Do bass players with signature models actually play the same bass you or I can buy ?

[jonsmith]

Geddy Lee has played backup basses that looked rather like his signature edition (complete with signature on the back of the headstock), but were made by Fender Custom Shop rather than Fender Japan. He wanted his signature edition to be affordable, but reasonable quality (although he didn't like the tuners). As anyone who has played one will know, the signature edition has a thin neck similar to the one that his pawn shop Jazz had (the neck on the original has now been replaced with a custom shop neck satin/sanded on the back as he prefers the feel of satin finish these days, but I believe it has similar dimensions).

Whether they sound like the original or not, Chris Squire has definitely had at least two of his 4001CS signatures as backups at gigs in the past. The colour was roughly matched to his and he chose the wood used for fretboard/headstock wings.

Not sure I would buy an instrument now on the basis of it being someone's signature edition, but here I am an admirer of both bassists and I do play their signature editions. The particular 4001CS I have I would have bought anyway as it is just a fantastic bass (quite a few people tried & fell in love with this one before I bought it). I did buy the GL Jazz when I was in a Rush tribute, but I like the bass anyway (probably the second best Jazz I've ever played).

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Dr M' timestamp='1375101245' post='2156655']
The thing is, different companies treat signature models in different ways ...
[/quote]
This is right; not all so-called signature models are the same kind of thing.

For example, the Epiphone Jack Casady Bass (which was based on the Gibson Les Paul Signature Bass) is not just a different finish version of a bass which is already in production. It's a model of bass in its own right.

Quite a few people here own or have owned a Fender Tony Franklin Signature Fretless Precision. I doubt very much if any of them, certainly not I, bought one because of (more likely despite) Franklin's name on it. It remains the only stock unlined fretless MIA Precision.

The now renamed Lakland signature basses were not quite the same kind of thing as a signature from Biffy Clyro or Blink 182 or even Rush.

[LiamPodmore]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_YWRFdBFso"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_YWRFdBFso[/url]

A bit long winded but that is how i wish more people would do signature instruments, go crazy and do anything they can think of that would be good.

Liam

[neepheid]

[quote name='LiamPodmore' timestamp='1375105260' post='2156719']
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_YWRFdBFso[/media]

A bit long winded but that is how i wish more people would do signature instruments, go crazy and do anything they can think of that would be good.

Liam
[/quote]

Sorry to keep harking back to the Epiphone JC, but what started off as a straight Epiphone reissue of the Gibson Les Paul Signature was pulled off course (and schedule) by Jack Casady's neck and pickup requirements. He personally worked with Gibson to recreate and then improve the low impedance pickup in the Les Paul Signature. Seems to have been pretty involved in the process, which I think is what you mean?

Also as alluded to earlier, I knew I'd seen him with a white one which is unavailable to Joe Public - here he is, the flash git :



Photo by David Sidle - [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tanager22/"]http://www.flickr.com/photos/tanager22/[/url]

[Stan_da_man]

[quote name='marcus bell' timestamp='1375058044' post='2156309']
Mark king plays an off the shelf status Kingbass paramatrix, and the jaydee was a standard supernatural series 1

However the alembic he used wasn't like the signature at all! He played a fully loaded series 2
[/quote]
Off the shelf Status?

[Graham]

The photos from the current Rancid tour have Matt Freeman playing one of his Squires, can't tell whether it's an off the shelf one, or a CS with a Squire decal.

I'd like to think it was an off the shelf, but if I'm honest, it probably isn't.

[Prime_BASS]

I think fender sig basses are lame, although some as mentioned above do offer something that isn't available from the rest of the range. Franklin is a fretless P, for sometime Fender Japan's Takeshi Ueda 5 string sig P bass was the only available 5 string passive P bass.
Some come with parts that aren't stock.

I know if I really did want a 70's style jazz with a really thin neck a Geddy Lee will be my first port of call.

[barkin]

I built my own signature P-ish bitsa. It's 100% identical to the one I play...

