That's why I prefer boring technical demos, that show me how turning a knob impacts the overall behavior of the amp. Watch several and you can extrapolate whether you'd like it or not.
Right? This guy and Guitarologist are very refreshing, brilliant channels. You have no idea how much it irritates me KDH doesn't have more subscribers.
I love guitar reviews where they review budget guitars and plug them into a 5000 dollar amp with 1000 dollars worth of pedals and talk about how amazing the guitar sounds.
or taking an 500€ amp but dialing in the perfect setting for that guitar, so it sounds amazing, too :D ( im always thinking then, why dont you have all settings at default 5/10 knobs? )
@@tehalexy hmm, good point but different pickups and hardware can sound dramatically different at similar settings depending on said gear, sometimes to the point of where it isn’t an accurate depiction of the guitars capability
Aaaand most people don't get that..they comment "oh that thing sounds great I want one" you can plug a $200 guitar through a. Great sounding amp and it will sound VERY good...been in many music stores and done this ..plugged several guitars in a great amp and they were all good some better..then into a cheep not so good amp and it's a total crap fest
THANKYOU! YES! you get it ! As someone who dose gear demos (granted they're pretty mediocre ones..) I keep getting comments where people say stuff like "you talk to much, I just want to hear the demo.... " which I always find so frustrating and bizarre, because when ever I watch reviews on UA-cam I know the most important part is the reviewers opinion the gear in hand... not whatever cobbled together sound demo they happen to produce..
Thanks for not talking between sound comparisons. I can’t stand when people do that and you forget what the last one sounded like because of the time that elapsed between the comparisons. Hope your channel grows!!!
Let's not forget many paid reviewers have the signal passing through dozens of plug-ins and various shit in order to make everything sound good (even though that stuff often sounds digital and all the same).
Thank you! It’s nice to still find some truth on UA-cam! Ever notice how these people who make these claims always have walls full or expensive guitars behind them? Sure they’ll say that the cheap guitar is amazing but you’ll sure never see them giving up their expensive American or Japanese made guitars either.
Under those points, Henning Pauly might be one of the best reviewers out there. He tells you what amp, cab, cables, pedals, pick and guitars he uses and he'll tell you his opinion and complaints about any product he's reviewing.
Yes! And Ola too. Although he doesn't get too technical, he use of a lot of mics which is helpful imo. Also, most of the time he's playing through Solar Duncan pickups so that's one variable out of the way.
@@liamrebelo9867 I dunno, I'd put money on Schecter's Mid Range Line up against pretty much anything else in a Blind Shootout. The Quality is so good on these things that the Inspection Stickers on the back of my 7 String Demon haven't even faded or peeled in Two Years of playing it.
This is perfect and something I’ve said before. Demos are not thing to go by. Trying gear out and seeing for yourself is 100% better. Thank you for making this!
Dude...... this was incredibly eye opening. I've been playing for sometime, and yet, always take what..... certain youtubers say as gospel. Thank you for this. Seriously. I truly was.... completely ignorant when it came to this subject. I will..... be more cautious I guess...... because, a lot of who I watch and listen to are paid to say what they say. Thank you again.
Something people in the guitar world often forget: Any piece of gear can be made to sound good or bad dependent on the user. A good guitarist could walk into a music store, pick out the worst guitar + amp in the place and find a way to make it sound decent. A bad guitarist could walk into the same store, pick up the best guitar + amp in the place and make them sound horrendous. And I'm not just talking about player skill, as tone is an entirely different monster than skill.
I've aligned with this sentiment for a while. The only time I ever look up gear demos is to see whether or not a pedal does a crazy certain thing that I'm after, be it specific types of oscillation in different analog delay pedals or maybe a specific type of crazy reverb that I'm looking for that will perform that function in any setup NO MATTER WHAT. The main types of gear demos that you are addressing here have always rubbed me the wrong way so thank you for making that point strong and clear. Keep up the good work my dude
Excellent public service message!! I’ve down the rabbit demo whole way too much and spent a lot too. Always prefer to buy from trusted reviewers which is problematic but most times can get the sound I want on my rig and reselling the gear I don’t like. Thanks
Yeah, I use a combination of demos and commentary, and listen to a bunch of demos in order to weed out which ones just have bad sound quality. Even then, I have to remind myself that it might sound different when I put it in my setup, so it's important to hear commentary from experts to find out if it's at least a quality product. Even then, sometimes I try it, and end up having to sell it and try something else. But I'm trying to build my own sound, so there's more to it than just sounding good.
I’m pretty sure the vintage 30 is made in China. Some say only the Mesa V30s are made in the UK but I’m not sure. Only the heritage series and the Gold/Blue speakers are made in the UK. They stopped making the basic models in the UK like 10-15 if not more years ago.
@@CS-ru4xd a lot of chinese ones still mention the english locations on the round magnet label. If they are uk made it will say "made in uk" on the small white label on the side next to the model number
Variables...someone finally said it. Link in the chain. 100 dollar pickups and 2 dollar cables. Man i thought it was just me. You got a new subscriber my friend.
The V30s you can buy as aftermarket replacements are Chinese. The exact same ones that are in the HB cab. Granted, there have been many different version of the V30 (whole nother story), but there are only 2 consumer version: 8 and 16 ohm, both Chinese. And yes, ohmage makes a noticeable difference in sound. Also, the center of a speaker is called the cap, not the cone. Otherwise, great video!
@@alecmullaney7957 the speaker is constructed differently, and interacts with the amp and the output transformer differently. 16 ohm uses the whole transformer, 8 ohm uses less. This impacts the response.
