Jackson not progressing any? Why?

[nor]

And no, we don't pay people to endorse our guitars. Randy Rhoads paid for his guitars and until somebody better than him comes along it's the way we intend to run the business.

[Brooke]

There's a new site in the works and it's coming together REAL nice! Re: Mustaine, he did fall asleep with his arm over the back of a chair in rehab and as a result experienced temporary damage to his hands. For the record, the guys at Jackson still respect Dave for what he brought to metal and his part in the history of Jackson guitars. He's the reason I started playing Jackson guitars!

Bring back Dave!

[ABSOLUT CHARVEL]

And no, we don't pay people to endorse our guitars. Randy Rhoads paid for his guitars and until somebody better than him comes along it's the way we intend to run the business.

I'm going to go out on a limb here .... I don't expect someone better to come along anytime soon.


I do have a question though .... Is the same practice applied at Fender on not endorsing? If not, why do they at this point when they at the top of the game? and why exclude Jackson if an endorsement would elevate the brand as practiced at Fender?

I'll take my answer off the air, Thank you.

[pro-fusion]

Maybe the underlying issue here--and what is so maddening about ESP and Ibanez--is what qualifies as an "endorser." Are there any Jackson endorsers, or Fender endorsers for that matter, who weren't already playing those guitars before they got the deal? With ESP and Ibanez, quite a few of the endorsers were paid to switch over from another brand. What the hell kind of endorsement is that? Especially when you know that many of them are getting specially made instruments that you and I cannot get. That's not a criticism of ESP and Ibanez guitars. I have an '80s ESP Mirage Custom that's going in my casket with me, and I've owned and played many nice Ibanez guitars. But their marketing is dishonest and craptacular, IMHO. I appreciate that Jackson endorsers are enthusiasts.

[_koppen]

But also have in mind that there was player who switched from Jackson to ESP, Dean and other brands. And i don't think they get paid to switch over, they just get there guitars for free, unlike Jackson endorses ( Jackson even told Marty and Dave to start buying there instrument's, what kind of endorsment is that?) And let's compare endorsment's deals! Phil from Machine head has had the same two king v's for quite som time now, and i am pretty sure that he had to pay for his first demmelition V, then take Trivium who is endorsed to Dean, they have been endorsed to Dean for about 2 years, and they have alreday got over 20 USA custom made guitars for them.
And to be honest, i don't think fender tries so hard to find people to endorse, or be kind to them, they are just glad that one off the competition companies is out of the way!

[Newc]

Giving someone free guitars and/or money to use your product speaks volumes about your product: you have to pay people to use it. Wow. The product can't stand on its own merit. Fabulous.

Jackson stands on its own merit. Period.

It's a shame that it's a bidding war for the whores, but it's good to see Jackson has more class than the thousands of "professionals" out there who say "pay me to play it".

Whores have always been supported by those with low self-esteem or who just want to have a piece of trash, and it's still the same. Whether it's $2 or $2000, a whore is still a whore.

[_koppen]

A bussdriver who takes a whole bussload to a resturant never has to pay for his food.

If your getting a shitload of fans to buy the guitar you playing, you should NOT have to pay for your guitar.

[Newc]

Ah, but first you have to prove that you brought the fans to the brand.

Despite Mustaine's version of the story, he did not do it all by his lonesome. Many came before him - Scott Ian, Danny Spitz, RATT, Stryper, Nelson, Phil Collen, even Metallica.

While I'm not privvy to the exact details, I'm pretty sure Scott Ian's "NOT" Soloist wasn't a freebie, nor was Spitz' TMNT RR or his XTRRs.

Did Rhoads pay for his? I'm quite sure he did.

[Newc]

Kill the imports. All of 'em. Unless they are willing to dial up the CNC tolerances like the 88ish-92ish Japan models - kill 'em. Want an import? Import it yourself (Stars, etc.).

Seriously.

When I started digging J/C's in the mid-80's it wasn't because of Eddie, Randy, and Dave. It was because they were the best playing axes on Earth. The only company at the time who could touch the fretwork was Hamer. They also cost 2-3X as much (list) as a LP Custom - 4-5x as much as a Strat.

And they flew off the racks. Gibson began increasing pricing to increase the 'perceived' value, Fender followed suit. Same axes, inflated pricing. Even today, the J/C CS is backlogged 6-12 months if you don't factor the warehousing issues.

Ibby/ESP/Schecter own the entry-level market - let 'em have it. Give us back the 'someday I WILL own one!' mystique.

"Let them eat Deans."

lol...

While I usually agree that sometimes you have to go backwards before you can go forward, I strongly disagree here.

Killing your import line now is total forfeiture of the game, because the new marketing war is fought on the import front. Go back to only USA-build and you end up a boutique maker with only 3 people.

It was easier in the 80s with the "If It's Jap It's Crap" slogans being thrown around at the time, but the last 20 years have blown that argument out of the water entirely.

I tell ya what - go get a job at Burger King if you want the "mystique" of not being able to afford one today, and I'll keep the job that pays me enough to buy 2 Custom Shops at the same time, k? kthxbye.

[_koppen]

Yah i know, but that's Jacksons big problem. They never give people a chance, there is so many people who has played Jackson, but they wont sign them until they big and famous. And buy then they are long time gone to ESP, Dean or whoever.
And come to think of it, that is actully quite sad..
I still just don't understand how Kevin Bond managed to get a signature out there :S

[stevoc]

While I usually agree that sometimes you have to go backwards before you can go forward, I strongly disagree here.

Killing your import line now is total forfeiture of the game, because the new marketing war is fought on the import front. Go back to only USA-build and you end up a boutique maker with only 3 people.

