Endorsees.

Z26R-#

Silver Member
Would you buy a set or brand based on who plays them? Given that visibility is more desirable possibly to the brand than say ability.. Do the benefits derived to the Endorsee translate to the brand purchaser.? Or can you just choose the drums you prefer without being influenced?
 
Not directly.

But if I like some live or recorded sounds from x set of drums used by a drummer I’m familiar with, I might consider if I think those drums are a significant part of the equation.
 
In the 80s I was very influenced by the Modern Drummer magazine articles and advertising. Yamaha and Tama were really big for me and I ended up buying a Yamaha kit. It seemed like the really great drummers were using them. Venney Colata, Steve Gadd and many others. Today I'm not influenced much by who endorses which drum Co.
 
But if I like some live or recorded sounds from x set of drums used by a drummer I’m familiar with, I might consider if I think those drums are a significant part of the equation.

And that's really what the companies are hoping for when they promote an artist's use of their brand. They simply want you to explore their product. They don't expect a musician to make a product choice solely because of the connection to a favorite artist.
 
Today I'm not influenced much by who endorses which drum Co.

I'd say that younger players are more influenced by artist endorsements than more experienced players or other pros are. I keep an eye on who uses what, but I'm generally not influenced by what other players are using.
 
when I was young - like tweens and teens - yes. 100%

I got my Zildjian's b/c of Neil Peart and my dad
I got my Pearl drums because of Omar Hakim and the Phantom Regiment drum corps
I got my Fender p-bass b/c of Steve Harris
I got my Fender J-bass b/c of Geddy Lee

after I started playing out more, and got older and wiser, a lot of choices were based more on sound, moving/packing logistics, and durability

but I STILL only play Zildjian cymbals. I have tried others, but I feel I know the Zildjian product so well that there is no need to change or add in
 
I'd say that younger players are more influenced by artist endorsements than more experienced players or other pros are.
100% It's that young drummer demographic who is most impressionable. Their drum hero plays X brand of drums (and never mind it's a top tier kit, and young drummer can't afford that) ....... and so they go out and buy an entry level or intermediate level kit, that's the same brand.

It was extremely important for Tama, Pearl and Yamaha to attract big name artists, to make inroads into the US market. And they campaigned hard, in the late 70's and early 80's to pull top artists away from Ludwig, Gretsch, Slingerland and Rogers. Slingerland and Rogers didn't survive.

I've never been swayed by a "who endorses what" ..... but I'm not the guy that marketing is targeting;)
 
Once I realized that drummers will use a mix of different brands in the studio anyway, it wasn't such an important consideration for me any anymore.

Although, I still associate players with what brands they play, even when I don't know their music very well. Sort of like when I still know which teams star athletes play for when I don't really follow their particular sport all that much.
 
I chose Gretsch because I liked them.. Now I choose the drums that sound to me best at the throne and those that make their own shells / components / hardware etc.. Limited Outsourcing. Old School, you know..
 
We have been down this road many times before. It's kind of tiresome, especially the implied negative commentary.
I find myself typing this response at least a few times a year.
1) No one wants to go on tour, slogging their guts out, playing two hours a night in a pressure situation, for months on end, playing a drum set they don't absolutely love and find uninspiring.
2) Most well known drummers have the opportunity to endorse most brands, so why choose something you aren't passionate about?
3) An endorsement is made up of many elements - global support (if you break that snare in South Korea with a show the next day), personal connections with the company, input on design and manufacture.
4) In the new century, the vast majority of endorsing drummers are on a percentage discount. They aren't given free gear, they get an artist discount. The top, top players may receive free gear. I don't know of anyone who is paid to endorse, although a company's willingness to pay fees for clinic tours and public appearances may add to a players income stream.
On the company side, yes it is about exposure.
35 years later people still message me about the Noble & Cooley drums I played on tour. I feel I played a large part in increasing N&C's exposure to the wider drumming community in the early 90's, but if it wasn't me it would have been another drummer. In fact N&C snares are more famous for having been the snare of choice for Phil Collins.
 
Once I realized that drummers will use a mix of different brands in the studio anyway,
The vast majority play what they endorse. Of course it is normal for a wide variety of snare drums to be used. And if you are flying from LA to Paris to record you will have to rent something. But Bissonette plays Dixon in the studio, Laboriel plays DW in the studio, Vinnie plays Gretsch in the studio and Aronoff plays Tama in the studio (with a vintage Ludwig kick sometimes in his own studio).
 
Yes but how does the Endorsee's experience translate to the Brand purchaser and where is the benefit ? No implied negative commentary, None of the above is directly experienced by the purchaser..Especially when the endorser changes brands . Or is it the promise of being just like them?
 
