Guitar Companies Milking Dead Artists For Profit

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[@14fluffies]

I shudder at the thought of what's going to happen when Slash dies 😂

[@samuelwnovak]

Oof LOL. A yearly replica of one of the 400 indistinguishable Les Pauls in his collection that he may or may not have played in a professional capacity at some point. They’ll all have a dumb little nickname, a signed certificate of authenticity, and a bunch of lame memorabilia/case candy because it’s all about the uNbOxInG eXpErIeNcE

[@deweyoogwey]

400s of Jessica? oof

[@bucknaked31]

He will go to Paradise City! 😉

[@erikolsen1333]

Oh don’t you but that on me Ricky Bobby don’t you put that evil on me

[@erikolsen1333]

@@samuelwnovakoh that sweet sweet unboxing. Lol😂 ❤

[@nathanchalcraft6919]

Gibson just recenly did this with jeff beck and his "yardburst" les paul. Like, bro, i know jeff played a few gibsons in his day, but he was a fender artist. Jeez man! Dont be surprised of we see a jeff beck ox blood reissue too.

[@dw7704]

There was one while he was alive.

[@erikolsen1333]

The ox 🐂 blood 🩸

[@bradconklin2878]

Well, if you fuckers weren't all Burst happy they could have done the Blow by Blow Oxblood.

[@OLDSACKS]

That reminds me when Gibson made a Hendrix signature for Authentic Hendrix. You would have expected them to make a run of psychedelic Flying V's and/or custom SG's, but all they did was prototyping a cheap bottom tier wonky-looking strat copy. It rightfully never went into full production.

[@sammy-whirl8500]

Nice try, fender

[@SerjShower]

Hey big guy! Generally good points, but I must add a few things regarding ESP in specific; 1. Guitars that say ESP on the headstock mean they are made in either the USA or JP custom shop, but all ESP models for sale through retailers are generally the Japan custom shop 2. ESP Japan's prices are high across the board. For Example, the CHEAPEST ESP Japan model you can purchase (according to their website) is the ESP SNAPPER-7, running at $4,499. Most artists' ESP signature models run significantly higher, Stephen Carpenter's baritone Tele 7 string running at $5,399, all the way to Alex Skolnick's signature LP-style singlecut running at $9,299. So it's worth it to say, this is not a unique situation to the Alexi Laiho Greeny (which still ran for about $5k before the pandemic) 3. ESP's E-II line is all Production models, like what PRS's S2 line is to their Core line. Still made in Japan, but on a Production Line rather than in the custom shop, lowering the cost. that's all, sorry for the wall of text!

[@martinscholl4582]

Dude I remember when ESPs were reasonably priced and actual musicians bought them. I owned one myself briefly but it was really, really small for a superstrat, wonderful guitar. They didn't do anything to make the guitars better (guitars only get so good and they were already that good,) they just tripled the price so lawyers who can't play would buy them and not feel it was beneath their dignity to play a guitar that a musician can afford.

[@SerjShower]

@@martinscholl4582 I recently did a lot of research in the changes in the music gear market, which included looking through a lot of old product catalogs and price lists. It’s definitely safe to say, ESP used to be way more attainable than they are now. There are a few things worth noting, however. anything that says ESP on the headstock today means it was a custom shop build, whereas in the 90s and the 2000s, they were more than likely Japanese production models. But then that whole “E-II” rebrand thing happened, and the sheer amount of ESP “production” guitars from back in the day significantly outnumber what E-II had done since. They have put a lot more attention into LTD, which itself is getting more expensive as it begins to out-spec their Japanese production line.

[@Rolli6669]

The irony of this video is that Dime got buried with Eddies black and yellow guitar.

[@thunderfootpower]

yeah he said he had to look it up to see if Eddie had a black and yellow strat lol i must be old i remember sitting and staring at Eddie on the inside sleeve of van halen ll as a kid

[@DannyRoss_]

Imo when an artist is deceased the only guitars/gear that should be made with their name attached to it should be either replicas of guitars they’d previously used or designs that they’d approved but never got to play due to their passing The fender SRV model for example was released after SRV’s death but he had played and approved prototypes

[@Gliese710_]

And the cobain jagstang, he never got to play it live, but it was approved.

[@cor8003]

Also don't forget about Chuck Schuldiner's Stealth for 11 grand (as far as I remember, maybe it's less by now)

[@sixstringtv1]

😩😩

[@dervpool]

Honestly anything Chuck related. Just a quick look at Relapse and the way they use the properties is infuriating. Especially considering how his nephew has to sell Chucks personal stuff nowadays to cover his medical expenses.

[@Cinder.]

Chuck USA is 9 grand

[@michaelnugent9758]

​@@dervpoolJesus...😢

[@Lordoftheswollen]

Another 10k and you can just buy Chucks actual guitar.

