Alexi tells all...

[eaeolian]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Brian's making the right point here, I think - there are several ex-endorsers who are very unhappy with the way things were handled. (Jack Frost springs immediately to mind.)

As for Alexi, he went to a company that was more responsive to his needs/wants in his timeframe - and it's hard to blame him for that.

(Boxcar's right, though - he's good, but a Rhoads-style attitude shifter he ain't.)

Mike

[Inazone]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Originally posted by VoiceX3:
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.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It's one of the mysteries of the music scene. I get a lot of crap from friends because of my ever-growing gear collection, but to me it means never being screwed because something gets broken or stolen. Then there are high school and college kids playing in bands, with their Mesa stacks and racks full of gear, but if they so much as blow a tube, they're dead in the water. For a touring pro like Alexi to only have two guitars seems insane to me...but maybe that's all he has ever needed.

[eaeolian]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Remember, Alexi's a touring pro, but that DOESN'T mean he has a lot of money. (Ask Nevermore about that...)

It's really not that unusual. I like to have spare gear, too, but sometimes it's just not a justifiable purchase, even when it's your profession.

Mike

[Rhoadsfan67]

Re: Alexi tells all...

I didn't say he WAS the next Randy. Believe me, I am one of the biggest Rhoads fans and collectors there is. I am saying "influential" in terms of getting young people into this style of music and playing ripping solos again. His influence is more wide ranging than just about any other young gun these days in that he appeals to a wide age group and cross section of fans.

As for his two guitars, I believe him. You guys seem to think just because he is in a band that he's loaded or something. Nothing could be farther from the truth. He still travels in a $hitty van for tours and probably lives, for the most part, gig to gig. It's certainly conceivable that he only had two guitars given that scenario.

[ September 03, 2003, 12:47 PM: Message edited by: Brian ]

[lerxstcat]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Great point, Michael! Voicex3, as a computer tech in the wealthy USA, you may very well make A LOT more money than Alexi Laiho does with both his bands. Remember, the record company hits the trough first on record sales, and on the road the band has to cover road expenses nefore they see a dime.

I didn't think you were glad his gear was stolen, but you seemed to be sneering at him for "letting" his stuff be stolen. I am sure you have sympathy, but if it hasn't happened to you as you say, then no, you really DON'T know how he feels.
I've luckily never been ripped myself, but many of my friends have, and it's the psychological version of rape. Be GLAD you don't understand it; that means you haven't experienced it. However careful
you are, you're still LUCKY if you've never been ripped off. I'm sure if you DID get robbed and someone commented to YOU that way, the fight would be on.

[ September 03, 2003, 12:57 PM: Message edited by: lerxstcat ]

[lerxstcat]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Err, other than the fact that I was JOKING about a King V's LOWER wing dragging the ground, if you took that seriously, the UPPER wing which is the LONGER wing on a Rhoads is HIGHER because it's - get this - the UPPER wing. Being UPPER, it is further from the ground, mmmkayyy?!?

My point was more that the greater size and mass might be uncomfortable on the guy. I didn't really mean that he was so short he couldn't keep the bottom wing off the floor, it's called sarcasm mode.

[ September 04, 2003, 01:28 AM: Message edited by: lerxstcat ]

[VitaminG]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Earth to Brent, it was a joke, ok?

Earth to Meekus, i knew it was a joke

Earth to Brent, im not so sure about that because you were all like "he's a male model of course hes heard of styling gel", LIKE YOU DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A JOKE!hahahahahahaha

[lerxstcat]

Re: Alexi tells all...

[img]graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Tetsuo]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Originally posted by lerxstcat:
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.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You nailed it 100% right there if people want to argue against that they are not being realistic.

[VoiceX3]

Re: Alexi tells all...

You know what.....it's as simple as this. He's gone to ESP, period. I know what bands make on the road, and I also know what's almost always included in contract riders for a tour. I have played with and have several friends that either were or are signed right now. I know how the business works. That has absolutely nothing to do with this. If you say money had a lot to do with it because he doesn't make enough to get by with both bands then he couldn't exactly be selling too many albums, thus wouldn't necessarily make him a lucritive endorsee now would it?

What it comes down to is business. Jackson was in a transition period sorting out all kinds of crap that had to be done and yes did drop the ball in a sense here. Did Alexi call them? I don't see anywhere where it said he did. I know Randy did his own footwork as have most of the other "HIGH PROFILE" Jackson endorsees like Mustaine, Ian, Collen, Friedman even the older endorsees called themselves. Alexi wasn't in a position or just didn't feel like waiting. ESP brought an offer to the table, he took it. Oh well. Does the sun fall from the sky because of it? No. Are Jackson, Sinergy or COB going to have their sales affected by this? Not likely.

Oh yeah, and where did you read about metal in Europe? It's way bigger there than it is here. I don't know what the scene is in Mississippi, but up here in the Northeast metal is FAR FROM HUGE......actually the scene here sucks ass.

[Steve]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Originally posted by Michael:
Remember, Alexi's a touring pro, but that DOESN'T mean he has a lot of money. (Ask Nevermore about that...)

It's really not that unusual. I like to have spare gear, too, but sometimes it's just not a justifiable purchase, even when it's your profession.

