As a session and touring bassist for the past 45 plus years, most recently with the Motown group The Miracles, I haven’t owned more than 5 basses in my career - all Fender. Never needed anything else.
For bass guitars, you can keep it simple and minimal. I own 2 basses that are great and have no desire to add anything. Guitars are different in that owning over 10 is fun. I would not go over 20 though
@@Bmanhaas I bought a used Chapman ML3 back in 2016 with the original factory Gotoh compensated brass bridge. The seller was upfront about how much he hated this thing and I got it cheap. It buzzed on the first few frets. He tried to fix that by filing the frets badly. It still buzzed. The bridge pickup has a coil tap but it isn't real responsive. The magnets were too far from the strings on the treble side. Getting it into playing shape was time-consuming and wasn't cheap. After all that, I got a pretty good guitar and actually one of my favorites to play. But not worth the money.
John Hiatt has a song “Perfectly Good Guitar” that talks about how many people would like to have a guitar to play so no instruments should be smashed (or thrown in a landfill). Even Glarrys can be made to play fine. Someone will be very happy to have it.
I was just in Colombia.... we were off visiting some coffee plantation and there was a kid off to the side playing a guitar that probably had 3 strings and a fist sized hole in the top.... We are spoiled.... he and his buddies were happy, singing, and drumming an empty coke bottle
Dude this....I've seen perfectly fine cheap guitars that with LOVE, would have been a player for me in a time I had no guitar and had to sell my rig. Seeing youtubers cut them up, smash them, or the infamous Gibson bulldozer video.... That shit really HURT my soul man. They say shit like "This guitar is junk, i wouldn't give it away" which IS A BS EXCUSE. I saw guitars destroyed I would have cried if given to me at the time.
Used to have a junk plywood guitar with a homemade 16 penny nail for a nut. It barely kept any tune and amp was shot. My buddies drums were held together with duct tape and dreams. The snare drum was a HS marching band drum with no res side sitting on a milk crate. Had to nail the base drum down so it would stay put. We would spend HOOOOOOOOOURS just jamming not giving a shit. Those were the days @@sdriza
Agreed. From the first time I ever saw some idiot smash their guitar on stage I got immediately disgusted. Don't care who the perforner is, even one smashed guitar is a guitar someone else could have had. Someone who really would appreciate it. Nothing less cool than a performer doing that.
I have a similar Glarry story. I bought one for $120, frets were fine, but I easily spent several hundred more on setup, Seymour Duncans, tuning machines, better pots, etc., so WAY more than I paid for it, and WAY more than it was worth when it came time to sell. I didn't care. For the price of a low-to-mid-range "big-name" brand, I had a superior instrument, with killer tone, comfortable and easy to play, weighed only about 5 lbs., and looked good, too.
Sorry to talk fridge on a guitar channel, but your comment about five fridges: I am old enough to remember 25 Year warranties. At some point, people failed to stand their ground about buying quality, and failed to teach their kids that 1 year and less warranties are absolutely not acceptable. If it isn't good enough to be backed by long warranty, everyone should have just turned and walked away until the latest thing was worth buying. (Rant over.)
I'm an old dood (73) that has been playing since the early 60's. Over the years I've stuck with name brand gear from proven makers. I'm not even sure who the so-called YT'er brands might be although I could sure guess. My 1st rate makers include Fender, Gibson, Marshall, plus a few others. A recent add would include Suhr. I picked up a Suhr Hombre and, my Gawd what a killer amp. Nicely made too. It's roots are based off an early 60's Fender Brown Deluxe. BTW, I much prefer hand-wired amps whenever possible... just sayin'..
On "leveling up" by association, I know some brands (not just in instruments) where their goal with picking dealers is "be the least expensive brand in the shop" - "oh ... Can't afford the fender or Gibson, we also have X which is awesome and costs less"
Same as everyone else is saying Phil - love your honesty and integrity that shows in every show you do - just the facts, your honest professional opinion, no b.s.
Solar comes to mind INSTANTLY. I know tons of players, people from shops, luthiers, repairman, techs....No one owns a Solar nor played one or seen one in person at a store or on a stage.
My buddy has at least two of them, he might have another by now. I played them at some point but still don’t own one. I guess that says how much I loved them. I dunno, they felt..“Fine” would be a good descriptor.
I would expect some brands are small enough to be happily in the pink as they are, where social media would require a business model they do not want to adopt. Live under the radar, out of the purview of Sauron's eye, dream happy but not necessarily big. As far as the value of a brand that you know about because people you know talk about it for being good...I get that.
I have been trying to find out construction details of their amps for about 2 years. Nobody will show the insides of one! But they look great and have a good reputation, and the features I am interested in. I wish you could find one to review in depth. But it might ruin their business plan!
Yeah, Novo popped into my mind. RS has one he features a lot and I do hear Novo being talked about in reverent tones here and there but . . . never really come across one in-store or on stage videos etc. I bought a Rivolta Combinata, the 'budget version' made in Korea and it's the only guitar I own that I really do not want to own.
