A lot of these youtubers think just because they get a free product instead of payment it's not sponsored and fail to realize the "free" product IS the payment.
That is correct. When we are contacted, it is always a subtle variation of "Can we send you this gear? Will you make a video of it? You get to keep it afterward"
Good on you for correcting the record, although I don’t think any of us suspected any shenanigans from you Bill! And you are right. It’s great to see reviews of stuffs, but always needs to be tempered with an understanding of bias. And that’s not bad.
Honesty is one of the best qualities. I appreciate your reviews. You're such a chill and positive guy that it's hard for me to imagine you doing a negative review.
I'll never forget watching a big-named guitar demo guy doing a sponsored review of some kind of amp... and at the end, he quietly mentioned he hadn't used the amp's speakers, and added outboard effects to "make it sound right" which kind of defeated the whole point of hearing what it sounded like. From that, I learned to pay more attention to what's going on behind the scenes.
I may have seen the same one, or at least one like it. I then realised all his videos showcased the “best” or “greatest” guitar for the money. Amazing that we should believe that for every one of his videos. No longer watch that channel.
Failure, failure, where's the gear that I've been after ? Failure, failure Promised only lies... Failure, failure, I review gear, tell you later Failure, failure, And then subscribers buy... (Hammet solos)
Thanks Bill. A valuable insight into certain practices on TH-cam. I agree with some of the earlier commentators that much of what you described is hiding in plain sight. That said, TH-camrs "influencers" should be open to scrutiny and be accountable because they are part of someone's marketing strategy. I remember watching your Zoom video and thinking how refreshing it was to hear an honest opinion, but in hindsight, I can see how that would trigger some negativity. In social media, subjective perception rules! Good to hear you reflect on these matters and the lessons learnt.
Thanks; Excellent video...everyone who watches YT should see this. I've notice these past few months that a few YTubers have made this point also, and it's so nice to hear. I just started guitar after I retired a few years ago, so am a relatively 'older' newbie! Love your channel. and your music. Keep well.
Ngl, i always just assume everything is BS, a lie, a scam, or a con from the start until proven otherwise🙃 I don't think we live in a world where it ever makes sense to see things the other way around lol
You're a good heart, Bill! Several years ago it was YOUR prompting in your named I think "Record an Album in 1 Month" video (or something like that) that got me going on recording my instrumental music, I've played in bands for years but always wanted to do something with the instrumental ideas I had... I could not match the 1 month speed, but I did have 3 or 4 songs done by the end of that 1st month and that blew my mind... since then have done an album a year following your guidelines on that video, and its been a great adventure. 2025 will be my 7th and none of it would have happened without that nudge from you to go for it back then. All this to say THANKS BILL for your amazing, encouraging, and inspiring work here!
Hey Bill! HAPPY 11th TH-cam anniversary (since you joined on September 1, 2013)!!! 🙂 To MANY, MANY MORE as well!!! You're also JUST TWO videos away from 1,000! CONGRATULATIONS, Bill!!! 🙂
4:00 - 4:40 sounds like it could be me 😢 Unlikely that it is me cause I doubt I’m on your radar but I recognize my videos could fit that and you’ve given me a course of action. Even my recent Troublemaker video where I mention a retailer at the end but didn’t check the box. Although, I didn’t check the box because I bought that guitar from Fender and just mentioned zZounds because of my affiliate link. In other videos though I do check the box and start the video with just my link overlayed, but state that I requested the product from zZounds… towards the end. I’ve never considered it skirting around it, I just hate the thought of wasting a viewers time with the usual “housekeeping” at the start since I’m not working with the manufacturers, but I can totally see the issues with that now. Moving forward I’ll add how I got the product into the graphic overlay. Thanks for doing this Bill!
As one who watches a lot of YT guitar channels I have only come across a very few that fail to credit either the manufacturer or retailer that supplied them with gear. The folks I have seen , with only one or two exceptions, always state up front where the gear came from and if it was given gratis or not. So, and this is only my observations, for you to imply that there are a lot of people being deceptive is a gross overstatement.
The only way to combat this is to find reviews that you trust. For example I am a very small channel and I buy everything with my own money. If I ever get sent something, I let everything know if it was sent to me or if I got it for free to review (I sometimes get software early to demo). You just have to find reviewers that are honest and put their viewers above everything else. A lot of smaller channels are out there doing great reviews but they tend to get buried under the bigger channels. Its hard to get views on your channel when the bigger channels get the latest gear before its out and all have the same videos go live on the same day.
I don't disagree that there are people that hustle, but just one story. The Canadian reviewer DB reviewed a schecter solo 2 custom. I got one. It is a great guitar. People I know love that guitar. I love that guitar. He did me a solid, I would have never known about that guitar if it wasn't for his video.
All of geartube is like this. What's funny is the cost of the pedal is cheap compared to the cost of making an equivalent commercial, so the shills aren't even being paid as much as they would if they were above board.
I wouldn’t assume that … Loopop gets loads of free gear, including a Moog Muse just recently (USD$3500?), yet he refuses to include a “Includes paid promotion” disclosure at the start of his video, used ambiguous language about it being sent to him for free (but not whether it was sent to him “TO KEEP”, or to send it back after the review, or on to another TH-camr for their review …). He avoids US laws(?!) by being outside of the US (Israel), but TH-cam Policy / T&Cs still apply to him … but he has so many excuses for not including an “Includes paid promotion” video, you have to wonder why he refuses to make proper disclosures upfront in accordance with TH-cam Policy / T&Cs … you have to wonder why / whether he is declaring all his payment-in-kind income to the Israeli government … 👀 … maybe that’s why he refuses to include the proper, upfront video disclosure notices when appropriate … 🤷🏻♂️… otherwise, why not be clear and transparent with your audience, even after the issue has pointed out to him repeatedly … ?!
