Alexi tells all...

[ChickenScratch]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Originally posted by jsullysix:
i can't believe that this issue is as crucial as it seems to be in this thread. btw, ESP also killed JFK, RFK, and ibanez is responsible for maintaining the bermuda triangle. it's a guitar company; i highly doubt they're sitting in their ring of hell, scratching their beards and wondering how they can screw jackson over again. i really doubt that they consider jackson much comptetition as far as market share goes, anyway.

i'm surprised that he doesn't like his esp though. (referring to the "neck is too big" issue) did they not make these for him right then and there, or was it a mustaine kind of thing when they said "here, no one buys this; you play it!" really people, any of these companies are very capable of making a nice guitar. btw, ever see randy with his sandoval v? that thing dwarfed him, and he was about 5'5. i'm with BM, i'm sure alexi's great,and i'm sure he was a big boy and could have adjusted to a kv if he HAD to have a jackson right then and there.

anyway, there's my .02

sully

then again, with the stress of having to prepare for a tour, and his favorite guitars being stolen, i'm sure there was an any port in the storm mentality. armchair all ya want, it's not gonna change anything.

sully

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Well said Sully!

[lerxstcat]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Originally posted by Black Mariah:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by lerxstcat:
Maybe the bottom fin doesn't clear the floor with him! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">[img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Dude, my sister can play KV's and she's 5' even. That's just mean. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah but he's computer-phobic, so unless one of his "friends" tells him he'll never be bothered by my little joke. He won't even post on either of his bands' sites. I think Sully's right though; he was in shock from getting ripped off and feeling rejected by Jackson in his eyes, so ESP just went smooth up in there.

Obviously he can play the ESPS and Jackson isn't folding over it; it's just a shame how miscommunication on both sides caused this situation.

I guess no one cared about the squirrel in the forest! Hey, it was Rocky, buddy of Bullwinkle! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[VoiceX3]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Greg, we all know of your feelings on this whole transition, but I'm sure there are all kinds of specifics that we are not aware of. Either way, Alexi is playing ESP now like it or not. What's done is done and I don't feel like getting into a pissing match with anyone about it. Dave Mustaine is my biggest influence being we have the same rhythm styles and we're both frontmen. Dave went to ESP for his reasons and I still and will always play Jacksons. This is a obviously a dead issue, so let's bury it.


Oh, yeah....... The guitars getting stolen, well, that's on the tech, management or Alexi himself.......I know I'd be vigilant about where they end up and that they be safe. I've got many guitars and I always know where they are and that they're safe, even so, you need to have more than 2 just in case something happens to them. You just can't expect the custom shop to drop everything and get yours done immediately. Not if you're Alexi or even if you were Randy Rhoads......Randy had to wait for his. Why should Alexi be any more special. Understand what I'm getting at?

[ September 02, 2003, 12:13 PM: Message edited by: VoiceX3 ]

[Rhoadsfan67]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Originally posted by Greg Crowe:
The distributor stuff is completely irrelevant.

When Fender first took over Jackson, Mc/D or whoever from Fender came on the board and asked what we wanted to see or what they needed to know. Myself and others made them perfectly clear of Alexi's situation with his stolen guitars and upcoming COB tour. Additionally, I was on the phone daily with FMIC mgmt(until DFW came in and f'd things up) and made them aware of the situation.

FMIC dropped the ball plain and simple.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I would totally agree, Greg. I really fail to see the logic or merit behind any of these grandoise schemes that are being drummed up. It's a matter of FMIC not paying attention to potential bread and butter. Alexi is, like it or not, gaining accolades and notoriety on a daily basis among younger kids getting into playing guitar. For FMIC to miss the boat on that, or remain ignorant (i.e. - apathetic) to that fact is just inconceivable. If they really wanted to atone for this mess, they should have just followed through on one of his custom orders and delivered it anyway. In that case, what could be gained certainly would be far greater than what would be invested.

[Rhoadsfan67]

Re: Alexi tells all...

