- Jun 30, 2010
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
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Signature Instruments—-What Do We Think About Them?
- Thread starter Indiedog
- Start date
We have had a wide range of responses; I see them all as valid, because we all get to think and act for ourselves. But I especially like the middle ground: I’d never suggest people need a Signature instrument, but as you state, many players have spent huge chunks of time working out a great approach with an instrument, so why not have those options out there?
In some (weird) way, all instruments are “doing” the same thing: they are unique combinations of traits that were put together because the maker hopes you will see something of yourself in the instrument and buy it. Is it really so different to appeal more directly to that person with a Signature instrument? They are leveraging the basic idea that you resonate with the thing because the artist made good choices in spec’ing the instrument, not necessarily that you are a Fanboi buying into a fantasy.
I certainly operate that way. All the Signature instrumentals I have scratch an itch I had, not fill a desire to “be like Mike” and buy validation. The ultimate example is my Malmsteen Strat. I care very little for the guy (OK, that DVD I have with him playing his neo-classical sonata with the orchestra is astounding). No, it is because of what his guitar features. How many other Strats will you be able to purchase off the shelf if you have a passion for scalloped frets?
Thanks to all that contributed, especially the latest round of folks!
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it’s a great way for makers to sell mediocre stuff at inflated prices, too!
“supposedly” when Gibson presented Jimmy page with his signature Les Paul, he played it, thanked Gibson, then handed it to his tech to convert it back to his ‘52’ electronics. Lol
“Supposedly “ Mr. Van Eps, the man who cultured the 7 string guitar, was playing his signature Gibson , and later a man said he wanted to buy one. Van Eps said “you don’t want one of these, it’s made out of plywood”
In the day, Samuel music got in a brand new Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) signature precision bass.
Well, the color was right, but the pick guard was wrong, the maple neck was rosewood, and you’d think the factory could have at least strung it with flats instead of rounds.
I think MiM Fender just grabbed something off the line and put a decal on it.
That was $600.00 20 years ago. What the heck I still should have bought it…lol!!
“supposedly” when Gibson presented Jimmy page with his signature Les Paul, he played it, thanked Gibson, then handed it to his tech to convert it back to his ‘52’ electronics. Lol
“Supposedly “ Mr. Van Eps, the man who cultured the 7 string guitar, was playing his signature Gibson , and later a man said he wanted to buy one. Van Eps said “you don’t want one of these, it’s made out of plywood”
In the day, Samuel music got in a brand new Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) signature precision bass.
Well, the color was right, but the pick guard was wrong, the maple neck was rosewood, and you’d think the factory could have at least strung it with flats instead of rounds.
I think MiM Fender just grabbed something off the line and put a decal on it.
That was $600.00 20 years ago. What the heck I still should have bought it…lol!!
I've recently started looking to replace the old late 70s P-bass I foolishly sold off at the end of the 90s (black/black/maple/maple badass II and the Seymour Duncans with the dip switch EQ, but without the 1.75" nut or 12+ lb weight). The Roger Waters signature P looks super clean (once the original Wall-themed pick guard is discarded), has a good pickup upgrade, and I hear the neck is excellent, so it's a possibility.
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Also toying with the idea of buying a used Duff McKagan body (not a fan of block inlays or painted headstocks on a P-bass) and adding a replacement neck, as the idea of a passive P/J P-bass appeals to me.
View attachment 1737475213857.webp
Also toying with the idea of buying a used Duff McKagan body (not a fan of block inlays or painted headstocks on a P-bass) and adding a replacement neck, as the idea of a passive P/J P-bass appeals to me.
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Yeah. I've had an active tab on that body for a while now. Still trying to decide between a 'C to D' neck and a Jazz neck with Precision logo.
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The last few posts reveal a new concept: if a Signature bass gives you most of what you want in a dream bass but isn’t perfect, I think we should feel free to mod it to make it perfect. After all, that s the way most of these things ended up as Signature instruments…the artist continually modded an instrument to make it perfect for him/her. Why shouldn’t we do the same thing?
That's what I do with all of my basses. I haven't yet started with someone else's signature bass, but I always wind up with a new signature bass of my own. Unfortunately, the endorsement checks seem to get lost in the mail or something.
I just got my first Allparts neck. I recommend them highly. On par with Warmoth at a lower price.
