What gear did you buy sight unseen based off of reviews and hype? Were you satisfied?

[70 Mach 1]

Thread going on TGP, guy wants to drive 9 hours RT to buy a Tone King he never tried.
All based on hype and reviews

I tried to discourage him based on my experiences

More often than not i was always disappointed when i did this. All the hype and reviews never met my full expectations.

Im a tryer outer lil bitch

 

[RaceU4her]

Pretty much every amp I have, I’m happy with all of them

 

[ChurchHill]

Yeah, pretty much everything. Just aren't nearly as many good stores around, anymore, and what's left doesn't carry what I'm looking for.

For the most part, I've been good with it. Couple of duds here and there, but nothing major.

There are few things I would drive 9 hours for. None of them are a Tone King. Dave's Guitars in WI is worth the drive. Some of the Dallas Guitar Shows.

 

[glpg80]

Mesa Mark III++ Coliseum

Yes it was worth it.

 

[BeZo]

The Greenhouse Effects Sonic Orb phaser I just got. Really happy with it.

 

[DanTravis62]

Strymon Volante, and yep it absolutely kicks ass

FTT Flight Time, and yep, it absolutely kicks ass

Engl artist, and yep, it absolutely kicks ass

Almost everything else I had tried before, or something very similar

 

[Brain Becker]

My 2203x. I bought it because Slayer and Zakk Wylde used it.

 

[Uzi Nein Millimetah]

Mesa Mark III++ Coliseum

Yes it was worth it.

I bought all of my Marks after the first (Mark III) online, because by then, I knew they would kick ass.

They did.

 

[Mike Oxhuge]

Engl Blackmore - was fucking great
Engl Artist - even better
Mark VII Best of all

 

[VonBonfire]

I bought Uncle Waynzo's Gladio clone without ever trying one. Then I bought his Spaceman Equinox clone. Can't really go wrong with his stuff, both of those are great pieces of equipment. After that I bought a Spaceman Meridian and that's a pretty badass pedal that is on my gigging board with the other two.

 

[phillybhatesme]

I have ordered a lot of guitars sight-unseen. Thankfully it hasn't really fucked me over. I've received a few that needed fretwork that I probably wouldn't have bought had I played em in store, but meh. I'm a real sucker for a nice top. And if it comes with a straight neck and it just needs fretwork and a nut re-slot, ok, fine. Now I have a cool guitar with a top I like and newly filed, crowned, and polished frets with a fresh setup.
The biggest issue for me is "is the neck straight?" upon arrival.

I've not ordered any amps I haven't played. I ordered a DSL20, but I've played DSLs before. And while the 20 watter sounds kinda anemic, it still sounds like a DSL.

 

[EXPcustom]

Just about every single piece of gear I have ever owned, if I had to wait for it to show up in a local shop to try before buying honestly I'd have some pretty mediocre gear. Although I will say I wish I grew up in LA because everyone living locally had access to the most awesome gear available at that time.

 

[japetus]

 

[VonBonfire]

View attachment 438700

You've been holding out on me.

 

[japetus]

You've been holding out on me.

Shawn Lane knew.

 

[VonBonfire]

Shawn Lane knew.

Sadly not remembered by enough people.

 

[japetus]

Sadly not remembered by enough people.

He was using THD amps, everyone all "muh Dumble" but later he was rocking those THD heads, I thought for better tone. It's subjective.

 

[VonBonfire]

He was using THD amps, everyone all "muh Dumble" but later he was rocking those THD heads, I thought for better tone. It's subjective.

Didn't he later get a million dollar advance on a record and buy a bunch of Gjika stuff? Like a separate preamp and power amp sections. Some of the Gjika stuff is mindblowing but a little over the top unless you have a road crew to tote it.

 

[Monkey Man]

Everything.

No personal transport & cabs are way-too-expensive.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

I guess it depend on what you classify reviews and hype as.
I classify it into 3 tiers;
1. Reviews with clips/demos
2. Spoken/typed word reviews with little to no clips
3. No reviews, no clips, all hype; buying completely blind

I've rarely been able to play anything before I bought it. This is partially because of my taste in amps and partially because of the local market. What I'm looking for rarely comes up for sale locally so I'm usually having to purchase online. And there's been only one instance where I wasn't intending to purchase anything, popped into the store, played something, and went home with it. That's my Zinky Mofo.

Oddly, I've bought only a couple amps from Category 1 where there are enough clips and reviews where I can get a full idea of what I'm getting into. Anything I've bought from this category has been in the realm of expectation and I haven't been disappointed. Notable purchases here have been my Marshall Vintage Modern and Mesa Mark III.

Category 2 has been where the bulk of my purchases have come from. I like amps that are a bit off the beaten path; AKA not something you can readily purchase at Guitar Center. Usually there is just enough out there where I can get a general sense of the amp. That or people on RT who's ear I trust have been helpful. So far I've had a few surprises of expectation vs. reality, but haven't been disappointed in anything I've gotten. Notable purchases have been Monomyth Skeleton Key, Ground Zero Hellion, Laney Lionheart L50, and Fender Machete.

I've bought only 2 amps from Category 3 where the was zero [reliable] information and I purchased based purely on hype or reputation. These were what most would consider top tier amps so I felt the risk was very minimal. The 2 amps are my Naylor Superdrive 100 and Headfirst Alta. Most people hype the Naylor because of builder reputation, but few seem to have played one. As far as the Alta, I got in on the first batch so that was purchased purely based on Jason's reputation and ear for Marshall tones. I'm happy to say in both cases I was thoroughly impressed and they both remain in my top 5 favorite amps of all time.