Signature basses....turn on or turn off?

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

3 minutes ago, martthebass said:

Some truly awesome basses there Warren.  If I could sell a kidney the one it would be funding is the purple Modulus!

 
Thanks Martin. I’m very lucky and have a very patient and understanding wife.

Regarding the ‘purple one’, if you managed to sell any of your body parts, you would be some way back in a queue of interested parties.

[drTStingray]

1 hour ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

 
Thanks Martin. I’m very lucky and have a very patient and understanding wife.

Regarding the ‘purple one’, if you managed to sell any of your body parts, you would be some way back in a queue of interested parties.

Awesome signature basses - as well as one of the nicest Wals I’ve ever seen - and talking of queues, do you still have two (yes two) NAMM 100 Stingrays? (Don’t tell me, you’ve acquired another 😀)

 

You’re right the LK Rickenbacker is an acquired taste - the standard Rick sort of Art Deco look, combined with gothic looking carving is a strange but alluring look!! 😂

Edited October 21, 2021 by drTStingray

[4000]

16 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

 

Not knocking Ric's, but I was on the hunt for a 4001CS some years ago and finding a good one was particularly difficult. I gave up in the end. I think I'm right in saying the earlier ones were deemed more desirable?

The ones I saw/played that were up for sale had issues with their finish despite being most of them being case queens.

Yeah, they’re notorious for having finish issues. The paint they used just wasn’t very stable, everything bled into it. Happened to both mine. The earlier ones had longer, more accurate headstocks and thinner necks, which mirrors the V63 construction by year, although contrary to other people’s experiences (maybe just because I’m very anal😂) I haven’t found the CSs and V63s to sound the same; all the V63s I owned/played seem to be more open, more airy, which I typically prefer. I think the change was around ‘97, maybe ‘98. I had a V63 with a shorter headstock and much thicker neck from ‘98; my ‘91 CS had the long headstock and the thinnest neck and the ‘96 also had the long headstock and a fractionally bulkier neck than the ‘91, but still half the size of the V63. Weirdly the ‘98 V63 I had was the lightest of the 3 by some margin, although it wasn’t particularly typical in that sense. 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

16 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

Awesome signature basses - as well as one of the nicest Wals I’ve ever seen - and talking of queues, do you still have two (yes two) NAMM 100 Stingrays? (Don’t tell me, you’ve acquired another 😀)

 

You’re right the LK Rickenbacker is an acquired taste - the standard Rick sort of Art Deco look, combined with gothic looking carving is a strange but alluring look!! 😂

 

Yes, I still have the two NAMM 100's. I think are a few other owners lurking here too. Fantastic basses they are.

 

Yes, I can understand that some don't get the LK and that's just fine by me. Some of them are really quite darkly oiled which gives them a different look.

 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

2 minutes ago, 4000 said:

Yeah, they’re notorious for having finish issues. The paint they used just wasn’t very stable, everything bled into it. Happened to both mine. The earlier ones had longer, more accurate headstocks and thinner necks, which mirrors the V63 construction by year, although contrary to other people’s experiences (maybe just because I’m very anal😂) I haven’t found the CSs and V63s to sound the same; all the V63s I owned/played seem to be more open, more airy, which I typically prefer. I think the change was around ‘97, maybe ‘98. I had a V63 with a shorter headstock and much thicker neck from ‘98; my ‘91 CS had the long headstock and the thinnest neck and the ‘96 also had the long headstock and a fractionally bulkier neck than the ‘91, but still half the size of the V63. Weirdly the ‘98 V63 I had was the lightest of the 3 by some margin, although it wasn’t particularly typical in that sense. 

 

Yes, not a straightforward endeavour by any means. I did see one of the early ones for sale in Italy many years ago and it did look very good, but the price wasn't so appealing 😂. I might have been willing to pay the ticket if I could have given it the once over in person.

[Hacksawbob]

Lee Sklar's Frakenbass would be nice if such a thing existed.

 

[gareth]

Yep

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by gareth

[martthebass]

46 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

 

Yes, I still have the two NAMM 100's. I think are a few other owners lurking here too. Fantastic basses they are.

