Just some random ponderings on signature gear

[UV7BK4LIFE]

I was just thinking, how much signature gear from rock/pop guitarists has found it's way into the hands of metal players? I mean, I played death metal with Vai's guitar and Van Halen's amp (Ibby Universe and 5150) and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Are there more examples, also less obvious ones and personal experience?

 

[JohnnyCNote]

Do you mean instruments that actually belonged to EVH or Vai, or ones that have their names on them and cost a lot more than they would otherwise? I've always figured if there's going to be anyone's name on my stuff it would be mine. I'm funny that way . . .

 

[VacantPlanet]

I always thought that it was funny that Van Halen's signature amp became one of the de facto amps for extreme metal. Also, I think the Seymour Duncan JB was at one time Jeff Beck's signature pickup as far as I can remember. Then, there's Vai's 7 string. We all know where that went.

 

[UV7BK4LIFE]

It's not that I'm a sucker for signature gear, but sometimes I have a product in mind and when I look for it, it turns out it exists only as a signature model:

Switchless wah with possibility to leave it to a fixed position? George Lynch's Morley Dragon II
Les Paul with maple neck? Zakk Wylde, Jeff Kendrick, and Will Adler. That's about it. If you want passives in it there's only one left.

 

[sage]

A lot of times, the signature guitar has features that the standard model wouldn't have and a lot of pop/rock guitarists have really good taste in upgrades. It's cheaper for the manufacturer to upgrade a schwack of guitars than it is for a bunch of guitarists to make the same upgrades independently to stock models.

I've owned a bunch of signature gear:
Fender SRV guitar (won in contest, sold it to buy a new amp, missed it and built one to the same specs a decade later, life is funny). I kept it for over a year before I sold it and played metal with it. The pickups were really hot, the neck was chunky but fast, it had an excellent resonant tone. Just an outstanding model that is a significant upgrade to a stock Strat.

Bad Horsie wah. At the time, it was the only wah that was automatically activated. After 10 years of use, I traded it for...

Dimebag Crybaby From Hell. Save for the weirdo camo paint job, one of the most user tweakable Crybabys on the market. Just a phenomenal amount of range. I never bonded with it and ended up with a Weeping Demon, which is kind of the best of both worlds.

Washburn Dime 333. I wanted a guitar with a body similar to an Explorer (which was my favourite guitar at the time) and had a Floyd. Tada! Not the greatest version of the guitar and required upgrades to the pickups, but the only other option at the time was a Hamer Standard that was $2200.

As for guitars I would think of buying, the Alex Wade LTD is pretty slick. I like the classic Strat 7 string. It's a really tasteful implementation of the design on that model. If it weren't for the goofy "O", the Mikael Akerfeldt PRS SE is very nice. I could definitely see myself getting really irresponsible if I locate a Troy Van Leeuwen signature Yamaha, those were sick guitars.

 

[Given To Fly]

I've seen session/backup guitarists as well as members of other bands playing EBMM JP's.

 

[J7string]

I have had 3 signature models in my guitar history, and 0 amps/effects. The guitars were (are) the PRS SE Paul Allender (passive). I sold that for a Hellraiser, then I sold the Hellraiser for a used ibby S series, then I ended up buying my Hellraiser back from the same store months later. Then I sold my ibby for an LTD M-1000, then everything got phased out and now I have a Schecter Jeff Loomis, and the Dean RC7x.

The signature models I have now are bad ass. Both I love for different reasons. I danced around getting a PRS (USA) or a JP signature model. But I figured if I'm going to spend that much money on a guitar... I might as well get my own signature model. Having said that... There are some really nice sig models out there. Some may speak to you louder than others, and if our wiling to get a really nice one, go for it. I have nothing against sig models because the features on the lot of them are really nice.

 

[Rick]

If Dino Cazares was ever given a signature guitar, I'd snap one up yesterday.

 

[bradthelegend]

Are there more examples, also less obvious ones and personal experience?

Like every deathcore band used to play an ESP/LTD Stephen Carpenter Signature, and probably half the bands in metal are still using some incarnation of Van Halen's amp.

 

[Given To Fly]

At one point I almost all my gear was signature. For Steve Vai stuff it was a Carvin Legacy, Ibanez Universe, and Morley Bad Horsie. Then I also had an EMM JP7. I wondering if its just a phase guitarists go through when they are developing. The only piece I still own is the Bad Horsie because i love the switchless feature.

It also seems, with a few exceptions, signature amps, pedals, pickups, and small gadgetry never catch on, even if they are high quality and versatile.

 

[SSK0909]

The list could be huge if we name all the obvious metal band signature gear. Just look at some of the Ibanez sigs:

Mick Thomson from Slipknot, Korn, Matt Bachand from Shadows fall, Dragonforce, Mike Mushok from Staind. The list goes on.

