Endorsements

[Phrat]

Its another one of those "sat at work bored" threads!

Question for the folks at EBMM but anyone feel free to jump in with your 2 cents (or 0.01023p for those in the UK).

How do endorsements come about? I presume its not one particular route but a variety of circumstances how an artist comes to being an endorsee of a particular brand. Like Luscious for example, did you approach him as a potential and wow him, or did he approach EBMM? Has it been a different journey with each of the artists? At what stage do you take it to the next stage and develop a signature model?

 

[tristan]

I 've read somewhere that luke & big poppa were friend for a long time, and when the guy who designed his valley arts came to EB, luke came too.

 

[Norrin Radd]

There just needs to be book................

 

[beej]

when the guy who designed his valley arts came to EB, luke came too.

"the guy" is of course Dudley Gimpel, who is the genius behind all kinds of MM products! Dudley was at Valley Arts before this and had built Luke's guitars for years.

 

[banjoplayer]

I 've read somewhere that luke & big poppa were friend for a long time, and when the guy who designed his valley arts came to EB, luke came too.

I´m not sure if it´s allowed to ask this, and if you don´t want I respect it completely, but how was your way to become an EBMM endorsee, tristan?

 

[Smellybum]

Its another one of those "sat at work bored" threads!

If you were in my employe, you'd be going home tonight, and not coming back tomorrow......


GET SOME WORK DONE!

 

[Phrat]

If you were in my employe, you'd be going home tonight, and not coming back tomorrow......


GET SOME WORK DONE!

I'm the boss

I can do what I want

 

[Spudmurphy]

Yeah, we wanna hear the Dudley Gimpel story!!

 

[Axistence]

There just needs to be book................

+1
"Everything You Always Wanted To Know About EBMM (But Were Afraid to Ask to BP)"

 

[candid_x]

I´m not sure if it´s allowed to ask this, and if you don´t want I respect it completely, but how was your way to become an EBMM endorsee, tristan?

My guess is: great enthusiasm, great work ethic, and spectacular chops.

 

[Big Poppa]

Each story is different and each artist comes under his/her own power. WE never ask an artist to leave the company whey are with. Here is the brief on most of them

Steve Morse. Met and became really close friends. He was a string endorsee and had the old Frankenstein Tele. He had no deal but had tried to work with Fender and Guils anbd was really frustrtated. I said let us try and we wont stop until till you fire us or are happy. He was reluctant because he felt that companies dont really listen just try to force their ideas on the artist. We proved him wrong.

John Petrucci John is managed by Frank Soloman who also manages Steve. JP was looking for a change and asked Frank if he knew any good USA guitar companies. Frank said that he should only talk to us and gave us a glowing recommendation ande so did a few other people in the business that I cant mention becuase they just might work for a company that supplies many guitar companies. JP and our team have just had a fabulous working and personal relationship.

Albert Lee. Albert is one of my oldest friends and I met him while still in High School. When he moved to America he was sleeping on my moms couch and actually played my high school winter dance formal. He used to use another string but started using ours. when I bought Music Man he was very interested in what DUdley and I were doing and played a silhouette about 50% of the time and wasnt convinced until I showed him the original guitar that Dudley made me for Christmas that I gave to Albert at the Ernie Balll COmapny xmas party that Biff Bays' played at

VInnie Moore. VIn Man was also represented by frank SLolman and the same basic deal as JP. We love VInnie and I think that he is a monster player and a really nice and funny guy.

Luke. Luke didnt follow DUdley to us. I met Luke through Jay Graydon. Jay is Lukes mentor and one dear friend of both of us. They were both involved in Vally Arts as endorsees but also as equity partners. Valley Arts went in the dumper and Luke was looking for a guitar. At the same itime I had started working with EVH and Luke was involved in that guitar.(he made the final selection on the pickups because EVH was toorn and said < "Luke ,You choose") Luke asked me if we wanted him as an artist. I told him I would have to ask EVH's management as part of my deal was that EVH was the premier artist and they would get approval over any new sig artist. They actually balked and I said do you really want me to tell Luke that you wont let him aave a sig guitar? Thewy relented and The Luke was born and most of it was done with me as the point person via phone with Dudley. I was spending a lot of time in LA with EVH and Luke3 but really with Casey as he was in the process of haveing the six major operations at UCLa at that time.

Christopher Guest. Luke was producing Spinal Tap's Break Like the Wind LP at Jay Graydons studio and I got to hang with the guys and Chris and I hit it off.

EVH I had been making the 5150 string and EVH had a deal with Kramer who was supposed to pay him royalties on the strings. I got a call from Barbara Page, ( one of the people I care the least for in the history of my career) wondering why I wasnt paying Kramer and I said I was. She said that she wanted an audit and I said I had zero obligation to her or Eddie as my deal was with Kramer but I would be happy to give her an audit if she asked Kramer for to supply one first. When she compared Kramer and Ernie Ball's audit Kramer and Eddie were done. It was the shortfall in string sales that broke up that deal. was history. Our association with EVH was originally just let us make a guitar while he looks for a long term deal as we only made about 14 instruments a day. The guitar came out so well and we were able to pay EVH a decent amount and it was to be permanent but that was history because as we all know. I also set up the 5150 amp deal that payed EVH hundreds of thousands of doallars in the first year alone. I did this without compensation and Peavey showed their appreciation by signing EVH to the wolgang deal when we were parting ways. Please dont ask anymore about this as it just turns to ****.

 

[SteveB]

Thanks for the inside track, BP. Good stories (even though some had bad outcomes). You've got the most amazing endorsees of any guitar company.

 

[robelinda2]

thats just great BP, many thanks!

 

[candid_x]

Thanks, BP. Love hearing the inside scoop.

 

[bovinehost]

Good read, BP - thanks.

*furiously adding to files*

Jack

 

[MikeVt]

Wow...Thanks BP. That was a really interesting read - details I hadn't heard/read before. May I suggest making some form of this a sticky so newbies can read up before dredging up the EVH past all over again?

Mike

 

[Big Poppa]

All of it is good. I am really happy with all of our endorsee's and the only drag is that some wont move past the nineties....

 

[bovinehost]

I know how hard it is for you to type that much so I won't ask for EVEN MORE at this point, but someday, the bass side would love to hear about the long-standing relationship with Tony Levin.

Flea, eh, not so much.

Jack

 

[MikeVt]

I know how hard it is for you to type that much so I won't ask for EVEN MORE at this point, but someday, the bass side would love to hear about the long-standing relationship with Tony Levin.

Flea, eh, not so much.

Jack

Hehe...that's great. +10

 

[jongitarz]

I know how hard it is for you to type that much so I won't ask for EVEN MORE at this point, but someday, the bass side would love to hear about the long-standing relationship with Tony Levin.

Flea, eh, not so much.

Jack

Dood...FLeA nEveR GeTs PrOpZ..wUz Up wItH tHaT?