I totally agree with you, in fact my favorite review channel is BY FAR Austin from they Trogly's Guitar Show, who spends most of the time speaking about the feel and the specs of the guitar (size of the neck, fretwork, neck dive) and makes short demos with dry tones. Other youtubers talk for 30 seconds about the guitar and just play, and I just really that
This is why I have the room mic as well as the close separate of cause . But definitely agree there are always variables that's why it's good to watch a few demo/reviews and I will say what I like and dislike about a piece of gear or vst
Absolutely loved this video man. Particular peeve of my own is microphones for gear demos. I know, when has a cab in an albums recording not been mic'd.... well maybe now with IR's but anyway; you get it. "Combos", combo demos especially, they simply will not sound the same in real life. There's a Marshall MG10 (I think that model) demo on UA-cam with the lefty dude playing great guitar. Nothing wrong with that amp in real life but for myself that video is a PERFECT example of how a microphone and its placement can be used to the benefit of well, Marshall selling and users recording. I think where I find myself lucky (not that I do any sort of demos or anything professionally) is I have this one IR that actually sounds like my cab in the room (loud and at a lower volume) and for myself and anyone who listens on social that gives a level of continuity. Yet there you were painting the perfect picture on what I deal with daily with people. Stick a board and any length of cable between your guitars electronics and an amp and it is always absolutely going to have an impact. In that realm and not touched on in your video which is fine, is folk believing looper pedals such as the Gig-rig are a definitive solution there. In my experience that is not enough, in fact, sometimes using a looper switcher can remove a tremendously well buffered bypass pedal from your chain. This happened to me when I picked up a Deep Oggin. I wanted to put it in a loop but immediately changed my board to keep it out and free, it brought back something I didn't even know had gone missing.... Perhaps a video that would be a great idea following on from this would you be producing a "base sound" with a full rig and making every effort to maintain. Here's what I mean - Guitar > Cable > Amp - record that audio with the same riff / a looper playing whatever. Then, Guitar > Cable > Board > Cable > Amp. Can the difference be made up for deploying certain buffered bypass pedals or buffers etc etc until you turn that length between guitar and amp into something offering equal high end retention to just the single cable or even more as a result of decent buffering. For me, I think that despite all the variables that could be present is you could perhaps finally be the one to truly communicate the truth that it is individuals responsibility to trust their own ear. Aye, you would need to deliver on UA-cam and use mic's and not the same amp as the viewer etc etc However they would be provided with A and with B and if B can be made to match A at the end result on a UA-cam presentation. Then maybe that will be a perfect way for this platform to benefit someone long term. Right, I've gone on enough! Keep up the content please, its refreshing!
I definitely agree on this topic. I'm confused by the $1 battery comment though. Don't cheaper batteries just die more quickly. The quality of power should be the same.
Well the reason cheap usually dies quicker is they have a lower voltage than advertised, so it's the equivilent of using half dead batteries. Your device will still function but just at lower performance.
@@Merahki3863 That's true when they run low in some devices, like a fuzz pedal and people actually want that in a Fuzz sometimes. I'd like to see evidence of that in pick-ups though.
I think another component is the viewers responsibility to make a relative assessment. I think where demos can be useful is if you watch many from different people, or one demo walks through many different settings, you can mentally approximate what the gear is capable of even without knowing exactly how it will sound for you. I think this even touches on a much bigger subject, that the maturing guitar player needs to switch from chasing a specific sound to finding a tool with the range and ability to help them find their own sound. This could be where the reviewer‘s opinion comes in too.
2:10 TRUE . I still remember the first time I bought a decent expensive cable (first gig with a band) I needed a long cable so the 2m (6ft) one i had used for years wasnt enough ( it came with the guitar).It was like the difference from a tiny radio sound vs un compressed sound
Great video as always! I like your short riffs. Usually players noodle around for like 30 seconds before they change a setting/guitar/amp/pickup etc. By the time the next one starts, my ears don't remember what the previous one (or ones) sounded like.
This is so relatable. I bought the Spark amp based on the tones I heard from the reviewers, when it arrived it sounded nothing like those reviews. In the end I had to buy an MXR 10 band EQ pedal to get rid of those low frequencies to make is sound decent. This made me realize that there are so many factors that contribute to the tone and it is almost impossible for another person to get the same tone if you focus on just one piece of equipment.
Excellent video ! As someone who dose gear demos (granted they're pretty mediocre ones..) I completely agree ! I keep getting comments where people say stuff like "you talk to much, I just want to hear the demo.... " which I always find so frustrating and bizarre, because when ever I watch reviews on UA-cam I know the most important part is the reviewers opinion the gear in hand... sounds
Excellent job. This is why I am a massive fan of try before you buy and buy local when possible. A good audio engineer can make a toaster sound good on youtube, doesn't mean you'll get the same results with the rest of your set up. Always try to demo with gear as close to yours as possible. Side note, massive frustration point with Guitar Center is they only have one station set up to demo pedals through some cheap combo like a fender mustang or line 6 spider, neither of which respond anything like a good tube amp when you throw an overdrive in front.
Couldn't agree more on Demos vs Reviews. There are some channels that I know class themselves as doing Demos only, and all I do is just fast forward to the point where they briefly touch on what they thought about the item, how it feels or how it sounds in the room. If they don't even do that, then I might as well just be watching a sales demo from a guitar store.
I've seen videos like that... the strangest thing is so many people like to comment stuff like "this is so great, no unnecessary talking " ... yet that's the most important part ! !!
Great video man! I always take reviews videos as a ball park. Great to see some simple strumming instead of shredding which is useless for reviews in my opinion.
