly. Andy hasn't entered into any contract with these people, and these guidelines are "after the fact" so non-binding with the agreement he already made for the review. They literally don't have a leg to stand on.
This is the first video I have seen from you. You earned yourself a subscriber. I appreciate your honesty and class in handling this matter! Thank you for being genuine!
Thank you for this video, I’m in my 60’s now and have seen shady companies for about 45 years. Keep up the good work and don’t ever back down. You have a new fan here.
I am a drummer and I appreciate this video for its honesty. If I knew the name of the shady company, I would not hesitate to spread the word among my musician friends, and then inform the company what I was doing. They could send letters or "Liam Neeson", without ever stopping me.
Thought your review was very fair for that particular product 😁
Рік тому+32
You GO honest Andy. The guitar community has your back. It is immensely valuable for us players at all levels to have access to a gear review channel that we can trust. Rock on bro ✌️✌️
It's "silicone" not silicon. Typically I'm not the grammar and spelling police, but in this particular instance, the difference between silicone and silicon is huge.
Apart from being extremely popular your honesty and integrity we all come to you for one very very well known particular…. A completely unbiased opinion expect you would have a huge list of your followers who will completely back you up keep up the good works great stuff
I'm a guitar maker. I've sent guitars that I made to guitar magazines to be reviewed. Usually I received a 'facts check' preiew of the review, just to do that: to be able to alert the magazine of false claims or statements. I have in one case asked for one feature that was omitted in the review, to be mentioned. If you make a product and submit it for a review, it is your responsibility as a maker to send out something so good, that it will deserve a positive review. I always thought that that was how reviews worked. Pros, cons, conclusion, sets of features, 'bang for the buck'. And fun! When I'm shopping myself, I have lots of fun checking out players experiences with the products I'm shopping for. Keep up your great work, Guitar Geek! Like you, I also love guitars!
Thank you for exposing this. We need more honest people to stand up to these corporate bullies. The general public has been shafted for the almighty dollar too many times so it's time we all stood up and fought back.
Hey Andy, I just wanted to tell you I applaud your dedication to being honest and forthcoming with your reviews. The way you stress that what you do is no walk in the park and the fact that you feel you even have to say that sort of thing reminds me of a situation I had once with an IRS employee. I had a business years ago with a band that was exclusively a tribute band for casino cabarets. I played guitar and we did a pretty good imitation, er excuse me, _tribute_ to ZZ Top. Somehow along the way I messed up my taxes filling out tax forms somewhere, so I went to an IRS office to try and fix it. The guy I talked to was nice enough, he didn't accuse me of attempted tax fraud or anything like that. But during our conversation I asked him why my tax rate was so high. His reply totally pi**ed me off. He said _"It's because you play for a living, you don't work."_ I sat there staring at him for a good 30 seconds before I said anything. Then I calmly asked him "Have you ever done any kind of work like we do?" He said no. I replied _"Ok, so let me tell you how it goes. First off, our joke is that our clocks are broken, because your AM is our PM. So we get up at 6:00 PM, do the morning thing, head to the venue and set up the gear, of which there was approximately a ton and a half of..."_ It took me a good 15 minutes to explain our full day and I went into minute detail, and I left out nothing. Now granted, that was a description of one of our days when we were playing one nighters, which we did for 17 years before we started playing in casino cabarets. But I wanted to drive home the point that there is a lot more to playing in a band than playing 20 or so songs and saying "Thank you! Good night!" He was like "Oh my God, I didn't know..."
Really enjoyed this video. The term "misinformation" get thrown around a lot lately and always because an organization or government (in the US's case) has something they don't want made public. Absolutely right move on your part to return the product, even better to make this video.
I’ve been watching your channel for years. If there was one thing I never questioned, it was your honesty. I appreciate that you stood your ground, while dealing with corporate bullying, and shared your story. Thank you. Keep up the content.
Hi there. I am one of the Kickstarter backers of this product and I am outright shocked of this practise. I received the product in the meantime and actually really like it. It works, keeps its promises, sounds quite nice and it didn't fall apart. In my humble opinion, this whole email is incredible stupid and in fact destroyes all trust in those reviews for absolutely no reason. I can ensure you, that most backers are pretty pissed of because of this :(
Hi Andy, those "Guitar in the Air" clowns don't even trust their own product to act like this. I don't think they have a future in guitar business. Your honesty and candidness honor you. Keep on the good job!
@@masamune9082 🤫🤫🤫🤫 It’s a secret!!!!😆😆😆😆😆 I’m pretty sure it’s the new plastic looking guitar(that’s not really a guitar) with a speaker on it. Forget what it’s called, but it’s a complete joke, a toy guitar for $500!!😆😆😆😱😱Like it should be sold at Toys R Us!!!😆😆😆
@@masamune9082 Something tells me it is: an absolutely Appalling company what they do is Extortionate trying to sue people like this is Ridiculous their actions are Obnoxious outright, it's Bad a lot of their products are also just Awful when they try to control reviews like this, it is Notorious overall, this stuff is Destructive Do with that information what you will.
Yeah that whole letter reads bad, like it was written by an angry 14yr old boy. Absolutely immature and unprofessional. The company is basically is the position of a beggar, begging people not to give bad publicity, while at the same time trying to act like a bully tyrant. Exactly like a 14yr old might do
Love that you are holding your ground in a world of internet influencers that are being bullied by brands who are putting their own interests above any truth about how their product really is.
I am sorry you had to deal with this and glad you shared this info. I have only recently discovered your channel and it has already helped me in a few decisions I made about getting a product. I sincerely enjoy your videos and honesty and am looking forward to more. Thank you for doing what you do!
What I, personally, gained from this video was respect. For you. Good on you man. Thanks for taking the time to explain core values we can all get behind. Have been subscribed for a while. Just became an avid fan right now.
I know I'm late but.....honesty is the best tool to make great videos. One of the comments I read was, if you make a good product you will get good reviews, but if you make a poor product then you can expect a review equivalent to your product. Simple. Keep up TheguitarGeek.
I'm only sorry you didn't name names. You ARE an influencer TO ME... I've been a professional studio and touring musician and composer since 1983 and, before that, sat around in jam sessions with musicians who were long-time professionals. That's why I believe I too could become one. All of them - and ever since - have told horror stories about some companies and not others, and their naming names did NOT stop me from playing or perusing those 'offending' products. They just alerted me, and I'm thankful they did. But it was always my own experience that sweetened or soured my opinions. I've had cheapo guitars that indeed fell apart in a couple of years but were reparable and became infinitely better (ie, I shoulda replaced parts a lot sooner but I still like to 'get to know' the parts and sounds so I can correctly identify Likes & Dislikes). I'd had expensive guitars whose maker were not upholding "lifetime guarantees" and that soured me on them, and I made sure I brought up MY example of THEIR bad behavior to everyone I could. I'll still watch and evaluate your videos and I'd object to anyone preventing ME from collecting others' opinions about products.
It's actually better not to name names. Not for legal reasons, but because six months later you will see the name, but you may not necessarily remember where you saw it. The saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity" is 100% true.
@@jimhyslop "The saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity" is 100% true." Bill Cosby. Subway & Jared. United Airlines vs David Dao. United Airline vs Sons of Maxwell's guitars. KFC's Kristallnacht blunder. Chipotle vs E. Coli. McDonalds vs Morgan "Supersize Me" Spurlock. Enron & the late Arthur Andersen accounting firm. That saying isn't universally true and never has been.
100% agree with you. If a company wants a review (opinion) of their product then that’s what they get. It’s not an infomercial! Keep up the great work Andy. I value your channel.
@@nationaldemocrat Definitely want to see the contract on that. If it's as TheGuitarGeek mentions "promotional", then the Kickstarter can claim breach for a non-positive "review". If, however, it's supposed to be a real review, then they are paying for someone's time to actually look at their product (like professional beta testers). It sounds like they are changing their request after securing the agreement, and doing so in a really strongarm way. TheGuitarGeek can refuse the money and buy the device and review it as long as there's $$ coming in elsewhere. After-all, when people review things for magazines or on UA-cam there's $$ coming in hopefully to offset the purchase, and the reviewer can only do the review if they can offset the purchase and make some type of profit (otherwise why do it). Pointing out what happened in this video is the best review I can think of for this product. Best to avoid (and a quick Google search turns up what the bad product is - when I looked at it it appears to be an extremely expensive Guitar Hero knock-off). Good fortune Andy, the community needs to have reviewers it can trust.
@@l00k4tstuff You end by saying "the community needs to have reviewers it can trust". And this Andy chap is clearly not one of them, as he, by his own admission, accepts money in return for so-called "reviews". He is hopelessly compromised, and I am betting there are many many more reviewers ouy there we thought were impartial but like Andy, are actually taking the money....
@@the_hessian__ True, just making a 60+ secs meme videos took me several hours. Imagine editing a 20-30 minutes gear review with multiple camera angles, without live camera switching (Which is what I assume Henning (Eytschpi42) does). Also having to synchronise the audio, adding in the text and extra eye candy effects.
I appreciate your honesty and integrity as an impartial guitar reviewer. Keep doing what you're doing and don't be dictated to or bullied by any manufacturer, no matter how well-known or lesser-known that company may be. Threats, no matter how veiled they, are are still threats. You're right - your honesty to us, the buying public, is all-important. YOUR respected name in the marketplace is everything to us prospective consumers.
I agree with you Andy, a company has no place trying to tell you how to do your job. Your content is awesome and your honesty, quirkiness and massive amounts of information you include in your videos are some of the many reason I watch your channel. Really appreciate you sharing this. 🤘
Love your channel Andy. Don't let these companies throw curve balls at you. Just tell them if they want a piece of the pie to go ahead and sponsor you full-time. I love guitars to man. I'm sorry your being threatened. Much respect for not throwing out the company who's messing with you
I wouldn't call it a scam (except for the lying in a promo video in which the sound is obviously coming from a recorded acoustic guitar), but they obviously believe in the product and have invested a lot of money in it, and now there's a risk of it crumbling and them losing money. However, I don't think that more than 0.001 guitarists would buy that product anyway...
