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signature basses


BaggyMan

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12 hours ago, BrunoBass said:

The first was a Fender Duff McKagan which I tried in a store and was blown away by, so I took the plunge.

Never been interested in sig models, especially the over branded ones. It's definitely more specs and appearance that sell a bass to me. So when I saw Brunobass' Duff on the for sale board last week the GAS went into overdrive.

Took a couple of days to shuffle the funds around before messaging and just missed out on it.

Still sig-less.😢

 

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Long post alert!!

I’ve played a fair few sig models over the years in various shops, but never felt the need to actually buy one. 

The geddy was nice, but I don’t really do jazz basses- the pups just don’t do it for me. Although i did enjoy the clankyness. 

The nate Mendel was ok. Nothing overly special for me. 

Marcus millers fender was ok, but I just didn’t gel with it. 

Rob trujillo’s tobias- although not a sig, it was his actual instrument. Beautiful through and through, but didn’t have the £700 needed at the time

the mike dirnt fender- I have no interest in green day whatsoever, but I really liked this bass. Simple, effective and a lovely design.  Dry sorely tempted there

thise are the ‘greatest hits’ if you will, but it leads me to the only actual sig I own currently. 

I have a cij mark2 Steve Harris precision. The one with the blue sparkle body. 

I tried one of these at the old digital village store in Romford and to put it quite simply it was the best p bass I had ever played. The neck is fat, it has a maple neck, is not light and felt like home. 

I walked away crestfallen, without he wherewithal to buy 😢

fast forward a couple of years and I tried the mark 3 West Ham model. 

Same lovely neck and tone, but with anything football related on it is a no no for me. Colours I could deal with, but a bloody great logo? Nah. 

I finally managed to get my hands on one two or three years ago, and it has not disappointed one iota. It records beautifully, and live it sounds immense through my rig. 

Any that know me know that I’m a big harris fan and only play initially because I watched live after death too many times lol. Despite the association and colour scheme (blue and mirror plate ) it is quite simply an amazing p bass. 

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I just can’t bring myself to buy signature basses... Nothing wrong with them, the flaw is mine.

I can’t abide the idea of it looking like I’m a fanboi of whoever the artist is. Like I want to sound or play like them... I don’t. I want to sound and play like me 😊

It’s ridiculous and is the only reason I don’t own a Yamaha TRBJP2 😐

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I would play my own signature bass, if Roger Sadowsky was silly enough to make it, but other signature gear doesn't interest me.

I'll incorporate better players lines and sounds into my style, but my approach is always to buy the best bass I can find and make it sound like me.

 

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My naivety was such in years gone by, that I was shocked (and stunned) upon talking to a luthier, to discover that he had made the signature model guitar an artist played, and not the company whose logo was on the headstock.

Apparently this is not uncommon.

Edited by MacDaddy
absent determiner
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1 hour ago, dudewheresmybass said:

Any that know me know that I’m a big harris fan and only play initially because I watched live after death too many times lol. Despite the association and colour scheme (blue and mirror plate ) it is quite simply an amazing p bass. 

Exactly the same here. I'm a big Steve Harris fan and that may be the reason that I first tried one, but I love the bass because of it's chunky neck and how it plays, not because of it being a signature bass.

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Goodness me where do I start!?!?  I've had a few over the years....

Like the OP, Yamaha Attitude Basses - 1 'special' model, 2 LTD2's and 1 LTD3.

Fender Steve Harris signature - The Royal Blue sparkle one from 2009ish

Fender Geddy Lee - 1 sunburst MIM, 1 USA model

Fender MIJ Jazz Bass Specials - not the actual MIM duff signature model, but I had 3 of the original 80's MIJ Jazz Bass specials, 1 in metallic red, 1 pearl white and 1 black.

Fender Flea Jazz Bass

Think that's all.  Yes I'm a fanboy.  Don't actually own any of them now.  They were all gigged at the time though, I think....

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I have the Nikki Sixx Gibson Blackbird. Rehearsed with it, but never gigged. Cool looking bass, but often think about selling it on.

I would love to ry out the Nate Mendel. Not a Foos fan, but I like the high mass bridge and I understand the neck is lovely.

I would also like to try the new Duff McKagan. 

Maybe time to sell on the Blackbird so I can acquire the Mendel or McKagan,

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Erm...

Fender Geddy Lee Jazz - one of the early CIJ ones. I liked the tone but it didn't work as well for the band as my Precision, so I sold it. Also, the neck was so thin my left hand would cramp.

