gvdv Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Last night, I read an interview with Big Jim Sullivan (British session great in the 60s, playing on over 1000 charting hit singles, and many more non charting ones). In the interview, Sullivan said that he would really love to have a signature guitar. Even though the interview was done a few years ago (early 2000's, I think), I'm not aware of any signature guitar of his, and thought that it would be a great thing for Epiphone to acknowledge and honour Sullivan by bringing out such a guitar. What do people here think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Firstly, most, if not all signature guitars leave me cold. I just don't get the point. Secondly, 'who'? I think the point of a signature guitar is to choose an artist that's hot and well known at the time, in order to increase sales. Personally I think it'd be suicide to have a signature guitar for a studio musician, as good as he may be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin134 Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 Hey Gibson made a signature guitar for his counterpart little Jim who appeared on about as many hit singles.....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesstringer Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 I have to agree with Spud on this, I've never been interested in signature guitars. The only way I would even consider a signature model is if it had some feature, that I couldn't live without, that was not available other way, and that ain't gonna happen. Big Jim Sullivan is an unbeleivable player. He used to have a weekly spot on the Tom Jones Show in the early 70s, just him sitting on a stool tearing up an electric, I don't remember the model but very tasteful stuff. He is no where close to mainstram enough for any company to create a signature guitar for him, it just wouldn't make them any real $$$$$ IMHO, and that's the only way it would happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 RotCanX opined: Personally I think it'd be suicide to have a signature guitar for a studio musician, as good as he may be. Al Caiola, Barney Kessel, Howard Roberts and Larry Carlton might disagree ... Actually though, as much as I hate to admit it, the Spudman is probably right. The current state of pop culture neither recognizes nor values musicianship --- it's all about "attitude" --- and so we end up with Avril Lavigne (good grief!), Tom DeLonge and even Kiefer Sutherland signature models. ;) Do any of them deserve it? Of course not, but the companies can make $$ off them, so into production they go! We've reached the point in our society where money trumps (pun intended) everything else. In the past, signature models recognized technical or stylistic contributions to the art form, and influence on other players. Tal Farlow, Barney Kessel and Joe Pass all had tremendous influence on other musicians, even though they were never household names and never sold bazillions of records under their own names, and their signature models were likewise distinctive. I own signature model instruments from B.B. King, Jack Casady and Joe Pass (all Epiphones, interestingly enough) because they have combinations of features, sound and playability that suit my musical tastes. The fact that I appreciate them all as musicians is a bonus, but not the reason I bought the instruments. But I don't think I could stomach playing a signature model of someone I had no musical respect for, no matter how good the instrument, even if I could remove all traces of their name. I'd still feel bad about supporting a destructive trend in the culture and encouraging greed at the expense of art on the part of whatever company made the thing. Big Jim is an awesome player, but there are many more influential guitarists ahead of him (Scotty Moore? John McLaughlin? Andy Summers?) in line for signature models --- and they probably won't happen either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvdv Posted August 28, 2008 Author Share Posted August 28, 2008 I agree with what many of you have said about this, and I have no particular axe to grind (pun on another thread active at this moment) about supporting Big Jim Sullivan. I also know that there are many signature models out there related to guitarists/bassists with whom only a particular segment of Epiphone buyers (for example) familiar. I think that this is the norm, actually. Heavy metal fans are far more likely to be familiar with a semi-famous shredder, than are jazz fans, and so on. Ironically, Big Jim Sullivan is one of that small cadre of British session guitarists who influenced much of the non- 'Group' U.K. music scene in the 60's, with some of the others being: Joe Moretti, Jimmy Page, John McGlaughlin, and Vick Flick. Interesting to read your opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larkin38 Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 I can say I am not really a fan of signature models. Although I do own a Tony Iommi model. I actually know how Big Jim Sullivan is. I know he was a great session player in the 60`s. And if any older people here might remember the Tom Jones show. He was featured every week. And his signature guitar which he played every week was a Telecaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 II also know that there are many signature models out there related to guitarists/bassists with whom only a particular segment of Epiphone buyers (for example) familiar. I wonder how many Les Paul players have ever heard a Les Paul recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubstar Posted August 28, 2008 Share Posted August 28, 2008 "Al Caiola, Barney Kessel, Howard Roberts and Larry Carlton might disagree ..." the difference being that those all either were influential jazz guitarists or stage performers who received top / equal billing and recorded albums under their own name in addition to their session work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvdv Posted August 29, 2008 Author Share Posted August 29, 2008 I wonder how many Les Paul players have ever heard a Les Paul recording. Good point. That's the kind of thing to which I was referring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 there are many more influential guitarists ahead of him (Scotty Moore? John McLaughlin? Andy Summers?) in line for signature models --- and they probably won't happen either. Actually' date=' Fender did an Andy Summers replica Telecaster as a Custom Shop LE... figure a price in the many thousands of dollars though. As to the Al Caiola, Barney Kessel, Howard Roberts and Larry Carlton sigs... correct me if I'm wrong on this but none of those models made great sales except perhaps the Howard Roberts. Truly the only really successful signature guitar has been the Les Paul... and this is not comparable to today's sigs in that the Les Paul was a true original design as opposed to a 'version' of an existing model with paint, pickups or bling that makes it 'special'. I mean, sheezit, if you think about it, many of today's 'signature' guitars are [i']double[/i] signatured, such as in the case of the 'Zakk Wylde' 'Les Paul'. Note that the Les Paul guitar quickly transcended its signature status by being one of the two best guitar designs ever conceived. Very few people today even connect the success of the Les Paul with its original namesake; today it is more closely associated with those that brought it back from its '60s exile, people such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Peter Green, and so forth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 I'd like to see it. Not enough people know Big Jim or his work.. and if he'd like one, that's enough for me. The Les Paul may not have a lot of people listening to his records today.. that's certainly a shame.. but you can bet your butt it did good for gibson and les back in the day. Big Jim ought to go to Rickenbacker if Epi/Gibson wont come through. I don't know what he's playing nowadays.. but in his Tom Jones appearances, it was a Rick. I also don't believe the only successful signature guitar was the Les Paul. In fact, I believe that whether anyone here approves or not, signature lines are profitable.. and that's succes.. and I think that's fairly obvious by the type and number of sig.models available from every major manufacturer. Maybe a bit of snobbery going on in here... You can't expect a sig. guitar to necessarily outsell the original.. for instance a james burton tele wont appeal to everyone that a tele will appeal to.. but you can sure bet Epi sold a lot of those Wylde and Iommi guitars.. to name just two. Long Live Big Jim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Mars Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Actually' date=' Fender did an Andy Summers replica Telecaster as a Custom Shop LE... figure a price in the many thousands of dollars though. As to the Al Caiola, Barney Kessel, Howard Roberts and Larry Carlton sigs... correct me if I'm wrong on this but none of those models made great sales except perhaps the Howard Roberts. [/quote'] Thats because your average rock and roll trwanger never heard of these guys .... Especially Al Caiola who I saw when I was a kid. Very articulate guitar player. What about the Johnny Smith Sigs. This guy is the cleanest guitar player I ever heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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