It was easier in the 80s with the "If It's Jap It's Crap" slogans being thrown around at the time, but the last 20 years have blown that argument out of the water entirely.

I tell ya what - go get a job at Burger King if you want the "mystique" of not being able to afford one today, and I'll keep the job that pays me enough to buy 2 Custom Shops at the same time, k? kthxbye.

I agree. The japanese market allows those who can't afford the "american dream" (hehe) to own a jackson guitar. By giving up the import lines, your giving away that demographic who can't afford the american models, hence limiting your customer base.

[Newc]

Yah i know, but that's Jacksons big problem. They never give people a chance, there is so many people who has played Jackson, but they wont sign them until they big and famous. And buy then they are long time gone to ESP, Dean or whoever.
And come to think of it, that is actully quite sad..
I still just don't understand how Kevin Bond managed to get a signature out there :S

Unlike Gibson, ESPee, Ibenhad, and even Fender, you don't get an endorsement with Jackson just because you read a Mel Bay book.

A John Mayer sig model Strat? WTF? What makes it any different from the billions of standard Strat models out there already? Nothing. You've already got all the neck profiles on all the various body arrangements (wood/routes/bridges), so why yet another sig model?

Whatsisface from Blink182 had a sig Strat - a 1-hum wonder. Wow, that's creative and original. NOT!

Some guy I never heard of got a signature Epiphone with a nice hot rod flame job. Another guy had a signature V. These were not "name" players - they were niche players in bands that are now pretty much dead.

That is the manufacturer whoring out.

Jackson hired Jenna because she's the undisputed Queen of all Whores. She'll do anything and anyone for the right price, so she's the perfect endorsee just because it shows paid endorsees for what they are - whores.
So some shmuck in a College band uses your brand - yay. In 5 years when his career is over and he's working at Burger King because he dropped out of College for "the band", he'll be playing a First Act from WalMart.

[MartinBarre]

Unlike Gibson, ESPee, Ibenhad, and even Fender, you don't get an endorsement with Jackson just because you read a Mel Bay book.

A John Mayer sig model Strat? WTF? What makes it any different from the billions of standard Strat models out there already? Nothing. You've already got all the neck profiles on all the various body arrangements (wood/routes/bridges), so why yet another sig model?

Whatsisface from Blink182 had a sig Strat - a 1-hum wonder. Wow, that's creative and original. NOT!

Some guy I never heard of got a signature Epiphone with a nice hot rod flame job. Another guy had a signature V. These were not "name" players - they were niche players in bands that are now pretty much dead.

That is the manufacturer whoring out.

Jackson hired Jenna because she's the undisputed Queen of all Whores. She'll do anything and anyone for the right price, so she's the perfect endorsee just because it shows paid endorsees for what they are - whores.
So some shmuck in a College band uses your brand - yay. In 5 years when his career is over and he's working at Burger King because he dropped out of College for "the band", he'll be playing a First Act from WalMart.

I'm taking what you say on board, and to a large extent I agree. But you like to call people "whores", when in fact all they're doing is making some money to support their family or whatever.

Most people in this world, if they were in a band, had one hit single or whatever, and were offered a pile of cash plus some really sweet custom guitars, just to be an endorsee, well - come on. Some people would KILL just to be known as an endorsee of ANY guitar company. That's the age we live in.

Don't be so judgemental. I'm certain you'd jump ship too if ESP offered you a custom guitar and money too.
Jackson can't compete in such a market, hence the downturn in recent high profile Jackson players.
I'm surprised Adrian Smith is still seen playing them, when he could get plenty more cash elsewhere. But then I suppose he already has enough cash.

Which opens another can of worms.
Do people like Adrian only still play Jacksons because they don't need the money? Would he be playing ESP too if Maiden hadn't been so successful? Probably.

[Newc]

As I recall, Adrian and Dave both endorse Fender at the moment. Adrian has used Lado, Gibson, and a host of others over the years. As I recall, the Jacksons only came out for one or two tours - Somewhere In Time and 7th Son. Definitely not their best work IMO, and certainly not great simply for the Jacksons, as some have suggested previously when those albums were mentioned.


Ah, the old "supporting the family" line. How quaint. Doesn't hold water with me, but whatever floats your boat. If you can't maintain your integrity - especially someone in the public eye, and someone who bounces from brand to brand shopping for the best deal - then I call whoring on you.

And no, I would not jump ship to ESPee if they waved money at me and promised free gear. I play Jacksons because I like them, not because they do me any favors. Same reason I bought an Ibanez EX350 years ago. I loved that guitar, though it did have pretty poor trimming on the frets. Ibanez simply pissed me off, so I was done with them.

[VitaminG]

you recall incorrectly then. Adrian has endorsed Jackson for quite a while, played them through his time with the Bruce Dickinson band, and is using them all through the current tour. Whether SOT & 7th Son are their best works is entirely subjective and many would disagree with you. Regardless, it was certainly around the peak of the band's popularity, and that matters.

I don't get the repeated references I see to Jenna as an "endorsee". She did a modelling gig for Jackson, and one where she got to keep her clothes on, and she's called a whore for it? If she wasn't a pron star and was just some struggling model who posed in a bikini with a Rhoads, she'd be no different than the old Dean Markley ads or the Dean Guitar Girls. Guitar Buyers Guide (or whatever it's called) uses bikini models every issue, and on occasion those models have been pron actresses. But somehow because of her reputation Jenna's posing for a Jackson advertising campaign becomes an "endorsement deal" rather than a modelling shoot, and it's evidence of Jackson "whoring itself out"? Please.