Sweetwater Guitar Listings Are Ridiculous
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2024
- We walk through a few of Sweetwater's more ridiculous guitar listings to discuss what phrases like "percussive energy" really mean?
Timecode:
0:00 Intro
0:05 Beginning
2:12 Fender Aerodyne Special Stratocaster
6:00 Fender website "Basswood, premium tonewood?"
8:58 Sire Larry Carlton L7V
16:44 PRS SE CE 24 Standard Satin
24:48 PRS SE McCarty 594
28:45 BC Rich Rich B ST
35:48 Conclusion
36:42 Outro
#fenderguitars #bcrich #fenderjapan #fenderaerodyne #SireGuitars #PRSguitars #sweetwater #adcopy #advertising #guitarbuyingguideforbeginners #guitar #guitars #buyingguitars - เพลง
Apologies in advance to any Toan Lords and Sweetwater fans I've offended with this video. May your maple necks be forever snappy and percussive. 😊
Tone*
@@18JR78Toan
@@18JR78 Toen. Tónn.
@@18JR78 Tooanz 😅
Absolutely NO offense whatsoever!
These Turkeys attempt to Doll up the most Common things that EVERY GUITAR needs to make it function.
There's no such thing as a $50 nut that's somehow gonna sound better than a $10 Tusq or Bone nut... just as there's no such thing as a $900 maple neck that's somehow better than the stock maple neck that's already sitting on a $120 guitar.
The Point is - There is NOTHING that any guitar offers right now that I Can't improve upon MYSELF for hundreds of dollars cheaper!!
Dude, you had me laughing several times this morning, great video! The ads here remind me of the old Musician's Friend catalogs back in the day...The hyperbole was strong with them as well 🤣
I've worked as a content writer for cars I've never driven, people who write these 100% haven't touched a guitar. Sometimes its just about embedding enough keywords to meet SEO quota.
I wonder if AI is being used also. It is increasingly being seen in used item descriptions by individual sellers on Ebay.
I use the Sweetwater site as reference material, but I don't buy from them. They just aren't competitive with their prices and discounts. And I have seen way too many examples of their 55 point inspection being total BS.
So, where would you get your reference material if Sweetwater didn’t provide it?
@@divekyle1017, I use all the major online retailers for reference material. Sweetwater is just one of them.
@@divekyle1017 From the manufacturer dude.
@@LeesKnives I wasn’t asking you. The bazonblades guy said he uses it for reference material but doesn’t buy from them because they aren’t competitive on price. Dude.
😂How did you see so many examples of the 55 point inspection being bullshit if you have never bought from them !?
I have only bought one thing from them and only because they gave me a huge discount on a Jackson RR Jackson gig bag . It seemed like he said yes after I told him I'd never bought anything from Sweetwater because the exact same thing you said about prices and bullshit and he said yes on the discount to get me a new customer or something like that.
If that is the case I can respect that and seems like a good way to do business. 😅
A lot of people say "plays like butter". I've been playing for 55 years... never played butter. Thanx
Butter, in a perfect state and temperature....goes on smooth. I really feel sorry for people who have 0 imagination to be able to put metaphors and adjectives together. It is annoying when used to try to describe an item in a sales pitch...but in general, a guitar that plays like butter is smooth and effortless.
Lighten up Francis, It was just an observation.@@jritechnology
@@stevenharten6201 Wow, a F is for Family reference. The fact you use that instead of a hundred others shows exactly what we're dealing with....go call your daddy Stephanie.
It's from Stripes. I don't watch that other crap.@@jritechnology
@@stevenharten6201 Same difference. I'm sorry Daddy put you down.
This just proves that only the spec sheet is objective. Descriptions and other manufacturer notes are chalked full of subjective marketing mumbo jumbo.