[@BuntySaha]

Commenting from Japan 8:52 ESP logo means ESP custom shop factory (usually build by one guy) E-II are production models (a team of luthiers to reduce the cost) Custom shops are always priced between 7k to 20k because one or two luthiers make them. that ESP logo alexi model should be the exact thing what alexi played. the wood type can be the same but not the wood selection from custom shops and the labour costs of a master luthier is quite expensive. love your videos, just commenting as a ESP fanboy and owner of several esp custom shops.

[@cadengroves]

Came here for this, the ESP Alexi is fair, it’s an ESP custom shop and a signature. So 7k sounds about right. Alternatively most people will grab the LTD or Edwards one for much cheaper. But the ESP model should be, and was what Alexi played

[@guyfawkes8873]

Yea I was thinking same. E-II and ‘ESP’ are not the same price brackets. Whether that’s worth it, I have no clue, but they’re not.

[@brandonwilcox9316]

Also I’m pretty sure ESP has had a custom shop version of Alexi’s guitars pretty much since he first signed on with them so it wasn’t really a new thing either. They’ve always done that with most of their sig models as long as I can remember.

[@Kylora2112]

@@cadengroves Yeah, it's a similar price as the ESP Hetfield and Hammett signatures. And they've always had Alexi Laiho models because he was one of their most prominent artists.

[@THE-CRT]

I feel like Kurt Cobain is one of the more fair artists, just a Jaguar and a jag-stang. Only thing that sucks about those signatures is the Jaguar’s inaccuracies to Kurt’s original jag: completely different finish, different pickup spacing, 7.25 in radius, black chrome tune-o-matic with brass saddles, one string tree not two, and any thing else I’ve forgotten.

[@BlazonStone]

You could have mentioned Jackson releasing a black RR24 with gold hardware just recently.... After Alexi Laihos death. Pretty much a copy of what the Jackson was using before ESP... (and thats not counting the old RR24s from after he switched to ESP but still alive)

[@Lucas-dm7xo]

It’s stupid he already had a signature esp but Jackson wanted to capitalize off his death a couple years ago

[@BlazonStone]

@@TheHill1798 Dan Spitz had 22 frets, two humbuckers, reversed inlays and no yellow outlines. So it's not the same

[@rikkifknrobin]

I'd say probably the only one I've seen that I'm not AS upset over is the Kurt Cobain Jagstang. He designed it and got to play it during the last Nirvana tour, and I'm sure it got approval from his estate. That said, I think a squier version would have been more appropriate than an almost $1100 fender version. Not that we can't have a "high end" version, but it'd be a great option to have

[@nuggetstew4380]

Kurt would be rolling in his grave if he saw that his guitars were being sold for sky high prices

[@rikkifknrobin]

@@nuggetstew4380 that's why I think a squier version would be perfect

[@immortalmachine5839]

​@nuggetstew4380 You mean he'd be upset that the guitar that he designed is being sold at the price that it's spec'd for??? Would it be better if they were 200 dollar paperweights that couldn't hold a tune?

[@Gliese710_]

@@immortalmachine5839squiers usually hold tune fine, and yea, he probably wouldn’t of cared if it was specd crazy, 90% of the guitars he played were shit lol. $250-$460 would’ve made way more sense than $1100.

[@kinounderground]

@@immortalmachine5839they already don’t hold tune that well, especially for the price. Why not make them a 499 Squier that’s actually worth the money instead of a Fender that just isn’t.

[@Mr.Goldbar]

When it comes to the EVH thing, I actually like the idea. It's enough EVH with the configuration and the guts without totally screaming to the world "I wanna be EVH". Plus I still fantasize about getting one of these and then getting a regular pickguard and less "fucked up" electronics for it. I'm sure his family (i.e. Wolfgang for example) approved of this, so if they don't see an issue I have no reason to see one myself. The Dime cases are different, we all know there were so many issues between Dean and the Dimebag estate, Dime was basically Dean's only real money maker, and both these album cover MLs and the MXR distortion pedal are low end junk. My take is that the deciding factors are the actual quality of the product (not anything subjective and unrelated like "EVH never played a Frankenstrat without stripes) and the approval of the estate and family of these legends. They know better than all of us what's disespectful and what's not, and it's their decision after all.

[@vhsorion]

Yup

[@gazzeteboke3665]

dunno about dean, but for EVH, as a diehard fan, I couldnt agree more lol. I do own a frankesntrat replica as it was my dream guitar ever since I saw it in Eddie's live videos. Currently i'm attempting the second time to make a tribute guitar by buying parts online to eddie so I can play like him, and keep his guitar in my bedroom to honor him and not damage it since i love it so much.

[@elleffo]

Also it's entirely feasible for EVH to have played one of those. This guy makes it seem like Eddie never played a single gig without Frankie, meanwhile he pretty much exclusively used bland Wolfgangs for the latter half of his career

[@Kylora2112]

I'll disagree about the Alexi Laiho guitar...that was an ESP (their custom shop build line) and it's a similar price to the James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett signatures (and that design was a staple in Alexi's collection). The M-II was from their high-end production E-II brand, so it's not a direct comparison, even though the raw materials are the same. It'd be like comparing a Fender American Standard Strat to a Fender Custom Shop Master Built Strat with the same specs.

