# Phil McKnight Discussion



## Jason B (Feb 13, 2018)

I’ve been following the guy’s YouTube career for a few years, now. Summary for the unacquainted:

* Middle-aged bald guy with porcelain tooth co-owns mom’n’pop guitar store in Arizona, decides YouTube channel and Reverb storefront are essential in getting with the times.

* The endearing qualities of compulsively smiling, constantly falling into unintelligible, mushmouth stammers befitting a Pittsburgh cable access host with Down syndrome and a cleft palette, and being generally dorky while rambling about wanting to own more than four hundred guitars somehow resonated with viewers; driving impressive subscriber number growth. Eventually, McKnight closes his store to focus on YouTube.

* McKnight is a constituent of GuitCon Zaibatzu, a coven of guitar-themed YouTube channels with similar subscriber numbers which cross-promote one another’s channels with videos congratulating themselves for liking one-another’s channels. They even got Warwick-Framus to pay for them to do this in Germany.

*McKnight does weekly QnAs in which he subtly mentions a particular major brand twenty times in an hour, presumably in the hope that said brand will take notice of his subscriber count in consideration of employing him as a shill for newly-launched products. In the event that he doesn’t hear back from the brand before the next QnA, he focuses on a different brand. This is best observed in comparing his recent video, titled “Gibson Asked if I’m Interested in Working with Them?,” to the subsequent video in which he often makes the point of reminding the audience that Kiesel is a brand exhibiting greatness and deserving of respect, that he badly wants to acquire a particular Kiesel guitar, and that he spoke with Kiesel representatives at length during the recent NAMM; and “hopes to do something really cool with them in the future.”

In short, he has attained what corporate marketers refer to as Influencer-status, standing alongside such personalities as Jared Dines, Rob Scallion, and Steve Terreberry (highlighted by a perturbed Guitar World magazine editor as “_a popular YouTube guitarist, which is a very 21st-century thing to be. He posts a host of six-string-centric clips over at his YouTube channel, and he even released an album, cleverly dubbed Album of Epicness, earlier this year.”)_

...

With that out of the way: I personally love McKnight’s content, and find him very helpful for propagating conjecture-derived gossip and educated guesses as insider information, which I then (to the best of my memory) repeat in threads on this site as if they were my own insights.

I also find it awesomesauce that he talks about guitar gear and what guitar gear he wants to buy while in front of a webcam. In the name of transparency and free advertising, I should mention that this has inspired me to launch a similar channel, in which I watch Phillip McKnight talk about guitar gear and what guitar gear he wants to buy in front of a webcam, in front of a webcam. It is my hope that viewers will find this awesomesauce.

But I’m also curious to know the thoughts of You - The People!

_Is _Phil McKnight _really_ just a reflection of Joe Satriani that came to life and escaped from a funhouse mirror? You tell me! And, as always, be sure to like and subscribe <3


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## eggy in a bready (Feb 13, 2018)

did this guy steal your girlfriend or something?


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## Jason B (Feb 13, 2018)

Who told you about that.


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## eggy in a bready (Feb 13, 2018)

Jason Becker said:


> Who told you about that.


the Christmas Ghost of Unfunny Posts visited me one night


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 13, 2018)

I don't like him, but I think this is uncalled for.


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## AdenM (Feb 13, 2018)

I find most of the Youtube guitarlords to suffer from the same problems that most Youtubers suffer from nowdays - increased pressure for viral content + proliferation of multichannel networks and sponsorship middlemen has resulted in most channels uploading 5 - 10 min. commercials with interspersed with vlogging 1-2x a week. That said, the dude's making a living in America in 2018, in the music/entertainment industry no less. He's doing what he has to do to get by, and as a store owner who actually somewhat talks about the business side of things on occasion, that's refreshing. He also probably appeals to the older "Gibson/Fender 4 lyfe" crowd as well. No need to spread h8 man


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## KnightBrolaire (Feb 13, 2018)

i try to pay as little attention as possible to clickbait heavy channels like mcknight's. He's worse than the tone king.


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## Lemonbaby (Feb 13, 2018)

Just one of many clickbait-clowns with useless content. I'm basically avoiding all of the I-am-the-greatest-channels...


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## feraledge (Feb 13, 2018)

You joined SSO to post a Youtube comment?


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## thedonal (Feb 13, 2018)

A long string of 5 or 10 or 33 or 74.5 things you didn't know about xxxx. Pointless clickbait and there are far better guitar channels on YT.

I don't really find his videos particularly informative and they're not much fun. Nothing else against the guy.

The other thing that bothers me is all of the "this is why you suck at guitar" videos- an awful way of getting viewings.

/soapbox


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## BangandBreach (Feb 13, 2018)

Can't stand that guy. He's the crazy russian hacker of guitar channel.


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## Jason B (Feb 13, 2018)

What guitar channels/podcasts would you fellows recommend over Phil’s? Specifically, ones that avoid clickbait or begging for cameos from “bigger” channels/brands?



feraledge said:


> You joined SSO to post a Youtube comment?



I’ve added a “djent” tag to meet the site’s standards.


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## zarg (Feb 13, 2018)

I think he's alright - one of the better guitar focused channels on youtube.


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## xCaptainx (Feb 13, 2018)

Jesus, who took the jam out of your donut?


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## Jason B (Feb 13, 2018)

zarg said:


> I think he's alright - one of the better guitar focused channels on youtube.



I agree. But is “better” strictly comparative in this case? 

I feel the initial success of his channel was due to his angle as a reactionary, “no BS” alternative to clickbait and shill “reviews” for the usual gang of Mooer/Headrush/Line 6/Positive Grid/Kiesel commercials. But the guy now seems resigned to have grown into just another clickbait-based advert channel as a condition of that same success, with no regard for what got people watching in the first place.


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## zarg (Feb 13, 2018)

Jason Becker said:


> I agree. But is “better” strictly comparative in this case?
> 
> I feel the initial success of his channel was due to his angle as a reactionary, “no BS” alternative to clickbait and shill “reviews” for the usual gang of Mooer/Headrush/Line 6/Positive Grid/Kiesel commercials. But the guy now seems resigned to have grown into just another clickbait-based advert channel as a condition of that same success, with no regard for what got people watching in the first place.



true, I used to watch him a lot, it got less now. at least he has some transparency with the little icons he uses to mark paid "reviews". I don't see the clickbait thing you mention, but there's a couple videos where the actual content of the video is very small. I usually don't even watch sponsored videos. They're great and all, helps the creator to earn a buck but if that's all the content - I'll pass.


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## mpexus (Feb 13, 2018)

I watch him sometimes, or better, listen to it while at work. He doesnt have the Store anymore since he was feeling the pressure from Manufaturers to give nice reviews and he felt he didn't want that pressure and it was hurting the Store Business (Like refusal to allow him to have some Brands). So he sold it and only does YT.

Have nothing against him, sometimes I kinda like what I hear, others I care less. I listen to it like I can listen t someone one talk about Gear, no more no Less. Like I used to do a lot on PixxyLixx videos, but since like one year ago he kinda changed to way he does the videos and they start loosing appeal to me, he changed his name recently to Steve from Boston.

The "Why You Suck at Guitar" videos series by Ben Eller are IMO extremely informative videos, made and presented in a way that dont get boring at all. Dont find them a _clickbait_ in any way, by the contrary. Think Ben found a very nice and humorous way to present things without becoming Goofy or sounding retarded, that is very very hard to do in fact.


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## cip 123 (Feb 13, 2018)

The fact that you chose the username Jason Becker makes this even more ironic considering he's one of the most peaceful and guys around


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## Jason B (Feb 13, 2018)

Even more ironic than what?


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## Shoeless_jose (Feb 13, 2018)

I watched a bunch of his stuff a couple years ago while on night shift.

