# Slash selling out??



## djpharoah (Oct 6, 2006)

Dont know if this is a double post or not.

Just saw a VW commercial where slash is jamming on a guitar. At first I was like nice, slash is killing it. But then I noticed he wasnt jamming on his signature gold burst LP. I couldnt make out what the guitar was.

Finally I heard the announcer say that if you get a VW from a dealer near you, you get a First Act guitar signed by Slash.

Isnt First Act those shitty guitars are like Walmart or sam's club??

Why slash, why?


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## Shannon (Oct 6, 2006)

Yep, that's the current VW promotion. First Act started out making cheap ass guitars, but they've moved onto making customs in the $1500+ category.


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## bostjan (Oct 6, 2006)

Slash is already a corporate trademark. It is a cheap guitar, but look at who else is endorsing them&#8230;

I'm actually surprised we didn't see this sooner. And still, as crappy as they are, first act is still less worse than those esteban clunkers.

EDIT: $1500?!


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## distressed_romeo (Oct 6, 2006)

Haven't seen the ad, but that's pretty sad. I've seen ads for First Act stuff, and it looks pretty sorry.


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## noodles (Oct 6, 2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVOwXTct0TE

Man, is that guitar fugly.


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## Steve (Oct 6, 2006)

noodles said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVOwXTct0TE
> 
> Man, is that guitar fugly.


So...... the VW stereo has an 1/4" input jack? WTF?

You gotta be shitting me.


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## djpharoah (Oct 6, 2006)

Steve said:


> So...... the VW stereo has an 1/4" input jack? WTF?
> 
> You gotta be shitting me.


Well the guitar is a custom first act "vee-dub" edition with a built in pre-amp that allows the driver to plug in his first act only guitar into his 1/4 inch jack in the VW car


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## rummy (Oct 6, 2006)

http://www.vdubsrock.com/?ic_id=edh_vdubsrock


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## Mykie (Oct 6, 2006)

I use to use those cd to tape deck adapters and hook it up to my old Korg toneworks and play guitar out of my car. Yeah, I was a dumb ass then, and still am now. But it was fun...


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## rogue (Oct 6, 2006)

what a shame *shakes head*


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## Rick (Oct 6, 2006)

That commercial sucks and so does the guitar.


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## streathervsgodzilla (Oct 6, 2006)

i have lost all respect for slash


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## Naren (Oct 7, 2006)

I never had any respect for Slash in the first place. So no loss here.


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## The Dark Wolf (Oct 7, 2006)

Never had respect for Slash? Why not?

The guitar tone sucks, IMO.


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## garcia3441 (Oct 7, 2006)

As Shannon said they make some high dollar customs now. Here's a link to their custom gallery.

http://www.firstact.com/Products/CustomGuitars/Gallery.aspx

They also have a guitarbuilder:

http://www.firstact.com/upload/flash/guitarbuilder/guitarbuilder.html


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## bostjan (Oct 7, 2006)

404'd!


Maybe their site is blocked through my server, though?


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## Naren (Oct 7, 2006)

The Dark Wolf said:


> Never had respect for Slash? Why not?
> 
> The guitar tone sucks, IMO.



Never had any reason to respect him. Give me one reason why I should. I've never liked Guns and Roses (If you remember, I used to joke about being the new replacement singer for GnR and ACDC and then I'd do my GnR or ACDC impression). Nothing about his playing strikes me as unique. Someone is asking "Slash selling out??" but how can he sell out when he was like this from the very beginning? For example, you can't say "50 Cent sold out" because he's always been about getting rich and compromising anything and everything to make money, get ho's, get drugs, and just have fun. Therefore, him "Selling out" would be him quitting rap and doing something completely uncommercial in order to not make money (silly comparison, I know).

I just don't see any reason to respect him. Some people just say "I respect him for the hard work it took him to get where he is," but I don't respect people just because they're rich and famous.

I agree that the guitar tone sucks, by the way.


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## The Dark Wolf (Oct 7, 2006)

Jesus Christ, that post sure comes across as combative.

Ok, here's _one_ reason -

1. He helped pave the way for real rock and hard hitting music in a time when it ws ONLY about image. You're too young to know, but when GNR came on the scene, what breath of fresh air they were in a time dominated by formulaic hair bands and shitty pop.

There's your one reason. You can accept it or not. I personally have at least a modicum of respect for the guy.