[@GarArgus]

Re: Alexi Laiho and ESP: You're misguided or straight up wrong on multiple point: - E-II are factory built in Japan, ESP are custom shop guitars made in Japan*. That's where the price difference comes from. You' ll find similar price disparity on signature models of artists who are still alive: Will Adler's ESP Warbird Distressed costs about 10 000€/$ (more expensive than the Alexi's Greeny you mentionned), James Hetfield ESP Iron Cross costs about 6500, Kirk Hammet's ESP KH-2 Vintage is about 6000, Max Cavalera's ESP RPR is about 6300, Gary Holt's ESP EC Lava is about 7000... All of these guitars are that price because they're custom shop guitars. E-II will always be cheaper because they're factory built. The price has nothing to do with the artist being alive or not. - Alexi has had signature guitars with ESP pretty much ever since he joined ESP, it's not a new "post death" policy. - Unlike Dimebag and EVH, all the Alexi signature models were guitars he actually played, even the newest purple ones. ESP also has a Jeff Hanneman signature model, but again it's based on a guitar he actually played and not a made up thing and the existence of a signature model once again predates his death. So yeah, the criticism towards ESP is pretty unwarranted here, they're nothing like Dean or Fender. *For those who might be confused, with ESP's branding: MIJ factory built guitars were called ESP Standard Series before the E-II branding was introduced, and custom shop ESP had the words "custom shop" written on the front and back of the headstock. Nowadays the ESP branding is restricted to guitars made in their custom shops in Japan or the US (under the ESP USA name).

[@sixstringtv1]

Past a certain price point it should not matter where it's built or who built it if the specs are identical. The reason I gravitate towards certain expensive hand-built guitars is because they offer specs and/or aesthetics that others don't. The two ESP examples in this video are the same guitar twice, it's not like the custom shop isn't using CNC

[@GarArgus]

That's not the argument you're making in this video though. This isn't a video about the value of custom shop guitars vs production ones while having similar specs, it's about brands abusing dead musician's names for profit and you're showing Alexi's Greeny guitar as an example of corporate greed due to a price that you consider to be overinflated. However, as I pointed out in my comment, the price has nothing to do with the artist being alive or not. Kirk Hammett's ESP KH2 is identical to the E-II M-II presented in this video (in fact, the M-II is essentially a "deKirked" KH2), yet it still costs nearly 5000€/$ due to being a custom shop guitar. Not to mention the LTD version of the KH2, which costs about 1500€/$ while having the same specs has the ESP KH2 or the E-II M-II. The price is purely due to the production process, not whether they're alive or not. The argument you're making in this video simply doesn't apply to ESP.

[@leostratonly]

I agree with sixstring on this one. I don’t care WHO build that guitar or WHERE or HOW. A guitar that’s base spects are a pickup below 100$ and a tremolo for about a 100$ CANT BE A 7000 DOLLARS EVER

[@norwish6940]

@@leostratonly​​⁠the crafting process is EXACTLY what determines the price, even with the same specs. The E-II is a factory made guitar, the ESP Custom Shop is handcrafted by VERY experienced luthiers, and are some of the nicest and finest guitars, and because it’s handmade, it takes much longer time to make it. And because of this, the E-II being factory made and ESP CS handmade, the E-II will cost less than the CS, as it isn’t worth the same as someone spending time and energy making it themselves. Think of it like this, a blanket made in a factory will be cheaper than a blanket handmade by a person, because the person pours time, energy and their own resources into it.

[@norwish6940]

@@sixstringtv1well considering that ESP CS guitars are handmade…

[@elpolitemexa2272]

one correction about EVH and Fender; Fender doesnt own EVH, they simply manufacture and are in charge of distribution but they dont actually own any of the pattents related to either the guitars, the amps and gear in general. Think of it like a concession.

[@southernpanda33]

I don’t like cocaine, I just love the way it smells. 9:46

[@juanvaldez5422]

Smells like ether , yum

[@poltergeist3194]

Smells like a good time to me. 👃__________

[@darksu6947]

​@@juanvaldez5422The best I've ever had smelled like diesel fuel and was a pale yellow color

[@Knarrenheinz1021]

@@juanvaldez5422what you get is what you see

[@joseislanio8910]

Eric Clapton signature cocaine

[@axelnoi]

I think you need to step off the company for a second my man. The only thing they are guilty of is making a product that is in demand. Most guitar companies know what they should produce based on what the consumer wants and asks for and they keep producing it when it keeps selling. Guitars are priced on global supplay and demand. The company doesn’t just shit out a nr. No self respecting man would undersell his own self worth or product. As for evh guitars. It’s not a signature guitar. It’s a brand. So they make every style they can make. Eddie even had a big hand in that company and how it should be run. The family owns a part of it.