I also watch woodworking videos and a channel I used to subscribe to once reviewed a dust collector he received for free. He claimed that it wasn’t a sponsored video, despite the dust collector’s $3,000 price!
Informative, experienced, timely, worthwhile, to the point, well researched... I'll miss all that if I stop watching your videos! No way! I'll keep watching because of this honest video. 👍
Thank you for being honest!! It is really difficult to gauge the actual quality of things nowadays. Especially when people are getting things for free and just gushing over a freebie.
Completely unrelated but I remember seeing a video awhile back of you mentioning you had carpal tunnel problems and it was making it harder to play. I'm a little demoralized cause I have really bad tennis elbow in my fretting elbow and recently got over tendinitis in my right wrist that likely isn't 100% still, maybe 70-80% while my left arm is like 30%. I played a ton of sports and had multiple injuries in my life but I'm not even 30 and it kills not being able to jam away cause im stressed about the world and the pain doesn't help. Hope you're doing well and your wrist/arm issues have gotten better! I haven't kept up too much but I drop in for inspiration because your playstyle influences me to play peaceful, from the soul, for others to enjoy, and many other things. End rant, but thank you very much for the many videos you produce. We love you.
We are all biased, it’s human nature. However TH-cam makes this very easy, just check the box. We all forget from time to time, but damn how much easier could it be 😂
You’re a good, clear, stand-up guy. I don’t question your integrity. EVERYONE makes mistakes, and I don’t think you should be raked over the coals for this one.
I have a lot of respect for the transparency, and more respect for owning up to making mistakes. That's a rare thing to see these days. Much respect man
The only "minimal bias" system I've been able to get behind is where it's strictly a loaner, and no cash changes hands: shoot the video, then sent it back. But, really, bias is inescapable. Sure, if someone gifts me a pedal, that's also as good as cash if I sell it (or maybe I raffle it off to my viewers, intending to raise viewer numbers), so I may be inclined to praise it in hope that I'll keep getting free gear. Yet, if I seek out and buy one all on my own, I could well have a tendency to over-praise it in order to rationalize my outlay to myself!
Wow, someone with integrity. Thank you. It's not any different than someone being given free product for writing reviews on amazon. By default, that person is almost incapable of bias, and in this case, biased more strongly than they would otherwise be. There's much more deception in most, if not all of these types of TH-cam videos than just the kind described here. It's one reason why I really will *not* watch gear videos on TH-cam unless I'm looking to purchase a particular piece of gear. Then I'll watch a few videos for that specific piece of equipment. Otherwise, I stick strictly to instructional videos. Those probably have their issues as well. Thanks again for demonstrating some integrity. Honesty and integrity are so rare these days, that they have become a revolutionary act.
No expert here, but it seems quite the conundrum.🤔 When a person is profiting from their efforts, whether obvious or otherwise, and viewers see all the affiliate links, people will always question motives and opinions. Human nature. And with social media as crazy as it is, it's impossible to cover all the bases in content, disclaimers, opinions, etc. Keep up the good work!
Hi Bill, thanks for the honesty. I'd be quite interested to hear your comments regarding the original Zoom MS-70CDR. Is there any chance you could repost it minus the 'problem' bits toward the end? Thanks
I definitely appreciate you being a stand up guy, Bill! However, I do hope you that you continue to provide recommendations of gear that you like and use! The boss digital delays are what I enjoy to use for my music, but it’s always fun to hear what others use for their music
The last years I got more and more tired of recommendation-videos. I also make ambient/drone music, but I learned thad even though the music is full of effects, I only need a couple of very basic pedals. All the fancy in the gear channels stuff are just combinations of this basics. For example the tape algorithm of the new Soma pedal can be made with a vibrato, EQ, Overdrive an maybe Compression in right order. It is like a painter is paying extra for buing purple instead of mixing it by himself from red and blue. Since I learned this I make much more music instead of watching gear channels. After 30 Years of making music I can give you the advice, buy some very good but basic pedals. Boss DD 7 or TC Flashback or both. A long Reverb, like Walrus Fathom/Slö or JHS Hall Reverb, a compressor, some Drives and an EQ is everything you need. If you like buy an modulation Pedal, but this is definitly alle you need. 500 Bucks are more than enough for a brilliant ambient Sound.
Honestly, it's a different mindset when you have to put your own money into a product. Usually I just use the reviews for sound samples, I don't rely too much on the reviewer's opinion.
I remember that Zoom MS-70 CDR video and I just thought, "Chords of Orion has a more critical ear than I do." I'm curious to hear what you think of the plus. Keep up the great work, sir, and thank you for sharing your insight. Peace.
I dont agree with that video at all, liek I dont like the sound of the MS-70 and wouldnt use it, buts its amazing for what it is, especially for keyboards it seems to lose something on guitar still a great pedal.
Thanks! I bought the plus a few weeks ago, and am still working with it. Whether I end up liking it or not, I will def do a demo this time to illustrate my opinion. :-)
I only take a TH-camr rave of a pedal seriously only if it ends up on their pedalboard. Pete Thorn for example, does great videos of pedals, he makes them all sound good, but few of those he likes enough to put on his gigging pedalboard.
The other thing to watch out for is these popular YT guitarist review a piece of gear and its sounds unbelievable. What you dont realise is they are going through some top end gear which adds to the effect, and when it gets to your end, it sounds like shit. Those UAD Audio Interfaces are top end and the VST's that come with them are prestige quality, if your being shown an Amp Sim for instance by a sub heavy YT guitarist they arent using a Focusrite Solo, they are going into some Tube PreAmp, High end Compressor, then into a UAD AI and you hear the high end magic. Your better off searching up soneone with 300 subs who plays average gear and hearing them play then get the real picture!
