Monday, January 26, 2009

Guitar Gods Slash and Ron Wood Autographed Guitars

News Summary: The Rolling Stones, Guns N Roses, KISS, and more!


News Content: For those of you unaware, my wife is a DIE-HARD fan of The Rolling Stones. She's definitely a fanatic, and as such, we've seen them countless times in concert and have the privilege to have met each member on may occasions. When we found out that Ron Wood (guitarist) would be doing his 1 and only US book signing in NY on Halloween, we were pretty excited to go pay him a visit. When we heard that Slash would be doing appearances and also doing his book signing the day before, it was just icing on the cake!We arrived into Manhattan on December 30th around noon and headed right to the entrance of the David Letterman Show. We took our spots, whipped out our guitars and photos and got ready. First to arrive was the coolest looking rocker out there. Slashed bobbed his way out of the tinted windowed SUV with his top hat and sunglasses on and came right over to the barrier to start signing. I was ecstatic but things immediately took a drastic turn. Just after he grabbed the first guys marker to sign one of his new books, he gave it back to the guy and proceeded inside, stating he didn't have a marker to sign. WOW! Devastation kicked in when I realized that by the time he'd be coming back out, he'd have very limited time as his book signing was across town and in only a few more hours. It wasn't looking too good and many of the other dealers and fans left after he went in, making sure they could go get a spot in line for his book signing. They were only allowing 300 in so space was limited and lines form early.


Next to arrive was the very sexy Jennifer Connolly. She showed up and was accompanied by an escort/agent of sorts. This guy has also served as assistant to other big stars including Tom Cruise and seemed to be her puppet master, guiding her on when to sign, where to sign, with what to sign, and when to finish. It was interesting to watch as she used his black marker to sign for nearly everyone but did stop short of doing all the signatures. She gave a smile and a wave just after posing for the paparazzi and went on in. She was also kind enough to sign on the way out and after I had her sign one with my blue marker, again her assistant/handler made her take his black marker and led her along the line, telling her when to stop. We ended up with a couple great signed 8x10 photos and video footage of her signing for everyone!


After some time went by, Slash's bodyguard came out and there was Slash standing in the Letterman entrance smoking a cigarette, looking as cool as ever. His bodyguard proceeded to go up and down the line of dealers/fans/bystanders, letting us all know what he would sign and what he wouldn't. I had 3 guitars there with our staff and he wasn't quick to say if he'd sign them or not, so even when Slash walked out to start signing, I honestly wasn't sure if I'd be getting any of them done, but Slash did not disappoint! We were able to get a couple 12 string electric guitars signed by Slash and also a nice flame bodied electric guitar signed by Slash and each come with video footage of him signing them! INCREDIBLE! He didn't sign a lot, but he did sign all the items that the handler said he would.


Next we were off to the book signing. The line was formed and bracelets were down to about 20 left when we arrived. We secured our bracelets and our spots in line. This signing was horrible. No memorabilia and no photos up at the table. The only bonus was that Slash actually acknowledged his fans and shook your hand but that was it. We ended up with 6 books signed by Slash and do have both photos of him signing them and video footage of the signing, something I don't think anyone else has!!! I forgot to mention we also greeted Slash on his way into the signing but he was too rushed to have the time to sign and was quickly escorted in. On the way out, he set up a decoy back in the front where he had come in. Luckily I had inside information so I knew this and greeted him on his way out the side but alas, he was again rushed and no additional autographs came of it.


Next stop was however a much different story. After his book signing at Barnes & Nobles, Slash went to Trash and Vaudeville, a Goth-style clothing store where I'm sure he was shopping for more rock attire for his wardrobe. This opportunity however was given to us by inside information and left us 1 on 1 with Slash, something we hadn't had all day. Because of this, it was much more relaxed and we were able to get another 12 string electric guitar signed by Guns N Roses guitar God, Slash, as well as a Fender Electric Guitar signed by him! All the while, we videotaped him signing each guitar so again, this is as good as it gets! In addition to the 2 autographed guitars, Slash was also nice enough to take photos with each of us who asked. What a great way to end an evening!


