Plikm - Instrument Endorsements

Interview with Hugh Gilmartin AR at D'Addario

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:01:20 -0500

View the full one here: www.plikm.com/hugh-gilmartin-daddario/

I’m in a band and I want a deal. You deal with a ton of artists.
What are you looking for these days so it’s worthwhile to all parties? Everyone wants and thinks they deserve free strings. How does one earn them?

We ‘re fortunate to have the best products & brands on the market. That said, we receive over 100 endorsement inquiries per week. At the risk of sounding overly business-like, the bottom line is, will you act as an ambassador for our products & influence other musicians to buy our products?

We seek relationship with artists that are mutually beneficial. Signing an artist is a bit like a marriage. The wedding happens, a big party takes place & everyone is happy. However, the real work/relationship building takes place in the years following the wedding. That’s where things truly blossom for both parties involved.

Interview with tech/stage mgr Grizz

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:37:55 -0500

Grizz is out with Dropkick Murphys at the moment as the band’s state manager. He’s toured and teched with Hatebreed, Unearth, and Coheed and Cambria to name a few.

http://www.plikm.com/grizz-middleton-interview/

How do you get an endorsement deal with Orange Amps?

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 05:20:37 -0500

Read the interview with Alex:

An Orange is something a kid (or adult) will have to save up for. What is it about Orange that makes it a worthy investment? Are there any entry level products that you can talk about for the budget minded shopper that’s craving an Orange? Maybe a hat?
One of our big goals is to make Orange accessible to everyone. We have our Crush PiX line of solid state amps that have digital FX but great tone. Moving up in price we have the Tiny Terror range of bass and guitar amps. They’re small, moderately priced, but still totally giggable. And of course for the professional guitarist or bassist there are our UK range of amps. The fact of the matter is that our amps are still made with quality components and built to last. Not everyone is doing that these days. You really do pay for what you get.

Read it all here: http://www.plikm.com/alex-auxier-orange-amps-interview/

Interviews with Dave Ellefson and JB from ABR up

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 18:24:00 -0500

Site’s been down for a bit, so I’ve been repopulating everything. More good interviews to come. If you like to talk about instruments and specifically endorsements, you might be interested. If you want to see anyone up there, let me know!

www.plikm.com

Interview with Jan from Outerloop Management

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:49:47 -0400

Jan’s a youngster that interned and is now a full on badass at Outerloop Management (Darkest Hour, Periphery, We Came As Romans, Emery) as an assistant to the CEO and head of endorsements. Read how he got his start and how he handles endorsements with their stable of bands.

For the full article:http://plikm.com/2011/10/jan-hoeglund-outerloop/

What are some of the difficulties you find when trying to get your artists endorsement deals?
There are various challenges along the way, but at the very core I would say the difficulties are two-fold: 1. Making sure the artists understand what ”endorsement” means and 2. Making the companies believe in your artists.
1. Artist: A lot of artists have inaccurate ideas of how endorsements work. Some feel that they are entitled to endorsements because they are on tour, finally have that label deal, have some buzz online, etc. It would be nice if it was that easy and we would certainly live in a perfect world. So very often I have to step in and explain that, from a business stand point, what do you (as the band) have to offer to the company? There are a million bands out there with a label deal, but what is it that makes you stand out? How can you influence consumers so that they buy what you use on stage/in the studio, for example?

Interview with Kazuma from Fujigen Gtrs (Japan!)

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:58:28 -0400

New interview with Fujigen Guitar company AR/Marketing Guru Kazuma Tanabe. Check out their site here: http://www.fgnguitars.com/

For the full interview, go to http://plikm.com

What would make a guitarist select a Fujigen? Is it your charm and svelte style or are the guitars great?