I originally started this thread only to show how miserable Jackson's fortunes have been in losing endorsers, not to present any of these hypothetical scenarios. I just think it sucks that the timing of the events leading up to and including Alexi leaving pretty much sum up alot of what has been happening with FMIC-Jackson's endorsement deals heading south. This is especially magnified since people like Alexi do not come along everyday. He is a purveyor of a somewhat dying entity - the guitar solo. He has the potential be the next Randy as far as far reaching influence goes. It's a SHAME, plain and simple.

[ September 03, 2003, 10:52 AM: Message edited by: Brian ]

[VoiceX3]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Ok, you're making it sound like I laugh at the fact that Alexi's guitars were stolen.....nothing could be further from the truth. I think all guitar theives should be sliced up with a thousand razors and dropped into a vat of alcohol. Believe me I understand his sorrow for sure.

The point I was getting to is this. I'm nobody and I bring at least 4 guitars to a gig ......and he only owned those 2? He had NO OTHER GUITARS HE COULD PLAY?????? I mean c'mon HE'S ALEXI F'N LAIHO!!!!!! It doesn't sound fishy to anyone here that he only had 2 players? Sorry, I don't buy it.

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Alexi, the next Randy Rhoads? Uh, Alexi is good and all, but I don't think he will change the way people play and think about guitar the way Randy Rhoads did...

[VoiceX3]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Ha Ha Ha Lerxstcat! If you saw my paystubs you'd take that back! LOL I have not personally had any of my guitars stolen, but a band I was fronting about 8 years back had all their equipment stolen....so believe me I do know the feeling. My guitarists played MY guitars for a few months till they got new ones of their own. If you only own 2 guitars and they're your livelyhood......you'd better make sure they're safe before you go party. I do have a REALLY HARD TIME believing those were his only 2. Think about it.....his only 2 guitars were custom shop Jacksons? What did he have before those? I'm sorry, but it all seems far fetched to me.

I also know that Greg told McD or others at FMIC about the situation, but did Alexi or his management call? We don't know for sure. So, yeah, in one sense FMIC dropped the ball a bit. However is it really their responsibility to call him because a middle man told them to? No offense, but Greg isn't the Label, Management OR Alexi. It does suck......but that's life sometimes.

[the_drip]

Re: Alexi tells all...

I would rather not see Alexi with his old Hondo, thanx.

[lerxstcat]

Re: Alexi tells all...

He did have a 3rd Rhoads that was beat to hell, that he had worked on and which fell apart a couple weeks into the Sinergy tour. Then he borrowed some of Roope's guitars to finish, but Roope was not likely to let his guitars go off out of his sight on the COB tour. If Alexi DID have any other decent guitars why would he borrow Roope's? It's not really far-fetched at all; not everybody wants 20-30 guitars, some bond with 1 or 2.

As for pay, you'd be surprised. A good friend of mine was with a big Southeast band a few years back. They weren't signed but they were always booked 6 months ahead, playing the best clubs in town from Florida to Central Texas and north through the Carolinas. They had 4 Marshall stacks per side, big lights, fog machines, a pro setup. He made $200 a week after expenses. Out of that he also had to pay for the place he shared with his wife when he wasn't on the road. The expenses eat up a lot on the road, it's not like playing a gig in the next town
once in awhile. So if you're making 20K per year you may be kicking Alexi's ass! We discussed this on another thread - a band's notoriety doesn't necessarily translate into a huge income. Basically they have a huge DEBT to the record company who puts up the money for recording and touring, and who has to be paid before the band gets paid.

Regarding FMIC, I'd say if they don't want ESP to run Jackson right out of Europe in sales, then yes, they need to call the artist if they want to do
business in the European market. It's good business to seek out hot artists as endorsees, especialy if you already have some sort of relationship. A FORM LETTER, for God's sake, to Euro endorsed artists saying, "Hey, call us, we're still interested in you" would've been smart on FMIC's part, instead of a "F**K 'em, let 'em call US" aproach as they took.

[ September 03, 2003, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: lerxstcat ]

[Geir]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Originally posted by VoiceX3:
I'm nobody and I bring at least 4 guitars to a gig ......and he only owned those 2? He had NO OTHER GUITARS HE COULD PLAY?????? I mean c'mon HE'S ALEXI F'N LAIHO!!!!!! It doesn't sound fishy to anyone here that he only had 2 players? Sorry, I don't buy it.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">He did have a beat to death third one, didn't he?

