Matt Garstka Moves To DW

Icetech said:
Just curious, does anyone actually care who plays what? i'm not picking on this thread, but i am honestly wondering if "this player plays crush, so i have to play crush!" people exist? I mean, you put vinnie behind any kit and he will sound like vinnie.. I always just assume whoever they go with gives them the most money and/or support in gear.. (Except yamaha players of course.. they are just there cause yammy is the best made)
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I like to check out what some of my favorite players are using. It helps instruct my setup and I sometimes look into buying new items based on what they play. If these guys are at the pinnacle of the instrument, why wouldn't you be interested in what they are using?
 
BigDrew said:
I like to check out what some of my favorite players are using. It helps instruct my setup and I sometimes look into buying new items based on what they play. If these guys are at the pinnacle of the instrument, why wouldn't you be interested in what they are using?
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Mainly cause i see it is, who gave them the best deal and makes stuff good enough for them to use, if someone switches from yamaha to dw i doubt it's due to dw being better than yamaha, more that they got offered a better deal.

p.s. i am interested in who uses what, i just don't base purchase decisions off of that is all.
 
Icetech said:
Mainly cause i see it is, who gave them the best deal and makes stuff good enough for them to use, if someone switches from yamaha to dw i doubt it's due to dw being better than yamaha, more that they got offered a better deal.

p.s. i am interested in who uses what, i just don't base purchase decisions off of that is all.
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I get it. I am actually more interested in the specifics (wood choice, sizes, etc.) than the actual brand.
 
Bo Eder said:
Not to sound jaded, but why is this big news? This is simply one contract running out, and another one beginning. I’ve long since stopped believing drumming artists when they tout one brand and then find them with another brand some years later. The only one I really believe is Charlie Watts, and he actually bought his iconic set.
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Charlie was a 1%er in the pro-drumming world doing what he did.
These days if I player is recognized for his ability enough to be sponsored and he wants to continue to play his own chosen brand, I'm sure those looking to sponsor him will look elsewhere real quick.
"Play what we want you to play or you can go back to the bar".
 
During a Sweetwater class, I asked Kenny Arronoff about his endorsements. He said Tama endorsed him shortly after Vic Firth did and he'd never leave them because it feels like a family to him. "They've never let me down."
 
Cmdr. Ross said:
Charlie was a 1%er in the pro-drumming world doing what he did.
These days if I player is recognized for his ability enough to be sponsored and he wants to continue to play his own chosen brand, I'm sure those looking to sponsor him will look elsewhere real quick.
"Play what we want you to play or you can go back to the bar".
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I think more drummers need to feel like that. I was “sponsored” and I’ve moved on, too. I always asked why people get sponsored after they’re doing ok enough to not need to be sponsored. When I was in my 20s, sponsorship would be great because I don’t have money. That’s no longer the case. If companies kick me to the curb because I won’t play their stuff, who cares?
 
Icetech said:
Just curious, does anyone actually care who plays what? i'm not picking on this thread, but i am honestly wondering if "this player plays crush, so i have to play crush!" people exist? I mean, you put vinnie behind any kit and he will sound like vinnie.. I always just assume whoever they go with gives them the most money and/or support in gear.. (Except yamaha players of course.. they are just there cause yammy is the best made)
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I think it does in subliminal ways. I want sonor drums because I love Danny Carey. Maybe somewhere deep inside me I think that if I have his drums, I can play like him. I know it's not true but it's funny how minds work.
 
Trigger said:
I think it does in subliminal ways. I want sonor drums because I love Danny Carey. Maybe somewhere deep inside me I think that if I have his drums, I can play like him. I know it's not true but it's funny how minds work.
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I get that :) I want Sonor cause.. they are the best... the throw off on my snare is soooo insanely over engineered it's almost artwork... they just are awesome:)
 
GretschedHive said:
Everyone thinks advertising doesn't work on them, and maybe for a small percentage of people that's true. But there's a reason it's an $89,000,000,000 industry.
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Indeed.

Absolut Vodka marketing is a classic example. And they could only use print ads (and killer photography in the 80s) cuz it’s booze.

FTA:
“In the US alone they saw a rise of 10,000 cases sold in 1980 to 4.5million cases in 2000.”

www.smartinsights.com

Absolut vodka and their marketing campaign have stood the test of time

Absolut made something simple into something beautiful by creating one of the best campaigns in brand marketing history. This is how they did it.
www.smartinsights.com www.smartinsights.com
 
Scottie15 said:
I commented on his YT video revealing the DW kit. I said it's just one contract expiring and a other beginning. A business decision, essentially. He actually commented back and said it is the same deal he had with Tama. He said he should be playing the best sounding drums, and over the years, it became increasingly clear that it was DW drums. He said he spent years in studios and DWs always sounded the best.

