Another Adam Clayton Bass?

[petrus61]

All I know is that if I was in a position to be showered with basses built however I wanted whenever I wanted from a dozen or so of the worlds biggest names in the musical instrument industry with the only caveat being my name and image be associated, I'd be all over it too. I'd still probably just play a P bass, but I'm not going to say no to all those goodies. Oh, Lakland wants to make a Petru61 sig? Ok. Fender? Sure. Warwick? Kinda silly since I'd never seek to own one again, but why not? A $400 power cord? Let me think about that one . Call me a whore. A whore with a mountain of really nice basses made just for me. It's not like these are Squier sigs. More foolish than the artist whoring his/herself out for such things is the fact that there are people literally lining up and paying stupid money just to own something with said artists name attached. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

 

[DirkP]

Says the man with not one, but two Artist model Fenders, per his profile....

Gender:
Male
Location:
Hamburg, Germany
Occupation:
Database Engineer
Current Setup:
Basses:
Warwick Star Bass Pro II, sunburst, Korea
Fender Japan '51 Precision sunburst
Musicman Custom Classic Stingray 2009
Fender American Vintage Series '64 Jazz Bass in Daphne Blue
Fender 1978 Jazz Bass
Fender Noel Redding Signature Jazz Bass 1997
Fender Japan 70' Jazz Bass Reissue
Fender Mexico Bass VI Pawnshop Series (sold!)
Fender 2013 ltd. Made in Japan Bass VI
Fender Japan Duck Dunn Signature Precision 1997
Squier JV Precicision 1982
Hagean Acoustic U-Bass
G&L USA L2000 1993 (sold!)
G&L USA Lynx 1989 (sold!)

Because the instruments are good. I never cared much about Noel Redding or Dunn. And in Reddings case: he had sold his original bass, because he needed money. Fender bought it back, copied his bass, let him sign the pickguards and gave him some money... That's o.k. with me.
It was simply the only japanese Fender back then that had US pickups and electronics and it was a bit cheaper than the US Fender '62 Jazz Basses (no case, no nitro-finish) and I liked it more.
And Dunn didn't play 20 different basses and had 6 signature instruments from 5 companies. The Dunn was simply a Precision < 800,- with the same pickguards as the US '62 Precision, an alder body and japanese quality.

It's not a multimillionaire from some say it is a band, others say it is a multinational corporation or hedge fund, who takes every more dollar he can find to market his 5th or so signature bass.
But I still in general don't like this signature-thing or players, who prostitute themselves to as many corporations as possible. Maybe if it is a very small company and they have very good stuff and a famous player wants to support them a bit...
Today if I would be in need of a Jazz I would certainly check the Flea. Not because of Flea, but because the bass seems to be very close to the US '64 Jazz in quality but only half the price.

 

[roller]

Hurr durrr U2 sucks guys. By the way The Edge uses too many effects pedals and Bono wears sunglasses indoors. Adam Clayton can only play root notes and doesn't deserve any signature basses....

Have we had that argument yet?

This made me laugh... mainly because it's true.

 

[roller]

Don't for get Geddy Lee's collection (as evidenced on the R-40 DVD/Blu-ray)! That guy is a bass guitar hoarder too!!!!

Of course, one of Clayton's signature basses is a Warwick. How many signature models does that company currently make?

And is it more than the number of John Petrucci signature guitar models Music Man makes?

Where's my puking emoji?

 

[Bigbri]

But this one looks good!

Bass of the Week: Adam Clayton’s Wild Customs H. Moser & Cie Bass

An Adam Clayton bass to me is a 70's SB maple neck p-bass. Picked through a fine SVT. That's what I really liked and his first influence on me. I guess those are the olden days now.

 

[bassstrangler]

Adam Clayton can have all of the signature models he can muster. If he sells Fender basses because of his name good for him and Fender, as well as the other numerous companies he slaps his name on. I suppose if I bought a bunch of expensive watches from a company I too might get a gift. It's a pretty good gig to get free basses from a good percentage of companies you endorse. Then you spend all of that saved cash on watches so they can give you another bass.

It's easy to insult U2 because of what they became. It's easy to insult Adam Clayton because he is an insanely rich guy who really got lucky for not really doing much.

I still enjoy U2 up through The Unforgettable Fire. Somewhere during The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum time period it all fell apart for me as a listener. I remember seeing that movie and just about choking on my popcorn when they were at Graceland. It was like watching a true life This is Spinal Tap. Bono yelling out "The Edge" before the solo in Pride has to be one of the funniest things I've ever heard. U2 then managed to turn into one of the most annoying bands on earth to me. The only song I can stomach after The Unforgettable Fire album is "One".

I recently saw them on SNL and was absolutely appalled by there performance. The first song they did was atrocious and the second one was a poor attempt at sounding like they did in the good old days. Note to Bono...Michael Stipe did the megaphone thing in the 90s. Maybe I just don't get it or maybe I shouldn't but they are not good anymore. Seeing them now and all the hype over them makes them and Adam Clayton and all his signature models and gifts easy targets.