Hes a genuine dude with some unique antidotes and lots of nice guitars. I stopped watching because his playing and demos didnt demonstrate if gear was suitable to my preferred style, but stumbling upon his videos led me to Fluff and Ola and this site and such after many years of guitar neglect.

Some of his topics are quite weak, but he seems like a super nice dude either way


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## iamaom (Feb 13, 2018)

Jason Becker said:


> What guitar channels/podcasts would you fellows recommend over Phil’s? Specifically, ones that avoid clickbait or begging for cameos from “bigger” channels/brands?


Ben Levin, Crimson Guitars, ArnoldPlaysGuitar, Dean Murphy.


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## Jason B (Feb 13, 2018)

I haven’t kept up with Ben Crowe and Crimson lately due to being annoyed in the past by someone trying to sell me a transatlantic rasp, but thanks for reminding me of them and the others - I’m kind of desperate for guitar videos that feel more like nourishment and less like junk food, if that makes any sense.



Dineley said:


> I watched a bunch of his stuff a couple years ago while on night shift.
> 
> Hes a genuine dude with some unique antidotes and lots of nice guitars [...] Some of his topics are quite weak, but he seems like a super nice dude either way



Have you checked out his stuff in the last 8 months or so?

It may only be due to my being a regular viewer, but I feel his vibe has changed a lot from a few years ago. I think he’s well aware that he comes off as a “super nice dude”, but isn’t always upfront about leaning on it when he has something to sell. He’s also (imo) grown shameless about clickbaiting: Between these misleading thumbnails/titles












and going through a phase of titling eeevery tip video “hack” (Guitar Pedal HACKS, Pickup spring install HACK, Tremolo spring install HACK, remove plastic from pickguard HACK, etc.), he really doesn’t seem to care about anything more than having enough subs to be considered for wine-and-dining by larger corporate entities than the last time he was flown out to do a fluff video:


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## myrtorp (Feb 13, 2018)

I watched some lunchbox amp vids of his, not bad when you are full of GAS


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## Shoeless_jose (Feb 13, 2018)

Jason Becker said:


> I haven’t kept up with Ben Crowe and Crimson lately due to being annoyed in the past by someone trying to sell me a transatlantic rasp, but thanks for reminding me of them and the others - I’m kind of desperate for guitar videos that feel more like nourishment and less like junk food, if that makes any sense.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Nah I haven't watched any of his videos in over a year really, I find his demos not suited to my tastes, his tips below my experience level, and for the most part the gear and stuff he demos/reviews are not too my tastes.


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## cwhitey2 (Feb 13, 2018)

iamaom said:


> Ben Levin, Crimson Guitars, *ArnoldPlaysGuitar*, Dean Murphy.



Is the only one I watch anymore.


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## KnightBrolaire (Feb 13, 2018)

I only really watch gear demo channels like arnold's, fluff, agufish, andertons and brett kingman. I know andertons and agufish can be clickbaity to an extent but their demos are usually quite solid. Fluff has been slacking in the gear demoing department the last year or two. brett is probably my favorite because he doesn't waste my time with overly polished mixes or bullshit.


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## Malkav (Feb 13, 2018)

Levi is pretty cool too, though much less metal orientated, he has a podcast called Guitarseholes that'll be going live soon, couple episodes on youtube already, a few of them feature the one guitar player in Part Cannon for what that's worth.


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## goobaba (Feb 13, 2018)

I hate how he hard cuts the video when he finds himself rambling/stammering, but otherwise not a bad channel


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## xzacx (Feb 13, 2018)

mpexus said:


> The "Why You Suck at Guitar" videos series by Ben Eller are IMO extremely informative videos, made and presented in a way that dont get boring at all. Dont find them a _clickbait_ in any way, by the contrary. Think Ben found a very nice and humorous way to present things without becoming Goofy or sounding retarded, that is very very hard to do in fact.



I'll turn on some of the channels mentioned here just to have something playing in the background occasionally, but the only one I actually really respect and like is Ben's. His weekly lesson videos are great too - the perfect balance of having a wide range of genres and licks that are easy enough to not be overwhelming, but hard enough to still be challenging at speed.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 13, 2018)

Just spent some time watching some of these channels. 

Where do I apply to get my time back? Reimbursement? Can I put it on my taxes? 

Maybe they're aimed at younger, newer players, but this is all cringe central.


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## Dekay82 (Feb 13, 2018)

I don't think Phil is so bad. It at least seems like he tries to be genuine and actually interact with the people who support him on a regular basis. That being said, it's crazy how non transparent alot of these youtubers are. Like, all of a sudden they're all over Harley Benton, Hosa cables, and Danelectro's dicks, as if they're the greatest products ever. Even thought they all got free shit at the SAME TIME and all the "reviews" for said shit are coming out at he same time. They all hate Gibson for weeks, then Gibson sends out some vague emails and now they're all slobbing knob's just to get a whiff of Ol'Orville's panties? Come on. WHo saw TOne King's interview where he sucked Hartley Peavey's dick for 15 minutes straight?

That being said, I kinda like Phil. Fluff is better. Uncle Ben is best.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 13, 2018)

I dig Agufish and Arnold. Great players, awesome music, and very detailed product reviews. 

As said before though, Ben Eller rules all.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 13, 2018)

I'd recommend Ben's Weekend Wankshop channel.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 13, 2018)

Oh, and Brett Kingman is also really good.


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## DudeManBrother (Feb 13, 2018)

I think they’re all infomercials. I typically watch Brad the guitalogist(?) channel because I like watching amp repair. Stevie T is no doubt crazy talented, but pretty damn annoying. He is also feeling the pressure of rushing out more content and turning his channel into a carbon copy of the other shit channels. 

I don’t use YT for daily entertainment as much as I use it for direct search info. If I’m looking for ...And Justice For All type sounds from my Mark IV then I’ll search DDG and click a video if it pops up. This site provides enough product hype for me so I can do without the constant bombardment. Plus, I don’t need some ass hat telling me 10 things I probably don’t know about my Fender Stratocaster.


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## cwhitey2 (Feb 13, 2018)

Another +1 for Uncle Ben!


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 13, 2018)

cwhitey2 said:


> Another +1 for Uncle Ben!


Say that again, but in step dad speed, please.


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## bostjan (Feb 13, 2018)

I don't really care for any of the high-subscriber guitar YT channels at all. Oddly, bass players are far more entertaining to me - more variety and fewer attempts at humour that totally miss the mark for me. I never even heard of the guy in the OP. 

YT is a shit show anyway. One of the more entertaining somewhat-science-y channels was recently shut down for seemingly political reasons, the recommended videos shoved down my throat when I sign in are tripe, and their recent policy changes seem solely geared at making it harder for certain people to make any money with no other really logical explanation other than screwing those people over.


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## Dekay82 (Feb 13, 2018)

DudeManBrother said:


> I think they’re all infomercials.


+1
I think its also important to distinguish the people who are using youtube to help others build skills while also building their businesses (for lack of a better term) from those that have channels where they're just trying to get endorsements and free shit.


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## mpexus (Feb 13, 2018)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> Oh, and Brett Kingman is also really good.



Brett is an amazing player and its one of those guys were everything sounds great and always have a great soundtrack to back it all up, a bit like Pete Thorn, but I prefer Brett's channel.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 13, 2018)

mpexus said:


> Brett is an amazing player and its one of those guys were everything sounds great and always have a great soundtrack to back it all up, a bit like Pete Thorn, but I prefer Brett's channel.


Except Pete Thorn turns the beginning of his videos into productions with songs and shit, and I like Brett because he's just a dude with cool gear in his house playing a pedal or whatever.


