So gear demos. What does it for you?

ToneShackTrev

I've been doing my demos for a while now and I'm always looking to better myself. Better recording gear, cameras, lighting etc. What I haven't really looked at is the demo itself. Now I have a massive man crush on Pete Thorn. The way he does things has raised the bar for us all. I will never be that good or have the time to put demos together like he can. But then I look at Burgs who I'm also a massive fan of. Not as flash as PT but gets great tones and makes people want to buy pedals.

I'm certainly more in the Burgs camp of demoing (hopefully giving you a good idea of what something sounds like without too much waffle) but I'm curious, what do you guys look for in a gear demo? I know you can't please everyone all the time but I'd love to get some pointers on what I'm maybe not doing that I should be.

Would be good to hear from you fine folks. Good or bad feedback always appreciated.

xHymnal

I like demos without talking, like the Prymaxe demos and the xxtimehascomexx/ Dennis Kayzer demos. They show the pedal being used how i'd use it and at the end of the day 99% of what the demo-er would be saying I can find on google anyway. Banner scrolling of info is ok. But yeah, just play the pedal! Oh, and showing the settings too is useful. 

ThePrettyDamned

I like burgs and PGS.

Pete thorn is a great player, but he uses such great kit, it's just not really relevant to me. However, he made the new boss digital distortion pedals sound amazing - I really want to try them.

guitarfishbay

Demos with subtitles permanently on to state what is being shown. Makes skipping through to the relevant parts so much easier.

Fuzzdog

Less talk, more playing.  Oh, and if you're demonstrating a pedal, play a few things through the basic amp sound first with the pedal off - I'm amazed at how many people either don't do this, or just strum an open chord.  It provides a handy reference point for my ears!

joeyowen

30 secs of talking if it's needed

clean tone first

What guitar etc... in the comments

Proper mic'ing

Two cameras, one for pedal and one for guitarist

Full range of settings used

maybe a backing track, depends

Not fussy really

guitarfishbay

What does proper mic'ing mean (beyond not just using crap camera mics)? Do people prefer close or room mic'd demos?

PolarityMan

close mic plus room mic is good but both hihg quality, no string noise. playing something appropriate to the sound so dont play fucking ac/dc on high gain pedals. less widdling and more attention payed to how the effect sounds on basic strumming, picked notes, chugging etc lots of switching between on and off on each of those

ThePrettyDamned

guitarfishbay;361933" said:

What does proper mic'ing mean (beyond not just using crap camera mics)? Do people prefer close or room mic'd demos?

Ola: he sometimes does both.

Which is really handy.

xSkarloey

I think I normally come back to PGS Andy, because he's a very, very gifted player. I like the fact that he often plays a cover using the gear in question, to give you a fair idea of how something sounds. But then he'll take you through it and point out the main features. I just find him a more polished and more reserved version of someone like Rob Chappers, who's a decent salesman but who normally ends up playing the same sort of thing on his vids. 

The other demoer I have a lot of time for is Mike Hermans off the Prymaxe Vintage vids. He plays tasteful, fairly straightforward stuff that showcases the gear in different musical contexts. He's a fine player, no question, but he keeps it simple in the main (I even recognise the Garageband drum loops half the time!) and is there to show the gear off, not show off per se. 

Off the less polished types, I don't mind home demoers who get a decent basic sound and who play the same basic passage with different pedal settings. Those demos have their place for me. 

monquixote

My first ever gear demo!

Not going to give Andy any sleepless nights, but you can't win the pedals in Andy's demos. 

Dave_Mc

Minimum of talking (ideally subtitles as guitarfishbay said), good playing, suitable tones and tunes/playing style for the kit which is being demoed. Different styles of guitars with the different main pickup types... and if a drive pedal is being demonstrated, demonstrate the tone with the pedal off... and if you're playing really lightly, say so! (Don't give the impression the amp is set to pristine clean when it's not, in other words.)

EDIT: also get someone to demo it who's comfortable with the music styles the kit is aimed at. "I'm not much into 80s rock/shred" is no help if an Ibanez RG is being demonstrated, for example- find someone who is!

Branshen

For me, I want to know if it cleans up well with the volume knob.

juansolo

JustNick is my favourite. He manages to articulate very well how and what a pedal does, which doesn't always come over clearly on YouTube. He's talky, but generally very interesting and a great demo guy.