@@andym2612 Yes, but as Henning said in his latest video about this, it's like they've had a lot of yes men around them and now they will consult with Henning to see if they can make it better. Henning's ideas for the app that needs a lot of work, could be a step in the right direction. But it's an expensive thing with way too many features for beginners. It's like they didn't know their target market.
@@ky9999 That's true, but that's probably more about damage control now that they've got bad reviews. Sending this out to guitarists was a mistake. Their target market is in the tech interested young people (below 30) who also happen to have money to spend.
Wow, that company must be… Awful Evil Reprehensible Obtuse Bullying Abusive Nefarious Dastardly …and probably a bunch of other terrible things if they try to use threats to control reviewers like that. Whoever they are, I certainly wouldn’t want to do business with them!
I believe it. I saw their ad and thought it was a cheap gimmick, and the only benefit it might have is as a travel guitar to maintain basic skills while, you know, travelling abroad.
The way around this "legal" nightmare is to send this item back to this company, then purchase one of these items and give the world your opinion about it. The problem is, you are taking money from the manufacturers to "promote" their product, whether they say it or not. You OWE it to YOUR customers to fully expose the motives of this company and do an honest review of their product. I have subscribed to your channel, and I will be following this story.
The problem with payed reviews is: we are not the customer. The brand is the customer. The viewers are the product. The reviewer will be biased, even when he does his best to be honest.
Andy, you should be applauded for this video. It shows your passion, honesty, intelligence and refusal to be bullied. We are very lucky to have dedicated reviewers like you who are prepared to 'stay in the kitchen in spite of some heat'. Keep it up.
Glad to have it. People need to stand up for themselves. What's messed up is, it takes one mistake to end it all. They can turn on you. I saw a video like yours. The guy wouldn't do a review in that guitar. He noticed that they were not good and sent the guitar back.
This is why that product name needs an honest review by people. A company threatening honest reviews? Their conduct is unacceptable and unprofessional. I am glad you shared their unprofessional email. I would have my lawyer respond in kind to them in a passive aggressive manor promising all emails from them to be shared to the public and they are named for their threats and misconduct. The review would happen and if it performed good or bad, their email would be on screen at the end to expose such threats.
I stumbled on your video and it made my day. You are a man of courage and integrity. Thanks for making the video. I'm 74. I started trying to learn guitar in 1966. I got about as far as the Steve Martin character Nathan Johnson in the movie The Jerk did with his first hitch hiking experience after he decided to leave home. The distance was about 50 feet. So anyway , after watching your video and the way you described your fellow reviewers, I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that you aren't shills. You come across as genuine. That's all I can say.
I've been a professional journalist and product reviewer for more than twenty years, for products in automotive, aviation, music, and stage production markets. Before UA-cam muddied the water with its officially sanctioned paid promotional reviews, there has always been a cardinal rule in real journalism: NEVER ACCEPT PAYMENT OR OTHER COMPENSATION FROM ANY COMPANY YOU WRITE ABOUT. Journalists who violated this rule were promptly fired, or worse, blacklisted. The reason is simple: no reader or viewer can trust a review that's been paid for by the product vendor. It has nothing to do with your personal standards, honesty, uprightness, or integrity. It's that the AUDIENCE CAN'T TRUST YOU ONCE YOU'VE BEEN PAID. You're just another paid promoter, nothing more. It's probably too late to put the cat back in the bag in your case. But let this be a caution to other people holding themselves out as independent reviewers. And a pox on UA-cam for permitting paid reviews.
Agreed... and to take that a step further if I may, aren't all UA-camr's that do self proclaimed unbiased reviews of any product, that are monitonized by view numbers victim (or perps!) of this! Thanks Packetguy.
@@adlerburg absolutely not. Because they are not being paid by the product manufacturer. How journalist get compensated otherwise is up to them, as long as there is no conflict of interest. For example, I am often paid by print publications such as Aviation Week for reviews. That is not ethically any different from being compensated financially from UA-cam clicks or views, because those print publications are paid by advertisers, just as UA-cam creators are. This has been a bright line in journalism for literally centuries, dating to the 17th century turn to objectivity in scientific publication, and away from the self-interest of alchemy.
You got that right, although journos are on a salary. It is arguably reasonable to accept payment provided it is agreed that the review is independent and uncensored and that the payment is revealed. However, there is an inherent positive bias in accepting paid reviews in two ways: it sets a positive frame on the review; there is the expectation of further reviews. It is also quite improper for UA-camrs to review a product if the like it but refrain from reviewing if they don't (whether a fee is involved or not). This is because their is an automatic bias for positive reviews - we just don't see the stuff reviews think are rubbish. Yup I happen to be a psychologist, but this is just common sense, really. The argument UA-camrs have to make a living is weak. There are plenty of UA-camrs who never review and plenty of reviewers who don't take a fee. Their living is from monetizing. A well-known luthier never reviews and estimates a third of his living now comes from UA-cam. A pox on UA-cam for almost everything - in particular requiring that only the copyright holders themselves can ask for removal of copyright material. I'm sick of seeing entire films and albums put on UA-cam. If I know who the copyright holder is, I tell them, but honestly I do have the remnants of a life, and it's not my job - it's UA-cam's
Yes I also disagree with what you said. I believe journalists are paid by their employers to write stories and perhaps reviews. I think with UA-cam reviewers the problem comes down to who pays these reviewers for the work they do. The reviewers need to make a living and for the hours they put in. Since they don't have a traditional employer who's going to pay? I have no problem with a manufacturer paying the reviewer for a review of their product, but I think the manufacturer needs to understand the review can go either way, good or bad from the reviewer. They pay and take their chances on a positive outcome from someone who can influence (which is waht they are paying for) potential buyers to buy their product. I'm thinking if a anyone watches someone like this reviewer and have seen them being honest for products they review (mentioning both good and bad, pros and cons) I would feel confident the advice the reviewer is providing is honest. Afterall, if the reviewer is in bed with the manufacturer at some point it's going to get out that the products they are promoting are crap and not honest. Eventually the reviewer would lose creditbility and be out of a job because they will lose their following. I want the reviewer to be paid for the review and if the manufacturer is willing to foot the bill so be it. I think to solve the problem from the reviewer is to do what he or she is doing here. Be up front to the manufacturer before they send the product for review they understand the reviewer's responsibilities to their audience. I believe if a manufacturer has made a good product they shouldn't be hring people to review it. Fix whatever is wrong with it until the reviewer can give a positive review honestly. Perhaps another agreement that can happen between the manufacturer and reviewer is for the company to pay the reviewer up front and ask to see the review before it's published so they can find out what is wrong with it and have a chance to 1. Ensure the reviewer didn't misunderstand something about the product and have that discussion to ensure accuracy and 2. Allow the manufacturer to decline publication of the negative review since they paid for the article up front. I don't think by keeping the article from publication it would matter. The reviewer won't get to give a review of the product but their intregrity is not affected (and they are paid for the work they did on the unpunblished article). The way the manufacturer in this video went about it was completely wrong. They should not have threatened the reviewer in the manner they did. They simply should have said we will pay you regardless but we reserve the right to kill the review. If nothing else, the manufacturere pays for the work of the reviewer to find out why their product review turned out bad. It should be a win for them because they now have the opportunity to hear from someone who is unbiased about the problem and if they follow the advice of the reviewer to improve the product it would benefit that company when the improved product goes to market. Keep up the good work and manufacturers READ my suggestions so reviewers can maintain their levels of integrity and recommend your products IF they are good enough based upon their merits.
Long comments gents... everyone is biased in some way, and money is a key factor in that. Professional journalists have been bought trips etc. from companies forever - to claim otherwise is naive. UA-camrs are also imperfect, but hey, at least the funding is pretty obvious and can be taken into account.
i'm not a guitar person but you came up in the suggestions, you seem like a chill dude and agree with what you are saying. i hope you get to review a lot of stuff you like and that that will help a lot of ppl make the right choice in buying gear. have a good one.
The email is not only a threat, it's a trap. It seems they want to shut you down anyway. They don't give their own product any chance to convince anyone.
fact is : if a comany produces a bad product IT ALLREADY HAS VIOLATED US LAWS ! ( cant remeber how those were called but MR. Bronchick a lawyer may know to what laws i refer ). as a compnay you are oblidged to deliver a sound and good product that does fullfill quality rules set by those laws. Nowq if your product is not in perfect accordiance with those laws, not only are you ( as example ) the Company to be draged before court but anyone can and is free to publicly anounce that there is a bad product around and that noone should ever give money away for ! As a compnay they must fullfill all reglements set by US/UK/GB laws and if they dont : the state where the company is based , the fedderal state aswell as the US state as such, is absolutly able to sue that company. Now if the producst that company made are so bad that they do not fullfill any rules, is every sold product to be returned or retaken and the buyer is to be refunded even than when he or she retruns the product ( reparation for havind got a bad product ). The nexyt step of the state would be to take that company into deeper investigations: if in case it turns out the company does produce only bad products that do not fullfill any rules set by law: its owner or CEO could easaly face even imprisonment in the worst of all worst case scenarios and the company could get even closed ! everywhere in the world there are several laws in regard to Producing stuff and selling stuff that every company must fullfill. Now UK GB and EU , have of the most hard and harsh rules but the US is not so different : you must deliver qualitiy and if you dont you must refund and if you produce only crap , i know very well in the US ( differs oinly from federal state to federal state ) you could be punished very severly up to even getting your company closed ..... i suggest, if Andy is US based, that the US GOuvernment goes after that company to find out what they are up to and whether or not they do fullfill the rules set by law in regad to production and quality .
