Endorsed artist guitars, are they better than ours.

grappagreen

Grumpyrocker said:

dbphoto said:

You can buy a green Adrian Smith signature @Grumpyrocker ;

https://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear/shape/san-dimas/x-series-signature-adrian-smith-sdxq/2913052587

And @digitalscream ;N4’s have been ‘ghost’ built for around 3 years now by guys in Ohio.  My old 2016 ‘Vintage’ was made by them, and other than the neck shape which I ended up hating, it was great guitar.

It's not the same as Courtney Cox's guitar. This is what hers looks like.

There's a couple of things I love about that.... always been a great fan of green guitars and locking trems

mikeyrob73

Grumpyrocker said:

dbphoto said:

You can buy a green Adrian Smith signature @Grumpyrocker ;

https://www.jacksonguitars.com/gear/shape/san-dimas/x-series-signature-adrian-smith-sdxq/2913052587

And @digitalscream ;N4’s have been ‘ghost’ built for around 3 years now by guys in Ohio.  My old 2016 ‘Vintage’ was made by them, and other than the neck shape which I ended up hating, it was great guitar.

It's not the same as Courtney Cox's guitar. This is what hers looks like.

There’s a guitar in that picture? 

grappagreen

RiftAmps said:

Mrs Rift had quite a few endorsement deals with all the big brands.

Gibson - Loan stock only - she had access to any guitar at any Gibson showroom which she could borrow for an agreed amount of time for no charge. She would borrow a few LPs for tours/music videos etc and just returned them afterwards. They did swipe her CC every time in case they weren’t returned. All guitars were just ‘off the shelf’ quality and usually required a setup.

Fender - Artist pricing on selected models only, no loan stock. The A&R guy would hand select the best example of her chosen model from a selection of about 10. She bought a USA Strat which is CS quality.

Blackstar - Same as Gibson, artist pricing available

Marshall - Same as Gibson, artist pricing available

Yamaha - Same as Gibson, artist pricing available

Ernie Ball - 5 sets of strings per tour

Dunlop - Heavily discounted strings, picks, accessories that had to be bought as a ‘package’

Rift - She got whatever she wanted and I paid for it.

That's really interesting an echo's the sort of endorsement deal I had a few years ago (but a completely different arena).

It does make me wonder why, given the limited benefits, some players hook into a brand they would never normally go for.. I'm specifically thinking about a wonderful young UK player who I recently saw in a Yamaha ad but I'm sure there are others..

Si

CountryDave

I recall many years ago Albert Lee doing a clinic at a show in Birmingham.  Turned up and picked up the MusicMan AL that was up as a raffle prize (that had been sat on a stand in the show hall all day).  Played his set on it, drew the winning ticket (5 numbers away from mine, D'oh!) and gave the guitar away.

I've also heard a number of EBMM artists say they have picked up sig models in many shops just to check the quality is consistent.  I know this is probably 'part of the deal', but as with the GE Smith comment above, I'd like to think the likes of Lukather, Morse and Albert have a shred of decency and would play what they say or ditch them and leave.  After all, they have all stuck with the brand for over 25 years.

I'm also quite sure they do get the opportunity to go to the factory and pick the guitars that speak to them.

richardhomer

CountryDave said:

I recall many years ago Albert Lee doing a clinic at a show in Birmingham.  Turned up and picked up the MusicMan AL that was up as a raffle prize (that had been sat on a stand in the show hall all day).  Played his set on it

Apparently David Grissom does the same with his signature PRSs.

Eric Clapton’s stage guitars are ‘Master Built’ and probably rather better than an off the self production signature model. I’d imagine that’s the case with most Fender endorsees.

octatonic

@Bucket is looking well.

Roland

There was once an interview in Guitarist where this came up. Can’t remember who it was. He was insisting than the endorsed model in the shops were the same as he played, apart from set up. Conversely, some endorsed models have to be specc’d down to hit price points. There’s no “right” approach

Alterlifeson

Brad Paisley gives away one of his signature models at each show to a young fan. He plays a song on a 'stock' one and then hands it over to someone into the audience. He has recently switched to doing this with Squier CVs though, must have been giving away a little too much!