There may be other lists and databases on this already, but this could be a good opportunity. I'm going to make a list of what this-or-that signature bass has that makes it stand out from it's rank & file contemporaries. Additionally, I'm also going to list the sig-models that are just a paint-job apart from the rest. It may be a bit arbitrary, but, for example, I won't be counting a different finish, but I will count a painted headstock, since they aren't easy to acquire without a custom luthier. Similarly, I won't count pickups that can be bought "off the shelf" or a fancy-schmancy neck plate as a significant variation, but blocks and/or binding will be counted.
Big picture...it doesn't count if one can just buy a part right off the shelf. Besides, I'm not the OP, so who's to say I can't be a little arbitrary, here?
Much like a club member list, I would like to encourage others to add to this list. I know I'm going to miss a lot of models and stuff from other brands, so please feel free to add to the list. All I ask is to be sure to highlight any changes you've made. This is a "crowd sourced" thing. I am not going to assume the responsibility of keeping it maintained.
So, to start, I'm going to list a few off the top of my head...
Sig-basses that have cosmetic and/or easily acquired mods...
And, if there is a preexisting thread with a similar database, please link it in a response. Thanks!
Big picture...it doesn't count if one can just buy a part right off the shelf. Besides, I'm not the OP, so who's to say I can't be a little arbitrary, here?
Much like a club member list, I would like to encourage others to add to this list. I know I'm going to miss a lot of models and stuff from other brands, so please feel free to add to the list. All I ask is to be sure to highlight any changes you've made. This is a "crowd sourced" thing. I am not going to assume the responsibility of keeping it maintained.
So, to start, I'm going to list a few off the top of my head...
- Fender Geddy Lee Jazz: Seventies pickup positioning, BadAss (or similar) bridge, bound & blocked all-maple neck
- Fender Duff McKagan: Reproduction of the MIJ Eighties-era Jazz Bass Special, Precision neck, all-black hardware, blocks on the Mk.II version
- Fender Stu Hamm Urge (first Fender signature model): 24-fret neck, medium 32" scale, Kubicki electronics(???...need verification on that), J/P/J on the Urge II
- Frank Bello: tons of sig-models with Fender, Squier, ESP (are there others?), P/J configurations, Jazz bodies and no tone knob on the Fender and Squier models, Fender model has a bound body a la the Fender Aerodyne (if you're gonna steal, steal from the best!)
- Fender Reggie Hamilton Jazz: P/J with a unique placement for the P-pup, active electronics, Hipshot Drop-D tuner
- Fender Adam Clayton Jazz: blocked neck with painted headstock (side note...it keeps the specs of the 2012-2016 MIA Standards alive)
- Fender Roscoe Beck: humbucker pickups with blade selector and toggle switches, 22-frets
- Fender Blu de Tiger Jazz: humbucker bridge pup, active electronics, painted headstock
- Squier James Johnston Jazz: painted headstock (otherwise, it's just a first-gen CV '60s Jazz)
- Fender Jaco Pastorius Jazz: urethane-finished 12" radius fretless neck
- Squier Mikey Way Mustang: humbucker pickup, painted headstock
- Fender MonoNeon Jazz V: blocked neck with compound radius, humbuckers with active electronics
- Fender-Japan "The Ventures" models: signature Jazz, Strat and Jazzmaster, all blocked with painted headstocks
- Fender-Japan Jino Jazz: J/MM/J pickups with active electronics and '70s-positioning for the bridge pup, blocked neck with 7.25" radius
- Fender Flea Jazz: first-generation is active with a Stingray humbucker and a painted headstock
- Squier Chris Aiken Precision: pearloid blocked neck
- Squier Eve Gardner Precision: custom 12th-fret marker, painted headstock
- Troy Sanders: Fender and Squier Jaguars, Mk.I Jaguar and Mk.II Precision Fenders both are P/J's with active electronics, blocked necks with painted headstocks on all models
- Mike Dirnt: Fender and Squier models, 1st and 2nd generation Precision mashups
- Fender Mark Hoppus Jazz: split-coil pickup on a Jazz body with no tone control
- Marcus Miller: early Fender-sig, pearloid-bound & blocked neck, '70s-style Jazz with active electronics (which could be bought and reproduced, but might be worth mentioning), technically Sire basses count, but I'm leaving them out 'cuz that's a whole 'nother discussion and we'll be here all day!
Sig-basses that have cosmetic and/or easily acquired mods...
- Fender Flea Jazz: second-generation model reproduces 1st-gen Fender Jazzes with stacked pots and a roadworn finish...that's pretty much it
- Fender Dee Dee Ramone Precision
- Fender Roger Waters Precision
- Fender Nate Mendel Precision
- Squier Peter Wentz Precision
- Squier Matt Freeman Precision
And, if there is a preexisting thread with a similar database, please link it in a response. Thanks!
