Hating Signature Basses.

[pklima]

You might not care whose signature is on it and just like the bass, but in one case I was surprised how much this guy I'd never heard of had in common with me.

A few months ago I randomly ran across pictures of the ESP/Edwards Ikuzone signature basses. Thought they looked cool, and best of all was the one that has a single-coil P pickup under an MM cover, three knobs: volume, tone and nothing and a three-way switch which also switches nothing.



Most have actual MM-style pickups and series/parallel/single switches, but one of the knobs still does nothing. Plus, they're sparkly.



I knew nothing about this Ikuzone guy or the band he played in, finally Googled him a few weeks ago. I still haven't heard a note he played, but apparently we had a lot more in common than just ridiculous tastes in basses. I found out he was by far the oldest member of Dragon Ash, and they played hip-hop. Oh, and he's shirtless in the picture on the ESP page. Sadly, he died earlier this year.

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by smcfarland1337

So my question is, is it okay to dislike and not wish to support a bass based on who's Signature Bass it is?

*sigh*

Sounds like more kid stuff to me...

At the end of the day, it's really a rather petty concern, isn't it?

MM

[darren1970]

If you like the sound of the thing and how it plays then that's all that really matters.

After 20+ years of playing I bought a Gibson Thunderbird a while back and loved the way it played and sounded.
I have since tried the Gibson Nikki Sixx Thunderbird and love the sound of that even more, so I bought it ( well actually my wife bought most of it for Xmas - I'm a lucky guy ).

I may switch out the 'signed' scratchplate for a plainer one, or I may leave it as it is.
I don't really care either way if poeple are gonna start making assumptions based on what I've bought.
It's my bass, suits my current playing style and I love it.

[SquierJazz72]

I wouldn't buy anything just because it's a signature model.
I wouldn't not buy anything just because it's a signature model.
I would buy anything if it were good and I liked it.

As a Geddy Lee fan, I would love to try one of his sig models one day.
If I did, in fact, like it and it felt right to me, I'd own one.
If, in the end, I just didn't get on with it, I'd pass.

[Ziggy_Starbucks]

Originally Posted by smcfarland1337

And once more to whoever tried to make a big deal about me not liking Flea, why does it honestly matter so much? If you like Flea, that's fine. I don't go around bashing and disrespecting you for your tastes. I'm sure there's bassist YOU don't like, should I go off about how you're insane and not worth my time because you can't respect 'someone out there doing it man'?

No one's going to get upset about you not liking someone. but if you say something like you hate them as a person then yes people are going to get upset and you can't act surprised or annoyed when someone jumps to his defence. Why be so offensive about someone you don't know especially when you know that you're in a forum where a lot of people admire/respect this person.

As for the bass i would only be cautious if it was more expensive than the standard mustang but i think you mentioned somewhere that it's cheaper so it sounds like a pretty good deal to me. you shouldn't care what your mate thinks or really what anyone else here has to say, they're entitled to their opinion but if it you thinks it's worth it go for it.

[Ziggy_Starbucks]

And anyone who says people only buy sig basses to sound like someone else remember; instruments only create noise, people create music.

[davidjackson]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

*sigh*

Sounds like more kid stuff to me...

At the end of the day, it's really a rather petty concern, isn't it?

MM

This really is a time of life thing. We have all been through the teenage stage where things like this matter. We had to have something to worry about before jobs, mortgages, wives, kids etc came along....

I play a Steve Harris signature bass for the fat chunky neck, blue sparkle finish and mirrored pickguard and love it.

The other thing to remember is that more than 99% of the people in the audience have no idea you are playing a signature bass.

[pklima]

Originally Posted by davidjackson

This really is a time of life thing. We have all been through the teenage stage where things like this matter. We had to have something to worry about before jobs, mortgages, wives, kids etc came along....

Ha, yeah, the petty kid stuff is a lot more fun, isn't it?

[Calaverasgrande]

Originally Posted by E_strat

FWIW, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters records almost all of his guitar parts with a Gibson Trini Lopez signature.

I think you mean a Dave Grohl sig that looks almost identical to a Trini Lopez?

BTW I personally would buy almost any bass under the sun if it looked cool and sounded great. However I simply can't buy a bass or guitar sig model of someone I used to or still hang out with.
It's not sour grapes or anything. Ok it is sour grapes. Bitter sour grapes.
But not because dudes are succesful, more because they squander a sig model on a totally boring ideas.
I should have a sig model not because I am a better bassist or anything, but because I have weird ideas. Most sig models are stupid. Oh it's exactly like our regular model, but it has a different pickup!
If I had a Fender sig it would be a Jazz bass with 1 humbucker + 1 single coil pickups. 5 way pickup switching. Mahogany body and neck, ebony fretboard, active passive and an angled back headstock. Oh yeah and silver glitter finish.
See. That is a sig model. Not this "oh look another telecaster bass" &*#@.

[superbassman2000]

I think it's ironic that the sig haters don't realize they hate them for the same reason the lovers love them. They base their decision on the name, and not the actually instrument.