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## possumkiller (Feb 13, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Just spent some time watching some of these channels.
> 
> Where do I apply to get my time back? Reimbursement? Can I put it on my taxes?
> 
> Maybe they're aimed at younger, newer players, but this is all cringe central.


My cousin decided to become a youtuber because he saw some guy roman atwood talk about getting rich on youtube. If you can't imagine something worse than wasting time watching some idiot's pointless videos, imagine someone telling you how the whole thing goes every time you're on the phone. "Roman atwood did this and said that."

Jesus sometimes it just makes you want to be another suicide statistic...


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 13, 2018)

possumkiller said:


> My cousin decided to become a youtuber because he saw some guy roman atwood talk about getting rich on youtube. If you can't imagine something worse than wasting time watching some idiot's pointless videos, imagine someone telling you how the whole thing goes every time you're on the phone. "Roman atwood did this and said that."
> 
> Jesus sometimes it just makes you want to be another suicide statistic...


You'll only get rich on YouTube if you post bleach memes and act edgy.


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## bostjan (Feb 13, 2018)

I wanted to get rich on youtube, click the video to find out how


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 13, 2018)

bostjan said:


> I wanted to get rich on youtube, click the video to find out how



I'll pass.


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## possumkiller (Feb 13, 2018)

I just don't get it though. I was born in 1983 so I'm a millennial. Why don't I get into all this useless shit like the others?


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## prlgmnr (Feb 13, 2018)

I was wondering where Markwormjim had got to


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## zarg (Feb 13, 2018)

Also one of the better guitar related channels is soulhenge, really enjoy all his stuff and since he's fairly small there's no dumb product placements https://www.youtube.com/user/Soulhenge/featured


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## BusinessMan (Feb 13, 2018)

thedonal said:


> The other thing that bothers me is all of the "this is why you suck at guitar" videos- an awful way of getting viewings.
> 
> /soapbox



You leave uncle Ben out of this


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## Dekay82 (Feb 13, 2018)

Dave Simpson. He’s pretty good. Neurotic British guy that oozes honesty in lo fi videos.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 13, 2018)

thedonal said:


> The other thing that bothers me is all of the "this is why you suck at guitar" videos- an awful way of getting viewings.
> 
> /soapbox



It's clickbaity, but that's the name of Ben Eller's youtube tutorial series.  Also I think that's the original name of his youtube channel.


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## BenjaminW (Feb 13, 2018)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> I don't like him, but I think this is uncalled for.


How so? Just curious.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 13, 2018)

Dekay82 said:


> Dave Simpson. He’s pretty good. Neurotic British guy that oozes honesty in lo fi videos.


I like his stuff. A bit strange, but gives honest opinions and demos some cool stuff.


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## KnightBrolaire (Feb 13, 2018)

JP ain't got shit on the one trv god : lemmy





dennis kayzer also does some good metal oriented pedal demos.


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## Bucks (Feb 13, 2018)

I don't really watch any guitar YT stuff anymore, but I used to like Dave's world of fun stuff quite a lot..


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## gunch (Feb 13, 2018)

Seems like a nice guy and he's less annoying than Champman so 

Kayzer used to post here, loved his band Time has Come


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## Shoeless_jose (Feb 13, 2018)

Ben Eller is awesome. Mad chops too. Some youtube guys are hacks


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## AdenM (Feb 13, 2018)

iamaom said:


> Ben Levin, Crimson Guitars, ArnoldPlaysGuitar, Dean Murphy.



S/O to ArnoldPlaysGuitar, dude's playing is pretty good, he's real, and the beer reviews are a nice touch. With my time nowadays, if I watch a guitar/music related video, it tends not to be just some dude playing guitar in his house; prefer informative content or production related stuff. 

Kurt Ballou and Nate Newton's (of Converge fame) DemoVids channel is siiiick - gnarly tone and gear everywhere. Agufish is also pretty cool - he's somewhat of a djent/metalcore kid but he seems like a driven young guy and I believe he has an arrangement with SamAsh to demo lots of gear, so his output is pretty solid.


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## couverdure (Feb 13, 2018)

possumkiller said:


> I just don't get it though. I was born in 1983 so I'm a millennial. Why don't I get into all this useless shit like the others?


35 is considered a millennial age now?

Every time I see a discussion about guitar-related YouTube channels, it always ends up becoming like this.





I don't really see the problem with most of these channels to be honest, there has to be a demographic somehow and the SSO crowd isn't one of them. That's just the way how YouTube works.


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## beerandbeards (Feb 13, 2018)

Most of these channels feel geared towards younger audiences or djent kids. I’m just not into gimmicks such as 18 string guitars or things bassists/drummers/singers say. I love “Tone Talk” with Dave Friedman. Also the EVH Gear TV channel i enjoy depending on the guest. I enjoy PixxyLixx (now Steve From Boston) gear/guitar reviews.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 13, 2018)

beerandbeards said:


> Most of these channels feel geared towards younger audiences or djent kids. I’m just not into gimmicks such as 18 string guitars or things bassists/drummers/singers say. I love “Tone Talk” with Dave Friedman. Also the EVH Gear TV channel i enjoy depending on the guest. I enjoy PixxyLixx (now Steve From Boston) gear/guitar reviews.


Did Pixxy change the name of his channel?


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## beerandbeards (Feb 13, 2018)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> Did Pixxy change the name of his channel?



Yeah because PixxyLixx is too obscene for his wife to mention to her friends


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## Dekay82 (Feb 13, 2018)

AdenM said:


> S/O
> Kurt Ballou and Nate Newton's (of Converge fame) DemoVids channel is siiiick - gnarly tone and gear everywhere. Agufish is also pretty cool.



Fuck yeah to the max for Demovids. Their tag line “gear demos for non blues lawyers” seems like a fuck you to older hacks like TTK.

As for agufish, he seems ok, but reeks of desperately trying to suckle that endorsement teet. Arnold seems pretty cool and genuine.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 13, 2018)

Dekay82 said:


> Fuck yeah to the max for Demovids. Their tag line “gear demos for non blues lawyers” seems like a fuck you to older hacks like TTK.
> 
> As for agufish, he seems ok, but reeks of desperately trying to suckle that endorsement teet. Arnold seems pretty cool and genuine.


The funny thing is TTK can play decent enough, he just plays like garbage for some reason for his own demo vids. 

Agufish is alright, but he's kind of annoying. At least Stevie T is moderately funny.


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## MickD7 (Feb 14, 2018)

I find that avoiding the cringe and click bait is the hardest thing in the world with the YouTube thing. 

I’ve voiced many times my thoughts on Dines and Stevie T... they are only one video away from going full Pew Die Pie or Logan Paul and god I can’t wait for the reaction from these companies that are giving them so much coverage when that moment does happen. 

The 18 string thing was kinda cool how Perry built it. Did it require old mate marching around at NAMM like gods gift to guitars appearing in the back ground of other very recognised and regarded builders and players and pulling faces? No, does the artist rosterfor Ernie Ball strings need to be boosted by either? No. 

Are guitar company’s, music stores alike leaning far to heavily on memes,click bait and other horrible examples of marketing? 

Yes. And it’s awful to the degree that local businesses are seeing it as the best angle for their business to function in today market.


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## mpexus (Feb 14, 2018)

couverdure said:


> 35 is considered a millennial age now?



Millennial's are the ones born in early 80's to late 90´s ending around early 2000's. It vary's a bit according to study's and who did them. Majority of people use the word Millennial as a pejorative to younger generations... kinda like young kids categorizing older Musicians as saying Mom and Pop Rock/Metal


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## couverdure (Feb 14, 2018)

MickD7 said:


> I’ve voiced many times my thoughts on Dines and Stevie T... they are only one video away from going full Pew Die Pie or Logan Paul and god I can’t wait for the reaction from these companies that are giving them so much coverage when that moment does happen.



