Any guitar reviews you really trust?

voggin

voggin

Well-known member
Every guitar magazine or website seems full of ads for the guitars they review. They also seem to give everything a minimum of 4/5. Since Consumer Reports doesn't do guitar reviews, are there any you guys trust?

It seems to me that even if they aren't directly corrupt, the guys from the mags probably know or hang out with guys from companies, like luthiers in their area, etc. and might find it hard to slag a company in press if it means guys will lose jobs, etc.

On the other hand, just some dude on youtube saying "here's my new guitar and it's awesome" isn't much better
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

I'll read the reviews in gear magazines and take them with a grain of salt because their is always some bias somewhere. Ultimately, it's up to me to go play it myself to determine if it is worth while to me or not.
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

You can usually find a decent opinion on Ultimate-Guitar.com. I wouldn't take their word as god, but some people know what they're talking about. There's also an influx of youtube videos with sound clips of the guitar.
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

I don't even read guitar reviews anymore- at least for practical reasons. If I do read one, it's simply for entertainment "oh..cool. a PRS SC58"

Having owned so freaking many guitars over the years, I guess I just could care less what someone else thinks of that particular one they received...there is just way too much variation. Not to mention what I like and what everyone else likes can be radically different- "slim fast neck" usually translates to "painful hand fatigue" for me. "narrow midrange focused tone' also usually translates as "embalmed due to a 1/2" coat of thick crappy plastic finish"

Not to mention most of the guitars I like or would want to own have proven themselves over and over again for the past 35-60 years, and there is nothing all that "new" I'm interested in.

I will read amp/pedal reviews though to get an idea of tone and features.
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

Everything in a magazine has to please the current and future potential advertisers, so that's out for something unbiased. They can't slam anyone. And like you said, YouTube's full of idiots.

You should try to find local players who are knowledgeable about that type of guitar. No one's an expert on all of them. Talk to guitarists in good bands, who you respect. Even then, a lot of it is a matter of taste. A lot of them won't agree with each other. Pick a few guitars in your price range and try them out. It gets down to what is best for you, not some other guy. Don't worry so much. Buy used and you won't take a beating if you decide to resell it. It doesn't have to have the best workmanship or materials to make a great player, and you can mod a lot of things yourself anyways. You want something that you love playing, not a status symbol. What impresses fellow guitarists isn't what's on the headstock, it's what you do with it. Who do you trust: yourself, and how a guitar feels and sounds in your hands. Avoid entry-level instruments; everything else is on the table for consideration. No matter what you have, someone always owns something better. Yeah, we all want a guitar that will make the other guys respect our selection as an asute player, but that only lasts until we get onstage. The most carefully-selected high-quality guitar won't get you applause for your solos or handshakes when you step off stage.
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

The UK Guitarist mag said that the first Line 6 Pod sounded as good as any valve amp and the Marshall AVT head was as good, if not better, than a vintage Plexi. They carry ads for both companies.
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

richard parker said:
The UK Guitarist mag said that the first Line 6 Pod sounded as good as any valve amp and the Marshall AVT head was as good, if not better, than a vintage Plexi. They carry ads for both companies.
Click to expand...

Excellent! More unbiased reviews.
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

I manly listen to the guys who slug it out in the trenches. They have a working knowledge of what gear is supposed to do. Their tastes might vary from mine, but some of the goals will be the same.

I don't take much from bedroom players tbh, because I don't play at bedroom volumes very much, and when I do , I don't give a crap about the tone. I just like to turn an amp on loud enough to hear at night, and play clean.
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

i like to look at the ultimate guitar reviews too, you STILL have to read between the lines but they will tell you if you're buying firewood.

although really in a way its a bit pointless, most guitars even the knock off stuff are built decently, and how it sounds depends on the amp, room and player...

-mike
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

j9fd3s said:
although really in a way its a bit pointless, most guitars even the knock off stuff are built decently, and how it sounds depends on the amp, room and player...
Click to expand...

...and the player's own preferences. Some like this, some like that, for no particular reason. How do you filter that out? Do you want to blindly follow in their footsteps, when you may not be as thrilled with a guitar as they are? Getting a good guitar, and a 'good guitar for you' are two different things. No matter what you get, someone will tell you you should have gotten something else. At some point you have to draw the line and get what you want.

When I play with other guys, most have Fenders and Gibsons. Yeah, they joke about my Epi's, and tell me I should have bought something else, and we all have a good laugh. Then when I walk off stage, people shake my hand and buy me drinks, and tell me how much they love my tones. The musicians are especially baffled; I'll tell them that I bought the guitar used for $300 and put in upgraded PU's. They're usually in disbelief. In the long run, it doesn't really matter who recommends what. You can make a lot of guitars sing.
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

blueman335 said:
...and the player's own preferences. Some like this, some like that, for no particular reason. How do you filter that out? Do you want to blindly follow in their footsteps, when you may not be as thrilled with a guitar as they are? Getting a good guitar, and a 'good guitar for you' are two different things. No matter what you get, someone will tell you you should have gotten something else. At some point you have to draw the line and get what you want.