Thank you! I've been saying for years that you can't tell shit from listening to UA-cam videos. I absolutely loathe "reviews" where they just play the guitar and then say: "Well there you have it! Let me know what you think in the comments!" I don't watch review videos to tell you what *I* think. I came here to find out what YOU think! Because all I can tell from the video is that it sounds like a GUITAR.
Exactly ! As someone who dose gear demos (granted they're pretty mediocre ones..) I keep getting comments where people say stuff like "you talk to much, I just want to hear the demo.... " which I always find so frustrating and bizarre, because when ever I watch reviews on UA-cam I know the most important part is the reviewers opinion the gear in hand... not whatever cobbled together sound demo they happen to produce..
After just reading the title of this and only watching the first minute or so where you already addressed my only disclaimer, I can say I already agree 100%. Comparison videos are fair game and if you know what to listen for can be useful, but let's say I'm listening to someone's demo of say a guitar pickup. Well that's great, sounds killer and in some cases I know I can get it to sound like that even if I had the right gear. But when I play it through my rig, it's not going to sound like that, and that's not even the tone I'm even going for half the time.
Good to be educated when it comes to all of this, and knowing what to listen for in relation to what you're buying. Within saying that, your average dealer/ salesperson won't be much help either. I know what I'm listening to relative to what's going on when buying gear, but a beginner might not, and most demos take advantage of this.
I think I've only seen one thing that's recognizable in almost any setting, and that's only because it's such a specific sound that it's somewhat unique to the pedal. The Boss HM-II with everything maxed. And even then, it changes from pedal to pedal and setup to setup, even if only slightly. Some good points brought up here, great video!
Very solid points here, this is why I usually go to musictubers like Kristian Kohlekeller because he will properly demo stuff unprocessed, and tell you what mic's he's using etc
as usual - great stuff mate. It's always great to listen to a demo/review of an product, were it takes longer to explain, what kind of rig the reviewer is using than reviewing the product itself.
I agree here. Most people review stuff and try to copy Ola Englund. Mixed track, solod out, talk about the specs, play a bit. While Ola is one of the founders of this style, everyone else tries that because a lower amount of experience isn't needed here. Ola has it, but the formula works for the copycats. For this reason I think Henning from EytschPi42 / hp42 and Max Solo Music are really good reviewers. They both go in depth instead of making a little killer track and go through stuff you never see. Henning uses different setups in his videos and is very honest. Instead of saying "this is a killer guitar. It feels nice, plays good!" He goes into the details and says WHAT makes it feel great and what not. Max Solo Music looks into the guitars, watching for every little detail a guitar can have and objectively rates the guitars, giving penalty points where you can find a little flaw hidden on the guitar. These channels really care for the potential customer and the customer only. You immediately notice their experience and knowledge. Outstanding stuff!
I usually get my bass reviews from Nate Navarro, he uses the same recording gear almost every video, which he describes in depth before demoing various EQ settings, and then runs it through with many variants of the tone
Now I totally agree with your point. Ideally a piece of gear should be evaluated based on how it sounds in your environment and in your music. It's a pity that this is mostly impossible unless you buy that piece of gear. Which then defeats the whole point of watching/listening demos. Also you showed how sound can be made quite shitty (except for the last example with that tiny Orange amp), but it is quite hard to make it good. Now that is where the paid demoers truly shine - that's actually what they are paid for. If nothing else, but that can be appreciated. So while I do agree that youtube demos should be taken with a quite large pinch of salt, still there is nothing better. Written reviews are even less reliable, because the reviewers use all sorts of gear, many of them are not even documented in the reviews. And there is no standard way of describing tone. It's in a way similar to tasting wine: you don't really know how it tastes until you try it yourself, especially if the one trying to describe the taste isn't even a professional in wine tasting. Of course there are still many things that can be learnt from reviews: how reliable the peace of gear is? How is the manufacturing quality? How is the customer service should that be needed? It is also a learning curve. The more gear demos you watch and the more stuff you try out at the same time yourself, the better you will understand what to look for in demos and in music stores. It still isn't foolproof, but helps you to avoid stuff that are absolutely unuseable for you (be it its sound or its features). So my course of action is following: I listen to demos, I read reviews, I try it as much as possible before buying, and then hope that when I use it with my band it's going to work out as I planned. Even so it mostly doesn't, and there is nothing I can do against it. It is just something you have to live with. And a good reason to either buy new, but then try it out within the timeframe in which you can possibly send the gear back or to buy second hand and sell it if it turns out not to be the best piece for you. But yes: anyone who thinks that watching a youtube demo or two will help him getting the Holy Grail For Tone is a fool and deserves what he gets :D
I bought a pedal which I liked in demos, but my guitar had a lower output, and it sounded completely different. I got the tone I was after by turning my amp gain up, but the point is, I agree completely. Great video.
See, after your last video I uploaded my first ever review and it was mostly just my opinion. I did have a sound sample, but I even mentioned that its impossible to really capture as everyone will have different guitar. I also made my sound sample as a side by side with another much more common guitar to give some context to the sound. But mostly, I just focus on my feelings towards the gear. Keep up the good work KDH
100% true. That's why when buying the best thing to do is to try it. Oh....Not to mention, a V30 in a Mesa Cab is again different (it's made just for Mesa Boogie following their specs). Then you're gonna have 3 different tones coming from "the same speaker" in 3 different cabs :))))
Speaking of speakers, the choice of speakers can sometimes make or break an amp. Remember the Vox AC100CPH, AC50CPH, and AC50CP2. Those amps failed in the market due to poor choice of speakers.
Finally some sense! It always amazes me when people talk about the difference between say maple and rosewood but completely ignore all the other variables, it’s just mad.