Hi Andy. I've worked in the music industry for too long if I'm honest. I've worked as an artist, for labels, managed bands, produced recordings, and even lectured in Music Business & Professional Practice at University. I've also worked (and on occasion still do) as a writer/critic, reviewing gigs, new releases, demos and so on. Some years ago I gave a negative review of a band who shall remain nameless. I was accused of not listening to the tracks at first, before said band threatened to sue, sighting radio DJ Gary Crowley loved the songs (insert preferred level of laughter here). To cut a long story short, after a brief chat with my editor over a pint, we returned a one line email simply saying, " Good luck with suing an opinion." After a few more emails threatening me with everything from slashed tyres to a reputation in tatters, and even physical violence, their guns fell silent. I understand that when money is changing hands things are a little more complicated, but you are right to stick to your guns.
For all it's worth, I did not know about your channel and this video appeared on my recommendations. Thank you for your work and the transparency. If I wasn't a regular viewer, I will be from now on. We need more of this on the field!
It's funny that he didn't mention the brand, and yet I knew immediately who it was. We have seen the other reviews that have appeared recently, not all of them positive about the "guitar". What they should have done is take their loss on this one, put in some R&D and build something better with the criticism they just got. What they have done now is kill their brand with NO coming back from it. Great marketing!
@@Ruck-AF Well, Andy does not want to mention the brand and also doesn't want us to mention it here. But we know it's a kickstarter project about a guitar that's not realy a guitar. Shouldn't take you much more than one google search with the terms "kickstarter" and "guitar" to get there :)
Thanks!@@Mancunian4 I'll look it up. Though I highly doubt that someone in the UA-cam comments can possibly be liable to a law suit for merely speculating. You wouldn't actually be guilty of any sort of crime.
You're absolutely correct in everything you've said. Keep being You, and keep telling the truth. It's the truth which keeps you safe from any action as far as this is concerned.
I watched EytschPi42's video about that very product yesterday. He totally roasted it, but first he broke the contract he had with them and said he didn't want to be paid.
I am considering buying my first guitar. I have been watching massive amounts of videos before I spend my hard-earned money. Your toil and honesty is especially appreciated by beginners like me.
@@chrisstephens6194 Thanks bro. I was leaning heavily towards the HB 35 plus. But my local guitar store has a Gretsch 2622 p90 on steep discount. It seems like a great opportunity to get a great guitar, get it set up, and build a relationship.
Honestly Andy, you probably should name and shame the company. That kind of corporate bullying is unacceptable, and they should not be able to do so in secret. The company seems to think it is your job to promote their product, not review it. Unless you have commited to promotiing the product they have no grounds on which to sue. I understand why you are being so cautious, but sometimes we need to stand our ground. Keep making the great content :)
This wouldn't be a certain guitar with pressure points covered with gel, 6 strings, and a really bad sound system, no ability to pitch-bend, and costs somewhere between $400 and $500 would it? Supposedly aimed at people with arthritis, among other physical setbacks?
”Don't let others get in the way of your happiness.". This comes at a time when I'm very much hurt due to someone else's actions. While we all know that this channel isn't about self-affirmation, I truly appreciate this reminder to not let others dictate our emotions or actions. Thank you and much success always.
Very well said, Stratman. BTW, I'm sorry someone has caused you unjust pain. You gots lots of folks out in the world that could be here for ya if ever needed be. There are WAY more good people than there are horrid, hateful people out there.
And he is silencing commentators in this feed. We can’t name the product even though other channels have name and shamed it. When you see this companies marketing you’ll understand why it needs to be named to protect the consumer.
@@andybaldmanexactly. If Andy wasn’t planning to mention the name of the product he shouldn’t have made this video at all. It just shows that if a company doesn’t want a negative review they just have to threaten UA-camrs legally and that’s it
@@clintonfriend8237There is absolutely zero reason for him to have any fear in the slightest about these unfounded threats. He has less than zero reason to "control the narrative" here. The approach to censoring this and censoring himself is ridiculous.
You are a man of morals Andy, unlike some corporations that think that they can dictate or "bully" individuals that are honest, hard working to provide information to people that are not in the know for the best of their interest. Blessings from Oz
I am grateful for you and your channel. I have found, over time, that you tend to review products that interest me. Many times I purchased products after considering your review, and others, and I have been generally happy with decision I made based on your reviews. At least for me, you have provided a valuable service and I am happy that I found your channel. Given the current legal climate and sue-crazy nature of the corporate world, It makes perfect sense not to review products that would result in a negative review. It’s saddening, because negative reviews could enable the manufacturer to remedy product shortfalls and improve the item’s usefulness and profitability, IE GM Corvair VS Ralph Nader. This nameless company used the word collaboration. If you are “a collaborator”, then you work for that company and they may have the right to dictate the content of your review. However, since you are an entity the provides truthful, helpful, and reliable independent reviews, the “Company” has no business telling you what to report. That being said, the legal expense of defending you position could end in bankruptcy. Returning the product without review and distancing yourself from “the company” is a prudent move. Thank you for all of your hard work and I look forward to seeing you next reviews.
Thank you for being so honest with your reviews, I love your content and your personality....you make the music industry a better place, thank you for that.
I stand with you and your integrity. I come to youtube to watch honest reviews of products I'm interested in buying for myself. I watch another person who reviews microphones. He has a few rules. 1. He doesn't return the product being reviewed. 2. The manufacturer does not have any control over what he says in the video. 3. No one sees the video until it gets posted to UA-cam. If they don't agree, then he won't do the review. Stand your ground. Don't let them boss you around.
I'd never heard of you before but this video showed up on my home page, probably because I subscribe to other guitar channels. Excellent video and it's great that you've made a stand and told these people where to get off. I've subscribed to your channel.
The same here. This may be the best kind of bad news un-fun video you have had to post. Hope you get great success from it. I'll be watching all the reviews and fun videos from here on out. 😁
You are absolutely correct!!! Full support to you and the way you work. Freedom of what you are saying is even more important than money. Thank you very much. We will take a legal action to the company who is absolutely wrong in what they do.
The greatness attitude is yours, keep on being the great guy you are, honesty is the most valuable and precious quality that we can have, also kindness is a plus. I rely appreciated your video and the way you brought it, very good production, even if a so called company 's bad action or philosophy is misleading in a non sens, your presentation is so good that I instantly pushed the subscribe button and the like button being sure to be back on your channel for all your content and honesty, because I am a bass player since the last 53 years and I also love every things about guitars.
Thank you for the honest transparant reviews. Since there are less and less physical music Store it is a bless to have these honest reviewers.. otherwise we all buy stuff completely blindly and this helps a lot to make a choice. Keep on doing that!
Respect bro. You fix this issue in a very reasonable and honest way. The company did not want you to be honest, and you chose not to do any review about it's product, which is fair and square. Best decision. Well done. Keep up the good work.
I agree with you on everything except that now that you are not reviewing this product, I think you SHOULD name the brand that is doing this. That way we can know what evil and dishonestly manipulative and threatening shysters they really are and stay clear of them.
I think that you (TheGuitarGeek) should decide yourself whether you review the product or name the brand. You don't need to make more hassle for yourself unless you want to.
I have very little interest in guitar content, but I appreciate the hell out of your approach to this video and your transparency about the relationship between gear companies and UA-cam content makers. Thank you. 🙏
I saw a review of the product by another channel and they were truthful and trashed it. Thanks to all who are truthful. Everyone supports you and those who give an honest review. Reviews are also just an opinion.
I couldn’t tell either from watching the video. From reading the comments and doing 10 seconds of googling, I believe it is: The British English pronunciation of ✈️, except 🎸 instead of “plane” Am I cancelled?
Ah, yes... THAT review. I thought it was a great review, exactly what I thought about it when I saw a promo video. Guitarists aren't really their market...
Andy, thank you for sharing this story and giving us a look behind the scenes so to speak. Surely I am not the only one to be curious about the business side of what You Tube product reviewers and influencers do. It's obvious to most of us that you work hard to do something you enjoy, believe in and that also pays the bills. It's also no shock to your viewers to learn that you go out of your way to share your actual and honest experience with each product and that you don't let anyone put words in your mouth regardless of the money the are offering to put in your pocket. That being said, watching this video made me realize how hard it might be to remain honest as a reviewer and the amount of pressure product vendors might be willing to apply in order to get you to say what they want to hear. So thanks for sharing this with us.
Well done Andy. We used to get this all the time reviewing tech products for our magazine. Editorial independence is essential for reader trust. Smart companies discuss their upcoming products informally with reviewers at an early stage to get feedback to avoid this kind of nonsense.
What a shower of a company. Overpriced crap product receives honest reviews and they try and go strong arm. Lesson 1 in how to ruin your own business. Kudos to you HP and the rest for the honesty and integrity you show to us all Andy. 👏👏👏
The company doesn't see you as a reviewer, they see you as a compensated, influencer for their product. They think by providing you with the gear for free, you're going to provide them with a favorable review to pimp their product. Going forward, you may want to take extra care to communicate, in writing, that you are a critic, who provides honest assessments of guitar gear and are not a compensated influencer who will provide a service in exchange for compensation.
As a reviewer you obviously can’t be on the payroll of the very companies whose products you are reviewing! A reviewers’ job is to serve consumers, not to serve companies. The company you’re talking about is obviously in the wrong, but the entire business model is flawed at its core. It’s hardly surprising that a company doesn’t want to pay for negative reviews. I believe you’re an honest and knowledgeable reviewer but I get the sense you’ve adapting to a mindset where you want to keep everyone happy: ”I generally don’t do negative reviews”. Why not? A negative review is just as ”helpful” as a positive one, as long as it’s fair.
