OR maybe, variants of the same guitar with different features!! take the Harley Benton Fusion III for example. you can get a Hardtail HH version, a tremolo HH, tremolo HSH, tremolo HSS, Floyd Rose HH, Floyd Rose HSH, even a Hardtail EMG version. and some have roasted maple necks and some don't. and that's a good thing, people want these specifics man.
I've gotten into colored pickups, I have mainly humbuckers, black, white, black and creme zebra, blue, pink (on a flourescent yellow Ibanez 25th AnniversaryRG)... I might use red Dimarzios on my walnut flat Ibanez RG7421, then do the volume, tone knob and switch tip in yellow.
@@CapraObscura I don't mean a LP, but like, a ESP James Hetfield Signature Explorer, or a black Fender Stratocaster David Guilmour Signature Model. Those are all like pretending to be those guys, you know, I can't imagine myself going to a stage to play my original songs with one of those guitars.
8 years ago I would hate the idea of owning a signature guitar, now I’ve noticed my most anticipated guitars are indeed signature guitars lol. I own a MM JP15 which I absolutely love, a TOD10, and a Jackson dominion, and I love them for how unique each is, I used to hate the idea of having the signature look of someone else, but what really drags me to a signature model now is the different features it may have, pickups, wiring, some carving or shale choices, etc
The JP models are specifically crafted designs though and not just some ibanez prestige with a paint job. That's the difference really. If some people just want to buy a signature slapped on a model already offered then more power to them I guess. I wouldn't trade my JP15 for anything and it's not because Petrucci's name is on it, it's just the best guitar I've ever played.
Billy Sheehan’s signature Yamaha bass started out by re-creating all the modifications he’d done at home to his old P-Bass, and building it that way from the ground up instead of a Frankenstein thing. (And then they’ve done further tweaks in the decades since they started together.)
I finally got to play one!!! it was super dope a felt really nice but ended up buying a warwick corvette standard instead because i couldnt swing the $1700 lol
I have a PRS CE Dustie Waring guitar. To be honest, I never heard of his band until PRS announced the latest edition of his guitar. But, I didn't buy it because I was a fan. I bought it because it looks and sounds metal, and I love PRS, and it was a metal PRS. And it ended up being my favorite guitar, plays like it was made for me. So, I ended up being a fan of his band because I loved the guitar. I also have the Silver Sky, and I cannot connect with it. It's made for Mayer's hands. So, I got lucky with one signature model.
Dustie's signature is sick! I think PRS (overall) does a pretty good job with their signature guitars in that they seem purposeful. The Holcomb model is also sick
I also have a DW, it’s my number one guitar. And I get so many compliments on it. Honestly I do really like BTBAM but that is not why I bought it. I bought it out of the used section at my local music store because it was the best playing guitar there.
When I was a lot younger, I bought a signature guitar, just because I really liked (and still like) the guitar player and because I thought the guitar looked cool and was original but after a while, I regretted buying it. I wanted to have my own guitar, so a few years ago, I bought a cheaper guitar and gradually replaced some of the parts (had to wait to save the money for each new part, which ended up being a good thing, it gave me time to really know what I wanted to change instead of just ordering all the parts at once and replace them just because that's what everyone else does). I still enjoy looking at the signature guitar as it sits there on its stand but the one I customised is the one I play the most. I could customise the signature guitar to make it "mine" but if you want to do that, what's the point of getting a signature guitar in the first place?
So instead of customizing your signature guitar you would rather it sit on the stand all because you say why buy a signature in the 1st place if your just going to modify it. Hmm that's such a good philosophy....Not!
The point of getting a signature guitar is just to get a fucking guitar. Its no different from any other guitar. If you like it, get it. That's it. It's no deeper than that unless you make it so.
@BkBk-gy6vr - What if you want to sell it? Swapping parts and making modifications would devalue the guitar. Anyone who is interested in getting a used signature guitar couldn't give a shit about your preferences. Good advice on modifying a signature guitar ....Not!
@SK23 - Not really. A lot of signature guitar have limited runs. Sometimes as few as 30. If you're buying the guitar as an investment vehicle, that's a lot different than " any other guitar". Like it or not, that's the reality of the guitar market. One market for doctor and lawyers, another for guys who actually want to play .
ok but the esp hatsune miku signature stream is fucking fire dude you legit cannot hate on it it's peak i'm so mad its japanese market only i'd totally rock up to my first midwest emo band rehearsal with that shit
I'm of the mindset that, to justify a signature guitar, it has to basically stand on its own as a design. The Les Paul was an innovative, incredible design (for the time). It's iconic, and one of the first electric solid body guitars ever. The modern equivalents to the Les Paul are things like the JEM, the John Petrucci Music Man's, and, my personal favorite, the EVH (technically Music Man-designed) Wolfgang. All of these are either heavily modified existing designs, or completely original designs, instead of just being *slightly* modified. If you can strip the artist's name from the model and your average Joe can't tell the difference between it and a "non-signature" model of that guitar, it doesn't deserve to be produced. I'd say the JEM walks the fine line, but it gets the pass. But an SRV Stratocaster is just a Stratocaster without his name on there.
Matt Pike, a metal guitarist had a small signature Guitar run where he signed every guitar himself and that thing has three humbuckers and a unique shape. Pretty cool. And the price was like 1700 bucks I think. Only 200 bucks more
I’ve played Washburn N4’s for years and they’re killer guitars. Having Nuno’s name on it has never been a problem for me. I can’t imagine ever buying a UA-camr signature guitar, but to each their own.
