Artiste Endorsement

Of course it's about money. The people working in there have families with mouths to feed- they aren't running a charity!

The only reason "Artist Signature Series" models sell for such high prices is because people are willing to fork out the money- much like how a Mocha Frappaccino is going to cost you ten times more than Kopi-O.

It's called profit maximisation- if some people are willing to pay more, why not?

Nobody's asking YOU to buy another artist's signature series model. Are you going to complain about the price of first class air tickets next, when economy or business class suits you just fine??

Spend within your means, and live with it.
 
I never wanted to get a singature series...but when I found a guitar with the right wood, pickups and design and not custom shop, it turned out to be a signature model. Luckily he is one of my favourite artists so I got it.

I did pay a bomb but not the custom shop bomb. It's pre-fender Jackson so I believe I am happier (idealistically) than if I got a fender factory made Jackson although I've not played any of the new ones so can't comment on playbility. I just hate the way fender has 'redesigned' Jackson, it's something that will keep happening I'm afraid.

I agree with getting a signature if those specs fit you or else you're better off getting the same t-shirt as the artist!
 
technically... e company dont usually endorse e artiste, e company sponsor e artistes....... its e artistes that endorse e company or their products (most of e time)
 
=visa

I think what he's complaining about is how absurd the prices are and that it's more coporate and business like. The people at enron had families and mouths to feed too...so does all those who start the food scams.

Blatant profiteering is not the same as value for money, while some people may want to pay for it, does not mean we all have to accept it. Personal choice I guess.
 
dude , its always about the money , i dont think anybody's objective or running a business is to lose money , of course they want to make as much as possible !! Stop complaining about it cause it just makes you look jealous . Why not you go become a high profile artist and endorse a cheaper guitar . Don't just sit and complain about everything .

Even charities make money , i know my dear friend TT.Durai is good at that and that Ren Ci dude too . Lets be realistic here . I hate idealists that just sit and whine instead of doing something about it .

And yes there are artists here in SG fully endorsed , they just don't have signature models thats all .
 
zax said:
Even charities make money , i know my dear friend TT.Durai is good at that and that Ren Ci dude too . Lets be realistic here . I hate idealists that just sit and whine instead of doing something about it .
And yes there are artists here in SG fully endorsed , they just don't have signature models thats all .
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You have the right of that opinion but does that mean that the other person is not doing anything about it? How would you know? Every business IS about making money, but how come there are some business who put in effort to maintain fair practices. Not asking Gibson to make great guitars at cheapo prices, but make sure they are what you pay for.

Look at PRS...their QC is legendary yet they don't anyhow slap a high price. All this with 200 factory staff.

Those 2 charity guys you mentioned are not the best examples by the way! I know: I work in charity :mrgreen:
 
Completely agree they are expensive. Took me a while to save for one and it was only the mid range. Having owned a Les Paul and played my dad's Fender strat limited ed., I find that the value for moneywise PRS is still better. Others may have a different opinion of course but I find Gibsons and Fenders lacking in workmanship for the same price range with a PRS.
 
"he's complaining about is how absurd the prices are and that it's more coporate and business like."

It's corporate and business like, because it IS a business!

"Blatant profiteering is not the same as value for money"

Profiteering is when you raise the prices of goods which are in short supply, meaning people have NO ALTERNATIVE but to buy your product. For example, oil producing companies in the OPEC can be accused of profiteering. This is not true for guitars, in my knowledge.

Besides, NO major corporations is out to give you value for money because they DON'T HAVE TO, DON'T NEED TO, and probably DON'T WANT TO, either.

If you want value for your money, you have to put in the effort to go out there and try every damn guitar you can find within your price range, until you find one that's worth it. People pay extra money for average guitars too because they either have little to no knowledge about the product, or they can't be arsed.

while some people may want to pay for it, does not mean we all have to accept it. Personal choice I guess.

Let me get this straight; we don't all have to accept that some goods are more expensive than others? That's interesting. I refuse to accept that oil prices are going up, or that milo peng now costs $1.20 a cup!

...

Didn't seem to change anything.

"The people at enron had families and mouths to feed too...so does all those who start the food scams."

Scams are that- scams. The scammers are doing something illegal, and they will be dealt with by the law. There is nothing illegal with selling goods at high prices.

If i chose to give tuition for $500 an hour, I'm not doing anything illegal. You either don't know how much other tutors charge, have a misconception that i'm much better than all the other tutors, or are so rich that you can't be damned to take the time to make a choice.

Same with buying expensive guitars.

"Not asking Gibson to make great guitars at cheapo prices, but make sure they are what you pay for. "

They are what you pay for- branding, branding, branding. The "Gibson" emblazoned across the headstock is what costs the money.