You can mic a cab straight at the centre of the cone. Tone of a guitar or a piece of gear is best demoed in context of a full band. A guitar can sound bad on its own, but in context of a full mix it can sound great, and vice versa. So when it comes to demos, no demo will ever sound like your own rig. But demos can really be fun! The best thing is if you can try gear yourself on your own rig.
All excellent points. Also, room acoustics effect it as well. Probably not a ton of the mic is close to the cab, but the further from it you get, the more natural reverb that mic is gonna catch.
Similar experience, I saw Ola review the revv g3 pedal and it sounded fantastic. The only problem is he was running the pedal through his Randall Satan and I ran the pedal through a small bass amp. Very different sound than what I heard in the video
You go to great lengths to prove a point. ;) This was very interesting, thanks! Still I do think you can get something out of tone demo's, like identify some characteristics of the sounds of the product. Not from a single demo, but preferably more of the same product. That being said, I do agree that the reaction/commentary of the reviewer is (more) important.
Buffer (n): an active electronic circuit that keeps your guitar signal strong and preserves the frequencies of your guitar sound. ... But if you have long patch cords or a bunch of effects pedals, or a pedal with a weak output, a buffer can help get your sound back to the pure tone you are looking for.
Ill watch a gear demo to get me interested in something but very rarely do I buy a product without testing it in person based on a video alone. Like you said theres just so many variables even including how you play the guitar!
2 notes, unlike other mics, the Royer R121 sounds amazing center of cone & I chose my mics, Vintage 30s & Blue Alnico's based on UA-cam "shootouts" To this day I still prefer them over every other mic & speaker... So the caveat is that "shootout" videos are valid... especially when you explain the variables well as you did here. For those who can not afford a R121 Try a Cascade Fathead. The "no frills" model is under $200 & and is super close to the R121 for 1/6 the cost. Pair them with a SM57 to blend in a bit of that nasty crunch when needed.
In this edition of KDH makes everyone in the guitar world angry....... again.
I’d buy KDH a beer
He's just stating the bleeding obvious!! Who is getting upset?! 🤪😅
@Justin Last you think glen is the og to say that?
He know how to unleash the RRRREEEEEEEEEEEEE!
*Enter Mustain*
I listened to this on phone speakers so as to get the full effect.
You didn't get the true sound, with all that echo in the Bat cave.
Nick Markos Alfred was also hoovering upstairs, what can ya do?
Lol
240p for extra éxtra effect
🤣
That's why I prefer boring technical demos, that show me how turning a knob impacts the overall behavior of the amp. Watch several and you can extrapolate whether you'd like it or not.
This is a 400 I.Q move.
Great video! Nice with someone who isnt affraid to speak the truth, keep it going 🤘
Right? This guy and Guitarologist are very refreshing, brilliant channels. You have no idea how much it irritates me KDH doesn't have more subscribers.
@@Maxim89Il He's got MORE than 36! LOL!
@@DMSProduktions This guy should have like a million subscribers, his content is really good!
@@Maxim89Il Yes, he's a very decent young man in music! NOT enough like him out there!
This is basically a tone demo of tone demos.... Should I trust this or not??!!
Great video and really good points made! Really enjoyed it
I love guitar reviews where they review budget guitars and plug them into a 5000 dollar amp with 1000 dollars worth of pedals and talk about how amazing the guitar sounds.
or taking an 500€ amp but dialing in the perfect setting for that guitar, so it sounds amazing, too :D
( im always thinking then, why dont you have all settings at default 5/10 knobs? )
haha true!, though that is a good indicator that it's just worth getting a great amp (and cab) over fussing over the guitar...
@@tehalexy hmm, good point but different pickups and hardware can sound dramatically different at similar settings depending on said gear, sometimes to the point of where it isn’t an accurate depiction of the guitars capability
Not to forget they use guitarist that could make a horses hair stung to a piece of wood sound amazing with his/her level of skills.
Aaaand most people don't get that..they comment "oh that thing sounds great I want one" you can plug a $200 guitar through a. Great sounding amp and it will sound VERY good...been in many music stores and done this ..plugged several guitars in a great amp and they were all good some better..then into a cheep not so good amp and it's a total crap fest
Yeah I usually skip the tone sections of reviews. I want the reviewers opinion.
Russell Skov totally the way to go
AGREED...usually the reviewer just likes to show off his guitar chops anyway!!!
I’m glad I’m not the only one. Saves a lot of time tbh.
i still watch it to see the reviewer skill. if good, then the video goes into a playlist haha
THANKYOU! YES! you get it !
As someone who dose gear demos (granted they're pretty mediocre ones..) I keep getting comments where people say stuff like "you talk to much, I just want to hear the demo.... " which I always find so frustrating and bizarre, because when ever I watch reviews on UA-cam I know the most important part is the reviewers opinion the gear in hand...
not whatever cobbled together sound demo they happen to produce..
Thanks for not talking between sound comparisons. I can’t stand when people do that and you forget what the last one sounded like because of the time that elapsed between the comparisons. Hope your channel grows!!!
Nice honesty & integrity once again from KD Hayche.
Let's not forget many paid reviewers have the signal passing through dozens of plug-ins and various shit in order to make everything sound good (even though that stuff often sounds digital and all the same).
This. Exactly this.
Dude I don’t get the “demos” that are all just shred metal and you can’t hear what the guitar sounds like at all lmao
There was one amp that sounded great in the demos, but in person, even with the bass on 10, it was very tinny and bad sounding.
Any amp demo with an outside eq in play.
"That was pointless "
Tell me... what does "digital" sound like
I see Chappers downvoted this with all 12 of his sock accounts.
He now only gets around 20k views per video anyway. I don't think anybody needs to hear him play the same high gain lead runs ever again.
