why Michelle Branch doesn't use Taylor's anymore /merge - Page 3

samchar · #31 09-14-2004, 08:27 AM

"If I was in the city, and I needed a guitar just to borrow, they would never send me one." -Michelle Branch

You know, I hate it when that happens to me too. I go to Orlando or Atlanta for a week on business and I have an evening or two free where I'd love to have access to a fantastic guitar (I'll pass on blue though). Yet, Taylor never sends one to me.

Seriously, a lot of this also has to do with loyalty towards an instrument or willingness to participate in the whole signature series promotional thing. Martin put out a Lucinda Williams signature model last year (I think). (She'd done most of her songwriting on an old D-18, but her performance acoustic has always been a Gibson sunburst, I believe. This signature Martin had a sunburst top on it.) Anyway, she continued to perform with the Gibson. Not sure, but I don't think Martin even markets that LW signature model now. Go figure.

MarkB69 · #32 09-14-2004, 09:54 AM

I am of the opinion that her displeasure with Taylor is warrented. She is a HUGELY popular young lady, and while her music is not to my tastes, that in no way lessens her appeal to many many people. And not just people mind you, YOUNG people who are MUCH more likely to purchase a particular brand of guitar just because she has one. I'd have thought Taylor would have been happy to loan her a guitar, or several anytime she needed.

Another poor decision by the company in my view.

And for those that alluded to her being talentless, do a search for her name on Google, then do one on mine or yours...... She's doing something right.

sc morris · #33 09-14-2004, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkB69

And for those that alluded to her being talentless, do a search for her name on Google, then do one on mine or yours......

.............

.............

That was good....

Bowesst · #34 09-14-2004, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sc morris

.............

.............

That was good....

Google hits = talent

Johnny X · #35 09-14-2004, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkB69

And for those that alluded to her being talentless, do a search for her name on Google, then do one on mine or yours...... She's doing something right.

Just because someone is popular doesn't mean that they are talented.

You should know that by now.

I did a search on my name and discovered that I am also a popular but talentless bimbo.

But I bought my guitars and didn't whine when Taylor didn't loan/give me one.

.

MarkB69 · #36 09-14-2004, 11:57 AM

>>> Google hits = talent

Not at all, was just a joke really. I do however think it is safe to assume that she is not totally VOID of talent. In fact I would go a step further, and say its a pretty safe assumption that she in fact has quite a decent amount.

My intent was more to the point of the marketing genius that decided that they'd rather thousands of young boys and girls (read potential customers) see her holding a Gibson guitar on her next poster, rather than a Taylor.

Amazing decision.

Its not about whether she NEEDS for Taylor to loan her guitars, she no doubt won't miss Taylor in the slightest. Its about whether Taylor NEEDS people like her to keep holding their guitars in front of tens of thousands of admiring fans. I'm sure they will survive, don't get me wrong. Just that it was some of the cheapest advertisement money they could have spent.

Just a terribly poor marketing decision, but by no means Taylors first.

TaylorFishin' · #37 09-14-2004, 12:08 PM

This is one old dude (37) that really likes Michelle Branch. I would go so far as to say she is one of my favorite pop/rock artist. She is a singer/songwriter that happens to play guitar and has sold a few MILLION CD's!!

She is VERY popular with the younger folks and has probably inspired many young girls to take up playing the guitar. Her videos alone have introduced her Blue Taylor to Millions of young people.
I have NO doubts that she is responsible for Hundreds and Hundreds of Blue Taylors being sold in the last few years. She has always promoted Taylor in a positive and professional matter. She is not the typical sleezy little pop star!

Why should she continue to be a Taylor salesperson if they can't go out of their way enough to loan her a guitar for a session? I believe she has indeed earned it. I can't say that I blame her for dropping Taylor. I don't work for free either!

Scott

muzz76 · #38 09-14-2004, 12:21 PM

This thread is making me giggle.

The fact that she'd publicly whine about not getting the freebies is IMO good enough reason alone for Taylor to have benefitted from no longer associating images. Not to mention its an indirect knock on Gibson for stating that she's only playing them now because they'll send her free ones any time she wants.