I bought a PRS Mark Holcomb because I wanted a 25.5 in scale length Custom 24 with a 20 in radius fretboard. I immediately tuned it to standard tuning and change the pickups out for my preferred set. It's my signature guitar now.
Just to note, I think another reason for the rise in signature guitars is it's an avenue for the artists to make back the income lost to music sales. With revenue from music sales being practically non-existent, the artists need multiple ways to recoup that so they can keep doing what they're doing. Signature models is one of the easiest ways to do that, and the companies dig it because as you've pointed out, many times it's a slight variation on an existing product, and it's more marketing for them. Also notice how EVERY band is touring like crazy now? Same deal in that it's how they make their money, and there's an argument to be had that it's overcrowding the space for everybody.
While I agree with your argument about signature models, touring isn't necessarily profitable too. I know Misha Mansoor says that the only money he makes in music is from the signature stuff and his businesses. Periphery apparently doesn't make a profit
Don’t forget shilling , inferior hardware/plug-ins. Telling you to produce drums in your own home, instead of going out there in the real world and playing with real people . The future of hikikomori bedroom music is here.
Really intresting one I currently want is the Brian May acoustic on his site for £500. zero fret at nut, double cutaway, straight string allighnment to tuners and 24 frets
I'd say what sets these apart is that its not them being endorsed with a lazy signiature, they're actually designing line products in collaboration with brands/builders
the JEM stands out historically because it spawned the RG series and so on, at the time it was bonkers unique and earned its spot as not being a rebrand of a production model with a price hike
I generally completely agree that buying a signature guitar feels like you're just borrowing someone else's guitar and kinda feels wrong, however my Ernie Ball Majesty is John Petrucci's signature guitar, and it is the greatest instrument I have ever played and I've shamelessly used it on stage and for recording because of how incredible it feels to play. I consider it more as an innovation in guitar engineering rather than just another signature guitar
I don't think his point is that all signature guitars are bad. That seems to be made clear in his Jordan/Les Paul argument. It seems more like the problem is the sheer number of signature guitars that don't do something innovative or different. They're just a cool looking version of guitars they already release. If the only signature guitars were like the Majesty, or the Abasis, or the Holcomb PRS (you could even extend to the Jackson Juggernaut because of fret radius and roasted maple) then we'd be chill, but there are far too many signatures that probably aren't that creative.
But I don't think the Musicman JP fits the criteria to what Uncle Judy is referring to. the JP is a quite unique designed guitar with unique features, its kinda on its own category, and it has been in production for so long that at this point it does not even "feel" like a signature. Judy is talking mostly about the lazy ass signatures that are literally a production model from given brand but with some different colours and pickups, and that's all. The Ibanez AZ that Judy commented is one of the best example of that. Back then the AZ had lots of cool funky colours to choose from. Now they have dozens of signature artist where their signature is basically a recoloured AZ with minor changes, and to not cannibalize these signatures with the actual AZ models, they had to trim down the AZ line-up to boring sunburst, all black colours, etc.. otherwise people would not buy the signatures.
The john Petrucci signature is one of the only signature models I don't feel this way about because so many people play them that it doesn't even feel like a signature guitar and there's so many different variations. Kinda like the les paul except obviously not as well known or iconic
@@periachi4961same. I have both - I prefer the JEM in a lot of ways but you can’t beat the 550 in price-to-performance. The JEM at this point just feels like an Ibanez, less of a signature to me seeing it all over youtube and with some artists since it’s been around so long. It does everything, too, which is why I really like my Ibanez’s since they all do amazing at basically everything. In terms of JEM vs 550 it’s preference for the most part. The stock 550 pickups are fat as shit and sound amazing. The JEM’s (7VP) with en Evolution is super aggressive, and tone wise similar. Other than that the input jack location is almost worth the extra money. And aesthetics. JEM’s are very good looking guitars.
surprised you didn't talk about Kirk's other "signature" which is just a Les Paul, a signature on its own, made famous by two other people, then made into a Kirk "signature" My guy that's just..a guitar you own lmao Atleast his ESP models have lil Kirk flairs on em
You dont have to. Dont buy it :) I dont give a shit if its a signature or not, if I like what I see, I would buy it. Every other stock guitar is also designed by somebody else. I guess custom shop is the only way for people to buy something "yours"... Or build it yourself from scratch even
ngl i got into dinosaur jr. long after buying the j mascis signature jazzmaster. i just liked the way the guitar was set up, fit, finish, and price. added bonus was getting into their tunes.
Totally agree. I dont know who's in their marketing departments, but if they think a Silverburst FV Custom will only sell if Brent Hinds signature is on the back, they must be smoking crack. Give us fancy colors and specs
Completely agree, I own the epi Brent Hinds guitar and its great. I'm a fan of Mastodon, but I didn't really need or want the fancy pickups and skull sticker...
@@TheMightyYak At least the skull logo is on the back of the headstock when they could have put it on the front of the guitar somewhere and made it worse
My local guitar center has a machine gun Kelly Schecter that they haven’t been able to get rid of for over a year Tbh it’s not a bad looking guitar, you just have to live knowing you bought a machine gun kelly guitar
Steve Vai expressed similar sentiments when approached about his signature guitar saying that most of the offerings were just the base models with a color scheme change.
