Do you buy gear because of influencers?

MentalSharps · August 2023

Stuckfast said:

fretmeister said:

How is that different from a Reviewer, or in fact a music equipment journalist?

In music equipment journalism you'd be expected to send the gear back and you certainly wouldn't be paid by the manufacturer to write about it. And the journalist him or herself would just be a name on a page to most people, not a personality in their own right.

The journalist's wages would be paid indirectly by the manufacturer, via advertising spend with the publication, and subtle pressure/influence from management/editors. There's a reason you rarely see less than a 4 star review, and few truly independent products!

That's one of the more positive aspects of the Influencer phenomenon for me, in some aspects there is a lot greater transparency and democratisation of the processes involved, and more scope for individual influencers to pioneer their own strategies of monetisation, which in turns affects the originality of advertainment content that they can produce.

For me I think it's wise to maintain cynicism in order to aim for as much objectivity as possible, while also leaning into it and enjoying it for the entertainment / interesting content that it is.

idiotwindow · August 2023

I find the "Don't recommend channel" option really useful and have made a point of blocking most of the well know influencers (Paul Davids, Andy whatsit, Spender, etc.) because I only have so much time in my life to watch stuff on YouTube and have realised that these people offer absolutely nothing of value to the viewer – no independent knowledge, no lessons, no music business insights, no humour, nothing.

Yorkie · August 2023

I used to buy lots of gear based on how it sounded on video reviews exclusively, getting misled by folk running MIABs into Marshalls or testing amps at deafening volumes, or believing the reviewer's comments on audio differences that are not really captured on video. Most of the disappointments were due to my own ignorance.

I now find video reviews can be helpful for learning more about the features and quirks – not sound – of certain kit.
I am not interested in why folks love stuff they've got for free, I am interested in why I might hate it.

Jon

Sporky · August 2023

jeztone2 said:

Stuckfast said:

In music equipment journalism you'd be expected to send the gear back and you certainly wouldn't be paid by the manufacturer to write about it. And the journalist him or herself would just be a name on a page to most people, not a personality in their own right.

Hence my problem with Guitarist Magazine. They’ve forgotten that last bit.

My experience was that they tended to forget the bit about returning things, and the bit (not featured in that post) about not having a tantrum at a builder because someone else entirely didn't like one of their reviews.

Philly_Q · August 2023

I haven't bought anything because of influencers, but if I'm interested in something, since I don't read reviews in guitar mags any more, I will seek out YouTube reviews.

Trogly (love him or hate him) takes the guitars to bits and does neck measurements etc, so it's all useful factual information. Colin from The Guitaristas does something very similar. Phil McKnight doesn't necessarily measure the necks or anything, but I trust his opinions. Even retailers' channels are useful for confirming specs.

At no point would I be influenced by the playing demos, since the thing, whatever it is, is going to sound nothing like that when I play it.

DoctorX · August 2023

I bought a few pedals that I saw Tom Bukovac use on YouTube (GE-7, Brigadier, RC Booster, ODR-1). I figured that if someone with that level of experience uses them (and out of choice rather than through sponsorship) then they’re probably worth checking out.

Offset · August 2023

I usually watch Darrell Braun, Phil McKnight and Trogly's channels as I find them quite entertaining.

PMcK is probably the most knowledgeable and has the best presentational style for me; DB has a few interesting guitars from time to time although is a bit bland; and Trogly, whilst sometimes irritating and an amusingly poor player is also entertaining and obviously makes a pretty good living out of what he does, so kudos to him.

I've never bought anything based directly on any of their reviews.

Wazmeister · August 2023

Yes, of course… TPS, Paul Davids, Pete Thorn, Andertons etc

Lots of ‘influence’ on YT; but some people I would never be influenced by…

Mary Spender, Chappers, Leon Todd etc

Faye · August 2023

I got my Revstar after seeing Chris Buck play one. He did nothing to persuade me, I just liked the shape.

JohnCordy · August 2023

@MrTee I specifically asked TrueFire to remove the word influencer from my contract with them....hate the idea.

Personally, I think the more paid demo stuff on a channel, the less connected to the gear they're likely to be? The stuff I've found I really want to make videos about has often been gear I've bought specifically because I was skeptical about a lot of the "influencer" type videos like Sire or Prs dgt SE.

Tat2dstesh · August 2023

No not personally, I have a big issue with influencer videos and most guitar related videos in general.
I have considered doing my own channel geared towards more punkish type of music as I feel most guitar stuff falls into the blues, country, 80s rock then full on metal stuff and leave a huge chunk out for stuff like 90s to 2000s punk rock and rock in general even though that was a massive era for music. Occasionally you get the video like dagen out of pmt going sound like greenday, which I'll be 100% honest I can't stand the guys videos as everything is awesome and knowing him personally he never deviates playing wise and knowledge wise put of 80s cock rock, so him giving advice on genres he knows nothing about feels like a PE teacher, teaching physics.

soma1975 · August 2023

guitarfishbay said:

Stuckfast said:

fretmeister said:

Can you define "influencer" fully please?

