Know Your Gear Podcast with Phillip McKnight

Episode 432: "How Brands Keep Retailers From Lowering Prices"
Date: October 13, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Know Your Gear dives deep into the complex world of retail guitar pricing, manufacturer policies like MAP (Minimum Advertised Price), and how these affect both buyers and dealers. Host Phillip McKnight candidly discusses new gear releases, industry secrets, price drops from brands like PRS, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes from his years as a dealer and YouTuber. The episode balances technical insight, honest business commentary, and Phil’s trademark humor and transparency.

Major Themes & Purpose

• Understanding Brand-Controlled Retail Pricing: What 'MAP' means, how manufacturers enforce it (or skirt it), and how these policies shape your guitar shopping experience.
• Hot Industry News and Product Releases: Major new amp and pedal launches, plus commentary on what’s truly noteworthy (and why).
• Phil’s Approach to Gear Reviews: How inside information and timing influence what he features, and his mission to act in viewers’ best interests.
• Q&A for Guitar Lovers: Everything from tech tips and repair advice, to nerdy gear debates, to what’s new in headless guitars.
• Dealer Confessions: Real stories of being a small retailer, the (sometimes raw) business realities, and navigating manufacturer demands.

Key Topics, Quotes & Timestamps

1. Amp Wars: New Releases and Insider Dilemmas

• [04:32] New Amp Releases: Synergy x Marshall JMP module, Bad Cat Ocelot, Rev D20 Dynamis, Engl Ravager IR20
  • Phil discusses being "beholden to the viewer" when it comes to reviewing gear, especially when he knows brands are about to drop competing products.
  • "If you knew what I knew, you would probably want to see all your choices first." – Phil, [17:22]
• [13:40] Rev D20 Dynamis: Highlight on made-in-Canada value, built-in reverb, and price advantages.
  • "If you're telling me you can have a Made in Canada amp for $50 more than a Made in China amp, I'd take that any day." – Phil, [15:04]
• [22:10] Engl Ravager IR20: Sub-$1k, two-channel, IR-loaded, amp made in Vietnam.
  • "Engl has a new amp called the Ravager... two channels, clean and dirty, with IRs and a built-in attenuator, and priced under $1,000." – Phil, [24:50]

2. Pedal & Gear News

• [28:15] Boss Poly Shifter (Whammy Competitor):
  • "So if you've been wanting a Whammy pedal but you always thought, ‘I'd own a Whammy, but I want blue’ – Boss has you covered." – Phil, [29:10]
• [32:44] PRS Reclaimed Line & SE Price Drop: 20% off SEs, 10% S2s, big discounts on amps.
  • "PRS's official stance is it's their 40th anniversary, and they want to pass the savings on to us. How nice, with all the tariffs going on and everything." – Phil, [34:36]
• [42:12] Strategy Behind Price Drops: PRS SE is run more like clothing manufacturing—big bets, forecasts, and year-end discounts before possible changes.

3. How Brands Control Retail Pricing (MAP)

• [50:28] Breaking Down MAP (Minimum Advertised Pricing):
  • Definition, legalities, retailer workarounds, and why MAP is sometimes more an illusion of price control than real protection.
  • "I personally think MAP is stupid... MAP makes you feel more protected than you really are." – Phil, [54:02]
  • Example: After a "good news" email removing MAP, Guitar Center was selling at 10% below Phil’s dealer cost.
  • "If you want the discount, you should take it. However, without breaking privilege, there's more to it than just giving you a deal." – Phil, [44:54]
• [01:02:44] Real-World Dealer Tales:
  • Losing a dealership over a map violation thanks to a boutique brand’s "mandatory advertised pricing"; putting customer care above rules.
  • "I made the invoice for the customer, took care of him, and then told the manufacturer what I did – then we were done. I'm not going to let the customer get screwed for my decision." – Phil, [01:06:55]

4. Big Retailers, Influencers, and Manufacturer Relationships

• [01:14:12] Gibson & Sweetwater: Why is Gibson spotlighting Sweetwater in dealer emails?
  • Explains co-op agreements and why Sweetwater dominates affiliate clicks.
  • "I have as many affiliate links everywhere, but Sweetwater pays me the least… that’s just where everybody goes." – Phil, [01:17:39]
• [01:19:36] Industry Insights: YouTubers, brands, and shifting relationships.
  • "Fender, Squier, PRS used to work with my channel, but now… I’m working against my own interest, highlighting brands that won’t even loan me a piece of gear." – Phil, [01:22:10]
• [01:23:20] Trogly, YouTubers, and Guitar Flipping: Debunking rumors about brand kickbacks to influencers.
  • "Looking at it as an insider, he makes his money flipping the guitars… Paid advertisement for the guitars he’s going to sell – it’s ingenious!" – Phil, [01:25:51]