[@JamieSlays]

love the editorial stuff :)

[@dw7704]

So what about Les Paul, the man?

[@STORMBREAKER_250]

I somewhat disagree about the EVH thing. Somewhat. I like the idea of having an instrument that plays and sounds like Eddie, without being so inextricably tied to him with the stripes. Their Kramer-style guitars, the Wolfgang, and even the Star in the same series as these new Frankies, totally okay. But the mangled look, I think is milking it a bit...

[@JanXD]

E II =/= ESP Custom Shop

[@MT_800]

As of the time I'm making this comment, Dean have 2 different Razorbacks, a Stealth and a Rebel featured on their website (I'm pretty sure the Rebel is another Dimebag shape). Dean removed the Dime branding from these Dime-made shapes, which is super sketchy. I even talked to Eric Morettin about the situation, and we agreed that it was messed up. The only good thing I can say is that the USA Stealth and Rebel models actually look kinda classy in my opinion.

[@coadekat]

I’m pretty sure the whole catalyst for the lawsuit was that Dean applied for a trademark for the stealth/razorback shapes, when the original contract they signed with Dime stated that they legally could NOT apply for these trademarks and that they were Dime’s sole property. Real shitty of them, especially when they’re asking $4700 for them.

[@MT_800]

@@coadekat I believe you're spot on there. I honestly don't know how the whole Dime estate lawsuit ended, since Dean are still offering the Dime shapes currently.

[@vorpalblades]

Dean has always held the trademarks for the Stealth and Razorback. Diamond should have done the work to protect his I.P.

[@MT_800]

@@vorpalblades Dean supposedly filed to trademark the Stealth and Razorback shapes in 2007, which was after the stipulation from the original deal that they would not legally own Dimebag's shapes.

[@griffinchandler8027]

I’m a little shocked you brought up alexi and only talked about esp and not Jackson making an almost exact replica of his first Jackson guitar

[@nuggetstew4380]

As an Alexi Laiho fan, the only thing I have any complaint about for his amazing signature guitars, are the insane prices people resell them for since his passing. Even his cheapest LTD model went from roughly 2-300 USD to damn near 800 USD. I am glad that ESP was able to recognize Allu’s final vision for his last line of signatures, but seeing his guitars sold for outrageous prices, is quite upsetting.

[@GarArgus]

Pretty much all ESP/LTD guitars prices have increased across the board since the pandemic, it's not limited to Alexi's signatures. Check out the price of Kirk's SV or Gary's SV, they're even more expensive than Alexi's signature LTDs. Looking at Thomann, the Gary Holt GH-SV is a whopping 1000€ more than Alexi's Hexed.

[@jordanfreeman4170]

Bro, as someone who has brought up the Alexi Laiho guitar stuff on your channel before.....Before covid I had put a Alexi-600 on layaway and it was 500 bucks and in "excellent" condition (it was the white with black hollow pin stripes for anyone wondering) when I could finally go in to pick it up they said that they sold it "on accident" . Then the GOAT passed away and everything doubled in price for his used models. Even his posthumous signature releases were well above the normal pricing, no steel frets, no boost on the LTD model even though it was several hundred more than ANY other signature model released. it was like getting hit twice, losing my idol and then having to shell out way more just to have the chance of owning one. I am happy that they did release the Hexxed and RIpped models but, they did play us fans like a fiddle. EDIT: this was at guitarcenter

[@pointymason]

Spat my drink out on my monitor at the Bentley line, that was GOLD 🤣

[@DeathPenny]

Not saying the pricing isn't high, or that you are wrong concerning the spec similarity, but that Alexy V is an ESP Custom Shop guitar - hand made in Japan - most of the ESP original series arrows start at $6,000, the E-II guitars are factory made in Japan. Think Gibson Custom shop vs Gibson USA, so the Alexy markup is considerably less than you are implying. And no, I do not have any ESP or E-II branded guitars - I have a couple of LTD's which spec wise are usually identical to their ESP versions, just made in Indonesia/Korea. You could have compared to one of the LTD models and made the "Price Gouge" even more dramatic.

[@flinto2002]

I have one of those and it actually fills a market need. I love the aesthetic and homage of Frankie but I don’t want to play a guitar w stripes…enter the solid color Frankie’s. I usually dig your videos and I get it that snark gets you engagement, but you’re off base.

[@tf2exordium]

Yeah everything with dean seems to have went downhill after dean z left the company in 2008, its a shame cause they have some great instruments

[@morgothbauglir906]

You know, I agree with the sentiment... but, what about Les Paul? I do find it interesting that this has become essentially normalized for his signature guitars and I don't see anyone coming up to bat for his name and image, so to speak.