@mortonwilson795 I really like the looks of the Combinata. I've been tempted, but haven't made the purchase. As with the Novo, I'm yet to see one in person.
@@cautiousoptimist1926 I'm struggling to make make friends with it! It looks cool and there's nothing 'wrong' with it - Korean made quality for sure - just an odd one . . . will persevere!
Driftwood Guitars did an Orangewood review some time ago. Check it out. They perform a variety of tests and then cut the guitars they review open so they can thoroughly examine the bracing, glue-up and general tidiness. Chris builds premium acoustics that are north of $10k. He also realizes that there are a whole lot of people can't afford that and just want/need a quality instrument at a reasonable price.
it’s usually a new product from companies such as PRS se models, kiesel, harley benton are the most common brands that send their products to all of the guitar youtubers and they schedule a release date for their videos
There's a lot of yt guitarists from UK that play different brands of guitars than what are popular or readily available here in the states. Australia too.
Harley Benton is a store brand from Thomann - a German store. Afaik they only ship from Germany, so you see them a lot in Europe - I have 2 - but in the US the overseas shipping costs add too much to the price, unless you order several guitars at once, so they are not that common.
I'm kind of a snob. I'm only interested in high-quality instruments like Parker (and I don't mean the "P" series), Carvin (now Kiesel), the Vestax D'Angelico axes, and high-end classicals like Jose Ramirez. You get what you pay for. I see too many videos on low-end rock 'n' roll solid bodies and not many about the good stuff.
panama went out of business because of quality control - they had issues with the later models had the baffles cracking - I have one of the first edition ones made out of solid purple heart - but the problem was they were using solid wood to build amp cabs and solid wood warps with moisture a lot more than plywood - in the shape of a box it cracks... I found this out when I started building my own cabs... you've got to use a really good quality 3/4in birch or poplar - and ideally a baltic birch or marine grade plywood - if you go really high quality marine grade you can use 1/2 to reduce the weight, but solid wood makes terrible cabs and PA boxes. The panama brand speakers were garbage, the tube heads were "ok" but they had massive reliablity issues from what I understand starting their 2nd or 3rd year and once word got out they were poor quality then their sales stopped - my cab never cracked, but it never left my studio either - they also were trying to do a WGS type launch where they flooded the market with a cheaper porduct then gradually raised the prices - it would have worked really well for them if they didn't have the quality control issues, but I think also the solid wood was just always going to be an issue - as well as it was "green" wood which made their problems a lot worse than if they had older try wood, even for making tables you've gotta let the wood cure and dry for say 3 years before you can use it otherwise it'll warp and crack and I suspect they had some older stock and as the company grew, they went to newer wood to keep up with the growth and it just made the QC problems worse - I was hopeful they'd stay around, but then you also had harley benton launch their V30 cab not too long after panama came out and it was $200 less than the panama V30 cab so probably a combination of all of the above - they probably could've made it if they had a better product.
LOL I have a cheapo Glarry that I put some good parts on and it's actually pretty cool. Neck joint is sloppy but it sounds cool. Only got $200 into it and it's not a fav but it has a helluva great old blues sound for sure.
I was lucky enough to receive an esp mh301 many many birthdays ago, best guitar i ever played. I also own a crafter semi acoustic that i bought for 60 quid, great guitars great brands.
If you’re a small amp builder and you make (maybe) 20 amps a month… then one is reviewed on social media… now you have orders for *20 THOUSAND* amps because you forgot to limit the inventory on your eCommerce site… now what? Refund the *$2 million* in deposits _(oh the credit card companies are gonna LOVE that!)_ Work yourself to the bone cranking out 40 amps a month and still have 20 thousand pissed customers with 20 thousand bad reviews… which causes future sales to tank… I can see why some companies avoid social media promotions. 😊
My first thought was Strandberg. They are definitely not TH-cam exclusive, but they ydefinitely have a higher representation on TH-cam than anywhere else. But then I thought about it and I'm going with Harley Benton.
If a boutique maker on social media and a boutique maker not on social media are both not being used on stage by famous bands, one of those brands is likely selling more than the other, and it's not hard to figure out which is much more likely.
@@ScottsGuitar It was cheaply made, sounded cheap, looked cheap...for $400 I should have known better. Semi's are hard to make...so, I avoid budget semi's...
The first electric guitar I bought was a Stellar Mercury hollow body LP. That's also a fly by night brand that no longer exists. I just pulled out of storage a few weeks ago and decided I will keep and upgrade because it's a beautiful guitar(although mostly junk). It needs a new nut, new bridge, fret ends dressed, tail piece needs centered and I will replace the pickups because the stock ceramic humbuckers are way too hot for a hollow body IMO. Tuners seem adequate, at least for now. I'll probably leave the electronics stock for now although I'm tempted to replace them too since I'll be pulling them out to swap pickups.
I have to buy a refrigerator and I'm terrified based on the horror stories I've heard.... With all that you've been through which one would you purchase?