I do hope you got from all this the most important part: Have a contract that states clearly what you are doing and what you aren't doing and have them sign it before accepting any gear from anyone. Less drama, more time to concentrate on what you do. It doesn't have to cover everything, just the parts that are integral for your reviews and your channel - and your integrity. If they're not willing to do that, their gear probably isn't worth reviewing in the first place.
I was "fed" this video thanks to UA-cam's algorithm so I came into it blind, but it was a very interesting story. My immediate reaction was to write something similar to your comment, but I'll instead just reinforce it with an "amen" and a gentle suggestion that any agreement an influencer makes with a gear provider makes it clear that the content creator is not a PROMOTER. That word (and its variations) appears a number of times in their threatening email, and it's clear that they thought Andy was such, even if he didn't. Just try to be explicit about it, and if you were and they agreed to your terms, they have no grounds for legal action. And of course I'd also love to know the product/company, so if anyone reading this know, please reply!
Honest and thorough reviews like the ones you provide are not just helpful, but frankly necessary. There's so much new stuff out there, very few of us have the time to run to a store to play and compare everything that comes out. Late night video-watching however, we can all do. Thanks for not giving in to the insecurities of inferior companies!
Just watched your video with much interest, and some concern...Yesterday I received one of the 'guitars' to review on my own guitar tutorial channel, Fennah Rob. (we all know what it is). When the company approached me, asking for a review, I told them that, as a professional guitarist, 'the instrument must be 'playable' and of good enough quality to carry a tutorial'. I have since watched quite a few reviews from other UA-cam channels about this 'guitar' and they have not been at all favorable. The person who approached me was very polite and courteous so I do hope I can find some positive things to say about the product. Honesty must come first though. I'll post my review next week.
I agree that it is best to call them up and tell them I am returning the product. Why go any further with these people? It's not worth any hit financially or hit to your reputation.
"If you want a perfect review, make a perfect product". Very well said Andy, this company's actions only reasures how insecure they are about their product. This community can't be bought. Period.
Do we always hang out in the same places?
No doubt.
well, andy appears to be scared.
Quite so! Andy has a reputation to protect as well, which should be that he is impartial, and making this video very, very necessary. I'm so glad that he did.
This is not unlike telling a test examiner that if he/she doesn't give you a pass or high score it would damage your reputation, which of course would have to mean that you didn't have a reputation in the first place.
How these people have the brass neck to send Andy this email is frankly mind blowing, yet they lack the confidence in their product for it to receive a genuinely positive review.
If you were a vintner, would you send a less than great tasting wine to a connoisseur and tell him, "By the the way, if you don't give this a good and positive review I'll sue you for damages"? I think not!
@@GeorgeGeorgeOnly so why not call the product out...? what he is doing now seems rather chicken.....
As a US lawyer with 32 years' experience (and a guitar player with 50 years' experience), assuming the company is in the USA, they have no case. They suggest that if you DEFAME their product, they will sue you. But opinions are not actionable, only FALSITIES are. Personally, I would post the video, and if they sue you, it'll give you MORE FAME, and likely, a local attorney in your jurisdiction (who is a musician) will offer to represent you for free! Also, keep in mind that proving in court that YOUR review cost them sales is almost impossible. Lack of sales can be for a dozen other reasons. Stand up to these pricks and do it!
All very good but it could be construed as a breach of a contractual term and a liability for breach of such contract.....and a claim for damages. Easy solution, just buy one of their guitars and say what you like.
Maybe true, but why get into a hassle when you don't need it; life is too short to take on unnecessary battles; unless you think it would be fun !!
@@ScarboroughTourist it will give this channel a TON of publicity!
@@bronchick Yay!
the courtroom is not a place to determine right or wrong. Its a place to make attorneys wealthy. Avoid a courtroom at absolute all costs. The juice is rarely ever worth the squeeze even with a favorable judgement (which can often take years).
Agree with your statement of “want a perfect review, make a perfect product”
I absolutely loved that...
That would be Dusenberg and Framus. I just don't want to drop that much cheddar on a Guitar.
honest manufacturers know that and know they are rolling the dice if I'm reviewing their product...I don;t go out of my way to be mean, and I clarify issues with them before release, but if you lay a balut egg in the electronics cavity, I'll report the smell
couldn't be more spot on!
@@A_A_ron-Phillips agreed. Framus makes Warwick basses. I have 2 corvettes: one fretted, one fretless. Tone, ergonomics and playability are excellent. Even had a friend check out the fretless, and he thought it felt great. Can't argue with a blind man on that.
This video came up randomly in my feed, and I was impressed with your professional response to this situation. Your integrity was clearly on display.
Liked and Subscribed.
Professional response? He bent over and let them fuck him. That's not the kind of response I want from a professional reviewer. "I agree not to post a bad review because you strongarmed me". "From now on I will give only good reviews no matter if the product is good or not" is the next step
Here here!
Likewise-- just saw this randomly in my feed, never saw the channel before.
This video makes me feel very much like I'm joining this situation in the middle. The letter from the company makes it clear that they were not offering a product for review. They were offering a product for paid promotion. Under the circumstances, every word in the letter is entirely appropriate. If you hired an advertising agency, you wouldn't let them make ads expressing their honest opinions about your products. You'd tell them what to say, and sue them if they didn't follow your instructions.
Maybe the company sent out a product for promotional purposes without first explaining their intentions to the influencer. If so, that's their mistake. But maybe this particular influencer contributed to a misunderstanding, and if so, there's blame to be shared.
Yep... same here. Popped up on my random feed. I'm not an enthusiast..., I don't even own a guitar. However, honest reviews, from genuine users are a dying art. i really miss the days of when you read a review, or watched a review video it was from someone who cared, someone who loved the product space they were in, and would give their opinion with the least amount of outside influence they could muster. I commend you for working on keeping your integrity and being honest about what goes on outside and inside that work.
Likewise.
This is how a decent person with integrity acts. They don't bow down to anyone and they know the value of their work. Congratulations!
What a great articulate video. I'm going to be frank, I haven't seen too many of your videos but you got a new fan here! Well done!
agreed!
Andy is a good dude for sure 🙌🙏
Helll yeah
Glad you found this video Ola, Andy is an amazing human being
When Ola takes the time to comment, it's good content!
Not naming the company... well I never signed an NDA with these clowns.
that is very true. I just want to be the bigger person here
Waiting anxiously, brother! Only a notification separates me from a piece of your mind about this :)
get 'em Glenn!
Scorch 'em Glenn.
GLEENNNNN! Review this gear and put them on blast!
Reveal who they are. Let them try to sue you. This is the last company I would want to buy a product from. Transparency and honesty about a particular product is paramount.
what company is it?
Do a search "guitar for beginners review" and you'll find several videos talking about this guitar.
theres nothing to sue over, hes not reviewing it
MSA. The German guys.
Are you paying his legal fees?
One thing that has stood out in your videos from day 1......how real and "normal" your reviews are. Just a guy. Sharing his passion. A gear head. One of us.
And this good sir ......simply cements that further. Huge huge respect.
Thanks Laurence. That’s exactly how I approach my videos. Just me having fun, talking with my friends
This video was the first of yours to enter my feed. Great job! It’s obvious that this particular company feels that if they are paying you for a review, it should be what they want as an “employer”. I applaud your honesty and integrity. Can’t wait now to dive into some of your other reviews!
Same with me.
Same here! Subscribed!
"honesty and integrity?" The guy is a shill. -definition of a shill
A person engaged in covert advertising. The shill attempts to spread buzz by personally endorsing the product in public forums with the pretense of sincerity, when in fact he is being paid for his services.
He seems upset that a company won't pay him for writing a bad review of their product. If he didn't take the corporate money in the first place, he could write an honest review of a product. Shills has no integrity.
@@amx360 Yes, I realized that by the end of the video. It was very revealing about the entire "review" and "influencer" industry.
Yeah, but they asked him to review it not advertise it, so they are trying to stack the deck in their favour. I find this dishonest at best, morality and legally wrong at worst. Not a company I would EVER deal with.
You've sold me! If ever I were to make a guitar, you're the first person I would go to to have it reviewed. Any criticisms you would have regarding the instrument would be taken into account to facilitate its improvement. Honesty wins. ❤ from the UK.
I'm 74 and stumbled across your 'very professional' channel, I just love listening to opinions. You sir, are an example of what a true professional product reviewer is, or at least, should be. Any manufacturer that approaches a reviewer of your integrity and professionalism should 'take the bad with the good'. If a product does not live up to what it's supposed to, they should be extremely greatful for bringing it to their attention. What they then should do is this:
They should update their marketing literature to include:
"Based on customer feedback, including from professional reviewers in this industry, we have now carried out further tests and made some design improvements we hope you will enjoy.
We are a company that listens to our customers and those with professional knowledge, this is how we improve our products for you, the end user".
Just watched the video, dude tell them to fuck off and I’ll happily send you a bunch of Guitars to review in their place - their loss.
You and I have been through so many situations like this in the past, together and separately, I sometimes feel like this industry needs a shake up before it gets rudely woken up…
Love you, man
Hi Rob! Can you send me a Ghost Fret please?! I love my ML3 but it needs a pointy counterpart 😂
Chappers in for the win! Love'ya, Rob-glad to see you back with the Cap'n lately.
Well said, Rob. I’m tired of paid “influencers” in society.
I’d be happy to review a Chapman as well
I bought a crap Harley Benton thanks to you Rob. Keep up the good work 👍
If a company is trolling for positive reviews then their quality is not up to par. If they believe their product is cutting edge and everything they say it is then the product will stand on its own. It won’t require bribery to help increase sales.
I know this because I’m retired from a career in Quality Assurance. Not Quality Control. There is a huge difference between Quality Control and Quality Assurance. Quality Control is essentially sorting the good from the bad. Quality Assurance is to build quality INTO the product by design. Negative reviews should be utilized as an opportunity to improve.
