I for one hate to see unboxing videos or demos where the reviewer talks incessantly and does very little playing...or perhaps no playing at all. I do think it's okay to do quick demos showing how each control responds to inputs, but I don't see any point in giving overly detailed descriptions of controls we should all understand.
I really dislike when reviewers totally wing it and ramble on about nonsense that has nothing to do with the gear they are reviewing.
I don't particularly care for official Mesa reviews. Many of them seem to be more of an artist showcase than a gear demo. IMHO gratuitous playing by someone with a really strong personal style makes it hard to hear what the gear actually sounds like. Let me be clear, I don't think the playing sucks, but I do think it's not the best choice for a gear demo.
I generally think official Orange reviews are pretty awful as well. In some ways they are sort of the polar opposite of Mesa reviews. They seem to seek out reviewers who come across as technically illiterate and can't quite put their finger on why they love the gear so much. It's sort or a mystical experience, and they go on and one about how great it is using jargon and way too many superlatives and exaggerations. The playing can be over the top, but Orange demos seem more about attitude than the technical excellence showcased in Mesa demos. IMHO, Orange demos it little too much like deleted scenes from Spinal Tap.
The following is probably my favorite demo.
He does a quick intro to set the table and then gets right to the playing. What I like most is the tempo at which he cycles through the amps. You hear each amp long enough to get an idea what it sounds like, but not so long that you have totally lost any idea for how the previous amp sounded. I also like hearing the amps in the context of the music...IMHO this gives you a better idea of how they sit in the mix.
I also like quite a few of Ed Friedland's. Here's an example:
I really dislike when reviewers totally wing it and ramble on about nonsense that has nothing to do with the gear they are reviewing.
I don't particularly care for official Mesa reviews. Many of them seem to be more of an artist showcase than a gear demo. IMHO gratuitous playing by someone with a really strong personal style makes it hard to hear what the gear actually sounds like. Let me be clear, I don't think the playing sucks, but I do think it's not the best choice for a gear demo.
I generally think official Orange reviews are pretty awful as well. In some ways they are sort of the polar opposite of Mesa reviews. They seem to seek out reviewers who come across as technically illiterate and can't quite put their finger on why they love the gear so much. It's sort or a mystical experience, and they go on and one about how great it is using jargon and way too many superlatives and exaggerations. The playing can be over the top, but Orange demos seem more about attitude than the technical excellence showcased in Mesa demos. IMHO, Orange demos it little too much like deleted scenes from Spinal Tap.
The following is probably my favorite demo.
He does a quick intro to set the table and then gets right to the playing. What I like most is the tempo at which he cycles through the amps. You hear each amp long enough to get an idea what it sounds like, but not so long that you have totally lost any idea for how the previous amp sounded. I also like hearing the amps in the context of the music...IMHO this gives you a better idea of how they sit in the mix.
I also like quite a few of Ed Friedland's. Here's an example:
