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Problem with signature basses

#101
Fun Size Nick said:
I appreciate that that is your opinion about what signature basses are for (the 'Hall of Fame' idea), but the reality is that they are primarily a marketing exercise. Pete Wentz has a signature Squier because Fender decided that they would be able to sell basses in that price range to Fall Out Boy fans by doing so. They've made multiple Jaco models (plus the Squier VM fretless Jazz, which is near as anything to a 'Jaco sig' because legions of bass players think Jaco was amazing and Fender want to sell basses at all of those different price points to people who like Jaco.

Like it or not, plenty of teenagers started playing bass because they were inspired by the people who were playing their favourite rock music at the time. When I was starting to play bass, me and plenty of other musicians loved Green Day (Mike Dirnt), Blink 182 (Mark Hoppus), and Foo Fighters (Nate Mendel). These are massive, massive acts that have sold millions of records - why shouldn't some of those records have been sold to young musicians? I would never have gotten into, say, Weather Report if I had not first caught the music bug by playing simple, fun punk rock with my friends.
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I guess it's an age thing. The first I ever heard of Pete Wentz, Nate Mendel, Mark Hoppus or Mike Dirnt was when I noticed that Fender has signature issues with their names on them and wondered who they are. I didn't think there were that many Fall Out Boy fans out there. Of all of these bands the only one I can actually whistle a tune from is Foo Fighters. When I think of Foo Fighters I think Dave Grohl, not Nate Mendel. Nate Mendel is a fine bass player, but nothing about him screams, 'Damn, this guy should have his own line of Fender P Basses!' Now, when I first heard Rush I knew I had to play bass. When I first heard Iron Maiden, I wanted to be just like Steve Harris. I'm probably wrong, but I have a hard time believing that Pete Wentz has had the same level of influence.
 
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#102
Mike Sorr said:
I guess it's an age thing. The first I ever heard of Pete Wentz, Nate Mendel, Mark Hoppus or Mike Dirnt was when I noticed that Fender has signature issues with their names on them and wondered who they are. I didn't think there were that many Fall Out Boy fans out there. Of all of these bands the only one I can actually whistle a tune from is Foo Fighters. When I think of Foo Fighters I think Dave Grohl, not Nate Mendel. Nate Mendel is a fine bass player, but nothing about him screams, 'Damn, this guy should have his own line of Fender P Basses!' Now, when I first heard Rush I knew I had to play bass. When I first heard Iron Maiden, I wanted to be just like Steve Harris. I'm probably wrong, but I have a hard time believing that Pete Wentz has had the same level of influence.
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Whenever I think of Rush, I think of Geddy Lee and his incredibly high pitched shrieking voice when he was at his prime. His '72 jazz and his Rick are iconic symbols for Rush bass fans
 
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#104
Signature models don't really do much for me unless there's something special about the bass itself that merits it. Having said that, I don't think any less of someone that buys one just because it has a decal with the artist's signature - it's their money, and if it makes them happy, great. I think about the only signature model I've seen that really appealed to me was the Roscoe Beck, but the Modern Player Jazz V offers pretty much the same pickup switching flexibility and feels quite good, so I picked one of those up instead of scrounging around for a genuine Beck that would have cost an arm and a leg. I'm happy with it, and in the end that's the most any player can really hope for.

I do have a 1987 Ibanez RB-800 that Phyllis Diller signed for me after I did a two-week run of a show with her, but that's not quite the same thing, and it was a great bass to begin with. ;-)
 
#106
I think the Geddy Lee is the best example if a Signature bass to me. Take a nice jazz bass, give it a slimmer neck, a different bridge, block inlays and put the artist signature on the back of the headstock while keeping "Fender Jazz Bass" prominent on the front. Geddy is a great player in an influential band. It's a great way to get a "70's" jazz bass for a decent price. Win/win in my book.

If I ever played a 4 string passive jazz again it would be a Geddy Lee.
 
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#108
SteveC said:
I think the Geddy Lee is the best example if a Signature bass to me. Take a nice jazz bass, give it a slimmer neck, a different bridge, block inlays and put the artist signature on the back of the headstock while keeping "Fender Jazz Bass" prominent on the front. Geddy is a great player in an influential band. It's a great way to get a "70's" jazz bass for a decent price. Win/win in my book.

If I ever played a 4 string passive jazz again it would be a Geddy Lee.
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I've owned a real 1972 Jazz Bass with a rosewood board and pearl block inlays. I bought my Geddy because I miss my 72, and the Geddy actually plays better.
 
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#109
Laurie Bass said:
I too have a Sig bass...Geddy Lee. Did I buy it because it endorsed by a famous musician? Did I buy it because Geddy is Canadian? No,,I bought it because it has the nicest Jazz Bass neck I have ever played...period.
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It IS the nicest jazz bass I have ever played as well. Some people hate the neck but I LUV it.

SteveC said:
I think the Geddy Lee is the best example if a Signature bass to me. Take a nice jazz bass, give it a slimmer neck, a different bridge, block inlays and put the artist signature on the back of the headstock while keeping "Fender Jazz Bass" prominent on the front. Geddy is a great player in an influential band. It's a great way to get a "70's" jazz bass for a decent price. Win/win in my book.

If I ever played a 4 string passive jazz again it would be a Geddy Lee.
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Those AVRIs or if you can find one, an authentic 72 jazz, are insanely expensive. The Geddy and the Miller basses all have the 70s spacing and are MUCH cheaper than the previously mentioned basses.

