Ugly Truth: YouTube Gear Reviews

I'll be the first one to admit. I love watching You Tube reviews of gear. Sometimes I don't even know I want gear until I see/hear it online. In the age of information, we have more information than we can ever consume in a lifetime. So When looking up guitar gear, we have our choice of avenue of consuming information. The Tried and true written reviews on retail websites and forums leave us a little wanting for more. You Tube offers a wide verity of reviews and reviewer. Some are great quality and some... aren't, but there are many to choose from and I've even picked a few that are my favorites.

It's Very Difficult To Compare Gear

Some of the very first videos of gear that I ever watch were shootouts between stock and modded pedals. I was a big pedal modder and really wanted to hear the results before committing to the mod. That's how I found gearmanndude. I still like to watch his videos, because he is entertaining and he sounds just like Jack Black. Even in side by side shootouts it was very difficult to distinguish differences in pedals. Some mods are subtle, but some change the pedal drastically. Even when complete changing the clipping stage, pedal sounded almost alike. Replicating the test at home had very different results.

Some Try To Make Money Off You

Some of the best known reviewer on You Tube want to make money off you. Most of them try to sell directly to you. Reverb.com, Anderton's, and any builder are really just trying to put product in front of your face. Others make revenue off of views. If you noticed that some channels run ads before there videos and other don't, that's because the ads make money for You Tube and to a lesser extent, the channel. I'm not against ads. (just look around my site) It helps those people keep doing what it is they are doing and create a better product. Just remember, these people aren't just so board that they make videos for you.

The Audio Quality 

Many people have comment on the compression of You Tube videos. There really isn't any way around it. HD video and audio would eat bandwidth and probably destroy You Tube's free format. When you watch these videos, you notice that the reviewers often use very high quality recording gear. Shnobel often uses a large condenser and SM57 type mic to record his nice amps. These are studio quality micing options. Chances are you aren't doing that on your live rig. So, when you are struggling to hear the difference between the $50 pedals and a $250 pedal on You Tube, just remember There is no replacement for live sound.

Conclusion

I know that You Tube videos are not going to be the best way for my to experience a pedal. There will never be a replacement for hands-on playing. The feel and response are something that do not translate into ones and zeros. Having said that, I still enjoy watching Chappers and the Captain mock about while playing interesting pieces of "kit". And so, if you are enjoy watching the videos, then continue to do so. If you put much weight into watch you hear, then maybe I've said enough to make you think twice.