We actually focus on making the relationships with the young guitar/bass players from new generation bands like Asking Alexandria, Dance Gavin Dance, Bless The Fall, SAOSIN and Emarosa and more. As you know, lots of old age guys love to play with old-vintage stuffs like Fender and Gibson because those brands have tons of guitar heroes like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Slash etc. before. But the present young people including me don’t care about the brand name and guitar history. They prefer their favorite guitars which has good qualities, wonderful playabilities, nice design and beautiful sounds! I suppose we have some free rooms to make them happy with our FGN Guitars all over the world. Also we created several kinds of FGN original models named FLAME(FL), ODESSEY(OS), and ELAN(EL). Actually we don’t care about the music style for FGN guitars. Please check the artist lists of FGN official website, there has many kinds of professional guitar players including Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers. haha. Personally speaking, I have a strong confidence that everybody can feel great playabilities and create beautiful and powerful sounds with FGN Guitars.

Looking for In-Ear Monitors? Peep this interview

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:34:15 -0400

New Interview with MN based LiveWires COO Marc Musselman. They make sick in ear monitors at a very nice price. Check out the company here: http://mylivewires.com/

Check out the full interview here: http://plikm.com/2011/07/livewires-marc-musselman/

Who can benefit from in-ears? What sort of things does a band need to know when making the plunge?

Anyone who wants to raise their level of performance, save their hearing or is sick of lugging around wedges can benefit from in-ears. Besides, many venues are requiring the use of in-ears. When making the plunge into in-ears you need to make sure you get the sound you need , that the things fit and are comfortable and that they are reliable. And, you need to make sure you are working with a company that can support you. If your in-ears go down (stuff happens), you need a company that recognizes you need these for your next gig and does what is necessary to take care of you.

Latest Interviews!

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:52:55 -0400

Be sure to read the latest interviews from Darren Sanders, guitar tech with Mastodon and David Elitch, pro drummer who’s latest work was with The Mars Volta.

http://plikm.com

Snippet from Darren’s interview:

You’ve teched for some bands that are very particular about their shit. What are some things you really focus on before, during, and after the set to ensure a job well done and a pat on the ass instead of a punch in the face at the end of the night? Have you ever been in fights over how you did you job?

Honestly, at the end of the day my job is to make everything right when my dude walks on stage. I just focus on making sure that is exactly what happens. Trust me, pats on the ass are way better than punches to the face. Its funny because I’ll get yelled at about something that’s out of my control, i.e. monitors not correct, feedback from FOH, other guitar player is out of tune, etc. The fact is, the only reason my dude is yelling at me is because its fucking loud onstage!! I just like to double-check every little thing so that there are absolutely no issues during the show. There’s always an instance where something goes wrong – we’re all human and we’re dealing with finicky electronics. Shit happens. It’s all about knowing how to fix it in an emergency. Always have a backup plan!!

Interview with Mastodon Guitar Tech Darren Sanders

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:22:44 -0400

Read it all here: http://plikm.com/2011/06/darren-sanders-mastodon/ Good guy, Darren.

What are some mistakes young techs make these days? What are some things a young tech needs to know when they want to make a successful career out of teching vs. making it a short lived party?

Don’t become too attached to someone. That’s when either you start taking advantage of the artist or vice-versa. You become too good of pals and without realizing, you forget who works for who. My brother and I watched this happen from the sidelines and learned from it. When he’s on stage, I’m not his kid brother he used to hold down and fart on, I’m his employee. As soon as the truck is packed, we’re arm in arm telling stories of our first French kiss with the same girl in high school. I actually just made that last bit up but we do share some stupid stories together. I think the only ‘advice’ would be to just take shit seriously. Your job is to make sure that everything is A-OK when your guy walks up onstage. There’s nothing like standing in front of a sold out crowd and your guitar doesn’t work because your tech was too busy chattin’ up some girl. Young dudes coming into it may think it’s a kickass vacation – which it is! BUT, before you know it, you’re in your mid-late 30′s, 40’s and this is all you know and are stuck in this career, which is not a bad thing at all but you never want the reputation of ‘that dipshit who was kissing that chick behind the monitor desk while Scott Ian’s guitar rig took a shit at Donnington. Good luck finding a gig.

Wondering What It Would Be Like To Be a Guitar Tech for Mastodon?