His stage sig models all have g benders fitted however.

CountryDave

Alterlifeson said:

Brad Paisley gives away one of his signature models at each show to a young fan. He plays a song on a 'stock' one and then hands it over to someone into the audience. He has recently switched to doing this with Squier CVs though, must have been giving away a little too much!

His stage sig models all have g benders fitted however.

I've seen him do this, usually hands it to a young kid after signing it.  Used to do it with small bodied acoustics until he got the Fender signature model.

Those G-benders fitted to his guitars cost about as much as one of his Mex signature models.

jellybelly

I once interviewed J Mascis just after his purple sparkle CIJ Jazzmaster came out. We did a photo shoot using a brand new guitar that fender had provided. Both J and his manager commented that it was nothing like his, including the paint job. 

EricTheWeary

Alterlifeson said:

Brad Paisley gives away one of his signature models at each show to a young fan. He plays a song on a 'stock' one and then hands it over to someone into the audience. He has recently switched to doing this with Squier CVs though, must have been giving away a little too much!

His stage sig models all have g benders fitted however.

Gene Simmons plays a new sig bass every night  and then sells it ( at a considerable profit) after the gig. It doesn't make me feel warm to him but if you do buy this you are literally buying the same bass that Gene uses ( or used). 

joeyowen

I recall Jim Adkins saying his JA90 sig was the same, just needed setting up to his standards (uses a wound G on 11 or 12s, can't remember)

However, part of me thinks they have to say that really

JerkMoans

Aren't there two different types of instrument in play here?  One is the 'artist endorsed' production model, so you can rock out like your hero, off the shelf.  The J Mascis and Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmasters, to name but two.  But do those artists actually play the (admittedly very lovely) Squier, or the Mexican built Fender?  I know from watching him that TVL has Mastery bridges on his JMs, which of course is not an option on the Fender production model.

Conversely, there's the instruments that the artists actually use.  One imagines that the manufacturers and dealers strive to let them have the best quality of what's available, but then they will be tweaked and modded by the artist and/or their guitar tech.  I expect that there will be a gulf of difference between the two types, in the main.

AlexO

JerkMoans said:

Aren't there two different types of instrument in play here?  One is the 'artist endorsed' production model, so you can rock out like your hero, off the shelf.  The J Mascis and Troy Van Leeuwen Jazzmasters, to name but two.  But do those artists actually play the (admittedly very lovely) Squier, or the Mexican built Fender?  I know from watching him that TVL has Mastery bridges on his JMs, which of course is not an option on the Fender production model.

Conversely, there's the instruments that the artists actually use.  One imagines that the manufacturers and dealers strive to let them have the best quality of what's available, but then they will be tweaked and modded by the artist and/or their guitar tech.  I expect that there will be a gulf of difference between the two types, in the main.

Yeah good point, my OG post didn't really ask the question I guess. As I wasn't meaning artists with signature guitars which I find interesting as I can't imagine Gary Clark Jr playing a chinese made casino when he was a real 65 in his guitar rack.

mburekenge

They sound better because they can actually play them

JerkMoans

mburekenge said:

They sound better because they can actually play them

And thus was the curse of my GAS erased at a stroke  

thegummy

EricTheWeary said:

Alterlifeson said:

Brad Paisley gives away one of his signature models at each show to a young fan. He plays a song on a 'stock' one and then hands it over to someone into the audience. He has recently switched to doing this with Squier CVs though, must have been giving away a little too much!

His stage sig models all have g benders fitted however.

Gene Simmons plays a new sig bass every night  and then sells it ( at a considerable profit) after the gig. It doesn't make me feel warm to him but if you do buy this you are literally buying the same bass that Gene uses ( or used). 

Possibly the most pathetic guitar-related fact I've ever heard