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

[Damonjames]

[quote name='sk8' timestamp='1375275310' post='2159094']


First sig came with an SPB3 mine has a SBP1 wound to basically be the same as a fender pup I believe. Not sure if they now come with SPB4s
[/quote]

Fender site still showing spb-1, I think Steve just has a signature pickup with SD the spb-4. Open another can of worms here, but does he use his sig pickup? If so then he's not using an off the shelf sig bass!

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1375184830' post='2157709']
But when I bought a Tony Franklin Fretless Precision I had no desire or expectation to sound like him because I had never even heard of him.
[/quote]
When i bought a Ibanez VB1 Verdine White model i had no desire or expectation to sound like him..................Just as well really.

[Jacqueslemac]

Mike Dirnt uses his own signature series (well, the Fender ones anyway. Not seen him play a Squier on stage).

[paulbass]

The artist with a signature bass gets paid to endorse their bass whether its money or free gear which in turn the producer of the bass hope you and i will buy to sound like them. Over the years i've realised that its not the bass they play to get their sound but how they play it. I'm sure the bass and rig they use gets their required tone but its their fingers and techinque that produce their sound.Look carefully at the different styles of say Steve Harris,Mark King,Flea and Geddy Lee....they all play bass completely differently with their fingers and produce their own unique sound. I'm sure when their contract has expried with that company they will use any bass that they feel comfortable with and the process starts again.

[brensabre79]

It's well known that Slash's 'Appetite for Destruction' signature Gibson Les Paul was a copy, by Gibson, of a Gibson copy. i.e. the guitar he actually used wasn't even a Gibson!

I'd never buy an instrument because it had someone's name on it (in fact quite the opposite). I have a tendancy to mod every bass I get to my own preference anyway so it would be a waste of time!

[lojo]

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1387468880' post='2312353']
I have a tendancy to mod every bass I get to my own preference anyway so it would be a waste of time!
[/quote]

In essence making a sig model of your own

[molan]

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1375064636' post='2156315']
To the point -- I think using a signature instrument is as lame as being a member of a celebrities fan club or having Star Wars bedding.

As for Fodera -- they're the most well made crappy sounding basses you'll ever play.
[/quote]

Oh no, it's another Lowender attacks expensive basses thread

You're wrong by the way. . .

Again . . .

Edited December 19, 2013 by molan

[molan]

I used to own a Jerry Donahue Signature Strat - it was identical in every way to the one he played.

I know this because it was his personal one and he sold it to me himself

[paul_5]

[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]

Nice. I did the same with my HH fretless Jazz (and my bits P).

Interesting to note that even the Gibson Les Paul that we all know and love hasn't always had an easy ride. In 1961 sales of the signature instrument were so low that Les had his name removed from it and the SG became the Gibson 'Les Paul' model for that year.

[DiMarco]

I don't really care what the signing artist plays. My Nate Mendel sig P bass is a nice P with somewhat slimmer neck, badass II bridge and quarterpounder pickup. Nice nice nice! It has the mods that I want so I prefer it over any other P that is about the same price.

Same goes for my Marcus Miller sig japanese active jazz with ash body, maple fb and seventies pickup positioning. Great bass that gets lost in the mix just as well as any jazz!

[lojo]

I recently brought a signature bass without knowing it

It's a natural / maple P , factory fitted reverse pickups, model as used by Rocco Prestia, not sure how many where made

[BigRedX]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1387493194' post='2312756']
Interesting to note that even the Gibson Les Paul that we all know and love hasn't always had an easy ride. In 1961 sales of the signature instrument were so low that Les had his name removed from it and the SG became the Gibson 'Les Paul' model for that year.
[/quote]

Almost completely wrong...

The association of Les Paul's name and Gibson, was always much more Gibson's idea as they needed something to give added kudos to their solid guitar to make up for the unexpected success of the Fender Telecaster. When sales of the original design dwindled, they simply moved the name onto their new double cut design. However it was Les Paul who didn't like this new guitar and had his name removed and the guitar became the SG model instead.

[JTUK]

I can see both sides.... if it were me, I'd have the best bass I could, but depending what you wanted to do with sales, and who you were
might dictate differently.
Depends how much you'd be swayed by 'business decisions'

[JTUK]

[quote name='DiMarco' timestamp='1387493583' post='2312761']
.......................

Same goes for my Marcus Miller sig japanese active jazz with ash body, maple fb and seventies pickup positioning. Great bass that gets lost in the mix just as well as any jazz!
[/quote]

Then don't blame the bass, blame your mix

[darkandrew]

I follow Nile Rodgers on Facebook and he's posted loads of stuff over the last year about the development of his signature Fender Strat. I don't know about other artist's signature models but Nile appears to have been very hands on with the development of his.

[Iheartreverb]

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1375113289' post='2156842']
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.
[/quote]

I know nothing about rancid but soooo want one of these. Just perfect spec wise for what I would like and love the look too.

To chip in though I think sig models should be based on artists customised ones like Johnny Matt and Billy Corgan rather than just standard instruments in non standard colours (Biffy Clyro).

Really respect the folk who are actually using them rather than just doing for the indulgence of a colour sceame......and don't even mention Wentz

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='darkandrew' timestamp='1387624831' post='2313877']
I follow Nile Rodgers on Facebook and he's posted loads of stuff over the last year about the development of his signature Fender Strat. I don't know about other artist's signature models but Nile appears to have been very hands on with the development of his.
[/quote]

Yep. I think Nile wants an exact replica of his strat because it's far too rare and valuable and probably far too sentimentally valuable for him to tour with anymore. 59 hardtail strats are rare enough, nevermind ones that have played on billions of dollars worth of recordings!

Johnny Marr is another one who clearly thought a lot about what he wanted and his signature guitar truly is quite unique.