5. Gear Questions & Technical Advice

• [01:31:05] Repairing Binding on Martin Guitars:
  • Superglue vs. wood glue, pro tips on prep, importance of context (how much binding is loose), and staying away from epoxies unless necessary.
• [01:41:18] Shielding: Tape vs. Paint Debate
  • Preferences, application tips, and why Phil leans toward paint for convenience unless looks or speed are a priority.
• [01:47:05] Headless Guitar Market & Hills Guitars Review:
  • Hills vs. Solar vs. Strandberg; current value leaders and what stands out in specs.
  • "Right now, Hills is the guitar to beat in the affordable headless guitar market." – Phil, [01:48:33]
• [01:54:10] Guitar Storage and String Changing Habits:
  • Handling guitars post-move, acclimating nitro finishes, and personal routines for string maintenance with large collections.

6. Dealer & Tech Deep Dives

• [01:59:45] Bone Nuts: Why It Matters
  • Not just for tone – more about quality and avoiding the cheap, friction-prone plastics found on budget guitars.
  • "I get excited about a bone nut, mostly when it’s on an inexpensive guitar, because otherwise you KNOW they had to make cuts somewhere." – Phil, [02:01:40]
  • Discusses materials (bone, Graph Tech, brass, "tusk"), factors in cheap guitars, and how better nuts minimize tuning problems.
• [02:13:08] International Cost Factors in Guitars
  • Currency exchange rates, labor costs, and personal anecdotes (like a $400 three-night stay at a five-star Indonesian hotel) to put offshore production costs in perspective.

7. YouTuber Life & Gear Philosophy

• [02:18:50] If Phil Wasn’t a YouTuber:
  • His guitar collection would dramatically shrink; he’d keep only a dozen or so favorites and a few amps.
• [02:22:20] The True Cost of Being a Guitar YouTuber:
  • "All the money is in the damn cameras, by far. If you just want to feel better about yourself… remember, even a $200 pedal is nothing compared to camera gear." – Phil, [02:23:15]
• [02:30:12] On Brand Partnerships & String Sponsorships
  • Transparent about offers he’s received (e.g. Ernie Ball, D’Addario), and why he generally just buys what he needs.

Highlighted Quotes & Moments

• On the confusing business of pricing policy:
  "I don’t believe MAP protected me. That’s just how I feel. MAP makes you feel more protected than you really are." – [54:02]
• On why dealers get torpedoed by manufacturer ‘specials’:
  "Good news, Phil. We blew out all this inventory to Guitar Center. You can blow yours out too—even though you didn’t get the massive discount." – [01:01:13]
• On YouTuber integrity and viewer trust:
  "I'm beholden to the viewer because the viewer pays my salary… So when I purposefully don’t make a video, sometimes there’s a reason." – [09:40]
• On Sweetwater’s dominance:
  "I told the CEO of Sweetwater to his face: You pay me the absolute least… But literally, that's where everybody goes." – [01:17:39]
• On product material choices (nuts):
  "The harder the material, the better—bone, graphite, brass, tusq, whatever. Friction is the enemy of tuning stability." – [02:01:40]
• On running a repair business:
  "When you go out there and do it a lot, you get screwed a lot, and then you remember it if you’re smart." – [53:41]

Notable Listener Questions Covered

• Repairing binding on a Martin OMJM [01:31:05]
• Best way to shield a guitar (paint vs. tape) [01:41:18]
• Hills vs. Solar headless guitars [01:45:44]
• How often to change strings on a large collection [01:54:10]
• Why Phil gets excited about bone nuts [01:59:45]
• Effects of international manufacturing cost differences [02:13:08]
• What Phil’s collection would look like if he weren’t a YouTuber [02:18:50]
• Why he doesn’t have a string sponsor [02:30:12]

Episode Tone & Language

Phil maintains his trademark blend of humor, humility, sarcasm, and honest industry insight. He frequently breaks the fourth wall, directly addresses viewer comments, and peppers in self-aware asides (“My channel's doubled... but for some reason the biggest guitar companies now stopped working with me. I wonder what I did. Sarcasm, sorry guys!” [01:22:20]). The language is casual, direct, and aimed squarely at passionate guitarists who want real talk about the industry, not just specs and demos.

Final Takeaways

This episode is especially valuable for guitarists and industry observers who want to look behind the curtain at how brands control pricing, why discounts appear (or don’t), and how to be a savvy gear shopper. Phil’s real-world experience as both a dealer and content creator gives him a unique, actionable perspective on when to buy, what features actually matter, and who’s really benefiting from all those “special” retail policies. Above all, he keeps it viewer-focused and transparent: protecting your interests—even if it means breaking his own “rules.”