@kellectraro4807 Don buy LG or Samsung. There’s class action suits against both of them. Best Buy and the manufacturers being crooks keep selling them knowing they’re bad. th-cam.com/video/rKJgYVhZ6-w/w-d-xo.htmlsi=HXa6m2-OQ6XptHcD
DON'T buy a Samsung! When I was delivering appliances we were constantly having to pick those back up in a couple of months. Lg's seemed to be the best.
All amps are not the same, some are just for metal players, not something I would do.There are a lot of amps everyone talks about, but they are not the sound I want. I get it, thanks Phillip
Sire is just fine. It’s a brand that aims to provide the best guitar for the money. They’re not relying on their brand name to sell products. They’re relying on people liking them enough.
Thanks. I bought a couple Harley bentons from their 25th anniversary after I watched a few online reviews. I can kinda tell which ones are the "hype merchants" now. Kinda got caught up in the online hype a bit. The HB Strat I really like but this video makes a good point that I don't think they are guitars they themselves would play daily...
My sire vintage S7 has arrived and I have been playing it for a little while now. I can clearly tell it is significantly better than my other guitars which are still ok but feel "compromised". Reality is that now all the other guitars are kind of just "collecting dust". The sire is really nice and plays really well.
Yeah and Dr. Z himself (I forget his real name) hosts most of the videos. Perhaps, he just wants the brand to have a definite identity that they are in control of as much as possible.
BluGuitar amps. Thought seriously about buying one because I love the concept. All over TH-cam. But am I the only one who noticed that Thomas Blug did all the demos himself, regardless of whose channel he was on? Of course he can get it to sound great - but why are there no independent reviews? Huge red flag for me.
@@ScottsGuitarIf I was recording a major label album or going on a world tour would I use a Boss Katana? Probably not. But for home use and small gigs it's a budget friendly practical solution.
@@robotx4242 if you were playing/recording at that level you’d have cartage anyways. I personally play a 63 fender Vibroverb, the best amp in the world imo. For a gig 200 ppl or less? I’d happily play a katana if that’s all I had access to. It’s a fun troll for gear nerds who think they can always tell. In a PA mix all that matters is cutting through, which the katana can do with flying colors if asked. For $400 can’t beat it
I think a brand that doesn't wanna do social media is just shooting themselves in the foot. You need that perfect balance, you don't have to be either Rivera or Panama, or either Chapman or Diamond Guitars, or either Glary or Rickenbacker. You simply have to adapt to the times, there's a reason why Rivera amps haven't been on my mind recently compared to let's say Friedman (Just bought the IRX) or Victory (Considered getting it) or Revv (I wish they made a tube pedal). Maybe Panama was just worse than other brands on the market like Revv
You assume all builders want to grow indefinitely. For example, Wayne at Headstrong amps is a one map op and wants to keep it that way. He is actually going to decrease output for 24 because 23 was too much production for him. Money isn’t always the absolute in the world of boutique. Some ppl just do it to pay the bills and live their life with balance.
@@ScottsGuitarreally good point. 💯 Agree. Been a business owner for nearly 30 years. It's been great but money isn't everything. There is a lot to be said for a balance in life. Sometimes I wish I'd spent more time staring at the flowers. Lol
True but I think some tube amp companies stay under the radar and still sell relatively well because it’s a niche market. The restaurant world is similar where a small operation with a small staff is plenty enough to survive once they have some a decent enough established reputation
Kiesel is a fairly old company, but for decades they sold under the Carvin name. Only recently did they go back to the Keisel name. They’re purely custom, you have to spec every guitar.
The reality is. Basically you cannot unequivocally trust any reviews from a majority of TH-cam content providers involving amps and guitars. Boss katana and Firefly guitars. Way overrated and overhyped.
My very first back in the 80s was a Carvin. The sad thing about them is that... When they were best, people were still very down on "mail order guitars". Then when the internet came along and 75% of sales are there now... they turned the company over to the grand kid (Kiesel) and ruined it. So they've never had their day.
@@xray606 I don't know if he's ruined it. I've seen players I respect play Kiesels, but their image is now much more niche than it used to be. I'm guessing their quality is still good, but if you don't want s specific kind of metal or shredder guitar they don't seem to cater to that crowd anymore. I still have my 80s Carvin, too.
@@alfgwahigain5544 I just think his attitude has been too ‘my way, you don’t like it, GFY’. I run my own manufacturing biz and I always try to accommodate. While they definitely needed to update their products, I think he could have done that, while keeping the boomers happy too. But it was like he just wanted to remake everything in his image. I can’t count how many times I saw pictures of whole rooms full of Carvins. They had a high demographic customer base, and he just sort of blew those people off.
But there must be some that will work as one very optimistic canadian guy came to my mind. But pheraps dental and mengrooming products are truly as more him. That hype seems to be over with.
Why not take a cheap guitar and produce an upgraded model! Toyota has made a fortune doing it with Lexus. Nissan with Infinity. Honda with Acura. Sometimes it may not work so well. A Hyundai marketed as Genesis is still garbage. But particularly with solid body electric guitars it should be a no brainer.