@@DeadHandBlues that fucking ascending lydian 3nps thing
*Shudders*
@@DeadHandBlues exactly, or that one song every single demo. He's even doing some clickbaity thumbnails.
@@DeadHandBlues bruh not even 20k, 9k on a video posted a week ago, oof
Is there some controversy about the guy? I dont know anything about him other than owning Chapman guitars
Thank you! It’s nice to still find some truth on UA-cam! Ever notice how these people who make these claims always have walls full or expensive guitars behind them? Sure they’ll say that the cheap guitar is amazing but you’ll sure never see them giving up their expensive American or Japanese made guitars either.
Totally agree. Great video!
Under those points, Henning Pauly might be one of the best reviewers out there. He tells you what amp, cab, cables, pedals, pick and guitars he uses and he'll tell you his opinion and complaints about any product he's reviewing.
Yes!
And Ola too. Although he doesn't get too technical, he use of a lot of mics which is helpful imo. Also, most of the time he's playing through Solar Duncan pickups so that's one variable out of the way.
The only issue with Henning is when he gets cheaper guitars he expects them to compare to 4 or 5 grand guitars which no cheaper guitar will do.
@@liamrebelo9867 I've never seen that happen
@@Yanthungbemo and gearmandude
@@liamrebelo9867 I dunno, I'd put money on Schecter's Mid Range Line up against pretty much anything else in a Blind Shootout. The Quality is so good on these things that the Inspection Stickers on the back of my 7 String Demon haven't even faded or peeled in Two Years of playing it.
This is perfect and something I’ve said before. Demos are not thing to go by. Trying gear out and seeing for yourself is 100% better. Thank you for making this!
KDH destroys Gear radicals with facts and logic.
This is the most honest and informative music channel on UA-cam , finally someone who isn’t afraid to speak the truth
Dude...... this was incredibly eye opening. I've been playing for sometime, and yet, always take what..... certain youtubers say as gospel. Thank you for this. Seriously. I truly was.... completely ignorant when it came to this subject. I will..... be more cautious I guess...... because, a lot of who I watch and listen to are paid to say what they say. Thank you again.
$60 capacitor for a tone pot? Someone's laughing every time an order is placed. Laughing all the way to the bank.
Smart, humble, honest, hard-working. Also showed me that I can get 29 frets at a decent price.
The bit at the end with the mini amp was brilliant
I'm sure you got a lot of people with that one!
Something people in the guitar world often forget: Any piece of gear can be made to sound good or bad dependent on the user.
A good guitarist could walk into a music store, pick out the worst guitar + amp in the place and find a way to make it sound decent.
A bad guitarist could walk into the same store, pick up the best guitar + amp in the place and make them sound horrendous.
And I'm not just talking about player skill, as tone is an entirely different monster than skill.
I've aligned with this sentiment for a while. The only time I ever look up gear demos is to see whether or not a pedal does a crazy certain thing that I'm after, be it specific types of oscillation in different analog delay pedals or maybe a specific type of crazy reverb that I'm looking for that will perform that function in any setup NO MATTER WHAT. The main types of gear demos that you are addressing here have always rubbed me the wrong way so thank you for making that point strong and clear. Keep up the good work my dude
Excellent public service message!! I’ve down the rabbit demo whole way too much and spent a lot too. Always prefer to buy from trusted reviewers which is problematic but most times can get the sound I want on my rig and reselling the gear I don’t like. Thanks
Yeah, I use a combination of demos and commentary, and listen to a bunch of demos in order to weed out which ones just have bad sound quality. Even then, I have to remind myself that it might sound different when I put it in my setup, so it's important to hear commentary from experts to find out if it's at least a quality product. Even then, sometimes I try it, and end up having to sell it and try something else. But I'm trying to build my own sound, so there's more to it than just sounding good.
This is why i like to watch Ola Englund do his demos he is very good.
He’s pretty consistent and has in the room mics in addition to cab mics.
he has improved A LOT when it comes to demos. At first all of his demos sounded the same. Now you can clearly hear differences
Ola for high gain and Toby's gear demo's for rock are probably the 2 best channels.
Yeah Ola even tells you what Mic's he's using. My go to guy
Ola is awesome... one thing to watch out for though when listening to his demos... that guy can make a chocolate muffin sound like a $3000 tube amp!
I’m pretty sure the vintage 30 is made in China. Some say only the Mesa V30s are made in the UK but I’m not sure. Only the heritage series and the Gold/Blue speakers are made in the UK. They stopped making the basic models in the UK like 10-15 if not more years ago.
Youre right i emailed them like last month
I pretty sure evh speaker is also uk made. It's basically a heritage greenback anyway
The old (Non OEM) v30s were made in the UK.
They sound different that the new ones.
Not necessarily better, just different.
The V30's in my Mesa cab say Made in Ipswitch, England...and also the V30's in my Carvin Legacy cab do as well.
@@CS-ru4xd a lot of chinese ones still mention the english locations on the round magnet label. If they are uk made it will say "made in uk" on the small white label on the side next to the model number
This was an excellent video. It's great to hear how much tone is affected by the speaker or the mic placement. Well done, dude.
Variables...someone finally said it. Link in the chain. 100 dollar pickups and 2 dollar cables. Man i thought it was just me. You got a new subscriber my friend.
this video was awesome I felt like I had hours worth of information in such a short time Keep up the good work!!!
The V30s you can buy as aftermarket replacements are Chinese. The exact same ones that are in the HB cab. Granted, there have been many different version of the V30 (whole nother story), but there are only 2 consumer version: 8 and 16 ohm, both Chinese. And yes, ohmage makes a noticeable difference in sound.