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:15:39 -0400

Posting an interview soon with Darren Sanders, long time tech for the band. I’ll post it sometime next week. http://plikm.com

Don’t forget the latest interviews with drummer David Elitch and AR/Marketing guru at Seymour Duncan, Evan Skopp.

Interview with drummer David Elitch Posted

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 10:50:10 -0400

Read it all here: www.plikm.com/2011/06/david-elitch-interview/

Follow Dave @daveelitch and check out his site at www.davidelitch.com

You studied music at Santa Monica college. How important was that in your development? Would you encourage people that want to make a living in music to go to school or just hit the road and play? What lasting relationships did you form while there?

That school was largely a gigantic waste of time. There were a few really amazing teachers there that I was lucky enough to learn a lot from like Dr. Goodman and Dr. Martin, but as far as music education, it wasn’t really anything exceptional. I’m glad I did it, but it’s not necessary. I think that going to college for music is a HUGE waste of time and money. If you’re actually trying to be a real working musician, going into $100,000 worth of debt and then playing The Baked Potato for $35 isn’t exactly going to cut it. A lot of people end up going to school because they’re afraid to take the plunge into the real world and they end up wasting their most valuable years in a coffin sized practice room working on a lot of things that won’t end up being applicable in the real world. It makes a lot more sense to study with a good teacher every week and get that one on one attention that you can’t really get at a school. It also comes out to less than $5,000/yr if you end up taking one every single week of the year which is around 1/10th of most schools.

Posting Interview with David Elitch next week. Monster drummer,...

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 21:15:25 -0400

Posting Interview with David Elitch next week. Monster drummer, recently spent time on the road with The Mars Volta.

Interview with Seymour Duncan's Evan Skopp

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:22:31 -0400

Roll! Follow Evan @evanskopp

Full interview: http://plikm.com/2011/06/evan-skopp-seymour-duncan/

A guitar player is ready to upgrade his pickups from the stock ones he got when he bought the guitar. What are some things they should think about when making their decision to upgrade or modify?

The first thing is to think about is: what it is about the stock pickups that’s not cutting it. Do you want more output? More upper mid-range detail? Should your single coil-sized pickup be hum-canceling? Once you’ve identified the deficiencies with your stock pickups, you can look to Seymour Duncan for a pickup that will address those deficiencies. There are a lot of factors that go into why a pickup sounds the way it does; but the biggest ones are the coil and the magnet. And there are a lot factors that go into why a guitar sounds the way it does; but the biggest is the wood. There are ways to match pickup types to wood types to either balance an overly warm or overly bright guitar; or to add output or high end detail.

Drummer of Tomorrow Contest and New Signings

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:13:00 -0400

Posted some new news: www.plikm.com

New Interview with Andy from Every Time I Die

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:39:31 -0400

Full thing here: http://plikm.com/2011/06/andy-williams-every-time-i-die-gear-talk/

You’ve been around the scene for a bit. What kinds of changes have you noticed in the instrument and endorsement world? The economy is a bit different these days and seems to play a part in a company’s decision. Have you noticed that?

What I have noticed is that everyone thinks you need a case for everything. Bands can get big real quick now a days and they just automatically think you need a $5,000 rig with a case for everything. But in actuality, the dudes with the best sound have amazing hands and gear thats probably somewhere around the $2,000. Your band isn’t going to be that big forever. Bands these days have a 2 year window and then they are irrelevant. Keep your costs low and use the 1 or 2 things you have always liked. Don’t listen to the big bands you jump on tour with. Listen to the smaller bands that have been around for 14 years still slaying dudes. There is a reason they have been around for 14 years.

Interviews Up So Far!

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:24:51 -0400

How to get instrument endorsements and what are some dudes playing…

If this is the first visit, check out the interviews up so far. Sorry if it’s so slow. It will load and I’ll fix the problem.

