playing someone elses sig model guitar

M

MYLILSS

Well-known member
I just thought id see what the general consensus on playing someone else's signature model guitar live is ? I hear some people call others posers and then some think it is totally fine. I have been contemplating getting the Schecter DJ Ashba model simply because it is a super strat style guitar with a sustainiac and kill switch already installed. that kicked up a conversation with my brother who is our drummer about why I would want to play someone else's guitar on stage. we aren't a national act by any means, but we do generally get the call for opening up for bigger bands coming through the area so I play to pretty good crowds if that even matters. anyways, after having the discussion with him, I figured id throw it up on here and see what all you guys think about the concept of playing signature model guitars of other players out live

:rock: :rock: :rock:
 
Luckily no one on earth would be able to recognize a DJ Ashba signature guitar so I doubt you d get caught... and anyways, who the fuck is DJ ashba?

That being said, Joe Walsh has played a Bill Kelliher golden axe explorer live and I dont think he was trying to cop any mastodon licks, so who the fuck cares?
 
Play whatever you want. It doesn’t matter what other guitar players think.

........unless it’s a Les Paul. Don’t play those. That would be embarrassing.
 
For me it depends on how well known the sig is. I owned a Jem for a while and felt a bit strange playing it because it was so obviously Steve Vai's thing (at least in my head). The opposite end is the Les Paul, which is of course a sig model but no one really thinks of it that way. The Rhoads too.

DJ Ashba thing just looks like a superstrat, so that wouldn't bug me. I have a Ibanez Munky sig, but it just looks like an RG so doesn't bug me.
 
GOHOINC":30cgftmn said:
Luckily no one on earth would be able to recognize a DJ Ashba signature guitar so I doubt you d get caught... and anyways, who the fuck is DJ ashba?

That being said, Joe Walsh has played a Bill Kelliher golden axe explorer live and I dont think he was trying to cop any mastodon licks, so who the fuck cares?
Click to expand...

DJ ashba is the guitarist for sixx a.m. And was the guitarist for Guns N' Roses up until the newfound reunion with the original members
 
My first thought was GAY.. But a Les Paul is so iconic, it's not thought of as a sig. There have been some good ones.. Les Paul, Wolfgang, RR, Jems, Fender.. If it works, then it works..
 
No fucks. If it’s got the specs I want I’ll play it.

I’ve had sigs from Meshuggah, Jeff Loomis, Keith Merrow, Stephen Carpenter and Jim Root.
 
MYLILSS":3dzw1e4v said:
GOHOINC":3dzw1e4v said:
Luckily no one on earth would be able to recognize a DJ Ashba signature guitar so I doubt you d get caught... and anyways, who the fuck is DJ ashba?

That being said, Joe Walsh has played a Bill Kelliher golden axe explorer live and I dont think he was trying to cop any mastodon licks, so who the fuck cares?
Click to expand...

DJ ashba is the guitarist for sixx a.m. And was the guitarist for Guns N' Roses up until the newfound reunion with the original members
Click to expand...

I was joking, mostly... i'm pretty sure only guitar players have any idea who he is. And im sure a lot of us don't even know...
 
If you like the guitar play it and don't give two shits about what anyone else thinks. It's all about your satisfaction anyway.
The dudes who care about how they look with a certain guitar/amp combo, they're the real posers.
 
For years, I couldn't stand playing someone else's signature guitar if it was either so iconic that everyone knew THAT guitar was designed/made for someone else, and I still think owning signature guitars is tacky. This is another reason why I love Les Paul Customs.

Unlike the Gibson/Epiphone Les Paul Studios/Classics/Standards/R8s/R9s/R0s, the Customs are the only Les Paul that does NOT have a Signature or have Les Paul's name on it! The only area that mentions "Les Paul" is the truss for cover, and I always replace the truss rod cover with a custom made cover!

Over the years, there have been quite a few guitars and amps that I've really liked and came perfect for me from the factory, but for some reason, i hesitate to buy a Signature guitar or amp. It's all personal preference, but I can't stand to own or play someone else's signature, even if the guitar is hard to find in non-signature or pre-signature models. Take for example the G&L Rampage. I love Jerry Cantrell's tones, and I would love to buy a Rampage with a Kahler, but they're harder to find than his sig model, but I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger. Another example is the Zakk Wylde Les Paul Customs. Zakk has some great tones, but I couldn't ring myself to buy a bullseye LP because it's so iconic, it would make me seem like some Zakk fanboy, even if I played it using Mixolydian scales over 400bpm paradiddles in drop A.

There are a few exceptions of signature guitars that are great guitars that will help you cop the tones of a few guitarists, without being a walking fanboy billboard. For example, ESPs Hetfield Explorers and Eclipses. They're all designed by James, but with the exception of the Iron Cross or the Snakebyte, they don't feature iconic paint jobs or signatures under the clear coat.
 
Unless something is extra gaudy or is the model of someone whose music I detest, it's all a question of the specs.
 
I think it comes down to specs and if you like it. I wouldn’t worry if it’s a sig or not. For big name brand guitars, sig guitars are usually a custom one-off from their base models that you couldn’t get those specs otherwise unless you paid way more. So it can be a cool way to get the specs you want at a better price point.

The only downside is that you may get questions about the sig artist and comparisons from self appointed music critics, but that’s easily dismissed and may or may not bug you.
 
I actually have 3 different kinds of signature guitars with a another signature on the way (KM-7MKII)... 3 of the artist I only know of only cause I googled them out of curiosity and the other is very well known but just am not a fan in the least. I could give a rats ass who's sig it is if I actually like the guitar... :thumbsup: Same goes with signature amps too!
 
If I am interested in a Sig guitar then it's because of the feature set rather than trying to emulate anything about the artist, so have no problem with signature gear as long as the model isn't limited to stupid aesthetics, or a very specific look associated with an artist. For example, I used to want a guitar with a sustainer but that Sinister Gates guitar by Schecter looks like 70's striped wallpaper so fuck that. I wouldn't mind an EB MM Luke or Petrucci, or some form of Wolfgang because you can get them in different finishes with different options.
 
Play what you enjoy! If it works, plays great and sounds even better, then really....no one hearing some great music is going to care.

Enjoy!
 
I own a Phil Collen Jackson PC1 and two Adrian Smith Jackson strats. I couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks of them.
 
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