Also, the center of a speaker is called the cap, not the cone. Otherwise, great video!
So how do ohms effect the sound? Like, mechanically, how?
@@alecmullaney7957 the speaker is constructed differently, and interacts with the amp and the output transformer differently. 16 ohm uses the whole transformer, 8 ohm uses less. This impacts the response.
I totally agree with you, in fact my favorite review channel is BY FAR Austin from they Trogly's Guitar Show, who spends most of the time speaking about the feel and the specs of the guitar (size of the neck, fretwork, neck dive) and makes short demos with dry tones. Other youtubers talk for 30 seconds about the guitar and just play, and I just really that
Too bad all he does is talk about his new les paul #69420 but it's special because someone peed on it or something
KDH: "When you're changing one thing and hearing how those changes differ, that's totally valid."
Toby's Guitar Gear Demos: *relief*
Love his demos!
Thanks for the shoutout for guitarbros. Subbed to them before but totally oblivious to what happened to their channel
Thank you soooooooo much! This is wrapping up my thoughts from the last years.
This is why I have the room mic as well as the close separate of cause . But definitely agree there are always variables that's why it's good to watch a few demo/reviews and I will say what I like and dislike about a piece of gear or vst
Absolutely loved this video man. Particular peeve of my own is microphones for gear demos. I know, when has a cab in an albums recording not been mic'd.... well maybe now with IR's but anyway; you get it.
"Combos", combo demos especially, they simply will not sound the same in real life. There's a Marshall MG10 (I think that model) demo on UA-cam with the lefty dude playing great guitar. Nothing wrong with that amp in real life but for myself that video is a PERFECT example of how a microphone and its placement can be used to the benefit of well, Marshall selling and users recording.
I think where I find myself lucky (not that I do any sort of demos or anything professionally) is I have this one IR that actually sounds like my cab in the room (loud and at a lower volume) and for myself and anyone who listens on social that gives a level of continuity. Yet there you were painting the perfect picture on what I deal with daily with people. Stick a board and any length of cable between your guitars electronics and an amp and it is always absolutely going to have an impact.
In that realm and not touched on in your video which is fine, is folk believing looper pedals such as the Gig-rig are a definitive solution there. In my experience that is not enough, in fact, sometimes using a looper switcher can remove a tremendously well buffered bypass pedal from your chain. This happened to me when I picked up a Deep Oggin. I wanted to put it in a loop but immediately changed my board to keep it out and free, it brought back something I didn't even know had gone missing....
Perhaps a video that would be a great idea following on from this would you be producing a "base sound" with a full rig and making every effort to maintain. Here's what I mean - Guitar > Cable > Amp - record that audio with the same riff / a looper playing whatever. Then, Guitar > Cable > Board > Cable > Amp. Can the difference be made up for deploying certain buffered bypass pedals or buffers etc etc until you turn that length between guitar and amp into something offering equal high end retention to just the single cable or even more as a result of decent buffering.
For me, I think that despite all the variables that could be present is you could perhaps finally be the one to truly communicate the truth that it is individuals responsibility to trust their own ear. Aye, you would need to deliver on UA-cam and use mic's and not the same amp as the viewer etc etc However they would be provided with A and with B and if B can be made to match A at the end result on a UA-cam presentation. Then maybe that will be a perfect way for this platform to benefit someone long term. Right, I've gone on enough! Keep up the content please, its refreshing!
I fucking love guitar bro’s demos! Excellent shout out!
I definitely agree on this topic. I'm confused by the $1 battery comment though. Don't cheaper batteries just die more quickly. The quality of power should be the same.
Well the reason cheap usually dies quicker is they have a lower voltage than advertised, so it's the equivilent of using half dead batteries. Your device will still function but just at lower performance.
ive heard people say that higher powered batterries influence sound.
@@Merahki3863 That's true when they run low in some devices, like a fuzz pedal and people actually want that in a Fuzz sometimes. I'd like to see evidence of that in pick-ups though.
@@luismartinez6408 People say a lot of things.
I think another component is the viewers responsibility to make a relative assessment. I think where demos can be useful is if you watch many from different people, or one demo walks through many different settings, you can mentally approximate what the gear is capable of even without knowing exactly how it will sound for you. I think this even touches on a much bigger subject, that the maturing guitar player needs to switch from chasing a specific sound to finding a tool with the range and ability to help them find their own sound. This could be where the reviewer‘s opinion comes in too.
2:10 TRUE . I still remember the first time I bought a decent expensive cable (first gig with a band) I needed a long cable so the 2m (6ft) one i had used for years wasnt enough ( it came with the guitar).It was like the difference from a tiny radio sound vs un compressed sound
Well done, sir! This deserves WAY more views.
Great video as always! I like your short riffs. Usually players noodle around for like 30 seconds before they change a setting/guitar/amp/pickup etc. By the time the next one starts, my ears don't remember what the previous one (or ones) sounded like.
This is so relatable. I bought the Spark amp based on the tones I heard from the reviewers, when it arrived it sounded nothing like those reviews. In the end I had to buy an MXR 10 band EQ pedal to get rid of those low frequencies to make is sound decent.
This made me realize that there are so many factors that contribute to the tone and it is almost impossible for another person to get the same tone if you focus on just one piece of equipment.
Yeah that amp ... I was never impressed with the bias sound and the fact this amp was sent out to all the youtubers first made me not buy it.
I watched tons of PGS Andy video's. Partially for the pedals since i used to built my own diy's... But mostly for his tasteful playing
I love THIS truth in your videos. Many thanks and greetings from Germany :)
Keep up the good work on taking these companies " Reviewers' to task. UP THE REBELS !!!!!!!
Excellent video !