Waterstone Tom Petersson - purchased from @NancyJohnson, loved the sound but found it a bit cumbersome. Unfortunately it lead me to unfairly dismiss 12 strings as a bit difficult to play until I had a ride on @Wolverinebass's Hamer.

Gibson Les Paul Bass - looked amazing, sounded like the grandest of grand pianos, weighed about 15lb. Sent back to the shop.

I've always been a massive fan of Rush so that definitely influenced by decision. My admiration for Tom Petersson has grown since owning the Waterstone, but I don't regret sellng it.

 

 

Edited by Cosmo Valdemar
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I have a Ken Taylor model Ortega acoustic 5 string bass

I genuinely have no idea who Ken Taylor is - possibly he's big in Germany

I got it because having narrowed down the extremely limited choices of 5 string acoustic basses with cutaways and settled on Ortega, the Ken Smith model is much better looking than the non-signature version - fancier inlays and flamed mahogany

https://www.thomann.de/gb/ortega_ktsm5_ken_taylor.htm

And it's a great bass

Just googled him, and if Google Translate of his German Wikipedia page is accurate, then he has played with a quite impressive list of artists.  It's good to learn new things

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I have one, which is an immaculate MIJ Jaco signature bass.  I've had the fingerboard epoxy coated in America and replaced the Jazz control knobs with Precision ones.  What I really don't understand is if you are going to do a tribute or replica bass, the very minimum Fender should be doing is getting the specs right!  They just don't.  Moaning aside, if you want the Jaco sound in the UK the chances are this is the only fretless Jazz you're likely to see.  My Denmark Street insider shipped an MIA and MIJ Jaco for me to try.  I preferred and bought the MIJ.

The neck is amazing and the bass creates that Jaco sound so this is one of those replicas/tributes that makes sense to me.  A Roger Waters bass is a straight black Precision with maple neck.  That I don't understand, but equally well, I wouldn't criticise those that buy them.

Peace

Davo

 

 

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I've had a few but again, not because of the bassist they are after but because of the bass itself.

1. Lakland DJ4 - Bought this because it was supposed to be a great Jazz bass and it was ok but I didn't get on with it so sold it quickly.

2. Lakland Duck Dunn - Bought because its was supposed to be a good Precision and it was but I never got on with it tonally.

3. Fender Mike Dirnt - Bought because it was yellow and looked like a 51 Precision. Amazing bass but the neck was too chunky and it was a very heavy bass. I sold it as I ended up not playing it but it was an amazing bass.

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The one i have hankered after since first seeing it in the 90's yet only seen a couple and always in photos, never in the flesh.. the Peavey b quad 4.  Never played one but just wow...what a bass. 

Rare as heck, mad and unreliable electronics.....maybe its a never meet your hero's moment bass wise..

image.png.2127aa9cc832c1f3210630102a858c30.png

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Does a Sire count? Had a Sire vintage V7, Ash body maple board. 

My MIJ Precision has a very chunky neck, its a 1970 reissue, and it arrived with a Steve Harris signature pickup which I very much like and it combines beautifully with his signature strings which are almost as thick as the bass neck itself! 

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25 minutes ago, BaggyMan said:

The one i have hankered after since first seeing it in the 90's yet only seen a couple and always in photos, never in the flesh.. the Peavey b quad 4.  Never played one but just wow...what a bass. 

Rare as heck, mad and unreliable electronics.....maybe its a never meet your hero's moment bass wise..

image.png.2127aa9cc832c1f3210630102a858c30.png

Dean and Carvin have done the same bass at various points. But with wooden necks.

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25 minutes ago, BaggyMan said:

maybe its a never meet your hero's moment bass wise..

Nah, worth keeping an eye out. 2020 could be your lucky year.

 

The Peavey collection contains a few sig models.

 

Afore mentioned B-Quad. Very nice but I've no use for panning each string left or right.

 

Sarzo. Feels great,looks great. Not too keen on the tone.

RSB. Another Sarzo model. Good bass,doubt Rudy had any input.

RJ-IV. Randy Jackson sig. Good specs on paper. Plays well. Colours can be a bit off putting. Never owned a bass where you can drop the action so low. Messing about for the sake of it got me a buzz free 1mm 😲

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42 minutes ago, BaggyMan said:

The one i have hankered after since first seeing it in the 90's yet only seen a couple and always in photos, never in the flesh.. the Peavey b quad 4.  Never played one but just wow...what a bass. 

