Where is Rikki going?

I never really got " Endorsers / Endorsements ? " If I can't figure what drums to buy why would I copy a sellout?
Just because an artist endorses a brand doesn't mean they're a sell-out. Yes, some artists play it that way, but most do not. Rikki does not.

Let's keep this thread about Rikki's move, not what endorsements are or aren't. There are other threads to discuss that if you'd like.
 
Well I guessed Sawtooth in the YouTube comments already yesterday. Only because I saw that Vinny Appice switched to Sawtooth semi-recently, plus Rikki's small clues that were given. But most peeps are sayin' Yammy's, which I'm not super familiar with, so it's prolly that. 🤷‍♂️
 
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It will be an interesting move because Rikki had his own drum company before going to DW, and also it's extremely rare that an artist leaves DW. I can only think of Jason Bonham, who left DW for Ludwig... then went back!
There's been quite a few... (many still endorse dw pedals and hardware, though):


Matt Cameron - Yamaha

Joey Kramer - Pearl

Rick Allen - Yamaha

Gary Husband - Tama, then Pearl

Gary Novak - finally ended up with Gretsch

Matt Chamberlain - Ayotte and others, now with Yamaha

Jimmy Chamberlin - from Yamaha to Sakae, to dw then back to Yamaha again

Matt Sorum - Yamaha, Mapex, dw, Ludwig, Gretsch...

Aaron Spears - Sonor

Chad Cromwell - Pearl

Brian Tichy - Natal, then Ludwig
 
I've not listened to Poison since Look What the Cat Dragged In back in the mid/late 1980s. I moved on from their music long ago, but I've always liked Rikki. I'll be interested to see his next move.
 
More than I thought, but still a tiny percentage of the DW roster.
How does DW (or any other drum company) manage their roster in terms of production? Is there a specific "endorser" crew to keep that product stream flowing outside of "normal" production?
 
It's interesting that he brought up the Roland thing. I recently got my first PDP kit ever, in the months leading up to that purchase I had some messages back and forth with them and had a phone call that was almost an hour long with one of their reps. The prompt responses, care, attention, and time I received during those communications played greatly into my purchase decision, this was right before Roland came into the picture. Fast forward, Roland now owns it all which took PDP from a side venture of DW's to a division of a different division of another division of yet another division of Roland's and suddenly I can't get anyone at PDP to respond to a message or answer the phone. I'm very disappointed too because my purchased brand new PDP kit that is only a few months old with three gigs and about five rehearsals total already has ply separation and some hardware issues and no one seems to care.
 
It's interesting that he brought up the Roland thing. I recently got my first PDP kit ever, in the months leading up to that purchase I had some messages back and forth with them and had a phone call that was almost an hour long with one of their reps. The prompt responses, care, attention, and time I received during those communications played greatly into my purchase decision, this was right before Roland came into the picture. Fast forward, Roland now owns it all which took PDP from a side venture of DW's to a division of a different division of another division of yet another division of Roland's and suddenly I can't get anyone at PDP to respond to a message or answer the phone. I'm very disappointed too because my purchased brand new PDP kit that is only a few months old with three gigs and about five rehearsals total already has ply separation and some hardware issues and no one seems to care.
Damn you got me worried now. I just put an order in for an ad on floor tom to my concept maple, and they now say it wont ship until July!! What the hell is going on?
 
How does DW (or any other drum company) manage their roster in terms of production? Is there a specific "endorser" crew to keep that product stream flowing outside of "normal" production?
Artists are given some priority in the building process, the bigger the artist, the faster the response from the company.
 
I was only barely aware he had gone back to DW and not his own drums.

I had no idea he had switched to Sabian.

But it makes sense with where Poison is as a band, he needs reliable drum company support all around the world, regardless of whether it's a fly-out gig, a formal arena tour, or making a special appearance. So a Yamaha makes a lot of business sense. Plus the drums sound great.
 
Damn you got me worried now. I just put an order in for an ad on floor tom to my concept maple, and they now say it wont ship until July!! What the hell is going on?

I don't know I would be worried. I waited that long or more for my Pearl kit and then was quoted 9 months for a replacement (warranty) BD hoop. I just ordered a couple of add ons from Gretsch, I was quoted 8 months

I guess I'm not a big enough artist to get any priority...:cool:
 
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