When Honda and Toyota rolled out their Lexus and Acura lines their reputation was the gold standard for cars at the time. So they could go higher. Hyundai doesn't have that rep.
Well good. More stuff and people need stay away from “social media”. Let’s leave that to the Far East junk. High quality stuff doesn’t need this. I’m sure Dr. Z sell everything they produce.
Yeah they are streamers, pro-athletes, rappers and children of billionaires. No one with a brain or who understands real wealth would ever buy a Lamborghini
The fact is , they don’t need you or social media to sell their amps, and they were created before social media , they sell out of product, and have always had their loyal following. They are doing great always with no help and on solid ground.
Kiesel. Almost seems to be exclusively a TH-cam guitar player brand They don’t look unique, ridiculously expensive- really just seems like a social media brand
Yamaha is a weird brand because they aren’t cool in the guitar market, but the price to quality ratio is one of the best in the industry. You’ll never walk into a store a swing dick because you pulled out a Yamaha guitar, but they will consistently give you $1600 of playability, sound, and construction for $800.
Yamahas are no joke. They play well and the acoustics are among the best at the price point. They're real. My first two instructors recommended them They are also for some reason void of "coolness".
@@Charlesbabbage2209There are certian Yamaha guitars that are extremely good. I’ve owned just about all the reputable brands Fender, Gibson, G&L, Music Man, etc and my Yamaha Sa1200s is as good or better a build than anything I’ve owned. The sg series is incredible and the Revstars punch way above their price point. Japanese workmanship is undeniably top drawer. Tokai, Greco, K Yairi, among others deserve mention.
I really like these shorter segments that highlight topics from your podcasts. Thank you! :).
I’ve been buying cheap guitars and putting on quality parts for decades. It’s fun as frig. And if you screw up, who cares.
What matters is that you're having fun. That's what music and guitar should be all about!
It’s not just cheap guitars. Even expensive guitars can need modifications and improvements to fit your taste and style. I’ve done it
"Guitars you only see on youtube"
Me: Headless guitars...
Man, I feel attacked. I also thought that, but then I got two Ormsby's within a month,, the Goliath and a headless Metal V
They were big in the '80s, I'm not a big fan, but to each his own...
80s Baby Steinberger guitars and basses - always wanted one back then.
Kirk Hammett used to play headless guitars live
headless guitars are like a penis with the tip cut off.
as always, thanks for your kindness, honesty, and integrity Phil
As a session and touring bassist for the past 45 plus years, most recently with the Motown group The Miracles, I haven’t owned more than 5 basses in my career - all Fender. Never needed anything else.
For bass guitars, you can keep it simple and minimal. I own 2 basses that are great and have no desire to add anything. Guitars are different in that owning over 10 is fun. I would not go over 20 though
Chapman was a TH-cam brand
Chapman guitars were crappy pieces of .......t
Donner, too, though I do like them. And we can't forget Glarry (not gonna go there...lol).
@@Bmanhaas I bought a used Chapman ML3 back in 2016 with the original factory Gotoh compensated brass bridge. The seller was upfront about how much he hated this thing and I got it cheap. It buzzed on the first few frets. He tried to fix that by filing the frets badly. It still buzzed. The bridge pickup has a coil tap but it isn't real responsive. The magnets were too far from the strings on the treble side. Getting it into playing shape was time-consuming and wasn't cheap. After all that, I got a pretty good guitar and actually one of my favorites to play. But not worth the money.
Man, I really appreciate you and your no BS channel. Thank you so much for the help.
Totally agree!
Why does this guy only have 14.6K subscribers. He has a great channel and knows his stuff. He should have many times that.
This is his channel 2. Channel 1 has a lot more.
@@rcoveyduc Thanks, I wasn't aware of the other channel. I will subscribe to that one also.
@@jamesgibson3242 Good. Don't deny him your subscription.
Huh? He has other channels
@@ronj9448 Thanks for the suggestion. I haven't. I hope you haven't either.
John Hiatt has a song “Perfectly Good Guitar” that talks about how many people would like to have a guitar to play so no instruments should be smashed (or thrown in a landfill). Even Glarrys can be made to play fine. Someone will be very happy to have it.
I was just in Colombia.... we were off visiting some coffee plantation and there was a kid off to the side playing a guitar that probably had 3 strings and a fist sized hole in the top....
We are spoiled.... he and his buddies were happy, singing, and drumming an empty coke bottle
Dude this....I've seen perfectly fine cheap guitars that with LOVE, would have been a player for me in a time I had no guitar and had to sell my rig.
Seeing youtubers cut them up, smash them, or the infamous Gibson bulldozer video....
That shit really HURT my soul man. They say shit like "This guitar is junk, i wouldn't give it away" which IS A BS EXCUSE.
I saw guitars destroyed I would have cried if given to me at the time.
Used to have a junk plywood guitar with a homemade 16 penny nail for a nut.
It barely kept any tune and amp was shot.