It's hard to believe that someone could be working on TH-cam professionally and not know that legally, they are supposed to disclose any kind of relationship with the product. It should state that there is product placement and include a hashtag like #ad somewhere. I feel like most TH-camrs intentionally ignore this because there haven't been any real consequences for being deceptive, and there's all upside since they will be biased as hell and get more free products.
I don't think many channels get requests to review gear right after 500 subs. I've been over 500 subs for a while and never received any requests. And I also know other creators that are about my size and have not received any requests.
It's obvious if someone is constantly doing gear reviews he's not doing it for free. It's either ge bought it, or was give for free to make POSITIVE review. In other words, you won't hear too much of complaining about particular pedal or amp because it would mean a self deletion of income. That's why I like Elmo Karjalainen's channel. Plus he's fun to watch.
There is a lot of hatred directed at TH-cam demonstrators of music gear on music forums. The bombardment of demo videos on gear releases has soured a lot of people on the demos. The frequency of gear released and sent to top TH-cam channels plays a part in it also as the demos a lot of times I feel are rushed through, features not explored thoroughly, not understood features and demonstrating incorrectly. If a pedal has two toggles on it, and the function is abbreviated and the demonstrator is guessing at what the abbreviations mean and getting them wrong, or just saying “I’m not sure what that means”, then some more effort would be greatly appreciated by the audience. Disclose full signal chain. I mostly just watch demos now to hear potential and try to get some features viewed as I will review the manual for a product if I’m really interested in it along with watching several videos. Sometimes I have to really dig through the videos for potential even, particularly when the demo sounds bad and after reading the manual, I know they are lazily futzing through making a video as fast as possible to get as many clicks they can on it, only interested in ad revenue or free product, or paid sponsorship. Most gear I’ve watched videos on actually sounds better in my hands and with my home setups. As the (now) old saying goes (since TH-cam demos have now been around for over a decade), if I want a gear demo done exactly as I wished, I should probably make my own gear demos. I can only complain so much because I’m not making the videos.
what be really helpful is comparison vids to similar pedal options. or maybe get some cheapos to compare them to the actual stuff. single pedal demos are nice but only geared towards gas production.
I think the great majority of demo channels are being honest with their opinions. I understand the concern but to assume someone is a lying shill because they're getting compensated, is painting with a cartoonishly wide brush. According to 60 Cycle Hum, EytschPi and other youtubers, the demo scene is quite chill...companies don't particularly care what you say (as long as it's not abusive or libelous or something) because they really just want to get the pedal in front of people so they know it exists. So the idea that youtubers are too terrified to say anything negative is pretty much a myth, yet everyone seems to assume this. As well, many youtubers simply send back and don't review items they don't like. That's why a lot of channels are "only positive reviews," it's actually out of integrity because they choose to only cover things they feel good about promoting! and yet, again, people somehow see this as proof of the opposite.
There is a TH-camr, who i wont name, who made a video because I called him out for promoting the Amazon Squire. Not the real budget squires, the Debute. You can find it by searching "this guitar is a literal joke". Anyway he made an entire video trying to claim the the Debute was a better guitar than a Yamaha Pacifica 012, a budget guitar that countless people have learned on. A guitar that has been around for 30+ years, a guitar thatis in schools for children to learn on ... I saw the video months later, it had 100k+ views. The comment section all laughing at me... And the Squire Debute has since been exposed as Amazon's house brand, Best Choice Guitars, with the squire logo and a different paint job. Some reviewers on TH-cam are good and try to be honest, but most are not. Read the reviews and don't jump to buy the hottest guitar that all the TH-camrs are promoting. Wait a few months and see what the people who actually bought them have to say.
Every other guitar youtuber has made video similar to this. Unless you are just starting to watch gear videos most of us already are aware of these things. For me the issue is often that some don't show what piece if gear can do, instead they show off their skills. Just turn the knobs from from min to max in the case of a simple drive pedal for instance. Keep up the good work, Bill!
No, the other videos aren’t similar to this one … The Midlife Synthesist’s video is basically making excuses for this poor behaviour by ‘synthfluencers’, by saying it’s not possible to do reviews without being a shill … ?! So quite different to this video …
When watching a review the first thing to come to mind is: Did you buy it? Never done a review myself but I'd never review gear I'd not at least consider buying. A review then would be my expectations vs reality.
To be completely accurate and factual, a lot of guitar/pedal TH-camrs get the pedal free plus a fee. A very decent fee in many cases. The better-known ones anyway, and it's not often fully-revealed.
Kemper should give Glen Fricker a rig so he can quit being such a hater and trying to persuade people ToneX is better and cheaper. It’s not. I bought it. It’s a nice pedal but a Kemper killer it is not. They aren’t even the same thing and I love my Kemper. My ToneX collects dust.
Bill, I'm to the point if the disclosure is not up front in the review, I assume it is a "sponsored" video. If it's not programming, it is advertising, propaganda, or a mix of all the above
I wouldn't call gear tubers liars. They've just mastered the art of omitting anything critical or detrimental about a product. And they know not to include statements about other products being better than the one they are demonstrating, even if they know it's true. And to be honest, Chords of Orion will do the same. It's just the business of it.
Loopop gets loads of free gear, including a Moog Muse just recently (USD$3500?), yet he refuses to include a “Includes paid promotion” disclosure at the start of his video, used ambiguous language about it being sent to him for free (but not whether it was sent to him “TO KEEP”, or to send it back after the review, or on to another TH-camr for their review …). He avoids US laws(?!) by being outside of the US (Israel), but TH-cam Policy / T&Cs still apply to him … but he has so many excuses for not including an “Includes paid promotion” video, you have to wonder why he refuses to make proper disclosures upfront in accordance with TH-cam Policy / T&Cs … you have to wonder why / whether he is declaring all his payment-in-kind income to the Israeli government … 👀 … maybe that’s why he refuses to include the proper, upfront video disclosure notices when appropriate … 🤷🏻♂️… otherwise, why not be clear and transparent with your audience, even after the issue has pointed out to him repeatedly … ?!