One pice of gear that wasnt metal oriented that comes to mind is of course the JSX amps. Honestly I'm quite suprised that so few play the JS guitars for metal, but of course moderne metal needs 13½ strings tuned so low you need a stack of 8 subwoofers to hear the notes, so i guess 6 strings wont cut it if you need to be BROOTZ now a days

 

[Thep]

The list could be huge if we name all the obvious metal band signature gear. Just look at some of the Ibanez sigs:

Mick Thomson from Slipknot, Korn, Matt Bachand from Shadows fall, Dragonforce, Mike Mushok from Staind. The list goes on.

One pice of gear that wasnt metal oriented that comes to mind is of course the JSX amps. Honestly I'm quite suprised that so few play the JS guitars for metal, but of course moderne metal needs 13½ strings tuned so low you need a stack of 8 subwoofers to hear the notes, so i guess 6 strings wont cut it if you need to be BROOTZ now a days

I love JS series, but they aren't exactly typical metal/shredder guitars. Small 22 frets with a round radius and lower output pickups.

 

[SSK0909]

I love JS series, but they aren't exactly typical metal/shredder guitars. Small 22 frets with a round radius and lower output pickups.

Perhaps not metal, but I hope you didn't just say that a SATRIANI guitar wasnt a typical shredder guitar

Would'nt call the pu's low output. The Fred has the same output as the Liquifire that Petrucci uses

 

[rockstarazuri]

I think you should buy a gear because of what the specs are or what it offers, not because there's a name associated to it. It's definitely a shock when the player you like use something else or your musical tastes changes.

A lot of people (including me) would want a JP6/7 because that's one of the only few guitars available with 2H, basswood and non-locking trem with piezo pickups. Not because JP is associated with it

I have a Jerry Cantrell wah because I liked the sound (deep wah!) and looks of it. I never heard of Alice in Chains or their songs prior to owning one lol. Don't even like Cantrell haha

 

[zilla]

I've been playing for a *long* time and it's only been in the last 2 years that I have picked up a'sgnature' piece of equipment:

Evh Wolfgang special... Because the playability is phenomenal and it sounds even better. I'm not even a big van haven fan...

Prs se mike musok. I don't even listen to stained. I ought it because it was the best feeling baritone that was available to me. Honestly if mike musok were to knock on my front door I wold't even recognize him.

I buy stuff because it feels good In my hands, not because of the name on the headstock. I love Vai and Satriani, but I can't stand their signature guitars (I have an rg550 that I love)

 

[timbucktu123]

my main guitar is my ibanez EGEN8(the herman li model) not because its someones signature model but because it plays absolutely fantastic.

i always forget the peavey 5150 and all the variations are a van halen signature amp

 

[grogarage]

i remember trying a 5150 back in 1991 (was only 15) with no noise gate, no tube screamer and didnt like it at all. It was noisy and the gain structure was so far off of the more main stream tones of Marshall and Mesa. How little did i knew back then!! I now own a 5150-ns2-Maxon808 setup that works awesome for metal to brootlz.

I also own a JSX head, got it at a fair price 5 years ago. I'm not a Satch fanboy at all, i just tryed the amp and loved it until i used it in a band context with another guitarist. I'v never been able to set a tone i'm fully happy with, cutting thru the mix being my main issue. Sounds real good in a trio format and for recording. Sould be able to try it in a ''rock'' band context soon and hope to have good results.

As for guitars, a LTD ninja V, the Michael Amott sig first version with the mirror pickguard. Again, bought it because i wanted a V and it sounded and felt awesome. The SeymourDuncan p-u and mahogany body/neck combo offers a wide rage of tones ''à la Les Paul''. My bandmate owns a 1994 Les Paul studio and my ''little'' LTD sounds better to HIS ears. I also love the look of that model so much, nice V shape that is like a cross between a KV and a Gibby V. For a sig. model it doesnt scream Mr Amott too much and after 4 years i had only 1 guy telling me ''hey, nice Amott guitar'', usually it's ''nice guitar you got there''. Will it be a ''serched for'' guitar in the futur? Time will tell but they only made that model 3-4 years and him being a Dean player now...should at least keep it's value better than regular LTD in the same quality range.

 

[Andromalia]

Lots of metal acts actually use "pop/rock" gear. The JMP1 is used by both ZZtop and Maiden, who incidentally use(d) fender strats for the overwhelming majority of their career. The Edge plays an explorer very often. Gear specifically related to metal is a subset and even then; it's more of a shape fashion than anything else. You can perfectly play Pink Floyd with an Hanneman ESP.
Les Pauls aren't specifically "metal guitars" either. The Dean DIME atrocities have weird shapes but they're just mostly copying Gibson specs.
if you get together a tubescreamer, a Marshall shredmaster and a Fender Blues Deluxe you get killer tones, none of those pieces of gear being strictly "metal".

 

[BotchStank]

I own a Fender Strat Tom Delonge Sig (The dude from Blink-182), and it absolutely slays. Surprisingly versatile.Alder strat + SD Invader = cream.

 

[Spike Spiegel]

I love the paul gilbertr pgm301 not because I'm a super gilbert fan but because its a mple fretboard shredder with reverse headstock that's hardtailed combines all that I love in a guitar