Who here is endorsed?

[Ibanez-Mag]

Originally Posted by Kessier

Thanks!

Of course, under weapons are mine, other Ibanez page is just a introduction...I'm not a rich guy... I'm ain't Ko...:P

* Official Kessier site
http://www.seraphim-metal.com/KH/index.htm

* Kessier MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/kessier

I know what you mean, there can only be one Ko... :-)

You have some very nice stuff anyway.

/magnus

[Phishphood42]

My friend is endorsed by Dean Markley. Unfortunately he doesn't like their strings.


BTW, I've seen a lot of Ko's guitars in person. He gave me a few lessons a while back. The neons were really cool.

[jemplayer55]

That's one sweet collection!

[jim777]

Originally Posted by Chameleonfong

Whether it is etiquette to drink on shows, who cares? It is bloody Rock & Roll (Metal), not Jazz .......

Yeah, those jazz cats are saints!

jim

[guitarsalad14]

I'm endorsed by Hormel because I have delicious chops

[Petie]

I may be doing clinics for a guitar company next year but I'd stop short of calling it an endorsement at this stage.

[David McCarroll]

After seeing Zakk Wylde's frowning mug associated with every freakin'n product under the sun, the notion of endorsement sort of runs a bit thin with me - I know there are plenty of guys who both contribute actively in the development of products they endorse, and I know there are dudes that act as genuine ambassadors for a company, but, when your in as deep as Mr Wylde ...... is it just me, or is getting awfully close to just being a freeloader?

[Ibanez-Mag]

Originally Posted by David McCarroll

After seeing Zakk Wylde's frowning mug associated with every freakin'n product under the sun, the notion of endorsement sort of runs a bit thin with me - I know there are plenty of guys who both contribute actively in the development of products they endorse, and I know there are dudes that act as genuine ambassadors for a company, but, when your in as deep as Mr Wylde ...... is it just me, or is getting awfully close to just being a freeloader?

I agree with you (even if I have no idea about what Zakk is doing), there are loads of gear prostitutes out there. I have heard Ibanez people use that word to describe freeloaders many times. Some stars are big enough to get away with it, but most freeloaders gear world is just getting smaller by the day.

They way I look at it is that the only thing a player can offer for a endorsement deal to have any value for anyone is there honour and integrity.
And there is no money in it unless you are super star, so why sell yourself for a free guitar or two?
If you loose that, then the endorsement deal will be to no use for anyone because no one will care, since no will trust it anyway.
I normally say, take a look at what the guy played before he got sponsored (unless it is someone with a real signature guitar, like Vai) and you will see where the guy’s heart, gear wise, really is (maybe not 100 % accurate, but almost).
I know loads of sponsored guys that always bought one brand when they bought there guitars, and then suddenly are sponsored by something completely different.
Witch to, me as fan, makes me think ”okay, he is playing that stuff for money. I’m not gone fall for that trick”, and if I still love the guy enough to want what he use, then I buy what he played before his deal.
And no matter what deals the guy gets in the future will I never trust him anyway, since I know he takes them for money, or the “status” of being sponsored or for whatever reason beside the one I want, that he loves the gear he plays.

People can do what they want, but I can’t understand how anyone can sign deal with things tat aren’t 100 % what they want. I have turned loads of offers down since I have no need for things I don’t love.
If you are a professional player, then you most likely have the amps and guitars you like the best already, why sell away your integrity for a amp you probably never use anyway (because you most likely will continue playing the best stuff you have, the amp you already got).

Another aspect of this is why the companies are doing it, I mean, putting there gear in the hands of people that no one trust. But the reason probably is that the guy doing it has no idea about what is what and who is who among the players in the world, and just thinking “he is famous, cool”.

It is an interesting subject.
And I just can’t stop thinking, who cares for what pickups X player says he use when you have seen him in every single brands ads and WebPages?