Remember, lowest street price (OSG like) for a custom in Europe is about the same as the List price in the US (About the double). His would cost something between $4000 and $5000.

Metal ain't really big business here in Europe. Well, at least nothing compared to what it is in the states. As far as I know, the CoB guys income was a little more than an average man from Finland each. And that's less than an average man from USA.

[lerxstcat]

Re: Alexi tells all...

That's my point. We're very lucky, and spoiled, in the USA, both in prosperity and in the cheap market for guitars on Ebay. Those are used, and not customs,
but yeah if Alexi could go out and find a
24-fret King V with Floyd for $1,000 or less like WE can, he may have been apt to do so. Chances are he'd have trouble getting one used for $2,000 over there, then more $ to adapt it to his needs.
If you're thinking of paying out say 10% of your yearly income for a guitar you're
75% happy with, then here is ESP saying
they'll build you a couple of customs for free, maybe pay you to use them, and have them ready in a month instead of 9 months
to a year, well what do you do? I think
I'd do what he did too, and most of us honestly would too, if you felt dropped personally by Jackson. Again it's easy to say what Alexi did wrong a year later,
when you weren't under the gun and considering matters of survival as he was at the time.

[the_drip]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Originally posted by KE:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by VoiceX3:
I'm nobody and I bring at least 4 guitars to a gig ......and he only owned those 2? He had NO OTHER GUITARS HE COULD PLAY?????? I mean c'mon HE'S ALEXI F'N LAIHO!!!!!! It doesn't sound fishy to anyone here that he only had 2 players? Sorry, I don't buy it.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">He did have a beat to death third one, didn't he?

Remember, lowest street price (OSG like) for a custom in Europe is about the same as the List price in the US (About the double). His would cost something between $4000 and $5000.

Metal ain't really big business here in Europe. Well, at least nothing compared to what it is in the states. As far as I know, the CoB guys income was a little more than an average man from Finland each. And that's less than an average man from USA. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That's strange, that you'd think MEtal isn't big in europe. Considering that 90 percent of everything in my metal collection is european. Metal is not big in the STates. let me rephrase that... GOOD Metal is not big in the states.

[micha]

Re: Alexi tells all...

try to find a german on wacken.
if you ask "haste mal ne kippe" noone will understand you. you gotta ask for a cigarette... [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
don't get me wrong, I like wacken beeing so international. only the freakiest people in the world are around there, but hell... isn't it a shame to see people come from australia, the US or japan and (compared) almoust noone from germany?
that's how big metal is here.

I'm still looking for the big metal land...
but I'd n0t be that happy to see those freaky kids, who run around in baggy-pants and celibrate the big ghetto-star today, running around with long hair playing metal-head some day.
that's the point, where music dies and it gets commercial. let's pray, metal won't get THAT big in the next years...


back to topic;
yep, alexi had a third one, and he's still using it once in a while for extra deep tunings on stage like in "sixpounder". but he's got the headstock-taped.

I think it's a good thing, alexi only having these three guitars, with one, beeing close to garbage.
that's more simpatico to me, than these ultra-hard rockers, who wreck up another dozen of guitars on stage each show....
he's been playing these guits for years now, and didn't need anything else.
it's just one tuning (D), only one sound (distortion from the only PU, and the JE1000. impossible to get cleans out of this guitar) and that's enough. the rest is music.
I like that idea...

indeed it was just one guitar and a backup.
he changed only when a string broke or so, that's it.


I like effects and different sounds from different guitars once in a while, but many people hide behind them and try to sound greater than they really are...

[ September 03, 2003, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: micha ]

[toejam]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Originally posted by Black Mariah:
I don't care how tiny the dude is. If you can play a Rhoads, you can play a KV. The only difference is that the KV has a longer fin on one side. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Not to mention that the longer wing on a Rhoads IS longer than the wings on the King V. Remember the Double Rhoads? That was two longer Rhoads wings.