As someone who dose gear demos (granted they're pretty mediocre ones..) I completely agree !
I keep getting comments where people say stuff like "you talk to much, I just want to hear the demo.... " which I always find so frustrating and bizarre, because when ever I watch reviews on UA-cam I know the most important part is the reviewers opinion the gear in hand...
sounds
Love this guy’s channel.
makes sense, you explained what I was feeling internally about gear tone reviews.
Thanks!
The points you make here are really important.
Excellent job. This is why I am a massive fan of try before you buy and buy local when possible. A good audio engineer can make a toaster sound good on youtube, doesn't mean you'll get the same results with the rest of your set up. Always try to demo with gear as close to yours as possible. Side note, massive frustration point with Guitar Center is they only have one station set up to demo pedals through some cheap combo like a fender mustang or line 6 spider, neither of which respond anything like a good tube amp when you throw an overdrive in front.
Couldn't agree more on Demos vs Reviews. There are some channels that I know class themselves as doing Demos only, and all I do is just fast forward to the point where they briefly touch on what they thought about the item, how it feels or how it sounds in the room. If they don't even do that, then I might as well just be watching a sales demo from a guitar store.
I've seen videos like that... the strangest thing is so many people like to comment stuff like "this is so great, no unnecessary talking " ... yet that's the most important part ! !!
Great points regarding utube videos and making a purchase based on them. Keep them coming. Thanks!
I'm late to the party in finding your channel but I really enjoy your videos. Well done sir!
Great video man! I always take reviews videos as a ball park. Great to see some simple strumming instead of shredding which is useless for reviews in my opinion.
Thank you! I've been saying for years that you can't tell shit from listening to UA-cam videos. I absolutely loathe "reviews" where they just play the guitar and then say: "Well there you have it! Let me know what you think in the comments!" I don't watch review videos to tell you what *I* think. I came here to find out what YOU think! Because all I can tell from the video is that it sounds like a GUITAR.
Exactly !
As someone who dose gear demos (granted they're pretty mediocre ones..) I keep getting comments where people say stuff like "you talk to much, I just want to hear the demo.... " which I always find so frustrating and bizarre, because when ever I watch reviews on UA-cam I know the most important part is the reviewers opinion the gear in hand...
not whatever cobbled together sound demo they happen to produce..
I must say I find this contribution to be on the more reflected side. Well made - thanks for this.
After just reading the title of this and only watching the first minute or so where you already addressed my only disclaimer, I can say I already agree 100%. Comparison videos are fair game and if you know what to listen for can be useful, but let's say I'm listening to someone's demo of say a guitar pickup. Well that's great, sounds killer and in some cases I know I can get it to sound like that even if I had the right gear. But when I play it through my rig, it's not going to sound like that, and that's not even the tone I'm even going for half the time.
Good to be educated when it comes to all of this, and knowing what to listen for in relation to what you're buying. Within saying that, your average dealer/ salesperson won't be much help either. I know what I'm listening to relative to what's going on when buying gear, but a beginner might not, and most demos take advantage of this.
I think I've only seen one thing that's recognizable in almost any setting, and that's only because it's such a specific sound that it's somewhat unique to the pedal. The Boss HM-II with everything maxed. And even then, it changes from pedal to pedal and setup to setup, even if only slightly. Some good points brought up here, great video!
Yeah, when it comes to pedals, I learned the hard way, a couple of thousands hard ways!
Very solid points here, this is why I usually go to musictubers like Kristian Kohlekeller because he will properly demo stuff unprocessed, and tell you what mic's he's using etc
Good points, lots of sound difference in every bit of those demos.
as usual - great stuff mate. It's always great to listen to a demo/review of an product, were it takes longer to explain, what kind of rig the reviewer is using than reviewing the product itself.
I agree here. Most people review stuff and try to copy Ola Englund. Mixed track, solod out, talk about the specs, play a bit. While Ola is one of the founders of this style, everyone else tries that because a lower amount of experience isn't needed here. Ola has it, but the formula works for the copycats.
For this reason I think Henning from EytschPi42 / hp42 and Max Solo Music are really good reviewers. They both go in depth instead of making a little killer track and go through stuff you never see. Henning uses different setups in his videos and is very honest. Instead of saying "this is a killer guitar. It feels nice, plays good!" He goes into the details and says WHAT makes it feel great and what not.
Max Solo Music looks into the guitars, watching for every little detail a guitar can have and objectively rates the guitars, giving penalty points where you can find a little flaw hidden on the guitar. These channels really care for the potential customer and the customer only. You immediately notice their experience and knowledge. Outstanding stuff!
Enjoyed that
Incidentally there's a typo in the description regarding guitar bros chanel
I usually get my bass reviews from Nate Navarro, he uses the same recording gear almost every video, which he describes in depth before demoing various EQ settings, and then runs it through with many variants of the tone
Now I totally agree with your point. Ideally a piece of gear should be evaluated based on how it sounds in your environment and in your music. It's a pity that this is mostly impossible unless you buy that piece of gear. Which then defeats the whole point of watching/listening demos.
Also you showed how sound can be made quite shitty (except for the last example with that tiny Orange amp), but it is quite hard to make it good. Now that is where the paid demoers truly shine - that's actually what they are paid for. If nothing else, but that can be appreciated.
So while I do agree that youtube demos should be taken with a quite large pinch of salt, still there is nothing better. Written reviews are even less reliable, because the reviewers use all sorts of gear, many of them are not even documented in the reviews. And there is no standard way of describing tone. It's in a way similar to tasting wine: you don't really know how it tastes until you try it yourself, especially if the one trying to describe the taste isn't even a professional in wine tasting. Of course there are still many things that can be learnt from reviews: how reliable the peace of gear is? How is the manufacturing quality? How is the customer service should that be needed? It is also a learning curve. The more gear demos you watch and the more stuff you try out at the same time yourself, the better you will understand what to look for in demos and in music stores. It still isn't foolproof, but helps you to avoid stuff that are absolutely unuseable for you (be it its sound or its features).
