I was reading one of the posts in the beginner's section about Epiphones and the reviews on Harmony Central, and I thought I'd make a random post about Harmony Central.
I've been playing guitar for 2 years, building and re-building from scratch or existing full guitars the entire time, so I have many reasons to log on to HC from time to time to check stuff out. I've probably had 20 guitars go through my hands in those 2+ years, and probably just as many pickup sets, tuners, etc...
I have no idea what use the HC "user reviews" are for... For every "10 - great value!" I see "what a hunk of junk..."
We've talked about it on these boards a lot, the VALUE of the instrument versus the COST of the instrument versus the true QUALITY of the instrument.
As you may know, I just bought an SX strat copy to customize - based mainly on the information from a friend and the positive posts found here - and went out to HC to look at the review just before I pulled the trigger. Man, what a waste of time. There were like 36 reviews posted about the SST52 and at least 10 stated that the SX was the best sounding strat they have ever heard. The BEST! Many stated that it was "better than an American strat" while just as many stated that "the quality was good, not quite as good as a MIM, but better than Squier". Holy crap! How is anyone supposed to make an intelligent decision with such conflicting reviews!!!?!?
I am at the point that I only read the reviews with sub-6 scores. If I see a "10" I sail right on past. I want the REAL information about the instrument.
On the same vein, the reviews in most guitar magazines are also a joke. Nothing REAL.
Anyway... that's my story. :evil:
-=- Steve
"If the moon were made of ribs, would you eat it?"
i'm in agreement, anything rated 10 on a scale of 1-10 is suspect.
i would consider 10 to be perfect and unattainable.
personally i ask here first about anything guitar related, then i go looking elsewhere for further info.
#4491....
I find very little value in Harmony Central reviews.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
But they're user reviews and you need to keep that in mind. The reviewer isn't necessarily an authority. It's essentially a forum where people give their opinion of gear they've used or bought. It's like asking for opinions about a guitar on any other forum, including this one. The responses are subjective. So I think the reviews are interesting but not necessarily authoritative. I wouldn't buy any gear based on what I read anywhere. But I might decide to take some gear for a test drive depending on what I read in a forum.
In that sense, I think Harmony Central reviews are no better or worse than any reviews posted on any other message board.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
I think most user reviews aren't very useful, because most users don't have a decent frame for reference. "My XYZ is absolutely the best guitar I've ever played!" can be perfectly true... it may also be the only guitar that user has ever played.
Magazines are a bit more helpful, because they do include technical information, and sometimes objective comparisons to other models. But you won't find any "what a piece of junk" reviews - just flip through any magazine and see how many ads there are from manufacturers. I mean, the March GP has a review of the Yamaha RGX-A2, and I don't see a Yamaha ad in that issue... but Yamaha bought a full 4 color page in February. So while I think the reviews are legitimate (i.e., they don't lie and tell you a guitar is really nice if it really isn't), I do think it's a case where if you can't say something nice they say nothing at all.
Probably the best source for independent review infromation will be your local luthier. They've seen thousands of instruments, and they're familiar with any consistent troubles a particular model might have.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
No doubt there are some good reviews in the guitar magazines, but to me they all seem to say the same thing. Every item in the magazine is discussed and then given a "the XYZ guitar might just fit your needs!"
I totally understand the implication of advertising on honest reviews, but for the most part I read the review and then say "what's the point? What's the point of reviewing if the end result is always mildly - to enthusiastically positive"?
I'm not a computer gamer, but from time to time I read computer gaming magazine for fun (you know, at the dentist's office??) and I am always amazed at how brutally honest they are in reviewing games. I mean, every issue seems to have as many 5 star games as 1 star games. Refreshing.
While I agree that HC reviews are subjective and based on the author's frame of reference, I'm extremely skeptical that the majority are legitimate. It is too easy for a manufacturer or dealer to post numerous positive reviews. I mean, there had to be 7 SX Strat reviews that stated that the author had a number of $800+ guitars and this little SX sounds better and plays easier than all of them. Is that realistic? SX might be a good guitar for $100, but better than all these name brand, professional-quality instruments?
-=- Steve
"If the moon were made of ribs, would you eat it?"
I mean, the March GP has a review of the Yamaha RGX-A2, and I don't see a Yamaha ad in that issue... but Yamaha bought a full 4 color page in February.
BASTARDS!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Oh well, it at least contains the exact number of letters and starts with a B. :roll: I got to go watch Spongebob, later.
i never go by user reviews, what works for them might not work for you and vice versa,
check it out for yourself then decide.
even god loves rock-n-roll
I always read user reviews and find them very helpful. I agree that some will just say their guitar or amp is the best. But they must have been happy with their purchase. And some people are very negative and point out every little imperfection. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle.
I always look at the profile of the user. If they have been playing 1 year and are into punk, that generally means this player does not really have much experience with guitars and amps. So, I take that into consideration. On the other hand, if the reviewer has been playing 25 years and plays regular in a gigging band, I will take these reviews more seriously. This is a person who has been around and probably knows good gear better than a beginner.
This is not always the case, but generally it is. :D
If you read 20 reviews and 10 of them say the tuners are not too good, hey, they are not too good. You can pick up little details through reviews. If you read 20 reviews and 10 say the pickup selector switch went bad in 4 months, then this is probably a real problem with this guitar. So I pay attention to little comments like that in reviews. But if you read 20 reviews and only 1 reviewer complains about the pickup selector, then it is good, this person just got a rare defect, or more likely caused the problem themselves.
Some people will use gear without ever reading the manual for even one minute. So, they plug a 4 ohm cab into a amp that has an 8 ohm minimum load spec. The amp overheats and is ruined. The reviewer says the amp is junk. No, the reviewer is unexperienced and probably ruined a perfectly good amp. So, you have to take little things like this into consideration.
If 10 reviews out of 15 say the amp does not have a good distortion for metal, this amp does not have a good distortion for metal.
So reviews are very useful, just read them all and look at the experience and playing style of the reviewer.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I find reviews helpful. I do what Wes said, read as many as I can then find out the general consensus on them. The only thing they are hard to rely on for is tone. I've read a lot of reviews for Explorers lately most of which say the pickups are harsh and thick, but some reviews say that like it's a bad thing, while others say it like it's a good thing.
They also help me know what to check for when I try them since I'm a beginner. Both when trying out any guitar, and specfic models.
i use reviews as a small part of the guitar buying experience. it does prove helpful, but it's hardly the bible on what guitars to buy. if i am looking at 3 models, and i like them equally, i will look up their reviews just to get a round about idea of what i'm in for when i go to play them. the reviews dont play a mjor role, they're just there to give you an idea of what's going on with a particular model.
I would go with Wes on this one, you do have to read between the lines a bit, but if almost every one says the product is good, it probably is 8) On the other hand you should look at other sources too not just user reviews.--the dog
Read the reviews , but you don't need a pinch of salt to take them.
Just put them in the trash can and go to the guitar centre to find out what you are looking for in an instrument.
I too do what Wes does. I'll read every review I can find. Usually averages start to develope. Like Wes said, if over half say that something isn't good, I believe it. If only a few say something, I chalk it up to personal opinion. So to me product reviews are very important. They may became less so as my experience grows, but we'll see.
Jason
"Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution"
Customer reviews are good if you have a whole batch of them. I usually look at them pick out similarities in them. That usually indicates a common problem or good thing for the product. Also beware of trolls who just bash everything to try make people mad and defensive over the product. Those people just have to much time on their hands.
