Companies that can do nothing wrong

jornthedrummer

Silver Member
I guess most people are like me - there is certain brands we will always be loyal to and we give them a lot of credit even if they screw up once in a while.
This could be because of strong marketing by those companies, good personal experiences, etc.

Let's hear your examples?

Me:

Tama.
My first drumset was a Tama Swingstar that I got 35 years ago. Never disappointed me.
These days a Starclassic Bubinga have exactly the sound I like. I don't own any Tama drums at the moment, but I will one day -)

Gretsch.
I love Gretsch drums. I think it's the history behind the company and the fact that some of the best sounding drums I have heard(close up in cafe's and small clubs) have been Gretsch.
I feel they have somewhat diluted the brand by having most of their drums made in Taiwan, but many other drum brands have done the same.

Apple.
I got my first Apple product 5 years ago and now have everything Apple. It just works.
I keep telling the IT guys in my company that they would be out of a job if we used Apple at work-)

MacDonalds.
What can I say-) cheap, unhealthy, conveyor belt food. But it taste great.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
Had breakfast there almost every Saturday the last 13 years. My first choice of coffee shop.
 
Tama - After almost 30 years since my last Tama (early 80's Swing Star) I received my Starclassic BB this past May. I have always loved the sound and quality of this brand especially. After searching for 3+ years for a unique sound other than Maple or Birch, these hybrid shells are a fresh new sound of their own and really set themselves apart.

Toyota - Sure, they have had problems as of late but I brought ALL my kids home from the hospital after their birth in the same car I drive today; Corolla. My oldest is 23 and my baby is 19. It wouldn't still be running if it were anything else.

Buck Knives - One of my hobbies is sharpening knives. Buck steel is still one of the best affordable blades money can buy.

Ray Ban - Been buying these products exclusively since 1982. I won't wear anything else. I believe my eyesight is as good as it is because I took care of them with quality sun glasses.

Evans drum heads - Made the switch to Evans back in mid 80's and have never had any reason to try anything else. They just work very well for me and give me the life I expect from a drum head.

I would list my Cymbal company of choice but IMO they failed miserably recently and I'm not very happy about what they did.
 
Saab - swedish cars, they're awesome. And sexy... to bad the government !"#€%& things up this time. Argh!

Apple - been an Apple addict since my first steps in the 90's. On my wishlist? A 27" iMac for my bedroom.

Gretsch - great drums! Nothing bad to be said here.

Meinl - ohyeah!
 
Vic Firth - I have changed stick sizes a few times throughout my life, but I have always stuck with Vic's. The quality is consistant and I know what I am going to get evey time I pull a new stick out of the bag.

Ibanez- The best necks in the business, nobody else is even close. Even their low level Indonisian built guitars are very good instruments.

Peavey- From guitar amps to PA systems I have used Peavey for 20 something years and have never been disapointed. I have actually had to use my warranty a couple of times and have been amazed at the servce both times. (side note: I once had a Peavey retaler pull a driver out of a new cabinet he was selling to replace the one I had blown.They will have my businiess as long as I am breathing.)
 
The closest thing to it for me is Apple but only time will tell. I'm interested in what other companies are doing and if somebody else comes out with a product that works better for me then I'll happily go along with it.

For an Apple geek, I'm not too persuaded by the iPhone. I like them a lot but it's not something that I would personally buy. I had a good look at a Nokia N8 the other day and the N9 (which has MeeGo) got some absolutely stellar reviews, it's just a crying shame that Nokia killed MeeGo off because it seemed to really have potential. Too late to market with too small an ecosystem, sadly.

Phone-wise I'm really into Nokia. I don't know why but I really like their phones. I've owned a couple and they were just fantastically rugged and reliable. I'm running an older HTC at the moment and although the phone is good, Android just isn't. I rooted my phone and put CyanogenMod 7 on the phone and it's still laggy and irritating. It was a good phone when I first got it but it frustrates me now. The best thing there is that I can tether it wirelessly - that is a very useful function.

I've only ever owned Ford cars (British Fords are somewhat different) but I did like Saab, too. Shame it died off by I'll blame GM for that one.

Drum-wise, Sonor can do little wrong for me but if they drop the ball then they need to watch out!
 
It is weird how we sometimes latch onto companies in that way, and how they differ. Some of the companies mentioned so far I can't stand! However, here is my list:

Paiste - For some reason, I have always been a Paiste man. I think it started in 1994 when I saw Pink Floyd live at Earls Court in London. I have felt the occasional itch lately to try something different for certain things, but I think I will always have a set of Paiste cymbals.