It's probably not a category with hard and fast boundaries, but let's say someone who:

(a) is primarily known for their online presence rather than their music
(b) receives free equipment or is paid by manufacturers on the understanding they will make content about it

So the only difference is if the music isn’t released in a specific format. Guitar gear demo songs are music, just music with a different purpose.

B applies to any musician with an endorsement deal

Go Compare jingle >>> Anything by Gary Moore.

soma1975 · August 2023

Influencers are people who sell an aspirational lifestyle and who take payment for making certain products seem intrinsically part of that lifestyle you are meant to want to buy into. You are supposed to not know/forget/ignore that they are being sponsored

Paid gear demonstrators like Pete Thorn are a very different thing and a noble profession.

There is a blurring of the lines with a lot of people who act as though they are the former when in fact they are the latter, but just dishonest about it.

SteveRobinson · August 2023

chrisj1602 said:

Don’t we all have Victory amps because Lee Anderton lied and brainwashed us on his YouTube?

No?

Mostly because they all have such cringey names like Duchess and Countess.

See also Landlord fx

guitarfishbay · August 2023

soma1975 said:

guitarfishbay said:

Stuckfast said:

fretmeister said:

Can you define "influencer" fully please?

It's probably not a category with hard and fast boundaries, but let's say someone who:

(a) is primarily known for their online presence rather than their music
(b) receives free equipment or is paid by manufacturers on the understanding they will make content about it

So the only difference is if the music isn’t released in a specific format. Guitar gear demo songs are music, just music with a different purpose.

B applies to any musician with an endorsement deal

Go Compare jingle >>> Anything by Gary Moore.

I mean sure, that’s a fair argument on an emotional value level.

On a recognisability level that Go Compare jingle is likely much more widely known than anything Gary Moore has done. Plus I’m more likely to need car insurance than a new Les Paul.

I’m not intentionally arguing a Welsh singer pretending to be Italian is a more successful influencer than a great guitarist. But I guess objectively he would be

guitarfishbay · August 2023

soma1975 said:

Influencers are people who sell an aspirational lifestyle and who take payment for making certain products seem intrinsically part of that lifestyle you are meant to want to buy into. You are supposed to not know/forget/ignore that they are being sponsored

The thing is that’s exactly what artists including rock bands do too. The majority cannot afford to live the way they may look in videos, at least not until they’ve hit a certain level of success. It’s often funded and shaped by other interests, labels etc.

No doubt the product is more valuable emotionally when the focus is the music, not the music equipment. But it’s not necessarily free from projecting an aspirational image, or free from any form of business interest/sponsorship.

Social media based Influencer as a career path didn’t exist for a lot of the history of recorded music to be fair. We can’t know if past guitar heroes would or wouldn’t have chosen it as a career path because it wasn’t an option. I find it interesting to think about anyway.

guitarfishbay · August 2023

soma1975 said:

Paid gear demonstrators like Pete Thorn are a very different thing and a noble profession.

There is a blurring of the lines with a lot of people who act as though they are the former when in fact they are the latter, but just dishonest about it.

Pete Thorn is a fantastic guitarist for sure.

I agree people should be open and honest about their ties. Especially because younger/less experienced guitarists might not be able to tell for themselves

btw I often find multi quoting on phones goes wonky for me so it was easier to triple reply

octatonic · August 2023

Stuckfast said:

fretmeister said:

How is that different from a Reviewer, or in fact a music equipment journalist?

In music equipment journalism you'd be expected to send the gear back and you certainly wouldn't be paid by the manufacturer to write about it. And the journalist him or herself would just be a name on a page to most people, not a personality in their own right.

Yep. 100%.

I've reviewed gear, mostly studio equipment, but way back I was a writer for Australian Guitar Magazine.
You don't get to keep the stuff.

You can sometimes buy it, but you don't get it for free.

It is probably easy for punters to be cynical about this but as a reviewer my integrity and credibility are more important than getting something for free.
If you fuck that up once you'd never work again and no one would believe a thing you say.

And for what?
Think about it.
You are reviewing a product and you think it sucks... why would you say it was good in order to keep something you don't like?

I've also never been pressured to say something specific about a product by the manufacturer or by my employer.
It just wouldn't happen.

In terms of being 'a name', you are pretty anonymous as a reviewer.
I've done a couple of deals on Reverb or eBay where people have asked me if I was 'James Richmond from Production Expert' but that is partly because the industry is pretty small in the UK and partly because Production Expert are really great at SEO.
If I search my own name I find the stuff I've done for PE way above anything else.

