Just flippin through the latest guitar rag today. I like to see whats new and hip these days. Anyway I keep noticing that about every month some guitar manufacturer is coming out with another signature model guitar. I'm not just talking Fender but all of them.
To me it seems that manufacturers have just gotten lazy. I mean, instead of putting in the R&D to come up with better designs or improving existing models they are just finding the hottest guitar player of the moment, asking him or her what they want in a guitar, calling it the(insert megastar guitar hero name here)Signature model and try to make a buck off of their popularity.
Like I said, I'm not just knocking Fender. I think ESP guitars are the worst offender. I just wonder if it's just me or does anyone else think the way I do.

Peace

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The time has gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say.

You know, I have been noticing that lately. If anyone wants a Signature guitar buy a Strat and customize it! But don't buy another Signature of someone else. I mean nobody wants to get famous off somebody elses guitar, right?
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"I just go where the guitar takes me" Angus Young

There will always be fanboys that want what thier hero has and the guitar companies all know it. If that's what they have to do to make a buck and stay in business so they can keep making American Standard and Deluxe guitars for the rest of us then I'm ok with that. But, you will never see me playing a signature series guitar. I want to find my own sound and my own setup that I like. That's what music is about to me.

I thought that if I got all the signature products and gear that my favorite player either uses or endorses, that I would automatically sound and play like my favorite player...

So you mean to tell me no matter how much Zakk Wylde guitars, amps, and effects I get will not make me sound like Zakk? I thought I just had to get the same gear as my favorite players in order to instantly sound and play like them...I thought I could do that instead of practicing...

Okay, if I cannot sound like Zakk after getting all his gear, what about Dimebag? Maybe if I get Randalls and Krank amps, and Washburn and Dean guitars, I can sound and play like he did, right?.....

I'm not sure if its lazy manufacturers or dumb*ss customers...I mean the guitar companies might be lazy, but people didn't buy them, they wouldn't keep making more of them.

I actually blame a lot of it on the internet. Before the internet, in the 80s I heard about players using various gear, but wouldn't know where or how to find it...These days though, as soon as some people hear that so-and-so uses such and such, people are doing web searches and posting on forums on where to find one or how to get one...So instead of people coming up with their own ideas from limited contact from others, people seem to be using other peoples ideas from unlimited contact with others.

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RAMA LAMA FA FA FA

Amen Joe!
I don't play bulls%#t "modelling" amps either. I really despise those things. My hands, my guitar (modifed by me the way I want it), my effects, and my amp, make my tone/sound.

Be your own musician, play your own way. Seek to emulate your heroes to a certain degree, that just shows admiration, but by parroting them I think you cheapen yourself and your abilities. How's the music gonna grow if everyone is copying everyone else.

As to the lazy guitar companies issue . . . . looking at it realistically guitar design has about maxed out. The good looking, functional shapes have all been done. What's left is weird pointy looking crap, or strange combinations of two existing designs.

At least in the USA we are a culture that has been brought up to place great value on "new and improved" so that's what they try to give us. Does it sound better than last years model (or the guitar in your hands) probably not, but some jackhole will buy it just because it's the "new thing".

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

What are their other options?

They try to introduce modifications to existing models, and people get upset because they're not "traditional."

Look at what Gibson has done in the past few years...

2008 Les Paul Standard with asymmetrical neck and locking jack... people complain about how it departs from the original Les Paul design.

Raw Power SG and Les Paul - people complain that it's made of maple instead of mahogany

Chambered Les Pauls - people complain about the chambers.



You notice these people aren't complaining about the stop-bar tailpiece or the humbuckers, even though they depart from the "original" Les Paul. They also seem to forget that the instrument Les Paul designed was much more like a modern ES model than a "Les Paul."

Its because people buy them for the name. Sure some buy because they like a feature or so that is incorperated in the guitar but a lot more buy them because they are one of the named player wannabees. And that don't mean if you own a Signature model you are a wannabee because you notice I did say some buy for the features. No panties in a wad please but think about all the kids out there getting there hero players guitar. Like man I got to have that SRV guitar if I ever want to sound like SRV, yea right! Thats what does it! Marketing keeps the guitar companies in business.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

+1

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

To me it depends on what the guitar offers .I for one am a SRV fanatic but I would not want to buy an artist series SRV model because of the big sticker on it which makes you look like a SRV wanabee.Like I have mentione I have a Beck and Clapton artist series guitar,and yes they are 2 of my idols but they were bought more for what the guitar offered and how it played than to copy them in any way ,And unless someone is a keen guitar player thay are not going to know they are artist series .On the other hand a Zack Wylde Les Paul with the bullseye is just way to much or Eddies red and white striped guitar screams clone.I really liked the Johnny 5 telecaster and if it was not for that head stock I would of got one If anyone wants to check out what I think is the best original guitar in the last twenty years get a Wolfgang.The feel ,desighn .that Neck,body shape and sound is off the chart.And now that Fender is doing a version I am going to have to grab another (as it is the same body and neck so I know what I am getting)to see what they have done to it but thats one giutar outside of a tele or strat that I will always have in my collection

This may sound crazy, but i think the artist are now the R&D for manufactures. They take the stock models and modify them to gt th tone or sound they become famous for. Like Clapton's strat, to get that warm fuzzy humbucker tone, they added the tone boost and now he could use a strat and get that Gibson like he did with his SG, Les Paul or ES335. Springsteen now uses Joe Bardens on most of his teles. His famous Esquire/Tele had a clapton type power boost for his sound because he used to use a 100 foot guitar cable to cover his ramblings all over the stage. Made that sucker hot, hence the Joe Bardens. No big time player plays a guitar out of the box. They either fiddle or tinker with it or have their tech modify it to their specs.

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Lite Ash Tele, Partcaster Black Nashville Tele with Jason Lollars, Blues DeVille 410, Lunchbox 200 Watt Amp, Martin RTGE 00016 Acoustic