The thing is that most of their content is made purely for entertainment, whether you find them funny or not. Channels like Ola, Fluff, Agufish, and Gear Gods are more catered to the gearhead audience, which is a tiny fraction of what Jared and Steve's audience is.

And it sounds like you were out of touch with the Logan Paul comparison because that is too much of a stretch, they and PewDiePie at least behave like proper human beings compared to that manipulative jackass troglodyte.


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## Lorcan Ward (Feb 14, 2018)

Clickbait Title and thumbnail = Views
Views = Monetistation Money

Never heard of this guy before since I don't really watch much guitar/gear stuff on youtube but this should be a compulsory video for any gear nerd. I didn't realise I was pronouncing so many of these wrong all the time.





Dekay82 said:


> That being said, it's crazy how non transparent alot of these youtubers are.



This is one of the really shady things about gear videos on YouTube. Its obvious you are getting free gear, lend, money or promised promotion to do a positive review. If you are an experienced mixer you can make anything sound good or just disguise it in the mix and then have everyone say for the next year "it sounds good here" or "xxxx owns/uses this brand so its amazing".



MickD7 said:


> The 18 string thing was kinda cool how Perry built it. Did it require old mate marching around at NAMM like gods gift to guitars appearing in the back ground of other very recognised and regarded builders and players and pulling faces?



The worse thing about this is everyone was taking pics and videos of Jared and the guitar while so many other booths and stalls got ignored, it took the attention away from the show for so many companies. Did anyone even get some proper close up detailed pics of Abasi guitars? None that I've seen but there are a million pics of this. It turned NAMM into comic con.


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## couverdure (Feb 14, 2018)

Lorcan Ward said:


> It turned NAMM into comic con.


Are you implying that NAMM isn't basically the musicians' equivalent of Comic-Con? The only thing that makes it different is that it's harder to get access to it.

There's nothing wrong with having a show stealer in a convention. Hell, Fractal managed to gain some attention with the reveal of the Axe FX III during that time without even showing up. You're making it sound like it only happened for Jared and Ormsby to show off that (deliberately) dumb guitar.


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## MickD7 (Feb 14, 2018)

couverdure said:


> The thing is that most of their content is made purely for entertainment, whether you find them funny or not. Channels like Ola, Fluff, Agufish, and Gear Gods are more catered to the gearhead audience, which is a tiny fraction of what Jared and Steve's audience is.
> 
> And it sounds like you were out of touch with the Logan Paul comparison because that is too much of a stretch, they and PewDiePie at least behave like proper human beings compared to that manipulative jackass troglodyte.



Out of touch possibly. But Ive never really enjoyed the antics of stupidity and a camera. 

Possible derail:

Perry’s work is excellent as expected, it’s a functioning instrument as much as it is an amazingly executed concept. The build looks solid, Perry has worked very hard with his brand offering products like those that Ormsby guitars produces. I don’t own one but it’s strongly been in the consideration stage so far for about two years and I believe I will choose the Goliath should the moment present itself soon. 

Australia is producing amazing Progressive Music and Instruments. It’s a lot for a musician to be inspired by. 

Back on topic:

Maybe I’m out of touch. I hope if those that get a chance to play a Goliath, an Abasi or the AZ and Nita Strauss model along with a decent video and solid honest review. That kind of thing that’s all it’s ever had to be.


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## sezna (Feb 14, 2018)

I don't mind mcknight. He is cool. Someone mentioned arnold. He kinda annoys me because he can't really play and his reviews are just him reciting the specs. 
Mcknight seems like a chill dude willing to review all kinds of gear, from teles to schecters. He knows a lot about setting up guitars and his "sharpen your axe" series was pretty cool.


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## mpexus (Feb 14, 2018)

I rarely listen to Arnold because mainly he demos gear that I would never get for myself, those super expensive niche guitars are not really my thing and I wold never buy one.

Also the image I have of him, which and I must say is nothing personal and most certain he is not like that, but its the impression he cause on me is that is seems like "Im the best on my Street". Although his "elitist attitude" has been toned down a bit later. Pretty sure he is an amazing dude, its just the image that it transmits me and I can be 110% wrong of course. 

Although by curiosity I watched the reviews he did on a Charvel, the cheap Chapman and the Schuldiner BC Rich and enjoyed them.


*InTheBlues *has nice demos/reviews, not Metal at all but pretty enjoyable.

Used to listen to ToneKing some time ago, dont like his Tone but thats another story, and Fluff... havent listened to anything in some months. The German guy has nice stuff.. but he really needs to cut down those 30+ min videos to something shorter, although i doubt he will.

I dig watching Andertons demos, most people cant stand Chapman (never go why), but they are enjoyable.


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## rexbinary (Feb 14, 2018)

So I used to be a big fan of this guy's channel. At one point, before he dropped his guitar store, he made a promise.

He posted a video making a promise he would never keep gear sent to him for reviews so it wouldn't color his reviews. He also opened a Patreon account about that time that he called a contract. It was his promise to you he would never produce bias reviews. If you paid into that account then you were automatically eligible for the giveaway of each piece of gear he received for review.

So first the people that won the gear were waiting a very long time to receive gear. So long they were having to call his store and stuff trying to get their promised gear. Then Mono sent him a top tier gig bag. So in the video review of it he said he was going to keep it, and there there would be no giveaway.

So of course me and others called him out in the comments that he was supposed to giveaway all the free gear he received, and that we paid for that privilege.

So then he deleted that video, deleted his Patreon account, and deleted the original video where he made the promise. He gave people partial refunds, and then pretended nothing happened. He completely sold out over one gig bag lol

I owned t-shirts, and coffee mugs of his. I tossed them in the trash.

Here is the only proof I could recover:







Here is a link that shows the Mono Gig Bag video did exist:
http://earpeeler.com/2016/08/04/phillip-mcknight-mono-gig-bags-250-are-they-crazy/

And is the link to the deleted video:


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## Shoeless_jose (Feb 14, 2018)

rexbinary said:


> So I used to be a big fan of this guy's channel. At one point, before he dropped his guitar store, he made a promise.
> 
> He posted a video making a promise he would never keep gear sent to him for reviews so it wouldn't color his reviews. He also opened a Patreon account about that time that he called a contract. It was his promise to you he would never produce bias reviews. If you paid into that account then you were automatically eligible for the giveaway of each piece of gear he received for review.
> 
> ...




Wow what a dirt bag move, or hell if you really really like the gig bag at least give away some other stuff to make good on your entire premise.

I'm sure if he had come out straight up and said, "this gig bag is phenomenal I love it but couldn't bring myself to part with $250 for one. Will offer to do a giveaway on a couple of pedals instead." People would have understood, we all get the GAS if his happens to be for a gig bag well then thats fine.


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## rexbinary (Feb 14, 2018)

Yes exactly. It wouldn't have been that hard to fix in some way just by being honest.


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## KnightBrolaire (Feb 14, 2018)

the fact that arnold reviews smaller more niche brands is exactly why I like his content. Not a lot of guys out there reviewing siggi brauns or hapas guitars, etc. I like how he's willing to try pretty much anything (ie the agile 10 string or the aforementioned siggi brauns). 
Intheblues is solid for pedal demos if you're not looking for a metal oriented pedal.
I really like ProGuitarShop demos but that's mostly because Andy was a damn good demoer (he's with reverb now iirc).


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## xzacx (Feb 15, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> It's clickbaity, but that's the name of Ben Eller's youtube tutorial series.  Also I think that's the original name of his youtube channel.



