DJ-Wood Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Hello all, I decided to have a look at the schecter website recently, as I'd seen some of their basses and thought they looked and sounded really quite special. Have a look at their site: www.schecterguitars.com (skip past the opening page that pays tribute to Dimebag Darrel) Does anyone else find this site to be sad, offensive, distasteful, ignorant, and lets say it again, offensive? I certainly refuse to pursue any further interest in their products after being subjected to this misogynistic, war-mongering crap. How sad that they should produce such fine looking and sounding instruments, and then bury them under this kind of military propoganda. And when they were pasting in their awful little illustrations of dolly-bird women, did anyone in the marketing department consider that there might actually be some females interested in their product? Or that a lot of males dont like to see women being used to 'sell' products in this way? Sad, pathetic and awful. This is one potential customer who has been alienated for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edendude Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 It just looks like a 14 year old boy designed their website to me. I'm not sure about 'offensive', but it certainly looks idiotic and unprofessional. And yes, just a tad misogynistic. Yet in such a small-brained way that it's almost laughable. Maybe their target market is the 14 year old American male demographic. Pretty sad, as you suggest. My Last Band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Hoffman Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I'm so glad I didn't buy that Schecter bass with the stripper inlays. What, oh what, was I thinking??? "The world will still be turning when you've gone." - Black Sabbath Band site: www.finespunmusic.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr M Pulsive Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I'm not offended. Does that make me a bad person? ...simply stating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLroomtempJ Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 unprofessional is an understatement. When i first went to the site, i thought someone just bought domain space under a name similar to schecter and decided to make a stupid joke site. who would allow their company to represented in such a manner? i wonder what their strongest demographic is. Their guitars certainly aren't dirt cheap. jason 2cor5:21 Soli Deo Gloria "it's the beauty of a community. it takes a village to raise a[n] [LLroomtempJ]." -robb My YouTube Channel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnb Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Just one more reason for me not to buy any of their products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coyote Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 That site is definitely fodder for a bit of discourse over at the Political Forum - being that Schecter's wrapping themselves in the flag and tying it in with misogynistic sexuality. So typically, uhhh.... on my way to SSS Political Party I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist. This ain't no track meet; this is football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr M Pulsive Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Are you guys serious??? Guess you haven't seen the Jackson website, huh? Y'know, there using REAL women over there. Break out the torches, I'll grab my video camera. ...simply stating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarkus Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I've always liked Schecter guitars and basses. I could care less about their website. The big turn-off for me is the recently fizzled manufacturing trend towards 'goth'. I thought the Omen and similar series were decent in concept but after getting up close and personal, I couldn't see myself sharing a long-term relationship with flat or matte finished black guitar or bass. They make some nifty inlays though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Well, I'm not offended. "God bless..." anything certainly doesn't offend me. The troops certainly need that blessing, regardless of whether they agree with being were they are or not. The cartoon girlies are a little on the adolescent side in my opinion. It isn't a particularly professional looking site. Go figure... Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfxj Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 It's world war II bomber art. The site seems to be using WWII aircraft as a motif (their Midway g***** is painted like a navy fighter). I guess that's war-mongering and/or misogynistic (if you want it to be). Push the button Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Ah, yes. Fodder for the SSS forum. True, Jackson (Fender) uses the real, live honey on their site (my son plays Jacksons and owns one of their customs, therefore is axe is posted on their website). Insincerly wrapping one's self in the flag isn't necessarily a new phenomenom (like the Democrat and Republican Conventions, anyone protesting the Iraq War with the preface "I support the troops, BUT..." and any auto dealership commercial) nor is using scantily clad women in suggestive poses to sell products to the 15 to 35 year old male demographic in beer commercials, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, anything advertised on Spike TV, any NFL game or MTV for that matter (how quickly we forget the Swedish Bikini Team, or was that GOOD taste?). I know about as much about Schecter guitars as I do about Pearl drums and Yami Keyboards (which isn't much) and probably will never own one (unlses I win some kind of contest, then right to eBay), but I cant say that I'm going to get all worked up over a couple of Betty Boops on a web page while there are half naked anime babes on Cartoon network after 10:00 pm. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnb Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Mr. M Pulsive said: Guess you haven't seen the Jackson website, huh? Jackson is still in business??? Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Not only does Jackson use real women, they use big time porn stars. I'm not necessarily offended, and I am certainly not surprised. Sex sells, and the only thing anyone in this country is worried about is making ridiculous amounts of money. I'm no prude, but morality and doing what's right is barely a consideration any more. It certainly doesn't sell guitars...or anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatudbassman Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I thought I'd read your replies before I "checked out" they're web-site. I thought I was really ignorant when I came here (being confronted with all the knowledge). Man...I'm not as stupid as I thought. I think we "bassists" have one thing to be thankful for, minds that are bigger than a snail's, or ______________, ________________. Later Vince "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." ~ Pablo Picasso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Have you seen the ads for the Dean hardtail guitars? And they probably will have the "Hardtail girls" at NAMM again this year. It doesn't get me to buy a guitar. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I'm probably the wrong person to ask. I don't offend easily. However, I can see why some people would be offended by the Schecter site. The flags and military stuff bothers some people, and I can understand that. The pin-up style cartoon girls.. yeah, I can see how that might bother some people as well. Not fer nuthin', but these types of images have always been associated with rock n' roll, so I'm not really suprised to see them associated with a guitar company. Either way... It doesn't really change my impression of Schecter guitars or basses I never really liked them, and I don't like 'em now. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbn Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Originally posted by SteveC: Not only does Jackson use real women, they use big time porn stars. I'm not necessarily offended, and I am certainly not surprised. Sex sells, and the only thing anyone in this country is worried about is making ridiculous amounts of money. I'm no prude, but morality and doing what's right is barely a consideration any more. It certainly doesn't sell guitars...or anything else.But did you enter the contest on the Jackson website?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Originally posted by Edendude: It just looks like a 14 year old boy designed their website to me. I'm not sure about 'offensive', but it certainly looks idiotic and unprofessional.My thought exactly. Not offensive, just sort of puerile & dopey. (The idea that it's a whole WWII motif is interesting; if that was their intent, OK, but it could have been done much more convincingly.) Actually, I find offensive the suggestion that the statement "God bless our troops" is a sort of war-mongering. Get over yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 You people need to woodshed more! Yes, I do understand the implications of such imagery. So what? At least they haven't cornered any actual human beings in posing for the products, except for endorsing artists. Also, if you just go to the non-flash site, things are less annoying. I like the Blackjack guitars. Nice, classic tux black finish (think Les Paul Black Beauty), a little binding, and good hardware. Now, did I give a whit about the ads? Not really. Found out about them from Guitar Player. If you really want to complain, why don't you search for the company's phone numbers, and complain to customer service? "Thees ees ze best joke thread EVAR!!!" - Ren Hoek, now in retirement. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Originally posted by tnb: Mr. M Pulsive said: Guess you haven't seen the Jackson website, huh? Jackson is still in business??? Wow.Owned and operated by Fender, now. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.S.M Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 offensive not at all.What some cartoon girls with american flags.Would you rather see some fat chicks with no teeth promoting guitars or a picture of me and a skull and crossbones flag.I will actually give them a thumbs up for the dimebag memorial and he didn't even use there guitars.SEx pics or sexy pics i love.It would not make me buy one of the guitars.Bass buying comes will feel and sound.As for the war stuff ,the world has been fighting forever it's called population control(sorry for the people that lost loved ones but people can't live forever we don't have enough room for everybody) Don't flame me it's just my opnion.I don't offend easily- my mind is always in the gutter-and since the war in my line of work my wages have increased and i'm getting more work since alot of the people i work with had to go the big sand box Rock-n-roll