[@sixstringtv1]

I see where you're coming from, and this did sort of cross my mind while scripting this video. If any of these people had designed guitars so influential that eventually the shape becomes public domain due to popularity, I suppose it would be forgivable hahah. If Gibson discontinued the LP they'd be out of business tomorrow 😂

[@JasonGuitarHand]

Well i agree with everything you said. But I do want to mention thst Ibanez did once a limited run of Affordable Paul Gray tribute Bass guitars a year after his death, and the profits were being donated to his family. So I dont mind using the artist name, as long as they're done right for the right reasons. But Dean milked Dimebags name to the point they even sold practice Amps with his name, that was just ridiculous.

[@MyAmpTurnsUpTo11]

Good video! The Laiho Greeny is a ESP custom shop model though, not in the same price segment as an E-II. The cs models cost that much even without the artist name

[@zeno99]

I found him! A guitar youtuber that doesn't kneel at the alter of EVH.

[@sixstringtv1]

Dude was an incredible player and I will never be 10% as good as he was, It's just the music he wrote that isn't really for me 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@kenjicarlos8402]

@@sixstringtv1I like that you can respect universally worshipped guitarists despite not particularly enjoying their works

[@phillynott6811]

A weird way to connect EVH to Dimebag, the black and yellow frankenstrat that Eddie played was actually buried with Dimebag Darrell

[@flapjack413]

As a big fan of Nirvana in the 90's and still today, as well as being an avid Fender fan, the Jag-Stang left a bad taste in my mouth when it came out in 1996. Kurt was never happy with the prototypes he'd received. And while this is only my opinion, I highly doubt he would have wanted his name on a signature guitar. I thought it was pretty ick of Fender to put that model out, and felt the same way when they put out the very inaccurate versions of his Mustangs and Jaguar. But I suppose with them being a corporation, and money grubbing Courtney Love in charge of his estate, I shouldn't have expected anything less.

[@imacactus2]

I can only hope my deplorable taste in guitars is immortalized upon my passing.

[@skyghostly7182]

The Kurt Cobain Jaguar/Jagstang always left a bad taste in my mouth

[@benjimusicandgamimg9773]

Coming back to this, have you seen Dean have taken dimes name off of the Razorback, Stealth and Rebel and selling it again?

[@sixstringtv1]

Yeah the slime green MLs with the Seymour Duncans are pretty shameless. There is also no conceivable reason for anybody to ever buy one, becauss the used market is flooded with actual Dime signatures

[@noodlehair6566]

As much as I am an Alexi fan, his guitar models are WAY WAY price gouged. The best value for money Alexi models are the ones that have Edwards stamped in the headstocks

[@kenjicarlos8402]

Edwards is MIJ…. Idk why you’re dissing when the most expensive LTD’s aren’t even made there.

[@noodlehair6566]

Have you read my comment? I'm not dissing anything/anyone. I just stated a fact: That his guitar models (among others) are price gouged mainly because he died regardless of where it is made. I also stated that the Edwards models are the ones that have the best value for money if you don't care about what it says in the headstock. Not sure where the diss was in my comment lol

[@kenjicarlos8402]

@@noodlehair6566 mb brother my first read wasn't right lol

[@norwish6940]

The reason the ESP Alexi models cost so much is because they’re Custom Shop guitars, meaning they’re handmade by experienced luthiers, and mot factory made. If it was factory made it would cost less, but since it’s handmade, and using someone’s time and energy, and also taking longer to make, it’ll cost more. It’s like buying a blanket or whatever factory made vs handmade. Handmade things will always cost more, they’re more finely crafted, spends someone’s time, energy, resources, that’s just how it works And his death hasn’t determined the price at all, look at the ESP Kirk, Hetfield, Cavalera etc models, they cost way more and they’re all alive, they’re all CS as well

[@seanmcbride331]

In regards to the point about the Alexi Lahio signature. What you mentioned there is the ESP custom shop (cause they have their fucked branding between LTD E-II and ESP) version of the Alexi greeny which at this point isnt in production anymore due to ESP doing away with that style of Alexi model and replacing it with the Hexxed and Ripped models, Even before he died they were about 5 grand due to being custom shop and with inflation being what it is thats why its stupidly expensive though i'm sure they have added a small percentage onto it since his passing. I agree with a lot of your points however about what i've called the death tax, as always a great video with well thought out points. I just wanted to interject a completely asinine and snobbish point to i guess "justify" the price difference between the ESP and the E-II

[@AydinZahedi]

I might be wrong, but EVH is run by Wolfgang (Eddie's son) and he has control over it. Same as other artists, I believe their family members own the state and if a company makes something in their name, it is consulted the family members and they get a cut. Of course companies are after profit it is not something new, no one except them to build guitars and sell them at cost just as a tribute.

[@renexuz1]

I 100% get the reason the EVH thing rubs people the wrong way (frankly I just find the guitars bland as his music) but at least its tiny bit less a creedy company just taking a dead dudes name due to how heavily Wolfgang seems to be involved. Though the guitar brand being named EVH is kinda dumb, kinda hard to rebrand lol (Was Van Halen Guitars (VHG) taken already?)