[stingrayPete1977]

I find special editions are often badly done in all walks of life, often for no reason that's the annoying bit for me. EBMM have made a load of reissues of weird stuff that makes no sense but they must think they will sell? I remember the Italian Job Minis from the 1990's, OK I dont expect them to recreate a MK1 mini but would it have been hard/expensive to have fitted 3 spot lights like the ones in the film rather than just the two they came with, why did they come in green rather than just Red/White or Blue? Lazy lazy tat in most cases regarding cars, guitars, watches clothes etc etc etc It does not always make for a bad item, my favourite Strat is the white Jeff Beck signature but not because of the signature if you get what I am saying.

[chris_b]

Some companies involve the player in the design of a sig instrument, for example Roscoe Beck and Duck Dunn. These players seem to play their sig basses.

Others are just cashing in on a name, for example Roger Waters and Sting, and these guys just take the money and run.

It's a mug's game to buy what [i]XYZ[/i] plays and expecting to sound anything like them.

[Deep Thought]

JJ Burnel certainly plays his signature Shuker, exactly like those Jon sells-the one he's currently playing is a new, lightweight version with chambered wings and lighter hardware, which he had Jon make for him when he started getting back pains. I always thought my Mk.I version was pretty light, myself.

[White Cloud]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1375054176' post='2156285']
[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Buying a signature instrument is a great way of sounding like you, but at extra cost.[/font]
[/quote]
Truth!

[mentalextra]

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1375114706' post='2156861']
I built my own signature P-ish bitsa. It's 100% identical to the one I play...
[/quote]

If you make me a copy, will I sound and look like you?

[barkin]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1375116256' post='2156894']


If you make me a copy, will I sound and look like you?
[/quote]

No, but that's a Good Thing!

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 18, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Stan_da_man]

I had a K5 too, pretty versatile bass IMO/IME.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1375107103' post='2156738']
Also as alluded to earlier, I knew I'd seen him with a white one which is unavailable to Joe Public - here he is, the flash git :



Photo by David Sidle - [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tanager22/"]http://www.flickr.co...otos/tanager22/[/url]
[/quote]

There's a red one too.

[plumbob]

The swap over to an off the shelf signature model starts at about 44.56 , give him a plank with one string and I think he'd get a good tune out of it !


http://youtu.be/8TiDShnnoJs

[mentalextra]

[quote name='plumbob' timestamp='1375120807' post='2156960']
The swap over to an off the shelf signature model starts at about 44.56 , give him a plank with one string and I think he'd get a good tune out of it !
[/quote]

Possibly, but the fans would probably but a copy of that too .

Celebrity endorsements are hardly new How many signature model basses are there now?

Edited July 29, 2013 by mentalextra

[risingson]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1375075599' post='2156323']
That's particularly true of the Gibson Les Paul, of course.
[/quote]

[dudewheresmybass]

I know Steve Harris had a couple of the off the shelf fender sig models as backups on the British lion tour earlier this year.
I know it's a tweaked p bass, but, ignoring the scribble on the back of the headstock, it has to be THE best p bass I have ever played.

[Damonjames]

I think the fender signature models are a good bet. I know the idea can be a little cheesy, and if you don't like the artist you would probably never buy their sig, which is a bit if a shame. I think the fender digs offer an in between product, they might be built in Mexico, but the hardware and build quality is much better than a standard mex, and they are not that much more expensive.

[neepheid]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1375120720' post='2156958']
There's a red one too.
[/quote]

I thought so, I wasn't sure if it was the lighting in the photo though so I didn't want to say for definite.

[Stan_da_man]

Flea Bass (Modulus) ? When it had the Lane Poor pickup.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1375133473' post='2157191']
I thought so, I wasn't sure if it was the lighting in the photo though so I didn't want to say for definite.
[/quote]
You might be right, white can look any colour under the correct lighting but I had always assumed it was a red one.