I was just watching his demo on the moog labyrinth and he CLEARLY said that the piece of gear was sent to him for free, that he was not being paid to do the review, that he was not being told what to say and that moog did not see the video before he posted it. I don’t know how much more clear you need him to be….
@@AnneSulikowski Having spoken to him about it several times, his wording is deliberately vague versus others … not clear if it was sent to him at their cost just for him to review and return, or sent to him at their cost for h8mim to review and send on to the next reviewer, or sent to him “to keep”. His main excuse when we commented back-and-forth was that it would take to long to be clear … when it would literally take less than a second, out of an almost 1 hour video (in that particular case). I don’t know if it’s an income tax issue, or what, but he is determined not to be clear about receiving many thousands worth of gear as income, or marking his videos as sponsored. There’s no other conceivable reason I can think of, for him to not just be clear about things … 🤷🏻♂️. Edit: saying he is not being paid to do the review, when he is being paid in-kind, is false or misleading … again, just saying it was sent to him “to keep” would help clarify that he wasn’t paid “any money” on top of receiving gear that he gets “to keep”. So, it’s a vague combination of things … Cheers.
Kudos for acknowledging that getting something for free establishes a bias. There is psychological research that establishes that, after you get something for free, you're basically never honest and unbiased. So acknowledging that you got it for free instead of you having paid for it is important.
do companies forbid you to do comparison vids? back in the day it was the norm: „yo thats a blues driver vs a od1…“ with crappy cameramic sound. sounds great. bring comparisons back. let them pay you to participate in a shootout against similar pedals. let us vote. one voter gets a pedal. sent from the winning company. without having to pay for shipping…worldwide.
I’ve never understood your criticism of engaging in the demo marketplace. Your journey may have left you feeling sold out, but I take issue with the content makers that I see doing demos. They inspire with extremely creative opening songs (ex. Mark Johnston/Ambient Trash/Demos in the Dark) and they inform with research and in depth knowledge of their subject matter. Maybe it’s just me, but I can safely say that none of the people I watch that do demos are over-hyping.
Although I personally struggle some with the balance of doing demos on my channel, I have nothing against channels that solely focus on demos. And some of the demo playing is great, even amazing, to your point. This video is only about our requirements for disclosure and a few comments about bias, which affects every human being that ever lived.
All the guys I watch disclose right away. This doesn't seem to be epidemic to me, at all. Just lucky, I guess. I suppose that if you consistently travel in certain circles, the algorithm feeds you like creators, with similar formats. Still worth mentioning, though.
To be honest. I think the majority of us know that this kind stuff is going on. Personally when I watch a TH-cam video that is a demo of gear I’m listening to the gear. Not the praises of the reviewer. Lot of people like music that I don’t care for, lot of people like gear that I don’t care for. TH-camrs can praise a piece of gear until they are blue in the face. I’m not really listening to them, I’m listing to the sound of the gear.
I agree I don’t think the general TH-cam viewership is that stupid. I do think it becomes an issue for the content creators, though when they have money involved. I’ve seen more than one of these content creators get real fussy when the money they’re making is threatened.
Even when people disclose that it is a paid promotion. It can still be deceptive. I am looking for a reverb pedal for worship guitar and everything is the best one out there.
![MV วิถีชีวิตใต้ - ผา อัยย๊ะ [Official MV HD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nODlkOUu9B0/mqdefault.jpg)
A lot of these youtubers think just because they get a free product instead of payment it's not sponsored and fail to realize the "free" product IS the payment.
That is correct. When we are contacted, it is always a subtle variation of "Can we send you this gear? Will you make a video of it? You get to keep it afterward"
Similar tactic to ‘Indy promotion’ with radio stations in the music industry… back in the 80s and 90s.
They also probably don't realize that the free pedal is taxable income.
"fail to realize"
The “payment” for what ?
Your honesty is always appreciated
Good on you for correcting the record, although I don’t think any of us suspected any shenanigans from you Bill! And you are right. It’s great to see reviews of stuffs, but always needs to be tempered with an understanding of bias. And that’s not bad.
Thank you for correcting this. It's not just guitar channels doing this. I often ask the TH-camr where they got their stuff.
It would be good too if politicians were legally obliged to disclose clearly whose pockets they are in
…and prevent them from buying/selling investments while they are in office
look up "Open Secrets" and C.R.E.W (Committee for he reform of Ethics in Washington). Enjoy.
Honesty is one of the best qualities. I appreciate your reviews. You're such a chill and positive guy that it's hard for me to imagine you doing a negative review.
No wonder some of these channels have more gear than the stores in my town. Thanks for the heads up. Subscribed.
I'll never forget watching a big-named guitar demo guy doing a sponsored review of some kind of amp... and at the end, he quietly mentioned he hadn't used the amp's speakers, and added outboard effects to "make it sound right" which kind of defeated the whole point of hearing what it sounded like. From that, I learned to pay more attention to what's going on behind the scenes.
Dodgy AF … you do have to pay attention, because lots of people are out to scam you these days …
I may have seen the same one, or at least one like it. I then realised all his videos showcased the “best” or “greatest” guitar for the money. Amazing that we should believe that for every one of his videos. No longer watch that channel.
Which channel was that?
@@kierenmoore3236 For me it was Darrell Braun testing the Spark Go, without actually demonstrating the small speaker.
@@bobmays2946 Darrell Braun always had a QVC late night shopping channel vibe going on :)
Phil McKnight/Know Your Gear has my personal favorite system - at the bottom of each video there’s an icon if it was paid, provided, or purchased
👏👏👏 This kind of conversation isn't happening enough. Even with the Synth YT community.