[@mburtondavis]

Eric Clapton is still alive!?

[@sixstringtv1]

lmaooo

[@alonsomarchant7450]

What !

[@Wufffles]

Sadly

[@adiohead]

They nearly got him with the fake vaccines.

[@tannermcintosh1071]

​@@WuffflesWhy is that sad lmao

[@notorioustampaton]

What do you think about companies doing tributes to custom made guitars? For example: - Harley Benton making a look alike of Prince’s tele. -Eastwood making Jerry Garcia guitar clones. As well as all the smaller luthiers that make Jerry clones (way better than Eastwood).

[@Kylora2112]

They're not putting the artist's name on them (and Prince's HS Anderson Mad Cat was a literal stock production guitar [and the Mad Cat copy is also Eastwood, and I rather like mine, especially as my lone T-style]), and the Wolf and Tiger Jerry Garcia models are a way to get them into players' hands (since they're selling at the typical $1300-1500 range higher-end imports sell for). Everyone and their brother makes Tele copies (and the HS Anderson/Hohner Mad Cat was itself a Tele copy), and if they got a license from the luthier who designed the Wolf/Tiger, I don't see any issue (and if there isn't a license/trademark/design patent on the design...eh...grey area).

[@notorioustampaton]

@@Kylora2112 the Jerry clones from Eastwood are not nearly as nice as a lot of the smaller luthier ones. I feel like e Eastwood Jerry clones remind me of like little model ones blown up to full size.

[@Kylora2112]

@@notorioustampaton I mean, I don't expect anywhere near as much from a $1500 factory import as I would a $5k build from a small luthier. I have a Sidejack XII and a Mad Cat, and enjoy playing both of those, though I've never played either of the Jerry clones (not a Deadhead and the features just don't appeal to me).

[@notorioustampaton]

@@Kylora2112 oh no there’s small luthiers with lower prices than that. You could even go the Phred route, but that’s probably the cheapest there is.

[@WithCarePlz]

The “Yardburst” Jeff Beck LP that Gibson is trying to sell for $20k. Jeff Beck was known for playing strats, and he’s been dead for a while. It just seems like a disrespectful money grab. BUT. If the late artists families and foundations benefit from it- so be it. More power to these companies, as long as the families are okay… I personally love my heroes as much as anyone else does- but I’d never in a million years buy/play a guitar that is a copy of somebody’s personalized guitar down to their stickers or wear etc. To me it’s kind of “spiderman undies”. And unoriginal. I would maybe buy a small little desk display sort of copy of The Wolf or something to shout out my guy, but that’s where I draw the line.

[@ADM1500]

Jeff Beck played Les Paul's too. Don't know if he eventually played strats only at some point, but there's enough pics of him donning a Les Paul from his younger days at least.

[@Cosmic-Spanner]

Big EVH fan here. I wouldn't touch his frankenstrat with a bargepole. It looked like total F SSS, except for the stripes.

[@thomasaghotmail]

Dude I couldn't agree more!! I AM a fan of Van Halen's and I do not believe he would've EVER signed off on ANY equipment he didn't have a hand in designing or hold a patent for. 100%.

[@riccardocuoghi2071]

Well, what about Jimi Hendrix with the signature Fender and Dunlop/mxr pedals. A strat and pedals he never used but someone had the idea to put his name on

[@charlesbolton8471]

His sister is a master of milking his name for all it is worth.

[@Victimesty]

Talking about live artist: Kerry King made a switch to Dean right as he retired, possibly even after that. Those signature models felt weird, as there was no connection, no one saw them played live.

[@chuck3370]

Honestly I do agree the new EVH relic guitars are cash grabby, but I have one and it’s super solid. I just wish they would’ve put a full pick guard and set of pickups on it and made it like a charvel with EVH specs, but for the money they cost on Reverb they’re definitely worth it for that style of guitar. Not as bad as the cheapy dime guitars and so on

[@scottgoodson5132]

The last situation like this that was done respectfully IMO was Jackson selling the Rhoads model after his death. AFAIK, that was done with the blessing of Delores Rhoads and she got royalties from the sale of those guitars. The way Dean whored out the “Dime” name on shitty $300 guitars always rubbed me the wrong way. I also find most of those “Dime” guitars uber cringy.

[@ericv7720]

There are a lot of things with Dime's name that are a little sketchy. Take the SD Dimebucker, which is an L500xl in standard humbucker housing, going for $120. You can still buy the L500xl that he used from the Bill Lawrence USA site for $65!

[@natrixxvision6997]

0:06 Yes BUT……while he was still alive Allan Holdsworth designed a set of pickups with Kiesel Guitars. Kiesel still offers them as an option for their 6 and 7 string guitars and they’re amazing.

[@TheCadegoodspeed45]

Fun fact! the scumbags at Dean guitars are still making razorbacks and stealths! So cool of them to say fuck it we will keep milking because our company is garbage.