 

Yes, I can understand that some don't get the LK and that's just fine by me. Some of them are really quite darkly oiled which gives them a different look.

 

 

That's just being greedy......... 

 

[drTStingray]

52 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

 

Yes, I still have the two NAMM 100's. I think are a few other owners lurking here too. Fantastic basses they are.

 

Yes, I can understand that some don't get the LK and that's just fine by me. Some of them are really quite darkly oiled which gives them a different look.

 

Upper one for me if you ever think of selling 😏😁 I know you’re not though - certainly top end of my list of wants!! (Do they have strings through as well). 

[4000]

1 hour ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

 

Yes, not a straightforward endeavour by any means. I did see one of the early ones for sale in Italy many years ago and it did look very good, but the price wasn't so appealing 😂. I might have been willing to pay the ticket if I could have given it the once over in person.

That’s usually your best bet.
 

I do wish I still had one, although as I mentioned I’d have done a bit of work to them. Neither cost an arm and a leg by current standards, although they weren’t cheap either. The ‘96 (new) I think cost me £999; I had to order it. The ‘91 (used) came without case and certificate- and indeed original back pickup, although I replaced that - and was around £1600. 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

21 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

Upper one for me if you ever think of selling 😏😁 I know you’re not though - certainly top end of my list of wants!! (Do they have strings through as well). 

Yes, they are indeed string through instruments. 

[Mister RLP]

I don't intentionally collect signature basses - they just seem to accumulate. More likely they have a) a great playability that suits or b) they have earned their keep. I don't go looking for signature basses on the whole. The three basses I currently have are:

• A black/maple Matt Freeman precision. I had no idea who Matt Freeman was/is when I bought it - it was a damn good bass. Still is. Now struggler's with TI flats.
• A Fender Flea jazz. Now I have heard of Flea...Admire his skills and playing but not a huge fan of RHCP. I picked up one in Andertons when I was looking at fretless basses just to see what all the fuss was about. Wow. Great pickups, nice neck, etc. The music teacher (gigging musician) at my school thinks it's the best bass he has ever heard. I sort of got it as I wanted something close to Herbie Flower's bass. The Flea is strung with black tape wounds - although not in this pic. Now, that is a signature I would be interested in. Next Bass Centre signature? 
• A Betsy bass. This may be the one I got because it's a signature. I wanted a more modern sounding bass in contrast with the two above. This has the stock strings (Elites) still on it. Plays like a dream. 

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Mister RLP

[police squad]

23 minutes ago, Mister RLP said:

I don't intentionally collect signature basses - they just seem to accumulate. More likely they have a) a great playability that suits or b) they have earned their keep. I don't go looking for signature basses on the whole. The three basses I currently have are:

• A black/maple Matt Freeman precision. I had no idea who Matt Freeman was/is when I bought it - it was a damn good bass. Still is. Now struggler's with TI flats.
• A Fender Flea jazz. Now I have heard of Flea...Admire his skills and playing but not a huge fan of RHCP. I picked up one in Andertons when I was looking at fretless basses just to see what all the fuss was about. Wow. Great pickups, nice neck, etc. The music teacher (gigging musician) at my school thinks it's the best bass he has ever heard. I sort of got it as I wanted something close to Herbie Flower's bass. The Flea is strung with black tape wounds - although not in this pic. Now, that is a signature I would be interested in. Next Bass Centre signature? 
• A Betsy bass. This may be the one I got because it's a signature. I wanted a more modern sounding bass in contrast with the two above. This has the stock strings (Elites) still on it. Plays like a dream. 

 

 

 

same reason I bought a Flea Jazz. Grew up watching Herbie on the show 'Marc'. Had them on video and watched them over and over. Fender made a one off Hebie relic. It was in GAK. Looked awesome. Then it was traded to Limelight and disappeared ti Finland IIRC. I wished I had bought it now.

 

I have  a JMJ Mustang, no idea who he is but man, what a neck and great pickups.

