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Signature Guitars (1980's)

RallyCat909

By RallyCat909,
in Making Modern Music

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CygnusX-1Bk2

CygnusX-1Bk2

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Yeah, the cool thing about the pickups on the Turners is that it rotates. You can change the angle or spin it 180 degrees to change the phase. Very interesting. They had one at a local store in the 80s. I was a kid and couldn't afford it at the time but it was a very nice piece. Don't know if I'd shell out $3k for one now. The May's on the other hand are quite reasonable and the company is run by his tech, so the guitars are as May's guitar is these days, in terms of set up and electronics. The top of the line ones are about $800 from Musician's Friend. Not bad at all. You run that puppy through a Vox and you have that sound.
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TheSpiritOfLerxst

TheSpiritOfLerxst

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That Odyssey is beautiful! Truly stunning, great pictures. I want a VISIONARY!! That to me is like hitting the lottery. Love my Gallien Krueger 2000CPL, I have been searching hard for the RFG5 foot switch for it with no luck.

This guy sells replacements for the RFG5 footswitch :) I'm saving up for one for my own 2000CPL

http://voodoomanswitches.com/component/page,shop.product_details/flypage,shop.flypage/product_id,975/category_id,74/manufacturer_id,0/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,39/vmcchk,1/

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TheSpiritOfLerxst

TheSpiritOfLerxst

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That Odyssey is indeed gorgeous. I love to see different colors from the ones originally offered, especially the lacquered ones that show the wood grain. That is a nice birdseye maple. A lot of the last bolt-ons that came out of the Godin factory had some interesting features and shades. I have a green Pegasus with carved top, "binding" and 3-way switch (see below). The Evans pickups are no longer available.

 

2 years ago, there was a local guy selling a mint Visionary in red for $1500. I was out of work at the time so I hesitated and it was gone. I am still kicking myself, but I'm happy with my neck-through Odyssey. I bought that from the luthier who knew Russ Heinl and bought the last of the unfinished Signature assembly line guitars. He also didn't like the carve, finding it too sharp, and thought the tremolo cavity looked like an "ashtray" smile.gif. Still, as a luthier, he really admired their quality.

 

Signature guitars used to be fairly common sight in used music shops out here in eastern Canada, but they are gettign harder to find.

 

http://pages.videotron.ca/rushtnb/Signatures.jpg

You wouldn't by chance be talking about Freddy, would you? ;) haha

I actually got to have a little conversation with Russ over email, he answered some of the questions I've been dying to ask and he even reminisced a little bit about good times with Lerxst! :)

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HemiBeers

HemiBeers

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If I remember correctly in an interview, Alex said he didn't like their playability but it had a sound that he wanted at the time (likely cutting through all the synths).
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TFEman

TFEman

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what happened was Alex's Great White was one of two or three left during the Presto tour (he had a black one with an HSS pickup configuration and I don't know what model it was) and sometime in early May (definitely before the 17th), during a handoff to the technician, the guitar fell and the headstock broke off. At that point, he switched to PRS and got rid of the other one (or two, maybe). The black one was used for The Big Money during the Presto tour before it was dropped from the setlist (see the bootleg 'Available Light'), and he probably gave away his backups.
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Super Phil

Super Phil

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Posted

<!--QuoteBegin-1-0-0-1-0-0-1+May 27 2009, 08:40 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (1-0-0-1-0-0-1 @ May 27 2009, 08:40 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-jdouglas+May 27 2009, 11:20 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (jdouglas @ May 27 2009, 11:20 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-SignatureAurora75+May 27 2009, 09:46 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (SignatureAurora75 @ May 27 2009, 09:46 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> That Odyssey is beautiful!. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

<!--emo&:no:--><img src='http://www.therushforum.com/html/emoticons/no.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='no.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Well, HE thinks it is. I think it is too, even though I'm not crazy about that extreme beveled edge. I always liked the shape of those guitars, and the wood and coloring on that one is pretty nice.

 

As far as how they sound, I've only heard Alex play them through solid state GK amps, and as a tube junkie, that is my least favorite Alex guitar tone. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

To me these guitars are derivatives of derivatives. There is nothing original about them. They are strat types with Kramer/Jackson/Charvel/Explorer headstocks and active pickups. You might as well buy a Fender and modify it. I have always referred to these as "no-tone" guitars because they have no actual tone themselves, it is a manufactured tone, not organic like the guitars these are modeled after.

 

I used to feel that way about Parker Flies (Fly's?); no-tone. But a friend of mine has one that sounds pretty good.