[@nabilsalha1941]

How can someone make a humbucker sound so single coily??

[@xbmpr]

The Far Beyond Driven ML looks like a guitar I’d see at a pawn shop and immediately disregard, and I love Pantera. Just paint the guitar, the graphics always look cheap, cheesy, and you’d immediately get tired of looking at it. Scratch that, only weirdos who throw away money would like it for “wall art”

[@dam7ri]

Valid points. I'm still confused as to how Fender can make a right-handed Jimi Hendrix signature model. Gibson did the same with a Tony Iommi SG.

[@sixstringtv1]

That one I can get behind as long as the base specs stay the same, since otherwise you'd be marketing an expensive instrument less than like 10% of players

[@MetalGuitar911]

You made some really nice points here, but sadly people/companies will milk it wherever they get a chance to make money. Anyways, cool content brother, Cheers from India \m/

[@colten2524]

is that a valvestate 8100 i see?

[@DragDealer]

Well let’s not even talk about Slash 335 lol never saw him with one until they released it in 2024 😅

[@mikeanaya117]

To be fair though, how can guitar players, veteran and new expect more people to crave learning how to play guitar if icons aren't still kept relevant, despite being dead for a long time? These are guitar heroes that have and will always inspire people to play guitar.

[@sixstringtv1]

Keep them relevant with things that relate to them, not random BS they're not alive to sign off on

[@bry2132]

Thankfully dimes estate is working with the original dean ceo ( not the one using his name for money ) are making a company purely for the fans

[@theneer-do-well3240]

Mans has this many guitars and too many marshalls but ISN'T a fan of either EVH or Dimebag? This is wild.

[@_hide_-lb1gk]

The used 5150 price increasing after his death was ridiculous.

[@sixstringtv1]

To be fair the used market is out of the manufacturer's control but yeah lmao

[@_hide_-lb1gk]

@@sixstringtv1 🤣 we're all to blame for selling and buying it.

[@adriengrayson1369]

Pink is gay hahahahaha, nice video man. U really know how to go throw a topic

[@PainkillerX12]

The worst part in the Dimebag drama is that a few months after the contract was terminated, Dean came back with a floy-rose equiped ML that looked SUSPICIOULSY like the "Dean from Hell" but without the stickers and the all the relic, just a suspiciously close shade of blue... Dean Guitars or should i say Armadillo guitar company/holding/idk what corporate shit they fit on have no limits and no decency... Oh and they brought back the dean vengeance from the grave, like "yeah in 2021 it was a false start but now you'll get them !" and they look great so I wishlist one on Thomann... to see it delisted again before it was even marked as "restock in X weeks"...

[@nine9whitepony526]

Shit man this is a GREAT VIDEO. You made a video for the very thing I've been thinking and saying for a long time. Rock on.

[@DavidMadeira29]

I wished you could find a still roadable used and non-Dieselol Mercedes-Benz for less than Seven Grands without any stranger guitar in the trunk. I don't know. Namastè.

[@jr2904]

And Dave Mustain is just that dude who auditioned for a band on The Drew Carey show hahaha. On topic, I hope the families of the passed away artist's are getting their share, at least.

[@5CylMedia]

you forgot the new cliff burton wah pedal

[@Doggywoggydog2k11]

Also worth mentioning that Alexis green came out several years before he passed away

[@hughjanus5518]

I see many guitars come stock with the d tuna and my immediate question is, Does it come with a trem Stabilizer? because the d tuna is worthless without a trem stabilizer.

[@troyskinnard1393]

I’d say most of those guitars have a surface (too) mounted FR. With those, a stabilizer isn’t needed

[@VARVIS_]

Great video 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@TheGuitarTheory]

Wolfgang is clearly doing a lot behind the scenes, so I think Wolfie had input before these guitars were released. I think Eddie would approve.

[@daemonspudguy]

I look forward to the David Gilmour Signature Stratocaster only it's blue and has a fucking Floyd Rose. /j

[@murasame3508]

And with a single emg in the bridge

[@daemonspudguy]

@@murasame3508 I know Dave does like EMGs (for some reason) but a single EMG would be extremely cursed.

[@kkupsky6321]

I’m so glad he’s monetising on monetising now. Get em kid. Live the dream. You can’t teach cool but really that’s awesome and I’m glad you’re able to work on the industry. Props.

[@sixstringtv1]

Can't teach cool, but I can certainly teach cool people the right skills! 😎

[@kkupsky6321]

@@sixstringtv1 I can’t wait to see more reviews. That’s my Steve buscemi impression haha you’re awesome man keep up the great work.

[@kkupsky6321]

@@sixstringtv1 actually you should teach a cool class… you would slay. Can’t bottle that. Imagine if charisma came in a ketchup bottle and you tap the back but none comes out and you come along and say “hold the bottle at an angle”. wtf am I on about

[@davidozab2753]

As someone who first learned guitar when Van Halen was at their peak, I lost count of how many of us striped our guitars with electrical tape. Without the stripes it ain't Eddie

[@kkupsky6321]

I mean. Rock star funerals must be expensive. Especially if you’re buried with a geet. Makes me think of the Hendrix estate.

