Drummers who have changed brand affiliation the most??
- Thread starter Paul Blood
- Start date
The company normally approaches the artist. I can't envision any artist (with a sense of how things work) who would approach a company with the idea.
Signature products are created when there's a strong sonic incentive (a Tama Stewart Copeland snare would have been a great idea 40 years ago!) or the artist has a high level of exposure (such as Questlove on network TV five nights a week and seen by millions of viewers each night) or for a coolness factor (such as Ludwig's Corey Miller kit) or to extend the appeal to the fans of the artist's band (such as Joey Kramer and Jim Riley's snares.*)
It never occurred to me that a Bermuda snare might have any special sonic appeal, and obviously Ludwig hasn't thought so either! I don't really have a signature sound. If anything, I'm known for a lot of sounds. And while I'm probably better-known than Corey Miller, I don't have the thing - such as tattoo artist Corey's flash design on the drums - that would make a Bermuda drum/kit attractive to another drummer. Honestly, there's nothing I'm looking for in a snare that they don't already offer, so I wouldn't bring anything new to the table for them drum-wise.
What I do bring to the table for Ludwig (and other companies) in addition to my longevity with a national act, is my exposure and accessibility online. That's known as a dual asset. I've been online since 1993 participating in forums, had my own web site in 1995, published my Endosrement FAQ in 1998, and helped promote the companies I endorsed to the growing online community, long before there were "YouTube Drummers" and "Influencers." (Hey kids, get off my lawn!)
* Would a Bermuda snare appeal to Al's fans? Yeah... about 4 of them!
jazzerooty
Junior Member
Peter Erskine is a world class brand-jumper. And every outfit he hooks up with are the BEST drums. I get the feeling that if you throw money at him, he'll gig on oatmeal boxes. I have an endorsement deal, meaning I got my drums at 60 percent off. Canopus NV60s. Dig.
Your snare would have to be the pinnacle of usefulness. Broadest tuning range, both ringy and dry, sloppy but crisp, the idea of a JBS snare scares them. That's why you dont have one yet!
True, though it's rare. And it really depends on the company and how they feel the move back will be perceived. On one hand, it could suggest that the artist loved the brand so much, they came back. On the other, the number of moves may seem disingenuous, and be viewed by consumers with indifference. For example, if a drummer had been a lifelong Yamaha player, then switched to Gretsch, then back to Yamaha a year later, that tends to look good for the Yamaha brand. But too many other companies in-between would erode the artist's sincerity (in consumer minds) as a brand ambassador.
Sometimes an artist is so big or influential, the companies don't really care. Buddy Rich moved around between Ludwig/WFL and Slingerland. Of course there was a well-known war between the heads of those two companies, so whoever has Buddy, wins. Tommy Lee would be another, Steve Gadd, Bozzio, etc. Then again, older artists aren't known for hopping around (in any sense of the word!)
Sometimes, a company draws a firm line. Ludwig is one of those with regard to a few folks. Even though the old management is long gone, some things are unofficially written in stone. I can just imagine a new employee being hired: "Welcome to the company! Oh yeah, no (name) and no (name)!"
I've never gone back to a company that I had previously left. Some of my affiliations are lengthy by normal standards - 28 years with Sabian, for example - and I don't envision making any changes. I'm very happy with the products I use, and a company would have to change the quality, or cancel my deal, or go out of business before I would consider leaving. And a few of those have happened, however I have never been dropped from a company.
Actually, the Copperphonic fits the bill! They're always a few steps ahead of me.
Larry
"Uncle Larry"
Jon, I was implying that it would strictly be about the commerce.
I think you earned it the perk of passive income from what you did/are doing
Ludwig does have the sounds covered already. This would be just another feather in your cap.
Humbleness has it's place, for sure.
I am surprised that the artist doesn't approach the company first. I know I would if I could lol.
What's the worst that could happen? Don't answer that.
I think you earned it the perk of passive income from what you did/are doing
Ludwig does have the sounds covered already. This would be just another feather in your cap.
Humbleness has it's place, for sure.
I am surprised that the artist doesn't approach the company first. I know I would if I could lol.
What's the worst that could happen? Don't answer that.
I'm sure that if they thought there was an extra buck to be made buy putting my name on a snare, they would have brought it up by now. And it's unlikely they would make a special product to honor me in some way, I've only been signed with Ludwig since 2016 (although most people think I've been with them for much longer, and my love for the brand goes back to 1965.)
Companies do special and custom things for certain artists and employees, but I haven't been around quite long enough.
I get that a lot. I guess I always had nice things to say about the brand even before I was on their roster!