Personally, I don't care...I have lusted over a stu Hamm urge II bass for over a decade, and do I like it because of the name? No I just like the idea of all those pickups. Even the basses that appear to not be anything special, like the roger waters p bass, if you go into a guitar store and play a rw sig bass, and you like it, then game on! Heck, even if you buy the roger waters bass because you like pink Floyd, great! They were an awesome band and you can have that bass as a tribute to them...you aren't the first to play what your heroes play and you won't be the last.

[lfmn16]

Originally Posted by davidjackson

The other thing to remember is that more than 99% of the people in the audience have no idea you are playing a signature bass.

99% of the people won't notice that your guitar only has four strings.

[Calaverasgrande]

Originally Posted by superbassman2000

I think it's ironic that the sig haters don't realize they hate them for the same reason the lovers love them. They base their decision on the name, and not the actually instrument.

Personally, I don't care...I have lusted over a stu Hamm urge II bass for over a decade, and do I like it because of the name? No I just like the idea of all those pickups. Even the basses that appear to not be anything special, like the roger waters p bass, if you go into a guitar store and play a rw sig bass, and you like it, then game on! Heck, even if you buy the roger waters bass because you like pink Floyd, great! They were an awesome band and you can have that bass as a tribute to them...you aren't the first to play what your heroes play and you won't be the last.

I personally like the Stu Hamm Urge bass DESPITE it being a Stu Hamm sig.
That is a great example of a sig bass that is not like anything else the manufacturer offers. The Roger Waters and quite a few others are just very expensive merch. Nothing wrong with merch. Heck I just paid a good $30 for a fancy t-shirt of my favorite synth/pedal brand.

[exidor]

My main bass is a Geddy Lee Sig, at my church there are some what I thought were huge rush fans.I play twice a week at my church,when packing up at the end of service talking to them they never mentioned that looks like Geddy's bass,so I'd said to them what do you think of my bass? the response what about it? they had no idea.one of the guy's went to the clockwork angles show followed them for four shows.and was clueless.
most people won't notice what your playing.brand names or Sigs don't mean any thing.
if you like you buy!!

[C.Linton]

Originally Posted by lfmn16

99% of the people won't notice that your guitar only has four strings.

Apparently it's a common occurance (although it's never happened to me) that people will come up to bassists at a gig and ask "Why does your guitar have only four strings?"

[bunkaroo]

My only problem with the sig stuff is it will likely make people assume you are a huge fan of the signature artist.

I have the Alex Webster Spector, and I absolutely love the way it plays and sounds. Someone might see me in my prog metal band with that and I assume I love Blotted Science and Cannibal Corpse, but I've actually only heard the BS stuff once and I don't listen to CC. I also have a Paul Allender PRS SE guitar, but I don't listen to Cradle of Filth much either.

While I don't mind playing these instruments, I would not use them as my primary instrument in photos.

[stiles72]

Originally Posted by darren1970

If you like the sound of the thing and how it plays then that's all that really matters.

After 20+ years of playing I bought a Gibson Thunderbird a while back and loved the way it played and sounded.
I have since tried the Gibson Nikki Sixx Thunderbird and love the sound of that even more, so I bought it ( well actually my wife bought most of it for Xmas - I'm a lucky guy ).

I may switch out the 'signed' scratchplate for a plainer one, or I may leave it as it is.
I don't really care either way if poeple are gonna start making assumptions based on what I've bought.
It's my bass, suits my current playing style and I love it.

+1 I feel the same way about my '00 Blackbird. It has a different feel and tone than any of my other T-birds, and it's my #1 go to bass. People ask me all the time if I'm a big Nikki Sixx fan, and I just tell them I play this bass based on it's own merits, not because it's a signature model.

[Calaverasgrande]

Originally Posted by Ziggy_Starbucks

And anyone who says people only buy sig basses to sound like someone else remember; instruments only create noise, people create music.

But that would be ignoring the absurd number of Beatles and Jimi Hendrix models.
You can get a Hendrix strat, even a lefty set up righty for authenticity and a "Hendrix" Marshall stack. Of course there are Hendrix pedals as well. Same for Beatles if not worse. There is a whole industry segment of gear that basically thrives on "the Beatles used this brand".
I agree with your premise, but marketing doesn't have to adhere to reality does it?

[pklima]

I just got an Epiphone Emily the Strange guitar. The signature model of a fictional character who, for all I know, doesn't even play music. I wish there was a bass version too.

[Ziggy_Starbucks]

Originally Posted by Calaverasgrande

But that would be ignoring the absurd number of Beatles and Jimi Hendrix models.
You can get a Hendrix strat, even a lefty set up righty for authenticity and a "Hendrix" Marshall stack. Of course there are Hendrix pedals as well. Same for Beatles if not worse. There is a whole industry segment of gear that basically thrives on "the Beatles used this brand".
I agree with your premise, but marketing doesn't have to adhere to reality does it?

how? just because this gear exists and is marketed in that way doesn't make the statement less true. Even the exact same instrument in two peoples hands will produce a different style.