When something is actually backed up with solid content (like Ben's), it doesn't really come across as clickbait (if you actually watch it). It's more like good marketing. It's a tutorial series that backs up the premise of the headline. I get why people say that, but IMO his videos are on an entirely different level than the standard youtube "reviewer."


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 15, 2018)

xzacx said:


> When something is actually backed up with solid content (like Ben's), it doesn't really come across as clickbait (if you actually watch it). It's more like good marketing. It's a tutorial series that backs up the premise of the headline. I get why people say that, but IMO his videos are on an entirely different level than the standard youtube "reviewer."


Yeah I agree totally. I mean the title itself can sound clickbaity, but the name is from his YouTube channel. The actual content kicks ass and is extremely informative.


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## Splenetic (Feb 15, 2018)

@rexbinary

Pls tell the WHOLE story. He didn't send the mono gigbag out cause he threw it across the room with a guitar and damaged it. Instead he spent 140 bucks of his own money to send out two brand new gigbags. He also did not pretend "nothing happened", it's fully addressed here:



He fucked up, but he fixed it.


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## diagrammatiks (Feb 15, 2018)

KnightBrolaire said:


> the fact that arnold reviews smaller more niche brands is exactly why I like his content. Not a lot of guys out there reviewing siggi brauns or hapas guitars, etc. I like how he's willing to try pretty much anything (ie the agile 10 string or the aforementioned siggi brauns).
> Intheblues is solid for pedal demos if you're not looking for a metal oriented pedal.
> I really like ProGuitarShop demos but that's mostly because Andy was a damn good demoer (he's with reverb now iirc).



arnold and soulhenge are the only reviewers doing reviews of stuff i'd actually buy. I'd wish there was ore of that happening. i need a channel called eastern european multiscale guitar reviews.


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## feraledge (Feb 15, 2018)

Are we all pretending like everything on Youtube isn't clickbait?


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## bostjan (Feb 15, 2018)

feraledge said:


> Are we all pretending like everything on Youtube isn't clickbait?


Not everything. But anything that isn't might as well be set to private.


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## rexbinary (Feb 15, 2018)

Malevolent_Croatian said:


> @rexbinary
> 
> Pls tell the WHOLE story. He didn't send the mono gigbag out cause he threw it across the room with a guitar and damaged it. Instead he spent 140 bucks of his own money to send out two brand new gigbags. He also did not pretend "nothing happened", it's fully addressed here:
> 
> ...




Not true at all. He clearly said in the video review of the MONO Gig Bag that he was keeping it, and there would be no giveaway. If he made a story a year later to try to cover that up then you are welcome to believe it. If he sent out bags, that's great.


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## sezna (Feb 15, 2018)

diagrammatiks said:


> arnold and soulhenge are the only reviewers doing reviews of stuff i'd actually buy. I'd wish there was ore of that happening. i need a channel called eastern european multiscale guitar reviews.


soulhenge is cool but he isn't as much a pro gear reviewer as just a musician who reviews the gear he gets.


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## thedonal (Feb 16, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> It's clickbaity, but that's the name of Ben Eller's youtube tutorial series.  Also I think that's the original name of his youtube channel.



Fair play. I'll look him up. Titles like that tend to put me right off clicking on watch though! 

I must admit- he's a good guitarist, but I simply cannot watch Steve Terreberry's videos. They're too much for me!


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## rokket2005 (Feb 16, 2018)

I like Rick Beato and Adam Neely's channels. Neither are guitar channels so much as more broadly music focused channels and their presentation and demeanor are more down to earth and enjoyable to watch. Andrew Huang does some interesting stuff too, though again, not a guitar channel.


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## Eptaceros (Feb 16, 2018)

feraledge said:


> Are we all pretending like everything on Youtube isn't clickbait?



Are you just fishing for likes or is that a genuine statement? There's a ton of channels on youtube that are extremely informative and not clickbait. 

And no bostjan, they shouldn't be set as private. What the hell kind of posts are these


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 16, 2018)

Eptaceros said:


> Are you just fishing for likes or is that a genuine statement? There's a ton of channels on youtube that are extremely informative and not clickbait.
> 
> And no bostjan, they shouldn't be set as private. What the hell kind of posts are these


They are goddamn Russian bots posing as real people, that's what they is.


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## xzacx (Feb 16, 2018)

Eptaceros said:


> And no bostjan, they shouldn't be set as private. What the hell kind of posts are these



I don't want to speak for bostjan, but I think he was using that as hyperbole - point being that the amount of views they get is so small that they are, in essence, private accounts in comparison to the clickbait ones.


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## wakjob (Feb 16, 2018)

I was an early adopter of Mcknight's channel, but don't subscribe any longer... as with most other gear related channels. I did buy a "know your gear" t-shirt to support him back a couple of years ago. 

Nice guy, but I had to unplug from the whole gear thing for a good long while. 

Pete Thorn is the only one that remains for me.


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## feraledge (Feb 16, 2018)

Eptaceros said:


> Are you just fishing for likes or is that a genuine statement? There's a ton of channels on youtube that are extremely informative and not clickbait.


Genuine statement, partially hyperbole. People post things on youtube to be watched. Arguably all social media is a sales pitch for something, a brand or your brand.


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## Eptaceros (Feb 16, 2018)

feraledge said:


> Genuine statement, partially hyperbole. People post things on youtube to be watched. Arguably all social media is a sales pitch for something, a brand or your brand.



That's a pretty narrowminded view, and it's just flat out wrong to say that all social media is a sales pitch. There are countless youtube channels (such as June Lee, Rick Beato, etc) that are purely educational. I have a playthrough channel dedicated to uploading covers of underground bands or songs that haven't been uploaded yet. My account is not monetized, I put no original music on there; it's purely for spreading awareness of sick bands and helping guitarists learn untabbed songs.

Social Media provides a platform to do anything you want. Just cause the majority of assholes upload clickbait doesn't change that.


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## sezna (Feb 16, 2018)

Eptaceros said:


> That's a pretty narrowminded view, and it's just flat out wrong to say that all social media is a sales pitch. There are countless youtube channels (such as June Lee, Rick Beato, etc) that are purely educational. I have a playthrough channel dedicated to uploading covers of underground bands or songs that haven't been uploaded yet. My account is not monetized, I put no original music on there; it's purely for spreading awareness of sick bands and helping guitarists learn untabbed songs.
> 
> Social Media provides a platform to do anything you want. Just cause the majority of assholes upload clickbait doesn't change that.


I think both of you have a good point. Most social media that we experiencenis people trying to make a profit off of it. There is a subset that do it for other reasons. that subset is small and often corrupted and loses members to the other side, but it does exist.


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## feraledge (Feb 16, 2018)

@Eptaceros it’s an increasingly prevalent psycho-social realization about the nature of social media. Whether we acknowledge it or not, this is a presentation of things moreso than a platform of expression. Granted genuine forms of expression exist on these platforms, but regardless of intent posting and sharing is ultimately to get views, likes and/or intention. Amongst the major parties (Google, FB, YT, etc), the point of offering a free platform (with potential to make money) is to excel in the attention economy, the more people watch, the more their platform can be monetized. Plain and simple.
When you use it and share, whether you’re doing some super click-baiting “you won’t believe this” kind of shit or not, you can’t ignore the function of the platform. So in that regard, it’s hyperbole to say everything is clickbait, but it’s not a stretch.
There’s a lot more to say on the matter, big nod to Nicholas Carr and books like ‘World Without Mind,’ but this article sums up my seemingly doomy post:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/551789/


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## Hartattack1090 (Feb 16, 2018)

Love his channel. Very informative. Watch it regularly.


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## feraledge (Feb 16, 2018)

Long story short, the medium is the message. 