Burgs used to be my go-to guy, still entertaining demos and some occasional gems. But a lot of paid for stuff now that he's gone pro, which makes me doubt the credibility of some reviews. Because you're not going to slam paid for review now are you..? Then again, he's such a good demoer that you can usually pick out if something's for you or not.

PGS Andy makes everything sound awesome. The guy's got some serious skills, but I think you could give him a POS and it'd still sound awesome in his hands. Still like watching them though, but always watch with this in mind.

Gearmandude makes everything he's playing sound like GMD. Cool that he has his own sound, but it tends to dominate everything that he tests. Amusing though.

skay

What would be helpful to me is showing the guitar and amp you are using (especially how you've set the controls on the amp/what channel etc) plus showing the pedal settings either as you adjust them or in a little box on the screen somewhere to give a good idea of the range the pedal can cover.

Get a convincing clean tone that someone could actually use and then add the pedal on to that, or it just seems the amp is set for the pedal and will probably not work when using other pedals. Strummed chords are better than solely fast lead guitar licks and remember you're showcasing the pedal and not your skills as a player...

ThePrettyDamned

skay;362275" said:

What would be helpful to me is showing the guitar and amp you are using (especially how you've set the controls on the amp/what channel etc) plus showing the pedal settings either as you adjust them or in a little box on the screen somewhere to give a good idea of the range the pedal can cover.

Get a convincing clean tone that someone could actually use and then add the pedal on to that, or it just seems the amp is set for the pedal and will probably not work when using other pedals. Strummed chords are better than solely fast lead guitar licks and remember you're showcasing the pedal and not your skills as a player...

Not if you want to know how something sounds when played fast. Some pedals (and amps) don't like fast playing.

Also, strummed chords on something like a amptweaker tightmetal would be a bit silly.

stickyfiddle

I like PhilX's Fretted Americana ones, though they're more entertainment than great gear demos. 

PGS Andy gets the mix right for me - he doesn't use crazy-high end gear to demo with, gets some playing in *before* talking, and only talks relevant stuff which is clearly a sales pitch.

photek

@ToneShackTrev I like your vids a lot and watch them regularly, the only comments I have specifically for your vids are I prefer the later vids as the 18w wasn't clean enough as a base tone for me and the earlier vids you only used single coils. Everything else is spot on thanks for making them.

Generic comments about demo's:

Using both humbuckers and single coils is important for me.

There is rarely any need for talking beyond what gear is being used. I dislike when people just read information that is available online.

I like to hear the users genuine opinion of the pedal.

I like the end of the Mike Hermans videos where he plays the pedal witout a backing track and uses the whole sweep of the controls.

I like it when a pedal can be run at 18v that they show that as well.

dano

Playing some open chords and letting them ring for a few seconds. Particularly with overdrives, distrortions, fuzzes.  Let's hear how it actually sounds and sustains. Gearmandude is terrible for this, he just plays the same single note blues riffs with very little chord work.

Good mic'ing is essential. the amount of demos I've seen where the noise of the guitar strings directly into the mic is audible is shocking,

Playing some riffs from a well know song or two were the pedal is getting the right sound is good, like what Andy from PGS does.

HollowAxis

The best demos I've ever seen are on the JustNickMusic  youtube channel.

That guy makes loooong videos, he talks about practical usage and considerations and he clearly loves gear.

Second to that are the Pro Guitar Shop videos, and to an extent gearmandude, both great but shorter.

Just Nick really does excellent things.

I think they main thing is to use the gear in a variety of styles, and maybe with a variety of other bits people may use with it, talk about exactly what it can do and little else. and get your facts straight.

hotpickups

The demos I've watched and ended up buying a product (usually) are the ones that have a demonstration of a very usable sound in a live context coupled with good playing and a decent tune/melody. Endless/tuneless noodling doesn't win me over personally. I agree about Prymaxe Vintage vids. I can actually envisage using those sounds and they do have tasteful playing included. Not too much talking is preferred unless the reviewer is a mega star to which I would value their professional opinions/experience. Also item engaged and then not engaged to hear the difference i.e. clean - engaged, dirty and engaged etc

Hope it helps