Day2: Today is all about Ron Wood for us. We showed up at the Union Square Barnes & Noble just after noon and secured our wristbands and seats. Yes, seats! What a pleasant surprise as most signings are you, a line, and a sidewalk to wait on, this event had nice seats and was indoors! I assumed he would do a reading from the book and a Q&A. When we arrived there were a fair amount of people already there and this event was much different than the Slash event. This event was scheduled to only allow 200 people and this was the ONLY US book signing event Ronnie was to do. He had done one in London but this was it, so it was truly a special Halloween event to say the least! As soon as he arrived, a pleasant introduction from one of the B&N reps was abruptly ended by cat-calls and heckles and loud chants of "RONNIE!". New Yorkers are just not subtle and this grand introduction was simply ended by Ronnie stating that the B&N rep was a new "Midnight Rambler"! Ronnie did a Question and Answer period and we have this all on videotape and will be selling copies for $20. It's not very long, but definitely has some great candid moments and shows Ronnie being his crazy self and having a blast. He seemed ready to do the signing so he jetted over the table and whipped out his marker and went to town. When it was our turn we got 8 books signed all with video footage of each being signed, photo proof, and we will be including the flyer from the signing! Also it was hit or miss on if Ronnie would sign memorabilia. We were able to get a couple albums signed but got denied on our guitar inside. Then we saw Jo Wood, Ronnie's wife, who is featured all throughout the book and includes pages of photos of her and their wedding photos. We had her sign a couple books on the same page as Ronnie and also one on the inside photo page. This makes these books just that much more ultra-rare! Photos of her signing are also included.


On his way out, he exited and rolled his limo window down and proceeded to sign another album for me and a guitar as well! What a beautiful buzz!Our next stop was across town to Times Square to the Hard Rock Cafe to try to get Ace Frehley (famed Kiss member) who was doing his first solo performance in God knows how long. As soon as we arrived for Ace's exit, there were maybe 6 or 7 others waiting. Ace exited with a barrage of body guards, pushing and shoving and he jutted into his limo. Absolutely a waste of time. No one was out of line and each person had only 1 item each to be signed. He stiffed everyone there and then stiffed us again at his hotel. Too bad, as I have an incredible collection of Kiss magazines with 3 out of 4 of them signed, with him being the only one I'm missing. Oh well, maybe next time. In the end, we ended up with another car load of ultra rare, super hot memorabilia. Guitars signed by a couple guitar legends, a few photos signed by a very sexy Hollywood star, and some memories that will certainly last a lifetime.


You can view all of these items at www.AutographPros.com


Lynyrd Skynyrd & Doobie Brothers In-Person Autographs


We started the day off at around noon, heading to the hotel where we know Lynyrd Skynyrd would normally stay at. We knew it may be extra hard as Barack Obama (current Presidential candidate) was in town for some event at the Hartford Civic Center. With him comes security and added problems for me and my staff. We noticed a side of the hotel with cones set up, but we weren't sure if it was for Barack or for Skynyrd until a few more police showed up, so we knew then it wasn't for Skynyrd. After about an hour of waiting, one of us decided to check another hotel just in case. When he came back he verified that buses were already pulled up there, so it appeared as though Skynyrd had now switched hotels. Just as we gathered up our guitars and were about to move, here comes their tour bus. Talk about lucky. Had they arrived only moments later, we'd have missed them completely.As soon as the buses pulled up it was just Autograph Pros staff waiting. Billy Powell was the first one to come off the bus and came right over, signing everything we put in front of him. He was very nice and seemed as though he started his day off of fun early. This looked as though it was going to be a great/easy day.

