What was the first signature guitar?

[MetalGrasshopper]

?

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

Les Paul?
Not sure to call it as a signature guitar though..

[86mod5]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

I would definitely call the Les Paul a signature guitar.

[hippietim]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

I believe there were some acoustic guitars out as sigs before the Les Paul - I'm too lazy to dig them up though so Les Paul it is [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

I think Bigsby made the Merle Travis guitar first...kind of a Les Paul shape with a flat top and an over-exaggerated Fender style headstock.

[Chuckracer]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

Boxcar wins!
At least for electric guitars.

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

Acoustic guitars are a little harder, since different models like a Selmer or an old Gibson archtop have become so closely associated with different guitar players like Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian, respectively, but at the time they weren't really signature models.

[nonamemx]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

I dont really think the Merle Travis guitar really counts as a signature, more of a custom, I dont think they were mass produced, I could be wrong though.

[ChickenScratch]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

Fender makes a big to-do about signing Clapton to an exclusive deal in the 70's. I'm not sure if there was a sig model at the time but he did switch sometime before then.

[VulfgangPfuck]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

There was a host of mass produced Gibson hollowbodies in the early to late 60's that could classify as "Signature" guitars. The Gibson Johnny Smith, the Tal Farlow, the Trini Lopez, I'm forgetting a few others, but you get the gist!
I wouldn't think the Merle Travis guitar really counted as a "Signature guitar" They weren't mass produced back in those days, and Paul Bigsby got out of building guitars very early on. So it's a toss between something Fender has built back then, and Gibson.

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

The Gibson Trini Lopez! I remember seeing photos of Dave Grohl playing that and thinking "What the hell is that??"

[No Use]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

gotta love Dave for playing those obscure Gibsons, i remember drooling over his RD Artist, til he smashed it onstage.

[jgcable]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

Regarding rock, what about Rick Derringer. Didn't he have a signature model back in the early 70's.
Not to hijack your thread but maybe if you revised it to ask:
What was the first signature guitar for:
Gibson
Fender
BC Rich
Jackson
Charvel
Ibanez
PRS
Hamer
Dean
Rickenbacker
Guild
Carvin
Gretch
ESP

[j2379]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

the Trini Lopez is awesome, they made 2 models, i like the one with the diamond shaped F holes.
JG the BCRich Stealth was Ricks model, he designed it. there first signature model was probably the eagle since it was first made for Bill ( i think)Bodine, Bodine was the one who asked BCR to modify the double cutaway seagull into what became the eagle.

Jackson thats easy RANDY FUCKEN RHOADS
Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gent?
ibanez im thinking George Benson, possible Bob Weir's model artist with the tree of life inlay.

[SEEGERMANY]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

If you want to get technical, the minute Leo or Orville stuck Fender or Gibson on the headstock, it became a "signature" guitar. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]