My buddies drums were held together with duct tape and dreams. The snare drum was a HS marching band drum with no res side sitting on a milk crate. Had to nail the base drum down so it would stay put. We would spend HOOOOOOOOOURS just jamming not giving a shit. Those were the days @@sdriza
Agreed. From the first time I ever saw some idiot smash their guitar on stage I got immediately disgusted. Don't care who the perforner is, even one smashed guitar is a guitar someone else could have had. Someone who really would appreciate it. Nothing less cool than a performer doing that.
I have a similar Glarry story. I bought one for $120, frets were fine, but I easily spent several hundred more on setup, Seymour Duncans, tuning machines, better pots, etc., so WAY more than I paid for it, and WAY more than it was worth when it came time to sell. I didn't care. For the price of a low-to-mid-range "big-name" brand, I had a superior instrument, with killer tone, comfortable and easy to play, weighed only about 5 lbs., and looked good, too.
Sorry to talk fridge on a guitar channel, but your comment about five fridges: I am old enough to remember 25 Year warranties. At some point, people failed to stand their ground about buying quality, and failed to teach their kids that 1 year and less warranties are absolutely not acceptable. If it isn't good enough to be backed by long warranty, everyone should have just turned and walked away until the latest thing was worth buying. (Rant over.)
I'm an old dood (73) that has been playing since the early 60's. Over the years I've stuck with name brand gear from proven makers. I'm not even sure who the so-called YT'er brands might be although I could sure guess. My 1st rate makers include Fender, Gibson, Marshall, plus a few others. A recent add would include Suhr. I picked up a Suhr Hombre and, my Gawd what a killer amp. Nicely made too. It's roots are based off an early 60's Fender Brown Deluxe. BTW, I much prefer hand-wired amps whenever possible... just sayin'..
On "leveling up" by association, I know some brands (not just in instruments) where their goal with picking dealers is "be the least expensive brand in the shop" - "oh ... Can't afford the fender or Gibson, we also have X which is awesome and costs less"
Same as everyone else is saying Phil - love your honesty and integrity that shows in every show you do - just the facts, your honest professional opinion, no b.s.
Solar comes to mind INSTANTLY. I know tons of players, people from shops, luthiers, repairman, techs....No one owns a Solar nor played one or seen one in person at a store or on a stage.
I’ve seen at the gates using them on stage.
I saw one used at a GC. But it’s the only time I’ve seen one in person.
@ how would you describe the construction/build quality? Mediocre?
My buddy has at least two of them, he might have another by now. I played them at some point but still don’t own one. I guess that says how much I loved them. I dunno, they felt..“Fine” would be a good descriptor.
I live and will die by this: Any guitar is better than no guitar.
Absolutely well said
I would expect some brands are small enough to be happily in the pink as they are, where social media would require a business model they do not want to adopt. Live under the radar, out of the purview of Sauron's eye, dream happy but not necessarily big. As far as the value of a brand that you know about because people you know talk about it for being good...I get that.
I was wondering about Rivera, I had heard of them my whole life, but they seemed to never show up in many places.
I have been trying to find out construction details of their amps for about 2 years. Nobody will show the insides of one! But they look great and have a good reputation, and the features I am interested in. I wish you could find one to review in depth. But it might ruin their business plan!
I spent a ton on my Grote Cherry Epi Century copy. It goes on lots of gigs. Phillip McKnight, thanks for a fun channel.
When I read the title, my mind went to the expensive stuff TH-camrs flog, Novo and Two Rock for example.
Yeah, Novo popped into my mind. RS has one he features a lot and I do hear Novo being talked about in reverent tones here and there but . . . never really come across one in-store or on stage videos etc. I bought a Rivolta Combinata, the 'budget version' made in Korea and it's the only guitar I own that I really do not want to own.
@mortonwilson795 I really like the looks of the Combinata. I've been tempted, but haven't made the purchase. As with the Novo, I'm yet to see one in person.
@@cautiousoptimist1926 I'm struggling to make make friends with it! It looks cool and there's nothing 'wrong' with it - Korean made quality for sure - just an odd one . . . will persevere!
Is Orangewood one of these brands? I feel like I only ever see TH-camrs talk about/play these guitars.
Driftwood Guitars did an Orangewood review some time ago. Check it out. They perform a variety of tests and then cut the guitars they review open so they can thoroughly examine the bracing, glue-up and general tidiness. Chris builds premium acoustics that are north of $10k. He also realizes that there are a whole lot of people can't afford that and just want/need a quality instrument at a reasonable price.
Is he talking about Harley Benton? I see plenty of them on Yt, never seen one in person.
it’s usually a new product from companies such as PRS se models, kiesel, harley benton are the most common brands that send their products to all of the guitar youtubers and they schedule a release date for their videos
There's a lot of yt guitarists from UK that play different brands of guitars than what are popular or readily available here in the states. Australia too.
Harley Benton is a store brand from Thomann - a German store. Afaik they only ship from Germany, so you see them a lot in Europe - I have 2 - but in the US the overseas shipping costs add too much to the price, unless you order several guitars at once, so they are not that common.
@@tomaszmazurek64 Im an American who plays basically only Japanese brands like Caparison and ESP so my experience with European brands is limited.