Nah, I’m going to jazz school with my Guthrie Govan signature that I bought when I used to think he was all there is to guitar. It’s an awesome playing instrument. I don’t agree with this whole guitar fetishism thing. The guitar you play is about as important as the colour shirt you wear, it’s a superficial, needless thing. Just find a good instrument and hone your craft, none of this. The originality comes from what you choose to do with the tool, not the tool itself
I bought a signature guitar. But as you said, the standard guitars are often times boring and annovations only seem to happen with signature guitars. Id be more than happy to by my guitar without a signature, but there just wasnt a basic guitar that had the specs that i wanted. With that said i share the thought that its not original, so ill build my custom guitar on my own soon. I just didnt have the time to do it since i needed a guitar for my band.
I used to own a LTD BW-1 Ben Weinman signature for years. Loved the guitar because it was unique, played great, sounded awesome and was very high end for the price. Funny thing was that he didnt really even play that guitar live but it was a cool collaboration between Weinman and ESP.
I would say the BW-1 is one of the most unique guitars at this moment, don't know of any other semi-hollowbody guitar that comes with evertune and fishman fluences.
I want the LTD BW-1 so badly but can’t get over it being a signature model. None of the other similarly designed ESP or LTD models have 24 frets so I can’t even go with one of the cheaper, non-signature models.
@TheTerribleShaman just go for it. I regret selling mine but I needed money at the time. They are really excellent instruments and they excel at just about any genre you could play. I swapped vintage voiced EMG fat 55s in mine loved the sound. Plus the evertune, when properly set up, stays in tune like nothing else.
Agree for the most part. But some signature guitars are well thought through. Take the PRS DGT for instance (or the newer Tremontis without the underwear tag on the 12th fret). The first run of Chris Cornell ES-335s was also cool (unlike the post-mortem tribute series where they put his signature on the headstock).
I kinda agree with you, but I'll never not want an Alexi Scythe. I just wish I had bought an Edwards one when they popped up online occasionally and were affordable
I went to a local guitar store one time and asked them if they had any schecter guitars and the guy working the counter was like “just… that one” and gestured towards the MGK guitar
I think this is why so many bands that are doing this seriously (at least in metal) have turned to custom brands. Hapas, kiesel, etc. Last time i shopped for a guitar I went to ibanez because its what ive always played and it was the most frustrating catalogue I ever looked through. I think the guitar center box brands have become completely creatively bankrupt and have no idea what the needs of modern performing artists are.
I understand signature models, and they have their place...IF it is something like an EVH signature guitar. What drives me crazy is when companies give UA-camrs signature guitars.
I have an Yngwie Strat that I use for everything, regardless of genre. It's comfortable and it's special to me because we also share a birthday. I do agree that the market is oversaturated, though. It's not even the most artsy design either. It's just an off-white maple Strat. It looks like a normal guitar to the untrained eye but it has value to me, both objectively and subjectively. The scalloped fingerboard is so comfortable to me that sometimes a normal flat one feels foreign.
Ah so because I did it with my dad in my dinky garage instead of alongside professional craftsmen then it's no longer a signature guitar. Got it. Cool. Didn't realize we had imaginary arbitrary criteria and checklists for what does and doesn't count as a signature model guitar. I've learned much today.
I just got a video of yours in my feed literally a whole year after I was binging your videos. I honestly thought you fell in a hole or something, but seeing your activity, the algorithm did you real dirty. Love your content! And yeah, totally not spending a grand on a signature. There are just as many guitars that feel good and are quality built
I like it when signatures inspire new model lines. The RG series is a great example, I enjoy the JP series as well. The Ibanez series that looks boring are basically revamps of the Roadstar II series from the 80s. I have an original that is just black w a rosewood fretboard. I wish the AZ series were cooler looking, even some of the original finishes are cooler.
I would literally buy an Uncle Judy Signature guitar over 99% of sigs out there. Oh and yes, I would love to record my original music on a guitar with your autograph on it. Please send it to me now Uncle!
I don't mind using signature guitars as long as the painting is not "exclusive", i have a Jackson sdx from Adrian Smith, it's a white strat with fr, just a regular guitar with a signature, a Zakk Wylde LP with the bullseye would be weird.
When I was in high school, I bought the Ibanez Paul Stanley PS40 (replaced by the PS60 in 2017) the first year he went back to Ibanez. Only reason I really cared was because it was, back in 2015, it was the only truly cheap full scale Iceman. I've since modded it with a single passive EMG and set it up in B standard since the DigiTech pitch shifters skip from 7 semi-tones straight to an octave
Most of the signature guitars I own are ones I bought because I like the design and the specs. There's only two that I bought because of the artist that played them and those are my esp alexi models. The rest were because I thought they were cool. Some I didn't even know who the artist was until after I had bought them. The days of signature guitars all plastered with the artists name and band are mostly gone. Anymore a signature guitar, is just another guitar. It just might have someone's name on the back of the headstock and some don't even have that.
A guitar is a guitar man. I don't care if it's signature or not. In fact, my 2 main stage guitars are a Schecter KM-7 and a KM Hybrid. Keith Merrow made the best guitars ever, and I 100% am proud to play them. No one has ever asked me why I play a signature model😂 also in most cases, getting your own "signature" requires a butt load of money for a custom shop model....
Yea and 99.99% of the time nobody actually cares either if you "write your music using a signature guitar belonging to someone else" either. Like, I get that it's all for comedic effect but there's always a tiny bit of truth behind a shit post too and there's a part of me that genuinely believes Judy does unironically think to himself "ew I can't be writing my music using someone else's signature guitar" which is just super funny in my head.
