Question Signature guitars

[Purple ASS]

Apologies if this has been discussed in the past but I did do a search and came up with nothing

I've often wondered what the thinking is behind the signature guitars. I am intrigued as to why EBMM has in the past elected to dedicate a whole guitar model to a particular artist as opposed to a model with a signature artist ie (example) a Silhouette 'Johnny Hiland'. I do of course understand how the JP, Morse and the Luke have been built to their specifations and to have the loyalty of this calibre of artist on board must be priceless, but it occured to me that with the introduction of all those mouthwatering HH AL's with Rosey necks that they have become a very different guitar to that which Albert is really likely to be seen playing and the only thing in common is the shape. I hope I'm wrong, I'd love to see him on one. The guy whole sold me mine described it as a great country guitar. He's right of course, but even in it's standard guise it's so much more than that. It'll do everything a S***t will do and a whole lot more. I wonder how many members of the public choose not to buy a model because of its association with a particular artist and would other high profile artists ever be seen with another artists signature axe as their main choice ? (Steve Vai on a Petrucci ? ) Will we ever see future signature models dedicated in this way again, or will we see ( for example) The Reflex "Joe Bonamassa". Again, this is no critisism as the business model obviously works and BP must be very happy, just looking at it from a punters' point of view. Funny story is, my sons band were rehearsing yesterday, the lead singer /guitarist commented that it was a great looking 'Indie' guitar and would be a far more suitable replacement for the other guitarists completely 'non Indie' looking PRS Modern Eagle

 

[Big Poppa]

THis is a huge topic and one that would take days and im not sure that I want to publicly expose our entire strategy.

Signature Guitars are hard to sell. Signature Guitars are the cheapest tactic for a manufacturer to appeal to an artists ego and tie them up. Signature Guitars have to offer something really different. THe artist has to be able to transcend their genre. YOu also have to trust that the artist will stick around. But in order to grow and be strong your brand cannot solely rely on signature artists...there needs to be models and products that represent your company and you need artists to support those products.
Johnny Hiland reinforces the quality and integrity of the Silo....THats good.

WHy are sig guitars hard to sell? There are only so many hooks in guitar stores. A dealer has to watch how they spend their money and because most signature guitars are just slight tweaks to an existing model it doesnt pay off for them. THey can sell anyone a strat but only so many people want the Peee Wee Herman one that is orange with astro glide pickups.

After EVH I said I would not do another sig guitar. Never say never because John Petrucci called and he was articulate and informed and really wanted to create a guitar that really suited his needs.

WIth Johnny Hiland the only difference between a stock Silhouette and his is larger position markers. That does not move enough away from an existing model to warrant a signature guitar.

THere are few guitarists that can drive a signature guitar long term. Look at Benji...Please if anyone wants to pounce on the benji subject they will be deleted and the thread will be not only closed but removed. There was an example where we could not afford to not do it. They had just sold 4 million records and by making a few changes to an existing guitar we got TONS of exposure. You couldnt buy the video and print our headstock got. If you invest your time and efforts solely on another players career it better be a long one. I am not saying Benji's career is over and we hope that he comes back strong.

So you are looking for an artist with staying power...SOmeone who does not pose a threat to other players....John Petrucci and Luke for example have the respect of all other pros and playing their guitar is not an issue. Everyone from John Fogerty to Joe Walsh to Nigel Tufnel play JP guitars in public/

WHy the 2H Al's when we usually will only sell exactly what the player plays. Innovation and style have made the AL a solid and recognizable shape and one that was underserved in the market. It is a great 2H guitar. I own the shape and could issue it as the King Cobra or some other name but would that be fair to ALbert? No. Albert is excited to play these guitars and anytime you use someones name they get a royalty (it s not a large percentage with us) Just like the BIg Al Bass....Why is some form of Albert LEes name on the headstock? He doesnt play bass and most people who buy that bass wouldnt know Albert if you put a gun to his head. Its a matter of whats right. If Albert would be unreasonable then we would have come out with it with a unique name since Albert had nothing to do with the bass but it was the right thing to do to let Albert be in the Bass.

