I have always envied the players who fall in love with- and become associated with- a single instrument or amplifier. The idea of having my “Blackie” or my “No. 1” is so appealing. And the idea of knowing my amplifier so intimately that I can tell when the tube brands change or the speaker cab screws were replaced in the wrong order, like we’ve heard from Eric Johnson and Eddie Van Halen, is somewhat appealing. I will never love one piece of gear so faithfully.
However, the alternative has some upsides, too. I play someone else’s guitars and amplifiers EVERY NIGHT when I’m on the road and I’ve found ways to love each piece of gear for what it has to offer. Although I have some distinct preferences, I’m not tied to any one shape or brand of guitar, string gauge, amplifier, pedal combination, or guitar pick. I actually enjoy the process of discovering new links in the signal chain and seeing how their nuances work in conjunction with the other links.
Having said that, I’m NOT a snob for any one approach to choosing the right tools for music. Specifically, I’m NOT a tube snob that believes that only tube-based amplifiers can sound good. I’ve owned just about everything Line 6 has made since 1999 and have made some great music (and great money) using those pieces of digital modeling gear.
A company that is newly formed from old heritage is Quilter Labs, formed by Pat Quilter who is the “Q” in QSC Amplifiers. Pat knows a thing or two about amplification, specifically solid state amplification and his StudioPro line of amps is the culmination of decades of experience in that world.
In the late summer, I was asked to come in and shoot some videos for Quilter Labs and I just discovered those videos online. You can see them here at this link. The ones we shot are the first six of the cluster, all with the same devlishly handsome guitar player
Effective product videos are the sum of a few different parts. First of all, it starts with the product and the Quilter StudioPro sounds ridiculously good. Secondly, it involves on-screen talent that can actually play and that is comfortable and conversational. Lastly, it involves high quality, focused production value. By that I mean that the camera(s), lighting, editing, and audio all need to be high quality. It doesn’t matter how great the gear and the player are if the production quality doesn’t reveal those values.
The reason I’m writing this stuff is to point out the true value of these videos. It’s NOT the on-screen talent. I’ve watched videos of guys who were remarkably smoother and easier to look at than myself. But when you add the great sounding amplifier, the high production quality, and some creative editing and titling, you get videos that not only do a great job of highlighting the gear, but they also do a little bit of teaching.
Anyway- that’s just me gushing. I think these videos are some of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of working on and I hope you enjoy them as much as I’ve enjoyed them.
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