Yeah, never understood why anyone would want a signature guitar.. I don't want to feel like I'm using someone else guitar.. The only one I kind of thought was cool was the EVH.. I feel like it's kind of an exception, to me it's very unique lol
What I like to do is buy signatures, mod them, and play a genre that the sig artist wouldn’t approve of. For example I have an Adrian Smith signature and I use it to play pornogrind and put fishmans in it
Bought a Jim Root Tele used, yanked out the EMGs and the black hardware and replaced it all with passives with chrome covers and chrome hardware. I play Blues and Rock on that thing. Good luck finding a white Fender with an Ebony Board, 12 inch radius and a dual humbucker setup at the same time. But apart from that, I agree 😅
When I was 19, I saved up for like a year to buy the red and black Synyster Gates guitar when it first came out. It was so awesome, but I felt like I didn't deserve it, and felt like a fan boy. I rarely used it in jam sessions, and sold it after only a year or two. The design is cool, but I could have got a guitar with similar specs for much less.
Most of them are easily ignored. I don't mind them so much if they look reasonably generic, rather than 'fan boy' level of obviousness. I got one of the black PRS Zach Myers ones from a few years ago when Andertons were practically giving them away. I'm not a fan of his.. may be a good bloke, but his music bores me. His signature guitar though, is lush. The neck is lovely.
My wife bought me a PRS signature (never heard of who it was, don’t remember) from a pawn shop. I told her to take it back. She returned with a ‘91 Les Paul Studio that I love. She bought enough jewelry there that the broker always hooked her up. Got a lot of great gear from him but no way did I want that PRS.
The rifle check with the brad paisley caster was exquisite. And I have laughed my ass off several times because I’ve literally said most of this same shit dude. Fuckin everyone who’s even relatively aight at guitar, has a signature. Except us, unless we outsource to china for a guitar we personalize or some shit. Excellent vid my dude
I think its definitely oversaturated, but I really like when some companies end up bringing out signature guitars which have unique features that would normally require a far bigger price/aftermarket, or some very unique visuals and making it more accessible. But there are very few, and even some more unique artists signatures have slowly been dumbed down through certain releases (such as the berried alive signature guitar which was a 7 string, that came with a sustainiac, tremolo and killswitch, one of the very few guitars that offered it stock, and now it does not have a sustainiac. I don't think there are any in production/readily accessible guitars that offer that combination). I like the idea of artists working with companies to make their unique equipment available at an affordable price, I'm not interested in buying a marked up generic guitar that has some specific colours etc.
Yes! We need 200 more of the exact guitar but with minor color changes!
Obviously, brocicle.
OR maybe, variants of the same guitar with different features!! take the Harley Benton Fusion III for example. you can get a Hardtail HH version, a tremolo HH, tremolo HSH, tremolo HSS, Floyd Rose HH, Floyd Rose HSH, even a Hardtail EMG version. and some have roasted maple necks and some don't. and that's a good thing, people want these specifics man.
I've gotten into colored pickups, I have mainly humbuckers, black, white, black and creme zebra, blue, pink (on a flourescent yellow Ibanez 25th AnniversaryRG)... I might use red Dimarzios on my walnut flat Ibanez RG7421, then do the volume, tone knob and switch tip in yellow.
And a $500 uptick!
"It feels like cosplay" expresses perfectly how I always felt and couldn't put into words about signature models.
My friend wears jerseys and I was explaining to him that to me its like pretending and doing cosplay. The same thing is true about sig guitars.
@@CapraObscura I would never play a LP or any guitar with another mans name on it.
@@CapraObscura I don't mean a LP, but like, a ESP James Hetfield Signature Explorer, or a black Fender Stratocaster David Guilmour Signature Model.
Those are all like pretending to be those guys, you know, I can't imagine myself going to a stage to play my original songs with one of those guitars.
2 best signatures that are great. Eric Johnson strat. Is the best strat. Function wise. And prs dgt
@@CapraObscurawell that’s a brand not a singular musician l
Judy's never bought a custom Halo guitar and it shows
8 years ago I would hate the idea of owning a signature guitar, now I’ve noticed my most anticipated guitars are indeed signature guitars lol. I own a MM JP15 which I absolutely love, a TOD10, and a Jackson dominion, and I love them for how unique each is, I used to hate the idea of having the signature look of someone else, but what really drags me to a signature model now is the different features it may have, pickups, wiring, some carving or shale choices, etc
The JP models are specifically crafted designs though and not just some ibanez prestige with a paint job. That's the difference really. If some people just want to buy a signature slapped on a model already offered then more power to them I guess. I wouldn't trade my JP15 for anything and it's not because Petrucci's name is on it, it's just the best guitar I've ever played.
Billy Sheehan’s signature Yamaha bass started out by re-creating all the modifications he’d done at home to his old P-Bass, and building it that way from the ground up instead of a Frankenstein thing. (And then they’ve done further tweaks in the decades since they started together.)
I finally got to play one!!! it was super dope a felt really nice but ended up buying a warwick corvette standard instead because i couldnt swing the $1700 lol
I have a PRS CE Dustie Waring guitar. To be honest, I never heard of his band until PRS announced the latest edition of his guitar. But, I didn't buy it because I was a fan. I bought it because it looks and sounds metal, and I love PRS, and it was a metal PRS. And it ended up being my favorite guitar, plays like it was made for me. So, I ended up being a fan of his band because I loved the guitar.
I also have the Silver Sky, and I cannot connect with it. It's made for Mayer's hands. So, I got lucky with one signature model.
try a custom 24 or a pauls guitar. Ive hated every silver sky ive played even the really pricey ones
Dustie's signature is sick! I think PRS (overall) does a pretty good job with their signature guitars in that they seem purposeful. The Holcomb model is also sick
I also have a DW, it’s my number one guitar. And I get so many compliments on it. Honestly I do really like BTBAM but that is not why I bought it. I bought it out of the used section at my local music store because it was the best playing guitar there.