I don't see Harley Benton here in South East Asia. Though we have more cheap brands.
I'm kind of a snob. I'm only interested in high-quality instruments like Parker (and I don't mean the "P" series), Carvin (now Kiesel), the Vestax D'Angelico axes, and high-end classicals like Jose Ramirez. You get what you pay for. I see too many videos on low-end rock 'n' roll solid bodies and not many about the good stuff.
panama went out of business because of quality control - they had issues with the later models had the baffles cracking - I have one of the first edition ones made out of solid purple heart - but the problem was they were using solid wood to build amp cabs and solid wood warps with moisture a lot more than plywood - in the shape of a box it cracks... I found this out when I started building my own cabs... you've got to use a really good quality 3/4in birch or poplar - and ideally a baltic birch or marine grade plywood - if you go really high quality marine grade you can use 1/2 to reduce the weight, but solid wood makes terrible cabs and PA boxes.
The panama brand speakers were garbage, the tube heads were "ok" but they had massive reliablity issues from what I understand starting their 2nd or 3rd year and once word got out they were poor quality then their sales stopped - my cab never cracked, but it never left my studio either - they also were trying to do a WGS type launch where they flooded the market with a cheaper porduct then gradually raised the prices - it would have worked really well for them if they didn't have the quality control issues, but I think also the solid wood was just always going to be an issue - as well as it was "green" wood which made their problems a lot worse than if they had older try wood, even for making tables you've gotta let the wood cure and dry for say 3 years before you can use it otherwise it'll warp and crack and I suspect they had some older stock and as the company grew, they went to newer wood to keep up with the growth and it just made the QC problems worse - I was hopeful they'd stay around, but then you also had harley benton launch their V30 cab not too long after panama came out and it was $200 less than the panama V30 cab so probably a combination of all of the above - they probably could've made it if they had a better product.
LOL I have a cheapo Glarry that I put some good parts on and it's actually pretty cool. Neck joint is sloppy but it sounds cool. Only got $200 into it and it's not a fav but it has a helluva great old blues sound for sure.
I was lucky enough to receive an esp mh301 many many birthdays ago, best guitar i ever played. I also own a crafter semi acoustic that i bought for 60 quid, great guitars great brands.
If you’re a small amp builder and you make (maybe) 20 amps a month… then one is reviewed on social media… now you have orders for *20 THOUSAND* amps because you forgot to limit the inventory on your eCommerce site… now what? Refund the *$2 million* in deposits _(oh the credit card companies are gonna LOVE that!)_ Work yourself to the bone cranking out 40 amps a month and still have 20 thousand pissed customers with 20 thousand bad reviews… which causes future sales to tank… I can see why some companies avoid social media promotions. 😊
@@LeeGeeits production limit vs sales.
This isn't a thing.
Small amp builders would be more in the 4-10 max range depending on team size and amp complexity! So you are right.
Ever heard of “out of stock”
So they don’t wanna be successful? That’s the answer here … 20,000 amps , eh? Why not 2 million gillion amps?
My first thought was Strandberg. They are definitely not TH-cam exclusive, but they ydefinitely have a higher representation on TH-cam than anywhere else. But then I thought about it and I'm going with Harley Benton.
If a boutique maker on social media and a boutique maker not on social media are both not being used on stage by famous bands, one of those brands is likely selling more than the other, and it's not hard to figure out which is much more likely.
Did the Panama amp work until you sent it back broke?
Liking the clips lately!
Is a company named Fly by Night guitars still in business!?
What happened to Badlands? The first two were cool! That's the name that Phil was involved with right?
Michael Dolsey guitars....I ordered a 335-type....sent it back THAT day...brand disappeared shortly thereafter.
What was wrong with it?
@@ScottsGuitar It was cheaply made, sounded cheap, looked cheap...for $400 I should have known better. Semi's are hard to make...so, I avoid budget semi's...
@@lazvt8469 probly smart lol
The first electric guitar I bought was a Stellar Mercury hollow body LP. That's also a fly by night brand that no longer exists. I just pulled out of storage a few weeks ago and decided I will keep and upgrade because it's a beautiful guitar(although mostly junk). It needs a new nut, new bridge, fret ends dressed, tail piece needs centered and I will replace the pickups because the stock ceramic humbuckers are way too hot for a hollow body IMO. Tuners seem adequate, at least for now. I'll probably leave the electronics stock for now although I'm tempted to replace them too since I'll be pulling them out to swap pickups.
@@rodsmolter5046 might as well go all the way and do it all with electronics at that point. Cool find!
Rivera stuff is really well made. If only my refrigerator was built as well as my Venus Recording amp.
Hey Phil, I have a Fender Super 60 combo.
This the last thing Paul Rivera designed before he left Fender, that would make an interesting deep dive
BeDazzled Glarry
Or a TV brand like "Esteban" - hahahahahahaha
If the item is value for money then it will move regardless of whether the parent company does social media or not.
I have to buy a refrigerator and I'm terrified based on the horror stories I've heard.... With all that you've been through which one would you purchase?
