As many of you know, Traktor Topaz and his Voltos marketing company use this forum (and every other possible association with Chapman Stick that he seems able to dream up) to market his products to those interested in The Stick. He's also recently started using Google's advertising infrastructure to place banner ads on Stick Enterprises' MySpace page and those pages of several influential Stick players.

We're a small family run business, not some big corporation, but we once again find ourselves the target of disruptive, over-the-top marketing tactics, designed to market a new product amid flames, and we must deal with each maneuver as time allows.

Recently we were able to reverse Topaz's company Voltos' bad faith registration of a web domain that contained our trademark (http://www.learn-chapman-stick.com), as well as to stop his use of our trademarks in GoogleAds that were showing up in search results for Chapman Stick. We are required by law to take steps to protect our trademarks from misuse or else risk losing or weakening them.

You can read about those developments here: http://www.stick.com/legal/trademark_news/

His latest "Nitro Explosion" ad campaign is full of more of the same negative, misleading language that he recently posted in his "Christmas Cheer" ad campaign. I consider these ads poisonous to any sense of community among string tapping musicians, regardless of what instrument they play. I also object to his extreme characterization of "some manufacturers." (Please pass me the nitrous oxide.)

Whatever similarities may exist between his products and ours, we believe his posting here of links to his aggressive new ad campaign against us is an abuse of the online Stick community, and an attempt to alienate us from our customers and friends.

With language like, "price-fixing trickery", "artificial scarcity", "public relations babble", "slow as molasses", "overpriced instruments", "ransack your wallet", "leave you broke", "bill of hogwash", "excessive cost", "deliver slow and crank the prices", and "you've been tricked", we see Topaz's current "Nitro" and "Christmas Cheer" ads as an attempt to make our existing customers feel bad about their choice, and to drive our potential customers to him through misdirection. We believe that most of you can see through these tactics; but even if they don't increase his sales, they seem designed to generate resentment against us and could potentially sour musicians and public to tapping instruments in general - bad for all of us.

Topaz has posted many blogs and Websites that rely on search engine recognition of our trademarks to attract attention, so he seems to think it's an effective use of his time (and of our trademarks). If you find any online examples of such inappropriate use of our trademarks, or if you are a target of direct, unsolicited advertising based on Stick trademarks, we hope you'll make us aware of it.

We would also like to know if you find any examples of blog posts about The Stick that look like they are posted under pseudonyms, like this one by "Trevor James" that provides "Stick" links that instead take you to erroneous megatar.com articles about The Stick: http://searchwarp.com/swa338279.htm

As to the outrageous claims made by Topaz's Nitro and Cheer ads, we have a customer waiting list (sorry to say) because of the strong demand for our instruments, though it has never been large enough to turn our home-based shop with a few employees into a huge industrial operation. Every instrument we make is some kind of a custom order: wood, pickups, inlays, tunings, string gauges, and other more exotic features. We fill our orders as fast as we can but much of the work requires skill and must be done by hand. For an instrument dedicated to my "Free Hands" two-handed tapping method, the setup makes all the difference, also the structure and features that enable such setup. We could cut corners to increase production and make a short term profit, but we want more Stick "players" out there, not just Stick owners. So, for the sake of the playing method, we do what it takes to get it right, also for the repairs which are usually "turned around" within a week's time.

As a dedicated musician myself, I want you to enjoy this powerful and versatile tapping method as much as I do, and every design change I've made since I first started tapping on my custom nine-string "Freedom" guitar in 1969 has been about optimizing the instrument for the method. All the hardware and electronics in the world won't help if your instrument isn't comfortable and doesn't play well, so my primary focus has always been on how The Stick plays, feels and sounds.

We have developed our production process over 35 years and through more than 6000 instruments, not even including steady repairs of older instruments. There are some jobs involved that no machine can do, and which take time and experienced hands - very different from conventional guitar-building or mass production processes.

We know what we're doing works because of all the great music we continue to enjoy on your CDs, DVDs and all the good news about your live performances. And we're deeply appreciative of Vance's and Manny's efforts to provide a place where Stick players can congregate online. Stickwire and stickist.com are great open communities with hundreds of members who have keen and varied interests in making music and who enthusiastically coach and critique each other. We believe these forums should remain open for all positive contributions and constructive criticisms, regardless of what instrument the correspondent plays, but we don't believe a Stick based forum should be exploited for negative ads, aimed against us or against anyone else.