Sonor - A recent thing for me but I have fallen for Sonor drums in a big way since purchasing my latest kit. Though I still want to buy a 1990's Premier Signia if I can find a good one in the right colour.. The first kit I fell in love with.

Yamaha - their hardware at least (especially the CS755 boom stand which I am slowly accumulating lots of), and my digital piano is a Yamaha Clavinova which I love; not that I can play the thing.

Apple - Another recent thing for me. I've been a Software Engineer all my life (I wrote my first program when I was around 5.. I wasn't that sad, I did ride a bike outside too..) and I feel the computer industry is currently in a very sad state. However I think Apple is getting things right at the moment, though I do worry about this "cloud" obsession they are catching *shudder*.
 
Wow after reading some of these, I am really glad I don't suffer from any brand obsessions. :)
 
Wow after reading some of these, I am really glad I don't suffer from any brand obsessions. :)

I wouldn't call it an obsession by any means, it's just where I look first or what I end up coming back to because there's something about their design philosophy maybe that appeals to me. I'm certainly not blinded by it. Having said that I think I am a bit of a cymbalholic!
 
I wouldn't call it an obsession by any means, it's just where I look first or what I end up coming back to because there's something about their design philosophy maybe that appeals to me. I'm certainly not blinded by it. Having said that I think I am a bit of a cymbalholic!

I was being facetious. Anyone that knows me on here, knows I can be the worst offender when it comes to Brand loyalty.:)
 
Zildjian- for some unknown reason I will not even try a Sabian definately never buy one- I guess I just like having a "uniform kit" but I don't even think Zildjian are the "best" i just would never change to another company- god knows why?

Remo- again I LOVE the Evans EMAD but don't think I could ever bring myself to buy tom heads from them for some ridiculous reason that I dont even know myself.

Vic Firth- Used them consistently for the past 10 years and don't think I am going to change anytime soon. I suppose having used them for so long I have become accustomed to their feel and shape and so anything else is bound to feel "wrong" at first

Sony- again like to buy lots of sony products but they are good quality to be fair- "the PC equivalent of Apple"
 
I've been sitting here for 15-17 minutes thinking about all my possessions, there brands, and whether or not that particular brand is the one I would consider myself loyal too and would be my only choice.

Nothing!! I got nothing. I don't know if it's good or bad, but I have no brand loyalty to anything; and none of them are above "doing nothing wrong".

I buy what I like regardless of brand. There are some brands that I prefer over others and I'll gravitate to them first. But if they don't have what I'm looking for, or start having quality issues, I'll bail in a second.

I'm one of those guys that removes "labels".

A few companies I will go to first, but wouldn't consider myself loyal too:.

Craftsman Tools - Probably the strongest example of brand loyalty I do have. When I think tool shopping, I think Sears first. That's not to say that I don't have a whole bunch of crappy Taiwanese tools in my toolbox, but if I'm looking to invest a quality tool, I'll try Craftsman first.

Dodge Trucks - Always liked Dodge Trucks. I know they've had issues in the past, but to date, I've had a few and have always had really good luck with them. If I'm in the market for a new truck, I'll go to the Dodge dealership first. But if they can't make me happy, I'll buy a Ford, or a Chevy, or a Toyota.and not feel bad about it at all.

Sabian Cymbals - I can't put my finger on it. When I cymbal shop, I always spend the most time at the Sabian rack. When I look on Craigslist, I always search Sabian first.
I don't have anything against any of the other brands. I'm not sure why Sabian. Must be the logo. :)

Levis Jeans - I always hit the Levis rack first and can usually find what I like. Can't ever recall a quality issue, ever.

Coleman - Great quality camping supplies. Been around forever. Plenty of options in every price and quality range. Product catalog is huge

La-Z-Boy Chairs - Scientifically engineered to put your ass to sleep!
 
I can think of something wrong with many of the companies mentioned - even the best seem have their lemons, weak or overpriced lines or they make occasional idiot management decisions.

My Navman GPS just died. I've had it less than a year and was in a suburb I didn't know at 2am in the morning. Left high and dry. So I'm not keen on Navman ...

Don't know of any problems with Trick. Expensive but classy.

I like Zildjian cymbals. Plenty I don't like but I like the lucky dip feeling of trying them out - you never know when you'll come across a beauty.

Xara produces vector drawing software and the main product, Xara Xtreme, is very reasonably priced and much more intuitive than Adobe Illustrator (though more limited with export options, partially because it's all about Adobe's standards).
 