So my course of action is following: I listen to demos, I read reviews, I try it as much as possible before buying, and then hope that when I use it with my band it's going to work out as I planned. Even so it mostly doesn't, and there is nothing I can do against it. It is just something you have to live with. And a good reason to either buy new, but then try it out within the timeframe in which you can possibly send the gear back or to buy second hand and sell it if it turns out not to be the best piece for you.
But yes: anyone who thinks that watching a youtube demo or two will help him getting the Holy Grail For Tone is a fool and deserves what he gets :D
I bought a pedal which I liked in demos, but my guitar had a lower output, and it sounded completely different. I got the tone I was after by turning my amp gain up, but the point is, I agree completely. Great video.
This is why I only trust Rob Chapman’s reviews...he’s the only honest one on UA-cam.
Bahah jk! Efff that dude
Size
@@pentatonicpaddy Everyone has their own taste. What Rob like, you may hate.
Paddy Partington he’s a good guitarist, but the joke came down to honesty. Honest is something that rob definitely isn’t.
@@pentatonicpaddy Chappers? HUMBLED? HAH!
@@pentatonicpaddy I have to agree with that. He comes off as a douche way less than before.
KDH...the voice of reason in a crazy guitar gear world!!!...oh, and I got that insipid riff stuck in my brain...thanks!!!
Spitting some staright facts in this video! Well done!
See, after your last video I uploaded my first ever review and it was mostly just my opinion. I did have a sound sample, but I even mentioned that its impossible to really capture as everyone will have different guitar. I also made my sound sample as a side by side with another much more common guitar to give some context to the sound.
But mostly, I just focus on my feelings towards the gear.
Keep up the good work KDH
100% true. That's why when buying the best thing to do is to try it.
Oh....Not to mention, a V30 in a Mesa Cab is again different (it's made just for Mesa Boogie following their specs). Then you're gonna have 3 different tones coming from "the same speaker" in 3 different cabs :))))
Speaking of speakers, the choice of speakers can sometimes make or break an amp.
Remember the Vox AC100CPH, AC50CPH, and AC50CP2. Those amps failed in the market due to poor choice of speakers.
Ive been using an $80 acoustic guitar and was planning on getting an electric (finally) and getting some stuff with it, so thanks for the heads up lol
Finally some sense! It always amazes me when people talk about the difference between say maple and rosewood but completely ignore all the other variables, it’s just mad.
This video should be a ‘sticky’ to be viewed before any gear sound review. 🤘🤘🤘
This reminds me of when a channel demoed an amp sim plugin while their USB interface was clipping the entire time.
🤢🤮
As someone who loves making demos I agree with your comments 100% great vid dude!
Alot of great points you made in this video
I loved the zoom on those bends, that's how I know it sounded good
Straight facts. Buy, try it, and then keep it or list it.
I'm only a few minutes in but you've already made some excellent points! Great job!
I thought I was the only one that had this opinion. Thanks KDH.
You can mic a cab straight at the centre of the cone. Tone of a guitar or a piece of gear is best demoed in context of a full band. A guitar can sound bad on its own, but in context of a full mix it can sound great, and vice versa. So when it comes to demos, no demo will ever sound like your own rig. But demos can really be fun! The best thing is if you can try gear yourself on your own rig.
This video has shaken my faith in the youtube pedal/guitar community. I guess I'll have to go actually try the gear before i buy it.
All excellent points. Also, room acoustics effect it as well. Probably not a ton of the mic is close to the cab, but the further from it you get, the more natural reverb that mic is gonna catch.
Finger tone and pick choices can affect this stuff as well. Good video.
When it’s well done, it’s well done. Good stuff here!
Outstanding presentation!!!
I remember Scott Grove talking about this awhile back. Great video keep up the good work. Tone woods next??
Similar experience, I saw Ola review the revv g3 pedal and it sounded fantastic. The only problem is he was running the pedal through his Randall Satan and I ran the pedal through a small bass amp. Very different sound than what I heard in the video
You go to great lengths to prove a point. ;) This was very interesting, thanks!
Still I do think you can get something out of tone demo's, like identify some characteristics of the sounds of the product. Not from a single demo, but preferably more of the same product. That being said, I do agree that the reaction/commentary of the reviewer is (more) important.
Buffer (n): an active electronic circuit that keeps your guitar signal strong and preserves the frequencies of your guitar sound. ... But if you have long patch cords or a bunch of effects pedals, or a pedal with a weak output, a buffer can help get your sound back to the pure tone you are looking for.
Ill watch a gear demo to get me interested in something but very rarely do I buy a product without testing it in person based on a video alone. Like you said theres just so many variables even including how you play the guitar!
Fucking love this dude! Tells it how it is without bias or harsh opinion on all things guitar, amps and ect!
2 notes, unlike other mics, the Royer R121 sounds amazing center of cone & I chose my mics, Vintage 30s & Blue Alnico's based on UA-cam "shootouts" To this day I still prefer them over every other mic & speaker... So the caveat is that "shootout" videos are valid... especially when you explain the variables well as you did here. For those who can not afford a R121 Try a Cascade Fathead. The "no frills" model is under $200 & and is super close to the R121 for 1/6 the cost. Pair them with a SM57 to blend in a bit of that nasty crunch when needed.
This was actually a cool video. And I love the Superlux tone.