Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: witeter on March 11, 2013, 12:40:30 PM

Title: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: witeter on March 11, 2013, 12:40:30 PM
Just wanted to share the news with you guys, not wanting to show off or anything!! just been here a while and I know everyone is interested in knowing what stuff people are upto when it comes to gear. Well, i managed to get an endorsement from Sabre Guitars, and I am absolutely ecstatic. I didnt really expect to get a 'yes' when I applied and was not sure if I was doing it right as I have never applied for something like this before. When I tried them at the Birmingham guitar show i was blown away, and are the best guitars I have ever played ( I played some top class PRS's at that show and some Blackmachines also). As with anything guitar its all subjective, but for my tastes they are incredible instruments and connected with them in a way I have never done before (sorry if this sounds like a Brian Adams song..); they have really changed how I perceive guitars forever. So, check them out if you havent yet. And want to say to anyone out there who plays a brand you love, if you ever want to go the endorsement route, just do it! worst case scenario is you will be told 'no'.

My build will start soon and will of course share the progress with you guys :-)

chris
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: richard on March 11, 2013, 12:45:51 PM
Congratulations !!!!!!! Will it have BKs ?
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: witeter on March 11, 2013, 12:47:45 PM
Of course! :-)
I think im settled for a Blackhawk Alnico on the bridge - a big move for me as I have always gone for ceramic magnets in the bridge, but looking forward to checking it out. Neck I am still undecided on
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: Brow on March 11, 2013, 12:49:44 PM
I was at the Great Britain Guitar Show in Birmingham too and think I recall seeing their stand, were they opposite John Birch guitars if I recall?

They're not my cup of tea so I didn't try 1 out but they certainly looked like quality well made guitars.
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: witeter on March 11, 2013, 12:53:00 PM
Ah cool-hope you enjoyed the show? i loved it, they even had curry for lunch :-)
Yes i think they were opposite John Birch guitars. They had a Hughes and Kettner amp and a Kemper which sounded amazing btw
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: Brow on March 11, 2013, 12:59:29 PM
Ah cool-hope you enjoyed the show? i loved it, they even had curry for lunch :-)
Yes i think they were opposite John Birch guitars. They had a Hughes and Kettner amp and a Kemper which sounded amazing btw

Yeah I enjoyed the show, smaller than I thought though as I'm used to the larger stuff like Music Live when I used to go there every year  :lol:

The stand across from John Birch had a ZIlla cab and an Eleven Rack I think, so maybe I'm thinking of the wrong stand  :lol:

After looking on their website though I do remember seeing the guitars so chanecs are I'm getting confused as to where their stand was  :lol:
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: witeter on March 11, 2013, 01:02:27 PM
Could it have been Jaden Rose guitars?
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: TheyCallMeVolume on March 11, 2013, 01:14:01 PM
Congrats, that's really cool!
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: witeter on March 11, 2013, 01:20:04 PM
Cheers man!
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: Kiichi on March 11, 2013, 02:29:22 PM
Fu*k yeah, that is amazing dude. Congrats!!!
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: witeter on March 11, 2013, 02:41:17 PM
Cheers man! appreciate it
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: witeter on March 11, 2013, 02:48:13 PM
This was the moment i fell in luuuurve
(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd386/witeter1/sabreandme_zps29aacb5d.jpg)
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on March 11, 2013, 02:48:59 PM
Congratulations on what hopefully will be a nice partnership - I am looking forward to seeing what they build for you.
I am friends with one of the other artists with a similar thing going on - Carl Johnson and had the pleasure of playing his multi-scale /fanned fret Sabre (the one you can see in the picture above)

Can I take a moment to correct a few things (being pedantic but It annoys me when things are said the wrong way round)

You are endorsing Sabre guitars, not them endorsing you.
As a player or artist with a fan following or a lot of exposure to other players who may be interested in what you play to make your music you are giving your seal of approval for their (nice) guitars - which is fantastic.
It is that way round rather than it being exclusively Sabre guitars saying that they like your music, although the arrangement may be of equal prestige enhancement for both parties.
In return they have agreed to give you a tasty price on having one built - a discount from the full price.
It is very rare for artists to be given free product in this day and age - unless you are Van Halen, Steve Vai etc....

Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: witeter on March 11, 2013, 02:56:39 PM
Hi Jonathan thanks -yes looking forward to the build myself :-)

I am sorry if I annoyed you with any of my original message, it was not meant in any way to be misleading or saying that somehow I was getting a free instrument out of it. I guess I am just very excited to be part of the Sabre artist group and to be affiliated with a company I am huge fan of. So again, I am sorry if it came across in any other way.
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: richard on March 11, 2013, 03:39:18 PM
It's very rare for me to get excited about a guitar these days. Tell us - what grabbed you about the Sabre ?
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on March 11, 2013, 04:26:40 PM
Hi Jonathan thanks -yes looking forward to the build myself :-)

I am sorry if I annoyed you with any of my original message, it was not meant in any way to be misleading or saying that somehow I was getting a free instrument out of it. I guess I am just very excited to be part of the Sabre artist group and to be affiliated with a company I am huge fan of. So again, I am sorry if it came across in any other way.

No - I wasn't annoyed at all
I just feel that the whole endorsement thing is very confused in the minds of many players (not players like yourself, but you should see some of the unlikely endorsement requests i get)
The idea of free guitars for anyone in a band seems to perpetuate around the web and I wanted to continue to set the record a bit straight.