All of these words are meaningless: Tonewood, premium, modern, vintage, sleek, snappy, high, low, midrange, feel, harmonics, etc.
i could go the rest of my life without hearing a guitarist say the word snappy
I got a Sire S7 for Christmas opened it and got a deep cut on my left hand ,the QC card said everything with the guitar was perfect. The frets were so sharp I still have difficulty with playing my guitar. I wrote a letter and they never responded, sent it again and they still didn’t respond. They sold Sweetwater to a private equity firm, things changed.
Weird. I have bought many guitars from sweetwater. My experience top to bottom has always been outstanding. The part of your story that is suspicious to me is, you wrote a letter. A letter? Email your sales guy! Call them. Good luck
SW gives a 2 yr warranty. Send it back.
Hello from Tulsa, glad I randomly found your channel. Subscribed.
The 55 point inspection thing is a gimmick to get your trust!
I would agree basswood isn't premium and as you noted the cost of basswood vs mahogany or alder etc is evidence of this, that said Ibanez use it in their Japanese RG series and many if not all of Steve Vai's Gem series are basswood as is the Jake Bowen signature series which will run you north of 3k , meanwhile you can purchase a Kramer Baretta Special for around $200 which comes with a mahagony body or a firefly with an ash body for $189 , as for the wood the guitar body is made of ...does it make any tonal difference? i don't even want to go there
I've written ads. You get product after product and your job is to make it sound appealing. You're working to please your boss more so than to do what's right for the customer unfortunately. Now this large team of writers could easily be replaced by AI and SW wouldn't miss a beat quality-wise. May even be a step up. Sweetwater's got way bigger problems than this though from my experience; I always just gloss past the product write ups. Their "customer engineer" situation is a nightmare if you don't have a good one assigned to you. I could write a book on what I've gone through and how they make it next to impossible to switch which SW employee owns you and gets a piece of all your sales.
Nice work!
I wouldn't get too worked up, all these descriptions are likely written by AI nowadays.
It a striped strat that's why they need
to charge more. They save money just by lying. Bass wood just wares out faster so you can a new one sooner.
The maple cap DOES create the extra highs. I am 77 and in the 80''s I had the privilege to read the original 50's 'dailies' from the Gibson's R&D. The maple and its thickness makes a difference. What does not make a difference is much of the bodies size. If the body was cut off about an inch or 2 from the PU's so it looked like a neck glued to a 2x4 it would sound the same. They took a bandsaw to finished LP's to prove this. They also compared ALL mahogany LP's and they sounded totally different in real world blindfold tests. The cap is the secret sauce that makes it sound noticeably different than an SG. I have notes on all this. Guys involved all this were of old, some retired but I had the chance to get together with them as a group and talk shop.
Wood makes a big difference. It vibrates and keeps the strings ringing. It absorbs frequencies that starve the PU from having them to reproduced. For those that say all the sound comes from the PU they are correct. BIG BUT...they can only amplify what they get. The wood stops them from getting what appears we do not want.
Dude, the Sweetwater copy writers should be getting nominated for creative writing awards. This stuff is seriously hilarious 🤣
I always appreciated an aerodynamic guitar for when I'm running out the back door at the bar
A lot of companies "embellish" their descriptions. Every ad on TV does it. It's part of sales and marketing. The fine line comes when a company flat out lies, but I don't see that in any of these cases. If a person is so easily duped without doing research, they'll have issues buying anything. Although I'm not found of Basswood (plain, ugly and soft); Ernie Ball, EVH and Suhr uses it a lot. I think it is perfectly suited for the EVH Wolfgang and the the EVH tone. Just because PRS doesn't use it doesn't mean much considering that Paul himself did the ultimate BS sales job on his plastic tuning keys, which was totally a money savings move on some of the most expensive guitars.
I read one description that really stuck with me for years. It's hilarious actually....It said the frets were ready to "bend notes to your hearts content." LMAO...I'll never forget that haha...I just read the specs these days! Good video SGA. Call them out. 👍
I'm not a "tone lord" by any stretch of the imagination. That said, 99.99% of what you said is spot on. The only argument I can make is that solid mass affects sustain. As a bassist, high mass bridges and brass nuts are a thing. And gloss on a neck is more a player choice thing. I prefer a satin neck finish. It's easier on the hands as it does reduce friction on slides. The fact is, on solid body guitars, all of these effects on tone ARE NOMINAL!
