signature basses

[BaggyMan]

So, who out there bought into the signature bass market?

and how did it work out.

 

My stories

1. Billy Sheehan

Guitar 1.  A Yamaha ltd pacifica, budget friendly "single out with a guitar hum bucker at the neck" version.  Needed a fret job to prevent blood loss, in the end. Swapped out the bucker for a real Dimarzio,  good sounding bass. also added a d-tuner that never got used. Looked the part though.

Guitar 2.  A proper £1000+ Mk1 Billy Sheehan Pacifica.  Huge in every way, sound neck.  Beast of a bass. 

Conclusion:  The proper one sounded great ...as long as you wanted 'that Billy' sound. seems like a dumb thing to expect it to be all things to all men...but its was brilliant at its job but nothing outside (cue: howls of Pacifica owner rage comments..)

2. Geddy Lee

Bought in early to this and got a CIJ Jazz.  What a bass..loved it.clanky and very Geddy like. Terrible machine heads...

Conclusion: More like a Jazz than a 'Geddy only' bass.  Great neck (marmite comment I know some people dont like thin necks). 

A mate of mine owned a twin neck Wal for a spell (he collected Wal's..) apparently the number 2 of 2 originally designed for Jonas Hellborg, midi, fretless huge.  In the end a novelty coffee table sized bass.

So who else...Macca hofner,  the fella from the foo's p bass, more exotic one off's .  Interested how people have get on trying to swim in the same pool as their hero's...Was it worth it? 

 

 

[Graham]

I've had two signature basses: an Ibanez K5 - the Korn model and a Lakland Duck Dunn

Neither were really bought because of the connection with the named player, with the Lakland, you wouldn't have known to look at it, it just looked like a red precision, but because they were good basses.

The Duck Dunn sounded superb - just like a really good Precision, but it was a) heavy and b) had a very narrow neck, which I never quite gelled with. I replaced it with a G&L SB2

The Ibanez was my second ever bass and my first five string, a pretty good bass, though the pickups and pre-amp were a bit weak, with an electronics upgrade it would have been great. I swapped this for a MIM Jazz.

[Roger2611]

It's all about marketing isn't it!

I have a (now much upgraded) Squier Mike Dirnt Precision, which is probably absolutely nothing like Mike Dirnt's actual basses, is it a decent bass...definitely, is it even close to the actual bass he plays....err no!

We supported Midge Ure a few years back and he went on stage with a totally stock, out of the box, Vintage V100MU signature guitar, so I guess in his case his signature guitar is the one he plays and we can buy one for under 400 squids and never sound anything like Midge does

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 4, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[thebigyin]

I have a Pancho Tomaselli signature ESP PT-4 Jazz Bass (Black) swamp ash body, maple neck/fretboard with beautiful block inlays, emg x pups, gotoh hardware....lovely playing Bass but just a tad to much of a Rock look to it for my personal preference....fancied something different when I bought it, but would prefer a traditional Jazz or Precision to be honest, but a fabulous Bass.

Edited October 28, 2019 by thebigyin

[Graham]

2 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

I wouldn't say I bought into it as such.

Like @Graham, I had a K5, which I tried in a shop for a laugh, but really liked, enough to buy one later. Did a really good job of a clear, defined, modern tone, and very easy to play. The main reason that I moved it on was that the oiled finish left orange stains on my shirt when I sweated! I wasn't really keen on the K5 inlay either.

I wasn't wild about that inlay either, it was quite in your face - no ambiguity about which model it was.

[dave_bass5]

Ive had a couple of Lakland Duck Dunn's, a DJ5 and a MM Sire V7. Never bothered me who's name was on it, i went for the specs and look.

[Bassfinger]

Tricky. I'm a big admirer of Phil Lynott's playing.  The downside is I prefer the Jazz to the Precision.  Upside is Lynott used a Jazz early in his career.  Downside is there are few pictures of that particular bass, and zilch information out there to enable me to recreate it.  So, I'm just building a Jazz to suit me instead.

[ahpook]

I have two sig basses bought for their own qualities....I'd not buy a bass just because of the person who played them.

I have a Jack Casady bass - a lovely instrument, only marred by its neck dive. It's a testament to how much I like it that I decided to keep it despite the ergonomics. Usually I have no patience at all with instruments that don't balance on me, but it sounds and plays so well that it's remained in my possession.

I've also got a Geddy Lee sig...mainly as it seemed to match the spec of my beloved '62 reissue jazz very closely and I fancied a spare....and I quite liked the bling . Loved it at first, but now find that my '86 reissue just 'has it' - I think the Geddy Lee is just too clanky for my taste.

