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Who is the most endorsed player?..


visog

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On one of Twisted Sister's albums, in the blurb where the band list their equipment it said 'Dee Snider uses Vidal Sassoon protein hair remoisturiser, are you listening Vidal?'.

On the following album it said 'Dee Snider no longer uses Vidal Sassoon protein hair remoisturiser, looks like you blew it Vidal!'.

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On 05/03/2022 at 21:00, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

No player is 'endorsed'

 

The artist endorses the product of the company - not the other way around.

 

The question should be 'who has endorsed products of the most companies?'

 

Thank you! I've repeated this SO many times!

 

Sponsorship vs Endorsement! 

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Endorsement is mostly a nonsense. I think the only person who really translates equipment use to sales is Mark King... and I would say that's mostly because of the fans being the doctors and lawyers etc who have money to burn on trying to live out their fantasy of being Mark King.

Edited by EBS_freak
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2 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

Endorsement is on a most a nonsense. I think the only person who really translates equipment use to sales is Mark King... and I would say that's mostly because of the fans being the doctors and lawyers etc who have money to burn on trying to live out their fantasy of being Mark King.

I would think Flea has shifted a fair few basses.

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On 05/03/2022 at 20:30, visog said:

Manufacturers please... Yamaha obvs but I don't recall others?

64 Audio

TC Electronic

Kala

He did have a couple of string endorsements too.

 

Thing is, unlike most bass players, Nathan East is a multi-millionaire, so I guess he doesn't really give a hoot about such things... and he doesn't strike me as a musician with an ego that feels that he should go out and force such arrangements with manufacturers to somehow elevate their standing.

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4 minutes ago, tegs07 said:

I would think Flea has shifted a fair few basses.

The Flea bass didn't do so hot. The Fender Flea from what I can see (so may be wrong) - sold mostly because of it's pricepoint. The players I've seen had them don't seem to care for Flea or RHCP.

 

Musicman? I dare say they've sold a hell of a lot more Stingrays to people not in RHCP than are.

 

I'll stand by this - when I was looking closely at this with a marketing head on, I still say Mark King is the only person that can shift basses. If Status Rob and Mark announced a new King bass, there would be a load of people who would order one there and then, sight unseen.

 

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3 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

The Flea bass didn't do so hot. The Fender Flea from what I can see (so may be wrong) - sold mostly because of it's pricepoint. The players I've seen had them don't seem to care for Flea or RHCP.

 

Musicman? I dare say they've sold a hell of a lot more Stingrays to people not in RHCP than are.

 

I'll stand by this - when I was looking closely at this with a marketing head on, I still say Mark King is the only person that can shift basses. If Status Rob and Mark announced a new King bass, there would be a load of people who would order one there and then, sight unseen.

 

If endorsement didn’t shift basses manufacturer’s wouldn’t bother with it. They are not going to invest money in marketing, manufacturing etc etc for no reason. There is a reason everyone has heard of Fender or coca-cola etc and it’s not just down to the product.

Edited by tegs07
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Just now, tegs07 said:

If endorsement didn’t shift basses manufacturer’s wouldn’t bother with it. They are not going to invest money in marketing, manufacturing etc etc for no reason. 

Everything that Flea plays is assembled out the box... and wasn't specifically designed for Flea... with the exception of the Fleabass... which was a failure. Go figure.

 

It easy to manufacture "signature" basses, when they are basically assembled out the parts bin... and then just given a different finish/decal. To do that is not a significant investment.

 

Think about every bass player that you know...who has bought something purely on the fact that their favourite bass player uses it?

 

I mean, look at Dave Swift. He's a list of as long as he is tall. Who has ever bought anything that he has used because he does? 

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5 minutes ago, tegs07 said:

There is a reason everyone has heard of Fender or coca-cola etc and it’s not just down to the product.

Heritage brands. Fender was around in an era where there was an abundance of other manufacturers.

Coca-Cola - unlikely to be able to do the same now if they were a start up as the market has completely changed.

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44 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

Everything that Flea plays is assembled out the box... and wasn't specifically designed for Flea... with the exception of the Fleabass... which was a failure. Go figure.