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## Naren (Oct 7, 2006)

^I don't accept or agree with that reason, but that's okay because everyone has their own opinions and views on things.


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## Vegetta (Oct 7, 2006)

Shannon said:


> Yep, that's the current VW promotion. First Act started out making cheap ass guitars, but they've moved onto making customs in the $1500+ category.




I just caught an episode of Handmade Music on DYI and First act made a new guitar for Henry Garza of Los Lonely Boys (Fookin thing was hideous)


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## Drew (Oct 7, 2006)

I've played a few cheapo First Acts and a couple $3k customs. 

The cheap ones were better guitars.


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## metalfiend666 (Oct 7, 2006)

Man that Rick Nielson guitar is crazy. 6 lipstick pickups each with their own on/off switch and vol/tone controls? Is there any wood left in the guitar?


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## Spoongirl (Oct 7, 2006)

I would do it if I needed money..

in fact, I would do it right now xD


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## distressed_romeo (Oct 7, 2006)

We can act as principled as we want, but yeah, I think most of us would sell our souls for free guitars...


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## Naren (Oct 7, 2006)

But those guitars just look so crappy. I was looking at the signature guitars and the shapes are very bizarre, but not in a BC Rich way. More like a "they must have screwed up on the size of the lower horn. That just doesn't look right." or "The body on that guitar is shaped wrong..." etc. I can see myself "doing it" for money with a lot of guitar companies that I don't play now and have no intention of playing, but this company's stuff just looks so ugly and I doubt it sounds that great either...


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## distressed_romeo (Oct 7, 2006)

I agree, but some people like that 'pawnshop' look (Jack White springs to mind)... Can't understand why myself, unless you just want a cheap guitar to string up for slide playing...


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## Drew (Oct 7, 2006)

Spoongirl said:


> I would do it if I needed money..
> 
> in fact, I would do it right now xD



 

I would too, just not for First Act. Having to play one of their guitars live is just too high a pric to pay. :/

Their cheap shit wasn't bad for cheap shit, but their custom shop stuff was absolute crap.


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## Nik (Oct 7, 2006)

Jesus Christ, your guys  "OMG, this guitar sucks!!!" You're missing the point. 

While I'm sure the guitar sucks, I think this is a *really cool *marketing strategy. I mean, come on, when's the last time you've seen something like this? I think that anything that broadens the world of guitar is a good thing.

It's obvious that they're not targeting guitarists  Any guitarist out there would instantly know that it's a piece-of-shit. Guitarist do research and buy expensive guitars that meet their needs. IMO, it's stupid to criticise the guitar--it's not like Slash is gonna make it his main axe, or other guitarists are gonna start using it on stage.

So, kudos to VW for this marketing strategy, which is obviously made to appeal to the average Joe--pretty cool stuff!


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## Naren (Oct 7, 2006)

But who would buy a car to get a guitar?  It just seems really bizarre to me... It's like, "Hey, buy this laptop and get a free Mick Jaggar t-shirt." or, from a guitar standpoint, "If you buy this $3000 dollar amp, you get a free pair of strings signed by Paul McCartney." 

Just strikes me as weird. Might be just me, though...


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## Drew (Oct 7, 2006)

Nik said:


> Jesus Christ, your guys  "OMG, this guitar sucks!!!" You're missing the point.



Nik, trust me - untilyou play a First Act you won't understand. 

Again, their cheap shit was no worse than any other cheap shit I've played, but you couldn't pay me to wipe my ass with the $3000 custom I tried. HORRIBLE guitar - it felt cheap, had shoddy fretwork, balanced poorly, and hada proper baseball bat of a neck.


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## distressed_romeo (Oct 7, 2006)

Bad fretwork is totally unforgivable on a guitar that costs that much.


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## bostjan (Oct 7, 2006)

Appetite for Destruction was still a pretty kickass album, though.







So was Aperitif for Destruction.






Think about this, though. People who want to buy cars that come with guitars to feel hip are not likely to go for a VW.


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## The Dark Wolf (Oct 7, 2006)

Naren said:


> But who would buy a car to get a guitar?  It just seems really bizarre to me... It's like, "Hey, buy this laptop and get a free Mick Jaggar t-shirt." or, from a guitar standpoint, "If you buy this $3000 dollar amp, you get a free pair of strings signed by Paul McCartney."
> 
> Just strikes me as weird. Might be just me, though...


