View Poll Results: Do signature models influence you to buy?
- Voters
- 162. You may not vote on this poll
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Yes, I like the player
8 4.94% -
No way I'll pay for the name + a logo tax
14 8.64% -
Yes, If the price were equal to the standard and appointments were nicer
18 11.11% -
I buy what I like and don't care if there's a name on the head
116 71.60% -
I'm probably better than that clown, I'd be embarrassed to play one
6 3.70%
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Aren't Les Pauls a signature guitar i.e. they're all 'Les Paul's' - created by Les Paul, bearing Les Paul's design, played by Les Paul, all in a way which is somehow different than say an Epiphone Joe Pass, which apparently Joe Pass loathed, he in fact far preferred a Gibson 175.
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04-28-2018 05:59 PM
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FWIW, Les Paul didn't design the Les Paul guitar. He took the idea of the solid body guitar to Gibson. They dismissed him. When Fender started having success with the Telecaster, Gibson designed the guitar we all know and asked Les to endorse it. Les designed a tailpiece and bridge that he liked (Gibson didn't nor did the public) and a deal was made.
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No, a guitar being a signature model wouldn't be an influence one way or another. In my own work any consideration usually started and ended with 'Does this tool allow me to consistently do the job to the standard required?' I suppose that's kind of a boring or perhaps even dismissive answer, but generally speaking I'm not much one for labels anyway.
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My aesthetic preference is to not have a famous player’s signature on the 12th fret or headstock (or anywhere) on my guitars. That said, I have owned one signature model - a Robert Cray custom shop strat. It was a hard tail strat with a gorgeous bird’s eye maple neck in metallic silver with gold hardware. Played and sounded like a dream. It was really all I ever wanted in a strat and the overall vibe and tone of the guitar overwhelmed my aversion to the signature on the headstock (which was fairly unobtrusive). I really like a lot of Cray’s stuff, and have seen him live. But I bought the guitar because of the guitar, and the signature on it had, if anything, a negative influence on my decision to buy it.
I sold that guitar years ago when my affinity for playing strats and teles waned. But I’ve come back around and am now in the hunt for my forever tele. This, ironically, is on top of the list right now....
(and should add that the player whose signature adorns the headstock is virtually unknown to me beyond recognizing his name as a professional guitarist.)
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For a while the Sco signature was the closest thing to a AS200 Ibanez made in Japan. That's why I got one. If it had been a AS200 rather than a signature model, I would still have gotten that guitar.
In other words I would buy a guitar if it was the right one for me, signature model or not.
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I've always looked for the best guitar for my needs and didn't care if it was a 'signature' model or not. Looking back however, maybe I was subconsciously influenced by the artist associated with them.
My first Strat was a '96 Fender SRV. I loved the neck profile and Texas Special pickups. I hated the black engraved "SRV" pickguard and replaced it with a cool white mother of toilet seat guard.
My favorite Tele is a Richie Kotzen (that I modded to include a tone control). Again, I love the fat neck and rich tones. Most of all it was the high quality build (MIJ), belly-cut contoured body that sealed the deal.
Yes, I went for a Gibson Johnny A. signature guitar after seeing him perform live with one. Best damned guitar ever!
Howard Roberts Fusion III was another good one, but I sold it to buy a second Johnny A.
When my Ibanez 2630 started to show signs of wear and tear and binding rot, I looked for an AS200, but fell for a Scofield JSM100. I'm a sucker for a chunky neck and high quality Japanese builds. It didn't matter that Scofield was associated with it...and NEVER played one live based on my research. The 2630 would be MY signature model. It will never be sold!
Others have come and gone...Gibson Les Paul Gary Moore, a great blues guitar, but not my style (sold). Epiphone Howard Roberts copy (sold).
Of all the signature models I've owned, my favorites are the Benson models from Ibanez (GB10, GB12, GB200).
So maybe I'm a signature guitar slut. However, it all instances, I like the guitar for its qualities more than any artist association. In other words, I would have bought the above named guitars no matter if they had an artist associated with them.
Time to get my '79 Ibanez (Gitfiddler Signature) 2630 cleaned up and put on a fresh set of strings. She was my very first high quality guitar purchase...and my first love.
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I don't give a darn. My Ibanez Pat Metheny (economy model) bears his name but I'm ok with that: he's clean, wears striped t-shirts and happens to be a rather wonderful musician.
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Originally Posted by Lobomov
ibanez has a fast and a slim (compared to a Gibson es-175) neck. The fender one seems to me intimidating but I have never played one.
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I have both the older Metheny models (pm100 & pm120) and the Mike stern Yamaha signature telecaster.
Both are killer players but I am not necessarily after the sound of Metheny or Stern. To be honest I have never tried to get their tone.
I guess I prefer them for physiological reasons. We live in times of having the luxury to chose over many equally good instruments. But this is a headache as well.
I can never understand the actual differences between of hundreds of the fender or Gibson standard reissues etc models (current and old).
So my way is Japan quality guitars that someone else has put every thought in designing them.
I don’t care to have the exact model that Metheny plays but I am confident that he was energetically involved in designing the pm100 and 120. Especially considering that they came after decades of playing his trusty Gibson es-175 . Slimmer neck and double cutaway was his trial to make a classic design better.
so if it is good enough for Metheny is more than enough for me!
same with the Mike stern model. Practically a 52 tele but with the consistent quality of Japan made instrument. His pickup choices safe bet as well.
Event more time for practice I guess!
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Originally Posted by Lobomov
so the jumbo frets are not a problem I guess?
I find it hard to find a better neck than the one on Pm100...
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Some of them are rock solid, some of them are stunning, some of them are crap.
Same as every other guitar model, just with "fancy name".
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Catching up on this thread and I remember playing what was (I believe) the first production year model of the Jeff Beck Strat when it was issued. Two things vividly come to mind. The first is that the finish was IMO an unusual kind of yellow colour. The second is how big the neck felt. Huge. I've played various CS Nocasters and none seemed comparable to that Strat.
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List of onces which I would love to try.
PRS Johnny Hilland
PRS Brent Mason
PRS John Mayer
PRS Mark Holcomb
PRS Zach Myers
Ibanez PGM 401
Ibanez ATZ 100
Ibanez TQM 1
Ibanez SLM 10
Schecter Nick Johnston
.......
I bet all of them are lovely instruments.
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Originally Posted by Mecena
There was a PRS Bret Mason for sale a while back .. Still kicking myself for not picking that one up
Got greedy wanted to wait a week or two in order to get price down .. and before I knew it .. It was gone
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Originally Posted by eddy b.
(Funds for the sale of this d Bickert Tribute Fender Telecaster guitar go to the printing and publishing of the Tribute to Ed Bickert Project CD in support of MS research.)
That said, it should not be hard to stick a PAF-style pickup into a standard Tele. (I can't hammer a nail straight, so I'm imagining getting a guitar tech to do it.) Relicking is up to you! I understand Ed didn't use a case or gig bag and just tossed the guitar into the trunk of his car to go to gigs.
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