User Reviews Make the World Go 'Round

User Reviews Make the World Go 'Round

And can help you with your next music gear purchase ...

by Chris Loeffler

A musician tends to have already done quite a bit of research before they are ready to break open their (often light) wallet and get a new piece of gear. Most things you can add to your rig out there do something that’s just a shade different from any number of competing products, so making the right choice for the player, their existing gear, and their sonic goals is important the first time. While some players have the luxury of buying and trying many pieces of gear to chase their elusive sound, most will be stuck with their next purchase for at least the short term future. 

How does a musician who doesn’t have immediate access to the piece of gear they are considering know whether or not they are making the right decision? They read the product specs and all the manufacture information on the product page. They pour over PDFs of instruction manuals, watch demo videos, and scour forums for people willing to share their hands-on time with the object of their desire... and they of course read user reviews.

In the e-commerce world at large, more than 90% of shoppers say they read at least a few reviews online before making a purchase. Things they’re looking for include statements of quality, unexpected user errors, and, most importantly, someone who seems to have been looking for a solution similar to their own goals. Reviewing a half-dozen or so user reviews typically surfaces enough common experiences to legitimize (or refute) one-off observations, and even the writing style and areas of focus help qualify the reviewer.

Harmony Central features over 285,000 user reviews spanning two decades and receives over a quarter million visits every month just in the user reviews section. This is a testament to the power of peer reviews and a sign of how much we value each other’s opinion. We review dozens of user reviews every week that are submitted to Harmony Central, and do our best to only post the most real and authentic ones we find. You had better believe we come across some clear shill work, and you’ bet we reach out to the authors of questionable reviews asking them to speak further about the reviews written. As you can imagine, we tend not to hear back, especially when the IP traces to a manufacturer! :-)

Opinions are subjective, but any genuine opinion has some validity and deserves consideration by future potential purchasers. By sharing your experience, good or bad, with gear you are helping your fellow musicians make more informed decisions, and hopefully what goes around will come back around and reward you with a strong set of helpful user reviews the next time you’re investigating a piece of gear!

All this is to say, whether on Harmony Central or elsewhere, help each other make solid investments to further your craft by reviewing the gear you purchase. Say what you’re current rig is, what you were hoping to accomplish, whether the gear did or didn’t help you achieve that goal, and unexpected or surprising benefits and challenges you experienced. If something didn’t work for you, is it because it is subjectively bad, or was the fit just not right? If it changed your world and is the holy grail, what makes it so great?

Pay it forward and let’s keep each other informed!

Harmony Central User Reviews are available to review (or add to!) here. - HC - 

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Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.