The best YouTube channels for guitarists
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The best YouTube channels for guitarists · Source: PIOTR PIATROUSKI / Alamy Stock Foto
YouTube is by far the largest video platform on the Internet. And it’s also the perfect medium for guitarists. Whether you’re looking for gear reviews, guitar lessons, artist interviews, or just helpful stuff, we’ve rounded up the best YouTube channels for guitarists.
YouTube for guitarists can seem endless
We touched on this in the intro: The number of videos on YouTube available for guitarists alone is blindingly high. The online platform is currently growing at the rate of 500 hours of video per hour. Therefore, creating some categories to identify good YouTube channels from a guitarist’s perspective is worthwhile.
In this article, we would like to highlight four categories. This might seem somewhat arbitrary, but it makes sense if you are looking for specific content.
The channels we present in the first category publish reviews of guitars and gear, followed by guitar lessons and tutorials—from theory to practice. Then, we present a couple of YouTube channels for guitarists looking for inspiration. Furthermore, the last section is for those who want to learn about the music business.
The best YouTube channels for guitar reviews
Gear reviews are probably the most popular video type for guitarists on YouTube. That’s no question for us—out of professional affinity. Here is a small selection of what we consider to be the most exciting and innovative channels.
Agufish
With in-depth reviews of guitars, pedals, and amps, channel operator and guitarist Hunter has built a loyal following of nearly 190,000 subscribers. With a good dose of humor, the YouTuber presents interesting new products almost every day and impresses with his unbiased honesty. Even when things aren’t quite right, his videos are straightforward and put the guitarist in the center.
Trogly Guitar Show
With an obvious focus on the Gibson universe, the Trogly Guitar Show puts new videos on the platform every day. In most of them, several guitars are presented and examined in detail. The in-depth look at the electronics and construction of the various instruments makes this channel particularly worth watching. It’s always nice to try and get from a simple beginner’s guitar to a custom shop with classic swaps… Simple entertainment for guitarists!
Bonedo
Bonedo is an institution for gear reviews, and not just in the German-speaking world. The YouTube channel is also very popular with English-speaking viewers: Over 100,000 subscribers regularly check it out and enjoy detailed and well-researched reviews of guitars, basses, and all kinds of gear. The hosts of the channel, Gene, Haiko, Michael, Mika, Michael (2nd) and Thomas, are always on the lookout for the latest gear and share their years of experience from the perspective of musicians for musicians.
That Pedal Show
My Sunday afternoon feel-good program, Mick and Dan from the YouTube channel “That Pedal Show”. They do everything right that is important to me as a guitarist. The show focuses on effects pedals, of course, but the guitars are always in the spotlight as well. It is less of a pure review channel and more of a magazine for guitar enthusiasts; the interviews with the two Brits are also of great (entertainment) value. I highly recommend watching the Johnny Marr interview. Absolute YouTube gold.
The Guitaristas
With 60,000 subscribers, it’s almost a small channel in the making – and yet indispensable for a nice afternoon of guitar YouTube. With a very idiosyncratic (British) approach to guitars and gear, self-proclaimed guitar addict Colin guides you through the program. The presentation of different instruments, the comparison of various series, and the tasteful sound arrangements are at least as interesting as the more or less successful experiments. All I have to say is: replace the semi-hollow electronics…
Thomanns Guitars & Basses
Of course, Thomann should not be missing from this list. This channel offers much more than just a presentation of worthwhile equipment, so it is not easy to categorize it. But if there’s one thing Thomann knows, it’s equipment for musicians. The channel’s hosts have a lot of fun offering their knowledge and giving you tips and tricks to help you understand your equipment and use it perfectly.
YouTube channels for guitarists – lessons and tutorials
Become a better guitarist with the help of YouTube channels? Unsurprisingly, YouTube is full of tutorials, lessons, and explanations that guitarists can use to improve their skills.
These range from simple song examples and playthroughs to complex online seminars on music theory and songwriting.
Signals Music Studio
Jake Lizzio, founder and mastermind behind Signals Music Studio, is a phenomenon: in his detailed and wittily produced videos, he explains complex concepts in a nutshell. With a clear focus on music theory, the master of scales discusses various rhythmic and melodic concepts. The lessons are practical instructions on immediately putting the theoretical concepts into music. My tip for anyone looking to brush up on their theory skills!
Paul Davids
The highest production quality and an excellent ear for warm, analog sounds – that’s Paul David’s YouTube channel and the recipe for almost 3.5 million subscribers. The Dutch guitarist and guitar teacher gets to the heart of the most important topics around the guitar and is always a great source of inspiring concepts. My last highlight? The idea of dotted eighth notes combined with a delay pedal WITHOUT tap tempo … check it out!