When I was a lot younger, I bought a signature guitar, just because I really liked (and still like) the guitar player and because I thought the guitar looked cool and was original but after a while, I regretted buying it. I wanted to have my own guitar, so a few years ago, I bought a cheaper guitar and gradually replaced some of the parts (had to wait to save the money for each new part, which ended up being a good thing, it gave me time to really know what I wanted to change instead of just ordering all the parts at once and replace them just because that's what everyone else does). I still enjoy looking at the signature guitar as it sits there on its stand but the one I customised is the one I play the most. I could customise the signature guitar to make it "mine" but if you want to do that, what's the point of getting a signature guitar in the first place?
So instead of customizing your signature guitar you would rather it sit on the stand all because you say why buy a signature in the 1st place if your just going to modify it. Hmm that's such a good philosophy....Not!
The point of getting a signature guitar is just to get a fucking guitar. Its no different from any other guitar. If you like it, get it. That's it. It's no deeper than that unless you make it so.
@BkBk-gy6vr it sounds logical to me man 😂
@BkBk-gy6vr - What if you want to sell it? Swapping parts and making modifications would devalue the guitar. Anyone who is interested in getting a used signature guitar couldn't give a shit about your preferences.
Good advice on modifying a signature guitar ....Not!
@SK23 - Not really. A lot of signature guitar have limited runs. Sometimes as few as 30. If you're buying the guitar as an investment vehicle, that's a lot different than " any other guitar".
Like it or not, that's the reality of the guitar market. One market for doctor and lawyers, another for guys who actually want to play .
ok but the esp hatsune miku signature stream is fucking fire dude you legit cannot hate on it
it's peak i'm so mad its japanese market only i'd totally rock up to my first midwest emo band rehearsal with that shit
Based ass opinion 🔥
Do the Midwest emo dudes have the same fascination with razor blades and wanting to feel something as the regular emo girls/cry babies? 😂
I'm of the mindset that, to justify a signature guitar, it has to basically stand on its own as a design.
The Les Paul was an innovative, incredible design (for the time). It's iconic, and one of the first electric solid body guitars ever.
The modern equivalents to the Les Paul are things like the JEM, the John Petrucci Music Man's, and, my personal favorite, the EVH (technically Music Man-designed) Wolfgang. All of these are either heavily modified existing designs, or completely original designs, instead of just being *slightly* modified. If you can strip the artist's name from the model and your average Joe can't tell the difference between it and a "non-signature" model of that guitar, it doesn't deserve to be produced.
I'd say the JEM walks the fine line, but it gets the pass. But an SRV Stratocaster is just a Stratocaster without his name on there.
Les Paul himself also didn’t design it!
Matt Pike, a metal guitarist had a small signature Guitar run where he signed every guitar himself and that thing has three humbuckers and a unique shape. Pretty cool. And the price was like 1700 bucks I think. Only 200 bucks more
I think John 5’s black and silver Tele is another example of a sane signature guitar
The Jim Root tele is a heavy redesign of a tele, I think its fair
You couldn’t have said that any better
I’ve played Washburn N4’s for years and they’re killer guitars. Having Nuno’s name on it has never been a problem for me. I can’t imagine ever buying a UA-camr signature guitar, but to each their own.
I bought a PRS Mark Holcomb because I wanted a 25.5 in scale length Custom 24 with a 20 in radius fretboard. I immediately tuned it to standard tuning and change the pickups out for my preferred set. It's my signature guitar now.
Just to note, I think another reason for the rise in signature guitars is it's an avenue for the artists to make back the income lost to music sales. With revenue from music sales being practically non-existent, the artists need multiple ways to recoup that so they can keep doing what they're doing. Signature models is one of the easiest ways to do that, and the companies dig it because as you've pointed out, many times it's a slight variation on an existing product, and it's more marketing for them. Also notice how EVERY band is touring like crazy now? Same deal in that it's how they make their money, and there's an argument to be had that it's overcrowding the space for everybody.
While I agree with your argument about signature models, touring isn't necessarily profitable too. I know Misha Mansoor says that the only money he makes in music is from the signature stuff and his businesses. Periphery apparently doesn't make a profit
Don’t forget shilling , inferior hardware/plug-ins. Telling you to produce drums in your own home, instead of going out there in the real world and playing with real people . The future of hikikomori bedroom music is here.
I would say, Petrucci, Van Halen, Brian May are the ones that stand out the most to me and maybe Steve Vai’s Jem or Pia
how about Dime?
Really intresting one I currently want is the Brian May acoustic on his site for £500.
zero fret at nut, double cutaway, straight string allighnment to tuners and 24 frets
I'd say what sets these apart is that its not them being endorsed with a lazy signiature, they're actually designing line products in collaboration with brands/builders
the JEM stands out historically because it spawned the RG series and so on, at the time it was bonkers unique and earned its spot as not being a rebrand of a production model with a price hike
@@zunk4435
Same with satrianis
Originally was a Ibanez R540 Radius model.
Now only available as the JS series
I just have to say I work at a Guitar Center, and we have had the same MGK signature guitar for over a year now
I generally completely agree that buying a signature guitar feels like you're just borrowing someone else's guitar and kinda feels wrong, however my Ernie Ball Majesty is John Petrucci's signature guitar, and it is the greatest instrument I have ever played and I've shamelessly used it on stage and for recording because of how incredible it feels to play. I consider it more as an innovation in guitar engineering rather than just another signature guitar
I don't think his point is that all signature guitars are bad. That seems to be made clear in his Jordan/Les Paul argument. It seems more like the problem is the sheer number of signature guitars that don't do something innovative or different. They're just a cool looking version of guitars they already release. If the only signature guitars were like the Majesty, or the Abasis, or the Holcomb PRS (you could even extend to the Jackson Juggernaut because of fret radius and roasted maple) then we'd be chill, but there are far too many signatures that probably aren't that creative.