 

It easy to manufacture "signature" basses, when they are basically assembled out the parts bin... and then just given a different finish/decal. To do that is not a significant investment.

 

Think about every bass player that you know...who has bought something purely on the fact that their favourite bass player uses it?

 

I mean, look at Dave Swift. He's a list of as long as he is tall. Who has ever bought anything that he has used because he does? 

Your confusing marketing with common sense. Do I I purchase a bass because MrX uses it no. Do I buy a can of coke over Brand X because Michael Jackson dances around with it no. But those brands are seared into my subconscious by decades of association and subliminal messages from every  form of media. It works. Every endorser keeps that brand at the forefront of each generations association with what rock or pop stars play. Every concert footage, photo op, tv appearance they are waving the brand about to millions of viewers.

So yes Flea and Adam Clayton and Nate Mendel help shift Fenders. They play to huge audiences and get the Fender name on every form of media channel out there from the David Letterman show to YouTube to the BBC to Rolling Stone magazine etc etc

 

Edit: I doubt if Fender even particularly care how many Flea basses they sell. As long as Flea is holding a bass  that has Fender written on it on David Letterman or glossy mag photo shoot or the BBC during Coachella or whatever that is advertising worth a huge amount of money. More than the sale of a specific run of basses. They will already be working on the contract for the next Flea (whoever that may be) endorsement deal as I type to continue the market saturation.

Edited by tegs07
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19 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

64 Audio

TC Electronic

Kala

He did have a couple of string endorsements too.

 

Thing is, unlike most bass players, Nathan East is a multi-millionaire, so I guess he doesn't really give a hoot about such things... and he doesn't strike me as a musician with an ego that feels that he should go out and force such arrangements with manufacturers to somehow elevate their standing.

That would make quite an interesting thread, bassists who have actually made heaps from just playing bass and excluding royalties from songwriting.

 

Viz endorsements, I started taking serious notice of Sire cos of Marcus Miller. Had he not endorsed their basses I'd have probably overlooked them. If I had the money I'd also buy a Jaydee, initially due to Mark King's endorsement but thereafter it would depend on how it feels etc

Edited by Barking Spiders
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9 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

I'll stand by this - when I was looking closely at this with a marketing head on, I still say Mark King is the only person that can shift basses. If Status Rob and Mark announced a new King bass, there would be a load of people who would order one there and then, sight unseen.

I think (at the moment, at least), that you could say the same thing about Joe Dart. As soon as a new signature Musicman is announced, all the fans rush out and buy them all in minutes. I don't think he'll have the longevity of Mark King though, who still sells tons of expensive instruments to the bass playing 'Blues Lawyers'.

 

 

21 minutes ago, EBS_freak said:

Thing is, unlike most bass players, Nathan East is a multi-millionaire, so I guess he doesn't really give a hoot about such things... and he doesn't strike me as a musician with an ego that feels that he should go out and force such arrangements with manufacturers to somehow elevate their standing.

With a player like Nathan East, it's more about tour support than just promoting gear. He needs companies behind him who he knows can supply him with quality gear wherever he goes.

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8 minutes ago, Doddy said:

I think (at the moment, at least), that you could say the same thing about Joe Dart. As soon as a new signature Musicman is announced, all the fans rush out and buy them all in minutes. I don't think he'll have the longevity of Mark King though, who still sells tons of expensive instruments to the bass playing 'Blues Lawyers'.

 

 

With a player like Nathan East, it's more about tour support than just promoting gear. He needs companies behind him who he knows can supply him with quality gear wherever he goes.

Joe Dart signature was an interesting one for sure. I guess all the people buying those pretty limited basses, was doing so because they believed it would help cop that Joe Dart sound and their ability to play Dean Town... or something like that. How many JD do you reckon were sold... and how many are just in the hands of the, as you say, "Blues Lawyers".

 

You are bang on right with regard to that second statement. It's very much a "I turn up at a workshop, club gig, stadium gig, I want a familiar, working rig there rather than have to sort it out myself".