/Magnus

[nuno]

10000% agree.
being grown up with Ibanez catalogs, endorsees are always been kind of heroes for me. and i HATE when some of them switches exclusively for money, especially after Ibanez literally COVERED you in FREE and totally CUSTOM guitars...
can we name some? Borland? John 5? and especially Malakian? they also did a Malakian Signature model and covered the guy in money, and what's the nicest way he's found to thank them? switching to Gibs*n! WTF? how can i trust you now?

[pawel]

How do you know if some of them simply didn't want to play these instruments anymore and couldn't keep the endorsement while playing a different brand on stage?

Take Rusty - he got an Ibanez endorsement, but they refused to change the RG shape (from what I heard) and he went to Dean, who built him a complete custom. John 5? From what I know he has always liked Teles (or so he says). Malakian? Being in a band like SOAD, I don't think his endorsement income is really that much of a selling point for him. For all we know, he might have just decided that he prefers Gibsons.

[Ibanez-Mag]

Originally Posted by pawel

How do you know if some of them simply didn't want to play these instruments anymore and couldn't keep the endorsement while playing a different brand on stage?

Take Rusty - he got an Ibanez endorsement, but they refused to change the RG shape (from what I heard) and he went to Dean, who built him a complete custom. John 5? From what I know he has always liked Teles (or so he says). Malakian? Being in a band like SOAD, I don't think his endorsement income is really that much of a selling point for him. For all we know, he might have just decided that he prefers Gibsons.

You are right; there are sometimes things behind it that can be other things then money.
That they get dropped by the brand, that they don’t get along with the brand, that they change there taste in gear and so on. And that is completely cool with me, but when you do it for the fifth time, then I get suspicious.

But your Rusty example is really bad.
Why sign an endorsement deal with Ibanez if you don’t like that RG shape in the first place?
Or maybe I should say, why sign a deal with any brand if you think they need to be changed for you to play them?
Already there have he proven to be a prostitute in my eyes, especially sins he have been with Jackson just before that (and some short trip with some custom guy).
Loads of guys think it is super cool, and brings loads status and fortune, to have signature guitar, and goes to any brand that are willing to make them one. I think that is the only reason for the change in this case. Small guys (not meaning it in a disrespectful way, but he is not a super star) who demand a little too much.

I have seen this “make me a signature guitar or I go somewhere ells” thing many time.
It normally ends up with the going somewhere ells if it is with any of the bigger brands they try to work with.

And John 5 (who is really cool, by the way), if he always liked tele, then why work with Ibanez, they never made any teles (except for some copies from way back when).
Why not wait with endorsement deals until you can get what you want?

I do understand the money side of being a musician.
But I am a fan of music and players, and want to trust things and being an endorser is a responsibility you have towards your fans, yourself and the brand. So make the money you depend on somewhere ells and sign up for the things you love.

/Magnus

[nuno]

Originally Posted by pawel

How do you know if some of them simply didn't want to play these instruments anymore and couldn't keep the endorsement while playing a different brand on stage?

ask JD...

Originally Posted by pawel

John 5? From what I know he has always liked Teles...

so why didn't he played them since the beginning?

Originally Posted by pawel

Malakian? Being in a band like SOAD, I don't think his endorsement income is really that much of a selling point for him. For all we know, he might have just decided that he prefers Gibsons.

yea, and he made sure he's got zillions from Ibanez before starting playing his fave brand. wow, nice guy...

[rikkbeatty]

I dont know about other guys but I know with my endorsements I ONLY use Blue Steel strings and have done so for almost 14 years or so. With Digitech, I have owned more Digitech gear than I can even think of but their 2101LE has been my main pre-amp in EVERY amp setup I have gone through since I was 18 and I am 31 years old now. In Tune Guitar Picks was just cool cause I could get picks with whatever I wanted printed on them. Scott Dixon Amplifiers and Cases picked me up when my endorsement with Peavey was ending. Their amps are Matamp amplifiers with their own custom casing and they sounded MUCH better than the rig I was going through at the time. Mayones guitars... even though I used Ibanez on stage along with Mayones (my endorsement only called for me having to use their product on stage and in any kind of photos for at least 50% of the time) I also use Ibanez, Christopher Woods stuff, EKG stuff, Fender.... I KNEW I could not honestly JUST play Mayones guitars because I have guitars like my 1993 JEM7VWH that I bought brand new that I had put so much mileage on and become so accustomed to playing... no guitar endorsement would be worth it to me to make it where I could not play that guitar live or in the studio you know?

