signature bass fail...

[GregC]

Pfffffftttt!!!!

And you've known me nearly 40 years - you know I like to rile the natives!

So, SanDiegoTroller then?

 

[Lichtaffen]

I forgot one. If there's ever a bassist who has totally copped Joe Osborn's style, it's Tim Commerford.

I actually got to play one of his Laklands that he rejected. Pretty damn nice for a reject. He rules by the way.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

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*SO* proud!

 

[buldog5151bass]

So, you have access to Fender's bill of materials on this bass and you know that they are adding the cost of artist management?

No, but logic dictates they are charging more than they would otherwise. I don't think they are building those basses with the intent of making less.

 

[Grant Lockwood]

My favorite signature bass has to be the Duff McKagan bass. $899 for a fender power jazz that you can find on eBay for $300-400.

 

[GregC]

I actually got to play one of his Laklands that he rejected. Pretty damn nice for a reject. He rules by the way.

I played one he rejected, too, and it was fantastic--ash body, trans white with maple board (1 and 5/8 nut width), black blocks and Chisonics. A buddy of mine on TB, mattygbass, ended up buying it. This was 6-7 years ago, I believe it's still his #1.

 

[Quilbert]

When Bono sings he sounds like he's suffering from a bad case of constipation

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Yeah - U2 is very well known and Clayton's bass lines are a key part of their sound, but he doesn't stand out as an influential bassist, which ithe idealist in me always imagined would be the purpose for such an endorsement deal.

I'd contend he's a more influential bassist than Victor Wooten and so on, as more basslines sound like his than others, and he's made simplicity a virtue. That's not to say I wouldn't be surprised if Wooten is much more technical proficient.

 

[two fingers]

The first question that comes to mind whenever I see the term 'signature bass' is, "Are we so enamored with other players that we want an instrument with their name written on it? Are we so star struck that we want an instrument just like they play?"

Pretty much every bass has somebody's name on it. They are all someone else's ideas of what should make up a bass.

Leo Fender, Dan Lakin, Michael Tobias, Ned Steinberger, Stuart Spector, Vinny Fodera, Roger Sadowsky, Keith Roscoe, Ernie Ball, Michael Pedulla (you get the point)...... These names are on literally millions of basses combined. Are the owners of those basses all losers because they bought into the hype of what someone else thinks is a good bass?

Unless you cut down a tree and built your own, you are playing someone else's "signature bass".

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

My favorite signature bass has to be the Duff McKagan bass. $899 for a fender power jazz that you can find on eBay for $300-400.

But it says DUFF! Like the beer!

 

[Flaked Beans]

When it comes to sig instruments you should research what sets them apart from standard models. I thought the Noel Redding Jazz bass was a good idea for those who wanted a dot neck '65 Jazz at a fraction of the cost of the real thing. Granted, it was pretty much a stock '65, but isn't that what most players like anyway? At the other end of the spectrum you may have a sig model that was re-designed, customized, or heavily modded by the celeb whose name graces the headstock. In these cases you hope the company got it right in regards to correct hardware, pickup output, electronics, et cetera. Why try to pawn off a run of the mill copy as the real thing? I don't care if there's someone's name on the headstock as long as the bass is great. When you're spending enough extra cash to buy the stock version and an amp, the bass ought to be fantastic.

Exactly! That's why I bought my Fender Steve Bailey Jazz Bass 6! The bass (alder/maple/ebony wood combo, nitrocellulose laquer, passive single coil j pups/active electronics, 19mm string spacing, 6 str./24 frets, compound radius/assymetrical neck) was exactly to MY specs! Not to mention the hipshot usa ultralite tuners/heavy mass bridge and the mute switch!! .

By the way, there is no SB's signature on the headstock (except the SRB initials on the back of the headstock)

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[Addison]

I'm not really familiar with Robert Trujillo. Mr Trujillo may not even play his signature bass these days. I read where he wasn't. I don't know.

Yes he does... here he is from late last year using his Zon "Psycho Clown" RT on the Craig Ferguson show for their tune, "Sad But True."

RT uses a lot of basses live... A LOT... like 10 or something... so it's cool to see the Zon still in regular rotation.

 

[MarkoYYZ]

I'd contend he's a more influential bassist than Victor Wooten and so on, as more basslines sound like his than others, and he's made simplicity a virtue. That's not to say I wouldn't be surprised if Wooten is much more technical proficient.

That's fair. Wooten is not widely known outside bass circles and he's almost more of a product of endoresement marketing than he is commercial success. Like Clayton, I'm not sure many players picked up a bass because of him - as many have done over the years becase of players like Geddy, Flea, Squier, etc... - but if you're not going to be the inspiring type, then at least be the technically proficient example like Sheehan or Wooten.