Interestingly I'd never even listened to any Rush until I started thinking about buying the GL Jazz and wanting to get an idea of the type of sound I could expect !

Edited October 30, 2019 by ahpook

[dave_bass5]

11 minutes ago, ahpook said:

I have a Jack Casady bass - a lovely instrument, only marred by its neck dive. It's a testament to how much I like it that I decided to keep it despite the ergonomics. Usually I have no patience at all with instruments that don't balance on me, but it sounds and plays so well that it's remained in my possession.

Oh yeah, i forgot i had one of those. Loved it, but found it painful to play for too long.

[EBS_freak]

BBNE2 - just because it's an awesome bass. There's nothing really Nathan embedded on it - apart from the 12 fret inlay. Which isn't cheesy, so I guess it passes ok.

Edited October 28, 2019 by EBS_freak

[40hz]

Modulus Flea. The best bass I've ever had, nothing comes close. 

I had a Geddy Lee that was quite decent, skinny neck and a really punchy, bright tone. It weighed about 11-12lbs though!

Edited October 28, 2019 by 40hz

[Lozz196]

I’ve had both Fender Duff McKagan & Mike Dirnt basses, both great but I’ve realised that I just prefer the US Standards to any others.

[BigRedX]

I've owned one signature bass and was interested in buying another. However in neither case was I even remotely interested in the players for whom these bases were originally designed, but rather I liked the specifications of the basses themselves.

The bass I owned was the Yamaha BJ5B, which was the signature bass for Terry And The Blue Jeans - a Japanese surf band of whom I was vaguely aware as at the time I was playing in band that had surf music among our various influences. What attracted me to the bass though was the fact that it was the only way of getting a Yamaha SBV shaped bass in a 5-string variant. The bass itself was incredibly rare being made in a limited edition of only 50 but luckily one came up for sale second hand on the Ishibashi web site. When the bass arrived it turned out to be essentially a Yamaha TRB5 with an SBV shape. It was massive and heavy, and too big to use on most of the stages we played without being a danger to both the other band members and any audience down the front. I used it at a handful of gigs we played on bigger and higher stages and then sold it on to someone in Sweden at a small loss.

The bass I was interested in buying was the Reverend Rumblefish Brad Houser. I had no idea who Brad House was before I saw this bass, and having listened to some of his music I can honestly say I am not particularly impressed by it. However it was a Rumblefish 5-string bass with humbucking pickups, based on what I liked and what I didn't like about my Rumblefish 5L bass, it should have been a marked improvement. Unfortunately they only made a few more of these (79) than the Yamaha and combined with Rumblefish basses having a massively enthusiastic following in the US I was never able to track one down to actually own.

Edited October 28, 2019 by BigRedX

[jezzaboy]

I bought a Nate Mendel P bass as the shape and size of the neck is ideal for me. Not really a Foo`s fan but the bass has stayed whilst many others have come and gone. Everyone needs a P bass in their life 

[odysseus]

Had a Japanese Geddy Lee jazz off a member on here.  I liked it a lot and did a shedload of gigs with it.  I then moved into active basses and sold it on along with a Squier that I had as a back up.  I'd like to try the American Geddy....

[NancyJohnson]

I owned a Geddy Lee Jazz.  It was OK, although I was probably more enamoured with the way it looked, although profess a little disappointment that the fingerboard blocks were painted on. Gone!

A Waterstone Tom Petersson 12-string. Difficulty getting a decent tone from it really.  Didn't fit with anything I did.  Gone!

[Edit]  God, yes.  Lakland DJ5.  I forgot this one.

One of my Lulls is a Jeff Ament/Pearl Jam model, a JAXT4.  I just adore the oversized body, the neck profile and the tone.  I suppose I also love it from the perspective that it's not been produced in big numbers either, I think Lull had made about a dozen tops when I got mine.

Edited October 28, 2019 by NancyJohnson

[Cuzzie]

Sandberg MarloweDK bass, probably the best jazz bass out there

[Graham]

4 hours ago, Graham said:

I've had two signature basses: an Ibanez K5 - the Korn model and a Lakland Duck Dunn

Neither were really bought because of the connection with the named player, with the Lakland, you wouldn't have known to look at it, it just looked like a red precision, but because they were good basses.