junkie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiRoller Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I'm not offended but that site is a jumbled mess. I think people should judge for themselves and vote with their wallet. It would be a sad day if everything in the world has to be sanitized and politically correct so as to not offend anyone. edit- BTW, anybody check out the new Guitar World buyers guide with Jenna Jameson? hubba hubba! my band: Mission 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred TBP Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Once in a blue moon I look at Schecter and Dean to check out the new basses, but the juvenile attempt at sex, patriotism and rock 'n' roll is just too lame to stay there for long. Truly a shame, as I have a few Schecters built a quarter-century ago from the days when they were REAL contenders in the industry. Maybe it's their children who run the site, or the inmates from the local asylum; certainly these sites aren't built by the people who build the instruments. If I want to be really offended, I'll turn on Monday Night Football or the next SuperBowl halftime event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 I wouldn't say that it's offensive. Poorly done? Yes. Offensive? No. If Schecter was going for that bomber plane nose-art style, they should've found a better artist. I find the fact that some rock, blues, r&b or jazz musicians would find it offensive somewhat strange. After all, Schecter is marketing their company and products to a rock n' roll market, and a big part of rock n' roll and even R&B before it was a spirit of rebellion with sexual overtones. In the 50's parents were afraid of rock n' roll because they thought it would lead to fornication and the corruption of youth! Over the years I think a lot of that spirit has been driven out of things. Maybe that's part of the reason why so much of today's music is such crap... artists are afraid of offending someone in their "target market", and they're playing it safe. Like a lot of other people said, this is probably a better topic for the SSS forum, but I had to say something about this. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikmag Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 I wasnt offended by it, but i could see how it would offend somebody. The whole concept is poorly executed and very tacky, it almost makes the whole military look very cartoonish. I dont like the the shovenistic aspects of a lot of rock music is being used to sell products. We distort. You abide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H. Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 I think I'll start a guitar company and give it the ol' "Archie Bunker" motife. Then we can talk offensive in this age of "political correctness". http://www.identity5.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Good grief...get a grip. Schecter has made guitars with "bomber nose art" on them. Is that war mongering or misogynistic? I personally don't think so, I think the "nose art" concept is kind of cool. It's historical. And WWII nose art wasn't limited to scantily clad women. Cartoon characters and other themes were recurrent. Quick, everyone, scan the web and find something to be offended about. If I spent my life trying to apologize for everything that I've ever done to possibly offend someone...for one thing, I'd never get anything done, and for another, in apologizing for offending one person, I'd be offending another. DJ, what if I said I was offended by your gripe? And then you came back and said you were offended that I was offended? And so on and so forth... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ-Wood Posted December 22, 2004 Author Share Posted December 22, 2004 Hello again, Having had 24 hours to digest your responses to my original post, I would just like to clarify my views a little further. First of all, I am not prudish or overly PC. I think more than anything I find the schecter site to be overwhelmingly depressing. Allow me to explain: I am 28 years old. I remember when I was 15-16 years old (seemingly the target market for schecter), and one of my favourite bands at this time was Rage Against the Machine. Whilst they seem overly simplistic to me now, I still remember at the time how much I appreciated the idea of using music as a medium to provoke socio-political debate (and before you close this thread and move it to the 'politics' forum, I want to remind you that music has always fulfilled this role, from Elvis singing 'In the Ghetto, to Marvin on 'Whats Going On', to Rage performing 'Bullet in the Head') It wasn't that long ago that Tom Morello had the slogan 'Arm The Homeless' painted on his guitar (simplistic - yes; inspiring a 16 year old boy to ask questions about society - yes). Now 16 year old boys can learn from Rock and Roll that war is, like, totally cool. Does this not seem like a depressing backward step? And finally, when schecter says 'God Bless our brave troops' (or whatever), which god are they referring to? Allah? Jehova? No God that I look to would support the actions of the Bush administration. "Allah bless the brave 9/11 martyr bombers." Are any of you offended now? All I wanted to do was look at a guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Originally posted by DJ-Wood: Are any of you offended now? All I wanted to do was look at a guitar.No, not politics, not here! Take it away!!! Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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