Unfortunately that all changed as the rest of the members all piled off the bus with hands full and in a rush. Carol was the next off and while she turned when I asked her to sign, Johnny Van Zant was just behind her and making it through fast, so I had to try to get him to stop, but with no sucess. Carol had stopped to sign a few, but Johnny had commented how he'd be back down. All the rest followed suit, and we didn't even see Gary Rossington.Immediately after Lynyrd Skynyrd's 2 buses pulled away, here come The Doobie Brothers in 2 similar buses. My joy got smacked back to reality when the tour manager walked off the bus and said "Stay the F**K away from my guys". At the time, all I had in my hand was 1 item, having most of the items all signed by Billy, so it wasn't me that made him angry, something was foul on that bus, and when Pat Simmons came off the bus, he too shared that same negative attitude, denying me 1 on 1 for a single autograph. A few of the other members did sign including Tom Johnston and John McFee. While I was happy to have 2 guitars signed by several members of The Doobie Brothers, I was there for Lynyrd Skynyrd and was hoping they'd stay true to their word and sign on the way out.As we saw the buses pull away, we knew we'd be in for a wait.

No sooner did I have time to rest when Barack Obama came dominating the roads with his entourage of SUVs. We were able to get somewhat close, asking for an autograph, he stopped, turned, waved, and walked in. How am I going to vote for a man that won't sign for me? Just kidding, I voted for ya! Just after that, Vijah Singh pulled up. Vijay was clearly one of the most famous golfers at this years Hartford PGA tournament. He happily signed a couple photos (with his own red marker) and went inside. While waiting we were treated to a nice time-filler as Mark “Sparky” Matejka (Former guitarist for Charlie Daniels Band and replacement to Hughie Thomasson), came walking out. He signed all our guitars and went on his marry way. I think he was just hotel buggy and needed a walk. He definitely had an important phone call he was making. At around 6pm and a few hour wait, The Doobie Brothers were the first to leave. I didn't even bother trying after seeing Pat's bad mood, I felt we had no shot at completing a band so I just kept my distance. Next to follow was Rickey Medlocke and Carol Chase. Both were happy to sign and Rickey even added "Ass kickin Souther Rock" to the airbrushed guitar we had him sign. Now another hour goes by, and then another, and it's creeping up on 8pm without any security, no signs of any band members, and we're still without Johnny Van Zant (lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd) on our guitars.

It was so late, I decided to call it a day and remote started my SUV. Then out of no where, faith was restored. Johnny appeared at the front hotel lobby. Excitement just wouldn't be the right word. Up until new I was able to secure flawless proof on all the guitars including video footage and photos signing. These guitars would be elite if we could just secure the man! In keeping with his word, he did come out and signed each guitar, even added "Sweet Home Alabama" to the 12 string which by the way was a comical moment when he stopped and said "Wait a minute here, ya got me stumped for a second" when trying to remember if it was spelled "SWEET" or "SWEAT". It definitely reminded me of when I asked Bob Weir (of the Grateful Dead) to add a peace sign to his signature and he did a Mercedes symbol. All in all it was an incredible day. Got a little sunburn and it was a long 8 hour wait, but when you see how incredible these guitars came out, you'll thank me for our efforts. Scans and prices to follow.
12 String Electric Guitar signed by Lynyrd Skynyrd with "Sweet Home Alabama" added by Johnny Van Zant! - CLICK HERE
Custom Airbrushed Guitar with the Jack Daniels style LYNYRD SKYNYRD promo with Rickey Medlocke adding "Ass Kickin Souther Rock" to make this elite! - CLICK HERE

Fender Stratocaster signed by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Rock and Roll Flame guitar signed by Lynyrd Skynyrd - SOLD
The Doobie Brothers Signed Fender Style guitar x2

Vijay Singh Signed 8x10 photo x2

One wave from Barack Obama (Priceless)
Here is another guitar we got signed by Skynyrd recently as well! - CLICK HERE
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL OF OUR LYNYRD SKYNYRD AUTOGRAPHS

Saturday, January 24, 2009

AP goes 1 on 1 with Jordan and Jeter...and more!

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News Summary:

In person autograph stories on over 30 stars from the day. Please read our earlier story as well from the same day!