Please tell us where the Matt Freeman neck is currently available, plenty of us would be interested in that, I think?
Absolutely!
If I were to somehow have a Chris Squire Signature Rickenbacker fall into my hands, I’d slap an aluminum Hipshot bridge on it immediately.
Hmmm...can't tell if "sarcasm" or not.
Assuming it isn't sarcastic, and unless there's something missing from the specs listed, it's pretty much a standard, all-maple P-bass neck; 9.5" radius, 20-frets, modern "C" shape, "vintage" frets (whatever that means), etc...etc...
It's not sarcasm: the neck on that bass is famous, despite the bland "modern C shape" description. So, yes, there is "something missing" from the listed specs.Hmmm...can't tell if "sarcasm" or not.
Assuming it isn't sarcastic, and unless there's something missing from the specs listed, it's pretty much a standard, all-maple P-bass neck; 9.5" radius, 20-frets, modern "C" shape, "vintage" frets (whatever that means), etc...etc...
I used to have a Matt Freeman P, and found the neck profile on that deeply preferable to those of my two US-built G&Ls. When a damaged shoulder meant I had to get rid of my non-light basses, I should have simply found a lighter body and tuners for that bass instead of wasting money on G&Ls.
I get that some people don't care about neck profiles, perhaps you're one, but to claim that you can put together a Matt Freeman bass with current available parts is simply not true. Unless someone somewhere is recreating that neck, in which case, "plenty of us would be interested in that".
This “I’m nit a Fanboi” boy would do almost anything for a Chris Squire Sig Bass!Absolutely!
If I were to somehow have a Chris Squire Signature Rickenbacker fall into my hands, I’d slap an aluminum Hipshot bridge on it immediately.
Cool!
I get it, how certain necks/basses/pickups just have that little "something-something" to them that makes 'em stand out from the pack.
As for my preference in necks, over the years, I've narrowed down my "likes" and "do-not-likes" down to a fairly narrow field which is a bit of a two-edged sword. On the bright side, there's a big swath of basses that are an immediate no-go and I'm cool with that. Unfortunately, there are others that catch my interest, but swapping out necks would be a bridge too far.
In a similar way, the JMJ Mustang has a neck unlike any other Mustang made by Fender or Squier. This is partly what leads people to buy it even if they otherwise don't like the idea of signature basses. If that neck turns out to be your favorite Mustang feel, it's the only one to choose.
I guess this is a different category of signature model from the Fender ones described in this list, but I saw the Roger Glover signature model on Reverb (brand new) and since Vigier was closing shop, I knew I had to have it.
I have a Vigier Excess bass already, which was the best bass I ever had, which I never want to change because of its mojo. But the Roger Glover signature has silent pickups (the ones on my 2012 Vigier are super noisy), the tuners are better, the hardware is gold and the front dots glow in the dark. It cost me a mini fortune, but having been assured that this is the same spec that my bass hero plays, I needed to get it.
I haven't done an NBD post just yet but intend to in the coming week. When a bass guitar checks all your boxes and hopefully ends your GAS, signature model or not, it's a great feeling. Also the knowledge that I have a first-hand bass, one of the last out of the factory is surreal to me.
Alembic, another brand I love, models its motifs on dragons. Because Vigier makes so much of woods being sourced from French forests, I liken Vigiers to wild boars. The Excess series, especially, is so powerful, even without the EQ being kicked into high gear.
I have a Vigier Excess bass already, which was the best bass I ever had, which I never want to change because of its mojo. But the Roger Glover signature has silent pickups (the ones on my 2012 Vigier are super noisy), the tuners are better, the hardware is gold and the front dots glow in the dark. It cost me a mini fortune, but having been assured that this is the same spec that my bass hero plays, I needed to get it.
I haven't done an NBD post just yet but intend to in the coming week. When a bass guitar checks all your boxes and hopefully ends your GAS, signature model or not, it's a great feeling. Also the knowledge that I have a first-hand bass, one of the last out of the factory is surreal to me.
Alembic, another brand I love, models its motifs on dragons. Because Vigier makes so much of woods being sourced from French forests, I liken Vigiers to wild boars. The Excess series, especially, is so powerful, even without the EQ being kicked into high gear.
Wild boar? Maybe what Vigier needed to make was an Obelix signature.
You needed an asterix to explain where that came from*
*yes I know I’ve ruined the joke
