This isn’t a featured post, but I’ve been watching YouTube guitar-related channels since YouTube began, and for the benefit of those who don’t eat/sleep/breathe this stuff, I thought I’d share 10 tips to keep in mind when watching your fave guitar-based channels.  All of these are just my opinion, of course.  But I’m right.  🙂

  1. Great players make everything look great.  If you see Rabea Massaad playing a Squier Classic Vibe and think “Hey, that looks like a great guitar,” you’re seeing with your ears.  Rabea could make any guitar seem awesome because he’s a killer player.  The Classic Vibe is great for the money, though.
  2. All guitars sound great through great amps.  On a similar note as the first number, you can’t judge how a guitar sounds if it’s going through a three thousand dollar rig.  The amp is the biggest factor in a guitar sound.  Speaking of sound…
  3. YouTube audio is not accurate.  You’re not REALLY hearing the amp in the room.  You’re hearing the mic in front of the amp, going through an expensive interface into an expensive Mac, and then YouTube is compressing the crap out of the audio, and you’re hearing it on computer speakers or TV speakers or whatever.  The only way to hear what an amp really sounds like is to be in the room with the amp.  Yes, you can get a rough idea, but it’s 10% of the actual experience.
  4. There’s a difference between a paid demo and a review.  A paid demo is where a company gives some killer player like Pete Thorn a bunch of cash to make their product look and sound good.  A review is where a company sends a product to a YouTuber and pretty much expects a good review.  YouTubers who give bad reviews do not get additional products sent to them for review.  When you do see a bad review, well… that YouTuber should be applauded for telling the truth.
  5. Sometimes people screw up the facts or flat out lie.  Never trust something just because someone on YouTube says it.  This should be obvious.
  6. Most amps sound good at low volume levels.  If you’re playing in your bedroom, you can’t go wrong with almost anything.  If you want to play with a live drummer, you’ll need something that sounds good when you crank it.  Most budget low end amps don’t.
  7. Some of the dumbest people in the world love to comment in the comments section.  Again, this is obvious.  But reading a bad, dumb comment can impact your mood.  Why give control over your mood to some 14 year old jackass who says “fuck” every other word and has never played an actual gig?
  8. Pedal demos are sort of pointless unless they are using the same guitar and amp as you.  OK, maybe this isn’t as much the case with a chorus or flanger, but gain/distortion/overdrive pedals are going to sound an awful lot like the speaker cab being recorded plus the guitar/pickup/amp, and of course the player.  You really need to listen to a pedal in person through your amp or something very similar, especially if it’s any type of distortion pedal.
  9. Pay attention to small details.  Some channels are really good about doing comparisons where they specifically keep all the variables the same except for one when doing comparisons.  If they tweak the amp eq but don’t tell you, you’ll think one guitar sounds brighter than another.  For all you know, one guitar might have dead strings on it.  Which leads to…
  10. Take all YouTube advice with a huge grain of salt.  Trust your own ears.  Go to a music store and demo stuff.  Don’t take anyone’s word on stuff – the majority of YouTubers want to have a good relationship with companies.  Go hear stuff for yourself.