Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Gear Aquisition Syndrome is a serious disorder.... FX etc

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Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by AiRdAd »

Hey guys,

This is a video by the dude at Wampler demos, whereby he talks about how gear demoed on youtube can sound different depending on how the guitar is played, the other gear used, and the way it's miced. It's a bit tedious to watch the whole thing - but you can get the jist of what he's saying in a few minutes.



What do you think?
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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by telefiend »

Always sort of figured this in when watching gear videos - take them with a grain of salt. So much comes down to playing style, especially with amps. I've played some that sounded awful with my fingers but amazing with others. I guess watching a bunch and getting a general impression is the way to go.

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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by Slowy »

Might be kidding myself but I reckon I can tell whether I'll like a guitar's tone from a vid. It needs to be robust and resonant. If it sounds like rubber bands on a matchbox (as far too many Strats do), then I'm gone.Playability is obviously a different thing altogether.
Have been happy with the (many) pedals I've bought from video demos.
Amps..... not so sure.
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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by Bg »

this is pretty much why I don't watch gear demos. That and the fact that I usually get bored after a few mins.
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by Bg »

and embedded for danny....
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by JHorner »

Some people are, yes.

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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by Bg »

started watching, got bored after a few minutes...
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by hamo »

I tend to make sure I watch amateur demos as well as pro ones. Hearing a shittily recorded demo of someone's average playing gives me more of a feel for how it would sound in my room... :P
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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by godgrinder »

I couldn't care less about guitar demos as you are mostly hearing the amp it's getting played through.

Most of the times I find amp demos pretty useful. The key part is to listen to the gain structure/distortion characteristics than the frequency response. For example lots people said Ola Englund demos sound all the same, but I found them quite accurate.

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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by telefiend »

hamo wrote:I tend to make sure I watch amateur demos as well as pro ones. Hearing a shittily recorded demo of someone's average playing gives me more of a feel for how it would sound in my room... :P
Or...if it that's the shittest it can sound, and I still like it :thumbup:

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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by Zaulkin »

Depends what the video is for and how its set up. You'd have to take anything with amp or drive sounds with a grain of salt because there are just too many variables involved. Proguitarshop have a similar setup for each video which is quite cool.

If you wanted to hear a modulation, pitch, or delay pedal or see what the difference is between certain pickups (in the same video) then its sweet.

Or if you just want to piss away hours of time.

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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by telefiend »

Zaulkin wrote: Or if you just want to piss away hours of time.
Pretty much this.

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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by jeremyb »

Yeah I think a lot of demos are more a reflection of the production skills of the creator than the gear itself, it never ceases to amaze me how average a raw isolated guitar recording actually sounds compared with the final mixed product... I especially hate the demos with a TON of reverb on, really hides the actual sound of the gear....
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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by hamo »

jeremyb wrote:Yeah I think a lot of demos are more a reflection of the production skills of the creator than the gear itself, it never ceases to amaze me how average a raw isolated guitar recording actually sounds compared with the final mixed product... I especially hate the demos with a TON of reverb on, really hides the actual sound of the gear....
Unless it's a demo of a reverb... :shock:
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Re: Are we being fooled by Gear Demos?

Post by HackSaw »

I pretty much only watch the proguitarshop demos, but only because I enjoy Andy's playing. Every now and then one of the demos will convince me to buy a pedal though, like the recent carcosa fuzz. Which by the way, is a fucking instant classic. Killer fuzz!

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