That and "she knows" that more blue 614's sold after she started playing one. I have a little trouble believing that the cost of the average highend Taylor is within enough reach of the majority of her audience...probably only to other spoiled teenagers with deep pocketed parents and similar entitlement beliefs.

Still giggling...may not stop for a while

bagelsgirl · #39 09-14-2004, 12:55 PM

Well, Taylor loaned me a brand new 710ce once! Yep, they sure did. I was having a really unusual problem, and had shipped a Taylor back to them, at their expense, for a second time, for a repair. I told them I had a really special gig coming up, and darn if they did not ship me an absolutely gorgeous and brand new 710ce to borrow, until I could have mine back.

I was floored that they even did that! I did not ask them to, they volunteered it. You better believe I babied that thing. Gigged with it for a week, returned it pristine. (I drempt I broke the headstock off in a ceiling fan, though!)

kanikapila · #40 09-14-2004, 01:17 PM

I do like that "Game of Love" song as it " has a good beat and its
easy to dance to"

( for those American Bandstand fans) but
Taylor did the right thing with not bending to anyones entitlement attitude.

IMHO, the "Santana" name on the single helped quite a bit with launch promotion of this song initially.

I wonder how soon it will be untill she is one the pop singers featured on that VH-1 show "Whatever happened to ...?"

MarkB69 · #41 09-14-2004, 01:44 PM

Speaking of marketing, I wonder how many PRS guitar sales can be credited to the fact that Carlos Santana is always holding one?

Taylor may wanna look at hiring some of the marketing folks away from PRS....

wthurman · #42 09-14-2004, 01:52 PM

This thread is the first thing to make me regret getting my Custom 615C in blue. Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to suffer through. It's worthless to me now... since Michelle Branch has switched to Gibson, I just don't want any of my Taylors anymore...

Boomer · #43 09-14-2004, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkB69

Speaking of marketing, I wonder how many PRS guitar sales can be credited to the fact that Carlos Santana is always holding one?

Taylor may wanna look at hiring some of the marketing folks away from PRS....

There are probably more Taylor owners walking around than PRS owners.

MarkB69 · #44 09-14-2004, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boomer

There are probably more Taylor owners walking around than PRS owners.

That could well be true. I really know next to nothing about PRS guitars other than the fact that they are supposedly quite good, and Santana plays them. Not the point at all though.

You could also say that there are probobly more Martin owners than Taylor owners, but that still wouldn't be the point.

I think most people will agree that Taylor has made some "interesting" decisions over the years regarding the marketing of their product. This is just another example in my opinion. Thank God they make a really great guitar, some of their business decisions would have surely doomed them if they had an average product.

bing4sons · #45 09-14-2004, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkB69

Speaking of marketing, I wonder how many PRS guitar sales can be credited to the fact that Carlos Santana is always holding one?

Taylor may wanna look at hiring some of the marketing folks away from PRS....

Excellent point. I think that most folks ARE influenced by seeing their favorite artist playing a particular brand. I had never heard of PRS until I saw Santana playing one.

It's all about brand awareness.

The 1st time I saw/heard of Taylor was because Steven Curtis Chapman played Taylors (and noted that he played Taylors on his CD liner). I then made a point to find a music store that carried Taylors, tried a few out, loved them, and bought my 814ce. I didn't buy the guitar because of SCC, but I would not have tried them (at the time I bought mine) because I wouldn't have known about them.

Nike wouldn't pay outrageous sums to athletes, if it didn't sell more shoes. Shoes cost a lot less than guitars, but as Newsweek pointed out, parents aren't saying "no" to their kids much these days.

I wouldn't think theres as much benefit from a high profile performer promoting a particular guitar, as with a shoe company (because of the higher cost and the smaller target audience), but there's still got to be a big benefit. If someone plays before 3 or 4 million folks every year, I would think it would be worth a good bit of money or a LOT of free guitars to the guitar maker.