@kellectraro4807 Don buy LG or Samsung. There’s class action suits against both of them. Best Buy and the manufacturers being crooks keep selling them knowing they’re bad.
th-cam.com/video/rKJgYVhZ6-w/w-d-xo.htmlsi=HXa6m2-OQ6XptHcD
DON'T buy a Samsung! When I was delivering appliances we were constantly having to pick those back up in a couple of months. Lg's seemed to be the best.
All amps are not the same, some are just for metal players, not something I would do.There are a lot of amps everyone talks about, but they are not the sound I want. I get it, thanks Phillip
Is sire one of those brands? I have just ordered one mostly based off what people are saying online. Would hate to have bought a bad guitar
Sire is just fine. It’s a brand that aims to provide the best guitar for the money. They’re not relying on their brand name to sell products. They’re relying on people liking them enough.
Thanks. I bought a couple Harley bentons from their 25th anniversary after I watched a few online reviews. I can kinda tell which ones are the "hype merchants" now. Kinda got caught up in the online hype a bit. The HB Strat I really like but this video makes a good point that I don't think they are guitars they themselves would play daily...
Sire is legit.
At least where I live, South East Asia Philippines, Sire is actually used by professionals and in gigs I've been as an audience.
My sire vintage S7 has arrived and I have been playing it for a little while now. I can clearly tell it is significantly better than my other guitars which are still ok but feel "compromised". Reality is that now all the other guitars are kind of just "collecting dust". The sire is really nice and plays really well.
AIO guitars are cheap but with premium appointments
I find it odd that those manufacturers don't see being on social media as free advertising.
Oddly enough, Dr. Z now has their own TH-cam channel. wtf? :D I guess they just don't like OTHER people doing their social media.
Yeah and Dr. Z himself (I forget his real name) hosts most of the videos. Perhaps, he just wants the brand to have a definite identity that they are in control of as much as possible.
CAN'T control the 'narrative' ! (Like CHINA!)
That makes a lot of sense, along with other statements above of not saturating SM resulting in more sales than they can manage.
@@LeeGee I can't see it either! LOL!
What is the ''decked out gLarry''?
Bought a Harley Benton build your own Strat, I did , it's as good as my fender.
Rivera only does social media with Normans Rare Guitars.
Just put a new thermostat in my 25 year old refrigerator, so far so good. (knock on wood) LOL --gary
I wish Peavey made refrigerators.
Was TTM a TH-cam brand?
5:06 one word: Frigidaire. Mine is over 8 years old and I’m on my 2nd warranty for free parts and labor. I’d rather fix my guitars! 😎🎸
Are you saying it’s bad? Just curious.
Esteban?
BluGuitar amps. Thought seriously about buying one because I love the concept. All over TH-cam. But am I the only one who noticed that Thomas Blug did all the demos himself, regardless of whose channel he was on? Of course he can get it to sound great - but why are there no independent reviews? Huge red flag for me.
Ummm Dr Z has his own social media he's been on youtube years in fact very informative. 🤷
Boss Katana?
Great for gigs in a mix. I was pleasantly surprised
@@ScottsGuitarIf I was recording a major label album or going on a world tour would I use a Boss Katana? Probably not. But for home use and small gigs it's a budget friendly practical solution.
@@robotx4242 if you were playing/recording at that level you’d have cartage anyways. I personally play a 63 fender Vibroverb, the best amp in the world imo. For a gig 200 ppl or less? I’d happily play a katana if that’s all I had access to. It’s a fun troll for gear nerds who think they can always tell. In a PA mix all that matters is cutting through, which the katana can do with flying colors if asked. For $400 can’t beat it
I really like the katana 100w mk2, it does what I ask of it. It's a good amp in my opinion.
I’m seeing a lot of boss katana’s on the stage for like bar gigs and jams
LTD acoustic electric with EQ sounds great
Lava Guitars
You're not wrong but I love my lava me 2.
It's fear of the Winger principle! Say something bad about them ; down they go!!!
Most social media hawking product is simply advertising.
Who plays a Glarry guitar at a live gig? Maybe a lo-fi punk band? Anybody?
Badlands ?
I think a brand that doesn't wanna do social media is just shooting themselves in the foot.
You need that perfect balance, you don't have to be either Rivera or Panama, or either Chapman or Diamond Guitars, or either Glary or Rickenbacker.
You simply have to adapt to the times, there's a reason why Rivera amps haven't been on my mind recently compared to let's say Friedman (Just bought the IRX) or Victory (Considered getting it) or Revv (I wish they made a tube pedal). Maybe Panama was just worse than other brands on the market like Revv
You assume all builders want to grow indefinitely. For example, Wayne at Headstrong amps is a one map op and wants to keep it that way. He is actually going to decrease output for 24 because 23 was too much production for him. Money isn’t always the absolute in the world of boutique. Some ppl just do it to pay the bills and live their life with balance.