Yuta and I are grateful for all your continued support and involvement with The Stick and its specific playing method. Our greatest reward lies outside of any business considerations or sales competition, that is, in the multifaceted musical returns on an almost daily basis.

All the Best, Emmett.

Thank you for everything Emmett. I really didn't like the "mega" banners on my myspace page.
I didn't know that there was anything that could be done about it.

But then, when it comes to "knowing how to get things done" both musically and as a innovator and visionary
You are in an elite group.
Think about it folks. As an artist, creator, and inventor, who else deserves to be on list of greatness with Emmett? The mind begins to form a list which is both mind-boggling and humbling.
I think that is what bothers me the most about this whole thing.
Give credit where it is due. Each day I play my Stick and each gig I play I give thanks to Emmett and his vision. There is no way that I would be expressing my music in this way without him, period.

Thank you always you are appreciated.

Brett

Yeah, the Nitro marketing is particularly obnoxious. It'd be nice to see Traktor make his sales pitches on the merits of his instruments instead of continual jabs at Stick Enterprises; why he chooses not to do so is perhaps best left as an exercise for the reader.

I've edited my post to more directly respond to Emmetts original post. Years ago I had an old Polycarb Stick for a very short time and wanted a new instrument. Not wanting to wait I found Traktor's instrument while doing a Chapman Stick search on e-bay. It talked about the similarities however it was "cheaper" and available right away. And I bought into it. So right or wrong these type of advertising tactics do work, it worked on me! (BTW I wasn't happy with Traktor's instrument and now only play Chapman Sticks.) I see the problem Emmett has with Traktor attaching his instrument to Internet searches for the Chapman Stick. Traktor got MY business because of this internet association. In regard to the claimes of "easier to play" and the implication of it being just as good .... all i can say is I was so frustrated with his instrument it almost soured me to two hand tapping all together. Thank god I decided to give the Chapman stick another try!!! My only problem is I kick myself for selling the old Polycarb! In regard to the attacks on Emmett and SE ... I for one hope it comes back to bite Traktor. There's nothing wrong with competition but that's simply BAD business tactics!

There are a lot of instruments on the market and quality ranges from the thirty dollar souvenir grade to the million dollar collectable. Musicians are a discerning group that knows what they want.

I believe that the premier products within any industry stand on their own merits (think about the car industry). This does mean that they are the target for comparison.

I would agree that discussing tapping instuments should grow a community of artists not just people comparing their gear.

Thank you for not using the banner marketing techniques. A company is using PPC marketing for banner ads generally pays each time you click.

I wouldn't have a Stick made any other way!!! Thanks Emmett

Let's keep the responses strong but dignified, like Emmett's message above. We're lucky to have someone who created a NEW instrument, a playing method and backed it up as a player. Thanks to the quality of this instrument, there's no need to say "mine's better than yours". Just play it.

The serious issue is the marketing tactics of Traktor, not the qualitative differences of the instrument brands. When I challenged his "Christmas-cheer" fiasco on the Tappistry forum, most of the other responses agreed that Traktor's advertising "style" is tasteless, at best. And there are a lot of non-Stick players there.

However, there is a real underlying problem here, not just bad taste. Without trying to be morbid, many of us have probably looked into the future and wondered where Stick Enterprises will be in a decade or two? Hold that thought for a moment and now think of the thousands of prospective tappers out there, all looking for information on line. And every time they Google "Chapman Stick", they get a link to Traktor telling them why they shouldn't buy a Stick, or that his "Stick strings" are cheaper. I'll let someone better qualified decide if that's illegal, but it certainly appears to be extremely unethical.