Mike

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">and then you got to get a job to pay for your gear [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] you got to do it right if your a pro though , 2 of the same guitars 1 for studio 1 for the road , do this 2 times and your set //Steve

[lerxstcat]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Originally posted by VoiceX3:
You know what.....it's as simple as this. He's gone to ESP, period. I know what bands make on the road, and I also know what's almost always included in contract riders for a tour. I have played with and have several friends that either were or are signed right now. I know how the business works. That has absolutely nothing to do with this. If you say money had a lot to do with it because he doesn't make enough to get by with both bands then he couldn't exactly be selling too many albums, thus wouldn't necessarily make him a lucritive endorsee now would it?

What it comes down to is business. Jackson was in a transition period sorting out all kinds of crap that had to be done and yes did drop the ball in a sense here. Did Alexi call them? I don't see anywhere where it said he did. I know Randy did his own footwork as have most of the other "HIGH PROFILE" Jackson endorsees like Mustaine, Ian, Collen, Friedman even the older endorsees called themselves. Alexi wasn't in a position or just didn't feel like waiting. ESP brought an offer to the table, he took it. Oh well. Does the sun fall from the sky because of it? No. Are Jackson, Sinergy or COB going to have their sales affected by this? Not likely.

Oh yeah, and where did you read about metal in Europe? It's way bigger there than it is here. I don't know what the scene is in Mississippi, but up here in the Northeast metal is FAR FROM HUGE......actually the scene here sucks ass.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Metal in Europe? You're thinking of someone else's post there I believe. I do know it's bigger in Europe, but one of our German brothers posted that because he said you can't find a German at Wacken anymore.

One of our Suomi brothers posted that the COB guys make a bit above the average Finnish wage, which is somewhat less than the average American wage. Your friends being signed notwithstanding, that doesn't change the fact that the record company recoups all expenses of touring and recording before the band sees a dime, or whatever small Finnish coin is
equivalent. You know what bands make on the road? That's good, since that varies from pay-to-play to $1,000,000.00 per night according to the act. Your knowledge is also pertinent to the AMERICAN market, not the European market,
and unless you've read THEIR contracts you are guessing.

I agree the US metal scene is really weak
compared to the European scene, but just because those bands are recording and touring doesn't mean they are raking in the dough. I'd bet the labels there make
even more proportionally than the US labels do, leaving less for the bands. Of course that's just my guess, as much as your speculations are guesses. Finland is a nation of only 5.5 million on the frozen northern border of Russia, one of the poorer nations of Europe. The bands there probably take any deal the record company offers just to get their music out. We probably would know little of those bands if not for the Internet, which is one way a band can become popular and influential these days without selling a million records.

You know that the guitar stars who sell guitars don't always sell that many records; they are stars of the cult of guitar, and those guys may well download
their music, but can't download a guitar.
When's the last time Vai sold a million?
With Whitesnake I'm sure; on his own, never. Of course, he's centrally located
in L.A. so he's been able to hire out to
spread his name and rep. Record sales under his name have likely been tepid, but Ibanez sells a lot of guitars because of Steve Vai. Alexi is recognized as a
strong up-and-comer in the world of shred
which is a major part of Jackson's market.

I would say that if someone scrutinized your career and actions based only on what they learned online, then critiqued
your career moves, you would be outraged.
Yet that's what you're doing with Alexi.
You're presenting yourself as being more professional than he, but you're not signed and are unknown, so it comes off as jealousy to say that. I'm not saying that you're jealous, necessarily, but it's a reasonable assumption given what we know of you, and of Alexi, from this board. You see how that works? Drawing
a conclusion from that limited of knowledge is unfair - to you, and to him.

[VoiceX3]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Ok, I am in no way bashing Alexi's abilities at all.....he is a phenominal player. I am also not comparing his career to my past career now hobby. My close friends who shall remain nameless do not tour the US at all.......they play Europe and Japan. What I'm saying is.....Alexi left Jackson, we don't really know the specifics do we? Are you gonna stop playing Jacksons now? Is anyone going to boycott Alexi because of this? The answer to all those questions is a quite clear and astounding NO. What's done is done, and there is fault on both sides of the coin for sure.

As for jealousy, that's not my style......Alexi is an incredible player, I'm average at best. Vocally tho, well.....like guitar, we're not even in the same league. Take that however you like.

[lerxstcat]

Re: Alexi tells all...

Good point, I'm not dumping Jackson because Alexi's not there, and I'm not really interested in ESPs either, they don't intrigue me or offend me, they're just another brand, not as nice as Jacksons but functionally, put one in your hands and you should be able to play it.

The jealousy issue I don't really believe
man! I was just trying to say it would be as unfair for me to tag you with that based on the little I know of you, as it is to do that to Alexi based on the little we know of his situation. I don't want to fight with you, I respect your posts by and large; just saying follow the Golden Rule, not the Golden Shower Rule. You don't have to emulate Dave ALL
the way! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[VoiceX3]

Re: Alexi tells all...

LOL!!!!! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] Lerxstcat, good point, well taken. I won't completely emulate Dave personality wise, and I won't be following suit to ESP either. Who really wants a pickguard and funny bevels at the bottom of a King V anyways!