Jaden Rose wrote something a while back that I thought summed it up nicely.

http://www.jadenroseguitars.com/endorsement (http://www.jadenroseguitars.com/endorsement)

and I ranted on the subject previously
Quote
A proper endorsement is where an artist uses a product, based on the fact that they enjoy using that product and enjoy it sufficiently to tell others that this is the case.

There are cases where an artist has grown up using a product or has had a working relationship with a company for some time and as the artist has grown to a position of prominence, there has been a degree of Kudos for the company whose product he or she is using.
The first step of that process is that the artist has bought the product either new or secondhand.

When you read in magazines that a famous artist is now using brand X or brand Y, it is often easy to tell whether the artist has really developed an affinity with that product or whether they will play whatever is given them for free.

Some artists are a bit “endorsamatic” - different brand each year – depending on who is willing to supply
This actually harms the whole endorsement process as it makes us all a bit sceptical about it.

We actually take a similar stance to that taken by Marshall amplifiers amongst others.....
We don’t give away any product – all products are paid for, which actually gives meaning to the endorsement process
However we may do an artist deal/special price based on the realistic exposure that it would provide


I am enjoying seeing a lot of the guitars coming out of Sabre ( a bit envious of the access to CNC/laser cutting etc that he seems to have)
Some very pretty guitars - looking forward to seeing yours take shape.
I'm still just a huge guitar enthusiast at heart!
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: gwEm on March 11, 2013, 05:03:25 PM
Interesting reading, I've often wondered how these endorsements work. I sometimes wonder if I should apply for such a thing - but in all honesty the only thing I could truly endorse is Tech21 SansAmp gear, and perhaps Korg tuners / Vox cables, since I quite often now change the rest of my setup quite radically depending on my mood and the requirements of the gig.

Congratulations on your new relationship with Sabre!
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: Dmoney on March 11, 2013, 05:08:38 PM
Interesting reading, I've often wondered how these endorsements work. I sometimes wonder if I should apply for such a thing - but in all honesty the only thing I could truly endorse is Tech21 SansAmp gear, and perhaps Korg tuners / Vox cables, since I quite often now change the rest of my setup quite radically depending on my mood and the requirements of the gig.

Congratulations on your new relationship with Sabre!

strings, picks, drum sticks, etc... all that breakable stuff is handy to get hold of cheap if you wangle it.
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: Mr. Air on March 11, 2013, 05:52:52 PM
Big congrats! Looking foreward to seeing how your guitar will look and sound  :D
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: Telerocker on March 11, 2013, 08:05:32 PM
Congrats! Hope we seen your guitar soon here!
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: witeter on March 11, 2013, 09:04:45 PM
Cheers guys :-) i will definitely share the progress with everyone here thats for sure!

Jonathan - ah i understand what you were trying to say now, bloody internet its always easy to get things muddled up lol yes I completely agree, a lot of players think they are entitled to free stuff, which to be honest, just seems bizarre to me-and yes, the way i would describe it is as a relationship: its mutual, not one sided.

Good advice Dmoney about trying to get an endorsement on things like strings, picks, etc i.e breakables - as we all work our way through tons of that stuff all the time.

Richard - its hard to pinpoint just one thing, ive always loved guitars but never really had a connection with an instrument.  The weight, the feel, the shape, the look, the sound-everything just seemed right. The result was a massive grin from me and i was in awe. The guitar i played also had a Hannes bridge which i think is amazing and suits my playing style to a tee, and an LSR nut which looked great and Christian (luthier) swears by them. It also had some nice touches like the input cable connecting via the back of the body (sounds weird but its not). Again its hard to point at one thing but it all just seemed to come together into an incredible piece of craftsmanship.

This is the exact guitar i played

(http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd386/witeter1/wraith_zps2f8fd233.jpg)
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: 38thBeatle on March 11, 2013, 09:36:21 PM
Congrats from me too. I don't know them but I rather like the picture and your enthusiasm alone is great to see.
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: witeter on March 11, 2013, 09:48:53 PM
Cheers man! i think ive talked most people to death about the subject lol this is the first forum i ever joined and i have always found everyone helpful and knowledgeable so it seemed a natural step to share this with everyone as I know you are all gear obsessed too :-)
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: Brow on March 11, 2013, 10:22:11 PM
I recognised the stand after you posted the pic, I remember seeing them there on the day.

It must've been Jaden Rose that was opposite John Birch and across from the Matrix Power amp people.
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: Philly Q on March 11, 2013, 11:01:20 PM
Congratulations!  :D

I've been reading this thread today but couldn't see the pictures in work, which was a little frustrating!

The guitar looks cool, very modern and not my kind of thing at all, but I like the contours and the timbers, I think it appeals to me more than something like a Blackmachine.
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: GuitarIv on March 12, 2013, 08:53:31 AM
Congrats, Chris! :D

I've been drooling over these guitars now for a while, seeing all the pictures on Facebook. There's also a video of Petey G from Red Seas Fire playing one and absolutely loving it, so they seem to be amazing instruments in deed, not only by the looks. Keep us updated and post some clips, will ya? :)
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: witeter on March 12, 2013, 09:34:24 AM
Thanks guys

GuitarIv - cheers! yes Pete was there on the sunday i was there saturday-he seems to be blown away by them also.

PhillyQ-I know what you mean, its curvier than a Blackmachine-they do have a model called 'Ghost' which is more 'metal' looking and one called the 'Seraph' which has a different body shape altogether.

I will asking for all your help soon to decide on pickups! :-)
Title: Re: So got myself an endorsement!
Post by: HTH AMPS on March 18, 2013, 12:55:20 PM
not my thing at all, but you can see the quality and skill thats gone into it.