If you're complaining about the quality of Gibson's guitars, then don't buy them, plain and simple! You might as well walk into McDonald's and ask them to improve the quality of their food. If they're successful with the formula that has worked for them for years, they have no reason to change it just because of you.
 
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as the consumer, you have the power to NOT BUY. Don't like it, boycott, if people have the same sentiments, the company will have to relook it's business strategy.
 
So you find it saddening that business is trying to make more money by endorsing artist ? Its only natural right?? I don't think its that blatant, it is custom shop, and it is a signature model, if its limited run of xxx pieces only it could go higher.

You don't have to feel sad lah, the market is the single most powerul force there is... If the price is really so unjust the market will correct it in due time.
 
i guess wad zax and visa is trying to say is...so what if it cost so much for that particular model...gibson did not earn cash from us to make the signature model of a particular artist..thye used their own money to buy the stuff and made it to the exact specs of the fellow artist...people who are fans of the artist would buy it even at whatever price...

same as eric clapton and others...eric's signature worned strat "blackie" was sold at a whopping price...but the replicas were also sold at a very high price...why is that so...is fender trying to rip us off?why is it that when it was launched,the strat was gone str8 away...its cos there are consumers like us who decide whether it is worth buying it..do not just cos u use a guitar below a 4 digit amount and say where is the diff...why spend so much..still wood wad...the way u have put it jsut makes u sound that u're jealous that many have got more expensive guitars and that urs is good enough for u..therefore why spend an extra few thousand or hundreds for another guitar...

when u buy a car...its also the make that depends on the price aight?the toyota rush & daihatsu terios , daihatsu materia & toyota bB are all using the same platform...but why is it that 1 cost more than the other?its the make...Lexus RX300 and Toyota Harrier are the same...why some still spend more to get the lexus...same shit different day..

when u buy a Gibson Les Paul instead of a Tokai Love Rock, both are same shit..Mahogany With maple cap..hum-hum and 2 tone 2 volume...but some swear the tokai is better..but why Gibson Still manages to sell their Les Pauls at almost double the price?its due to the "GIBSON" on the headstock..its a basic "mojo" that the guitar gives u..even if u are a beginner guitarist..owning it or holding it in ur hands will make u feel shiok..maybe even make u think u play even better...normal human instinct..some swear by ibanez..i will never own an ibanez guitar..they are good guitars..not my type...Tylers,Suhrs are all amazing Strats...but why do u see Eric Clapton and many other strat/tele users still sticking to fender?i am sure if eric wants suhr or tyler to endorse him...no problem..its same rule...eric likes the fender more...cos he feels and plays better on them..

*just my thoughts...no hard feelings to anyone..:mrgreen: ..of course if anyone feels offended by this post...pm me and we can talk it out :mrgreen:
 
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uhhh. okay i wasn't expecting this to be dug up. nothing new has been mentioned thus far.. and no i'm not sore that a certain guitar costs $XXXXXXX amount of money.
 
i think its absolutely fair game. The reason that they can sell it at sky high prices is simply because there is a demand for it. They are counting on simple human psychology.

We all have different aspirations, idols, role models and dreams etc etc etc. And as much we are aware of our reality, some of us like to indulge in our fantasies. So in obtaining what our idols have/use (assuming that they actually USE the things they endorse), we believe that we are 1 step closer to being (like) them.

(Either that or the buyer is just a fanatic and likes to collect every single little thing related to his/her idol. :p)

Furthermore, the fact that some artists are idols means that they have huge influence over their fans. Companies merely use them as a marketing strategy to gain more influence over the consumers. Instead of use plain good-old marketing, these endorsements give the product/company an extra "boost".

In MY humble opinion, there isn't any issue at all. Companies aren't selling harmful things like recreational drugs or profiteering from their products. The Bottomline: There is demand. And as much as we hate the business politics and big-ass-coporations' models, they are here to stay. All we can do is educate ourselves and be wiser consumers, for our own sake.
 
actually the cost of endorsing an artist is minimal.

let's say company XYZ endorses one artist and gives him 20 free guitars. the cost of producing those 20 guitars is quite minimal, compared to the profit margin they are making off the retail price of the rest of their guitars. they don't even need to raise the retail price to be able to make a profit even after giving away 20 guitars.

but let's assume that they decide to raise the retail price,. even in this scenario it translates to just an increase of fractions of pennies per guitar because company XYZ will be selling their guitars worldwide.

giving away a $5000 firebird is just pocket change when you have thousands of people snapping up overpriced les pauls everywhere around the world each day.
 
I was just stating that I would not pay so much for a Gibson just cos there's 'Gibson' or 'Fender' up there. Visa, to me paying such a high price for such a guitar is a scam that's why I choose not to do it.
 
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