The Cult of Personality

I am always puzzled by the signature model, artist developed or artist tribute guitar market. If the whole notion of playing a musical instrument is motivated by freedom to create and 'do your own thing', I am left puzzled as to why people would buy a guitar made to another person's specifications. The guitar industry seems particularly prone to this form of product enhancement. After all I do not have the same hand shape or size as Eric Johnson, can't play the way Yngwie Malmsteen does (I wish!) or want a seven string like Steve Vai. I am always therefore left puzzled when folks contact me trying to sell me a signature model, I turn them down and they react well... 'badly'! Sellers tend to get very defensive - well its an 1982 Blind Albert Ollerenshaw Whammycaster by Jukeson they huff and puff! Nope sorry still not interested mate. The economics I am afraid stack up like this. The seller is Albert Ollerenshaw's biggest fan. Firstly they often get the guitar signed somewhere by the great Albert! Big mistake! unless its non permanent and can be cleaned off the guitar. Secondly I am not a huge Blind Albert Ollerenshaw fan neither are 96.24% of the guitar buying public. Of the remaining 3.76% of people who have heard of Blind Albert Ollerenshaw about 1% might be motivated to buy the signature guitar lovingly machine crafted by Jukeson. Therefore its a bad buy and a hard sell. You can stretch the numbers out for Vai, Malmsteen, Satriani etc but not by much! Let's put this into the real world now. Mr. David Grissom is a great guitarist and as far as I know a wonderful human being. Mr Paul Reed Smith makes lovely guitars and the two of them have got together to produce the DGT model which as with all PRS instruments is crafted to an exceptionally high standard. Originally these instruments of wonder retailed before discount, at between £2000 and £3000 for Standard and Custom models. I initially set my buy in price at around £1000 - £1600 depending on the model and condition. Now here is the shock of the signature guitar 'curse'; I have recently been involved in deals with customers where I have been offered PRS DGT's one in a solid block colour with no flame at £800 and the other a rather nice Custom with a lovely top at £1250 against a 70's Fender I was moving on for a client. This means that market value on DGT's is way off the premium a PRS should sell at... or to put it another way below PRS non signature Standard and Custom model prices! The huge clue is the structure of the trade. Mr David Grissomfan of Twang Terrace - Guitarville wants to chop in the instrument of his "lifelong" hero for a 1976 Fender Stratocaster. 'My music is heading in a different direction' says Mr Grissomfan. The subtext is clear - he bought the DGT plus possibly an amp and pedals in the style of Mr Grissom of Austin Texas in the vain hope that this would, could and should confer the talent and ability of said Texan guitar maestro on our humble fan. It rarely happens that way and people get fed up of trying to be Mr Grissom or Mr Malmsteen etc. The signature guitar is simply a bad buy from retail down to me the humble dealer. It doesn't, to misquote Ronseal 'do what it says on the tin'. You aren't going to be Vai, Malmsteen, Grissom or Blind Albert Ollerenshaw and buying their signature guitar isn't going to change this. When this penny drops the instrument becomes 'persona non grata' in your guitar collection and needs to be 'moved on' for something that allows you to be you. Buying all of the gear of your fave guitarist isn't a smart idea and players tastes change and they move on to something else; although I did once turn up to a house to buy a guitar where the guy had lovingly recreated the complete Eddie Van Halen rig in his front room. no I don't know why either he wasn't even in a Van Halen tribute band! Footnote: the deal went wrong anyway as my client wanted a cash only sale and I was not interested in being left holding the DGT! I can only suggest one thing that despite the DGT being a wonderful instrument David Grissom being a fearsome player with an amazing track record of achievement he is known to only the most focused fan. The curse of the signature guitar has struck again dear readers! Obviously guitar companies the world over see the signature instrument as a marketing ploy. You should see it only as that - a marketing ploy and buy something in the first place that lets you be you! A nice 75 Telecaster I have just bought in - step this way Sir , Madam! Until next time fret heads and twang kings!