I don’t pay much attention to youtube, but I always presume someone is out to sell something. And if someone is making clicks their job, then what does anyone expect? Unbiased views? In an era when you could potentially start with gear reviews and move into having your own sig gear or brand, there’s no reason to believe that the trajectory of anyone trying to get their reviews on YT isn’t really just building their own brand. 
By the time Phil and Arnold are selling you their own pedals or guitars, it’s all built off the image of trust and loyalty they’ve been building from the start.


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## Eptaceros (Feb 16, 2018)

Ok, I see what you're getting at now. Didn't realize at first that you were alluding to a grand-scheme-of-things perspective. Ultimately, I pretty much agree with you. I personally think that the prevalence of technology (from the 20th century on) is a plague on humanity, and that we are at a tipping point of devolution. 

However, all things considered, this is our reality. You can engage in it or not, but this is the hand you're dealt. It's up to you how you're going to utilize whatever platform. You have to realize that the individual level consumption is as relevant as the global perspective. Despite the corporate intentions at large, the people are in charge of the content, which is what drove Youtube to where it is today. Everyone will experience things in varying degrees. I learned everything guitar related off of the internet, and this youtube channel is my way of giving back to that same community. You can assume all you want, but I can tell you with full sincerity, my channel will never become a sales pitch.


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## Jason B (Feb 17, 2018)

http://www.wamplerpedals.com/news/blog/itemlist

tl;dr version: Wampler employee used company social media account to shame McKnight for having used his YouTube celebrity as a qualification from which to make erroneous claims concerning pedal components, component quality, and pricing. Brian Wampler removed post and apologized.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 17, 2018)

Was he making claims about a specific pedal from Wampler, or pedals in general?


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 17, 2018)

Holy Christ. I watched the part of the video where he started showing how much he knows about various things inside a pedal and their costs. Yeah... strike my first comment that the OP was uncalled for.


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## Jason B (Feb 17, 2018)

I think more people are coming around to the fact that Youtube Influencers are professional bloviating know-nothings; with some incidentally being competent educators and demonstrators.

Granted, the growth of this cancer among the corpulent is largely a consequence of Youtube implicitly demanding minimum video lengths, release frequency, and comment/sub quotas under threat of demonetization. McKnight never had a silver tongue, but the stipulations of his content host have actively encouraged his present compulsion to stammer and reiterate minutiae for the sake of nothing else than to pad out the minutes, with accuracy prioritized below concision (but apparently above charisma).

That said, watching McKnight’s “career” trajectory go from “store owner trying other avenues of promotion” to “hype-man for free gear” has made the allure of being a Content Creator seem downright sinister, rather than just slimy: Professional Youtubers are essentially eroded into obedient content _creatures, _desperate for tomorrow’s next contrivance to boost sub counts, but with no thoughts for the day after unless it’s a Scheduled Upload Day.

I’m curious to know if this irks anyone else: McKnight recently used donations from Super Chat and Patreon supporters to purchase and “review” a Sterling St Vincent Signature (presumably for the sake of his breasts). The buying and the reviewing were separate videos (products), and the review then and since is as tediously and hyperbolically positive as anyone would have expected - Because the alternative would have been to let the audience that purchased the guitar know that it was less-than-stellar. 

The bias of that creates another problem: Suppose he gets donations toward reviewing the American-built version of the same guitar. He’d be faced with saying that either the much more expensive gift wasn’t as good as the less-expensive one, or that his praise for the earlier gift was unfounded in comparison. He could state either explicitly or implicitly, but would nonetheless be in the awkward position of comparing two instances of the same gift, in the name of unbiased journalism.

Be sure to like and subscribe!


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## couverdure (Feb 17, 2018)

You're all acting like this whole YouTuber ordeal is like an episode of Black Mirror.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 17, 2018)

Jason B said:


> I’m curious to know if this irks anyone else: McKnight recently used donations from Super Chat and Patreon supporters to purchase and “review” a Sterling St Vincent Signature (presumably for the sake of his breasts).


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## Dekay82 (Feb 17, 2018)

Yeah, I don’t understand how he thinks he’s qualified to make pricing decisions onledals based on their guts. Yeah he owns a lot, and he’s a very competent guitar tech, but it appears as if he has little to no experience in pedal building.


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## fps (Feb 17, 2018)

Jason B said:


> * The endearing qualities of compulsively smiling, constantly falling into unintelligible, mushmouth stammers befitting a Pittsburgh cable access host with Down syndrome and a cleft palette, and being generally dorky while rambling about wanting to own more than four hundred guitars somehow resonated with viewers; driving impressive subscriber number growth. Eventually, McKnight closes his store to focus on YouTube.



Why are you posting something that's this insulting to people with real hardships in life?


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## gunch (Feb 17, 2018)

couverdure said:


> You're all acting like this whole YouTuber ordeal is like an episode of Black Mirror.


 Life imitates art


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## feraledge (Feb 17, 2018)

silverabyss said:


> Life imitates art


Art is critique


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## coupe89 (Feb 17, 2018)

I find he gets something and it is the best thing ever created, then the next month he meh about then another month later he hates it.


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## Splenetic (Feb 17, 2018)

rexbinary said:


> Not true at all. He clearly said in the video review of the MONO Gig Bag that he was keeping it, and there would be no giveaway. If he made a story a year later to try to cover that up then you are welcome to believe it. If he sent out bags, that's great.


 Nah, I'll take your word for it. Didn't know that the video I posted was a YEAR later as I'm not a huge fan myself and only watch his shit occasionally. Pretty weak. Did he mention his stated reason (in the vid i posted) in the mono review video at all?


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## rexbinary (Feb 18, 2018)

Malevolent_Croatian said:


> Nah, I'll take your word for it. Didn't know that the video I posted was a YEAR later as I'm not a huge fan myself and only watch his shit occasionally. Pretty weak. Did he mention his stated reason (in the vid i posted) in the mono review video at all?



Wow. I had never watched that video you mentioned as I stopped watching him in 2016. I just watched it, and no it was nothing like that in the original review video. He gushed over how cool the bag was, and said he liked it so much he was going to keep it, and that was it. Then he deleted it when he was called out. That's quite a story in the new video to me.

If that was the truth, then why hasn't he ever just re-enabled the original video? Maybe it is the truth, and I'm all wrong, but I just don't think so. I can totally understand anyone not believing me since the video with the truth is gone, but I don't have an axe to grind. I just felt what I saw was relevant to this topic about him.

Anyway if his Patreon members got something out of it that's great. I'm glad he did something for them finally.


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## Splenetic (Feb 18, 2018)

Yeah, my apologies for calling you out earlier, it's def more on the sketchy side if he just gushed over it and decided to keep it based on that. Usually I'd be like "who gives a shit, it's a baaaaag" but yeah, considering he made that pledge to his peeps, it's pretty lame. 

Guess it's down to when (if?) he mailed those other two gigbags out..... could've been mitigating the drama if it was after he was called out on the bs.


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## WestOfSeven (Feb 18, 2018)

OP sounds like a bitch 

I just subbed to this Phil guys channel based on his first post. Guy seems alright.

He totally just liked that gig bag enough to want to keep it though.


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## RockMixer (Feb 18, 2018)

Hes cool. I also like tone king


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## Petar Bogdanov (Feb 19, 2018)

A lot of unrealistic YouTube expectations up in this thread... 

Clickbait is easily avoided by clicking something else. The algorithm learns who you are, and just defaults to what most people pursue, which is clickbait, apparently. Also, install a video blocker, some channels are too annoying to put up with.


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## Jason B (Feb 20, 2018)

Bumping for the disinterested:

I was just watching Pete Thorn discuss the YouTube Influencer model with Greg Koch. Both claimed that the nobility of the medium lay in the inherent “transparency” of “cutting out the middle man” - Freeing those qualified to pontificate from the diplomacy demanded by glaring conflicts of financial interest.