Nope. I completely agree. Like Nic said, it's a mmm... sorta clever marketing ploy, I guess. I mean, it's unique. But yeah, it _is_ Bizzaro world.

E, I am right with you on this one.


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## telecaster90 (Oct 12, 2006)

Guys, Slash didn't sell out. They had John Mayer playin a First Act on a different VW commercial. They had some other guy I recognized but wasn't able to place playing one.


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## XEN (Oct 13, 2006)

The Dark Wolf said:


> Ok, here's _one_ reason -
> 
> 1. He helped pave the way for real rock and hard hitting music in a time when it ws ONLY about image. You're too young to know, but when GNR came on the scene, what breath of fresh air they were in a time dominated by formulaic hair bands and shitty pop.



That's no reason to respect someone even if it were true, and it isn't. At best, a kind 'thank you, Slash' would suffice, not awe, respect, and reverence. 

Besides, Slash IS an image, _and_ there has never been a time in the history of commercial music when the industry was not completely dominated by formulaic music and shitty pop. If you want real rock and hard hitting music you still have to look for it for yourself today, just like you did yesterday. 

The road to rock was paved long before Slash ever picked up a guitar otherwise he never would have picked it up in the first place.

Ritchie Fucking Blackmore.


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## Popsyche (Oct 13, 2006)

urklvt said:


> That's no reason to respect someone even if it were true, and it isn't. At best, a kind 'thank you, Slash' would suffice, not awe, respect, and reverence.
> 
> Besides, Slash IS an image, _and_ there has never been a time in the history of commercial music when the industry was not completely dominated by formulaic music and shitty pop. If you want real rock and hard hitting music you still have to look for it for yourself today, just like you did yesterday.
> 
> ...



The "Slash" character is mainly a left-over from the GnR image driven rock of that time. The guy himself, is supposed to be a really down to earth approachable fellow, as I have friends that are friends with him. It wouldn't surprise me that he did this because he thought it was fun. 

Also, VDub has a history of teaming up with an unrelated manufacturer for promos. They released a Trek edition here that came with a specially painted bicycle, and a K-2 version with skis. I agree that this is inventive advertising. Those guitars don't cost shit for them, and these ads possibly are the largest media presentation for First Act ever. Pretty smart all around! Let's face it, the ad campaign was pretty successful if we're discussing VDubs here on a guitar and debauchery forum!


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## XEN (Oct 13, 2006)

guitar and debauchery...

Hell yeah!

True, it is good advertising, and you can't really say Slash is selling out at all. His _image_ is being used to sell cars to a particular target audience, which, by the way, is not us. It's being marketed to people who think it would be cool to have _any_ electric guitar come in the package deal. We're the kind of buyers who look at financing cars and decide what kind of 7 string guitar we will buy with the cash back we'll get from the dealership. His image is a product anyway. It is not the man himself. Hell, if I weren't Fat Bastard's retarded Irish cousin, I'd let them use my likeness to sell whatever they want, if, of course, I got paid for it! I'm sure he's cool as a person. He can't stand Axl Rose, so he must be cool! 

My only issue was that I was sort of off-topically agreeing with Naren that I see no need to respect the guy any more than I respect anyone else (which doesn't say much). I'm not equifax. I'm not in the business of giving anyone credit, whether they deserve it or not! hehe


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## Popsyche (Oct 13, 2006)

urklvt said:


> guitar and debauchery...
> 
> Hell yeah!
> 
> My only issue was that I was sort of off-topically agreeing with Naren that I see no need to respect the guy any more than I respect anyone else (which doesn't say much). I'm not equifax. I'm not in the business of giving anyone credit, whether they deserve it or not! hehe



Most agreed. I'm not a fan of his music, and I remember Asshole Rose's last trip to Philly, when he canceled a sold-out concert, to watch the Lakers on TV.   He left Buckethead and Brain high and dry on that one! A firing squad is too good for Asshole rose!


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## XEN (Oct 13, 2006)

I call first shot!!!!


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## Naren (Oct 13, 2006)

urklvt said:


> My only issue was that I was sort of off-topically agreeing with Naren that I see no need to respect the guy any more than I respect anyone else (which doesn't say much). I'm not equifax. I'm not in the business of giving anyone credit, whether they deserve it or not! hehe



And thanks for that. I thought you made some very good points. I disagreed with everything my dear pal Bob said, but since I'm only 23, he might pull out that card. 

