I got a great question???

[mantis]

Why do todays top Guitar players all play ESP??? I know they make fantastic guitars but in the 80's Jackson/ Charvel ruled. Today I don't see the same thing.
In the 80's people like George Lynch played ESP and not many others. I remember just lusting after all the great Jacksons I would see people playing.Chravels where also all over the place.

Did Jackson fall short? Did they start making less then the highest quality guitars?? I also ask this as I had to return my very first Jackson only guitar. I owned a 2005 SL3 and it had to go back due to crazy ringing and buzzing noise I got out of it. I took it to 2 different Guitar techs and they couldn't fix it. Even after a complete setup , it couldn't be figured out what exaclty was wrong with it. I even took it to a master guitar tech that has done jacksons for 20 years or so and Fender and Gibsons for 30 years and he figured it was something electronic and would have to replace part by part to figure it out.
My new 2006 Jackson SL3 has alittle ring here and there but I might need a complete setup as it's only a few months old ad haven't been setup again since I got it.

Talk to me fellas

Dan

[xenophobe]

Because ESP pays or have better endorsement deals... depending on what level of endorsement they receive...

[RobRR]

Dan, for the money you pay, it doesent get any better than Jacksons. Period. Jacksons can generally compete EASILY with guitars which are twice as expensive.

The problem today is everyone goes where the "money" is. Jackson isnt very "giving" when it comes to who they sponsor. Generally, Jackson doesent give guitars for free to their artists (I dont know the specifics of course but Im guessing a few of the REAL BIG guys get a few freebies).

ESP and the like give them away like water. Almost anyone can have their own ESP Signature guitar... seems like everyone does.

Dont get me wrong, ESP makes some nice guitars... but all in all, to me it comes town to musicianship: Play simply the BEST instruments available, and have to pay for them (albiet at a discounted price), or play a so-so instrument and not have to pay a cent for them.

Me? Ill take the BEST... and Ill pay for it, too. This is why Ill never stray from J/C even if I do make it big some day.

I do, however, think its a marketing mistake on FMIC's part to not be as giving to their endorsees... when people see one of their idols up on stage playing a guitar, that makes them want it. How many Jacksons do you really see today on stage? Not too many... hopefully FMIC will wise up to this and realize that theres much to be had from that.

Then again, Im kind of glad Jackson isnt HUGE... makes us that play them all the more unique.

[jackson1]

A success will have its peak, a limited window in the timeline of history. Just like the top guitar players. They have their window of peak fame too. After a while, people want change. They want something to stand out from the crowd. And how's that done? By change.

Success can be short lived or long lived - but at some point the trend change and the success fade. That's just how it is. And success will often return.

Retro is a popular way to change. You just look back 20 years or so and repeat what those guys did. You might go: -Hey, why don't I pick up a Jackson instead of all those ESPs I see people use out there...I might get noticed if I did...

You can't be a continuous success. Facts of modern life. All this is of course controlled by the medias.

[jackson1]

Then again, Im kind of glad Jackson isnt HUGE... makes us that play them all the more unique.

See?

[JACKSONFREAK]

It's called market sturation. EP is willing to pay people to play thier guitars larger sums of money than most maufacturers to thier product seen. And when little Johnny guitar player noob see's his idol playing an ESP he wants one. Market saturation translates to more people exposure and more sales for ESP. Thus mass production ensues and yo have the crapy LTD models. That outsell Ibanez currently. But then it also comes down to the artist who is willing toi sell himself for an endorsement deal. AKA the whores of guitardom.. lol
Gil

[Special-K]

btw: and Jackson had before his downfall`s and I think they are going
back to the top..
Cause if the rumours are true, Alexi Laiho and Roope Latvala(Children Of Bodom) will go back to Jackson...Reasons, unknown(my guess: ESP makes that aren`t really near to the quality of Jackson`s...)

And also other ESP endorsers....

Time will tell

[Newc]

On one hand, from the perspective of a Jackson fanatic who wants "a Jackson in every home", I do wish they were more open to the idea of playing the same game Ibenhad and ESPee and Gibson and even Fender are playing - giving away freebies to the whores.

On the other hand, from the perspective of the Jackson fanatic who believes in the product strongly, I'm glad they don't play that game, because the first thing that would happen is the number of people required to build them would increase, yet the quality would decrease, and you can pretty much forget about getting a USA Custom Shop unless you're a big name.

That's not to say I believe they'll rush someone through Luthier School and get them building stuff in a month, but that pressure will exist, and will be reflected in what hits the shelves.

Jackson still has a "boutique" feel to it like GMP or Anderson due to the small number of employees as compared to Gibson and Fender.

[lerxstcat]

Dont forget that the prices would have to double to pay the endorsees and then Jackson would be no more than another ESP.

[atomic charvel guy]

A success will have its peak, a limited window in the timeline of history. Just like the top guitar players. They have their window of peak fame too. After a while, people want change. They want something to stand out from the crowd. And how's that done? By change.

Success can be short lived or long lived - but at some point the trend change and the success fade. That's just how it is. And success will often return.

Retro is a popular way to change. You just look back 20 years or so and repeat what those guys did. You might go: -Hey, why don't I pick up a Jackson instead of all those ESPs I see people use out there...I might get noticed if I did...

You can't be a continuous success. Facts of modern life. All this is of course controlled by the medias.

You have a strong point Newcenstein, but The Stones keep rolling, and I could not belive what I have a picture of in this huge giant hardcover book my girlfriend got me about the Stones for christmas, there a pic of Keith sitting in his cobblestone driveway with and ESP tele, humbucker in the bridge to boot!!! and with a freakin' graphic-lol!!!! I couldn't believe it. I'll try and scan or take a pic with the camera and get it up on the the thread here. I was in total shock, this is Keith we're talking about here.

[El_Kabong]

ESP is willing to go to the shows in Japan with translators and listens to the artist about their gear and offers to build the artist a guitar to spec, if the artist promises to play it on stage. The legal work makes it more complicated, but that is what my friend witnessed, when translating between ESP and the Darkness.

[Seventh Avenged]

tommy,

Dude, i've seen and have a pic of that too...

unreal.

i guess ESP made it for Keith when Ronny was hooking up with them.

[atomic charvel guy]

it was right before he got "the old wrinkled wallet that mumbled" look ya know-lol he just looked like a wrinkled wallet that mumbled at the time. I love the stones always will. He has over 1000 guitars over all the years, that's cool you've seen that pic, you'd never think it. But he's said even people have come up to him and handed their guitars over to him and said "keep it Keith" I need to get something like that going over here -lol