I guess what it comes down to with me was that with Dean Markley and Digitech... everytime I do a clinic or teach or play a show or perform down at NAMM I can stand behind those products SOOO well because with or without the endorsement I would still be using them. With Scott Dixon (aside from the fact that I got a $5,000 full stack and 3 custom cases for free) their stuff sounds INCREDIBLE. They dont even make amplifiers anylonger and as a matter of fact they only make cases now for Fender. I STILL use their gear at every show and in the studio even though I dont have to. And with Mayones, my endorsement time is up now but I will still honor our original agreement unless I find something different down the road.

I dont know... I guess what I mean to say is that I have never signed contracts with any company just to get free gear. All the companies I have gone with I have done so because I truely love their product and would be using it whether I got the endorsement or not. I mean to me its just a dream come true (as I would think it would be for any musician) to have someone come up to you and recognize your efforts and say to you "I would like to give you a HUGE discount from here on out for the product you are already buying anyways" you know?

I dont know.... just my 2 cents...

Keep rocking guys,

Rikk

[Ibanez-Mag]

Originally Posted by rikkbeatty

I dont know about other guys but I know with my endorsements I ONLY use Blue Steel strings and have done so for almost 14 years or so. With Digitech, I have owned more Digitech gear than I can even think of but their 2101LE has been my main pre-amp in EVERY amp setup I have gone through since I was 18 and I am 31 years old now. In Tune Guitar Picks was just cool cause I could get picks with whatever I wanted printed on them. Scott Dixon Amplifiers and Cases picked me up when my endorsement with Peavey was ending. Their amps are Matamp amplifiers with their own custom casing and they sounded MUCH better than the rig I was going through at the time. Mayones guitars... even though I used Ibanez on stage along with Mayones (my endorsement only called for me having to use their product on stage and in any kind of photos for at least 50% of the time) I also use Ibanez, Christopher Woods stuff, EKG stuff, Fender.... I KNEW I could not honestly JUST play Mayones guitars because I have guitars like my 1993 JEM7VWH that I bought brand new that I had put so much mileage on and become so accustomed to playing... no guitar endorsement would be worth it to me to make it where I could not play that guitar live or in the studio you know?

I guess what it comes down to with me was that with Dean Markley and Digitech... everytime I do a clinic or teach or play a show or perform down at NAMM I can stand behind those products SOOO well because with or without the endorsement I would still be using them. With Scott Dixon (aside from the fact that I got a $5,000 full stack and 3 custom cases for free) their stuff sounds INCREDIBLE. They dont even make amplifiers anylonger and as a matter of fact they only make cases now for Fender. I STILL use their gear at every show and in the studio even though I dont have to. And with Mayones, my endorsement time is up now but I will still honor our original agreement unless I find something different down the road.

I dont know... I guess what I mean to say is that I have never signed contracts with any company just to get free gear. All the companies I have gone with I have done so because I truely love their product and would be using it whether I got the endorsement or not. I mean to me its just a dream come true (as I would think it would be for any musician) to have someone come up to you and recognize your efforts and say to you "I would like to give you a HUGE discount from here on out for the product you are already buying anyways" you know?

I dont know.... just my 2 cents...

Keep rocking guys,

Rikk

That is exactly the way it should be.
Respect for turning things down if you know it won’t replace the things you already got.

/Magnus

[rikkbeatty]

To me its an honor and a priviledge and one of the things I dreamed about when I first started playing guitar 18 years ago. I just could not see myself endorsing something I would not and have not used. Aside from the free gear.... what would be the point? And if you dont like the product, what good is getting a bunch of it for free? I guess I never even thought about it in any way other than what I myself feel about it.