Good points.


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## Drew (Oct 13, 2006)

You know, my thinking on Slash sorta did a 180 one day when reading a Jemsite thread about the Velvet Revolver album. Someone commented, "Man, I never knew how much I missed Slash until he came back." 

And you know, tha's true. I'm not a huge GNR fan, I dont' think he's a technical mastermind or much of a melodic player either, but he just has this thing for playing good straight-up rock solos. Nothing revolutionary and thus easy to take for granted, but I think the 80's without Slash would have been a sadder place. 

Should you respect the guy for this? Fucked if I know. I DO know, however, that when I first heard "Fall To Peices" on the radio, without even being told it was VR I knew it was good to have the dude back with us.

And I'd take the Axl Rose gig just for the pleasure of pulling a SRV and telling the guy, publically, to go screw.


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## Donnie (Oct 14, 2006)

Nigel Tufnel(of Spinal Tap, for you young ones): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx3H1WJdU44


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## Elysian (Oct 14, 2006)

thats a lot of money lol, more than i'd spend on a "custom" first act, which is really more of a made to order production guitar ala carvin...


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## garcia3441 (Oct 14, 2006)

Elysian said:


> which is really more of a made to order production guitar ala carvin...



Give me the Carvin every time.


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## bostjan (Oct 14, 2006)

Made to order = custom according to Daniel Webster. I always took custom to mean 'made to spec' though.

I wonder if First Act has a seven string


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## Mastodon (Oct 14, 2006)

Dweezil Zappa

http://www.vdubsrock.com/?ic_id=edh_vdubsrock


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## The Dark Wolf (Oct 14, 2006)

garcia3441 said:


> Give me the Carvin every time.


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## noodles (Oct 16, 2006)

Donnie said:


> Nigel Tufnel(of Spinal Tap, for you young ones): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx3H1WJdU44



"I'm all right!"


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## Drew (Oct 16, 2006)

I saw the Slash ad the other night on TV - his tone SUCKS on that one. If they're hoping to sell the guitars with that clip, he's doing them no favors.


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## ohio_eric (Oct 19, 2006)

Doesn't anyone see the real evil? Now every time you go to the mall you're going to have to hear some douche bag trying to play Nickelback riffs in the parking lot. Volkswagen has unleashed an unholy evil. They must be stopped. As I see it there are two options all real guitarists need big ass SUVs with twin half stacks mounted in the back to unleash sonic warfare on these lame ass Volkswagen guitarists or someone could just shoot them.


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## djpharoah (Oct 23, 2006)

ohio_eric said:


> Doesn't anyone see the real evil? Now every time you go to the mall you're going to have to hear some douche bag trying to play Nickelback riffs in the parking lot. Volkswagen has unleashed an unholy evil. They must be stopped. As I see it there are two options all real guitarists need big ass SUVs with twin half stacks mounted in the back to unleash sonic warfare on these lame ass Volkswagen guitarists or someone could just shoot them.


lol

I was just going to say that now we going to have parking lot jam sessions with n00bs trying to play some emo shit or what not..

In other news - I convinced a buddy of mine who plays piano to try the guitar. So what does he do - goes to Sams Club and picks up a First Act combo package. I was going to tell him that they suck shit but decided to wait till I tried it. Well i tried it and it was horrible. My hand couldnt slide up or down, the fretboard was dry as hell, the pickups were horrible and etc.

So we went back and returned it. Now he has an Ibanez started pack (a whole lot better - remember he is a n00b and not sure if he wants to play). He spent like $189 at a GC


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## Lozek (Oct 24, 2006)

The really amazing thing to me is that i thought Nigel Tufnell was actually playing much better than Slash. Wonder if First Act do optional 'Notes per Second' meters?

All of this makes me think of Bill Hicks though, and his George Michael/Diet Coke topic.

'Hi, this is Keith Moon for Snnnnnickers'


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## All_¥our_Bass (May 6, 2008)

Some of those Firstact axes actually look pretty tasty.


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## playstopause (May 6, 2008)

Holly thread bump Nicholas!


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## All_¥our_Bass (May 7, 2008)

I thought is waa 'HOlY!' no 'HOLLY!'. Unless that a typo you have to kiss me!!


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