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The Geddy Jazz seems to have been a decent seller. If the instrument offers something you can't ordinarily get in a standard model, I don't see the harm. The Joe Dart basses have been something quite different for EBMM. A P bass with a slightly different colour of paint is a bit much but where the instrument deviates enough from standard that you can't replicate it by swapping a couple of parts, then it's all good. The Wimbish Spector, for example, like the Geddy, has a neck you can't get, otherwise, which legitimatises them, in my opinion.

 

Endorsements do work because, even if a signature model doesn't take your fancy, having the popular musicians of the day seen with your instruments in your hand creates an indelible link between the music you love and that brand, whether you realise it or not. Sadowsky might make sublime J basses but there'll never be pictures of Jaco playing one. Hendrix could've stayed in tune if he played an Ibanez RG but he and his music will always be associated with Fender Strats.

 

I'm generally not one for signature instruments but, as a young man, I had the opportunity to buy a Tony Iommi signature model, during his brief stint with Patrick Eggle, for half price and it would haunt me to this day if I hadn't made it mine. Aside from being a very, very nice guitar, they only ever made 48 of them, of which this is #23. 

 

5B8B217D-7E33-4D24-919C-6520141CA1FE.thumb.jpeg.af8f8ada1a60524031e89b3d5a9cd597.jpeg

 

And, to answer the OP's question, the correct answer has been mentioned a few times. Mark King, take a bow 🙂

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8 hours ago, funkypenguin said:

Mark King - Jaydee, Alembic, GB, Status, Fender, Trace Elliot, Ashdown, TC, Markbass, Rotosound

 

Beat you to it...

 

On 05/03/2022 at 22:00, Rich said:

Mark King: Status, Jaydee, Alembic, GB, Fender, Trace Elliot, TC Electronic, Ashdown, Rotosound, probably a whole load of others I've forgotten

 

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11 hours ago, LeftyP said:

I don't wish to derail this thread but does it matter to you if a player endorses a product.  Would you buy a bass simply because it had some player's name on it?

It's a good point. There was some discussion on this point last year, it's always interesting to hear peoples' takes on it.

 

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1 hour ago, EBS_freak said:

Musicman? I dare say they've sold a hell of a lot more Stingrays to people not in RHCP than are.

 

I suspect Tim Commerford was probably responsible for a fair few Stingray sales. I bet they spiked massively after the RATM album came out.

 

1 hour ago, EBS_freak said:

Endorsement is mostly a nonsense. I think the only person who really translates equipment use to sales is Mark King... and I would say that's mostly because of the fans being the doctors and lawyers etc who have money to burn on trying to live out their fantasy of being Mark King.

Yes, I'm willing to bet that the vast majority** of Mark King signature instruments will never see a gig, or in fact leave the owner's house.

 

** NB, I did NOT say 'all'. Please don't get indignant and start yelling at me about the hundreds of gigs you've done with your Kingbass/Jaydee/whatevs.

Edited by Rich
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Brian Bromberg is an interesting one. Basically, he appears to have trademarked "his" signature shape so he was able to take his signature bass model from one manufacturer to the next. Same thing happened with Eddie van Halen, who wasn't happy with Music Man when they continued producing the EVH signature guitar als the "Axis". So he trademarked the Peavey Wolfgang design including the headstock, and took it with him when he went to Fender who created the EVH brand for him.

 

Peavey B-Quad (with a graphite Modulus neck I think?):

1113983640_PeaveyBquad.jpg.76188d0b0f69378749fe2b86cf286aec.jpg

 

Dean B2:

 

1165978844_DeanB2.thumb.jpeg.06040b8fd40a07580b0acfff13780431.jpeg

 

Carvin / Kiesel B2: 

254333496_KieselB2.jpg.aa04669b8bc11309dc32282b2a499239.jpg

 

Edited by LeftyJ
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On 06/03/2022 at 10:51, Raymondo said:

I don't know but...

 

My favourite is Dave Peg being sponsored by Wadworth 6x.

 

It made me laugh out loud when I read it in Bass Guitar magazine may moons ago!

 

I was virtually weaned on 6X, please can I be sponsored by Wadworth too?

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