I had most of basses Sting used in the Police, for my tribute band

Had a WHUFC Steve Harris bass. Massive hammers fan me and I liked the neck. Too heavy

Had A Sting P bass. Lovely neck and sound but bought the Bravewood, sold the Sting

Also have a Jerry Donahue 'Vintage' tele. Love the wiring on these

A Slash AFD Les Paul too. Best Les Paul I've owned.

oh and a Brian May red special. Great sounding guitar, used in my 80s band

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, police squad said:

Had a WHUFC Steve Harris bass. Massive hammers fan me and I liked the neck. Too heavy

 

Did the previous blue sparkle version have the same neck profile? I think that unlike the maple-bodied WHUFC it's alder, and quite a bit lighter.

 

But perhaps without the WHUFC paint job you wouldn't be interested amyway?

[Lozz196]

That logo weighs heavy…..

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I have a JMJ which I bought as I had wanted a daphne blue mustang for a long time and its reputation as a great bass - which is well deserved. JMJ's name on the headstock is irrelevant however he did have a lot of input into the spec so its probably a much better bass because of his input.

 

One thing I find a bit silly is signature instruments being issued for players who are no longer with us. Dean's John Entwistle range is the one that comes to mind. I'm not sure whether JE actually ever played a dean so it did seem a but odd. More recently Guild brought out a Bob Marley acoustic guitar based on the guitar Bob strummed at home. The thing is the guitar Bob owned was not actually a Guild but but one of Guild's far Eastern cheap & cheerful brand Maderia which had a less than stellar reputation.

 

As Bob Masrley is not available to demo the guitar they sent one to DJ Khaled for some reason...

 

 

[Jonesy]

The only sig bass I've ever owned was the Epiphone Jack Cassady, I picked it up because it's a lovely hollow body for not a lot of money. I'm not the biggest fan of his work, it's just a really nice bass.

 

I almost bought the Marcus Miller Fender Jazz once, I really liked it and thought it was fairly unique. I don't get sig models that are just a standard axe in their finish. I don't know whats so special about the Dee Dee Ramone sig, I'm sure it's nice, but how different is it to any other white p bass?

 

The name on the headstock doesn't bother me and I don't think I'd buy a bass just because it had the sig of someone I loved on it. Quite the opposite, I have a Mark Tremonti PRS SE, which is a lovely guitar and I'd go so far as saying I bloody hate Creed and Alter Bridge!

[AndyTravis]

39 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

I have a JMJ which I bought as I had wanted a daphne blue mustang for a long time and its reputation as a great bass - which is well deserved. JMJ's name on the headstock is irrelevant however he did have a lot of input into the spec so its probably a much better bass because of his input.

 

One thing I find a bit silly is signature instruments being issued for players who are no longer with us. Dean's John Entwistle range is the one that comes to mind. I'm not sure whether JE actually ever played a dean so it did seem a but odd. More recently Guild brought out a Bob Marley acoustic guitar based on the guitar Bob strummed at home. The thing is the guitar Bob owned was not actually a Guild but but one of Guild's far Eastern cheap & cheerful brand Maderia which had a less than stellar reputation.

 

As Bob Masrley is not available to demo the guitar they sent one to DJ Khaled for some reason...

 

 

At least there was a tenuous link between Marley and the guild, that video is horrific though.

 

JE had never had anything to do with Dean guitars at all…madness.

[Lozz196]

50 minutes ago, Jonesy said:

 I don't know whats so special about the Dee Dee Ramone sig, I'm sure it's nice, but how different is it to any other white p bass?

 

Aside from what I thought was a chunkier than usual neck pretty much nothing, it’s a good Precision but fairly similar to out of the box US Standards.

[Mister RLP]

11 hours ago, police squad said:

same reason I bought a Flea Jazz. Grew up watching Herbie on the show 'Marc'. Had them on video and watched them over and over. Fender made a one off Hebie relic. It was in GAK. Looked awesome. Then it was traded to Limelight and disappeared ti Finland IIRC. I wished I had bought it now.

 

I have  a JMJ Mustang, no idea who he is but man, what a neck and great pickups.