Marty Music
Who hasn’t seen a tutorial by Marty Schwartz? The cheerful man with a hat is the international face of guitar videos and is always worth a visit. From clearly explained theoretical concepts to playalongs of the most popular songs to gear reviews, Marty has everything your guitarist heart desires. It is one of the best and most entertaining YouTube channels for guitarists on the web. Marty and his channel’s influence on the guitar scene is also evident in the recently released signature model of “his” ES-335: Together with Epiphone, the YouTube mogul has created the Epiphone Marty Schwartz ES-335 SC.
Ben Eller
Uncle Ben Eller may not be the most diplomatic of online guitar teachers, but he imparts his knowledge charismatically and with a transparent metal twist. Especially his regular video series (“This is why you suck at guitar” or “Weekend Wankshop”) are an absolute must for electric guitarists. Bonus content for fans of 8-bit graphics.
Gitarrentunes – YouTube for guitarists
For German-speaking guitar students, this is the channel you need (or if you want to brush up your German). The host, Till, caters primarily to beginners and advanced guitarists with thoughtful video lessons and helpful information about the guitar. More than 180,000 subscribers regularly watch the professionally recorded videos. The extensive tutorials for beginners on various topics are especially popular. With Thomann as a partner, @Gitarrentunes offers additional content such as regular product tests, manufacturer portraits, and exciting interviews. The interview with Guitar Doc Lutz Heidlindemann is definitely worth a look.
Scott Paul Johnson
Like Jake Lizzio of Signals Music Studio, Scott Paul Johnson is a student of music theory. However, he approaches the subject from a songwriter’s perspective. His live videos are unforgettable, in that he plans and records an improvised song from A to Z. Innovative video transitions make the theoretical connections easy to understand. It’s also just fun to watch his enthusiasm in action – great entertainment!
Inspiration – YouTube channels for more fun playing guitar
Just play more guitar: If you want to spice up your practice routine, the following channels are a good choice. Backing tracks and drum beats for improvisation, live performances, or interesting interviews provide the motivation to keep learning and jamming.
Elevated Jam Tracks – The YouTube accompaniment for guitar
Just start playing. Far too often, we are discouraged from doing so and get bogged down in all kinds of other content. With creator Tom’s Elevated Jam Tracks YouTube channel, guitarists are taken by the hand and given everything they need to improvise quickly. Whether it’s blues in A or metal in G, you’ll find it here—all in excellent quality and sufficient length. Nothing is more annoying than having to stop your solo after three minutes.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
What could be more inspiring than the legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? With concerts and tributes to the most successful and perhaps most influential artists of our time, this U.S. institution stands alone. The live performances by artists who cover the songs of the honorees and put their own spin on them are also worth seeing.
Rick Beato
4 million subscribers and your very own Gibson Signature? Rick Beato is one of the leading YouTubers for all things music and the music business. So why is he in the motivational corner? His enthusiasm for all kinds of music is contagious and makes you happy. With in-depth, often hour-long interviews, Rick takes us into the world of rock & roll – from early recordings to current songs, there’s always something to hear from Rick Beato. Weird guests and experiments included.
Music business – YouTube channels for guitarists
If you want to make it as a musician, you will have to deal with the music industry’s dark side, for better or worse. These YouTube channels give guitarists a good overview of the industry’s ins and outs. But beware: Regarding legal issues, leave YouTube and talk to a lawyer!
Adam Ivy
With a strong focus on the marketing side of the creative business, charismatic online strategist Adam asks his guests the right questions. As uncomfortable as it may be for us Germans, financial success is not unimportant, especially in the music business. But Adam talks about financial issues in a very approachable and sensible way.
Musformation
Promoting your song properly and making the most of modern distribution channels – nothing sounds further from the romantic ideal of a musician. And yet, it is daily business, at least for those who want to make a living from our music. The insights of a former producer and current marketing professional turn on the lights in the quiet little room of the music industry. Away from record deals and the like, host Jesse Cannon reveals information about self-marketing.
Summary – YouTube Channels FROM Guitarists?
That was my overview of YouTube channels worth watching for guitarists. Of course, the platform itself is full of all kinds of useful (and useless) content. If you want to be less of a consumer and more of a creator, you might want to try making your own guitar videos.
Published initially on Gearnews.de by Jan Rotring, translation by Julian Schmauch
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4 responses to “The best YouTube channels for guitarists”
no Andertons??? Ridiculous
Could I second that recommendation for the Johnny Marr interview on That Pedal Show: magnificent. First time I’ve been vicariously starstruck.
Truly, what a weird list. An absurd, misinformation channel like Trogly which I would personally not even list as example on a list of “best YT channel” ever is listed but some good other channels (60 Cycle Hum, Rhett Shull etc) arent?
I acknowledge that this comes down to individual preference, but I agree with some of the others here (Feurope) that there are some much better channels that actual guitarists watch that have been left out of this list. Most notably Andersons, Matt Shull, 5 Watt World, 60 Cycle Hum, Tim Pierce (come on now, leaving him out is a HUGE oversight), Leon Todd and of course Pete Thorne!