Signature Jazz bass

[sifi2112]

Had this one in my hands earlier today .. definitely a nice jazz, didn't plug it in but still .. not sure if I'm gonna bid myself (got 2 jazzes already)

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170224283669&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...=tab%3DWatching[/url]

He also had a 30 year old Stingray .. nice & battered/used looking (in a good way) .. bet he doesn't sell that one !

Guys name is James (really nice fella) .. told him about basschat, so you might see some more Signatures (got 2 more).

Si

[KennysFord]

I had on of these,ash body and maple with white block inlaid neck.they're really very good.nice to see another one.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Reminds me of:
[url="http://www.rondomusic.com/product932.html"]SX Bass[/url]


I wonder if they're related...

[spinynorman]

There's a guy on eBay in the US sells these as NOS parts. Loaded bodies and separate necks. They're quite expensive for non-Fender parts. I bought one of the bodies - it looked good and was generally ok, except the pickguard was not cut exactly around the neck pocket, the screw holes in the neck pocket were drilled off-centre, and the neck pocket itself was too deep for the standard Allparts neck I had. But I managed to work round that and the result was a decent bass. The pickups were really rather good, compared to a Mexican Fender, say.

The doubt I have is about the Signature story itself. All the Harmony Central reviews are of parts you can trace back to the same guy. I can't find any reference anywhere else to a Signature guitar co in Cranston, although there was one in Canada that didn't make basses. I even contacted the chamber of commerce in Cranston and they hadn't heard of it. The only part of the story that checks out is that the date stamp in the neck pocket was 1989.

So, maybe it's all true and this company disappeared without trace, and maybe the people who presumably bought complete instruments between 1988 and 1992 never trade them on the web anywhere, but it seems suspicious to me. That doesn't mean they're bad basses, just I wouldn't now pay more than an SX for one.

Edited June 4, 2008 by spinynorman

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

[quote name='spinynorman' post='212665' date='Jun 4 2008, 06:41 PM']There's a guy on eBay in the US sells these as NOS parts. Loaded bodies and separate necks. They're quite expensive for non-Fender parts. I bought one of the bodies - it looked good and was generally ok, except the pickguard was not cut exactly around the neck pocket, the screw holes in the neck pocket were drilled off-centre, and the neck pocket itself was too deep for the standard Allparts neck I had. But I managed to work round that and the result was a decent bass. The pickups were really rather good, compared to a Mexican Fender, say.

The doubt I have is about the Signature story itself. All the Harmony Central reviews are of parts you can trace back to the same guy. I can't find any reference anywhere else to a Signature guitar co in Cranston, although there was one in Canada that didn't make basses. I even contacted the chamber of commerce in Cranston and they hadn't heard of it. The only part of the story that checks out is that the date stamp in the neck pocket was 1989.

So, maybe it's all true and this company disappeared without trace, and maybe the people who presumably bought complete instruments between 1988 and 1992 never trade them on the web anywhere, but it seems suspicious to me. That doesn't mean they're bad basses, just I wouldn't now pay more than an SX for one.[/quote]

The logo on the signature guitar line that was associated with Alex Lifeson is complely different to the logo on the ebay ones.
[url="http://www.geocities.com/signatureguitar/"]http://www.geocities.com/signatureguitar/[/url]

[spinynorman]

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='213023' date='Jun 5 2008, 10:27 AM']The logo on the signature guitar line that was associated with Alex Lifeson is complely different to the logo on the ebay ones.
[url="http://www.geocities.com/signatureguitar/"]http://www.geocities.com/signatureguitar/[/url][/quote]

So they did make a bass, I missed that. Found an old thread on Talkbass that suggests the Cranston company was a breakaway from the Canadian one, but none of it is verified. I originally started to research this when I came to sell the Signature body I had and didn't want to make claims for it I couldn't back up. Just sold it as a generic alder body in the end, and lost money on it.

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-328052.html"]Talkbass thread[/url]

[KennysFord]

i spoke with goerdt (Mr signature) quite a few times whilst sorting out the spec for my bass.I thought him at all times to nothing but genuine,polite and extremely helpfull,he even called me twice from the states.I would'nt have a moments hesitation in recomending him or his basses to someone looking for a cheaper Jazz than a MIA.