Are Signature Basses Special?

[Iridescentone]

You sound jealous.

Nah. BTDT.

If I wanted more of them I'd have them. Not my jam.

 

[The Deep]

Snag a mid-80’s Fender MIJ PJ555 or go get a brand new Duff McKagan signature?

Get the original MIJ ‘80s “Duff”. They are great basses. You won’t regret it.

It’s far better than the Duff sig bass IMO.

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

I guess you'd say I do have three signature basses. They have this guy's signature on the rear of the head stock.

Sad thing is the last custom one I had built, he had retired that year, and no longer signed the last one.

 

[hbabels]

Get the original MIJ ‘80s “Duff”. They are great basses. You won’t regret it.

It’s far better than the Duff sig bass IMO.

I agree the MIJ 80's Jazz Bas Special's are FANTASTIC basses! I have 2 myself. Haven't compared them to the newer Duff sig models but there is definitely something special about the necks on these MIJ basses they just feel fantastic and the tone is great.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Several of my favorite basses that I’ve owned have been signature models- the Conklin GT-BD7s, Zon TJ-5s, and my current Elrick SLC 6. All signature models that have specs that you won’t get with “standard” models. Sometimes a model that’s supposed to be more popular is actually the most unique.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

My main player is a Fender Roger Waters Sig Pbass.
I bought it for the neck.
It shares the nut width with the Steve Harris Sig and the Classic 50’s MIM line, but the neck shape is different.
I could probably be happy with any of the above basses, as i prefer a 1.75” nut, but the shop had the Roger Waters in stock at the time that i had the money.

 

[Stranger Danger]

No

 

[chadds]

And it would be the same if you had someone’s sig bass, it would be set up to your liking, not theirs. Setup is not the topic though, it’s what is the appeal of sig basses.

It is part of the topic. Someone's sig bass may not at all be to my liking because it's neck profile and neck relief make or break why that bass is sig. Not just color, pickup choices or tort.
Set up brings out the possibilities of an instrument. Why the original sig artist chose that bass can be way more significant than Fender reproducing a factory item calling it sig because an artist of note played it. If the neck is to the artists preference for radius and rigidity then what can or can't be accomplished through set up is significant.
This topic includes the mass produced and bouteeque sig basses.

 

[fhm555]

It is part of the topic. Someone's sig bass may not at all be to my liking because it's neck profile and neck relief make or break why that bass is sig. Not just color, pickup choices or tort.
Set up brings out the possibilities of an instrument. Why the original sig artist chose that bass can be way more significant than Fender reproducing a factory item calling it sig because an artist of note played it. If the neck is to the artists preference for radius and rigidity then what can or can't be accomplished through set up is significant.

You have a point. I’ve never picked up a bass that i couldn’t successfully play but using wide thick necks for a typical four 45 minute sets bar job leaves my left hand sore as hell the next day so i prefer slim narrow necks. I once wanted a j body with a PJ pickup config and the only one Fender built that way at the time was a Reggie Hamilton sig bass. I got one but sold the neck because i didn’t want the drop D machine head, but yes, some features make a bass more desirable but I’ve seen very few basses i just couldn’t use because of the physical dimensions or how low the setup could be slammed. I guess if you can only operate within a narrow range of neck size and setup it would be tough to justify a sig bass outside that range, but i’ve never been impressed enough with someone’s celebrity status to want their sig bass, but most folks i know who own a sig bass are all about trying to look sound and play, like their hero.

 

[malthumb]

And you are one of the few exceptions which prove the rule of what sig basses are built for.

I’m not so sure. A friend of mine bought a Joe Dart and didn’t know who he is. Just liked the idea of a natural finish and one knob (especially after seeing my Alembics ). Since then he is a Joe Dart fan. I also know people who’ve bought Marcus Miller Fender J basses because they thought the pickguard and blocks and binding were cool.

l’d say 90% of the names that these signature basses are identified with I never heard of before seeing the signature basses. Mike Dirnt, Joe Dart, Duff McKagan,.... never heard of ‘em.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

A follow up to my question last week.

Every signature bass started as a off the rack bass. Some standard bass that a no one bought and played the crap out of. So was it the bass or the player? What makes the bass special?

I know the signature Geddy is popular, as is some others. Are they special basses found by the right person or is it nostalgia or some type of hype?

Let me know!

It’s a marketing ploy. Nothing more or less. For the most part, it a way to get people to pay more for selling the basically the same stuff. You do a slight inexpensive modification, add a hero’s name, and wa la, 15% more revenue. The American automobile manufacturers have been doing this for decades.