Cheers,
Andy

I've seen the ads as well and found them very offensive. They clearly only have a commercial goal and that's what a real musician doesn't want, right ?
And, I guess at least most of us will know, that an instrument is sooo much more than just wood, metal and strings.
Please allow me to compare with the famous Orange amps. They are a class on their own, with the specific tone they have. The price tag is pretty high, like 1500 euro's for a 50W tube amp (and that's the cheapest one!!). The amp itself only has the basics (gain, volume, bass, id, high, precense) and that's it. When looking inside, one might feel being thrown back in time. The components used (not talking about the tubes) and the way everything is wired up, is plain old 60's, 70's technoligy. If one had the schematics and one had the info how to 'tune' the amp (settings biaslevels correctly etc), you could probably build one for 20% of it's selling price. But it is the development of the schematics and the knowhow of how to build it that makes it such a very good amp !
And the Chapman sticks are the same, they are so much more than the material by itself. It's sheer determination, passion and creativeness that made it the instrument it is today, which cannot be beat by some quick commercial design in order to only make some money !
For me personally, I feel very proud to own at least one of the 6000 sticks in the universe. Everybody that I tell about the stick and show, are amazed by it looks and sounds.
I think that stickists probably all feel the same way I do, and recognize beauty and quality when they see it.

Cheers!

I've just read that Nitro ad.

While Dick doesn't come right out and say it (and thus deftly avoids a libel suit) we know who and what he's talking about.



Screw that - I'm calling "douchebag" on this.

You can take the high road if you like, but I don't savvy much to chickensh*t guttersniping - which is precisely what Dick is doing.

What's more, Dick, is that I was mulling over the idea of trying out your product until I read this screed of yours.

Hi Brett,

I don't know how much good it will do, but you can send an email to: help@support.myspace.com
subject report abuse

I think if enough people complain about someone who isn't their "friend" posting what I described as "parasitic banner ads" on their site, they would probably do something about it, though the program by which this is being done is Google's, so maybe they are the ones we have to talk to.

You will need to take a picture of the ad in question to send to them, so just copy the image as it appears on your page and keep it handy.

I also have a blog posted about it on my page:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=157661205&blogID=459650716, comments (pro and con) are welcome.

I actually had a fairly frank & lengthy email volley with Traktor Topaz regarding his "Christmas Cheer" ad campaign, and why I did not like it. According to him, he used the negative ad style for the same reason politicians do. People say they don't like them, but apparently they are effective. According to Traktor his sales did, indeed go up in response to that campaign. I still think it was distasteful.

Before I purchased my Chapman Stick, I considered many options, including the Megatar. Traktor asked me why I finally opted for the Stick. I explained to him that of the sound files & videos on the internet (pretty much my only option for researching tapping instruments), the sounds & music being made on the Chapman Stick appealed to me more.

I also related to Traktor that his instruments are just as rare to me, as a Chapman Stick, or any other tapping instrument. I was unable to physically audition any of the instruments I was interested in.

Regarding price, I believe the Chapman Stick is moderately priced for a high-quality, semi-custom instrument, made in a small shop, in the USA. Additionally, their service is good and personable. My Stick was delivered ahead of schedule.

We also discussed many other details, but I don't want to go through all that again.

For whatever it is worth, I think Emmett should consider his competition a good thing (maybe he already does). It means he is successful. After all, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

As for Traktor, I hope he minds his P's & Q's, but I think the world is big enough for SE and a few competitors. I own several different types and makes of guitars. It is likely I will own more than one type of tapping instrument, eventually.

Incidentally, I thought about getting a Chapman Stick for over 30 years. One of the things that pushed me over the edge was seeing Trey Gunn play a Warr Guitar, with King Crimson.

I love my 12-string Grand Chapman Stick (#5562). I try to play it every day. I find that dissonance can be ugly, but surround it with consonance and it can become beautiful.


Jeff
http://www.myspace.com/jeffcomas

PS
I hope I can go to the, August 2009, Stick Workshop at the Interlochen College of Creative Arts. With instruction and performances by Emmett Chapman and Greg Howard. Traverse City, Michigan
http://www.poorman.ws/detroitstick/words/events/seminar2009/. It will be an honor to meet & learn from Emmett Chapman.

Sidebar, also at Interlochen at the same time is the Guitar Festival and Workshop.
"This year's program features world class guitarists Andrew York,..."

I am playing Snowflight, by Andrew York, on the Stick. Any other Stickists playing York?