Sfogili jumping ship to Charvel?
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Yeah.... I dig his style! Hate to see him leave Ibanez.
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"For those wondering, yes I did switch to Charvel/Jackson."
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776 Posts
Seems Joe, Steve, Noodles, Paul, and the guys from Korn are the only ones staying with Ibanez for the long haul.
It’s a bummer. I feel like all my guitar idols start with Ibanez, then eventually leave. John P. leaving was my first big heartbreak, and Al Joseph is my most recent.
Not sure why it affects me like this, but I get really bummed when one of my favorite artists leaves my favorite guitar brand.
Now, I’m just waiting for Jake Bowen to leave...
It’s a bummer. I feel like all my guitar idols start with Ibanez, then eventually leave. John P. leaving was my first big heartbreak, and Al Joseph is my most recent.
Not sure why it affects me like this, but I get really bummed when one of my favorite artists leaves my favorite guitar brand.
Now, I’m just waiting for Jake Bowen to leave...
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I was thinking about this same thing. You have Pat Methany, John Scofield, and George Benson who have also been with Ibanez for a long time. This is kind of weird because jazz players usually don't have endorsements the same way rock players do, and when I think of Ibanez I usually don't think of jazz.
I think it feels personal when players switch brands because there is an element of like-mindedness between guitarists that suddenly goes away. Since these endorsement deals are as transparent as black tar, it is not clear why Ibanez worked well for 10 years but now Jackson/Charvel is where it's at.
One possibility is Ibanez can't offer the player the same deal Fender is offering, so with the players best interests in mind, Ibanez might encourage them to switch because Fender can offer them the same guitar plus a brighter financial future.
That is just one possibility and I might be completely wrong about it.
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24 Posts
It's definitely about commercials. Brand wants to sell guitars, so they create an instrument which the musician likes and can earn a clip from, but primarily it's to fill a gap in the market. I'm guessing Marco's guitar just didn't sell in enough volumes to justify holding the Signature spot on Ibanez's roster. On the flip side, look at the Majesty and the rest of the JP line up. They're reportedly the highest selling signature guitars ever, even more than Jems. They release new models every year, and they sell in bucket loads, with very few exceptions. It seems to have hit the sweet spot of playability, style and features (and of course the "endorsement" by JP) to have mass appeal. I would love to know how much of JP's income is from guitar sales. I would think very significant.
Ibanez needs to think about the future. As much as I love Steve, Joe, and Paul Gilbert they're getting up there in age. I really like McRocklin too, who wasn't really a top tier endorsement and hasn't had a sig yet. He seems to be loving life with Kiesel. I got to admit his headless Delos and Osiris guitars look really great. But I personally don't plan on jumping ship myself. 🙂
I've been digging Kiko lately too. Ibanez needs to work to keep him happy. The Chon and Polyphia folks I can see coming and going. Martin Miller needs to be kept happy as well.
I think the root thing is we live in a different age from the eighties and nineties. Obviously influencers are the big thing. But are they cranking out a ton of music people are going crazy for? I still like listening to albums. Kiko, Marco, and Martin Miller have put out some good ones. And I love McRocklin and Hutch!
I guess time will tell.
I've been digging Kiko lately too. Ibanez needs to work to keep him happy. The Chon and Polyphia folks I can see coming and going. Martin Miller needs to be kept happy as well.
I think the root thing is we live in a different age from the eighties and nineties. Obviously influencers are the big thing. But are they cranking out a ton of music people are going crazy for? I still like listening to albums. Kiko, Marco, and Martin Miller have put out some good ones. And I love McRocklin and Hutch!
I guess time will tell.
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I'm amazed at the unheard of "youtubers" that have signature guitars these days... Seems like the modern definition of a "star" is different than when you had to be an EVH, Vai, Satriani, etc... That being said, I really dig running into great artists on there. As much music as I listen to it's tough to find new stuff sometimes, so I buy more music from unknowns on Bandcamp than anywhere else. Yesterday I was listening to someone's "best rock instrumentals" on youtube and ran into this guy, Ethan Meixsell, and was intrigued by his style and he also plays Ibanez guitars, slight Steve Vai link too:
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I remember Vai saying record labels look for talent from Tik Tok and YouTube. I thought that seemed really weird because of what Tik Tok is: 15 second videos of whatever.
lain:I read a book called Art & Economics. One chapter deals with "superstar" art museums" and "superstar art." A rough comparison between superstar art and superstar musicians can be made. They display talent but more importantly, people will not accept a substitute for the superstar musician, many people have a superficial knowledge of the superstar musician, and by extension, the superstar musician has more social relevance (you can talk to your friends/other people about them) than other musicians. How we react to guitarists is what determines whether they are superstars more than their talent. Politics usually plays a role as well, especially for signature model guitars.
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Don't forget Nita Strauss and her Jiva.
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She is pretty unique. I feel like she could convince a 12 year old girl's parents that taking up the electric guitar to play metal is a good idea.
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