@@ScottsGuitarreally good point. 💯 Agree. Been a business owner for nearly 30 years. It's been great but money isn't everything. There is a lot to be said for a balance in life. Sometimes I wish I'd spent more time staring at the flowers. Lol
True but I think some tube amp companies stay under the radar and still sell relatively well because it’s a niche market. The restaurant world is similar where a small operation with a small staff is plenty enough to survive once they have some a decent enough established reputation
5:15 I had a Whirlpool and the ice maker wouldn’t stop breaking. Turned it into a garage drink fridge and got a Samsung and it’s never had an issue.
Kiesel?
Exactly what I said.
Never seen anyone but a TH-camr playing them, and they are likely given the guitars for free
Kiesel is a fairly old company, but for decades they sold under the Carvin name. Only recently did they go back to the Keisel name. They’re purely custom, you have to spec every guitar.
The reality is. Basically you cannot unequivocally trust any reviews from a majority of TH-cam content providers involving amps and guitars. Boss katana and Firefly guitars. Way overrated and overhyped.
You-Tubers sounds like a type of potato
Orange guitars youtube brand
Go figure. We were just looking for a new refrigerator.
th-cam.com/video/rKJgYVhZ6-w/w-d-xo.htmlsi=HXa6m2-OQ6XptHcD
Kiesel, Strandberg, Ormsby, Solar, and Chapman. Probably great guitars, but I don't see them outside of YT.
My very first back in the 80s was a Carvin. The sad thing about them is that... When they were best, people were still very down on "mail order guitars". Then when the internet came along and 75% of sales are there now... they turned the company over to the grand kid (Kiesel) and ruined it. So they've never had their day.
@@xray606 I don't know if he's ruined it. I've seen players I respect play Kiesels, but their image is now much more niche than it used to be. I'm guessing their quality is still good, but if you don't want s specific kind of metal or shredder guitar they don't seem to cater to that crowd anymore. I still have my 80s Carvin, too.
@@alfgwahigain5544 I just think his attitude has been too ‘my way, you don’t like it, GFY’. I run my own manufacturing biz and I always try to accommodate. While they definitely needed to update their products, I think he could have done that, while keeping the boomers happy too. But it was like he just wanted to remake everything in his image. I can’t count how many times I saw pictures of whole rooms full of Carvins. They had a high demographic customer base, and he just sort of blew those people off.
Man, you’re right on! I was going to say Kiesel, Strandberg, and Chapman.
But there must be some that will work as one very optimistic canadian guy came to my mind.
But pheraps dental and mengrooming products are truly as more him.
That hype seems to be over with.
Why not take a cheap guitar and produce an upgraded model! Toyota has made a fortune doing it with Lexus. Nissan with Infinity. Honda with Acura. Sometimes it may not work so well. A Hyundai marketed as Genesis is still garbage. But particularly with solid body electric guitars it should be a no brainer.
When Honda and Toyota rolled out their Lexus and Acura lines their reputation was the gold standard for cars at the time. So they could go higher. Hyundai doesn't have that rep.
Jericho guitars.
Maybe they don’t need the help🤔
Search for LG refrigerator compressor lawsuit.
Badlands
Well good. More stuff and people need stay away from “social media”. Let’s leave that to the Far East junk. High quality stuff doesn’t need this. I’m sure Dr. Z sell everything they produce.
Zager
Solar
yo
Lamborghini doesn’t do TV commercials because their target demographic aren’t sitting around watching TV.
Yeah they are streamers, pro-athletes, rappers and children of billionaires.
No one with a brain or who understands real wealth would ever buy a Lamborghini
So many videos hyping cheaper guitars saying "they are better than ________". I mean, they are what they are, but come on...
Strandberg... Tons of TH-cam players. Never seen one played on stage by a non solo/virtuoso type player.
LG fridges? What a disappointment...
The fact is , they don’t need you or social media to sell their amps, and they were created before social media , they sell out of product, and have always had their loyal following. They are doing great always with no help and on solid ground.
Social media sucks!!!
"We don't do social media" the last words of any company.
stainless steel frets in a "fast" guitar made in China
Have fun, I'm opting out.
Kiesel. Almost seems to be exclusively a TH-cam guitar player brand
They don’t look unique, ridiculously expensive- really just seems like a social media brand
I learned absolutely nothing by watching this.
Yamaha
Yamaha is a weird brand because they aren’t cool in the guitar market, but the price to quality ratio is one of the best in the industry. You’ll never walk into a store a swing dick because you pulled out a Yamaha guitar, but they will consistently give you $1600 of playability, sound, and construction for $800.
Yamahas are no joke. They play well and the acoustics are among the best at the price point. They're real. My first two instructors recommended them They are also for some reason void of "coolness".
@@Charlesbabbage2209There are certian Yamaha guitars that are extremely good. I’ve owned just about all the reputable brands Fender, Gibson, G&L, Music Man, etc and my Yamaha Sa1200s is as good or better a build than anything I’ve owned. The sg series is incredible and the Revstars punch way above their price point. Japanese workmanship is undeniably top drawer. Tokai, Greco, K Yairi, among others deserve mention.