If you could be endorsed by your companies of choice...

Excellent validations everyone!
Little correction I should have titled the post if you "COULD ENDORSE" your company of choice, not be endorsed:) Good eye to you guys that caught that;) @tamadrm @bermuda

To add to what I originally stated, quality of product is #1. I feel like when talking about major drum set manufactures the big ones all make great sounding quality drums. And peoples reasoning for favoring one company over another could be for a number of reasons.

I bought a Pearl mcx masters kit two years ago this October. I picked this kit because I fell in love with the sound and feel of the drums instantly when playing them. Everything was right, I felt like I was driving a high end sports car. I also played a Tama Starclassic kit that I really liked the sound and feel as well and when comparing the Pearl and the Tama they were both equally enjoyable. My reasoning for going with the Pearl over the Tama simply came down to the mounting system and the pearl had a nicer hoop protector. Pearl has a metal hoop protector connected to the drum and Tama had a little cloth type sticker you could put on. HOOP PROTECTOR that minimal detail was actually a deciding factor. But when spending that kind of money it made a difference.

At the same time I bought my new drum kit I also traded out all my Zildjian cymbals and switched to Meinl. Before purchasing my Meinl cymbals I tried Zildjians, Sabians and Paiste's. All four of the companies make great sounding cymbals. I ended up going with Meinl because I've heard nothing but good things about them from friends that endorse the company and the Meinl rep that comes into the shop I teach at is super cool. It's not to say I've heard negative about the other companies it was just I had a personal connection to people associated with Meinl.

So long winded speech I just wrote but The quality and feel of the product is my number 1 reason.

If I was to endorse a company it would be very important to me that the company would want to help guide me along and see my vision as a drummer.
I wouldn't want it to be like what happens to some bands that sign with major labels, You sign and you get shelved because there are a million other bands on the label that will get the push before you.

It's a two way street both parties have to do their part. From the other side a drummer who isn't putting their self out there shouldn't expect a push.

I think a company that will help you develop will be good.

And none of the above I mentioned as far as quality and developing etc matter if you don't get along with the people running the company.
 
Last edited:
I believe it's important to tackle these decisions in an appropriate order for one's own personal circumstances.

In my case, I'm going to wait until I start dating Penelope Cruz.

And then I'll listen to what she has to say on this matter.
 
Cymbal wise I don't like alot of the major offerings but there's always a line or a particular cymbal that I can get into with each brand, or I can find a freak sitting on a cymbal rack... drums I'm not as fussy with at this point in time, I think they're all pretty nice at the top of the range.

I guess I would take an endorsement 'cos it would look good on my resume at the least, and if I was offered more than one I would go for the one that would give me access to some events or publicity or something exciting. Factory tours, conventions, clinics etc etc

If they told me I had to buy their stuff and sell off some of mine then timing would be important... if I didn't have the funds I guess it might be really inconvenient.
 
If my status ever warranted it... I'd endorse Vic Firth sticks due to their consistent build quality and the advertising their artist's get in return.
 
If my status ever warranted it... I'd endorse Vic Firth sticks due to their consistent build quality and the advertising their artist's get in return.

I'm not sure that advertising does the artist much good. Does it really help that drummer by being exposed to other drummers? Might be nice to appear in an ad in a guitar or bass or keyboard magazine, as those readers are more likely to hire a drummer than the readers of a drum magazine would be.

Companies run ads featuring drummers with good influence, in order to help sell the product. On occasion, that drummer gets some ads as a condition of signing an endorsement agreement, but usually that's an ego stroke. But, if the drummer has enough exposure and influence, then the company does it.

I've been in a few magazine ads, and it's had absolutely no effect on my career. I'm flattered, but it's had no effect on me one way or the other.

Bermuda
 
I guess technically you could call me an endorser, just an uncompensated one. If you were to ask me what brand of drums I prefer, I would tell you Yamaha. Granted, I have a mid-level Stage Custom kit but if the mid levels are this good I can only imagine what the higher end kits would be like. As far as cymbals go, I don't think you can go wrong with Zildjuan A's. Great all-around cymbals.

I have a mix of hardware including Pearl, Tama, Gibraltar and Yamaha; Ludwig and Gibraltar pedals; Promark, Vic Firth, and Vater sticks; and Remo and Evans heads. I don't feel too strongly one way or the other to offer an endorsement for these things.
 
I guess technically you could call me an endorser, just an uncompensated one. If you were to ask me what brand of drums I prefer, I would tell you Yamaha.

Word of mouth has always been the most cogent endorsement, whether it's an instrument, a band, a restaurant, a car, etc. A respected person always has influence. As much as companies would love to rely on individual recommendations between family, friends and cowrokers, they get more coverage with ads aimed at thousands or millions of their target buyers.

I've investigated lots of products, services, restaurants etc. based on friends' experiences, where I might not have been swayed by an ad alone.

Bermuda
 
4 through 9 is a good combination of qualities i would look for.
 
For example would you pick your companies based on:

1) How popular or trendy they are?
2) Because your favorite artist is on the company roster?
3) Because they are small and you want to grow with them?
4) Because they are big and you want to be affiliated with the name for that reason?
5) Because of the way the company is run and the way you connect with the people behind the product?
6) The overall quality of the products.
7) The companies ability to share your vision as an artist?
8) Because you like the sound or the feel of the products?
9) Because of a referral of a friend who plays for the company already.

In order: 6 tied with 8, 5, 7, and perhaps 4 and/or 9.

I would endorse a company because I liked and believed in the product and never primarily based on what I felt I could receive in return from that company. Consideration and compensation are nice, but if the products are good, I would use them regardless of those factors.

I have a low opinion of drummers who jump from product to product in general, and don't understand the current attitudes of many towards "getting endorsed" at all. It's an incredibly large ocean in the music business, and only so many fish can be at the top of the food chain.
 
I notice no option...

"Because they offer to pay me a boat load of $"

Disingenuous to say this would not be a prime reason to endorse...mitigated by how big the boat might be.
 
I notice no option...

"Because they offer to pay me a boat load of $"

Disingenuous to say this would not be a prime reason to endorse...mitigated by how big the boat might be.

Precious few endorsers are directly compensated, and such amounts are paltry and downright embrrassing to admit to. I mean, real "selling out cheap" numbers. But NOBODY gets a boatload of cash.

And, even those artists who are promised clinics as a form of payment/income, aren't making all of their money just doing that. Companies don't have the kind of cash to make sure their artists make a living just being enodrsers. It's the artists' responsibility to do what they do - play drums, I assume - in order to earn money.

Bermuda
 
Don't we all technically endorse one form of equipment or another already? If someone has used the same brand of (insert gear type here) forever, whether or not we are known or compensated, we still endorse the product. If someone asks you advice about a piece of gear and you rave about something you use and like, you are endorsing it.

That being said, I think if I was to endorse a company it would have to be Aquarian. Doesn't matter what brand of drum I put them on, they still make the sound that I like. And to me that is important.

Now if Andy wanted to hook me up with some Guru's I may be the best advertisement he could ever have!
 
Familiarity with product, general reputation or ability to build one, customer and artist relations, price and what kind of deal I get, flexibility and ability to set My own limits and goals within that.

I guess I already know who My three or four companies would be, seeing as I've been buying as a consumer from them for years.
 
Back
Top