Endorsements - "HOW TO"

[Guitarholic]

just one question (maby it was mentioned before)

i heard that some company's "lease" their equipment for let's say a guitar player that's their endorsee, like 1-3 years depending on the contract. (heard it's more about amps and cabs than guitars but still)

is this true?

I think you're talking about tour backline support. Never heard of any "lease" agreements.

 

[cronux]

could be

 

[7 Dying Trees]

Some companies agree to supply equipment as a "permenent loan" where if you leave they ask for it back, effectively a loan stock agreement.

All other endorsements, really, play what you like, not what's free, i've always just wanted specific brands because I love playing their stuff, and I do not mind part paying to use it and have it. Basically I'd rather stand behind a product i l;ove, and a company I think makes awesome stuff rather than just play whatever comes free and not be happy with it.

Best thing to do with getting endorsements is be able to honestly say that you have played it for ages, do love it loads, and be enthusiastic about along with all the other stuff

 

[ShadowFactoryX]

good thread is...


























great and highly informative!

 

[JPMike]

I am so printing this!!

Really nice read, with lots of info to consider.

Thank you very much, sir.

 

[Quantumface]

interesting

 

[CurTro-P]

this is really good, especially how an artist has to provide something of equal value to the company of the equipment they want to use.

 

[Neptical]

Very informative! I've read this a few times in my life.

 

[Guitarholic]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Let me know if you still have questions and I'll try to answer as best as I can.

 

[degge]

Super useful, thanks!

 

[melb_shredder]

Fantastic post. As someone who has been lucky enough to gain endorsement with some of my favorite companies (and even lucky enough to deal with Tim McKee) I've also learned a few things.

1. Its one thing to try and sell yourself to a company, but remember that every band out there is trying to do the same thing. I firmly believe that you need to balance yourself in showing what you can do for them, but also, and I think more importantly is to shortie gratitude for what that companies gear has done for you. I know my contact with my first few were purely bought on by me thanking certain companies for creating such perfect gear for me

2. Some companies (I won't name names) don't mind shit talking, eg, that it's obvious you're hounding for an endorsement but that's ok so long as you can sell their gear. But most I've worked with prefer to talk to a 'person'. Not Johnny rock star... Be sincere and honest about what you are hoping to achieve for both yourself and the company if they choose to honor an endorsement.

3.... Make good music! Yea, this may not always apply however, a few of mine have been tipped in the scales just because of how confident the a&r people were in our music/ band.

At the end of the day, what can YOU do for them?? And if you can provide adequate answers for that, then you in return will most likely get something back and for me, the honor of officially representing a company you already love is still the coolest feeling

 

[Eaten]

ok so now I know I will never be endorsed...

great post btw!

 

[Thedanishdude]

Great article man! Highly informative, and well written.

Really nice to hear these things from a pro, as most of the people who posts about these things online, seem like they are just repeating something they heard "somewhere".


Also, i love that chappers vid. First one i ever saw, and i've been a minion of the monkey lord ever since!

 

[cypher_xl]

great post! but however from musicians from small, lesser known countries like mine, its kinda hard and we still have to fork out a large chunk of our earnings and only dream that one day we'll be endorsed by the major players..for now, getting a real good discounts at our local music supplier/store will do

 

[Evil7]

As soon as I read the title of this thread.. I thought of the Chappers Video first I was hoping to post it... lol

 

[Dan_Vacant]

if some one got a endorsement from Charvel would the endorsement also be for Jackson?

 

[daddyfabreezio]

Shibby, will be showing this to my drummer ha.

 

[Andromalia]

The thing to remember is that an endorsement isn't really about money. By the time you get free gear, you'll likelely earn enough to buy it yourself anyway.
The point is, you get support. Broken amp ? A dealer nearby can lend you one for the show. Moving a lot in a tour ? No need to carry an amp and a voltage transformer across the atlantic, a dealer can lend you one for your european leg. You also can phone them for tech/dialing advice. Use an uncommon set of strings ? You'll get what you need without having to scout the shops when you're short of strings in another country.

That is the point of endorsment. You don't get money per se, you still pay for the stuff, but you get an awful simplification of your touring life.

 

[Guitarholic]

The thing to remember is that an endorsement isn't really about money. By the time you get free gear, you'll likelely earn enough to buy it yourself anyway.
The point is, you get support. Broken amp ? A dealer nearby can lend you one for the show. Moving a lot in a tour ? No need to carry an amp and a voltage transformer across the atlantic, a dealer can lend you one for your european leg. You also can phone them for tech/dialing advice. Use an uncommon set of strings ? You'll get what you need without having to scout the shops when you're short of strings in another country.

That is the point of endorsment. You don't get money per se, you still pay for the stuff, but you get an awful simplification of your touring life.

Write this down folks!!!

 

[7 Dying Trees]

The thing to remember is that an endorsement isn't really about money. By the time you get free gear, you'll likelely earn enough to buy it yourself anyway.
The point is, you get support. Broken amp ? A dealer nearby can lend you one for the show. Moving a lot in a tour ? No need to carry an amp and a voltage transformer across the atlantic, a dealer can lend you one for your european leg. You also can phone them for tech/dialing advice. Use an uncommon set of strings ? You'll get what you need without having to scout the shops when you're short of strings in another country.

That is the point of endorsment. You don't get money per se, you still pay for the stuff, but you get an awful simplification of your touring life.

This.

For touring having the company supply you with an amp so you don't have to ship it, one that is the correct voltage is a godsend. Getting strings so you don't have t panic is a godsend. Having the support to fix guitars etc when they break is a godsend.

When you're out on the road, finding guitar shops is difficult, Finding ones that have specialised stuff is impossible.

Endorsements is all about tour support to be honest, as you cannot get caught short when you're out there as putting on the show is the most important thing, not having to deal with masses of stress because everything has gone to shit whilst you're tired, have been away from home for weeks is priceless.