This was very interesting, helpful and enlightening, thanks for doing this video! Marketing and advertising drives sales and they will say anything legal to make the sale. It truly is Caveat Emptor!
I might consider a white one with maple fretboard, if it played well for 600.00.-I just have not seen them around. I willhave to check out Sweetwater. Thank you-Great video, God bless.
Great video!
EB uses basswood and they are definitely premium instruments. However, tonewood claims with regard to solid body electrics is, at best, a VERY subtle thing.
I do love how ad copy is SO faux-suasive! 😁
bought many guitars over the last 4 years, never had even one problem with them...just saying. i actually wont buy from anybody else. they have always gone above and beyond to assure my satisfaction. so i fail to see any problem with them. and the 55pt inspection is actually a real thing, i actually drove 300+ miles to go to sweetwater and spent the day there and was able to see it happen in real time, and no i am not a youtuber or celb. just a normal dude that had a great time and asked for a tour and they said sure. so ya, i am taking anything against them personally. as for the modern listing for the pickups, the output of a pickup has nothing to do with it, modern may be just how it is put together...or any one of a dozen "things" most of the descriptions are from the manufacture... not from sweetwater, as they should be. they list what they are given, they dont make those stats up by themself.... same with the price. if brand X says it is a premium wood, then thats how it is listed. hate the manufacture, not the store that sells it.
I never read guitar marketing copy... straight to the spec list, which tells me all I need to know.. Lotta good quips in this here video.. cheers! thanks for the laugh
I assume they base listings on guitar maker's marketing materials or fill them with buzz words to make sales. I don't think I've ever based my purchases on anything more than specs and photos.
I agree with all your takes, but ad copy would be completely ineffective if it were all proven facts. "If you practice, study, gain experience playing live, and remain committed over the long term, it won't matter much whether you play this or an even remotely similar guitar from another brand as long as it's above about $200. Get yours today!"
I've been playing for 32 years. I LOVE when these idiots try to lie to me 🤣
7:00 My budget end Schecter Damien 6str FR has basswood and the Floyd cracked its body wood turning the guitar into a paperweight for months until I finally got around to shipping it, at my own expense, to Sweetwater for repairs. I contacted Schecter first about it and their customer service was extremely dismissive and basically ghosted me over email.
This should be required viewing for all new guitar players.
Years ago, I didn't know anything about electric guitars. I confess that these ads influenced me. Now, I skip the ad copy and look at the specs. The ad copy is clearly over-the-top BS. I laughed a bunch of times listening to the ad descriptions. I am partial to the contradictory ones like, "vintage, yet traditional," "bright but mellow" etc. etc. ad nausium.
Sweetwater rules don't care what your saying they are the best big box guitar store period
I always ask their "experts" about stuff. And then take that info right to Reverb 😆
I don't trust reverb
slight, as in indeterminate? lol tone is nothing on an electric. I mean my through neck has a noticeable sustain, but its not really a deal breaker. maple is cheap, its one of Canadas best exports.and yeah B.C. rich needs to find itself
great vid, per usual.
Basswood has historically been the choice for mass-produced mid-tier import models. Good tone, but vanilla. Vanilla light.
Basswood sounds amazing which is why Eddie Van Halen used it. I had a old Peavey Vortex made from Basswood and people loved the way it sounded. SO lay off basswood as its great. Just because a wood is plentiful doesn't relate to its tone. Git manufacturers prefer other woods so they can upcharge far more and its easier to work with. Basswood takes a light touch as the wood can be dented in more easily
My argument was that basswood is not a premium tone wood, which is what Fender advertised. I understand a lot of nice guitars are made from basswood. Still doesn't make basswood a premium wood. No one is using it for it's tonal properties either, at least not in an electric guitar. It's light weight, easy to work with, and relatively inexpensive.
