Which signature guitar has the best features?

stickyfiddle

I have to say some of the Manson Mattocasters have nice feature sets, assuming you want something hugely idiosyncratic.

I'd really like one of the Cort ones but with a Floyd and Sustainer added. It wouldn't get played very much but would be lots of silly fun

carlos

BB King's Gibson Lucille - http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2015-Memphis/BB-King.aspx

• no f-holes to handle feedback better. Heck, Michael Gira of The Swans uses one of these and his set is loud as f*ck.
• stereo output running each pickup separately
• fine-tuning bridge which is handy
• 6-way varitone switch

To be fair, except for the pickups, the Epiphone version has all these features.

joeyowen

stickyfiddle said:

I have to say some of the Manson Mattocasters have nice feature sets, assuming you want something hugely idiosyncratic.

Agreed here!

Although the Mansons are the type of sig that you would struggle to play anything but the artist one.  I'd feel compelled to play Muse, and if I didn't, anyone who wanted a go, or saw me with it would.  That is the sign of a good sig I spose

xSkarloey

A well built Gibson Les Paul

sunshinewelly

TinLip said:

Surprised nobody has mentioned the horrendously overpriced DG-355's...

i agree the blue one is but the gold one is cheaper than a standard 335 so its not that expensive.

ADP

ToneControl said:

ToneControl said:

Pat Metheny ones - he has played these for 20 years now, and they are intended to improve fundamentally on the Gibson ES-175, not just diff pickups or paint job

he's played them since the mid 80s, replacing his ES-175

he retired his Gibson in 1995

http://hepcat1950.com/pmiv20010300al.html

are any other signature guitars actually a different body shape, like these Pat Metheny ones are?

This is a hollowbody, and is not derived from any other Ibanez model AFAIK 

The PM100 was actually based on the general body shape that Ibanez had used for a number of jazz models including the FG100, FA100 and others. I have a PM100 and think it's a great guitar but as a signature Metheny guitar it's a bit odd; Metheny has played a very different prototype that was built for him during the process of developing the PM100 for most of the past twenty years. It has a Venetian cutaway instead of a Florentine and no cutaway on the bass side. It also has only 20 frets and an ebony tailpiece. It's essentially a regular Ibanez archtop - a lot like the Ibanez Joe Pass model with the pickup moved closer to the fingerboard. For a while he did play a PM100 but it had a carved top and a floating pickup. He has also used a thinline version which is like the P120 but with only one pickup. It's natural that he can get Ibanez to make him whatever he wants, but it's a bit annoying that he doesn't really play the guitars his name goes on.

Recently, they've released the PM200, which is a lot closer to his main guitar. It's still not identical to what he actually uses, but it hasn't got the features that made it radically different from anything else in the range. I'd kind of like one and if one comes along at the right price, I'll probably give in.

A couple of signature guitars that I've found interesting enough to buy are the Yamaha 1511MS (Mike Stern model) and the PRS DGT. Both of those are different enough and special enough to be worth looking at as models in their own right.

digitalscream

The Washburn Nuno series (N24, N4, N5, N6 etc) is probably worth a mention here - for many years (until recently) it was the only guitar you could get with the Stephens Extended Cutaway, and even now you can't really get the Parallaxe series anywhere easily.

ToneControl

ADP said:

ToneControl said:

ToneControl said:

Pat Metheny ones - he has played these for 20 years now, and they are intended to improve fundamentally on the Gibson ES-175, not just diff pickups or paint job

he's played them since the mid 80s, replacing his ES-175

he retired his Gibson in 1995

http://hepcat1950.com/pmiv20010300al.html

are any other signature guitars actually a different body shape, like these Pat Metheny ones are?

This is a hollowbody, and is not derived from any other Ibanez model AFAIK 

The PM100 was actually based on the general body shape that Ibanez had used for a number of jazz models including the FG100, FA100 and others. I have a PM100 and think it's a great guitar but as a signature Metheny guitar it's a bit odd; Metheny has played a very different prototype that was built for him during the process of developing the PM100 for most of the past twenty years. It has a Venetian cutaway instead of a Florentine and no cutaway on the bass side. It also has only 20 frets and an ebony tailpiece. It's essentially a regular Ibanez archtop - a lot like the Ibanez Joe Pass model with the pickup moved closer to the fingerboard. For a while he did play a PM100 but it had a carved top and a floating pickup. He has also used a thinline version which is like the P120 but with only one pickup. It's natural that he can get Ibanez to make him whatever he wants, but it's a bit annoying that he doesn't really play the guitars his name goes on.

Recently, they've released the PM200, which is a lot closer to his main guitar. It's still not identical to what he actually uses, but it hasn't got the features that made it radically different from anything else in the range. I'd kind of like one and if one comes along at the right price, I'll probably give in.

A couple of signature guitars that I've found interesting enough to buy are the Yamaha 1511MS (Mike Stern model) and the PRS DGT. Both of those are different enough and special enough to be worth looking at as models in their own right.

I'm thinking mostly about the PM120

rpr

Does a signature guitar have to be versatile or just get you closer to the artists tone? The Brian May guitar, with all the switching does both, after a fashion. You dont have to play Queen type things, tho it's hard to avoid it's conatations. 

Sassafras

I've not tried one but I'd like to have a go with the Jerry Donahue Tele.

ICBM

The PRS DGT seems to have a good reputation, not just among David Grissom fans. It seems the combination of features and the extra volume control (although which I personally don't like!) does produce about the best PRS there is.

The J Mascis Jazzmaster has a lot of fans too.

Paul_C

ICBM said:

The J Mascis Jazzmaster has a lot of fans too.

apart from the pickups, which are rubbish.

Kebabkid

I like the features of the Suhr Guthrie Govan:-

• 22 stainless steel jumbo frets

• Versatile and great stay-in-tune trem that can be clamped down to make it a hardtail
  

• Gotoh locking tuners

• Versatile HSH pickup configuration with a push-pull tone pot that splits the neck pickup and a five-way switch that offers full and split humbucking tones.

• A 'blower' switch allowing you to go to the bridge humbucker's full output from any pickup position and it remembers its previous setting.I had one of these on my Tom Anderson and it's a great feature.
  

StuartMac290

The Jerry Donahue Hellecasters Strat was an interesting one too, given that he moved the bridge pickup a little.

bluechargeboy

How about a Keziah Jones signature solid-bodied double-cutaway nylon-strung electro guitar with 43mm nut? That's a fairly unique feature set as far as I know.

 

Ibanez JEM was pretty special when they first came out and spawned a legion of RGs and similar.

Teetonetal

joeyowen said:

The Fender ja90 is nice... Although they have since come out with the modern player, which looks very similar but for a lot less

Buckethead was the first sprung to mind

The JA90 is my goto guitar. I love that the signature is on the back of the headstock. When I bought it I had to google who Jim Adkins was, I had no idea... IT's not the best made fender I've ever used though, but it sounds great. The downside to the MP is the pickups

markj

Prs DGT.

gubble

Mk1 USA Fender Sambora Stratocaster.

 

2x Texas specials, a PAF Pro in the rea, mid boost (a la clapton) and a floyd rose.

Plus star inlays - which obviously make it sound much better !

Loobs

Like we can all agree on this.

richardhomer

Loobs;533138" said:

Like we can all agree on this.

No we can't! Star inlays....