Great video!
Well. I‘ve been doing what you‘re doing for 20 years. That was through musicians‘ magazines - before everything was online on UA-cam. What happened to you, happened to me a lot of times. And nothing actually happened to me, even though some US and German companies really turned on the heat with fierce threats like they sent you through their lawyers.
So keep on doing what you‘re doing and don‘t mind these people.
Every single company I‘ve criticized then isn‘t here anymore today. Their products were inferior and no legal battle could make them better. They had to give up the legal battles very soon anyway, because most of them ran out of money. So, have no fear, you‘re absolutely doing the right thing. Helping to neutralize these people is a service to all musicians.
I use to subscribe to that magazine. I problem read your reviews.
I probably have one of the magazines with an article written by you in my closet. Anymore hints? ✌️
Now I have to search them all for Richard Ervins. Gonna be a fun weekend! Thanks!
Exactly. Andy hasn't entered into any contract with these people, and these guidelines are "after the fact" so non-binding with the agreement he already made for the review. They literally don't have a leg to stand on.
Except unlike magazines, he makes money from the MFG, so will not do the review without getting paid. One of issues with this kind of business model
This is the first video I have seen from you.
You earned yourself a subscriber.
I appreciate your honesty and class in handling this matter!
Thank you for being genuine!
Watching this bolstered my confidence that I have found the right gear review channel for candid content. I respect the honesty and integrity.
thank you mate.
Totally agree and Andy makes fun and informative videos that nearly always has me watching the whole video.
i entirely disagree based on the premise Andy claims to be in his 40s yet looks 5 years younger than me (31)
Damnit, you got there first.
Well said.
Totally! I generally avoid UA-cam for reviews because they’re so gross and sketchy. I’ve made sure I was subscribed to Geek after seeing this.
Thank you for this video, I’m in my 60’s now and have seen shady companies for about 45 years. Keep up the good work and don’t ever back down. You have a new fan here.
I am a drummer and I appreciate this video for its honesty. If I knew the name of the shady company, I would not hesitate to spread the word among my musician friends, and then inform the company what I was doing. They could send letters or "Liam Neeson", without ever stopping me.
@@boomer3150Aeroband guitar. Search UA-cam, there are loads of terrible reviews 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I like where you said that it's really hard and that you love it. That is where it's at. Excellent content in the whole video.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and found it valuable. Your support means a lot!
The internet is riddled with bad reviews. I would now refuse their money, and then release the review.
Oh boy… I Wonder what happened!
you'll never know.
"I know which brand you're talking about" button 👍
You know who they are
Always do the right thing. You will gratify some, and astonish the rest! - Mark Twain
Thought your review was very fair for that particular product 😁
You GO honest Andy. The guitar community has your back. It is immensely valuable for us players at all levels to have access to a gear review channel that we can trust. Rock on bro ✌️✌️
It’s the AeroGuitar, isn’t it? With its silicon “strings”
It's "silicone" not silicon. Typically I'm not the grammar and spelling police, but in this particular instance, the difference between silicone and silicon is huge.
Yes
@@section8usmc53 my dog got silicon implants....a chip
Apart from being extremely popular your honesty and integrity we all come to you for one very very well known particular….
A completely unbiased opinion
expect you would have a huge list of your followers who will completely back you up
keep up the good works great stuff
@@section8usmc53 Still made with silica though. Honest mistake.
I'm a guitar maker. I've sent guitars that I made to guitar magazines to be reviewed. Usually I received a 'facts check' preiew of the review, just to do that: to be able to alert the magazine of false claims or statements. I have in one case asked for one feature that was omitted in the review, to be mentioned.
If you make a product and submit it for a review, it is your responsibility as a maker to send out something so good, that it will deserve a positive review.
I always thought that that was how reviews worked. Pros, cons, conclusion, sets of features, 'bang for the buck'. And fun! When I'm shopping myself, I have lots of fun checking out players experiences with the products I'm shopping for.
Keep up your great work, Guitar Geek! Like you, I also love guitars!
Thank you for exposing this. We need more honest people to stand up to these corporate bullies. The general public has been shafted for the almighty dollar too many times so it's time we all stood up and fought back.
He exposed no one.
Hey Andy, I just wanted to tell you I applaud your dedication to being honest and forthcoming with your reviews. The way you stress that what you do is no walk in the park and the fact that you feel you even have to say that sort of thing reminds me of a situation I had once with an IRS employee. I had a business years ago with a band that was exclusively a tribute band for casino cabarets. I played guitar and we did a pretty good imitation, er excuse me, _tribute_ to ZZ Top. Somehow along the way I messed up my taxes filling out tax forms somewhere, so I went to an IRS office to try and fix it. The guy I talked to was nice enough, he didn't accuse me of attempted tax fraud or anything like that. But during our conversation I asked him why my tax rate was so high. His reply totally pi**ed me off. He said _"It's because you play for a living, you don't work."_
I sat there staring at him for a good 30 seconds before I said anything. Then I calmly asked him "Have you ever done any kind of work like we do?" He said no. I replied _"Ok, so let me tell you how it goes. First off, our joke is that our clocks are broken, because your AM is our PM. So we get up at 6:00 PM, do the morning thing, head to the venue and set up the gear, of which there was approximately a ton and a half of..."_
It took me a good 15 minutes to explain our full day and I went into minute detail, and I left out nothing. Now granted, that was a description of one of our days when we were playing one nighters, which we did for 17 years before we started playing in casino cabarets. But I wanted to drive home the point that there is a lot more to playing in a band than playing 20 or so songs and saying "Thank you! Good night!"
He was like "Oh my God, I didn't know..."
Really enjoyed this video. The term "misinformation" get thrown around a lot lately and always because an organization or government (in the US's case) has something they don't want made public. Absolutely right move on your part to return the product, even better to make this video.
I’ve been watching your channel for years. If there was one thing I never questioned, it was your honesty. I appreciate that you stood your ground, while dealing with corporate bullying, and shared your story. Thank you. Keep up the content.
I whispered into the wind and waited for a sign; the response I received? Aeroguitar
This is what I was looking for. Many thanks, Wind Whisperer!
I just saw a review by someone else of an Aeroguitar and I'm sure that is this company.
Aeroguitar as the name i need. Thank you.
Hi there. I am one of the Kickstarter backers of this product and I am outright shocked of this practise. I received the product in the meantime and actually really like it. It works, keeps its promises, sounds quite nice and it didn't fall apart. In my humble opinion, this whole email is incredible stupid and in fact destroyes all trust in those reviews for absolutely no reason. I can ensure you, that most backers are pretty pissed of because of this :(
What is it?!?!?! I'm super curious now
Well, if this is how they work, they won't sell many products, so who cares what make it is? it will go flat pretty quick.@@aydenmcfly1362
@@aydenmcfly1362 Aeroband Guitar
Hi Andy, those "Guitar in the Air" clowns don't even trust their own product to act like this. I don't think they have a future in guitar business. Your honesty and candidness honor you. Keep on the good job!
I'm curious. What company did this?
@@masamune9082 🤫🤫🤫🤫
It’s a secret!!!!😆😆😆😆😆
I’m pretty sure it’s the new plastic looking guitar(that’s not really a guitar) with a speaker on it. Forget what it’s called, but it’s a complete joke, a toy guitar for $500!!😆😆😆😱😱Like it should be sold at Toys R Us!!!😆😆😆
I see what you did there !!!
@@masamune9082 Something tells me it is:
an absolutely Appalling company
what they do is Extortionate
trying to sue people like this is Ridiculous
their actions are Obnoxious
outright, it's Bad
a lot of their products are also just Awful
when they try to control reviews like this, it is Notorious
overall, this stuff is Destructive
Do with that information what you will.
Appreciate you sharing this buddy! I love meeting honest, hardworking guys like you brother. Keep pumping out the vid's!!!
I love the use of the word "collaborators", which implies that you are on their side, rather than an independent reviewer,
Yeah that whole letter reads bad, like it was written by an angry 14yr old boy. Absolutely immature and unprofessional.
The company is basically is the position of a beggar, begging people not to give bad publicity, while at the same time trying to act like a bully tyrant. Exactly like a 14yr old might do
It sounds woke .
Love that you are holding your ground in a world of internet influencers that are being bullied by brands who are putting their own interests above any truth about how their product really is.
Not only did they send you a rather foreboding email, they unknowingly outed their " no hassle" return policy... Well played, laddies!😂
Lots of manufacturers and retailers use that very same terminology.
@@davitofarito Does not change the fact the company is shady.
Sadly anyone posting to UA-cam now days has to have a lawyer on call.
Unacceptable behavior on that company's part. Thank you for your honesty and your tempered response. Subscribed.
I am sorry you had to deal with this and glad you shared this info. I have only recently discovered your channel and it has already helped me in a few decisions I made about getting a product. I sincerely enjoy your videos and honesty and am looking forward to more. Thank you for doing what you do!
What I, personally, gained from this video was respect. For you. Good on you man. Thanks for taking the time to explain core values we can all get behind. Have been subscribed for a while. Just became an avid fan right now.
That’s really good to read man. I’ve not pleased
Everyone with this video but that was never the goal. Glad to have you here
I know I'm late but.....honesty is the best tool to make great videos. One of the comments I read was, if you make a good product you will get good reviews, but if you make a poor product then you can expect a review equivalent to your product. Simple. Keep up TheguitarGeek.
