• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Are signature basses really worth having?

#21
The way I see it, many of those who say they would still like so-and-so signature bass even if it had no signature probably have been influenced by a musician they respect without realizing it.

I bet many of us would not care much for the Hofner violin bass had it not been the instrument of choice of a certain moptop.
That's just human nature: our perception of what's cool and what instruments we desire is shaped by the people we look up to, whether we realize ir or not.

So even if we don't care that much whether a Marcus Miller is signed or not, subconsciously we relate to that particular model.
That's why I'm getting my Bootsy Star Bass, (wink, wink) ;)
 
#22
StevieMac said:
You could search this subject and have enough reading to last a week.

I've only ever owned one signature bass and IMHO is it is absolutely awesome and is the only bass I have that is 100% on my "do not sell!" list.

YMMV...

IMG_0435_zpsa3a711ab.gif
Click to expand...

that would be the only one I would ever own...
 
#25
I think it really depends on the bass. If a signature bass has features that you are looking for, it's all good. For me, I was interested in the Fender Marcus Miller 5 string. It's a really nice 5 string jazz bass. I did have troubles with the stock preamp so I put in the Marcus Retro. Now I will stack this jazz bass up with any jazz bass out there.

Bones
 
#26
I don't think signature basses are worth the added cost. They are never exactly the same as what the artist is using and in my opinion are just a way to charge more money for a bass that costs no more to make.
 
#27
3234718 said:
I gas for a Victor Bailey jazz not because of Victor Bailey (though he's of course awesome).
I want it because it looks, sounds, and probably feels great.
If it was called the Pete McGillicuddy signature, I'd still want it.
Same goes for a Jaco jazz or a Roger Waters p.
Click to expand...

Same here. I was trying to think if I own any signature basses. And I do. Just one. It's my Bill Dickens 7 string Conkin. And quite frankly before I bought this bass I didn't have a clue who this guy was, but his bass is AWESOME!

But that's us. The whole idea of endorsements and signatures is the idea (false) that if you buy the exact gear Joe Blow uses then you'll be able to play like Joe. Of course, this is wrong on so many levels, but gets the hero-worshiping noobs every time. First off, Joe doesn't play his own signature model, but some high end custom shop version. Does anyone here think Joe sends his agent to GC to pull one of his signature models off the wall for him to play on tour?

And even worse, my experience with artists like Joe is they haven't a clue how they got famous let alone how to build an awesome bass! Take a quick look around the pop music scene and tell me if you think all of those people got where they are with "raw talent"! Some did fer sure, but all? And what that means is that when Joe does his "signature" bass, he'll turn it sideways and paint it blue and come up with a bunch of oddball "looks" that are all cosmetic and desgined to catch a newbie's eye. In short, FEW bass players will come up with a fundamentally different bass the way say, Leo Fender did every time he went for a new "signature" model. But today Fender sells a million "signature" basses but are any REALLY any different from the usual J or P bass with a mod or two here and there you could do yourself?

Face it. Guys like Bill Dickens that actually can design a great bass as well as play one are in the great minority. I'm reminded of the Timothy B. Schmit Carvin signature bass. It was a standard Carvin with all the knobs except volume stripped off. Given he always plays with a sound man I wonder why he even left THAT on the bass! Most likely with a typical "signature" bass you'll end up with something standard but with orange stripes or other "wild" decorations.

But if you think about it, I own a great many "signature' basses. All my J and P basses and clones, my Stingray clones, and my G&L basses and clones. ALL really are "Leo Fender" basses. His name may only be on the head stock of some of them, but they are ALL signed by his bass building skills.

OK rant over.
 
#32
I play a Tony Franklin signature fretless P bass, and though Tony Franklin is an amazing player who clearly worked very hard to achieve what he has, I got the bass because its the only unlined fretless that Fender makes stock. Its also a great bass and is near custom shop level as far as finish and playability are concerned.
 
#33
Growing up, Steve Harris was the reason I started playing bass. As a teen, I would have loved a Harris P. As a 43 year old adult(?), not so much. Tonewise, I can dial it in on any of my basses. However, I wouldn't it to look like I am trying to copy him. The blue sparkle and mirror pickguard were very distinct. I would want something that looks like any other bass.
 
#34
I own a will lee sadowsky...great bass. My Victor Bailey jazz is a keeper as well. The only noiseless pickups fender put on their basses that sound good and its because they didnt design them(I think it was bill lawrence samurian cobalt design)
 
#35
jazzonlyjazz said:
I rather just own a regular bass and mod it to my liking to make it my own signature bass...how about you
Click to expand...

I was gonna do that, but I found a bass that had the mods I wanted already installed for $350.00 on eBay. It just so happened to be a Hoppus sig. I did swap the neck out because the P neck really ain't my thing. The bass is stellar and cost less than doing it all myself.

If you don't build the whole bass from the ground up, you're playing a signature instrument of some sort. Even if the signature is Fender.
 
#37
I hate Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna, Jr. (a.k.a "Nikki Sixx"), and I think his music is garbage. I'll still probably buy his Epiphone signature used, simply because it's cheap to begin with and requires no pickup change to get the sound I want. I can always cover up his name, or write "Sucks" under it.
 
#38
Worldeeeter said:
My Spector Alex Webster sig is a MONSTER. The neck is thinner than other models, and it comes with an EMG 18V BQC preamp. That, plus the paint job, makes it a very unique signature model. It's the one on the left:
View attachment 395557
Click to expand...

That bahamian blue paint job is where its at...with the maple board and the pearloid markers. Stunning. ..
 
#39
I bought the Fender Nate Mendel signature P bass, not because i'm a Foo Fighters fan but because its simply a great instrument. The squiggle on the back of the headstock is the only giveaway and most people just see it as a battered old P bass.
 
#40
tjnkoo said:
I play a Tony Franklin signature fretless P bass, and though Tony Franklin is an amazing player who clearly worked very hard to achieve what he has, I got the bass because its the only unlined fretless that Fender makes stock. Its also a great bass and is near custom shop level as far as finish and playability are concerned.
Click to expand...


This... and sometimes a sig model does something that the basic doesn't. For the TF fretless, there isn't another stock fretless that's a PJ, that has a tele switch that let's you flip quickly between P, J, and PJ.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back