Xzantes Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 altho i had an Endorsement from Conklin, after 2 - 3 months on playing with the GT7 it just wasn't what i was looking for, So i'v emailed him saying sorry but not just feeling it anymore and have sold the bass, So at the moment i'm using my old Ibanez BTB 505 but gonna try out some other basses after christmas and hopefully find one i'm fully comfortable with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Reminds me - I was gonna come visit Bass Merchant again soon! ;o) Funnily, I felt the same about the Bill Dickens GT-BD7. It was an awesome bass - a bit on the heavy side - but the string spacing being 16mm was brilliant. Tonally, I wasn't really into the Bart' pups and circuit, despite having some pretty diverse 'colours' on tap. Still had me wanting for more. There are aspects of the GT-BD7 and my old Tobias basses that made it over to my Shukers.. but there be magic in the hills of the Peak District!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thump Boy Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 [quote name='Xzantes' post='692726' date='Dec 23 2009, 07:50 PM']So i'v emailed him saying sorry but not just feeling it anymore and have sold the bass,[/quote] Well that is not much of an endorsement for the instrument. Are you listed in the Artists page? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Heh.. It's the endorsement from hell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Couldn't you have done it quietly, ie without posting about it here? You got the endorsement deal to give the brand publicity; the end of the endorsement is a shame but understandable, but posting about it on a board of potential customers could well be interpreted as a slap in the face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witterth Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 I dont get ANY free stuff "feeling it"or otherwise!! (stamps foot) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xzantes Posted December 24, 2009 Author Share Posted December 24, 2009 lol well i didn't get any freebies, no i never made it to artist page, I admit they are good basses and if people wanted to go 7 thats defo a good start, just saying it's not for me, and lol i sent a more detailed email than that lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xzantes Posted December 24, 2009 Author Share Posted December 24, 2009 and ya dood you should pop down sometime and bring the 7 this time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 What kind of endorsement deal was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 I endorse McDonalds, but I'm still waiting for my freebies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xzantes Posted December 24, 2009 Author Share Posted December 24, 2009 just 30% off customs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witterth Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 [quote name='Xzantes' post='693173' date='Dec 24 2009, 08:47 PM']just 30% off customs[/quote] so what you really mean is, you got a discount? thats not really an endorsement deal is it? if it is, I just got an "endorsement" deal on screen wash yesterday. (deep voice over artist) Witterth....he.........only uses..... B&Qs own......... sorry... ha ha and all that... J for joke ect... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 Hey. I endorse Britain's railway companies. I get 75% off!! Not on the website either, however. (My wife works on the trains for her sins - which are many) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombboy Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 Come on guys.... give the lad a break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxrossell Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 I don't think it's Xzantes getting the hard time. If a guitar maker tried to sell me an "endorsement" deal on the basis of nothing more than a discount on their high-end range, I'd tell 'em where to go. Endorsement deals are supposed to be a collaboration between the artist and the manufacturer, to raise both profiles in a mutually beneficial way. If Conklin don't feel like our friend here is worth the effort of putting him on their artist page, then they're bullsh*tting him about it being an endorsement deal, and he's entirely within his rights to come on here and pont out that he hasn't been blown away by their basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 Of course, it's difficult to make a balanced comment without being armed with all the facts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxrossell Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 [quote name='wateroftyne' post='693625' date='Dec 26 2009, 11:32 AM']Of course, it's difficult to make a balanced comment without being armed with all the facts...[/quote] True. But a lot of smaller manufacturers are starting to act like record labels of late. Like they're doing people a huge favour by "endorsing" them. Most of these brands offer the "endorsement" deal on the basis of a discount, to usually the same kind of cost that the musician would expect to pay for the same instrument second-hand in as-new condition. In return, the artist can expect if he's lucky to get a small mention somewhere in some hidden corner of the website. You'd think it would be a no-brainer to at least send the guys free merch and to feature them more heavily in product marketing. It's a "shared credibility" thing. Ironically the only brand I've seen doing it properly is Vintage, who will never have big-brand impact. I met a drummer a while ago who had just taken delivery of his new kit from some manufacturer or other on the basis of an endorsement deal. They'd given him a 20% discount (from RRP, not trade, so they weren't even spending any money). In exchange he agreed to feature their logo on their myspace. That was it. They didn't send him a hat or a t-shirt to wear or keyrings to give out or drumsticks to use or anything. They didn't feature him on the website. In almost every respect they treated him like any other customer. Total waste of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 (edited) Without judging anybody, it does start to look like the 'endorsement deal' is really nothing more than a bit of free advertising for the company (which if true is actually pretty sneaky since most aspiring musos will still look at it as if it has the potential to do something for their careers). Not to say that there aren't still good deals to be had; just that this type of deal is only serving one set of needs. Edited December 26, 2009 by leftybassman392 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxrossell Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 [quote name='leftybassman392' post='693646' date='Dec 26 2009, 12:09 PM'](which if true is actually pretty sneaky since most aspiring musos will still look at it as if it has the potential to do something for their careers).