I single out those two because they are distinguished from 99% of professional Youtube Influencers for a number of reasons: They are established figures in the gear industry, have actual insights to offer as a consequence of that, and were established primarily by their playing. Those qualities inform their endorsements and signature gear carrying more weight in my mind than those rewarded endorsements and signature gear for the achievement of being considered friends of Rob Chapman and Lee Anderton.

Achievements aside, I rolled my eyes at what the two men said. Youtubers _are _the middle men. In the case of Thorn and Koch, I have to watch other people review their signature gear specifically because their own obligations mean they can’t say

_“They refused to make any more prototypes for me to approve within the contractually-specified timeframe before the product was set to go into production. Please don’t notice that I’m running out the clock telling you about my product, rather than demonstrating what it sounds like. In the event that I am asked to demonstrate what distinguishes my signature knockoff of a competitor’s product that was previously a staple of my guitar, backline, and/or pedalboard, I’ll be taking a cue from the Misha Mansoor playbook and playing through a 30-effect Axe FX chain set up just outside the camera frame focused on the gear that’s switched on but not connected to anything.”
_
Additionally, the playing field is leveled independent of the two men’s qualifying achievements: While it’s true that, on paper, the Youtube medium leaving them free to sermonize is refreshing, the only qualification actually needed is the manual dexterity and email involved in registering a YouTube account.

This leaves those without reputation resorting to farming subs through the age-old practice of presenting a gossip column as serious journalism: Youtubers such as McKnight pretend that previously doing business in a guitar store makes you any more of a music industry insider than working at a GameStop makes you a game industry insider. In this case, the dubious become the middle man utilizing google-fu to skim messageboards and ultimate-guitar.com article recycling, then present the barrell-scrapings as news to an audience that can’t be bothered to attain the same level of education offered by typing subjects of interest into a search engine:

“Heads-up, guys: Fender’s coming out with a 5150 III that uses EL34s next month. I can’t tell you my source, but let’s just say he works for Music-Radar and posted that yesterday at the request of Fender, along with a list of dealers.”

“I shouldn’t be saying anything, guys, but I saw some guys from Boss taking to Robert Keeley at NAMM. I think we may be seeing some sort of collaboration in the future, as opposed to their history of past collaboration that never stopped. Don’t tell anybody.”

Etc. Point being, for all that what Thorn and Koch said is true _in principle_, a medium in which subscriber numbers are the only metric pushes the middle mind to the forefront and devalues everything above that line. It’s also worth remembering that Youtube has done more for Thorn and Koch’s careers with them in its back pocket than their sites’ press kits and resumes featuring the rockstars of yesteryear ever did.

There’s no denying that Youtube gear channels have proven the market for charlatans to summarize guitar gear for the naive and lazy. So why aren’t we seeing Youtube gear channels that summarize Youtube gear channels for the naive and lazy? It would surely have a built-in audience.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 21, 2018)

Jason B said:


> There’s no denying that Youtube gear channels have proven the market for charlatans to summarize guitar gear for the naive and lazy. So why aren’t we seeing Youtube gear channels that summarize Youtube gear channels for the naive and lazy? It would surely have a built-in audience.


We really do not need a Philip DeFuckass style gear channel on YouTube.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 21, 2018)

A iDubbz Content Cop style youtuber for guys like Jared Dines, Steve T, etc etc. . It's gonna happen one day.  

Especially when you got a lot of guys on YT treat the music and gear business like a bunch of fads or dank memes.


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## KnightBrolaire (Feb 21, 2018)

Spaced Out Ace said:


> We really do not need a Philip DeFuckass style gear channel on YouTube.


brb making this right now


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## Shoeless_jose (Feb 21, 2018)

Need more "what if Metallica played 8 strings" channels.


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## Spaced Out Ace (Feb 21, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> A iDubbz Content Cop style youtuber for guys like Jared Dines, Steve T, etc etc. . It's gonna happen one day.
> 
> Especially when you got a lot of guys on YT treat the music and gear business like a bunch of fads or dank memes.


I would definitely be a fan of that.


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## prlgmnr (Feb 22, 2018)

Dineley said:


> Need more "what if Metallica played 8 strings" channels.


"What would song X sound like in a major key??"

Like a different fucking song, is what.


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## GunpointMetal (Feb 22, 2018)

Ya'll sound like you're mad you didn't come up with good clickbait to get free gear and internet famous.


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## Flappydoodle (Feb 26, 2018)

I like Phil. His channel is informative, original, and I do believe he has more integrity than most.

There are 100 guitar channels with guys selling you stuff - their own store (Andertons) their own brand (Ola, Chapman), courses/services (Glenn) etc). There are 100 doing re-hashed covers, "viral" videos (Jared, StevieT, urgh), or blatantly starting out for the free stuff (AguFish). There are guys who will demo/promote and say literally anything that pays them.

McKnight has always been quite open from the start that he wants to make money from Youtube and he would prefer direct support from Patreon and selling t-shirts rather than being paid by companies to do gear "reviews". He has claimed that he has turned down products before when the company sent a written contract stating what they wanted him to say, how they wanted him to frame the product in the video, what other products were allowed to be shown in the same video etc... in other words, an advert. Since he pointed out this behaviour, I have seen it constantly in other videos on other channels. Those "reviewers" have been paid, but they hide it behind something plausibly deniable such as "let's check out BIAS AMP 2", or "this episode brought to you by Positive Grid" which doesn't clearly disclose that they are being paid to read a script.

His new "sharpen my axe" series is brilliant. I learned loads about setting up a guitar, polishing frets, rounding off the fretboard and fret edges (to turn a cheap guitar into a more expensive-feeling one) etc. His insights into the industry are good too - such as telling us what components don't make guitars expensive any more. Why does Gibson charge an extra £600 for binding? It's just marketing/branding, not actual cost.

When it comes to the JHS pedal demo, I can't see what he did wrong. He demo'd an expensive pedal, said many positive things, but then compared it to one which cost 1/6th and sounded almost the same. Then an another pedal maker, who wasn't even mentioned, got all upset and posted a rant online, blamed it on a rogue employee, and has been on an awkward apology tour of the internet ever since.

Taking something apart and commenting on the components is a GOOD thing. It makes us all more informed customers. I realise companies will be upset by that because he's showing the dirty truths behind a lot of gear. The point isn't that a particular part is cheap - it's that the company *chose* to use cheaper parts when better, but more expensive, parts were available. And they chose to dress it up behind a hand-written serial number as a marketing trick to make you feel like it was hand made. 

When you pay a premium, there's an expectation that things like that don't happen. Yes it's a free market and the price is whatever people are willing to pay, but what people KNOW (or think they know) about a product influences that. That's why advertising and marketing and branding works. Separating that from how much you actually like something, and how much you're actually willing to pay, it very difficult.


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## Jason B (Feb 27, 2018)

Thanks for contributing your thoughts. You seem to be his target audience, and I wanted that position represented here.

The thrust of your praise highlights exactly what I dislike about him: His appeal of being a transparent alternative to shill reviewers.

Yet he shills. And he’s only “transparent” about matters where he brags about having taken the high road: “I probably shouldn’t be telling the entirety of my global audience this, but *namedropped brand* wanted me to shill, and I declined. Here’s a totally unrelated spotlight on a similar, competing brand’s recently released product. You know there’s no collusion here, because I didn’t mention any.”

It’s great that you learn things from his channel, but (broken record, here) it’s nothing you wouldn’t have learned elsewhere.

McKnight “breaks down” industry gossip, industry practices, and repair/maintenance on a 101-level matched by those who lurk TheGearPage, and won’t remove or update videos when he gets his string of trivia wrong. He likes Parker Flys enough to do a video on “things you don’t know” about them, and gets enough wrong to make you wonder if he was just trying to drum up interest before he put one of his Flys on Reverb. I don’t feel he cares past how many views a video accumulates before the next is published.

