Fender Missed the Boat...

[psycho gun]

I don't have a "Psycho Gun" signature model...

(OK, I'm leavin' right now...)

seriously now : no Syd Barret ? no Steve Cropper ? no Jimmy Page ?...

[Elliot Easton]

Originally Posted by psycho gun

no Steve Cropper ? no Jimmy Page ?...

the thing to remember is, some of these guys may have been approached and weren't interested in having a sig model...

[Scotland]

Originally Posted by Guitar_Ninja

I don't really care for Slipknot, but I have to say I love their La Bamba cover.

That was funny....REALLY funny. Clapton shreds category

[kreyzgym]

Stone Sour were one of my favourite bands for quite some time.
I think any of you who are saying Jim Root is undeserving of a signature guitar are way off it.

He is as much deserving of a signature guitar as any other guitarist as talented as he, no matter what music he plays.

[Joe Chaney]

in my personal, probably controversial opinion, signature teles should be done away with
1. Who wants to sound EXACTLY the same as someone else
2. Who wants to sound EXACTLY the same as everyone else who buys this signature tele
3. Modding your guitar to make it YOUR guitar is cheap enough now days with likes of GFS
4.more often than not, you can get a sound thats pretty close to your favorite player on any normal tele, (jim root is an acception, as i can't think of an other tele with dual active hummers)
5. at the end of the day, a tele is 2 bits of would bolted together, with some simple electronics, how different can they all be?

[kreyzgym]

Originally Posted by Joe Chaney

5. at the end of the day, a tele is 2 bits of would bolted together, with some simple electronics, how different can they all be?

Even completely disregarding "character", I'd say they are all different!

[Elliot Easton]

Originally Posted by Joe Chaney

in my personal, probably controversial opinion, signature teles should be done away with
1. Who wants to sound EXACTLY the same as someone else

Don't worry, you never will.

[Joe Chaney]

Originally Posted by kreyzgym

Even completely disregarding "character", I'd say they are all different!

good point there, scratch that one

[rogerzilla]

Originally Posted by Southern ILL

Fender did approach and make a few Keef prototypes......But when Keef was informed of the price they were gonna charge he wanted no part of having his name on such a overpriced signature guitar.......Keefs alright in my book..I love ya' Keef !!!

Dave Gilmour said much the same thing when Fender approached him about making a replica of his Black Strat.

[Flat357]

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by Joe Chaney

in my personal, probably controversial opinion, signature teles should be done away with
1. Who wants to sound EXACTLY the same as someone else

Well, you could say this argument is a double edged sword. If you buy a stock Tele, aren't you going to sound just like everyone else who bought a stock Tele?

Signature models are just another form of hero worship. Nothing wrong with that. Did you (collective "YOU" not singling out "YOU") ever hang up a poster of your favorite band, team, player, Farah Faucet? No different than buying a signature guitar. Only, you can do something other than look at a signature guitar. So, you can have a real piece of your hero, and imitate him as well, in your bedroom. Much like putting on the Superman jammies and jumping off of your bed. Or hitting that 15' jumper with 1 second left, just like Mike.

And, well, if you have, what, and extra $15K laying around, you can pretend to be SRV...

Hey, it's not my money. Buy what you want. Just don't try to stop me from buying what I want because you (once again collective "YOU") can't see past your own little world.

Gawd, I'm ready for another relic thread.

[PJ]

Joe Chaney makes some great points. (And, this thread is a bit more
interesting than haggling about relics), especially with Elliot logging-in.
But, If I'm going to drop a grand on a new Tele, that isn't the design
I'd be after. That being said, as much as I like Clapton, the features in his signature Strat don't interest me, either. There don't appear to be many shredders playing Teles. So, Fender's trying to take a noted player and offer his specific guitar to the masses, in order to build appeal in a new segment. That's just good marketing. But, even Chris, who loggied-in earlier on the subject, was wondering about adding a tone circuit (which shouldn't be too tough). So, it appears that particular design has limitations across broad market segments.
So, its a niche product, aimed at a niche segment. Have at it, Fender.
Those guys deserve to enjoy Teles, as well. It's just not for me. And if Fender starts taking the tone circuit out of the amps, I'll stop buying those, as well.

[BroadMaster]

Flat 357, I may have caused his response as I said in my earlier post to Elliot....... Maybe I didn't understand your question....

clearly, now, I can see I did not. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I'm not trying to start an argument here. AS Elliot said.. it's all good.