 

Why do you think Alex has gone back to Gibsons, Fenders, and even Paul Reed Smiths? Same reason other manufacturers have "borrowed" designs. Because those guitars have flavor and originality. These things are niche, which is fine for guys who are into that. But the only real appeal for these is to Alex Lifeson fans.

 

But that's me. The burst one is pretty, though.

 

Well Signatures used a specific type of wood (Limewood) that was only available from a certain area in Quebec. So that is something original about them. The Evans pick-up were somewhat unique. (although I always preferred the Seymour Duncan's they used.)

 

Yes, Alex did switch to PRS...when Signature went out of business, lol. Of course I realize that he probably would have switched to something else sooner or later. He is constantly changing and using different gear and guitars. But he did use Signatures almost exclusively on two albums and tours. Not bad for a 'no tone' guitar, lol.

Is it a niche guitar? Sure. What exactly is it supposed to be? Alex wasn't the only one who used them, though.

 

And yes, I realize I am responding to a 6 year old post, but I don't get over here very often. :)

 

Here is a cool video:

 

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TFEman

TFEman

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Posted

<!--QuoteBegin-1-0-0-1-0-0-1+May 27 2009, 08:40 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (1-0-0-1-0-0-1 @ May 27 2009, 08:40 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-jdouglas+May 27 2009, 11:20 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (jdouglas @ May 27 2009, 11:20 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-SignatureAurora75+May 27 2009, 09:46 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (SignatureAurora75 @ May 27 2009, 09:46 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> That Odyssey is beautiful!. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

<!--emo& :no:--><img src='http://www.therushfo...moticons/no.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='no.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Well, HE thinks it is. I think it is too, even though I'm not crazy about that extreme beveled edge. I always liked the shape of those guitars, and the wood and coloring on that one is pretty nice.

 

As far as how they sound, I've only heard Alex play them through solid state GK amps, and as a tube junkie, that is my least favorite Alex guitar tone. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

To me these guitars are derivatives of derivatives. There is nothing original about them. They are strat types with Kramer/Jackson/Charvel/Explorer headstocks and active pickups. You might as well buy a Fender and modify it. I have always referred to these as "no-tone" guitars because they have no actual tone themselves, it is a manufactured tone, not organic like the guitars these are modeled after.

 

I used to feel that way about Parker Flies (Fly's?); no-tone. But a friend of mine has one that sounds pretty good.

 

Why do you think Alex has gone back to Gibsons, Fenders, and even Paul Reed Smiths? Same reason other manufacturers have "borrowed" designs. Because those guitars have flavor and originality. These things are niche, which is fine for guys who are into that. But the only real appeal for these is to Alex Lifeson fans.

 

But that's me. The burst one is pretty, though.

 

Well Signatures used a specific type of wood (Limewood) that was only available from a certain area in Quebec. So that is something original about them. The Evans pick-up were somewhat unique. (although I always preferred the Seymour Duncan's they used.)

 

Yes, Alex did switch to PRS...when Signature went out of business, lol. Of course I realize that he probably would have switched to something else sooner or later. He is constantly changing and using different gear and guitars. But he did use Signatures almost exclusively on two albums and tours. Not bad for a 'no tone' guitar, lol.

Is it a niche guitar? Sure. What exactly is it supposed to be? Alex wasn't the only one who used them, though.

 

And yes, I realize I am responding to a 6 year old post, but I don't get over here very often. :)

 

Here is a cool video:

 

Actually, Scott Page of post-Waters Pink Floyd used one. You can find their catalog from around 1990 and it listsall of the artists that used them, and there were a few more than Alex

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TheSpiritOfLerxst

TheSpiritOfLerxst

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About that Boy Scouts Panther Patrol patch Alex had on "Great White," I was just watching The Doors with Eddie Vedder performing at the hall of fame induction ceremony and bassist Don Was had a panther patch on his bass in the same position as on Alex's guitar!
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CygnusX-1Bk2

CygnusX-1Bk2

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Posting this once is enough. I am going to remove it from the other threads.

Edited by CygnusX-1Bk2
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edhunter

edhunter

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I think the guitars and basses from that era were victims of the sounds Rush was going for at that time. They left the true bass to the pedals, so Geddy's Wals sound like twangy, tenor rubber bands. Which is odd because I've heard other recordings done with Wals that have plenty of bottom end.

I'm wondering if looking back at the "Rush-lite" albums, they just decided to break with everything they were using at the time.

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