I do not read any of that sh*t...I do not know musicians that do. True musicians will play an instrument and come up with their own descriptive words and names....musicians do not name their "#1", "my tonal modernistic vibrative strummer".
No. They name them after woman, they name them after something or someone that makes them feel good (or bad) and has meaning.
Adjective Metaphor Pitch Sales or AMPS is just some bullsh*t Sweetwater and other companies use to fill pages for people who actually buy guitars out of a magazine.
They should hire you to read their copy online.
Have you ever read a wine description? I play acoustic guitar. I don't read this stuff. Everything "scooped midrange, Woody, with notes of a G fun"...
Have fun.
I've written descriptions for homes I listed for sale. I would never use one word where ten were available.
I never read those.
they were written after the the trip to the pub etc
Tone and resonance comes from the ply glue..It's 'Tone Glue'. 😂
I've seen people argue about hide glue versus tite bond on Les Paul forums. No joke. 🙄
The urban sombrero
Wood , probably more about weight than tone unless you're a professional studio artist
That would be so funny if the Sweetwater rep that calls all the time blackmails you into taking the video down 😂🤣🤣
“Since I got you on the phone how are you doin on effect pedals”
Man, I did have my eye on a Boss Katana 50. Everybody's got a price. 🤣
This guys never heard a sales pitch? What a tool.
Calling out a sales pitch as a sales pitch is like the exact opposite of being a tool
That fender copy is just outright lies and turns me off to believably of the company
'I like big toans and I cannot lie?' What in the world is a "toan?" I that something different than a "tone?"
Modern design Fenders ??? It looks like it was made in Germany by the Bauhaus that started in 1928 and others making things using similar designs in the 30's. What is really stupid the Tele's whole shape is from 1949 ??? Taking a pickguard off does not fairy dust on it and make modern!!!
I think that they are using AI to write these descriptions.......
My particular favorite is when a guitar (or any musical product) is described as having "tons of 'mojo'". WTF is "mojo", and how do you quantify it?? Should I return a guitar because it doesn't have enough "mojo"?? How would I know?? And why is it that only guitars, amps and pedals possess this elusive, undefineable quality? How come my smartphone doesn't have any "mojo"? Or my shoes, or my refrigerator? Is it because guitar players are stupid?
To be honest, sales copy has always been full of hyperbole and BS. It's not just guitars, and it's not just Sweetwater. But since there's so much subjectivity (and myth) surrounding guitars, it's a lot easier to make sky-high claims about features that make little to no difference. They have to play on your emotions somehow, and simply stating the facts ("it has six strings, two pickups and it's made out of wood") just doesn't do that.
This guy sounds like he never heard about advertising. Welcome to capitalism.
In his world it would read like this; "Our guitar has basswood because it's cheaper to make and we hope you still will buy it because it has Fender on the headstock.... blah blah blah...."
I've heard of honest advertising. Thanks for watching. 🤣🤣
A negative rant video.
No original ideas, so you have to rip off Riffs, Beards & Gear’s idea? Lame. That’s a good enough reason to never watch this channel.
When did Fluff ever criticize Sweetwater's ad copy? Channel used the same word "ridiculous" and now he's ripping someone off? Did you even watch the video? 😅
Buh-bye, Natasha. Have a nice day!
Am a fan of SWEETWATER,. Having said that, i am an example. First guitar was because of looks and PRINT. As i see it that was my first lesson in VALUE for money. I was headstrong. Now things are different , i can be as critical,and realistic about new choices. It was a start. And yes they do need to sell . Thanks. ROCK ON
The most laughable of all these, is Basswood being tone wood. I built musical instruments, and used Basswood to strategically control highs and sustain. I used it to CUT HIGHS AND ABSORB SUSTAIN. I made bridges from basswood, sonically they were dead, terrible, I threw them out.
Basswood is cheap, that’s why it is used. CHEAP