Larry
"Uncle Larry"
I remember hearing your first (I think) radio broadcast on the Dr. Demento show.
Who could have possibly guessed that I would be telling you that over 40 years later.
Art, possibly
timmdrum
Gold Member
I recall Peace was present in the big box stores about 17, 18 years ago. I've wondered what happened. They still have a website online.
RickP
Gold Member
Hold on - Peter was with a Slingerland for a umber of years . He was then with Yamaha for over 25 years . He left Yamaha due to some business/personal issues . He was approached by DW before he had officially left Yamaha and when the relationship with Yamaha soured he went with DW . This was a convenient partnership for him as he is based in California . I was told he was never happy with the DW kits provided him and he would send them to Chris Huer to be reworked .
Peter has a fondness for Japan ( his wife is Japanese ) , so a return to Yamaha was out so the logical place to go would be Tama . Their Star series drums being manufactured in Japan would most likely be attractive for him .
The only Company he was with for a short period of time was DW . This would not necessarily label him as a brand jumper .
There are way more frequent brand jumpers ( I.e. Taylor Hawkins , Greg Bissonette , Carmine Appice, Matt Chamberlain).
Living Dead Drummer
Platinum Member
That was around the time I first started playing that, and actually how I discovered the brand. From 2001-2003/04 I worked in a Mom & Pop shop in Niagara Falls. We were a Peace dealer and I was really impressed with the quality of the drums. I developed a relationship with the company and not long after they brought me on as an official Artist. I was featured in all the trade ads in Modern Drummer, DRUM!, even some international publications like Rhythm Magazine in the UK. Had photos of me at all the trade show booths, it was great! However things scaled back over the years and by 2011 (when I signed with Yamaha) It was much more difficult to locate product in stores, and no rental houses around the country carried them.
I can't speak on their behalf, but it seems like the higher ups in Taiwan no longer hand an interest in pushing the brand as a high end competitor.
There was no hard feelings when I called them to let them know I was going to sign with Yamaha. It was one of the single hardest phone calls I ever had to make. Thankfully I was able to still maintain a good relationship with the people who worked in the US offices and get along with them all still to this day.
DrumEatDrum
Platinum Member
JR Robinson stated many times he left Yamaha for Peart because Yamaha wouldn't make his ideas for a snare drum and Pearl would. And Pearl did make a JR Robinons snare drum.
Though JR would return to Yamaha a few years later.
Before leaving them again for DW....
jazzerooty
Junior Member
They're all good drums. Some I like better than others. It's a matter of taste at that point.
I recall DCP had Peter Erskine's George Way custom drumset a few years ago for sale. It had gold trim diecast hoops, black lacquer...don't remember the exact shell type or if he even played for that long. I don't think Tama stole him from DW, it seems he was experimenting with other brands at the time with plans to leave DW and landed on Tama.
Not a fan of the signature snare or cymbal at all, it's a marketing gimmick. Zildjian has at least been smart enough to say they worked in conjunction with an artist but not slap a stamp with an artist name on it, it looks less cheesy if they jump ship and still want to make the model available. And the customer buys an artist's custom spec equipment, who raves how it's the greatest snare they ever played, and then dumps it completely and puts out different brand custom snare. Now this one is perfect, not the other one....it's silly really.
Not a fan of the signature snare or cymbal at all, it's a marketing gimmick. Zildjian has at least been smart enough to say they worked in conjunction with an artist but not slap a stamp with an artist name on it, it looks less cheesy if they jump ship and still want to make the model available. And the customer buys an artist's custom spec equipment, who raves how it's the greatest snare they ever played, and then dumps it completely and puts out different brand custom snare. Now this one is perfect, not the other one
....it's silly really.
lsits
Gold Member
I have an old Modern Drummer from the 80s where Phil Collins is endorsing both Pearl and Gretsch (or maybe Pearl and Tama) in the same issue. I think it was just a scheduling error in the advertising department.
The only signature item i have is the Chad Smith black nickel over steel snare drum. I don't know if Chad Smith ever used this drum, but I don't care. It's a damn fine snare and a real workhorse. I've probably used it on the majority of my un-miced gigs for over 20 hears.
The only signature item i have is the Chad Smith black nickel over steel snare drum. I don't know if Chad Smith ever used this drum, but I don't care. It's a damn fine snare and a real workhorse. I've probably used it on the majority of my un-miced gigs for over 20 hears.
Winston_Wolf
Platinum Member
I have that issue too...It's Pearl and Gretsch. I think Phil's departure from Pearl was very sudden and when he called Gretsch they were quick to snap him up and ready to publicize it. For their part Pearl is still using Phil in ads today, in spite of the fact he was only on their roster for about a year.