When I play with other guys, most have Fenders and Gibsons. Yeah, they joke about my Epi's, and tell me I should have bought something else, and we all have a good laugh. Then when I walk off stage, people shake my hand and buy me drinks, and tell me how much they love my tones. The musicians are especially baffled; I'll tell them that I bought the guitar used for $300 and put in upgraded PU's. They're usually in disbelief. In the long run, it doesn't really matter who recommends what. You can make a lot of guitars sing.
Click to expand...

Most of the people I know who own Gibsons look at me blankly when I ask them what pickups are in their guitar, or else they answer, "Humbuckers I think." :friday: And yet they think because its a Gibson it AUTOMATICALLY must sound better than any cheaper guitar. They also dont know how to set up their expensive toy so might be playing with crazy high action and generally playing a horrible instrument. But its a Gibson!

(I own a Gibson myself BTW, its great, Im not knocking them at all).
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

blueman335 said:
Everything in a magazine has to please the current and future potential advertisers, so that's out for something unbiased. They can't slam anyone. And like you said, YouTube's full of idiots.

You should try to find local players who are knowledgeable about that type of guitar. No one's an expert on all of them. Talk to guitarists in good bands, who you respect. Even then, a lot of it is a matter of taste. A lot of them won't agree with each other. Pick a few guitars in your price range and try them out. It gets down to what is best for you, not some other guy. Don't worry so much. Buy used and you won't take a beating if you decide to resell it. It doesn't have to have the best workmanship or materials to make a great player, and you can mod a lot of things yourself anyways. You want something that you love playing, not a status symbol. What impresses fellow guitarists isn't what's on the headstock, it's what you do with it. Who do you trust: yourself, and how a guitar feels and sounds in your hands. Avoid entry-level instruments; everything else is on the table for consideration. No matter what you have, someone always owns something better. Yeah, we all want a guitar that will make the other guys respect our selection as an asute player, but that only lasts until we get onstage. The most carefully-selected high-quality guitar won't get you applause for your solos or handshakes when you step off stage.
Click to expand...

I agree, I would never buy a guitar on the strength of a review, or someone else's opinion without trying it. The difficulty I find (and maybe others do, too) is that there are so many guitars on the market that it's often difficult to narrow down the choices of what to try, let alone buy. I find this is especially true of newer companies and models: I always drift to the classic stuff first, but often, when I get a chance, I try something new that really impresses me. For example, the other day I went into a shop I don't go to often, and tried a Godin. It had a bolt on neck with two Seymour soapbars, and an all-rosewood neck. It was great, but I had never heard of it. And if I read about it in a magazine, I would have been sceptical.

The problem I have with reviews in Ultimate Guitar, etc., is that they are usually reviews of guitars people have purchased, so the fact they own it means it suited them well. What I'd like to read is a consistent set of reviews of new guitars by guys who don't buy them all. I know everyone has individual biases (set neck v. bolt on, etc.) but if you got used to the biases, you could still get good information about things like quality of parts, construction, and general sound. Then at least you could narrow down the list of well made vs. less so, quality of wood and stuff like that.

Probably a pipe dream, but it would be a great tool for purchasers.
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

I believe reviews are no more useful than as a means to learn about new products and their specs in order to know what to keep a look out for to try, nothing more, nothing less.
Not to mention that especially with wooden instruments just because the reviewer got an especially good specimen (big surprise there!) that certainly doesn't translate to EVERY specimen being as good, or even in just the same ballpark.

When I bought my Michael Kelly Limited I tried I believe 7 "identical" ones. All looked and for the most part felt the same but no two WEIGHTED or SOUNDED even closely the same.
All 7 of them had their own character, there was 1-2 "duds" 3-4 fairly good and two IMO exceptional that nevertheless didn't sound ANYTHING alike. The guy that owned the shop liked the heavier, darker-sounding one. I liked the lighter, more open/airier-sounding one. He'd have gotten the first one, I got the later. It's all subjective...
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

Honestly, this forum is one of the serious ones. Follow them guys who already have more than 1000 posts. Those guys are readily able to argue with each other, in the level of very detail. At best, there will be a high-quality very educating fencing match on the topic.

Sure, this is also commercial Seymour Duncan Forum. And that is not a bad thing at all. My First Dunkku is Hot Rails humbucker from late 80s or early 90s, I do not know. Anyway I bought it as new.

This forum has already a long time ago extended beyond it's commercial habitus. The focus is still there of course, but not without that approriate forum-based database and criticism.

I have gone through usenet newgroups, bulletin boards and forums since late 80s. There is a forum in cyberspace where I have contributed over 4000 messages. It is still good for me. Here I am a noob.

If you think of only finding a decent Guitar Forum with proper advice base, search no more. You are at home now.

Samu
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

I would hesitate to buy something that nobody reviews. Usually, magazines talk favorably about guitars with a regard for its applications: good for playing, it travels well in tour suitcase, its switches give it diversity, etc. The twenty worst solidbodies of the decade doesnt make for good copy either.
I also think user reviews can be interpreted the same way. Generally, when a thinking asserts the guitars specific qualities, the reader can decide which qualities are deal breakers.
 
Re: Any guitar reviews you really trust?

Then only reviews i trust are reviews I do myself with my ears with the guitar in my hands anything other than that is just someone elses opinion.

Yeah I know this isnt always an option but anything other than hands on its going to be subject to other peoples opinions biases and interpetations.
 
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