The Duck Dunn sounded superb - just like a really good Precision, but it was a) heavy and b) had a very narrow neck, which I never quite gelled with. I replaced it with a G&L SB2

The Ibanez was my second ever bass and my first five string, a pretty good bass, though the pickups and pre-amp were a bit weak, with an electronics upgrade it would have been great. I swapped this for a MIM Jazz.

Oh yeah......Somehow I forgot my main bass now is a signature model - Lakland Daryl Jones 5

I think it's because I don't know much about the player, I just love the bass as a really good jazz 5

[silverfoxnik]

As a general rule, I'm not in the slightest bit interested in owning a bass that's endorsed in any way, or is a signature model...my brain just doesn't work like that. 

However, I just loved the look of the Fender Roscoe Beck 5 String bass when I first saw one around 2006 - which was a good few years after they were introduced.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit that, at the time, I had no idea who Roscoe Beck was! So in a way, the bass led me to the musician, not the other way around... 

As it happened, I found the research about him really interesting and learning about the design philosophy he had for the bass made it even more intriguing. 

So, when I finally got one in 2007, I absolutely loved it and since then, I've had 5 of them.. and happily, I still love the look, playability, sound and ergonomics of them. 

The only reason I've had so many of them over the years is because the dreaded Basschat fuelled GAS demons got the better of me and I stupidly sold them, only to then regret being such an idiot! 😁

Funny thing is, I don't particularly like the look of the 4 string model so have never wanted to own one?? 

Having said all of that, there are lots of signature model basses out there that I like the look of - the Nate Mendel being one for example - but none so far (other than the RBV) that have  motivated enough to go out and get one. 

[BrunoBass]

I’ve owned two signature basses. Neither were acquired due to any desire to emulate the player whose name was on the headstock. 
 

The first was a Fender Duff McKagan which I tried in a store and was blown away by, so I took the plunge. I quite like some of Guns ’n Roses stuff but I’m not a huge fan, and I’m not that keen on Mr McKagan’s tone either. It’s just a great bass in it’s own right. 
 

The second is the ubiquitous Geddy Lee Jazz. I love Jazz Basses anyway and own several. This one has a slim, easy neck and an aggressive tone which I like and is perfect for my band. I didn’t know who Mr Lee was until recently, and would struggle to name even a couple of Rush songs.

My point being, I judged both instruments on their merits rather than any association with a signatory bass player. They’re great basses and the identity of the player behind them is irrelevant to me.

Edited October 28, 2019 by BrunoBass

[AndyTravis]

I’ve owned loads, based on the specs more than the player. Some based on the player, just because...

Geddy x 2, Marcus Miller, Jack Casady, Robert DeLeo, Roger Waters, Nate Mendel, Billy Sheehan Yamaha, Mark King Status...A Fender Custom Shop Sting 50’s P (not officially a Sting bass, but it was based on his 56 warts an all) A Roscoe Beck, and a Stu Hamm.

What else...oh a Macca “Cavern” Hofner.

And these (the Yamaha hasn’t been released yet 😂)

Edited October 28, 2019 by AndyTravis

[Aenar]

I own two, only two signature basses I've ever really had;

Yamaha RBXJM2; It was the second bass I bought. Bought from the local store, I wanted a 6 string because I used to play on my brothers TRB and I loved it. My other bass was also a Yamaha so it was natural for me to go with another Yamaha and the JM2 was by far the best in the RBX at the time and half the price compared to the TRBs. Still have and is probably the bass I've played the most throughout the years even though it sees little use these days. Fantastic instrument though, it still plays fairly decent and the truss rod has never been adjusted and I've had it for 14 years now.

Ibanez K5; Who haven't had one of these? Affordable, nice instruments with a decent sound, well rounded for metal. I've recorded two albums with it and they've turned out pretty good. It's now my go-to live bass for one of my bands. Sadly it sits in the rehearsal space in the other end of Norway so I never get to play it regularily. I made a speedramp for it and refinished the back of the neck to make it even smoother. I've never been an avid fan of Korn though, but I like Life is Peachy.. 

[Dood]

I had a Gerald Veasley 6 string. It wasn't really the name on the bass I was interested in, though Gerald, not only a great player, but a super friendly guy to talk to, helped me make my selection; It was actually the 14mm spacing that was absolutely brilliant fun. 

[thodrik]

Never had a signature bass but I own a Gibson Les Paul, which is a signature in a way. 

However, I did buy a Gibson EB3 when I was 15 purely because I loved Jack Bruce and Andy Fraser. 

If I could own any signature bass it would be the Warwick Jack Bruce Cream Reinion bass. That was a real stunner of an instrument. But the price...

Edited October 28, 2019 by thodrik