News Content:

Ok, so if you haven't read our in-person adventure earlier in this very same
day, please go to our website and you'll see it on the left side under NEWS.
We encountered Kenny Chesney, Jason Mraz, Reggie Jackson, Gary Oldman, Joe
Buck, Bud Selig, and Pierce Brosnan. After all of those stars, it was
nighttime and time to decide which Home Run Derby after-party to go to.
Because this was Baseball All-Star week there were a few to choose from.
George Steinbrenner was having a party but to be honest, I just couldn't
imagine what big names would be there that I'd enjoy meeting. Alex
Rodriguez aka Arod was having a party at the 40/40 Club but again, his
entourage is more like the Beyonce, R&B and rappers and while I hear the
rumors of him being with Madonna, I just couldn't imagine her showing up
there with the controversy in full swing. I ultimately decided to go with
what I thought was a no brainer, the Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan
after-party.



As soon as we arrived we were informed that we missed a few stars already.
Billy Chrystal and a couple others were already in. Immediately however
stars started pulling up in SUVs. First out was Ken Davitian, most known
for the naked fat man in Borat. He was rushed in rather quickly so we didn't
have a shot but he did sign for everyone on the way out. Incidentally no
other professional dealers were here. It was just Autograph Pros and a
couple fans/collectors. It was a dream come true. Next up was the short
pudgy kid from Zoey 101. He was happy to sign going in and out. Ethan
Hawke also arrived and rushed in rather quick and tried to not sign on the
way out but we broke him down to only doing 1 each.



Next to arrive was the host of the party himself, Derek Jeter. Completely
stiffs us on the way in, however after doing the red carpet photo shoot, he
started to come over to grab a marker only to be grabbed by Wade Boggs to
get into another photo-shoot with him. Unbelievable! Of course Derek didn't
bother coming back and later snuck out the back and didn't sign there
either.

Then comes a nice SUV pulling up with a shadow inside that I immediately
recognized. While security started to go into a frenzy I saw an opportunity
to dip around the other side of the SUV and as luck would have it, security
didn't follow. So there I stood, 8x10 in hand with a 1 on 1 with Michael
Jordan. He excited the SUV with no security at all and with no rush, only
to flat out DENY me. Damn that MJ! He also snuck out the back and no one
got him either.



Next came Roy Halladay, baseball player for the Blue Jays. He was happy to
sign. Next up were Dave Winfield and Tim Raines. Dave Winfield completely
stiffed all of us both in and out and he had a LOT of time on the way out to
do it. Tim Raines we missed going in due to chaos but he signed a few for
us on the way out. Shortly after came Bad Boy Donnie Klang. He signed
everything and his Street Team gave us posters of him which he signed as
well. Jermaine Dupris was up next and was in a quick rush to get in and out
of this club but we did manage to get 1 photo signed. Another great
surprise was Torii Hunter who signed bats, balls and photos for us.

Shortly after the previous group of stars, Jaslene (Winner of Americas Next
Top Model) showed up. She was of course looking phenomenal and had a killer
personality to match. She signed a ton for us and really took time out.
Very classy! Also following her were Fabolous, Charles Oakley, Lloyd, DJ
Tony Touch, and a few others, all signing both going in and going out.
Notable mention on how they signed would have to be Busta Rhymes. I've
always disliked this guy. His whole attitude is a joke and he's just plain
foul. Anyhow, he comes out and again I have my 1 on 1 and he actually
signed, which is great, however his autograph was B. R. . That's it! No
normal signature, just plain initials. Also important to note is he wore
his blue tooth into the club. Last I knew that's what all the wanna-be cool
guys do. Keep waiting around Busta, someone important may just call yet.