I did Pro Tools certification this week and the two other people certifying use that site as their primary reference for technical information relating to audio production.
They knew the site but they didn't know me, even though they had both read several of my articles.
That is pretty much how it goes, which suits me just fine.

One of the reasons I am a reviewer and not a Youtuber is being a Youtuber is *very* time consuming.
I want to make music more than I want to be internet famous.
The yoke of having to constantly make content to keep people clicking sounds like the opposite of fun.

gatheredinsong · August 2023

Short answer: Yes.

I find them helpful for modulation and time based effect pedals (honourable mention to Jay Leonard J). I've learnt that I won't get the same drive tones though, because there are too many other variables at play.

RobG3294 · August 2023

Quite the opposite in fact, I'd actively avoid buying any product used or demoed by Rob Chapman.

icu81b4 · August 2023

I think this forum has been the biggest ‘influencer’ on me, I only had one amp and two guitars before I joined, now I don’t know how many guitars I have!

I once bought a Satriani Chrome Boy (one of the originals) because he played one and it looked cool, but I had to sell it because I didn’t dare gig with it so I thought what’s the point if I can’t use it.

drpbier · August 2023

Yes, I bought 2 Novos after seeing Rhett playing one (and demoing one at Coda)

DrJazzTap · August 2023

Not as much as i used to, i suppose on what you class as an influencer. I've certainly been steered towards numerous pedals because of an old PGS video back in the day.

These days i dont really have time or the inclination to watch or listen to the latest tube screamer or plexi.

Philly_Q · August 2023

drpbier said:

Yes, I bought 2 Novos after seeing Rhett playing one (and demoing one at Coda)

I bought three.

Not really.

InactiveX · September 2023

My favourite influencer is Andrew Tate. I'm studying for a very expensive course at Hustlers' University on Guitar Maintenance and Sex Trafficking.

prowla · September 2023

If I want something or have an issue to solve I will look at videos to check out options and recommendations.

The most recent one was some Neji-saurus pliers which I bought to let me customise a Leatherman multitool; I had been looking for parse wrenches (yep, I never knew they existed either!) to do the job, but they were rather expensive and very job-specific, but I came across the pliers and they were just right. They're also good for undoing mashed screw heads and suchlike.

Sometimes the videos highlight an issue with the product which I hadn't thought of and which steers me away from it.

Sometimes I have something I want and will start looking for products to do that; if an influencer happens to be showing something which matches my requirements then I'll take that on-board.

I think of it more as research than being influenced.

I can go to the music reaction videos and I find that they can help me appreciate things about the music I hadn't considered or perhaps introduce me to bands I hadn't heard; I suppose that may be influencing.

I certainly don't follow or subscribe to any influencers as such and I shy away from adverts.

Curiously, I'm going out to buy a watch today; I have tried to figure out why but I can't pin my desire to have one on anything specific; the nearest may be that a similar one might've been in a James Bond movie, but that's a bit tenuous.

I'm also petty sure that my inclination towards Rickenbackers dates back to the inside cover of Machine Head, so I suppose that's down to Roger Glover, but that's from before personal computers and the Internet.

guitarjack66 · September 2023

Brio said:

Can I suggest that the worst influencers are the best players?
Anyone heard Danish Pete make a guitar sound poor? He's very listenable to IMO. Again, when I hear Chris Buck playing I forget I should be listening to the tonez.
They need me demoing. If I can make it sound good it must be freaking amazing.

In this case, however you attempt to answer it's almost impossible to escape being either delusional or ignorant.
I alwOffset said:

I usually watch Darrell Braun, Phil McKnight and Trogly's channels as I find them quite entertaining.

PMcK is probably the most knowledgeable and has the best presentational style for me; DB has a few interesting guitars from time to time although is a bit bland; and Trogly, whilst sometimes irritating and an amusingly poor player is also entertaining and obviously makes a pretty good living out of what he d so kudos to him.

I've never bought anything based directly on any of their reviews.

Crikey! If you think Trogly is bad remind me never to try to play guitar on YouTube. You'll have to invent a new word for my version of 'Poor.'

guitarcookie1 · September 2023

I think they're useful to get a rough idea of what something might sound like or how to use it, but I wouldn't buy something just because "x" says I should.

Creed_Clicks · September 2023

Would Slash not be considered an influencer? Or James Hetfield?

Philly_Q · September 2023

Creed_Clicks said:

Would Slash not be considered an influencer? Or James Hetfield?

No they wouldn't, not in the sense that "influencer" is being used here.

There's a thread about endorsements, but I guess you could have a third one about buying gear because someone you like/admire uses it, whether they officially endorse it or not.

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/253193/do-you-buy-gear-because-of-endorsements/p1

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Do you buy gear because of influencers?

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