But I don't think the Musicman JP fits the criteria to what Uncle Judy is referring to. the JP is a quite unique designed guitar with unique features, its kinda on its own category, and it has been in production for so long that at this point it does not even "feel" like a signature. Judy is talking mostly about the lazy ass signatures that are literally a production model from given brand but with some different colours and pickups, and that's all. The Ibanez AZ that Judy commented is one of the best example of that. Back then the AZ had lots of cool funky colours to choose from. Now they have dozens of signature artist where their signature is basically a recoloured AZ with minor changes, and to not cannibalize these signatures with the actual AZ models, they had to trim down the AZ line-up to boring sunburst, all black colours, etc.. otherwise people would not buy the signatures.
The john Petrucci signature is one of the only signature models I don't feel this way about because so many people play them that it doesn't even feel like a signature guitar and there's so many different variations. Kinda like the les paul except obviously not as well known or iconic
Gretsch 6120 for me.
the JEM is kinda this way, as the RG is a derivative from it
signature guitars are a way to market product. It's just another way to compete with other guitar companies. It's all about the business of business
The Jem is the only signature model I'd consider buying. Then again, it's essentially an RG550 with a monkey grip.
Actually, an RG550 is a Jem but cheaper. The JEM was first.
@@maciejduda5257 yes that is true, however I'm basically saying the RG550 is just as good but better priced
@@periachi4961same. I have both - I prefer the JEM in a lot of ways but you can’t beat the 550 in price-to-performance. The JEM at this point just feels like an Ibanez, less of a signature to me seeing it all over youtube and with some artists since it’s been around so long. It does everything, too, which is why I really like my Ibanez’s since they all do amazing at basically everything.
In terms of JEM vs 550 it’s preference for the most part. The stock 550 pickups are fat as shit and sound amazing. The JEM’s (7VP) with en Evolution is super aggressive, and tone wise similar. Other than that the input jack location is almost worth the extra money. And aesthetics. JEM’s are very good looking guitars.
Your videos are like the only interesting part of the “guitarist” UA-cam, they are so funny and unhinged, please keep making these!!
surprised you didn't talk about Kirk's other "signature" which is just a Les Paul, a signature on its own, made famous by two other people, then made into a Kirk "signature"
My guy that's just..a guitar you own lmao
Atleast his ESP models have lil Kirk flairs on em
How in gods name did I forget about that Jesus Christ.
@@unclejudymusic it's okay just get gud
Bro you’re so unhinged it’s amazing how do you manage to create guitar videos this insane bro I love it
1:34 if everyone's super, no one will be. That delivery. Perfect.
FINALLY someone said it! I felt like i was alone on this with one... I dont want to play someone else's guitar!
Then Dont buy it
You dont have to. Dont buy it :)
I dont give a shit if its a signature or not, if I like what I see, I would buy it.
Every other stock guitar is also designed by somebody else.
I guess custom shop is the only way for people to buy something "yours"...
Or build it yourself from scratch even
You don’t have to. This is America
Same! That's why I only play Les Pauls .
@@alfsmith4936 uh.... Lol
ngl i got into dinosaur jr. long after buying the j mascis signature jazzmaster. i just liked the way the guitar was set up, fit, finish, and price. added bonus was getting into their tunes.
I've still not listened to a full track but I'll never sell my J Mascis Jazzmaster.
Jim Root Tele's are cool too. I've no idea who he is either.
I have a Jim root Squier tele and it’s my favorite guitar
The hand dryer turning on got me 😂
Totally agree. I dont know who's in their marketing departments, but if they think a Silverburst FV Custom will only sell if Brent Hinds signature is on the back, they must be smoking crack.
Give us fancy colors and specs
Completely agree, I own the epi Brent Hinds guitar and its great. I'm a fan of Mastodon, but I didn't really need or want the fancy pickups and skull sticker...
@@TheMightyYak
At least the skull logo is on the back of the headstock when they could have put it on the front of the guitar somewhere and made it worse
My local guitar center has a machine gun Kelly Schecter that they haven’t been able to get rid of for over a year
Tbh it’s not a bad looking guitar, you just have to live knowing you bought a machine gun kelly guitar
Steve Vai expressed similar sentiments when approached about his signature guitar saying that most of the offerings were just the base models with a color scheme change.
Nah, I’m going to jazz school with my Guthrie Govan signature that I bought when I used to think he was all there is to guitar. It’s an awesome playing instrument. I don’t agree with this whole guitar fetishism thing. The guitar you play is about as important as the colour shirt you wear, it’s a superficial, needless thing. Just find a good instrument and hone your craft, none of this. The originality comes from what you choose to do with the tool, not the tool itself
Agreed, Dont understand whats all this whiening about. If you dont want a signature guitar then Dont buy one. No one is forcing you
Was not ready for the Guitar Center parking lot.
I bought a signature guitar. But as you said, the standard guitars are often times boring and annovations only seem to happen with signature guitars. Id be more than happy to by my guitar without a signature, but there just wasnt a basic guitar that had the specs that i wanted. With that said i share the thought that its not original, so ill build my custom guitar on my own soon. I just didnt have the time to do it since i needed a guitar for my band.