I had most of basses Sting used in the Police, for my tribute band

Had a WHUFC Steve Harris bass. Massive hammers fan me and I liked the neck. Too heavy

Had A Sting P bass. Lovely neck and sound but bought the Bravewood, sold the Sting

Also have a Jerry Donahue 'Vintage' tele. Love the wiring on these

A Slash AFD Les Paul too. Best Les Paul I've owned.

oh and a Brian May red special. Great sounding guitar, used in my 80s band

 

Great minds think alike re Flea/Herbie Flowers. I bought the JMJ Mustang new but the neck came more roadworn than was expected (damaged) so it went back, unfortunately. Great bass though.  

Edited October 23, 2021 by Mister RLP

[jezzaboy]

12 hours ago, police squad said:

same reason I bought a Flea Jazz. Grew up watching Herbie on the show 'Marc'. Had them on video and watched them over and over. Fender made a one off Hebie relic. It was in GAK. Looked awesome. Then it was traded to Limelight and disappeared ti Finland IIRC. I wished I had bought it now.

 

I have  a JMJ Mustang, no idea who he is but man, what a neck and great pickups.

I had most of basses Sting used in the Police, for my tribute band

Had a WHUFC Steve Harris bass. Massive hammers fan me and I liked the neck. Too heavy

Had A Sting P bass. Lovely neck and sound but bought the Bravewood, sold the Sting

Also have a Jerry Donahue 'Vintage' tele. Love the wiring on these

A Slash AFD Les Paul too. Best Les Paul I've owned.

oh and a Brian May red special. Great sounding guitar, used in my 80s band

Didn`t someone on here build or own a replica of Herbie`s bass? Was a few years ago.

[EssentialTension]

12 minutes ago, jezzaboy said:

Didn`t someone on here build or own a replica of Herbie`s bass? Was a few years ago.

 

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/117779-herbie-flowers-jazz-bass-replica/

[Mister RLP]

13 minutes ago, EssentialTension said:

 

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/117779-herbie-flowers-jazz-bass-replica/

 

This is cool. Thanks for posting. Bass Collection Signature? Would they do one? 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Mister RLP

[Bunion]

One signature a Tony Franklin Precision fretless, interest perked by Tony Franklin, purchase bought about by a myriad of great reviews online.

I’m not disappointed. 
 

I also have a Modulus FU4 but for the tone and playability not Flea.
The neck is just amazing, the Lane Poor a beast. 
No decal  but still I guess the same bass minus the Signature. 
 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Bunion

[Maude]

I suppose I've had three sig basses over the years but have always found the concept a bit daft, until about a fortnight ago 😉. 

 

I wouldn't necessarily buy a bass because of the link to a certain player, but strangely it would put me off buying one if I didn't like the player/band. I'll happily buy a sig just because I like the bass though, above clause dependent. 

 

My first real bass, after a plywood SG, was a Yamaha Attitude Special. The bloke in Mansons told me it was based on the proper Attitudes that Billy Sheehan uses, Billy who? I'd never heard of Billy Sheehan but the bass was the coolest thing I'd ever seen and came home with me. 

 

Second, many years later is a Epiphone Jack Casady. They'd always been on my radar as a bass to try but I was just never 100% sold on the looks, then they brought out the faded Pelham Blue with a stained wood back. Oh my! 

 

Then the one that changed my view on sigs. The Yamaha BBPH (Peter Hook). 

Even when they came out in very limited numbers I was still telling myself not to be so stupid. Then one came up at a decent price s/h and I couldn't help myself, being a huge Joy Division/New Order fan. Sure I could've just picked up a BB1200s but I actually wanted what Hooky uses now, and I'm so glad I did, they are wonderful basses. I've since bought an EHX Bass Clone (better than a Clone Theory IMO) and have spent many a happy hour just being Hooky.

Yes it's sad, and no I don't care! 😄

 

All three of these are, in my view, different enough from a standard or close variant to warrant being viewed as being a totally different bass. 

 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Maude
Sad picture 😉