 

[brett8388]

BP, your thoughts and feedback to questions like this are extremely insightful and appreciated.

 

[Big Poppa]

thx ,brett

 

[threeminutesboy]

really Thx BP for this clear answer

 

[roburado]

Thanks for the time, BP.

 

[browndog]

Funny how I just quoted you in a pm with the words you gave me back in my thread last November when I was really down & out.

Always a pleasure reading what you have to say.

 

[fbecir]

Thanks for this answer.
This forum is great : we have real information and not the Internet crap you can read everywhere ...

 

[koogie2k]

Very cool Pops. Thanks for the insight.

 

[the24thfret]

THey can sell anyone a strat but only so many people want the Peee Wee Herman one that is orange with astro glide pickups.

BP, outside of running EBMM and creating BP smokers channel, are you also a comedian? This had me laughing pretty hard.

Seriously though where can I buy this guitar?

 

[Adamr]

very well put , answered everything in one swift post. im not someone who would buy a signature guitar because of the player it represents but if there was a signature guitar out there that could cover a lot of styles of play very well it would not put me off buying the guitar because of whos name is on the headstock. i have a petrucci model but i never really listened to petrucci or dream theatre before i bought the guitar .the guitar helped push me to discover johns playing if anything and im a big fan now. i looked at the guitar, and for the stuff i was wanting to get into playing it suited my needs perfectly. and i think thats how guitars should be bought really.

 

[bkrumme]

Thanks BP. Always nice to have a little view into how things work at EBMM.

 

[JasonT]

As if he's not busy enough, BP takes time during NAMM to address a major company philosophy question. Thanks for the insight!

 

[travs]

he said astro glide! funny stuff. I am more than happy playing my sig ltd ed, its a great friend.

 

[Smellybum]

THanks BP,

I consider myslef somewhat of a 'sucker' when it comes to signature guitars and for that matter buying the model that the dude on stage had, -not becuase I think it'll make me sound like the individual but becuase I liked the moment and wanted to recreate it (never quite works out but hey whats $6k amongst friends!)

I also recognise I'm in the minority, Lum who's posted here a few times has more signature guitars than I but I couldn't tell you a single other player I've met in 10 years that feels the same,

As part of the NAMM coverage 'another company' has brought out a range of it's core model guitars with slightly different styling and a reduced price-point in order to boost sales, the guitar market is so tight right now, I'm surprised we've not seen more people go out of business.

There's a great deal of the existing EBMM body shapes that seem to trigger interest and excitement, the fact that big names (Johnny Highland, Joe Bonamassa) are getting turned on to them - as well as the long termers is great,

to be honest, I recently shopped around, fancied a new guitar, but thought 'what if i didn't buy another ball' - I'm delighted to say my search returned nothing- well nothing that interested me, I'll be here, buying signature/non signatue guitars for life!

My only comment/criticism is that it's sometimes frustrating as a consumer of EBMM products to not know the future roadmap - (I don't mean that to sound like I actually think I have the right to know...) It's just that I would have planned my purchases differently if i knew certain things, for example, I bought a used AL the week before BFR's were anounced, I bought a 25th the week before it was anounced it was going to be a tweaked production variant - perhaps it's just bad luck on my part, but I would certainly commit more financially if I knew more about what's happening model wise - not that you don't give us MORE than enough front row action, it's just sometimes hard to keep up/figure what's coming next...

Hope all this makes sense....

 

[Purple ASS]

THanks BP,
it's just sometimes hard to keep up/figure what's coming next....

...I reckon thats just plain ol' good business sense

Thanks BP for being so open and honset with us. I have to say I applaud your integrity and your loyalty to your artists especially in the light of what happened with Mr VH.

For me I love the guitars I have whatever they are called, and Albert just happens to be one of my all time guitar heroes. I think what you've done with the AL recently is remarkable and I'd love to hear what the feedback from the general public has been at NAMM. I am excited to think that finally it is going to get the recognition it deserves in the public arena and that any preconceived conceptions will eventually disappear regardless of who's name is on the headstock. There is so much room for it in many different genres. What was probably regarded as a bit quirky or outrageous may finally become accepted as a rightful alternative to the the popular choices, it seems to be already doing that with the Big AL.