He said some guys make business decisions, but for him, it was all about the drums. Not sure I believe it, but kudos to him. Huge loss for Tama.
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These are business decisions, and rarely made because the player truly prefers a particular sound. Of course they ALWAYS say that the new company’s drums spoke to them, and are the best they’ve ever played. … and if it it were about sound, no one is ditching Tama Star drums for thuddy Collector’s Series.😀
 
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bud7h4 said:
The drummers you do know know who he is.
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Maybe. I'll be the first one to admit that I don't know many artists from the 90's forward. Ready for this? I couldn't name one Nirvana song title even if you offered me a million dollars. Same goes for Foo Fighters, Green Day, Nickelback, Dave Matthews etc etc. :unsure: ;)
 
Darth Vater said:
Maybe. I'll be the first one to admit that I don't know many artists from the 90's forward. Ready for this? I couldn't name one Nirvana song title even if you offered me a million dollars. Same goes for Foo Fighters, Green Day, Nickelback, Dave Matthews etc etc. :unsure: ;)
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I here ya. Even as a metal fan I somehow hadn't heard a Meshuggah song until about 3 years ago. And I only know who Garstka is from watching so many drum related youtube videos. Coming across someone of his caliber was inevitable. I never listen to the band he plays in (AAL) since they don't have a bass player. I mean WTF is that?
 
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MrPockets said:
My brother is a head golf professional and he switched club brands because he wasn't a fan of how his rep at the time was treating him.

Could there have been some Matt and Tama drama? Yes. Do we need to know the specifics? no.
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Let us also remember that Pro Drum in Hollywood was behind the big push for Pearl. It’s rumored that one of the Big Four companies pushed around some shops that their product needed to be prominently displayed, and some of those reps were literally thrown out the door. So this left a vacuum for Pearl to fill. Who do you think hipped Jeff Porcaro and Ed Shaughnessy to Pearl back in the 70s? Something to ponder.....
 
MrPockets said:
My brother is a head golf professional and he switched club brands because he wasn't a fan of how his rep at the time was treating him.

Could there have been some Matt and Tama drama? Yes. Do we need to know the specifics? no.
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We do commercial casework at my job and sometimes we resort to residential casework in favor for good clients. Residential is essential a buy out for us because we don't manufacture face frame boxes.

Anywho, one brand we always pushed because it was sought as better than the other. Now their lead times at 2x as much as the other brand. Their quality had also been in question these past few years.

The other brand, their flag ship top tier stuff, is quite comparable to brand one. In fact, quoting their top tier box yields better construction as the other brands entry to mid level box.

Sure, the other brand doesn't have as many customization whozeitwhatsis but they do offer a good, solid, quality box, at HALF the lead time as the first brand.

I even bought the other brand for my kitchen because I need this kitchen to be done before Xmas and the rep is just easier to work with.

So, coming back to drumming here. Tama makes superior quality products, DW makes superior quality products. Maybe one contract ended, maybe there was some tension with reps vs. artists. Maybe, just MAYBE, its a preference?

I personally 4 different drum manufacturers for all four of my kits. All for different reasons, I'm not a pro drummer, but some things I like here and there than others.

Matt going to DW is not a big deal at all. In fact, I spent more time on this post than its worth and that is a bigger problem.

Cheers.
 
I wonder if age and experience tends to make endorsements matter LESS as we get a better sense for ourselves of what works or not, especially if things like rep relations and tour support are not really a consideration. I know that the more I played gigs, and therefore had to be my own drum tech, I was more concerned about the ease of setup/teardown and the mechanical aspects of the kit, since THAT was what I had to deal with no matter how the performance went. The only things I ever felt were essential for a good musical result were good sounding cymbals, and drumsticks that felt good and stayed in my hands...maybe a solid throne as well. After that, everything just has to stay put!
 
bermuda said:
There are many reasons a player makes a switch, and with pandemic conditions, it's possible he just couldn't get new Tama product/hardware/parts from Asia.




Few artists get a completely free ride, and I guarantee that DW is not giving Matt any kits. They may have comped him a snare or some pedals, but he's buying everything else (at a nice discount, of course!) But DW drums are not inexpensive, so it's doubtful Matt made the change in order to save money. I have to assume he switched because he likes DW's sound better, which is a good reason.

BTW, I'm one of those who didn't know his name although I've heard of the band. Doesn't mean he's not a good player or that he doesn't have good exposure to the band's fans.
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I discovered his name and his band as an endorser with Meiñl and I liked a lot his signature China equilibrium 20". I like Tama more than DW so, I would prefer drummers to stay or be with Tama but that's all for me. But yes, the availability of high end product form Asia these days could be a major reason he switched. We are confronted to that every day when we order a product...he might have "ordered" too many time things that didn't come on time so, he changed his mind.
 
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