Originally Posted by Flat357

Whoa .... Slow down guy

It was a genuine question .
Wikipedia says your name was originally Steinberg .
I thought perhaps you may have used Easton as a stage name , hence the question .
Really didn't mean it to sound like an interrogation


Flats

[newtwanger]

Sometimes a "signature" or "inspired by" guitar comes along that grabs me.

These are a couple of examples (sorry Fender, if I want something from you, I make my own. )

Kiefer Sutherland's Gibson
and
Dave Grohl's Gibson

While neither are "Guitar Hero's" (at all) these are two of the most beautiful guitars I've ever seen. I have no need for Yngvie's scallops, J5s 3 pickups, Andy Summers' electronics (though I respect them all) or a guitar that looks just like somebody I admires' but if attaching a name to a guitar results in making a GOOD guitar with features that normally wouldn't come along, well hide the name somewhere and pass it to me.

[PJ]

If the marketing guys at Fender watched the SlipKnot video that's attached to this thread and came away saying "Wow....we need to pay tribute to that guitar player, and offer a new signature guitar based on his Tele," it's a sad day at Fender. Say a prayer for Leo.

[petebradt]

Signature models are about the dumbest marketing idea I've ever heard of. I suppose there are some sucked in by that hype, but I sure as hell am not. Even if they wanted to make a Petebradt sig model. I think it's a dumb idea.

[DougieLove]

Originally Posted by PJ

If the marketing guys at Fender watched the SlipKnot video that's attached to this thread and came away saying "Wow....we need to pay tribute to that guitar player, and offer a new signature guitar based on his Tele," it's a sad day at Fender. Say a prayer for Leo.

[Blazer]

Originally Posted by Elliot Easton

It was Vintage Guitar Magazine. Willie Moseley is a great guy.

I love that mag, it's a good reminder that there are even bigger guitar nuts out there.

Anyway. Fender does seem to have a good eye for fast selling models and people who play them. Heck they even have a husband and wife with Signature models. Because Sum41 frontman Deryck Whibley and his wife Avril Lavigne both have signature model telecasters and with both of them riding high on fame and inspiring young people to pick up guitars, it's a smart move on their part and with Squier's newly found better-bang-for-the-buck-than-before quality they also get hold of some pretty well made instruments.


The Squier Avril Lavigne telecaster (Esquire?)


The Squier Deryck Whibley Telecaster.

And it goes without saying that both of these signature models are NOT normal teles with a name on their headstocks.

[timmer]

Originally Posted by Elliot Easton

I too have a Gibson Signature model, but I really worked at it to make an instrument that is really personalized and built to different specs than a standard model. I can tell you, at least in my case, it's not just a regular model with my name on it.

Can you tell us more about your SG?

I saw one "way up high" at Guitar Center and I must say it's a looker! The salesman asked me it I wanted to check it out but I declined because I had recently broken my collar bone and couldn't really do much but look at the time.

[Chrismeyer]

Elliot hit on a point that I think went by some people.
Does anyone really believe that if you have ANY sig guitar that YOU'RE gonna SOUND like the artist it's named for cause that's just crazy talk!
Does anyone think that you'll be able to play the licks that ONLY SRV could play with the love and heart and soul that made SRV's sound unique?
NOT!
Better yet,if I'm not mistaken EVERYONE that has their own sig model had their personal sound and style when they got thier guitars from local music shops in thier home towns!
No guitar can give you anything you can't get from your hands.Sure the right pups help and even more,the right amp helps,but it's not gonna get you anything you don't have to earn first.
Any talk of"I gotta get that sig guitar so I can sound like (insert fav player here) is stupid.
You get any guitar because it's utility's and sonic abilities are what YOU need for YOU.
Duh

[Gareth John]

Signature models have been around for YEARS (Les Pauls etc), and you wouldn't be playing a telecaster if you weren't influenced in someway by somebody to play them. I think variety is the key, Fender obviously pic a high profile artist, and come up with a guitar that's different and sells on different levels. If I wanted an EMG loaded Fender, then the Jim Root is fine for me. A good addition to the range in my book. I think Elliot it right in saying that perhaps some of your favourite artists may have been approached and turned them down. Also it is ironic how a Gibson owened company blatantly copies a tele. How long before Fender Les Pauls...mahogany body, two humbuckers, quilt maple top...We're not far off!
Have to agree with Blazer on the Squier range.

[Flat357]