 

[Big Poppa]

Smelly

THink about it what is my choice? not innovate? You have to buy something because you like it not because it is the newest. OTherwise you would still be watching Black and White tv because you didnt want to have outdated technology

 

[Smellybum]

Smelly

THink about it what is my choice? not innovate? You have to buy something because you like it not because it is the newest. OTherwise you would still be watching Black and White tv because you didnt want to have outdated technology

Indeed BP, you're right, it's not that you're doing it wrong, it's just my 2 cents as a consumer, if we all knew what was coming then we'd be less blown away by it - totally get that.

I am learning from my previous purchasing history - and thanks again for your gracious offer to keep the 25th window open for me.

I'm going to hold back a few months before ordering another guitar, my 25th keeps surprising me, and I'm keen to see how or what else is revealed this year before Summer.

And I live in the Highlands of Scotland there are a lot of people here still with Black and white TV's - not becuase they feared change, just becuase it was too much hassle to change!

Thanks again BP, Lovin' the new stuff - HH AL? - well, it'd be rude not to get one!

 

[Hendog]

THis is a huge topic and one that would take days and im not sure that I want to publicly expose our entire strategy.

Signature Guitars are hard to sell. Signature Guitars are the cheapest tactic for a manufacturer to appeal to an artists ego and tie them up. Signature Guitars have to offer something really different. THe artist has to be able to transcend their genre. YOu also have to trust that the artist will stick around. But in order to grow and be strong your brand cannot solely rely on signature artists...there needs to be models and products that represent your company and you need artists to support those products.
Johnny Hiland reinforces the quality and integrity of the Silo....THats good.

WHy are sig guitars hard to sell? There are only so many hooks in guitar stores. A dealer has to watch how they spend their money and because most signature guitars are just slight tweaks to an existing model it doesnt pay off for them. THey can sell anyone a strat but only so many people want the Peee Wee Herman one that is orange with astro glide pickups.

After EVH I said I would not do another sig guitar. Never say never because John Petrucci called and he was articulate and informed and really wanted to create a guitar that really suited his needs.

WIth Johnny Hiland the only difference between a stock Silhouette and his is larger position markers. That does not move enough away from an existing model to warrant a signature guitar.

THere are few guitarists that can drive a signature guitar long term. Look at Benji...Please if anyone wants to pounce on the benji subject they will be deleted and the thread will be not only closed but removed. There was an example where we could not afford to not do it. They had just sold 4 million records and by making a few changes to an existing guitar we got TONS of exposure. You couldnt buy the video and print our headstock got. If you invest your time and efforts solely on another players career it better be a long one. I am not saying Benji's career is over and we hope that he comes back strong.

So you are looking for an artist with staying power...SOmeone who does not pose a threat to other players....John Petrucci and Luke for example have the respect of all other pros and playing their guitar is not an issue. Everyone from John Fogerty to Joe Walsh to Nigel Tufnel play JP guitars in public/

WHy the 2H Al's when we usually will only sell exactly what the player plays. Innovation and style have made the AL a solid and recognizable shape and one that was underserved in the market. It is a great 2H guitar. I own the shape and could issue it as the King Cobra or some other name but would that be fair to ALbert? No. Albert is excited to play these guitars and anytime you use someones name they get a royalty (it s not a large percentage with us) Just like the BIg Al Bass....Why is some form of Albert LEes name on the headstock? He doesnt play bass and most people who buy that bass wouldnt know Albert if you put a gun to his head. Its a matter of whats right. If Albert would be unreasonable then we would have come out with it with a unique name since Albert had nothing to do with the bass but it was the right thing to do to let Albert be in the Bass.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[beej]

only so many people want the Peee Wee Herman one that is orange with astro glide pickups.

Eww. I'll pass on that one too.