 

[gjohnson441496]

Oh no you didn't!
You're walking a fine line, young sir.
Ringo was in a more popular band at the time he joined the Beatles, and was pulling more birds than John, Paul, and George combined. It was a step back, professionally, for Ringo, but he was lured with the promise of being a band member instead of a sideman, and the opportunity to cut loose and be creative.
Listen to those early cuts like "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and "Saw Her Standing There".
To be blunt.....Ringo ROCKS.

Carry on.

I totally agree!!! I'm the biggest Beatles fan alive. I teach cycling classes at the Y and the attendants KNOW my Beatles obsession. To further your point, I'm amazed at Ringo's playing... always in the pocket. That being said, he is one of the luckiest people in rock.

 

[whatizitman]

Adam Clayton can have all of the signature models he can muster. If he sells Fender basses because of his name good for him and Fender, as well as the other numerous companies he slaps his name on. I suppose if I bought a bunch of expensive watches from a company I too might get a gift. It's a pretty good gig to get free basses from a good percentage of companies you endorse. Then you spend all of that saved cash on watches so they can give you another bass.

It's easy to insult U2 because of what they became. It's easy to insult Adam Clayton because he is an insanely rich guy who really got lucky for not really doing much.

I still enjoy U2 up through The Unforgettable Fire. Somewhere during The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum time period it all fell apart for me as a listener. I remember seeing that movie and just about choking on my popcorn when they were at Graceland. It was like watching a true life This is Spinal Tap. Bono yelling out "The Edge" before the solo in Pride has to be one of the funniest things I've ever heard. U2 then managed to turn into one of the most annoying bands on earth to me. The only song I can stomach after The Unforgettable Fire album is "One".

I recently saw them on SNL and was absolutely appalled by there performance. The first song they did was atrocious and the second one was a poor attempt at sounding like they did in the good old days. Note to Bono...Michael Stipe did the megaphone thing in the 90s. Maybe I just don't get it or maybe I shouldn't but they are not good anymore. Seeing them now and all the hype over them makes them and Adam Clayton and all his signature models and gifts easy targets.

I'm kinda there with you. Was a huge fan until Rattle and Hum. After all these years, I'm still a listener of everything up to that point, though. I paid for the Joshua Tree reunion tour, more for nostalgia than anything else, and don't regret it. But they really didn't sound that great.

To be honest, what live footage I've seen of them since the 90s, and the the show I went to last summer, both Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. look like they are just calling it in. Given the amount of time these guys have played live together, with a huge chunk of that time spent being outrageously famous, I don't expect them to be overly excited every show. But sheesh, they look they could be playing in their sleep. I guess that doesn't say much about the complexity of their parts LOL. I can't really disagree with the argument that he hasn't really stretched himself. At the same time, he has made an insane amount of money doing it. Why change the formula? I've read interviews with the Malcom brothers where they are very clear about how hard they worked to keep AC/DC "the same". But I see far less vitriol for AC/DC here than I do for U2.

I don't get the hate. They aren't virtuosos. But their sound and groove together was unmistakable. I will still listen to Adam Clayton and enjoy his licks and vamps far more than any solo bass virtuoso. I may be in the minority here, but I think Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. are one of the greatest rhythm sections in mainstream rock history. I fully accept that it is a matter of opinion, and that I am not a critic. Simple, rock solid, and tight. Just right for their songs. Just enough unique fills to make things interesting, and nothing more. And that's what I like to play and listen to.

I do find it annoying that the richer and more famous you are, the more people want to gift things to you. Says a lot about the belief that people need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps to be successful. But that's a different topic for another day.

 

[gjohnson441496]

Yeah, who wants a bass custom built to your specs AND residual income from it's sales?

Gross.

And MORE than one?

Can you imagine how AWFUL that would be?

The Rolling Stones would never degrade their rep by selling out.

 

[gjohnson441496]

I'm kinda there with you. Was a huge fan until Rattle and Hum. After all these years, I'm still a listener of everything up to that point, though. I paid for the Joshua Tree reunion tour, more for nostalgia than anything else, and don't regret it. But they really didn't sound that great.

To be honest, what live footage I've seen of them since the 90s, and the the show I went to last summer, both Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. look like they are just calling it in. Given the amount of time these guys have played live together, with a huge chunk of that time spent being outrageously famous, I don't expect them to be overly excited every show. But sheesh, they look they could be playing in their sleep. I guess that doesn't say much about the complexity of their parts LOL. I can't really disagree with the argument that he hasn't really stretched himself. At the same time, he has made an insane amount of money doing it. Why change the formula? I've read interviews with the Malcom brothers where they are very clear about how hard they worked to keep AC/DC "the same". But I see far less vitriol for AC/DC here than I do for U2.

I don't get the hate. They aren't virtuosos. But their sound and groove together was unmistakable. I will still listen to Adam Clayton and enjoy his licks and vamps far more than any solo bass virtuoso. I may be in the minority here, but I think Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. are one of the greatest rhythm sections in mainstream rock history. I fully accept that it is a matter of opinion, and that I am not a critic. Simple, rock solid, and tight. Just right for their songs. Just enough unique fills to make things interesting, and nothing more. And that's what I like to play and listen to.

