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Artist Endorsements worth it?

Reptileroundabo

Reptileroundabo

Polka till you puke..
Jul 15, 2009
264
19
Chardon, OH
www.paulscave.com
#1
This is my first experience with an endorsement offer and I'm not quite sure if it is worth it, the perks, etc.

It sounds Great, and it would be awesome to have a company behind me as a bass player and heavily discounted gear is always a plus, but it would require me to play only their instrument and advertise for them. I like touring with a few different basses and I don't know if I love the idea of playing just one brand... Any insight and thoughts would be great. Thanks!
 
#2
If it's Warwick, do it! ;)

But in all seriousness, I think that having a bass company backing you is a great deal. You'll always have a bass on hand, and if you can't use the other basses on stage, there's nothing telling you what you can play at home/on the bus :)

Go for it, might as well see how it goes :)
 
#5
The company is Spector, I don't see why I'm having trouble pulling the trigger. After talking to some other musicians last night at a show, I think there is no reason not to do it. I appreciate the input. The terms are actually pretty good, and I do love the products. And with the options they offer, I should be able to get any sound I will need out of a couple different models they offer.
 
#6
That's a great company to work with, but only if you actually like they're products. PJ and Stuart are some of the better guys in the industry to be working with within an endorsement capacity.




And at the end of the day it's about establishing a sincere relationship with a company.
 
#8
lowfreq33 said:
You should never back a product if you don't love it.
Click to expand...

+1. I had no problem signing the Warwick contract, given that I had been playing them fairly exclusively for 13 years prior to the endorsement.


JAUQO III-X said:
And at the end of the day it's about establishing a sincere relationship with a company.
Click to expand...

/thread.

It's so much more than gear. So so so much more.
 
#9
One Bad Monkey said:
It's so much more than gear. So so so much more.
Click to expand...


This, this and this. At the end of the day, a pro can make just about any instrument sound great. Instruments that are right for you somewhat limit the field, but really the relationship between company and endorser is what makes it all worthwhile.
 
#10
If you aren't willing to use them exclusively live, then you aren't ready for an endorsement, period.

At Brubaker we have several levels of artist endorsement, the highest requiring exclusive use, appearances, photos and basically being a billboard and road salesman for the brand. A very small price to pay for either gratis instruments or gear at near cost in quantity and the tech support of real builders and techs. We, like Carvin and other brands, also have other levels of artist pricing and options, some without exclusivity, however obviously your price and your choices are higher and much more limited.

Spector is, IMHO, one of the top three bass companies, period. Stuart and PJ are rock solid, great people, and make amazingly great instruments. You can get any tone you want out of a Spector. If you are not sure, then you get the Coda. A great take on a J Bass and who can't pull just about any tone out of a J style bass? Graham Maby uses them exclusively now, and he gets everything from vintage pop to the signature Joe Jackson tone out of them.

Buskman and Jaymi here have "normal" Spectors and there isn't a tone they can't pull off. I've seen Busk do cover sets of such varied stuff (from Neil Diamond to Tool) and never switch the bass or fuddle with knobs much.

My suggestion is go with the endorsement, and give it a try. You have nothing to lose, other then playing time of other basses. If you find it doesn't work for you, then you can always work something out with Spector or, you can fulfill your obligations and just don't do endorsements any more after your deal with them expires.
 
#11
JAUQO III-X said:
That's a great company to work with, but only if you actually like they're products. PJ and Stuart are some of the better guys in the industry to be working with within an endorsement capacity.
Click to expand...

Absolutely.

And at the end of the day it's about establishing a sincere relationship with a company.
Click to expand...

This is the part many folks skip over. If this is not the case, it makes an endorsement worthless IMO.
 
#15
Congratulations! They make great basses and are a great company. One thing I've found is that having one endorsement will open the door for other ones (amps, strings, etc.).
I find it particularly helpful to have endorsements for the little things like strings, cables, etc. that everyone needs and tends to go through. They can nickel and dime you to death.
I have non-exclusive relationships with several companies but I go out of my way to use my Carvins when I am doing high visibility gigs (actually most gigs) since they've been really helpful promoting me and what I do (it doesn't hurt that they are great basses as well). It is definitely more than gear.
 

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