I'm only sorry you didn't name names. You ARE an influencer TO ME... I've been a professional studio and touring musician and composer since 1983 and, before that, sat around in jam sessions with musicians who were long-time professionals. That's why I believe I too could become one. All of them - and ever since - have told horror stories about some companies and not others, and their naming names did NOT stop me from playing or perusing those 'offending' products. They just alerted me, and I'm thankful they did. But it was always my own experience that sweetened or soured my opinions. I've had cheapo guitars that indeed fell apart in a couple of years but were reparable and became infinitely better (ie, I shoulda replaced parts a lot sooner but I still like to 'get to know' the parts and sounds so I can correctly identify Likes & Dislikes). I'd had expensive guitars whose maker were not upholding "lifetime guarantees" and that soured me on them, and I made sure I brought up MY example of THEIR bad behavior to everyone I could. I'll still watch and evaluate your videos and I'd object to anyone preventing ME from collecting others' opinions about products.
It's actually better not to name names. Not for legal reasons, but because six months later you will see the name, but you may not necessarily remember where you saw it. The saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity" is 100% true.
I can't be certain, but something inside me is screaming "Aeroguitar!!". That thing is a guitar shaped piece of junk.
@@notquitehuman7402 Seems to be this
@@jimhyslop "The saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity" is 100% true."
Bill Cosby. Subway & Jared. United Airlines vs David Dao. United Airline vs Sons of Maxwell's guitars. KFC's Kristallnacht blunder. Chipotle vs E. Coli. McDonalds vs Morgan "Supersize Me" Spurlock. Enron & the late Arthur Andersen accounting firm.
That saying isn't universally true and never has been.
AeroGuitar
100% agree with you. If a company wants a review (opinion) of their product then that’s what they get. It’s not an infomercial! Keep up the great work Andy. I value your channel.
It's not that simple. This "reviewer" admits he is being paid by the company concerned.
@@nationaldemocrat Definitely want to see the contract on that. If it's as TheGuitarGeek mentions "promotional", then the Kickstarter can claim breach for a non-positive "review". If, however, it's supposed to be a real review, then they are paying for someone's time to actually look at their product (like professional beta testers). It sounds like they are changing their request after securing the agreement, and doing so in a really strongarm way.
TheGuitarGeek can refuse the money and buy the device and review it as long as there's $$ coming in elsewhere. After-all, when people review things for magazines or on UA-cam there's $$ coming in hopefully to offset the purchase, and the reviewer can only do the review if they can offset the purchase and make some type of profit (otherwise why do it).
Pointing out what happened in this video is the best review I can think of for this product. Best to avoid (and a quick Google search turns up what the bad product is - when I looked at it it appears to be an extremely expensive Guitar Hero knock-off).
Good fortune Andy, the community needs to have reviewers it can trust.
@@l00k4tstuff You end by saying "the community needs to have reviewers it can trust". And this Andy chap is clearly not one of them, as he, by his own admission, accepts money in return for so-called "reviews". He is hopelessly compromised, and I am betting there are many many more reviewers ouy there we thought were impartial but like Andy, are actually taking the money....
I had no idea being a UA-camr was so difficult: appreciate you even more now. Rock on polite guy!
Editing is insanely time consuming
@@the_hessian__ True, just making a 60+ secs meme videos took me several hours. Imagine editing a 20-30 minutes gear review with multiple camera angles, without live camera switching (Which is what I assume Henning (Eytschpi42) does). Also having to synchronise the audio, adding in the text and extra eye candy effects.
I appreciate your honesty and integrity as an impartial guitar reviewer. Keep doing what you're doing and don't be dictated to or bullied by any manufacturer, no matter how well-known or lesser-known that company may be. Threats, no matter how veiled they, are are still threats. You're right - your honesty to us, the buying public, is all-important. YOUR respected name in the marketplace is everything to us prospective consumers.
I agree with you Andy, a company has no place trying to tell you how to do your job. Your content is awesome and your honesty, quirkiness and massive amounts of information you include in your videos are some of the many reason I watch your channel. Really appreciate you sharing this. 🤘
Love your channel Andy. Don't let these companies throw curve balls at you. Just tell them if they want a piece of the pie to go ahead and sponsor you full-time. I love guitars to man. I'm sorry your being threatened. Much respect for not throwing out the company who's messing with you
Love your work! Love your Code Of Ethics against having reviews reviewed before posting.
When you are threatening legal action it shows how much of a scam they are...
I wouldn't call it a scam (except for the lying in a promo video in which the sound is obviously coming from a recorded acoustic guitar), but they obviously believe in the product and have invested a lot of money in it, and now there's a risk of it crumbling and them losing money. However, I don't think that more than 0.001 guitarists would buy that product anyway...
@@nedim_guitar if they are confident in their product, then there is no need to control reviewers opinions and criticisms like this
Well said. Amazing that companies do things like this
@@andym2612 Yes, but as Henning said in his latest video about this, it's like they've had a lot of yes men around them and now they will consult with Henning to see if they can make it better. Henning's ideas for the app that needs a lot of work, could be a step in the right direction. But it's an expensive thing with way too many features for beginners. It's like they didn't know their target market.
@@ky9999 That's true, but that's probably more about damage control now that they've got bad reviews. Sending this out to guitarists was a mistake. Their target market is in the tech interested young people (below 30) who also happen to have money to spend.
Wow, that company must be…
Awful
Evil
Reprehensible
Obtuse
Bullying
Abusive
Nefarious
Dastardly
…and probably a bunch of other terrible things if they try to use threats to control reviewers like that. Whoever they are, I certainly wouldn’t want to do business with them!
I believe it. I saw their ad and thought it was a cheap gimmick, and the only benefit it might have is as a travel guitar to maintain basic skills while, you know, travelling abroad.
thanks
i want the link of that video about that guitar
LOL! Got it. 😂
I knew it would be the minute I clicked on the video
The way around this "legal" nightmare is to send this item back to this company, then purchase one of these items and give the world your opinion about it. The problem is, you are taking money from the manufacturers to "promote" their product, whether they say it or not. You OWE it to YOUR customers to fully expose the motives of this company and do an honest review of their product. I have subscribed to your channel, and I will be following this story.
and that's why I have just unsubscribed.
The problem with payed reviews is: we are not the customer. The brand is the customer. The viewers are the product.
The reviewer will be biased, even when he does his best to be honest.
@@Clayne151 Correct.
Nope. If a company supplies a reviewer with a product that does NOT create a contractual obligation to write a positive review.
@@Rondoggy67 nobody said that.
Andy, when that "guitar" fails (and it will), you will still be here reviewing gear and we will continue to trust your candor.
Andy, you should be applauded for this video. It shows your passion, honesty, intelligence and refusal to be bullied. We are very lucky to have dedicated reviewers like you who are prepared to 'stay in the kitchen in spite of some heat'. Keep it up.
Right on.
Glad to have it. People need to stand up for themselves. What's messed up is, it takes one mistake to end it all. They can turn on you. I saw a video like yours. The guy wouldn't do a review in that guitar. He noticed that they were not good and sent the guitar back.
Is this comment a sarcastic joke? The dude was a coward who was illegally threatened and refused to name the company that threatened him.
This is why that product name needs an honest review by people. A company threatening honest reviews? Their conduct is unacceptable and unprofessional. I am glad you shared their unprofessional email. I would have my lawyer respond in kind to them in a passive aggressive manor promising all emails from them to be shared to the public and they are named for their threats and misconduct. The review would happen and if it performed good or bad, their email would be on screen at the end to expose such threats.
I stumbled on your video and it made my day. You are a man of courage and integrity. Thanks for making the video. I'm 74. I started trying to learn guitar in 1966. I got about as far as the Steve Martin character Nathan Johnson in the movie The Jerk did with his first hitch hiking experience after he decided to leave home. The distance was about 50 feet. So anyway , after watching your video and the way you described your fellow reviewers, I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that you aren't shills. You come across as genuine. That's all I can say.
I've been a professional journalist and product reviewer for more than twenty years, for products in automotive, aviation, music, and stage production markets. Before UA-cam muddied the water with its officially sanctioned paid promotional reviews, there has always been a cardinal rule in real journalism: NEVER ACCEPT PAYMENT OR OTHER COMPENSATION FROM ANY COMPANY YOU WRITE ABOUT. Journalists who violated this rule were promptly fired, or worse, blacklisted. The reason is simple: no reader or viewer can trust a review that's been paid for by the product vendor. It has nothing to do with your personal standards, honesty, uprightness, or integrity. It's that the AUDIENCE CAN'T TRUST YOU ONCE YOU'VE BEEN PAID. You're just another paid promoter, nothing more. It's probably too late to put the cat back in the bag in your case. But let this be a caution to other people holding themselves out as independent reviewers. And a pox on UA-cam for permitting paid reviews.
Agreed... and to take that a step further if I may, aren't all UA-camr's that do self proclaimed unbiased reviews of any product, that are monitonized by view numbers victim (or perps!) of this! Thanks Packetguy.
@@adlerburg absolutely not. Because they are not being paid by the product manufacturer. How journalist get compensated otherwise is up to them, as long as there is no conflict of interest. For example, I am often paid by print publications such as Aviation Week for reviews. That is not ethically any different from being compensated financially from UA-cam clicks or views, because those print publications are paid by advertisers, just as UA-cam creators are. This has been a bright line in journalism for literally centuries, dating to the 17th century turn to objectivity in scientific publication, and away from the self-interest of alchemy.