Failure, failure,
where's the gear that I've been after ?
Failure, failure
Promised only lies...
Failure, failure,
I review gear, tell you later
Failure, failure,
And then subscribers buy...
(Hammet solos)
FIX ME!!!!!!
Great Channel Chords of Orion... always some great sounds, and sound advice.
Thanks Bill. A valuable insight into certain practices on TH-cam. I agree with some of the earlier commentators that much of what you described is hiding in plain sight. That said, TH-camrs "influencers" should be open to scrutiny and be accountable because they are part of someone's marketing strategy. I remember watching your Zoom video and thinking how refreshing it was to hear an honest opinion, but in hindsight, I can see how that would trigger some negativity. In social media, subjective perception rules! Good to hear you reflect on these matters and the lessons learnt.
You’re a good man, Bill. I appreciate you.
……And this is one of the reasons why I subscribed. I knew Bill would speak his righteous mind.
From a Synth Renegade to a Guitar Renegade. Respect 🫡 Brother.
Thanks; Excellent video...everyone who watches YT should see this. I've notice these past few months that a few YTubers have made this point also, and it's so nice to hear. I just started guitar after I retired a few years ago, so am a relatively 'older' newbie!
Love your channel. and your music. Keep well.
Ngl, i always just assume everything is BS, a lie, a scam, or a con from the start until proven otherwise🙃 I don't think we live in a world where it ever makes sense to see things the other way around lol
I've seen the same guitar youtuber make the "FINALLY GOT MY DREAM GUITAR" video about five times now.
I don't think it's impossible to have more than one dream guitar. I have a few, for example.
Always a PRS. I think I know whom you are referring too.. 😂
You're a good heart, Bill! Several years ago it was YOUR prompting in your named I think "Record an Album in 1 Month" video (or something like that) that got me going on recording my instrumental music, I've played in bands for years but always wanted to do something with the instrumental ideas I had... I could not match the 1 month speed, but I did have 3 or 4 songs done by the end of that 1st month and that blew my mind... since then have done an album a year following your guidelines on that video, and its been a great adventure. 2025 will be my 7th and none of it would have happened without that nudge from you to go for it back then. All this to say THANKS BILL for your amazing, encouraging, and inspiring work here!
You did not bore me. Very informative. Thank you
Hey Bill! HAPPY 11th TH-cam anniversary (since you joined on September 1, 2013)!!! 🙂 To MANY, MANY MORE as well!!!
You're also JUST TWO videos away from 1,000! CONGRATULATIONS, Bill!!! 🙂
4:00 - 4:40 sounds like it could be me 😢
Unlikely that it is me cause I doubt I’m on your radar but I recognize my videos could fit that and you’ve given me a course of action.
Even my recent Troublemaker video where I mention a retailer at the end but didn’t check the box. Although, I didn’t check the box because I bought that guitar from Fender and just mentioned zZounds because of my affiliate link.
In other videos though I do check the box and start the video with just my link overlayed, but state that I requested the product from zZounds… towards the end.
I’ve never considered it skirting around it, I just hate the thought of wasting a viewers time with the usual “housekeeping” at the start since I’m not working with the manufacturers, but I can totally see the issues with that now. Moving forward I’ll add how I got the product into the graphic overlay.
Thanks for doing this Bill!
As one who watches a lot of YT guitar channels I have only come across a very few that fail to credit either the manufacturer or retailer that supplied them with gear. The folks I have seen , with only one or two exceptions, always state up front where the gear came from and if it was given gratis or not. So, and this is only my observations, for you to imply that there are a lot of people being deceptive is a gross overstatement.
The only way to combat this is to find reviews that you trust. For example I am a very small channel and I buy everything with my own money. If I ever get sent something, I let everything know if it was sent to me or if I got it for free to review (I sometimes get software early to demo). You just have to find reviewers that are honest and put their viewers above everything else. A lot of smaller channels are out there doing great reviews but they tend to get buried under the bigger channels. Its hard to get views on your channel when the bigger channels get the latest gear before its out and all have the same videos go live on the same day.
Love your honesty and integrity , that's why if you offer paid lessons I'll probably consider taking them Bill.
No I'm not.
Oh wait I'm not a guitar channel. And companies don't send me anything. Never mind.
I don't disagree that there are people that hustle, but just one story. The Canadian reviewer DB reviewed a schecter solo 2 custom. I got one. It is a great guitar. People I know love that guitar. I love that guitar. He did me a solid, I would have never known about that guitar if it wasn't for his video.
All of geartube is like this. What's funny is the cost of the pedal is cheap compared to the cost of making an equivalent commercial, so the shills aren't even being paid as much as they would if they were above board.
Ryan Burke said he charges quite a bit.
Yeah, I think you'd be quite surprised by how much some of the big channels charge. They're also told exactly what to say as well.
I wouldn’t assume that … Loopop gets loads of free gear, including a Moog Muse just recently (USD$3500?), yet he refuses to include a “Includes paid promotion” disclosure at the start of his video, used ambiguous language about it being sent to him for free (but not whether it was sent to him “TO KEEP”, or to send it back after the review, or on to another TH-camr for their review …). He avoids US laws(?!) by being outside of the US (Israel), but TH-cam Policy / T&Cs still apply to him … but he has so many excuses for not including an “Includes paid promotion” video, you have to wonder why he refuses to make proper disclosures upfront in accordance with TH-cam Policy / T&Cs … you have to wonder why / whether he is declaring all his payment-in-kind income to the Israeli government … 👀 … maybe that’s why he refuses to include the proper, upfront video disclosure notices when appropriate … 🤷🏻♂️… otherwise, why not be clear and transparent with your audience, even after the issue has pointed out to him repeatedly … ?!