Another disappointment was Joba Chamberlain of the NY Yankees. He stiffed
everyone both going in and going out and on the way out he could have
definitely signed, choosing not to. One of his entourage claimed he's under
contract not to sign autographs for anyone. If this is true, what a joke.
Ending on a positive note however, Gabrielle Union was kind enough to sign a
ton. In the end, the day totals for autographs reached almost 100 and with
video and photo proof on most of these items, we hope we've served our
customers well. Thank you for taking the time out to catch up with us on
what we do around here. Email me or contact me via the website if you want
exclusive access to these new items before they get posted on the site.
Many of the photos we got signed are rare and very hot. Just as a side
note, we are helping a charity build a charity website that could
potentially rival ebay and the others. We'll be talking more about it as
its completion gets closer. Just thought we'd mention it if you are looking
for a new place to offer your own products or items for sale. It will be
like ebay except a portion of every sale will go to a charity of your choice
and still the fees will be even lower than ebay!



Kenny Chesney autographs, Jason Mraz autographed guitar, Reggie Jackson signed jersey



News Summary:

After a full day in NY, we ended up with nearly 100 autographs including some top items with either video footage or photo footage of everything being signed. With this kind of proof, these items will NOT last long so be sure to contact us or buy them immediately.

News Content:

Welcome back everyone. Sory we don’t keep you fully up to date but it’s Summer time and all work and no play makes for a dull life. My sister once told me “No one ever sat at their death bed wishing they worked more”. Of course this was just after I had worked non-stop at this business for the past 10 years. Anyhow, it was off to NYC again in hopes of scoring some more autographs.

The main draw of the day for me was Kenny Chesney so I immediately arrived at NBC Studios for a chance to meet Kenny going into the Conan Obrien show. Unfortunately after hours of waiting we were left to realize he had gone in the garage without anyone having any access to them. From my understanding that’s how a lot of the stars are going in these days due to some unruly graphers. Next up was Abe Vigoda, most popularly known as Fish on the Barney Miller show. That guy was old on the show even back then so to see him up and around was a blessing. Sadly he was not willing to sign even for me in a 1 on 1 atmosphere. The movie “Grumpy Old Men” did come to mind.

After his entrance, next up was Gary Oldman. Gary played part as the Police Chief in “The Professional”, one of my top favorite movies so I was excited to meet him. He also is blowing up in popularity right now having just played the Police Commissioner in the new Batman movie “The Dark Knight”. Gary immediately put marker to photos and signed for everything including multiples and taking photos with. We got some great signed 8x10 photos with videos of him signing them. After that we immediately headed over to ABC Studios.

Upon arriving to ABC Studios we set up our spot at the Conan Obrien show to get Jason Mraz on some guitars, baseball’s Commissioner Bud Selig, and Pierce Brosnan. As soon as I arrived I got a tip that Reggie Jackson would be coming out of his hotel in 15 minutes so half my staff stayed at Conan and the rest of us went over to Reggie’s hotel. Apparently George Steinbrenner had just gone into the hotel stiffing everyone however Alex Rodriguez best known as A-Rod signed a few photos for one of my guys on the way out. The drive to get us there took almost all of the 15 minutes and true to the information, Reggie came out after only a few minutes wait. Now what happened next was a bit interesting.

One of the NY regulars who is very vocal to the stars started really pushing Reggie on to start signing. So much so that I really think he guilted Reggie into signing. I’m not really sure as these situations are often tough to say for sure. All I know is the last thing this kid said to Reggie was “Thanks for nothing”. Just after that Reggie put his stuff down in his SUV and came back to lecture this kid. He said “It really hurts me that you would act this way. I’m not a custom to having people behave the way you people are behaving and it saddens me”. It was an awkward and unique moment however the grapher did explain that he was just trying to get him to sign. Just after that came 3 Reggie Jackson signed baseball bats and a pinstripe jersey signed by “Mr. October” himself. This all comes with EXACT PHOTO PROOF of him signing each item!