Actually your designed japan-style Ibanez looks great
I used to own a LTD BW-1 Ben Weinman signature for years. Loved the guitar because it was unique, played great, sounded awesome and was very high end for the price. Funny thing was that he didnt really even play that guitar live but it was a cool collaboration between Weinman and ESP.
I would say the BW-1 is one of the most unique guitars at this moment, don't know of any other semi-hollowbody guitar that comes with evertune and fishman fluences.
I want the LTD BW-1 so badly but can’t get over it being a signature model. None of the other similarly designed ESP or LTD models have 24 frets so I can’t even go with one of the cheaper, non-signature models.
@TheTerribleShaman just go for it. I regret selling mine but I needed money at the time. They are really excellent instruments and they excel at just about any genre you could play. I swapped vintage voiced EMG fat 55s in mine loved the sound. Plus the evertune, when properly set up, stays in tune like nothing else.
I’d actually buy that Japan-inspired guitar
It was nice and i usually hate 80s type shred guitars
Agree for the most part. But some signature guitars are well thought through. Take the PRS DGT for instance (or the newer Tremontis without the underwear tag on the 12th fret). The first run of Chris Cornell ES-335s was also cool (unlike the post-mortem tribute series where they put his signature on the headstock).
I kinda agree with you, but I'll never not want an Alexi Scythe. I just wish I had bought an Edwards one when they popped up online occasionally and were affordable
Very well done! I was highly amused! 😁
I went to a local guitar store one time and asked them if they had any schecter guitars and the guy working the counter was like “just… that one” and gestured towards the MGK guitar
Dude I have felt this for years now lol.. Amazing video bro
Ibanez really said "hey what if we made RGs but made it look like the one Seymour Bababooey played and made it ten times more expensive" AND IT WORKED
I think this is why so many bands that are doing this seriously (at least in metal) have turned to custom brands. Hapas, kiesel, etc. Last time i shopped for a guitar I went to ibanez because its what ive always played and it was the most frustrating catalogue I ever looked through. I think the guitar center box brands have become completely creatively bankrupt and have no idea what the needs of modern performing artists are.
Theres only one signature guitar i’d genuinely consider buying, and only cause it’s super extra green and baritone (Schecter Kenny Hickey C-1)
This is the funniest guitar channel I’ve found. Easily.
This is peak comedy. Nice seeing you still making videos :D Please keep going.
I bought a Lee Malia Les Paul for 700 and sold it for 1000 so it was a win for me. But no more signature guitars ever now!
Love that someone was playing Laid to Rest at the GC 😂
“Who the fuck is this kid?!”
I’m howling 😭💀
dude im not joking i got an ad for that golden guitar right after you showed that golden guitar... 😅😅😅😮😮😮
I understand signature models, and they have their place...IF it is something like an EVH signature guitar. What drives me crazy is when companies give UA-camrs signature guitars.
The numbered fret design was OP tho 😂🤘
I have an Yngwie Strat that I use for everything, regardless of genre. It's comfortable and it's special to me because we also share a birthday. I do agree that the market is oversaturated, though. It's not even the most artsy design either. It's just an off-white maple Strat. It looks like a normal guitar to the untrained eye but it has value to me, both objectively and subjectively. The scalloped fingerboard is so comfortable to me that sometimes a normal flat one feels foreign.
The Yngwie Strat is the only signature I think I’d ever play live cause the scalloped neck has an actual purpose
2:52 Aye you don’t say that 😂
ngl, the signature guitar you threw together in photoshop actually looked pretty cool
“What if every player in the nba got a signature shoe?”
I got news for you
Nobody gonna talk about the dudes making out in the back?!? That threw me off guard bruh
Brian May designed and built his own electric guitar as a teenager, together with his dad. THAT is a signature model.
Ah so because I did it with my dad in my dinky garage instead of alongside professional craftsmen then it's no longer a signature guitar. Got it. Cool. Didn't realize we had imaginary arbitrary criteria and checklists for what does and doesn't count as a signature model guitar. I've learned much today.
@@justsomeguy727Hey, you might to either reread what I just said, or otherwise look upward - because the point just flew right over your head.
I just got a video of yours in my feed literally a whole year after I was binging your videos. I honestly thought you fell in a hole or something, but seeing your activity, the algorithm did you real dirty. Love your content! And yeah, totally not spending a grand on a signature. There are just as many guitars that feel good and are quality built
** Looks at my sig model guitars. ** I feel attacked!
i really love your chaotic editing
I like it when signatures inspire new model lines. The RG series is a great example, I enjoy the JP series as well. The Ibanez series that looks boring are basically revamps of the Roadstar II series from the 80s. I have an original that is just black w a rosewood fretboard. I wish the AZ series were cooler looking, even some of the original finishes are cooler.
I would literally buy an Uncle Judy Signature guitar over 99% of sigs out there. Oh and yes, I would love to record my original music on a guitar with your autograph on it. Please send it to me now Uncle!
This video is fucking awesome, exactly how I’ve felt about it to a tee lmao
I am so glad I found your channel I swear you are so fucking hilarious
Dude I'm laughin my ass off! Your the best!!
If Ibanez does not produce the UncleJudy signature, I'm gonna fucking riot
#JusticeForJudy
#JusticeForJudy
I don't mind using signature guitars as long as the painting is not "exclusive", i have a Jackson sdx from Adrian Smith, it's a white strat with fr, just a regular guitar with a signature, a Zakk Wylde LP with the bullseye would be weird.