You got that right, although journos are on a salary. It is arguably reasonable to accept payment provided it is agreed that the review is independent and uncensored and that the payment is revealed. However, there is an inherent positive bias in accepting paid reviews in two ways: it sets a positive frame on the review; there is the expectation of further reviews. It is also quite improper for UA-camrs to review a product if the like it but refrain from reviewing if they don't (whether a fee is involved or not). This is because their is an automatic bias for positive reviews - we just don't see the stuff reviews think are rubbish. Yup I happen to be a psychologist, but this is just common sense, really. The argument UA-camrs have to make a living is weak. There are plenty of UA-camrs who never review and plenty of reviewers who don't take a fee. Their living is from monetizing. A well-known luthier never reviews and estimates a third of his living now comes from UA-cam. A pox on UA-cam for almost everything - in particular requiring that only the copyright holders themselves can ask for removal of copyright material. I'm sick of seeing entire films and albums put on UA-cam. If I know who the copyright holder is, I tell them, but honestly I do have the remnants of a life, and it's not my job - it's UA-cam's
Yes I also disagree with what you said. I believe journalists are paid by their employers to write stories and perhaps reviews. I think with UA-cam reviewers the problem comes down to who pays these reviewers for the work they do. The reviewers need to make a living and for the hours they put in. Since they don't have a traditional employer who's going to pay? I have no problem with a manufacturer paying the reviewer for a review of their product, but I think the manufacturer needs to understand the review can go either way, good or bad from the reviewer. They pay and take their chances on a positive outcome from someone who can influence (which is waht they are paying for) potential buyers to buy their product. I'm thinking if a anyone watches someone like this reviewer and have seen them being honest for products they review (mentioning both good and bad, pros and cons) I would feel confident the advice the reviewer is providing is honest. Afterall, if the reviewer is in bed with the manufacturer at some point it's going to get out that the products they are promoting are crap and not honest. Eventually the reviewer would lose creditbility and be out of a job because they will lose their following. I want the reviewer to be paid for the review and if the manufacturer is willing to foot the bill so be it. I think to solve the problem from the reviewer is to do what he or she is doing here. Be up front to the manufacturer before they send the product for review they understand the reviewer's responsibilities to their audience. I believe if a manufacturer has made a good product they shouldn't be hring people to review it. Fix whatever is wrong with it until the reviewer can give a positive review honestly. Perhaps another agreement that can happen between the manufacturer and reviewer is for the company to pay the reviewer up front and ask to see the review before it's published so they can find out what is wrong with it and have a chance to 1. Ensure the reviewer didn't misunderstand something about the product and have that discussion to ensure accuracy and 2. Allow the manufacturer to decline publication of the negative review since they paid for the article up front. I don't think by keeping the article from publication it would matter. The reviewer won't get to give a review of the product but their intregrity is not affected (and they are paid for the work they did on the unpunblished article). The way the manufacturer in this video went about it was completely wrong. They should not have threatened the reviewer in the manner they did. They simply should have said we will pay you regardless but we reserve the right to kill the review. If nothing else, the manufacturere pays for the work of the reviewer to find out why their product review turned out bad. It should be a win for them because they now have the opportunity to hear from someone who is unbiased about the problem and if they follow the advice of the reviewer to improve the product it would benefit that company when the improved product goes to market. Keep up the good work and manufacturers READ my suggestions so reviewers can maintain their levels of integrity and recommend your products IF they are good enough based upon their merits.
Long comments gents... everyone is biased in some way, and money is a key factor in that. Professional journalists have been bought trips etc. from companies forever - to claim otherwise is naive. UA-camrs are also imperfect, but hey, at least the funding is pretty obvious and can be taken into account.
i'm not a guitar person but you came up in the suggestions, you seem like a chill dude and agree with what you are saying. i hope you get to review a lot of stuff you like and that that will help a lot of ppl make the right choice in buying gear. have a good one.
The email is not only a threat, it's a trap. It seems they want to shut you down anyway.
They don't give their own product any chance to convince anyone.
fact is : if a comany produces a bad product IT ALLREADY HAS VIOLATED US LAWS ! ( cant remeber how those were called but MR. Bronchick a lawyer may know to what laws i refer ). as a compnay you are oblidged to deliver a sound and good product that does fullfill quality rules set by those laws. Nowq if your product is not in perfect accordiance with those laws, not only are you ( as example ) the Company to be draged before court but anyone can and is free to publicly anounce that there is a bad product around and that noone should ever give money away for ! As a compnay they must fullfill all reglements set by US/UK/GB laws and if they dont : the state where the company is based , the fedderal state aswell as the US state as such, is absolutly able to sue that company. Now if the producst that company made are so bad that they do not fullfill any rules, is every sold product to be returned or retaken and the buyer is to be refunded even than when he or she retruns the product ( reparation for havind got a bad product ). The nexyt step of the state would be to take that company into deeper investigations: if in case it turns out the company does produce only bad products that do not fullfill any rules set by law: its owner or CEO could easaly face even imprisonment in the worst of all worst case scenarios and the company could get even closed !
everywhere in the world there are several laws in regard to Producing stuff and selling stuff that every company must fullfill. Now UK GB and EU , have of the most hard and harsh rules but the US is not so different : you must deliver qualitiy and if you dont you must refund and if you produce only crap , i know very well in the US ( differs oinly from federal state to federal state ) you could be punished very severly up to even getting your company closed .....
i suggest, if Andy is US based, that the US GOuvernment goes after that company to find out what they are up to and whether or not they do fullfill the rules set by law in regad to production and quality .
Hi Andy. I've worked in the music industry for too long if I'm honest. I've worked as an artist, for labels, managed bands, produced recordings, and even lectured in Music Business & Professional Practice at University. I've also worked (and on occasion still do) as a writer/critic, reviewing gigs, new releases, demos and so on.
Some years ago I gave a negative review of a band who shall remain nameless. I was accused of not listening to the tracks at first, before said band threatened to sue, sighting radio DJ Gary Crowley loved the songs (insert preferred level of laughter here). To cut a long story short, after a brief chat with my editor over a pint, we returned a one line email simply saying, " Good luck with suing an opinion." After a few more emails threatening me with everything from slashed tyres to a reputation in tatters, and even physical violence, their guns fell silent.
I understand that when money is changing hands things are a little more complicated, but you are right to stick to your guns.
For all it's worth, I did not know about your channel and this video appeared on my recommendations.
Thank you for your work and the transparency. If I wasn't a regular viewer, I will be from now on. We need more of this on the field!
Love you man, you always keep it real ❤
Chappers!
Holy shit!
Damn right
Love you guitars specially the ml-3 traditional
Love you too my brother 😍
It's funny that he didn't mention the brand, and yet I knew immediately who it was. We have seen the other reviews that have appeared recently, not all of them positive about the "guitar". What they should have done is take their loss on this one, put in some R&D and build something better with the criticism they just got. What they have done now is kill their brand with NO coming back from it. Great marketing!
mixed gas guitar? :D
What brand???????
@@Ruck-AF Well, Andy does not want to mention the brand and also doesn't want us to mention it here. But we know it's a kickstarter project about a guitar that's not realy a guitar. Shouldn't take you much more than one google search with the terms "kickstarter" and "guitar" to get there :)
Thanks!@@Mancunian4 I'll look it up. Though I highly doubt that someone in the UA-cam comments can possibly be liable to a law suit for merely speculating. You wouldn't actually be guilty of any sort of crime.
you have answer in my comment@@Ruck-AF
You're absolutely correct in everything you've said. Keep being You, and keep telling the truth. It's the truth which keeps you safe from any action as far as this is concerned.
I watched EytschPi42's video about that very product yesterday. He totally roasted it, but first he broke the contract he had with them and said he didn't want to be paid.
Anyone interested in what this product is about should go watch his video. All will become clear quickly.
Is it the one that's called "this is not a guitar" ?
Same here, l guessed already from the title that Andy was talking about the same product… 👍
Yes. That one :-)
I am considering buying my first guitar. I have been watching massive amounts of videos before I spend my hard-earned money. Your toil and honesty is especially appreciated by beginners like me.
Harley benton all day long
@@chrisstephens6194 Thanks bro. I was leaning heavily towards the HB 35 plus. But my local guitar store has a Gretsch 2622 p90 on steep discount. It seems like a great opportunity to get a great guitar, get it set up, and build a relationship.
Honestly Andy, you probably should name and shame the company. That kind of corporate bullying is unacceptable, and they should not be able to do so in secret.
The company seems to think it is your job to promote their product, not review it. Unless you have commited to promotiing the product they have no grounds on which to sue.
I understand why you are being so cautious, but sometimes we need to stand our ground.
Keep making the great content :)
We all know it’s that areoguitar thing so him saying the company will only make it worse
Very bad advice.
This wouldn't be a certain guitar with pressure points covered with gel, 6 strings, and a really bad sound system, no ability to pitch-bend, and costs somewhere between $400 and $500 would it? Supposedly aimed at people with arthritis, among other physical setbacks?
This just reassures that there are honest reviews out there! “They’ll never take our freedom.”
You're a real one!
Oh, we goin' William Wallace up in dis B?!
Do you wield a guitar one-handed or two? Do they make hand-and-a-half guitars?
@@sofa_king_koolwait, huh????🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
They already took his freedom, and he is taking ours by not allowing people to name "the company"; if there is really one.
”Don't let others get in the way of your happiness.". This comes at a time when I'm very much hurt due to someone else's actions. While we all know that this channel isn't about self-affirmation, I truly appreciate this reminder to not let others dictate our emotions or actions. Thank you and much success always.
The channel may be about guitars but I endeavour to make it more than that!
I hope you make it through quickly
Very well said, Stratman. BTW, I'm sorry someone has caused you unjust pain. You gots lots of folks out in the world that could be here for ya if ever needed be. There are WAY more good people than there are horrid, hateful people out there.
@@TheGuitarGeek Wow. Very nice of you, Andy. Class act. Cool Cat! Keep up the great work!!!!
Never let someone silence you Andy
Except he’s being silenced.
And he is silencing commentators in this feed. We can’t name the product even though other channels have name and shamed it. When you see this companies marketing you’ll understand why it needs to be named to protect the consumer.