Wow after reading some of these, I am really glad I don't suffer from any brand obsessions. :)
Good one!
since I'm here...
Yamaha - hardware and any of the drums made in Japan
Sabian - yeah, still some duds on the lot but over all good
Vater - at least the sticks I bring home
Toyota - but the pricing sucks a the dealers
Levi's - 501's
Vans - but they're getting sloppy
Timex Iron Man watches
 
Good one!
since I'm here...
Yamaha - hardware and any of the drums made in Japan
Sabian - yeah, still some duds on the lot but over all good
Vater - at least the sticks I bring home
Toyota - but the pricing sucks a the dealers
Levi's - 501's
Vans - but they're getting sloppy
Timex Iron Man watches


hear hear on the Yamaha hardware.....Ill use nothing else

to that ill add Meinl cymbals.......best in the biz
 
Zildjian: Since my youth I thought Zildjian was the only real cymbal maker around. I had a few cheaper cymbals when I could not afford a quality cymbal and they never really compared to the sound of a Zildjian. However, that was my ignorance. My ignorance of staying with one brand. Lately I have only bought used Zildjian's from a lost era. Lately, I have been looking for a 24 inch ride and thought I had to mortgage the house to get an Istanbul Turkish Zildjian. It took me a long time, but I discovered the wonderful sounds of Paiste.

American Car Companies: For a long time I was only buying American cars. Yet, I wanted a small car with a manual stick shift that was made of quality. I had the idea that I should not even buy anything but American. Then one day, while car shopping after my car died, I test drove a Mazda 323. Not only was this little economical car well built and came with the stick, it had the greatest sound over the cover of the steering wheel. It was a hollow cover that made a great driving conga drum. I now drive a Honda, and may eventually look at the American cars again one day in the future.

Apple: Sorry, I was forced to use an apple when there was no engineering software available for the operating system. And I was forced to take those things back to the tech center when there was no one else around who could fix the hardware on those things. Yes, apple's mac's they all break, it is a machine which eventually breaks down, just like the human body. It is still much easier to repair a PC desktop then an apple. You can simply plug in a new card, that can be gotten at a very inexpensive price compared to the high cost of a closed supply like apple. The PC is all IEEE standard and for the most part it is a plug and play card swap. There are a few exceptions, but not many.
 
Drum wise, Yamaha. I've never owned one single Yamaha drum, but I've played a lot. Everything from their gigmaker to the PHX is outstanding.

Other stuff. I have an i/pod/pad/phone, but I dont 'love' Apple. I do love my iPod though, I've had that bad boy for about 4 years, its been down the toilet TWICE and it still works a treat.
I have two Nixon watches, amongst other stuff, and they are just brilliant.
AKG is another favourite brand, their 414's are just the best LDC's on the market, hands down.
 
Cymbals - Sabian. This is based on experience more than anything else.

Drumheads - Evans. It is the same here. They work for me.

Home Audio - Sony. Every sound system in my house that I use (five of them) has some or all Sony.

Batteries - Duracell


Peace and goodwill.
 
AKG is another favourite brand, their 414's are just the best LDC's on the market, hands down.

I really like AKG gear too, although the C414s really aren't the best LDC on the market! My main mixing headphones are K701s which are just wonderful. That doesn't mean I use AKG exclusively, I just bought a pair of Shure SRH440s a few days ago that are very decent and I'm in the process of wearing them in. If I'm in the market for a new piece of audio gear, I do tend to look at AKG first still. The C414s are very good but I have used better - my Uni had a few Neumanns knocking around and I think Rode do better low-end gear (I own AKG C1000s still because of the 9V operation) with the Rode NT2000 being a very good budget LDC that I've used extensively. The C414s are great for an uncoloured response though and are probably my M/S mics of choice. The lower-end 214s aren't bad, either and are some of the best at the price point.

I think audio-gear wise, we're spoiled. A lot of companies make really great gear at the sub-1000 price point. AKG are my usual 'go-to' option and I've never used anything AKG that was bad or poor quality. I do think that some other companies use AKG as a benchmark to improve on and sometimes manage to.
 
Spirit drums. Rare and unusual, draws attention.

Hang drum. Rare and unusual, draws attention

Chrysler cars. Have a PT Cruiser from 01 and a minivan from 02 and still going strong. Common, durable, capable, draws no attention.

Tabasco sauce. I eat it on just about everything and I have bottles stashed at home, at work and in the car. Gives me a whale of a headrush.

Windows, HP, Sony, IronKey, Android and anything that is not Apple. Reliable, versatile, cutting-edge, affordable and discreet in appearance for my tastes, especially Windows 7. Draws no attention. I earn my living on Windows.
 
Companies, brands, whatever you want to call them mean nothing to me.

I try to keep myself as open as possible to new things/events/people, which means not hanging onto any preconceived notions.

(Yeah, I fail a lot, but what the hell.)
 
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