I do find it annoying that the richer and more famous you are, the more people want to gift things to you. Says a lot about the belief that people need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps to be successful. But that's a different topic for another day.

Glad I'm not the only one that has never listened to Rattle and Hum all the way through (maybe I'll try again today). However, I do like some of the albums they made after that one. I have a bunch of their stuff, but I'm with you on Rattle and Hum.

 

[gjohnson441496]

I have played many signature basses in stores and that friends of mine own. I have never found a significant difference between them and non signature basses. I make a good living so it's not a question of being able to afford signature basses. I just have a problem with justifying spending several hundred dollars more just because there is a artist's name on the headstock. Especially since the difference in cost to produce the bass is negligible.

The Geddy Lee signature bass (US) impressed me.

 

[packhowitzer]

I agree for the most part, but the Geddy Lee Jazz bass is a very cool, and distinct instrument.

I bought a geddy lee because it was the most cost effective way to get a decent MIJ bound and blocked black jazz bass. I used it as a platform to make it my own though- it now sports a black PG, a stellartone tonestyler tone knob and different pickups. I kind of wish it didn't have Geddy's signature on it, but at least it's on the back of the headstock and I almost never notice it.
I didn't get it because it had his name on it or try to sound like him. I got it because it looked and played and sounded like what I wanted for a starting point for a Jazz bass. i know not all share this view, but that's my take.

 

[Nev375]

Adam Clayton gets trash talked so regularly here he could practically set his watches by it.

 

[gjohnson441496]

Some people don't get the difference between 40 years of experience and 1 year of experience 40 times.

Hehe. That's funny. This statement reminds me of my brother in law. He's about to retire from the post office.

 

[gjohnson441496]

and the best thing is that bass was a gift!!!



okay, enough whining!!!

View attachment 2871919

Dear Mr. Moser,

Can I have one please? (fretless, so it will be less expensive for you )

I promise I will buy one or two of your watches as soon as I have the money!

yours

Wise

The more I look at it, the more I like it. It's aesthetically pleasing and it looks functional in it's simplicity. Kinda reminds me of a G&L and a Reverend.

 

[micguy]

I make (some would say assemble) my own basses, and as part of a strategy to not get them stolen, rather than put some fake waterslide decal on them, I...sign the headstock (with my initials). So, all my basses are actually....signature basses. And I have more than 3. Not a lot more, but more.

I think Adam does a good job - I think that he and Larry are a rock solid rhythm section that would make anyone sound good. So I won't trash him. In fact, since I have more "signature basses" than he does, I'll provide you the opportunity to trash me.

 

[gjohnson441496]

That was my first post.

Starting with “Interesting thread” was, evidently, the best I could do. It’s my attempt at magnanimity. So, hello all.

Hello zplapplap. You will be misunderstood many more times. Get used to it.

 

[krispn]

From the press release:
"Adam Clayton combines musical virtuosity with a refined rock elegance"
Im not confident they undersatnd the term 'virtuosity'.
Bono and The Edge are on the Fender board so that kinda covers his slew of Fender's.

 

[Wisebass]

simplicity

Yep!!!! Simplicity rules!!! One? Pickup and two pots is so cool!!!

I would like to know more about that pickup, too sad they don' t give any details about electronics

are these two P- styles, one with poles and the other one reversed with blades? Totally !!!!

thanx for posting that

Wise

 

[superdick2112]

Because the instruments are good. I never cared much about Noel Redding or Dunn. And in Reddings case: he had sold his original bass, because he needed money. Fender bought it back, copied his bass, let him sign the pickguards and gave him some money... That's o.k. with me.
It was simply the only japanese Fender back then that had US pickups and electronics and it was a bit cheaper than the US Fender '62 Jazz Basses (no case, no nitro-finish) and I liked it more.
And Dunn didn't play 20 different basses and had 6 signature instruments from 5 companies. The Dunn was simply a Precision < 800,- with the same pickguards as the US '62 Precision, an alder body and japanese quality.

It's not a multimillionaire from some say it is a band, others say it is a multinational corporation or hedge fund, who takes every more dollar he can find to market his 5th or so signature bass.
But I still in general don't like this signature-thing or players, who prostitute themselves to as many corporations as possible. Maybe if it is a very small company and they have very good stuff and a famous player wants to support them a bit...
Today if I would be in need of a Jazz I would certainly check the Flea. Not because of Flea, but because the bass seems to be very close to the US '64 Jazz in quality but only half the price.

My point exactly.
I have the purple sparkle Clayton P-bass, yet I'm not a U2 fan
I have a Japanese Geddy Lee Jazz, & while I am a Rush fan, I bought that bass for it's thin neck & killer tone.
Signature basses can offer a unique set of features unavailable on regular production models, and this can be appealing to fans & non-fans alike.