Rare as heck, mad and unreliable electronics.....maybe its a never meet your hero's moment bass wise..

image.png.2127aa9cc832c1f3210630102a858c30.png

They used to have a teal one in the Bass Gallery years back, which I used to play every time I went in. Fabulous neck. Unfortunately I don’t get on with forearm chamfers and the one on that is pretty extreme, which I found pretty uncomfortable. I toyed with buying it - nearly talked myself into it several times as I loved the neck and the look - but the chamfer was a deal breaker. I also don’t really get on with carbon fibre sonically. I mostly play with a plectrum and find that, IMO, cf basses sound much better with fingers (YMMV). Don’t get on with piezos either, for similar reasons, so sonically it wasn’t really for me.

I’ve had 2 Rickenbacker 4001CS Chris Squire signatures, a ‘96 (bought new) and a ‘91 (bought used). I bought them because I think Chris’s bass is possibly the best looking bass ever; I didn’t expect them to make me sound like Chris. The necks on both were sublime, particularly the ‘91, which had one of the best necks I’ve ever played, maybe even THE best. Both sounded very good but darker than my preference; I didn’t know at the time that the pickups were way hotter than vintage and the pot values different. These days I’d change everything out for vintage spec. The ‘96 was the heaviest Ric I’ve owned, which is why I sold it, as it coincided with my first back injury. The ‘91, to be honest, was probably the worst built Ric I’ve owned. In the end, neither sounded as good as my vintage basses, although with hindsight it’s possible that with work they could have done. But they looked absolutely stunning and had lovely necks. 

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7 hours ago, dudewheresmybass said:

Long post alert!!

I’ve played a fair few sig models over the years in various shops, but never felt the need to actually buy one. 

The geddy was nice, but I don’t really do jazz basses- the pups just don’t do it for me. Although i did enjoy the clankyness. 

The nate Mendel was ok. Nothing overly special for me. 

Marcus millers fender was ok, but I just didn’t gel with it. 

Rob trujillo’s tobias- although not a sig, it was his actual instrument. Beautiful through and through, but didn’t have the £700 needed at the time

the mike dirnt fender- I have no interest in green day whatsoever, but I really liked this bass. Simple, effective and a lovely design.  Dry sorely tempted there

thise are the ‘greatest hits’ if you will, but it leads me to the only actual sig I own currently. 

I have a cij mark2 Steve Harris precision. The one with the blue sparkle body. 

I tried one of these at the old digital village store in Romford and to put it quite simply it was the best p bass I had ever played. The neck is fat, it has a maple neck, is not light and felt like home. 

I walked away crestfallen, without he wherewithal to buy 😢

fast forward a couple of years and I tried the mark 3 West Ham model. 

Same lovely neck and tone, but with anything football related on it is a no no for me. Colours I could deal with, but a bloody great logo? Nah. 

I finally managed to get my hands on one two or three years ago, and it has not disappointed one iota. It records beautifully, and live it sounds immense through my rig. 

Any that know me know that I’m a big harris fan and only play initially because I watched live after death too many times lol. Despite the association and colour scheme (blue and mirror plate ) it is quite simply an amazing p bass. 

I own the Steve Harris blue sparkly bass and I must say it feels like an instrument. I actually like the weight of it. I have tried the west ham logo bass but the neck seems a bit thinner imo.

Yes , good old Live After Death brings back memories.

Edited by SH73
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6 hours ago, Combed20 said:

I would also like to try the new Duff McKagan. 

Highly recommended; it’s a great, powerful, punchy P bass. 
 

I’ve actually just moved mine on. I loved it but I just always reach for one of my Jazzes and it was a pity to see it not getting used.

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I dont buy any unless they have the features and price I want.

I own a yngwie strat, and am waiting on delivery of a geddy lee bass.

 

Unofficially I have a 93 strat plus that is the precursor to the Jeff Beck and Clapton Sig strats. 

I have an 89 Charvel spectrum, and a Jackson SL4X which are again unofficial Sig models of Jeff Beck.

I have an 83 Earl Slick Phantom too.

I have a mudbucker in the neck of my MIJ pbass because I'm not spending 2k plus on a Sheehan  Yamaha, but I would like to.

Here's a bunch of random pics of the above guitars. 

20190222_175956_2.jpg

20190428_211738_2.jpg

20180605_021116_2.jpg

20180221_145017_2.jpg

20180405_200758_2.jpg

 

That's the set list from this picture. 

 

image.gif

7-F83-BB56-1366-464-E-996-E-2-FC14-D7218

 

 

 

 

Edited by AngelDeVille
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