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D’Addario admits Suno AI music was used in guitar demo video

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D’Addario admits Suno AI music was used in guitar demo video

Guitar-string company D’Addario has admitted that a recent promotional video for a new set of extended-range guitar strings used AI music generator Suno, after spending nearly two weeks denying it despite mounting evidence. D’Addario originally posted the demo, then denied any AI involvement in a post from July 29th, offering a string of alternative explanations: low-quality file exports, digital noise introduced by plug-in combinations such as Autotune, and the use of AI-assisted mastering tools from LANDR and Logic. Viewers had flagged the recording as suspicious from the start, and suspicion deepened when D’Addario posted what it said was a clip of the Logic recording session behind the demo track, since listeners noticed clear melodic and rhythmic differences between that session and the finished track. Guitarist and YouTuber Rhett Shull then obtained the original Logic files directly from D’Addario; even in what the article describes as a generous assessment, Shull concluded that Suno was probably used at some point in the process, most likely to regenerate an original recording. D’Addario has now edited its original July 29th post, five days ago and 10 days after it was first published, rather than issuing a fresh statement, to say: “We got this wrong. We’ve completed a full review and confirmed that Suno Studio was used to regenerate the original track. We shared inaccurate information, and we’re truly sorry … We do not support AI-generated music, and our process will reflect that going forward. We’ll require our employees and creative partners to disclose any use of generative AI, and we’ll more closely review everything we put into the world.” The edited post also apologizes for heavy-handed comment moderation during the controversy, in which posts from critics were deleted and those users were blocked. The article notes this is the latest AI controversy to hit the guitar world, following comments from Fender’s CEO comparing bandmates to analog AI.

Key facts

  • D’Addario denied AI involvement in a July 29th Instagram post, then edited that same post five days ago, 10 days after it first went up, to admit Suno Studio regenerated the track.
  • Before admitting it, D’Addario blamed low-quality exports, plug-ins like Autotune, and AI-assisted mastering tools from LANDR and Logic for the suspicious sound.
  • Guitarist and YouTuber Rhett Shull obtained the original Logic files from D’Addario and concluded Suno was probably used to regenerate an original recording.
  • The edited post also apologized for deleting critics’ comments and blocking those users during the controversy.
  • D’Addario says it will now require employees and creative partners to disclose any use of generative AI.

Why it matters

A guitar company got caught not just using AI-generated music in an ad without saying so, but actively denying it while offering technical-sounding cover stories, for nearly two weeks, before the evidence forced an admission. It is a case study in how an AI-disclosure failure turns into a credibility crisis once an audience starts picking the fabricated explanation apart.

Who it affects

Musicians and guitarists who buy D’Addario strings and expect its marketing to reflect real playing, other instrument and music-gear brands now facing pressure to disclose AI use in their own promotional content, and D’Addario’s own employees and creative partners, who the company says will now be required to disclose any generative AI use.

How to use it

There is no product or service here to adopt. The practical takeaway is procedural: D’Addario says it will require disclosure of generative AI use by staff and creative partners and will review its output more closely going forward, which functions as a template for how a brand says it will avoid a repeat.

How solid is it

The account rests on D’Addario’s own edited admission, quoted directly, plus independent scrutiny: listeners flagging the original track, mismatches between the posted Logic session and the finished track, and Rhett Shull’s hands-on review of the original Logic files, which the piece calls a generous assessment concluding Suno was probably used.

Risks and caveats

The source does not say who at D’Addario used Suno or exactly where in the production process, beyond Shull’s own hedged conclusion. It does not give a direct quote from Shull, only a paraphrase, and it does not say what D’Addario plans to do about the comments it deleted or the users it blocked during the controversy.

“We got this wrong. We’ve completed a full review and confirmed that Suno Studio was used to regenerate the original track. We shared inaccurate information, and we’re truly sorry … We do not support AI-generated music, and our process will reflect that going forward. We’ll require our employees and creative partners to disclose any use of generative AI, and we’ll more closely review everything we put into the world.”

— D’Addario, edited Instagram post