I agree that he (incidentally) exposed the JHS pedal for what it is, but disagree that he’s an authority on the matter. Having your local mechanic tell you what he’s read about Teslas is one thing, but him monetizing a clickbait-titled Youtube video in which he opens the hood of one and labels stuff “junk” when he’s out of his depth would seem unethical to me, independent of what he incidentally gets right or how nice a guy strangers say he seems to be.

Different strokes, I guess. I don’t hose 100% of his content, but feel most of the positive vibes people take away are just product of the cynical marketing of a smiling businessman.


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## Flappydoodle (Feb 27, 2018)

@Jason B 

Understood. I appreciate that he is trying to make money from YouTube, though by different methods than "usual". Playing the nice guy, framing himself as the outsider etc is all part of that, I understand. Everything he puts on his channel is designed to increase his brand and name recognition, have monetisation potential etc. And of course he has capitalised on this JHS thing to play the victim, play the outsider ("see, the companies don't want me to tell you this" etc). The smart thing for JHS (or in this case Wampler) to do would have been to ignore it and that pedal video would be buried alongside every other review out there.

I disagree with your point about learning things elsewhere. I still find his channel to be MUCH more informative than average. For example, in the Sharpen My Axe videos, him explaining setups, adjusting string action, how to deal with high frets etc was a very clear breakdown of the essential points and how to fix things, without being overly long, but with enough substance to be useful. Compare Phil's video to the same topic covered by Ola just this week - a 6 minute video with some introductory time-wasting, making sure to mention how his Solar guitars are perfectly set up, a 20 second demonstration of adjusting a truss rod, him saying "adjust the saddles" without showing it, and then 2 minutes of him just playing riffs. On the other hand, there are videos from others which are unstructured, >60 minute long ramble-fests of them just randomly talking about various aspects of setups. Phil struck a good balance by making those Sharpen videos entertaining and also informative - which I think is rare.

You're right about him not being an authority on all matters. Phil obviously does know about the industry as a whole, how profit margins work, and how the dealer-end of things work. But of course he's regurgitating things he's read online too. However, I also don't think you need expert-level knowledge to point out a machine-made PCB or look up part numbers of basic components in a pedal. (However, it seems to be the nature of pretty much everything these days. The pundits on TV can't predict politics and only post-rationalise things and add narrative to suit their agenda. The people who are paid to select stocks don't outperform a bog-standard tracker fund. And all of these bedroom player YouTubers (including guys who run "studios" from their garage) are now experts, critics and influencers.)

I honestly feel like part of the hate for Phil is because he is actually being successful at differentiating himself from the mass of gear reviewers/shills, and some people on various gear forums think that *they* know more and that Phil doesn't deserve the success or recognition. I've often thought about making a Youtube channel - but I would quickly run out of material because my expertise is limited. It would be impossible to supply 2-3 videos per week and still maintain any sort of quality or integrity. I'd end up just repeating folklore and gossip I'd seen on forums, and reviewing the Boss Katana and Mercurial Triaxis just like everybody else. To be fair, I'd say that what Phil is doing is filling a niche which was badly needing to be filled. He's not perfect, but I would still trust him more than Ola, Fluff, Jared, StevieT, Glenn, or any of the others.


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## MatthewK (Feb 27, 2018)

The whole youtube celebrity thing is icky to me. And I don’t like that he can’t pronounce shit correctly.


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## ArtDecade (Feb 27, 2018)

eggy in a bready said:


> did this guy steal your girlfriend or something?



Why can't I like this comment twice?


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## awesomeaustin (Feb 27, 2018)

I worked in the Phoenix Metro music store scene, Chandler specifically, when Phil started his store and from the beginning he was a shyster. From terrible customer service in his store (we called his wife the "Ice Queen" because she would constantly yell at customers who she didn't think had money), to scamming people into unnecessary repairs (restrung a violin with classical guitar strings and charged them $40+strings) and everything in between. He even attempted to steal brands away from long established music stores by lying to sales reps. Obviously I have a bias against this guy due to my personal, face to face experiences with him and his shop, so I don't watch him.


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## ArtDecade (Feb 27, 2018)

Flappydoodle said:


> He's not perfect, but I would still trust him more than *Ola*



Get out. Get out of here right now.


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## KnightBrolaire (Feb 27, 2018)

I actually prefer gear demos where people don't read the specs to me like I'm in elementary school and lack the capacity to research the product myself. Just shut the fuck and play some riffs with the gear you're demoing. Granted those are hard to find outside of brett kingman or mike herman's demos.


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## Flappydoodle (Feb 27, 2018)

ArtDecade said:


> Get out. Get out of here right now.



Why would you trust Ola?

To put it bluntly, he's another shill hiding behind a nice-guy persona. He also demo'd the Fortin pedals, everything Positive Grid made, everything Mercuriall made, the Joyo stuff, the Boss Katana (even doing the same "how loud is it" video as Chapman), the triple video package of Amplitube 4 etc etc. And when you watch those videos, they are exactly the type of contracted advert that Phil McKnight talked about - the product clearly framed, nothing else in frame, focusing on certain features (the ones presumably provided in the script he agreed to stick to). Watch reviews of the same products by other Youtubers and the pattern is incredibly clear - even the day when the embargo lifts and all their reviews come out on the same day, haha.

He has mentioned a couple of times that he is sent something for review, but he never explicitly says that he was paid to review something. And of course now he has his own brand of guitars and his signature amplifiers to promote. Hell, just recently he proudly put "NOT A SPONSORED REVIEW" in the title of a video, presumably because that's a rare exception which was worth special mention.

His titles are turning into more and more ridiculous clickbait - "BEST NEW GEAR?", "wtf is in the box?" etc. I can honestly see a guy struggling to meet a 2-3x per week upload schedule with decent content, and resorting to more VLOGs, FAQs, unboxings and other easier videos.

On a positive note, at least he's an actual touring musician and not just a bedroom guy. And again, I won't hate on anybody for trying to make money in the metal music industry. Just don't be naive - the guy is being paid to sell you stuff.


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## Flappydoodle (Feb 27, 2018)

KnightBrolaire said:


> I actually prefer gear demos where people don't read the specs to me like I'm in elementary school and lack the capacity to research the product myself. Just shut the fuck and play some riffs with the gear you're demoing. Granted those are hard to find outside of brett kingman or mike herman's demos.



They're just sticking to the script they agreed to read 

Any coincidence that all reviewers of the Boss Katana have clearly explained how loud it is... almost as if that's something Boss specifically wanted to get across


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## RevDrucifer (Feb 27, 2018)

Flappydoodle said:


> Any coincidence that all reviewers of the Boss Katana have clearly explained how loud it is... almost as if that's something Boss specifically wanted to get across



Not really, for a 100watt 1x12 combo. After reading the specs on those when they first came out, my first thought was "How loud does that thing get?". Then I'd see posts popping up of guys saying they could keep up at a band practice, so my next question was "How loud are these guys actually playing?". I haven't had a question about any other feature of this amp aside from it's attainable volume. 

Especially considering Boss is claiming it's as loud as a tube amp.


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## Jason B (Feb 28, 2018)

Whereas McKnight is the mid-40s dad who doesn’t know how the internet works but is cynical enough to know how to market himself, Ola Englund’s self-promotion is rooted in understanding that ugly, greasy metalheads will identify with him. He has much more to offer than that (and I’ve found him to be a nice fella), but he knows full-well that his target demographic is fashion-conscious; and therefore highly susceptible to the suggestion that a new product is associated with their currently preferred metal subgenre.


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