Hi all.

I was just looking the other day at all the Artist model guitar that have been or are available and it really got me thinking, half of these guys (Or gals) I have no clue who they are or how it is they got a signature model made for them.

Now I get that in a free market the only criteria that maters is, "Does it sell".
If no one buys it, then it goes away, but sometimes I just wonder if there should be a standard that should be applied to this before they get to have there signature on the headstock.

When you see a signature model with like Clapton, Vaughan, Johnson Blackmore, Malmsteen or Guy, you most likely know at least WHO they are.

I just wonder how a company comes to the judgment that an artist is ready for one.

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Marriage is like playing cards...

At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.

it has nothing to do with the artist being worth or a good enough player. it has to do only with what will sell and bring in profit.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

The way I see it is that when you reach the point when you can afford to buy any guitar you want or have one made to your most outrageous specs that's when they give you your own model guitar and give you and endless supply of them.Life's funny like that.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

++++++1

It has nothing to do with talent or "when you reach the point when you can afford to buy any guitar you want or have one made to your most outrageous specs". It's all about what will $ell and what is popular (even if it just fleeting popularity). Case in point: the Avril Lavigne signature Squier Tele.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

Billy Corgan strat

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

Artist guitars are a joke. Marketing tool to separate you from your money is all they are.

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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

I couldn't give a rat's fookin' azz about some shmuck's signature on a headstock. When I step on stage, the only name I want to see on my guitar is Leo's.

Period, end of story, nothing follows.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I like the idea of a signature series guitar/bass. It just means more variety. Roscoe Beck should be awarded for his...

Who's to say exactly when an artist deserves one?

Metropolis I had my tongue firmly planted in my cheek when I made my remark.I know it all boils down to who is going to bring the biggest profits but you must agree that just about everyone who has gotten a signature line of guitar is maggoty rich by then-it's pretty ironic.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

So, you play a G&L?

Hmm...

...and if memory serves, artist models began with Les Paul's name on an instrument, because Gibson did not necessarily want to "take all the responsibility" for a ssolidbody electric guitar in their (jazzbox, flattop and mandolin) line...?

Not im my neck of the woods. Clapton, Vaughn- yes. The rest, I had to search to find who they were. Koetzen, ...WTH? who is that? John Mayer & Clapton- is probably the only two who are well known to the non-guitar masses

Im so glad we have search engines & youtube now

I think they should also localise artists too. The only artist that bears a sig guitar in my locale is Angus Young- and that's in Australia!! I know they did a hank marvin in the UK (the only reason I know him is because my dad forced me to listen to Cliff Richard!!! )

I guess the next will be Orianthi- but till then most of the artists that bear there names on guitars I have never heard of, and probably unless I really put effort into finding out who they are and listening to them on youtube.

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I think she is already working with Paul Reed Smith to develop her own signature axe...she's got chops, but I don't get into shredders that much.

...it will be sad if she gets her own sig model so soon (especially with PRS), since the greatest ambassador of PRS guitars, David Grissom (of Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, Storyville and Dixie Chicks fame) only recently got his own, after playing them for 25+ years!

...but then again, he was never a pop star.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Since Fender doesn't know who I am (okay, nobody knows who I am ), I had to make my own signature model Stratocaster...

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

The guitar company, based on what they think will sell the most guitars not how talented the player is. If it was about talent then you would see a bunch of no name guys with signature guitars.

_________________
Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!