jim adkins
30 Signature Guitars for Modern Artists
For decades, having a signature guitar was reserved for classic rock legends — the Claptons, the Hendrixes, the Pages, the SRVs and EVHs. But that’s no longer the case. From pop-punk to heavy metal, alt-country to neo-soul, modern artists of all genres and backgrounds are getting signature guitars from companies big and small. Among the titans of the industry, that intentional shift came with a new generation being put into decision-making positions. “When I started, it was largely classic rock and very much a pantheonic Hall of Fame,” Fender’s Executive VP for Products Justin Norvell says of the early 2000s. “It was an end-of-an-iconic-career kind of thing. But it was my feeling that it should be something that people can use to reflect back upon themselves. A Telecaster can mean James Bu...
How Jimmy Eat World Fought Their Way Out of ‘The Middle’
Jimmy Eat World were only two albums into their deal with Capitol Records when they were dropped by the label. After receiving little support for their third album, the now seminal Clarity, the band was hardly surprised when they were notified in August 1999. Most artists in their position would have viewed the rejection as a potential career-ender, but the Mesa, Arizona-based band took it well. In fact, they agreed with Capitol’s decision. “All big labels are extremely adept at pushing bands that are moving 20,000 or more records a week,” frontman Jim Adkins explains. “Capitol knew exactly what to do with that. But they had no idea what to do with bands like us that sold 10,000 copies between all releases. [Clarity] grew over time into what it is now, but that wasn’t the case back then. I...