IMO, I would much rather take a stock bass to a luthier for a custom setup the way I like it. As popular as the Geddy Basses are in these parts, I can’t say Geddy doesn’t play them stock, but I would venture to say if he does play one in a professional capacity, it would likely not be like the one sold in a music store.

That’s not to say what is sold in the store is a bad instrument, and that nobody should buy a “signature” bass, just be aware of the alpha, and decide if it’s worth it before buying.

 

[malthumb]

I’m not so sure. A friend of mine bought a Joe Dart and didn’t know who he is. Just liked the idea of a natural finish and one knob (especially after seeing my Alembics ). Since then he is a Joe Dart fan. I also know people who’ve bought Marcus Miller Fender J basses because they thought the pickguard and blocks and binding were cool.

l’d say 90% of the names that these signature basses are identified with I never heard of before seeing the signature basses. Mike Dirnt, Joe Dart, Duff McKagan,.... never heard of ‘em.

Actually, to be fair I should point out that the same guy bought a John Mayer Strat because he’s a John Mayer fan.

 

[lug]

BB75. Carvin certainly didn't have anything like this before it came out.

 

[fhm555]

I’m not so sure. A friend of mine bought a Joe Dart and didn’t know who he is. Just liked the idea of a natural finish and one knob (especially after seeing my Alembics ). Since then he is a Joe Dart fan. I also know people who’ve bought Marcus Miller Fender J basses because they thought the pickguard and blocks and binding were cool.

l’d say 90% of the names that these signature basses are identified with I never heard of before seeing the signature basses. Mike Dirnt, Joe Dart, Duff McKagan,.... never heard of ‘em.

You need to hang out here more often. I didn’t know any of them until i started mainlining TB. TBH I still don’t much beyond the names, but i’ve never been impressed with celebrity status, or sig model basses.

 

[TonyP-]

My TP5s

 

[socialleper]

They are often special in that they have features they run of the mill versions don't have. No instrument or person is special beyond the importance someone else puts on them.

 

[GregC]

I’m not so sure. A friend of mine bought a Joe Dart and didn’t know who he is. Just liked the idea of a natural finish and one knob (especially after seeing my Alembics ). Since then he is a Joe Dart fan. I also know people who’ve bought Marcus Miller Fender J basses because they thought the pickguard and blocks and binding were cool.

l’d say 90% of the names that these signature basses are identified with I never heard of before seeing the signature basses. Mike Dirnt, Joe Dart, Duff McKagan,.... never heard of ‘em.

This. I bought a Lakland Darryl Jones in '07 and, well, I'd heard of him but wasn't familiar with his work beyond the Stones, where he's mainly performing already-recorded basslines live. I just wanted a jazz bass with blocks and had gotten hooked on Laklands.

 

[The Deep]

A good bass is a good bass is a good bass.

Being a sig model doesn’t necessarily sway the pendulum either way. It is what it is.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

If a signature model bass has features I want and like then it could be special to me, or at least a bass that I would want to own/play. Beyond that there’s really nothing “special” IMO.
Chances are if you were to play Geddy’s/Nolly’s/Sting’s actual basses and they were to play yours you’d sound more like you and they’d sound more like them then the other way around. This type of phenomenon is part of the reason that there’s so much good, “slightly used” gear on the market all the time.

Its marketing, like if I play Tiger Woods Golf clubs I could win the Open! It discounts the OG's ability, but it holds their preferences & specs, but if you dislike Ogs specs its the opposite(ie: fat vs thin necks) you're screwed. I believe you have to set up your instrument to your tastes & abilities. I have a schecter stiletto that people love, but when they play it they struggle( super fat neck) ive adjusted to it but can get a wicked tone out of it. I attribute it to my "adjustments" how I play around it and not get too aggressive with it. Its so subjective its hard to say, Im interested in my favorite players specs but it's really like my ear vs their spec. I got to play an adam clayton sign. Jazz bass once, and it didnt do anything for me. No inspired playing no peticular sound/tone, but hes not a favorite of mine. Same with the geddy, but I really like Geddy. I sound like me almost every time. the way I/you play is what you re gonna hear, most of the time.I rarely sound different.

 

[Iridescentone]

To each their own. I see it like this...

If there's a production sig bass with specs and a feature set that appeal to me, I don't care who's name is on it, if the price is right I may look for a used one. If it works out for me, great. If not, I sell it at a slight loss....the price of experimentation.

That said, if I have an unusual or even unique feature set in mind, but no one offers a production bass with those specs, what would it cost me to contract a custom builder to make one for me? Answer = a whole lotta $$$ that I'll never recoup if/when I don't want it anymore.

Too pragmatic?...maybe, but totally comfortable with it.