Well first you might not have heard of the drums without the endorsement. I saw The Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1973 and Billy Cobham was playing a huge 'see-thru' Fibes kit. It looked and sounded amazing. My drum awareness at the time stretched to Ludwig and Premier.
Yes, I was impressed at 16 years old when I saw The Tubes, with again an incredible drummer sounding amazing (through a big PA) playing a large Yamaha kit.
When I started studio work (as a very green player, before the internet) of course I was influenced by the fact most of the top studio drummers were using Yamaha Recording Customs at the time. It was a sign of excellence, a seal of approval.
Pretty much all the big name drum companies offer outstanding drums, in both build and sound quality. So given a wide choice, many people probably choose to at least check out the drums their favourite drummer uses.
I regularly read on forums that DW drums are the 'best' and their premium price is justified. Does this have nothing to do with their large and famous endorser roster?
A cigarette is a cigarette. If you're going to smoke why choose Marlboro? Probably because of the image portrayed and the fact advertising works. Drum advertising is no different.
 
I must be a marketers nightmare because none of that has ever worked on me. I believe what you are saying to be true though.. I walked into a shop one day and bought a Sleishman set, Never heard of them before. Still have it.. Bought a Craviotto maple 24 13 16 on a whim untried from another country, Love them even through the ridicule I receive on this forum ... relying on drummers instinct must work for me. Even seeing the greats playing their drums of choice doesn't move me to buy the same sets as theirs..
 

Attachments

  • Elvis-On-DJs-Kit.jpg
    Elvis-On-DJs-Kit.jpg
    21.8 KB · Views: 8
Last edited:
The gear that i bought over the years didn't had to do with my fav drummers endorsing it. Influencing me for a certain model: yes. My first kit was a Pearl Export and had Paiste 302 cymbals. My inspirations at that time didn't play Pearl, but did play Paiste. I only got the Paiste 302 pack because of a good deal.

Got a set of Zildjians in 2011 because that set was the biggest bang for your buck. Mike Portnoy was a huge influence at that time, but found the Zildjians more appealing than Sabian. I did get an 18" Crash of Doom because Gavin Harrison used it in a couple of vids that i really liked. Also got the 16" Oriental China because it sounded great on his recordings. But i didn't got those based on the reason 'Gavin plays them'.

Until recently happy with my setup and wasn't until i hear the latest Tool album that i got into Paiste again. Not because Danny Carey plays them, but because they sound great. I've always chosen gear because of the sound, not because someone is playing them.
 
There are very few drum shops near me. Historically UK stores have very limited in-store stock. I think there is one (maybe two) drum stores here that have a Craviotto kit to try (6 hrs drive away), no one has a Sleishman.
Absolutely, when I saw a drummer I respected playing a certain brand I was intrigued to try them. Once I turned professional and started earning money I bought things sight unseen, unheard most of the time.
I bought Zildjian cymbals before I started endorsing them. I bought Istanbul Agop Cymbals before I switched to endorsing them. Most companies want to see you have bought their products before they will allow you to endorse them.
Before the internet you had very few ways to hear or try something. Now there are thousands of online demos of every drum and cymbal known to man.
If I'd heard Sleishman were amazing from a few drummers (pre-internet) the only opportunity I would have had to try them was to buy a set.
 
Even seeing the greats playing their drums of choice doesn't move me to buy the same sets as theirs..
When I was more active in playing yes it would move me to check them out, see what the drummers I admired saw in that brand.
I got interested in Agop because a few drummers I respected starting using them. Of course if I tried a few and didn't like them (or had no use for them) the fact drummers I liked used them wouldn't persuade me to like them.
 
Marketing is a numbers game. While there are those directly influenced to buy a certain brand or product simply because their favorite musician, player etc uses it, overall it is all about exposure and brand awareness. Having a higher profile end user endorsing a specific product plants that seed of "I should check them out" like Chris W mentioned. If 100K people "check them out" that translates into a certain % of incremental sales so on and so on.......

Personally, I can only recall being swayed to buy a 20" K Custom Ride based on seeing drummer after drummer in MD in the 90s choosing that as their primary ride. But that was based off the artist spotlight articles and gear section not necessarily an "ad" per se......but they were most likely endorsing Zildjian at the time and them being associated with that cymbal did clearly influence me
 
It's something that appeals to you when you're younger and you don't realise that those great drummers would sound exactly the same using another brand of drum/cymbal. They're just playing the gear they enjoy which is what we all should do!

When I was in my teens I was very influenced by who I grew up listening to mainly Bonzo and Paice thanks to Dads record collection. So I was always mad on Paiste (and they were cheaper in the UK than Zildjian and Sabian at the time) I'm definitely not alone on this one. I ended using Zildjian K's because they suited my playing better.

The one I fell hard for was the Ringo black oyster which I finally refinished my Ludwig in a couple of years back. Sounds really silly but I just feel better sat behind a set of Black Oyster Ludwigs.
 
Back
Top