A series of essays wherein I explore the numerous musical identities of my favorite musician: from child prodigy to teen idol to guitar hero to singer/songwriter to award-winning in-demand film composer.
Featuring news/updates and commentary/analysis of Trevor's career and associated projects. Comments are disabled but please feel free to contact me at .blog@gmail.com.
This year saw the release of Trevor's new signature model guitar from Washburn, the PXM-TR2/TR20. It is part of Washburn's Parallaxe series of electric guitars, built for the modern shredder. But as long-time fans know, over 20 years ago Trevor also had a signature model which was manufactured by Westone-Alvarez, and he endorsed both the Pantera electric as well as the Yairi acoustic beginning in 1986. Jon Anderson also had an endorsement deal for the Yairi acoustic, beginning in 1979, and I would posit that is how Trevor came to be introduced to the brand, but that's just my speculation.
Mayones Guitar Endorsement With Xerosun
There are plenty of resources online for information regarding the Westone-Alvarez models which Trevor utilized and endorsed, including The Westone Forums site where there are more than a few Rabin Rabinite fanboys available for such discussion. And of course the Star Licks video which is all about guitars and gear, technique and tenacity (and Trevor is wearing one of his greatest outfits ever); a must-have for any fan's collection, readily available on DVD from various sellers on eBay.
Here is a look at the signature model and its variants as featured in one of the Westone brochures, I believe this was from 1991 or '92:
From the fan/collector's perspective, what I desire is to pay visual tribute with the various endorsement ads which feature Trevor - he also officially endorsed D'Addario strings and Ampeg amps - starting with the three main ads for Westone-Alvarez.
Endorsements · Dakota Dave Hull
There were also three ads for Yairi, the first two are standard advertising format for the brand, there are also other versions with different guitarists pictured.Want an endorsement deal with your favorite guitar company? This article walks you through exactly what guitar companies are looking for from artists they work with, how brands and artists work together, common mistakes to avoid, and exactly what you can usually get out of a deal with a brand.
Growing up I always wondered exactly how endorsement deals work, and there was never really any reliable information available. Occasionally companies might put up a quick blog or two paragraph explanation but they don’t actually explain much.
After running companies like Horizon Devices, dealing guitars for most major guitar brands via the Wired Guitarist community store, working with a few Artist Relations experts, and speaking with dozens and dozens of artists I have a pretty strong understanding of how an artist can secure an endorsement deal with their favorite guitar brand.
In The White Steel Strings
Anyways, let’s jump into it. I recommend making some delicious snack food because this is going to be a pretty long article…
Alright, so maybe you’ve managed to get your foot in the door. You’ve already splurged on a nice bottle of booze to celebrate the $50, 000 check that your favorite guitar company is about to send you alongside the 10 guitars spec’d out just the way you wanted.
Typically, a brand will have a few different levels. They aren’t very strict, and these levels mix together sometimes, so don’t take this as gospel or anything. They are also nicer than I, and name their tiers A, B, C, etc… but I’m an honest guy and I like to tell it like it is. Keep in mind that there may be other miscellaneous “terms and conditions” not covered here. Some brands are fine with you playing other guitars, and others are not, it really depends on the deal you can get.
Endorsers & Endorsements
Nobody calls it perma-customer, but I’ve heard AR guys use the phrase a ton, and at the end of the day that’s basically what you are. You’ll usually receive discounts on gear. Most of the time these discounts are around what you might see the same guitar pop up for on the used market. You’ll get some light promotion on social media from the brand, maybe. I would only go after this kind of deal if you do not suffer from Guitar Addiction Syndrome and you really love the brand that’s offering you a deal.
You might get a guitar or two for free every year, and you’ll also get discounts on gear. The brand will go further out of their way to offer you support you via social media, tour support, etc…
If you do, you’ll usually be paid a portion of each sale. This is the real way artists really make money on endorsement deals. You might even be paid a little bit of money for signing on, but it’s usually not much or enough to really sway someone one way or another. Depending on how well your model sells, you can make good-ish money in this tier. That’s why you might want to put serious thought into what kind of model the brand you’re working with is missing, and then fill the need for that model with your signature. That kind of kills the “signature” part of things but hey, if you want a fat check…
Endorsements / Promoting
You’re a household name. The company will do whatever it takes to make you happy. This is when serious money gets involved. You’ll get just about anything you ask for, within reason, and you’ll definitely get a signature model. Think of names like Steve Vai, John Mayer, and Harambe. Just kidding…
Time to get into the one thing none of the useless blogs on brand sites actually cover. They’ll tell you to send them some B.S. package that they don’t really even look at properly.
What you need to do is focus on creating a simple one-pager that quickly shows your current relevant metrics like music sales, social following, previous brand promotions that have yielded ROI for the brand in question, your ability to create quality content…basically the stuff that shows them how much money you’re going to make them.
Prices Of Acoustic Instruments
Make sure it’s a slick looking PDF, not some PoS you whipped up in Microsoft word in 15 minutes. Seriously, you’ll stand out. Your grammar should be on point too because roughly 78% of guitarists seem to be illiterate and struggle with proper spelling. I made that statistic up, but it sounds about right based on the emails my friends doing AR have sent me.
Don’t just rely on email either, befriend whoever is responsible for AR on social media, and quickly touch base with them. Don’t bug them. If you have the means to attend NAMM, I highly recommend locating whoever is responsible for AR and at least talking to them! This will go a long way. Don’t sit there pitching yourself, just have a conversation with them so they know you’re a human being and you won’t be a royal PITA to work with if they decide to bring you onboard.
Once you’re talking to the company, don’t settle for the first deal they offer you. In my opinion, signing up to be a perma-customer is a big waste of time unless you intend on growing out of it very quickly. When negotiating, do it politely and do not get upset if they don’t give you what you want. Instead, thank them for their time and let them know that you’d love to reconnect in the future.
Endorsements & Setup
Getting an endorsement deal can be a lot easier than you think, but you need to know exactly what kind of deal you’re getting into, and how to navigate it. If you stick to these tips and present yourself as a valuable, hard-working, and amicable individual it will be hard for any company NOT to see your value.
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