Man you made me laugh😅
A real man admits their fuck ups, nice work my friend 🤘
I also watch woodworking videos and a channel I used to subscribe to once reviewed a dust collector he received for free. He claimed that it wasn’t a sponsored video, despite the dust collector’s $3,000 price!
Informative, experienced, timely, worthwhile, to the point, well researched... I'll miss all that if I stop watching your videos! No way! I'll keep watching because of this honest video. 👍
Thank you for being honest!! It is really difficult to gauge the actual quality of things nowadays. Especially when people are getting things for free and just gushing over a freebie.
I love your honesty and transparency Bill, thank you 🙏🏻
Completely unrelated but I remember seeing a video awhile back of you mentioning you had carpal tunnel problems and it was making it harder to play.
I'm a little demoralized cause I have really bad tennis elbow in my fretting elbow and recently got over tendinitis in my right wrist that likely isn't 100% still, maybe 70-80% while my left arm is like 30%. I played a ton of sports and had multiple injuries in my life but I'm not even 30 and it kills not being able to jam away cause im stressed about the world and the pain doesn't help.
Hope you're doing well and your wrist/arm issues have gotten better! I haven't kept up too much but I drop in for inspiration because your playstyle influences me to play peaceful, from the soul, for others to enjoy, and many other things.
End rant, but thank you very much for the many videos you produce. We love you.
We are all biased, it’s human nature. However TH-cam makes this very easy, just check the box. We all forget from time to time, but damn how much easier could it be 😂
Ayy!
Hi Daniel!
You’re a good, clear, stand-up guy. I don’t question your integrity. EVERYONE makes mistakes, and I don’t think you should be raked over the coals for this one.
I appreciate your honesty. And you are right about a lot of other TH-camrs.....👍
I have a lot of respect for the transparency, and more respect for owning up to making mistakes. That's a rare thing to see these days. Much respect man
The only "minimal bias" system I've been able to get behind is where it's strictly a loaner, and no cash changes hands: shoot the video, then sent it back. But, really, bias is inescapable. Sure, if someone gifts me a pedal, that's also as good as cash if I sell it (or maybe I raffle it off to my viewers, intending to raise viewer numbers), so I may be inclined to praise it in hope that I'll keep getting free gear. Yet, if I seek out and buy one all on my own, I could well have a tendency to over-praise it in order to rationalize my outlay to myself!
There are sneaky TH-camrs across the board. Great that you are taking this step for the sake of transparency.
If only all (*or at least a more significant majority) of guitar TH-camrs handled themselves as honestly as you do.
Onya Bill! Keep doing what you do. Lovely little video.
very good and self-reflectice contribution. 🙌👍👍👏👏
as you say, theres is no unbiased presentation of any product, even if we bought it ourselves.
Wow, someone with integrity. Thank you. It's not any different than someone being given free product for writing reviews on amazon. By default, that person is almost incapable of bias, and in this case, biased more strongly than they would otherwise be. There's much more deception in most, if not all of these types of TH-cam videos than just the kind described here. It's one reason why I really will *not* watch gear videos on TH-cam unless I'm looking to purchase a particular piece of gear. Then I'll watch a few videos for that specific piece of equipment. Otherwise, I stick strictly to instructional videos. Those probably have their issues as well.
Thanks again for demonstrating some integrity. Honesty and integrity are so rare these days, that they have become a revolutionary act.
Humility usually comes from experience.✌️
No expert here, but it seems quite the conundrum.🤔 When a person is profiting from their efforts, whether obvious or otherwise, and viewers see all the affiliate links, people will always question motives and opinions. Human nature. And with social media as crazy as it is, it's impossible to cover all the bases in content, disclaimers, opinions, etc. Keep up the good work!
Hi Bill, thanks for the honesty. I'd be quite interested to hear your comments regarding the original Zoom MS-70CDR. Is there any chance you could repost it minus the 'problem' bits toward the end? Thanks
I know you are geniune. It is good of you to discuss your experience.
Appreciate the honesty and integrity!
I definitely appreciate you being a stand up guy, Bill! However, I do hope you that you continue to provide recommendations of gear that you like and use!
The boss digital delays are what I enjoy to use for my music, but it’s always fun to hear what others use for their music
The last years I got more and more tired of recommendation-videos. I also make ambient/drone music, but I learned thad even though the music is full of effects, I only need a couple of very basic pedals. All the fancy in the gear channels stuff are just combinations of this basics. For example the tape algorithm of the new Soma pedal can be made with a vibrato, EQ, Overdrive an maybe Compression in right order. It is like a painter is paying extra for buing purple instead of mixing it by himself from red and blue. Since I learned this I make much more music instead of watching gear channels. After 30 Years of making music I can give you the advice, buy some very good but basic pedals. Boss DD 7 or TC Flashback or both. A long Reverb, like Walrus Fathom/Slö or JHS Hall Reverb, a compressor, some Drives and an EQ is everything you need. If you like buy an modulation Pedal, but this is definitly alle you need. 500 Bucks are more than enough for a brilliant ambient Sound.
which batteries do you use on Ebow? Does it work with Li-Ion correctly?
Finally someone is willing too talk about this problem. It not just music gear it’s practically anything anymore stay alert
Honestly, it's a different mindset when you have to put your own money into a product.
Usually I just use the reviews for sound samples, I don't rely too much on the reviewer's opinion.
Bill, you're a the genuine article for sure.
I remember that Zoom MS-70 CDR video and I just thought, "Chords of Orion has a more critical ear than I do." I'm curious to hear what you think of the plus. Keep up the great work, sir, and thank you for sharing your insight.
Peace.
I dont agree with that video at all, liek I dont like the sound of the MS-70 and wouldnt use it, buts its amazing for what it is, especially for keyboards it seems to lose something on guitar still a great pedal.