If you're an instrument maker trying to market myself, you certainly try to attach my name to someone in one of the biggest bands in the world., since the costs of that are passed to the customers paying the premium for the instrument anyways. Tom Hamilton isn't the inspiring type either, but he's been in many Hartke ads over the years because of the Aerosmith name, same with Michel Anthony and Mesa Boogie. If you're a new or growing company, hitching a ride on a big name like that isn't a bad thing - makes you wonder what Lakland had to do for Geezer, for example, who is most definitely on the influential/inspiring side of things.

 

[Flaked Beans]

Exactly! That's why I bought my Fender Steve Bailey Jazz Bass 6! The bass (alder/maple/ebony wood combo, nitrocellulose laquer, passive single coil j pups/active electronics, 19mm string spacing, 6 str./24 frets, compound radius/assymetrical neck) was exactly to MY specs! Not to mention the hipshot usa ultralite tuners/heavy mass bridge and the mute switch!! .

By the way, there is no SB's signature on the headstock (except the SRB initials on the back of the headstock)

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from wikipedia:
SRB is *space shuttle* solid rocket booster!

 

[I am Soma]

is it me or did this thread go from borderline getting shut down to everyone kinda getting along?

 

[Rocker949]

That's fair. Wooten is not widely known outside bass circles and he's almost more of a product of endoresement marketing than he is commercial success. Like Clayton, I'm not sure many players picked up a bass because of him - as many have done over the years becase of players like Geddy, Flea, Squier, etc... - but if you're not going to be the inspiring type, then at least be the technically proficient example like Sheehan or Wooten.

If you're an instrument maker trying to market myself, you certainly try to attach my name to someone in one of the biggest bands in the world., since the costs of that are passed to the customers paying the premium for the instrument anyways. Tom Hamilton isn't the inspiring type either, but he's been in many Hartke ads over the years because of the Aerosmith name, same with Michel Anthony and Mesa Boogie. If you're a new or growing company, hitching a ride on a big name like that isn't a bad thing - makes you wonder what Lakland had to do for Geezer, for example, who is most definitely on the influential/inspiring side of things.

Wait a minute. Tom Hamilton is actually pretty good. He is way better than Adam Clayton. He may not be an inspiring player, but I think there are reasons for that. The bass is never loud enough in the mix for starters. But once you sit down and try to play his bass lines, you begin to realize they're usually really good. Of course he isn't on the same level as people you've mentioned such as Geddy, Wooten, and Flea. But to put him in the same category as Adam Clayton is almost insulting. I'm not an Aerosmith fan, but my best friend is. I'll never really get into their music very much. But I do appreciate them to an extent. They sure as heck are better than U2. I realize you aren't dissing Tom Hamilton or Aerosmith, but I just think credit should be given where it is due. In Tom Hamilton's case, I personally don't think he gets enough credit.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Wait a minute. Tom Hamilton is actually pretty good. He is way better than Adam Clayton. He may not be an inspiring player, but I think there are reasons for that. The bass is never loud enough in the mix for starters. But once you sit down and try to play his bass lines, you begin to realize they're usually really good. Of course he isn't on the same level as people you've mentioned such as Geddy, Wooten, and Flea. But to put him in the same category as Adam Clayton is almost insulting. I'm not an Aerosmith fan, but my best friend is. I'll never really get into their music very much. But I do appreciate them to an extent. They sure as heck are better than U2. I realize you aren't dissing Tom Hamilton or Aerosmith, but I just think credit should be given where it is due. In Tom Hamilton's case, I personally don't think he gets enough credit.

I hate to agree... but I do. Two guys were my first "inspirations" as a kid - TH and Roger Glover (yeah, showing my age) - and while Tom is not a monster player, he always seemed to provide inventive, interesting bass lines in a band that could have really been dull without him. Same with Roger Glover - always played stuff that was just a bit different.

Of course, once I discovered Yes & the Who I was all screwed up!

 

[GregC]

Wait a minute. Tom Hamilton is actually pretty good. He is way better than Adam Clayton. He may not be an inspiring player, but I think there are reasons for that. The bass is never loud enough in the mix for starters. But once you sit down and try to play his bass lines, you begin to realize they're usually really good. Of course he isn't on the same level as people you've mentioned such as Geddy, Wooten, and Flea. But to put him in the same category as Adam Clayton is almost insulting. I'm not an Aerosmith fan, but my best friend is. I'll never really get into their music very much. But I do appreciate them to an extent. They sure as heck are better than U2. I realize you aren't dissing Tom Hamilton or Aerosmith, but I just think credit should be given where it is due. In Tom Hamilton's case, I personally don't think he gets enough credit.

The only Aerosmith I could see being "better than U2" is, well, pre-U2 Aerosmith. Power ballads, oy.

 

[JimmyM]

I know a lot of monster bass players who can't play "Sweet Emotion" in time. It's a skill in and of itself.

 

[Son of Wobble]

is it me or did this thread go from borderline getting shut down to everyone kinda getting along?

I don't know about yous guys, but I could use a Harry Hug.