[@martinclayton7260]

The thing is that people want the guitars, and the companies are just fulfilling a need!

[@intracosm]

I guess you forgot about Wolfgang’s involvement with the EVH brand.

[@ozzynotwood]

09:57 : SSTV Hilariously savage 😂

[@thesisterfister2984]

I support companies making guitars that the artist would actually want to play. Like the new Dimebag Guitars will be quality instruments that will carry the legacy

[@bunsenn5064]

I’ve always thought the Relic series thing, at its core, was actually a pretty good idea. Give someone a Frankenstrat, but in one solid color, then they can stripe it and paint it however they want. However, I can see why someone who isn’t into DIY or doesn’t want to modify their guitar would see this as a blatant cash grab.

[@Johnny-vt4dv]

Charlie Sheen is a real GOAT for bringing that Edward In Haler guitar dude on to his show so that his Band got a bit more Exposure🫶🏻

[@MetalGodMasino]

Razorback altrough being cool as hell (i own one), Dimebag was supposed to debut it. until he got murdered.

[@kennethdarlington]

Why bother? If there is a demand - here is the supply.

[@Rattlehead467]

the Alexi ESP is a custom shop guitar that's why $7,000

[@sixstringtv1]

Right, that justifies paying 7K. Some guy built it by hand. I have fully custom built guitars made entirely by hand with no CNC that sell for 4 grand.

[@Rattlehead467]

I was just saying that’s why it’s that price not that it’s justifiable Not enough context I guess

[@bwa_8]

Made by hand is a non-argument. It can apply to the work of an elite luthier, or the DIY project of my 13yo.

[@williamwyrmshard]

I agree with almost everything except your information about the Alexi Laiho Signature is not correct. The Alexi Signatures have been in production since 2006 (2005 if you count the prototype model I own) and of course continued past his death. You are also unaware the going price for an ESP Custom Shop it seems and is incredibly disingenuous to compare an E-II to an actual Custom Shop, they are nowhere near the same. I would do more research in the future.

[@Black_Water.inc200]

I respect deans approach at it

[@magnificentsteve8192]

Blue reflective coating on glasses is not for youtubers, you want the good old cheaper green one.

[@wvo2m]

Alexi who...? From Children of where...?

[@SLAYER.APO.VOLO.]

You should check out that garbage bass pedal they made, claiming to give you Lemmy's bass tone. Not even close

[@Lucas-dm7xo]

Orange juice

[@goatkill9r]

guitar players Never change still bootlickin These goddamn companies like they Put it up ur bumhole if u stay loyal😂

[@mrkiiprototype2938]

Death is milked for all it’s worth in the merch scene and it’s honestly the saddest thing. They treat the band like a cash cow now

[@clutch2827]

Dime played the prototype razorback.

[@sixstringtv1]

I can't find a single picture on the internet of him holding one 😩

[@clutch2827]

@@sixstringtv1 yeah after hearing people say that he did, I couldn't find any evidence of it. From a Dean Z. interview, he said that dime held the unpainted prototype and sent it back after approving it. It didn't even have hardware on it. I was wrong.

[@fredyklug3512]

the saddest part of the dimebag-dean fiasco is that they posted a picture on IG, with a big Zero Fucks Given written on it, besides it was a guitar, that was a blue ML, with a black fade and a Floyd Rose. it was exactly the blue with black fade, that the Dean from Hell has, just without the lightning-bolts. to add context, the slogan "Zero Fucks Given" was sort of a middle-finger to Gibson, under which Dean marketed guitars like the Zero and the Vengeance, but in this case they used it towards Dimebags estate. what a bunch of cunts. btw, your Razorback-infos are correct, to this day there is a (I think it is) Plywood-cutout of a Razorback in Dimebags house.

[@sunnohh]

I love eddie but this actually honors his memory in that he never said no to merchandise

[@_Yep_Yep_]

I personally am not offended by EVH guitars since the company is run by...EVH's son. The Dimebag thing seems like...ironically...the issue never dies, however. Not for nothing, it is worth mentioning that i stink at guitar and 99 percent of what i know i learned from youtube. I almost bought both the SRV strat and the Jimmy Hendrix signature strat over a head scratching weekend reverb bid-athon. My mindset was and still somewhat is that certain signatures will take some or hopefully most of the hard work out of getting a guitar you can sound like your favorite guy with (in addition to 30 years of constant practice). That notion immediately dies if a signature guitar is not what the artist used or would use, however.

[@randomstul7664]

Wolfgang van halen is in charge of evh

[@LoweCommotionStudio]

Peter Green's guitar is more famous than Peter Green will ever be, and in a much shorter time.