[/quote] That's exactly right. Just like there are an awful lot of musos out there who would sign their own death warrants if they had "record deal" printed at the top of them, for a lot of musos it's almost [i]more[/i] impressive to them for a gear company to want to associate with them (even if the association is barely more than a contrived sales pitch). I've looked into it and there are a few newish companies out there where it's possible to get "endorsed" without the company ever having heard you play, as long as you spend over a certain amount of money on their products. That frankly says it all, really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveK Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 [quote]If a guitar maker tried to sell me an "endorsement" deal on the basis of nothing more than a discount on their high-end range, I'd tell 'em where to go.[/quote] And that would be the end of the story... no problem. [quote]Endorsement deals are supposed to be a collaboration between the artist and the manufacturer[/quote] An endorsement deal is whatever the artist and manufacturer decides it should be. [quote]I met a drummer a while ago who had just taken delivery of his new kit from some manufacturer or other on the basis of an endorsement deal. They'd given him a 20% discount (from RRP, not trade, so they weren't even spending any money). In exchange[i] [b]he agreed[/b][/i] to feature their logo on their myspace[/quote] Note highlighted text. In my formative years (musically speaking) if I was offered a 20% discount on a product that I liked, and maybe would have bought anyway, I would have snapped their hand off. And to use my name or picture [i]anywhere[/i] in their blurb would have been the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, if no one has heard of you, then, the chances are that you aren't going to be of much benefit to the manufacturer. The deal offered will reflect that. You either take it or leave it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 It's a difficult one. I am 'endorsed' by Vigier, but all it really means is I get a discount (not that I would ever be able to afford another) and I get my mug on their site, but because they are such a small 'company' it's just nice to be asked and I feel like a part of the family a little bit. I mean lots of people seek endorsements just so they can say they are endorsed as a badge of pride (I have a drummer friend who is the WORST for this!) and others actually rely on those endorsements for supplies (like Rich and Elixir strings). I think Xzantes is definitely right to walk away if the deal is pointless. ped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxrossell Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 [quote name='SteveK' post='693676' date='Dec 26 2009, 12:53 PM']An endorsement deal is whatever the artist and manufacturer decides it should be.[/quote] Not really, no. The term endorsement explicitly signifies to voice approval of something. An endorsement deal literally consists of an association between two people where one or both of them benefit from one or both of them lauding the merits of the other. In most of the cases we've discussed above, what we have is in effect a sales agreement. Not an endorsement deal. A musician deciding to buy so-and-so's product doesn't mean that the musician now has an endorsement deal with so-and-so. [quote]In my formative years (musically speaking) if I was offered a 20% discount on a product that I liked, and maybe would have bought anyway, I would have snapped their hand off. And to use my name or picture [i]anywhere[/i] in their blurb would have been the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, if no one has heard of you, then, the chances are that you aren't going to be of much benefit to the manufacturer. The deal offered will reflect that. You either take it or leave it.[/quote] The point is there that if you're not worthy of an endorsement, then no-one has any business offering you one, and any company that does is basically bullsh*tting you in order to get you to buy their products. If you ARE worthy of an endorsement, then a deal consisting only of a 20% discount is at best a waste of your and the company's time. Also you have to determine what price they're offering you 20% off. I don't think I've ever bought a new guitar at full RRP. Usually if you shop around you can score at least 10% off RRP on most products, if not more. What I'm saying is that a lot of these so-called "endorsement" deals appear to be little more than a marketing technique to convince musicians to buy that company's products, and maybe even talk them up a bit, with the musicians getting quite a bit less out of the deal than they might think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizbat Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 If you are getting on well with your Ibanez then maybe you should track down Leo Crabtree the artist rep for ibanez. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 If I was cynical - and I am - I could think that this is just companies praying on overly keen yet naive young musicians. I'm not sure what the markup is in bass guitar land, but a 30% discount direct from the factory is almost certainly still a profit for the company. It's fine if you were going to buy their product anyway I suppose. *If* you were..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 A discount off a decent ( subjective ) bass... ?? what is not to like? Like we would all turn our noses up at that.. As long as the bass is something you would probably want to purchase anyway.....sounds good to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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