Ah crap... expect Westies to go up?

This guy has a huge online following.  He finally did a youtube series on Westone and Electra. 

I wonder, will the masses who follow him catch on to our secret? 

I've seen him do videos where he recommend the PRS SE EG's.  They almost immediately shot up from $200 to $300 to over $500.  Seriously.  People listen to him, I wonder what this will do to our Westies?! 

CLICK HERE!

From my perspective and from this side of the pond, the affordable Westone has already become an endangered species. The only Spectrums I see these days are STs and even those seem expensive compared to what I paid a couple of years ago for an ST (£70ish), 2 GTs (around £100) and the FX (under £100).


I blame Westbone, he's probably cornered the market like the Bunker Hunts tried to do with silver in the late 70s :p

Don't know this dude, but I was bored to tears after 5 minutes in. Droning narration, with less than stellar presentation. Really? Looking at pictures on a TV screen?
I don't think this is gonna inspire many folk.

Look how many views it has, already!

Yeah, but that number represents only the number of "hits" to the video, like a web page hit counter.

I cannot imagine that many folks would hang actually around for the almost 2 hours running time. I suspect anyone with that tenacity is someone who already knows about Westone/Electra and is looking for more info. Not likely to convert a casual viewer IMHO.

Not for the duration, no.  Though a whole lot will!  He has quite the following.  People listen to him!  He does know his stuff, for sure, I've seen several guitars go up based on his recommendations.  Not even kidding!  We'll see.  Mostly on guitars that he demos, not reviews like this one.

I'm with you on this one Barry, as soon as I saw it was Mr Grove I reached for the razor blades. That guy's voice and mile long drone make me want to take up cake making, seriously and as one who now appears to have become a people's messiah on "All things guitar" on You tube, I guess it was only a matter of time before he spilled the beans on the virtues of Westones.

Meadows wrote:as one who now appears to have become a people's messiah on "All things guitar" on You tube, I guess it was only a matter of time before he spilled the beans on the virtues of Westones.

Good way to put it, he has become that! 

I've been waiting for a couple years for him to "spill the beans", and sadly it's happened. 

I think that Barry should do his own Youtube vid series on guitars.   I'd watch! 

 "I am way over-qualified to make these judgements." 
 "I have owned every one of these guitars that I am gonna show you." 
 etc. anyone who can puke out statements like that, i just can't take seriously anything he says.
i think he is full of…. 

Kill me, seriously kill me, kill him first, then kill me.....

The Don wrote:

I blame Westbone, he's probably cornered the market like the Bunker Hunts tried to do with silver in the late 70s :p

Yep but only the high end stuff!.... But I won't get stung like the 'Bunker Hunts'

Who put the fanny in Scunthorpe..

Youse guyz is too funny!


In all seriousness though, I think this forum and accompanying web site (and the Matsumoku.org Forum) have done more to spread the word about Westone and Uncle Mats quality than anything this guy will ever do.

While I haven't been a member here for a long time, people that know me well describe me as a fairly mellow, even-keeled guy. That said, the dude who made this video inspires me into fits of rage. We're talking frothing at the mouth, blinding rage. I got excited that there was a Westone video on Youtube, until I clicked the link and realized that it was from the guitar world's version of Saruman. SO condescending to his viewers. SO clueless about what he is describing (go watch his video on how wood choice makes no difference at all in a guitar), SO self-promoting.

Okay. glad I got that off my chest. The worst thing is I hurt my hand over the weekend and can't even play my Westone to calm myself down.

Play it with your left hand, apparently it feels like someone else is doing it

Ahhh nuts...I think I may have wet myself...just a little.

He's an acquired taste, is Scott Grove, I would say but I cannot see too many sitting through much more than about 10 minutes of that presentation!
A little full of himself, too....

I got to 5 minutes... and I'm a birdwatcher: I can sit and watch nothing for hours hoping for a visual nugget!

I mean, that is awful; if he's doing it on a computer then why not have it cycling through some pictures rather than just showing the X910 interminably?? Undoubtedly a good instrument but not one of Uncle Matts originals....

The Chad wrote:...I think that Barry should do his own Youtube vid series on guitars.   I'd watch! 

Hmmm...

Sgt. Vimes wrote:Play it with your left hand, apparently it feels like someone else is doing it

Laughing here. What I MEANT to say was that I jammed the index finger on my right hand while I was working around the house, and consequently, couldn't hold a pick, or tap. Ahem.

Next time, I'll proofread a little better.

Anyway, awkward word choice aside, I stand by what I said in my original post- that guy whose name I will not mention is not who I would want representing Westone on the web. I agree with the nomination of Barry (or Westbone) to make videos on this brand.

  
I would recommend nobody makes a video,  better to try them out for oneself,  that way the secret stays a little while longer, and one gets to try out many different Westones 

Sgt. Vimes wrote:  
I would recommend nobody makes a video...that way the secret stays a little while longer...

True 'nuff.

  Selfish, but true.

And, hey! Speaking of videos, I'm still looking for more instrument samples to add to the Demos section of our web site.

Without clicking on the link I already knew who this guy was based on all the replies.  I've seen some of his videos before and he has a lot of correct information and a lot of incorrect information.  His finite opinions on subjective subject matter is what really annoys me.

Well I managed to get past the entire video and all I can say is that almost all the photos look very familiar so if he owned all these and played them why not have his photos in his own video. I saw more than a few of my photos as well as several others from our forums that he used. I have no problem as they became public when I posted them but I just thought that if he loves them so much he would have more of his own collection. just my opinion.

I finally forced myself to sit through the video (I skipped ahead toward the Westone section at the end, sparing myself an hour of... whatever that was). I was pleased he spoke so highly of the Westone brand, and didn't go off on one of his ill-informed rants.

I thought it was hilarious, though, they he mostly focused on the later models, and completely skipped over some real gems (like a gorgeous Rainbow and a bunch of nice Thunders) without making a comment. I say this as the owner of a much-beloved Korean-era pointy headstock Spectrum... he seemed completely oblivious to the really nice guitars from earlier in Westone's history, and focused solely on the 80's glam metal models, especially the later Korean ones.

I became introduced to Westone guitars via the cited video by the infamous Youtube guitar person Scott Grove.  Sorry.  I'm here to get on a bandwagon.  Totally shameless, I know.

p.s.
I'm not a fan or follower as such of Scott Grove, but I've seen numerous of his youtube videos.  Yes, he is extremely verbose and arrogant, but he often makes decent points.