Thanks! I bought the plus a few weeks ago, and am still working with it. Whether I end up liking it or not, I will def do a demo this time to illustrate my opinion. :-)
I only take a TH-camr rave of a pedal seriously only if it ends up on their pedalboard. Pete Thorn for example, does great videos of pedals, he makes them all sound good, but few of those he likes enough to put on his gigging pedalboard.
The other thing to watch out for is these popular YT guitarist review a piece of gear and its sounds unbelievable. What you dont realise is they are going through some top end gear which adds to the effect, and when it gets to your end, it sounds like shit. Those UAD Audio Interfaces are top end and the VST's that come with them are prestige quality, if your being shown an Amp Sim for instance by a sub heavy YT guitarist they arent using a Focusrite Solo, they are going into some Tube PreAmp, High end Compressor, then into a UAD AI and you hear the high end magic. Your better off searching up soneone with 300 subs who plays average gear and hearing them play then get the real picture!
It's hard to believe that someone could be working on TH-cam professionally and not know that legally, they are supposed to disclose any kind of relationship with the product. It should state that there is product placement and include a hashtag like #ad somewhere. I feel like most TH-camrs intentionally ignore this because there haven't been any real consequences for being deceptive, and there's all upside since they will be biased as hell and get more free products.
They’re all infomercials. No matter what you “feel” about the person. The feelings are what sells product. You’re being sold stuff.
I would say that most TH-cam rs about guitar do not tell the audience
99.9% of reviews of products are just advertisements thats a given
thank you for your honesty!
I don't think many channels get requests to review gear right after 500 subs. I've been over 500 subs for a while and never received any requests. And I also know other creators that are about my size and have not received any requests.
It's obvious if someone is constantly doing gear reviews he's not doing it for free. It's either ge bought it, or was give for free to make POSITIVE review. In other words, you won't hear too much of complaining about particular pedal or amp because it would mean a self deletion of income. That's why I like Elmo Karjalainen's channel. Plus he's fun to watch.
I'm not swinging to pounds and then laughing at pesetas, I'm not in that laughter wave. I don't know. Namastè.
Love your channel, keep on rockin
A lot of music channels don’t disclose that the cd or vinyl they are reviewing were given to them.
There is a lot of hatred directed at TH-cam demonstrators of music gear on music forums. The bombardment of demo videos on gear releases has soured a lot of people on the demos. The frequency of gear released and sent to top TH-cam channels plays a part in it also as the demos a lot of times I feel are rushed through, features not explored thoroughly, not understood features and demonstrating incorrectly. If a pedal has two toggles on it, and the function is abbreviated and the demonstrator is guessing at what the abbreviations mean and getting them wrong, or just saying “I’m not sure what that means”, then some more effort would be greatly appreciated by the audience.
Disclose full signal chain. I mostly just watch demos now to hear potential and try to get some features viewed as I will review the manual for a product if I’m really interested in it along with watching several videos. Sometimes I have to really dig through the videos for potential even, particularly when the demo sounds bad and after reading the manual, I know they are lazily futzing through making a video as fast as possible to get as many clicks they can on it, only interested in ad revenue or free product, or paid sponsorship. Most gear I’ve watched videos on actually sounds better in my hands and with my home setups.
As the (now) old saying goes (since TH-cam demos have now been around for over a decade), if I want a gear demo done exactly as I wished, I should probably make my own gear demos. I can only complain so much because I’m not making the videos.
what be really helpful is comparison vids to similar pedal options. or maybe get some cheapos to compare them to the actual stuff. single pedal demos are nice but only geared towards gas production.
for some people it's all about the $$$, regardless of how unscrupulous they are about getting it.
Thank you for the PSA!
I wish I had this problem....I decided not to pursue doing reviews of gear. If I like something I may do one. The You Tube is already over saturated.
I think the great majority of demo channels are being honest with their opinions. I understand the concern but to assume someone is a lying shill because they're getting compensated, is painting with a cartoonishly wide brush. According to 60 Cycle Hum, EytschPi and other youtubers, the demo scene is quite chill...companies don't particularly care what you say (as long as it's not abusive or libelous or something) because they really just want to get the pedal in front of people so they know it exists. So the idea that youtubers are too terrified to say anything negative is pretty much a myth, yet everyone seems to assume this. As well, many youtubers simply send back and don't review items they don't like. That's why a lot of channels are "only positive reviews," it's actually out of integrity because they choose to only cover things they feel good about promoting! and yet, again, people somehow see this as proof of the opposite.
I never liked the Chroma Console....I guess I am one of the few
There is a TH-camr, who i wont name, who made a video because I called him out for promoting the Amazon Squire. Not the real budget squires, the Debute. You can find it by searching "this guitar is a literal joke". Anyway he made an entire video trying to claim the the Debute was a better guitar than a Yamaha Pacifica 012, a budget guitar that countless people have learned on. A guitar that has been around for 30+ years, a guitar thatis in schools for children to learn on ...
I saw the video months later, it had 100k+ views. The comment section all laughing at me... And the Squire Debute has since been exposed as Amazon's house brand, Best Choice Guitars, with the squire logo and a different paint job.
Some reviewers on TH-cam are good and try to be honest, but most are not.
Read the reviews and don't jump to buy the hottest guitar that all the TH-camrs are promoting. Wait a few months and see what the people who actually bought them have to say.
Thanks for this info!
Every other guitar youtuber has made video similar to this. Unless you are just starting to watch gear videos most of us already are aware of these things. For me the issue is often that some don't show what piece if gear can do, instead they show off their skills. Just turn the knobs from from min to max in the case of a simple drive pedal for instance. Keep up the good work, Bill!