Mike Sorr said:
I've owned a real 1972 Jazz Bass with a rosewood board and pearl block inlays. I bought my Geddy because I miss my 72, and the Geddy actually plays better.
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I wish I owned a real 72....
 
#112
Templar said:
Eh...most of the sig basses have a tiny little sig on the headstock, barely legible from three feet away, non-intrusive to the overall aesthetics. To the point where only the owner knows it's there. Logic dictates that any objection to its being there is only an emotional reaction. Kinda anal in my view. I'll stick with the ego/vanity perspective. Fascinating, really.
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You quoted me, so I'm not sure if you're riffing off that to speak in general however if you're addressing my post specifically that's puzzling because I clearly stated my issue with the messy look of it. I didn't state that I cared or even considered what the audience can or can't see or what they might think of it. My issue is with what I can see every time I pick it up.

That said, I've had no problem playing and loving sig basses. Doesn't mean the sig on the headstock wasn't an unfortunate visual mess. So are many logos. So it goes.
 
#114
Joedog said:
Man, we do obsess, don't we? To me there are only 2 kinds of basses: those that move me and those that don't. A decal w/a name is SO totally irrelevant. If the best sounding/playing bass I could find was a "Bozo the Clown" bass I'd rock it w/o hesitation (well maybe a little :D).
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Well, I think that's the point - the sticker is irrelevant - and so for some of us we don't want to pay an extra $300 for a bass we might otherwise want because of the sticker.
 
#115
As for all the dudes that love their Geddys - great, but it's about $200 more than the MIJ 70s (black block maple neck, 70s p/u spacing) that existed before they stuck his name on it. Yes it has a Badass, but that only costs $100 (and a whole lot less at the manufacturer level, and same with the Sting. They were lovely basses before some dud got paid for you wanting them - they are no less lovely now, but I resent having to pay them to play a guitar that has little to do with them.
PLUS - and yes to whoever said this it is entirely emotional: musicians tend to be so - I resent the fact that half the dudes in the audience who see me with a guitar I picked on specks think I did it to be like (insert artist name).
In regards the Roscoe Beck - its a whole lot less annoying, because it is truly unique and wouldn't exist if he had not commissioned it. Re: Marcus Miller - it's TOO accurate - on a purpose built instrument you don't need to have a pickguard covering the entire bottom bout - it could be rear-routed - in which case I would have had one YEARS ago. Re: Jack Cassidy - also less annoying because that particular bass hadn't been in produuctions in over 20 years AND he spent years re-designing the pickup and transformer to make it more usable than the old Les Pauls its based on - so again, like the Roscoe Beck his name isn't just there for no reason.
 
#117
To the OP, I used to think like you, then I realized, if I didn't want someone else's signature model, I could create my own. :)

IMG_2495_zpsdd46948a.jpg
 
#118
Volkov said:
I don't buy sig models because you never know whats going to happen in the future.
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I'd really like to hear the end of that statement. What would happen in "the future" that would make buying a signature model (which in many cases with Fender is the only way to get custom designed models and features at a reasonable price) a bad decision?

I used to be of the "I don't buy basses with someone else's name" school of thought. Then I wised up, bought a Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, and realized the only way you're going to get a quality bass with interesting features from Fender at a good price is signature models (9 times out of 10)
 
#119
Esoge said:
I'd really like to hear the end of that statement. What would happen in "the future" that would make buying a signature model (which in many cases with Fender is the only way to get custom designed models and features at a reasonable price) a bad decision?

I used to be of the "I don't buy basses with someone else's name" school of thought. Then I wised up, bought a Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, and realized the only way you're going to get a quality bass with interesting features from Fender at a good price is signature models (9 times out of 10)
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I think he meant that what if an artist pulled a John Mayer and stopped endorsing Fender, or if the artist died. Well, the second one wouldn't matter because they still produce Jaco's replica CS bass even when died thirty something years ago..
 
#120
danosix said:
As for all the dudes that love their Geddys - great, but it's about $200 more than the MIJ 70s (black block maple neck, 70s p/u spacing) that existed before they stuck his name on it. Yes it has a Badass, but that only costs $100 (and a whole lot less at the manufacturer level, and same with the Sting. They were lovely basses before some dud got paid for you wanting them - they are no less lovely now, but I resent having to pay them to play a guitar that has little to do with them.
PLUS - and yes to whoever said this it is entirely emotional: musicians tend to be so - I resent the fact that half the dudes in the audience who see me with a guitar I picked on specks think I did it to be like (insert artist name).
In regards the Roscoe Beck - its a whole lot less annoying, because it is truly unique and wouldn't exist if he had not commissioned it. Re: Marcus Miller - it's TOO accurate - on a purpose built instrument you don't need to have a pickguard covering the entire bottom bout - it could be rear-routed - in which case I would have had one YEARS ago. Re: Jack Cassidy - also less annoying because that particular bass hadn't been in produuctions in over 20 years AND he spent years re-designing the pickup and transformer to make it more usable than the old Les Pauls its based on - so again, like the Roscoe Beck his name isn't just there for no reason.
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Just a shame I can't find a MIJ 70s that looks exactly like the Geddy, you know? And certainly I can pick one up on Fender Japan's website and pay for international shipping! Lovely!
 

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