**NEW** The Reviews Section

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TTonyTTony Frets: 27342
edited February 2016 in Guitar
We've decided to try adding a new section to theFretBoard.

It's intended to build into a repository of gear reviews, so we've called it the Reviews Section.  You'll see the next section appear shortly (if you've not already noticed it).


It's not intended for reviews like you read in the mags, where every latest shiniest product off the production line gets 8/10 or 4/5 after the reviewer has had it for 2 hours and played it for 20 mins, and then has to get the copy written before the print deadline.

Neither is it intended for reviews like you get on YT, whether it's one of the "this is great, buy it from my shop" reviews, or it's "mumble, mumble, shot-of-my-shoes, quick-shred, that's it" from a teenager's bedroom, all recorded on an iPhone.


theFretBoard reviews are intended to be based on longer-term and real-life experience of the item.  

We want warts'n'all, honest assessments of what the product is like when the just-bought-it honeymoon period is long-gone, when you've had time to test its resilience and reliability, when you've found it's imperfections and learned to live with (or grown to hate) them.

Between us, we've got many times more gear, and many many times more experience of using it, than any shop or magazine.  That is a huge repository of knowledge, experience and opinion that could be of great benefit to others out there in www land.


We want to keep it simple.  There is no set format (at least not yet), but there are a few guidelines here, intended to keep things easy to search.

For obvious reasons, you can't post a review of something that you're selling (or intend to sell shortly) nor for anything that you've not owned & used for at least 3 - and preferably 6 - months.  

If you post a review, everyone will want pics, so make sure you've got some ready, and post them too.

And be ready to answer follow-up questions, or get involved in the follow-on discussion of your review.


And thanks-in-advance to the latest member of the modmin team - @Roland - who's volunteered to take on the task of modding the new section.
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Comments

  • DeijavooDeijavoo Frets: 3298
    edited February 2016
    Great idea. However, what about if I buy an R9 next week, love it dearly and write a review but then hit financial ruin 3 months later and have to sell?
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27342
    Deijavoo said:
    Great idea. However, what about if I buy an R9 next week, love it dearly and write a review but then hit financial ruin and have to sell?
    It's within a week - take it back to the shop
    ;)

    If that happens, we'd probably remove the review.  You're hardly going to write a balanced review when you're facing financial ruin ...
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  • DeijavooDeijavoo Frets: 3298
    edited February 2016
    TTony said:
    Deijavoo said:
    Great idea. However, what about if I buy an R9 next week, love it dearly and write a review but then hit financial ruin and have to sell?
    It's within a week - take it back to the shop
    ;)

    If that happens, we'd probably remove the review.  You're hardly going to write a balanced review when you're facing financial ruin ...

    Ah, I guess the financial ruin is just from said purchase. You know, trying to keep up with @Gassage.

    Like I say, I think this will be a great idea. 
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  • mgawmgaw Frets: 5239
    Excellent addition this,  its difficult to find objectiveness about Gear, so looking forward to a bank of knowledge "on tap"
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  • nick_snick_s Frets: 138
    Good stuff, I like contributing stuff like this.
    - Shine On You Crazy Diamond -
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  • NeilNeil Frets: 3594
    It will make some interesting reading I have no doubt.

    That said, previously when I have looked at new purchases I have simply put up a new thread, "what do you think of XX?" and have been handily furnished with members first hand accounts of ownership.

    Will owners post an unbiased review on stuff they are thinking of moving on in the future? 
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    Firstly, no review can be unbiased. We each have our preferences. At least you'll know that the review comes from a long term user, generally someone who has credibility here for their other posts, and who isn't being rewarded for the review. You'll also know that it's had peer review, and you know how pointed that can be on here sometimes.

    You'll also be able to ask questions. In addition to posting "what do you think of ..." Threads you will be able to ask the reviewer(s) for their views, and possibly get additional picture, sound and video clips to illustrate the points of interest.

    Anyone who posts a glowing review, and then tries to sell, is going to get blasted by other members who don't seem to take kindly to that type of behaviour. Then they risk the usual penalties associated with breaching forum rules.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • I think this is a great idea. Will this thread include acoustics?
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27342
    buckfast said:
    I think this is a great idea. Will this thread include acoustics?
    Certainly.

    For now, we've just included "Guitars" as one section, but in due course we can split out the content into Acoustics, Basses, (etc), depending on how many reviews are posted.  I'm sort of hopeful that one day we'll be splitting them out into separate manufacturer subsections too but we're a few thousand reviews away from having to do that just yet

    ;)
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  • FezFez Frets: 499
    Like the new reviews section. Looking forward to reading honest opinions rather than those of a hog tied journalist. Also there is so much lazy journalism these days - Music Radar I'm looking at you.
    Don't touch that dial.
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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 7349
    Fez said:
    Like the new reviews section. Looking forward to reading honest opinions rather than those of a hog tied journalist. Also there is so much lazy journalism these days - Music Radar I'm looking at you.
    I haven't looks at MusicRadar since they shut the forum. It was always terrible.
    Red ones are better. 
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27342
    TimmyO said:
    Fez said:
    Like the new reviews section. Looking forward to reading honest opinions rather than those of a hog tied journalist. Also there is so much lazy journalism these days - Music Radar I'm looking at you.
    I haven't looks at MusicRadar since they shut the forum. It was always terrible.
    I give that comment 4.5 stars.
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27342
    Just a reminder ...
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