No, the other videos aren’t similar to this one … The Midlife Synthesist’s video is basically making excuses for this poor behaviour by ‘synthfluencers’, by saying it’s not possible to do reviews without being a shill … ?! So quite different to this video …
Darrell channel is very straightforward.
He says what he likes and doesn't like.
When watching a review the first thing to come to mind is: Did you buy it?
Never done a review myself but I'd never review gear I'd not at least consider buying. A review then would be my expectations vs reality.
Good info, thanx!
To be completely accurate and factual, a lot of guitar/pedal TH-camrs get the pedal free plus a fee. A very decent fee in many cases. The better-known ones anyway, and it's not often fully-revealed.
Kemper should give Glen Fricker a rig so he can quit being such a hater and trying to persuade people ToneX is better and cheaper. It’s not. I bought it. It’s a nice pedal but a Kemper killer it is not. They aren’t even the same thing and I love my Kemper. My ToneX collects dust.
Bill, I'm to the point if the disclosure is not up front in the review, I assume it is a "sponsored" video.
If it's not programming, it is advertising, propaganda, or a mix of all the above
Very good advice. 👍
You just need to post a “powerful disclaimer “ right before the video.
I"ve been saying this for YEARS
I don't mind biased paid promotions, as long as they don't disclose that they got it for free.
You mean that they DO disclose that it’s free
I wouldn't call gear tubers liars. They've just mastered the art of omitting anything critical or detrimental about a product. And they know not to include statements about other products being better than the one they are demonstrating, even if they know it's true. And to be honest, Chords of Orion will do the same. It's just the business of it.
How about when their playing along to a full backing track and you can barely hear their guitar so they sound skillful but maybe not in most cases
Loopop gets loads of free gear, including a Moog Muse just recently (USD$3500?), yet he refuses to include a “Includes paid promotion” disclosure at the start of his video, used ambiguous language about it being sent to him for free (but not whether it was sent to him “TO KEEP”, or to send it back after the review, or on to another TH-camr for their review …). He avoids US laws(?!) by being outside of the US (Israel), but TH-cam Policy / T&Cs still apply to him … but he has so many excuses for not including an “Includes paid promotion” video, you have to wonder why he refuses to make proper disclosures upfront in accordance with TH-cam Policy / T&Cs … you have to wonder why / whether he is declaring all his payment-in-kind income to the Israeli government … 👀 … maybe that’s why he refuses to include the proper, upfront video disclosure notices when appropriate … 🤷🏻♂️… otherwise, why not be clear and transparent with your audience, even after the issue has pointed out to him repeatedly … ?!
I was just watching his demo on the moog labyrinth and he CLEARLY said that the piece of gear was sent to him for free, that he was not being paid to do the review, that he was not being told what to say and that moog did not see the video before he posted it. I don’t know how much more clear you need him to be….
@@AnneSulikowski Having spoken to him about it several times, his wording is deliberately vague versus others … not clear if it was sent to him at their cost just for him to review and return, or sent to him at their cost for h8mim to review and send on to the next reviewer, or sent to him “to keep”. His main excuse when we commented back-and-forth was that it would take to long to be clear … when it would literally take less than a second, out of an almost 1 hour video (in that particular case). I don’t know if it’s an income tax issue, or what, but he is determined not to be clear about receiving many thousands worth of gear as income, or marking his videos as sponsored. There’s no other conceivable reason I can think of, for him to not just be clear about things … 🤷🏻♂️. Edit: saying he is not being paid to do the review, when he is being paid in-kind, is false or misleading … again, just saying it was sent to him “to keep” would help clarify that he wasn’t paid “any money” on top of receiving gear that he gets “to keep”. So, it’s a vague combination of things … Cheers.
And synthesizer channels.
Kudos for acknowledging that getting something for free establishes a bias. There is psychological research that establishes that, after you get something for free, you're basically never honest and unbiased. So acknowledging that you got it for free instead of you having paid for it is important.
Okay, Ser Davos.
do companies forbid you to do comparison vids? back in the day it was the norm: „yo thats a blues driver vs a od1…“ with crappy cameramic sound. sounds great. bring comparisons back. let them pay you to participate in a shootout against similar pedals. let us vote. one voter gets a pedal. sent from the winning company. without having to pay for shipping…worldwide.
I’ve never understood your criticism of engaging in the demo marketplace. Your journey may have left you feeling sold out, but I take issue with the content makers that I see doing demos. They inspire with extremely creative opening songs (ex. Mark Johnston/Ambient Trash/Demos in the Dark) and they inform with research and in depth knowledge of their subject matter. Maybe it’s just me, but I can safely say that none of the people I watch that do demos are over-hyping.
Although I personally struggle some with the balance of doing demos on my channel, I have nothing against channels that solely focus on demos. And some of the demo playing is great, even amazing, to your point. This video is only about our requirements for disclosure and a few comments about bias, which affects every human being that ever lived.
All the guys I watch disclose right away. This doesn't seem to be epidemic to me, at all. Just lucky, I guess. I suppose that if you consistently travel in certain circles, the algorithm feeds you like creators, with similar formats. Still worth mentioning, though.
To be honest. I think the majority of us know that this kind stuff is going on. Personally when I watch a TH-cam video that is a demo of gear I’m listening to the gear. Not the praises of the reviewer. Lot of people like music that I don’t care for, lot of people like gear that I don’t care for. TH-camrs can praise a piece of gear until they are blue in the face. I’m not really listening to them, I’m listing to the sound of the gear.
I agree I don’t think the general TH-cam viewership is that stupid. I do think it becomes an issue for the content creators, though when they have money involved. I’ve seen more than one of these content creators get real fussy when the money they’re making is threatened.
I'll promote anything if they give it to me free...
Even when people disclose that it is a paid promotion. It can still be deceptive. I am looking for a reverb pedal for worship guitar and everything is the best one out there.