I'm glad you were in my recommended videos today. Earned a sub and thank you for saying what needed to be said. 😂
When I was in high school, I bought the Ibanez Paul Stanley PS40 (replaced by the PS60 in 2017) the first year he went back to Ibanez. Only reason I really cared was because it was, back in 2015, it was the only truly cheap full scale Iceman. I've since modded it with a single passive EMG and set it up in B standard since the DigiTech pitch shifters skip from 7 semi-tones straight to an octave
Most of the signature guitars I own are ones I bought because I like the design and the specs. There's only two that I bought because of the artist that played them and those are my esp alexi models.
The rest were because I thought they were cool. Some I didn't even know who the artist was until after I had bought them.
The days of signature guitars all plastered with the artists name and band are mostly gone. Anymore a signature guitar, is just another guitar. It just might have someone's name on the back of the headstock and some don't even have that.
A guitar is a guitar man. I don't care if it's signature or not. In fact, my 2 main stage guitars are a Schecter KM-7 and a KM Hybrid. Keith Merrow made the best guitars ever, and I 100% am proud to play them. No one has ever asked me why I play a signature model😂 also in most cases, getting your own "signature" requires a butt load of money for a custom shop model....
Yea and 99.99% of the time nobody actually cares either if you "write your music using a signature guitar belonging to someone else" either. Like, I get that it's all for comedic effect but there's always a tiny bit of truth behind a shit post too and there's a part of me that genuinely believes Judy does unironically think to himself "ew I can't be writing my music using someone else's signature guitar" which is just super funny in my head.
The Kurt cobain ones are cool
But fenders quality is so bad when buying them, you have to send them to get corrected
Yeah, never understood why anyone would want a signature guitar.. I don't want to feel like I'm using someone else guitar..
The only one I kind of thought was cool was the EVH.. I feel like it's kind of an exception, to me it's very unique lol
3:03 Song in the background is Laid to rest - Lamb of god
Omg this a great video! You nailed it
"i dunno im not KDH" lmfao
This is the unhinged guitar content I never thought I needed
“It looks pretty cool for us white folk” got me rolling
Two of Gibson’s Main guitars are signature guitars. The Les Paul and the SG that started life as a Les Paul.
I will keep buying signature guitars and you cant stop me uncle Ben
You’re gonna regret saying that when he’s laying dead in the street
What I like to do is buy signatures, mod them, and play a genre that the sig artist wouldn’t approve of. For example I have an Adrian Smith signature and I use it to play pornogrind and put fishmans in it
Bought a Jim Root Tele used, yanked out the EMGs and the black hardware and replaced it all with passives with chrome covers and chrome hardware. I play Blues and Rock on that thing.
Good luck finding a white Fender with an Ebony Board, 12 inch radius and a dual humbucker setup at the same time.
But apart from that, I agree 😅
I'm a simple man. I see a new Uncle Judy video, I click.
The Avril Lavigne signature tele was the line in the sand for me
Your descent into madness is the best form of entertainment
The AZ you designed looks awesome!!!
When I was 19, I saved up for like a year to buy the red and black Synyster Gates guitar when it first came out. It was so awesome, but I felt like I didn't deserve it, and felt like a fan boy. I rarely used it in jam sessions, and sold it after only a year or two. The design is cool, but I could have got a guitar with similar specs for much less.
Most of them are easily ignored. I don't mind them so much if they look reasonably generic, rather than 'fan boy' level of obviousness.
I got one of the black PRS Zach Myers ones from a few years ago when Andertons were practically giving them away. I'm not a fan of his.. may be a good bloke, but his music bores me. His signature guitar though, is lush. The neck is lovely.
My wife bought me a PRS signature (never heard of who it was, don’t remember) from a pawn shop. I told her to take it back. She returned with a ‘91 Les Paul Studio that I love. She bought enough jewelry there that the broker always hooked her up. Got a lot of great gear from him but no way did I want that PRS.
So you returned a signature model guitar just to prefer playing.... A different signature model guitar. Interesting.
Now i want the Sakura Ibanez cuz i fkn love pink guitars 😂😂
Sharpied Uncle Judy on his guitar for the video - respect the dedication.
The rifle check with the brad paisley caster was exquisite. And I have laughed my ass off several times because I’ve literally said most of this same shit dude. Fuckin everyone who’s even relatively aight at guitar, has a signature. Except us, unless we outsource to china for a guitar we personalize or some shit. Excellent vid my dude
I think its definitely oversaturated, but I really like when some companies end up bringing out signature guitars which have unique features that would normally require a far bigger price/aftermarket, or some very unique visuals and making it more accessible. But there are very few, and even some more unique artists signatures have slowly been dumbed down through certain releases (such as the berried alive signature guitar which was a 7 string, that came with a sustainiac, tremolo and killswitch, one of the very few guitars that offered it stock, and now it does not have a sustainiac. I don't think there are any in production/readily accessible guitars that offer that combination).
I like the idea of artists working with companies to make their unique equipment available at an affordable price, I'm not interested in buying a marked up generic guitar that has some specific colours etc.
i want Judy's Lust-om Shop, ep 2 !
I agree with you I don't want a signature guitar either most guitarists don't I just want a well-built guitar with a nice neck and quality hardware
Glad to see you and your hairline back :)
this video feels like a fever dream
Did you check the Japanese ESP endorsed guitarists with signatures? The list only get's longer then. They're Japan exclusives though.
Can’t believe there’s someone who’s actually funny and watchable on the guitar scene
I feel as though my inner thoughts are being played back to me. Cheers. Well done sir. Keep it coming.
Me slowly putting my keith urban home shopping network guitar back in its guitar bag😂😂