Just after that I ran back to my truck only to find a nice $95 parking ticket just written so recent that the ink wasn’t dry. Oh well, take the good with the bad in that situation. NY is always brutal on the parking. I remember I got 3 parking tickets in one day, 2 on the same street! Price we pay when time is really $. Now it was back to try for Jason Mraz and the rest at Letterman. While we were gone my guys posted up there were able to get 1 Pierce Brosnan autograph. He only signed 4 out of all the crowd. Not sure how nice he was going in as we got there only for his going out. Also while my guys were there and I was getting Reggie, Bud Selig was super nice signing for everyone. We were able to get a bat signed and a baseball both with VIDEO PROOF of him signing each!

As soon as I had arrived back not even 5 minutes went by and Jason Mraz came out. He wasn’t really that accommodating but we did manage to get a couple guitars signed, again with FLAWLESS VIDEO PROOF of him signing each. He stiffed quite a few people. The guitars are really nice, one is a nice USA Flag one and one was a nice vintage sunburst SG style guitar. Signatures were nice and full too! Next it was off to get Gary Oldman coming out of Conan again and also got to get Joe Buck, a premier play-by-play broadcasters, and he was nice enough to sign whatever anyone asked and also did photos with.

Now having learned our lesson earlier in the day, we knew not to bother for Kenny Chesney at the entrance to Conan and instead headed off to his hotel. Once he arrived he was very accommodating signing up to 2 each for each person. We got a nice USA Flag guitar, a gorgeous gold Les Paul body style guitar, and a nice wood grain fancy body guitar. Must see guitars for sure, and all with FLAWLESS VIDEO PROOF of each being signed. Sorry to use the caps but to have this kind of proof on these types of items is just about unheard of and it’s something we try to do to keep our customer excited about our products.

In the end, you have to love it when a plan comes together. Of all the names up from morning to night that we went for, we got. We should have these products up and running within the next week. Don’t forget to read my other post about the Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan after-party that same night! That will be posted in a few days and features encounters with over 30 stars including Jordan and Jeter.

Joe Namath - A True Legend at autographs

News Summary:
New Joe Namath signed Jerseys, footballs, lithos, photos, helmets all with FLAWLESS VIDEO and/or photo PROOF!

News Content:
It's always a true gift to meet a living legend but when you see one act like a legend, well that's what really makes this job worth doing. It was off to try to meet up with Broadway Joe Namath again and as always we went prepared. Helmets, lithos, panoramic photos, jerseys, footballs, we were ready. Now don't get me wrong, I have been in this profession for many years so you really never know if you'll even get 1 autograph let alone multiples but Joe has always been very kind and while it sounds like a lot, there were a few of us on staff so we wouldn't be too overbearing.We arrived at the location and as timing would have it, not even 5 minutes later Joe was pulling up in his golf cart and signing away! Without hesitation he was kind enough to pick up the marker and the first thing he signed was my official Jets helmet. Next to be signed was a jersey, a couple replica full size helmets, and a couple panoramic photos. I'm not sure if you've seen these panoramic photos from Photofile but WOW are they incredible. At the price they charge for them unsigned they should be, but after securing Joe's autograph on them, they are simply priceless. Shortly later we were invited to get the footballs signed as well including a few with Broadway Joe Namath and one with Joe Willie Namath as well!Now if you had just read this whole story and didn't really know our company and reputation, I'd not blame you if you were skeptical. I mean, all those high end items, how could you possibly believe it. Well, we understand there is an understandable concern for authenticity which is why Autograph Pros goes far above and beyond all of our competitors. Not only did we obtain these signatures in person, we have exact VIDEO PROOF on all of the high end items and exact photo proof on all of the footballs. I'm not talking some generic proof, this shows the exact item being signed where you can see the signature as he applies it! HOW IS THAT FOR PROOF!?Each item below comes with FLAWLESS VIDEO PROOF showing him signing the exact item:


Joe Namath signed official full size Jets Helmet $799
Joe Namath signed replica full size Jets Helmet $599
Joe Namath autographed Jets Jersey with sewn on everything $599
Joe Namath autographed panoramic photo $699
Joe Namath and Stephen Holland signed litho $899
These items have exact photo proof:
Joe Namath autographed football with display case $549
Joe Namath autographed football (no case) $499




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