@@andybaldmanexactly. If Andy wasn’t planning to mention the name of the product he shouldn’t have made this video at all. It just shows that if a company doesn’t want a negative review they just have to threaten UA-camrs legally and that’s it
@@clintonfriend8237There is absolutely zero reason for him to have any fear in the slightest about these unfounded threats. He has less than zero reason to "control the narrative" here. The approach to censoring this and censoring himself is ridiculous.
A 3 R 0 B @ N D
You are a man of morals Andy, unlike some corporations that think that they can dictate or "bully" individuals that are honest, hard working to provide information to people that are not in the know for the best of their interest. Blessings from Oz
I am grateful for you and your channel. I have found, over time, that you tend to review products that interest me. Many times I purchased products after considering your review, and others, and I have been generally happy with decision I made based on your reviews. At least for me, you have provided a valuable service and I am happy that I found your channel.
Given the current legal climate and sue-crazy nature of the corporate world, It makes perfect sense not to review products that would result in a negative review. It’s saddening, because negative reviews could enable the manufacturer to remedy product shortfalls and improve the item’s usefulness and profitability, IE GM Corvair VS Ralph Nader.
This nameless company used the word collaboration. If you are “a collaborator”, then you work for that company and they may have the right to dictate the content of your review.
However, since you are an entity the provides truthful, helpful, and reliable independent reviews, the “Company” has no business telling you what to report. That being said, the legal expense of defending you position could end in bankruptcy. Returning the product without review and distancing yourself from “the company” is a prudent move. Thank you for all of your hard work and I look forward to seeing you next reviews.
Thank you for being so honest with your reviews, I love your content and your personality....you make the music industry a better place, thank you for that.
I appreciate your honesty and integrity. They’ll never take our freedom!
Wait till you get a load of my comment.
I stand with you and your integrity. I come to youtube to watch honest reviews of products I'm interested in buying for myself. I watch another person who reviews microphones. He has a few rules.
1. He doesn't return the product being reviewed.
2. The manufacturer does not have any control over what he says in the video.
3. No one sees the video until it gets posted to UA-cam.
If they don't agree, then he won't do the review.
Stand your ground. Don't let them boss you around.
since Andy can't name the product, can someone in the comment section drop me a hint as to what it is? I haven't heard of it.
EytschPi42 is a nice reviewer
@@cirisirpula152 About when did he review this product-that-'can't-be-named?
SixStringTV did a video on it
A SCATHING review
That is what this is all about
The product deserved the review
@@the_algorithm I saw that video. Yikes!!!
I'd never heard of you before but this video showed up on my home page, probably because I subscribe to other guitar channels. Excellent video and it's great that you've made a stand and told these people where to get off. I've subscribed to your channel.
Welcome to the channel mate
The same here.
This may be the best kind of bad news un-fun video you have had to post.
Hope you get great success from it.
I'll be watching all the reviews and fun videos from here on out. 😁
Good on you Andy! Never let anyone tell you what you can or can't say something that is an honest review. Keep up the great work!
You are absolutely correct!!! Full support to you and the way you work.
Freedom of what you are saying is even more important than money.
Thank you very much.
We will take a legal action to the company who is absolutely wrong in what they do.
The greatness attitude is yours, keep on being the great guy you are, honesty is the most valuable and precious quality that we can have, also kindness is a plus. I rely appreciated your video and the way you brought it, very good production, even if a so called company 's bad action or philosophy is misleading in a non sens, your presentation is so good that I instantly pushed the subscribe button and the like button being sure to be back on your channel for all your content and honesty, because I am a bass player since the last 53 years and I also love every things about guitars.
You should tell us the company name. That is not a breach of anything. That would go a long way to being honest and transparent.
It’s that stupid thing with the silicone “strings” ,virtual capo.
@@Tam-yg7pk whats it called bro, im going to do a video on it
Thank you for the honest transparant reviews. Since there are less and less physical music Store it is a bless to have these honest reviewers.. otherwise we all buy stuff completely blindly and this helps a lot to make a choice. Keep on doing that!
Respect bro.
You fix this issue in a very reasonable and honest way.
The company did not want you to be honest, and you chose not to do any review about it's product, which is fair and square.
Best decision.
Well done. Keep up the good work.
I agree with you on everything except that now that you are not reviewing this product,
I think you SHOULD name the brand that is doing this.
That way we can know what evil and dishonestly manipulative and threatening shysters they really are
and stay clear of them.
I think that you (TheGuitarGeek) should decide yourself whether you review the product or name the brand. You don't need to make more hassle for yourself unless you want to.
EXACTLY!!! THANK YOU!!! You must've read my mind. I do NOT want to support any company who feels then need to bully reviewers into a favorable review.
I have very little interest in guitar content, but I appreciate the hell out of your approach to this video and your transparency about the relationship between gear companies and UA-cam content makers. Thank you. 🙏
I saw a review of the product by another channel and they were truthful and trashed it. Thanks to all who are truthful. Everyone supports you and those who give an honest review. Reviews are also just an opinion.
Can someone tell me what it rhymes with? I'm lost on what it is.
@@4scoren744does it rhyme with chibson?
I couldn’t tell either from watching the video. From reading the comments and doing 10 seconds of googling, I believe it is:
The British English pronunciation of ✈️, except 🎸 instead of “plane”
Am I cancelled?
you are joking, right?@@ZachariahConnor
Ah, yes... THAT review. I thought it was a great review, exactly what I thought about it when I saw a promo video. Guitarists aren't really their market...
Andy, thank you for sharing this story and giving us a look behind the scenes so to speak. Surely I am not the only one to be curious about the business side of what You Tube product reviewers and influencers do. It's obvious to most of us that you work hard to do something you enjoy, believe in and that also pays the bills. It's also no shock to your viewers to learn that you go out of your way to share your actual and honest experience with each product and that you don't let anyone put words in your mouth regardless of the money the are offering to put in your pocket.
That being said, watching this video made me realize how hard it might be to remain honest as a reviewer and the amount of pressure product vendors might be willing to apply in order to get you to say what they want to hear.
So thanks for sharing this with us.
Well done Andy. We used to get this all the time reviewing tech products for our magazine. Editorial independence is essential for reader trust. Smart companies discuss their upcoming products informally with reviewers at an early stage to get feedback to avoid this kind of nonsense.
Your commitment to integrity made my subscribe to this channel right away.
What a shower of a company. Overpriced crap product receives honest reviews and they try and go strong arm. Lesson 1 in how to ruin your own business. Kudos to you HP and the rest for the honesty and integrity you show to us all Andy. 👏👏👏
The company doesn't see you as a reviewer, they see you as a compensated, influencer for their product. They think by providing you with the gear for free, you're going to provide them with a favorable review to pimp their product. Going forward, you may want to take extra care to communicate, in writing, that you are a critic, who provides honest assessments of guitar gear and are not a compensated influencer who will provide a service in exchange for compensation.
As a reviewer you obviously can’t be on the payroll of the very companies whose products you are reviewing! A reviewers’ job is to serve consumers, not to serve companies. The company you’re talking about is obviously in the wrong, but the entire business model is flawed at its core. It’s hardly surprising that a company doesn’t want to pay for negative reviews. I believe you’re an honest and knowledgeable reviewer but I get the sense you’ve adapting to a mindset where you want to keep everyone happy: ”I generally don’t do negative reviews”. Why not? A negative review is just as ”helpful” as a positive one, as long as it’s fair.
I do hope you got from all this the most important part: Have a contract that states clearly what you are doing and what you aren't doing and have them sign it before accepting any gear from anyone. Less drama, more time to concentrate on what you do. It doesn't have to cover everything, just the parts that are integral for your reviews and your channel - and your integrity. If they're not willing to do that, their gear probably isn't worth reviewing in the first place.
I was "fed" this video thanks to UA-cam's algorithm so I came into it blind, but it was a very interesting story. My immediate reaction was to write something similar to your comment, but I'll instead just reinforce it with an "amen" and a gentle suggestion that any agreement an influencer makes with a gear provider makes it clear that the content creator is not a PROMOTER. That word (and its variations) appears a number of times in their threatening email, and it's clear that they thought Andy was such, even if he didn't. Just try to be explicit about it, and if you were and they agreed to your terms, they have no grounds for legal action.
And of course I'd also love to know the product/company, so if anyone reading this know, please reply!
Great message, it’s why we love your reviews andy. Honesty & integrity are at the core of this channel for sure. (& bum notes as well😂)
You handled this really well. You loose street cred if you only post what they want you to. Keep up the great work👍
You've just gained a follower. Excellent message, and I'm glad you took this absolutely moral stand 👍
He folded. Stopped making a review because of a baseless threat. Censored anyone discussing it in the replies here.
Whats moral about caving to a liar and then censoring your own subs?
Your honesty and integrity is everything, and you don't give it up for anybody
Honest and thorough reviews like the ones you provide are not just helpful, but frankly necessary. There's so much new stuff out there, very few of us have the time to run to a store to play and compare everything that comes out. Late night video-watching however, we can all do. Thanks for not giving in to the insecurities of inferior companies!
Just watched your video with much interest, and some concern...Yesterday I received one of the 'guitars' to review on my own guitar tutorial channel, Fennah Rob. (we all know what it is). When the company approached me, asking for a review, I told them that, as a professional guitarist, 'the instrument must be 'playable' and of good enough quality to carry a tutorial'. I have since watched quite a few reviews from other UA-cam channels about this 'guitar' and they have not been at all favorable. The person who approached me was very polite and courteous so I do hope I can find some positive things to say about the product. Honesty must come first though. I'll post my review next week.
It's a pleasure to listen to a man with an unshakable balance 🙂
I agree that it is best to call them up and tell them I am returning the product. Why go any further with these people? It's not worth any hit financially or hit to your reputation.
it's not even a guitar, it's a glorified guitar hero controller.
@@lolilollolilol7773 I would say it's more paperjamz than guitar hero.
Either way
Giant hunk of shit