Greg Weeks - The Red Chord. Has a signature BC Rich Bass and loves D’Addario. Read Here

Alex Auxier - Artist Relations for Orange Amplification. Read Here

Matt Greiner - August Burns Red. Truth, Zildjian, Vic Firth, Evans, DW, and Ultimate Ears. Read Here

Ben Davies - Artist Relations from Vic Firth Drum Sticks. Read Here

Chris Walters - Artist Relations and Marketing GHS Strings. Read Here

Jon Rice - Job For A Cowboy. Yamaha, Meinl, Vic Firth, and Evans Endorser. Read Here

Dave Ellefson - Megadeth. Jackson, Hartke, Dunlop, SIT Signature Artist. Read Here

Mike Ciprari - SJC Drums Artist Relations. Read Here

Chris Catero - Krank Amplification Artist Relations and Marketing. Read Here

Pat Thompson - Alesana. Jackson, Fender, Peavey, Mesa, ISP, Mugami, Seymour Duncan. Read Here

JB Brubaker - August Burns Red. Ibanez, D’Addario, Planet Waves, Mesa, In Tune, RJM Music. Read Here

Doug Sabolick - A Life Once Lost. Framus endorser, organ player. Read Here

Buz McGrath - Unearth. ESP, Blackstar, EVH, Mesa, EMG, Dean Markley Endorser. Read Here

A Few Free Pair Of Autographed (by) Vic Firth Sticks...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 19:55:00 -0400

To the next 3 that leave a comment on Ben’s post: http://plikm.com/2011/05/vic-firth-ben-davies/ talking about your love of Vic Firth and what you use. If there are more than three left there, I’ll see what I can do about the rest.

Posting Interview w/ Andy ETID Next Week...

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:12:00 -0400

Anyone else you’d like to hear from about gear and the like?

Here’s a snippet of Andy’s. Have a good weekend!

When it comes to endorsements, are you an exclusive kind of guy or do you like to play what you like and what you need at that time? Do you form relationships with multiple companies with everyone knowing that you are playing what you want to play and not playing something that you have to because of a contract?

I’ve only had one contract in 14 years and it was with Seymour Duncan. The girl that was working there at the time, Jessica, had moved on and I didn’t know what to do. So I just didn’t contact anyone and the contract I think ran out. I would really like to sign a contract with Blackstar. I really like what they are doing with the Artisan Series. I don’t think I’ll ever run another 4x12 either. The Orange amps and cabinets are just unreal. I love them. I would like to be an exclusive guy, but companies are always trying to sell you on using whats new. That doesn’t always mean the best. So if i like something a company is doing, I’ll just be honest and tell them exactly what I am looking for.

The Red Chord's Greg Weeks Interview

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:25:47 -0400

New interview with Greg Weeks from The Red Chord

Read it all here: http://plikm.com/2011/06/greg-weeks-the-red-chord/

Let’s just get down to it.. How the hell do you have a signature bass? Your contribution to music seems to be limited to a song about your mustache and a couple van tours. How did that transpire and what were the circumstances that led to that? Have you sold any?

As you have so kindly pointed out my net worth in the music industry may not add up to much but here I stand with not one but two signature bass models from two different companies. It started when I got involved with a bass company called Traben around 2006. The more I worked with them the more I made a connection with the people who worked there. One day my artist rep Dana asked if I wanted to have my own model and I was completely taken aback. I of course said yes and that led to the GW signature Traben. The company then moved to Kentucky from Florida and is now housed in the same place as B.C. Rich. Dana left and my new artist rep became a feisty little lady by the name of Debrah Malave. After a few more years with Traben Deb asked if I would like to switch over to B.C. Rich. I agreed and now I have a GW signature model with them as well. The main difference between the two models is that the B.C. Rich helps you do better Karate. Check it out here if you want. http://bcrich.com/models/guitars-and-bass/Eagle/Greg-Weeks-Signature-Eagle/159. To answer you last question the Traben sold pretty well and this is the first year for the B.C. Rich so I’m still waiting to see how it’s doing.

Upcoming Interviews / Wanna Submit?

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:42:03 -0400

I will be posting my interviews with Fujigen Guitars and Seymour Duncan in the next two weeks. If you are a gear guy/gal and feel like writing a bit about your favorite gear, I would love to post it! michael@plikm.com