What was the first signature guitar?

[jtr]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

Guild had a Johnny Smith George Barnes & Duane Eddy In the 50S. Mosrite Ventures in 60s. Gretsch Had Bo Diddley in 50s Monkeys in 60s. Gibson Byrdland 50s & Barney Kessel 60s. Epiphone Horard Roberts & Al Caiola 60s . Just to name a few more.

[jeff300]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

According to my "The History of the American Guitar" book, the first signature guitar was the Gibson Nick Lucas model in 1928. It was an acoustic.

[Posepatrol]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?


Coke Bottle ESP? Try Charvel Star with a Danelectro Neck.

[ QUOTE ]
J,
Ibanez's first high-profile endorsee was George Benson...and that was 1969 I believe. Bob Weir may have come next, but that wasn't until the mid 70's when their endorser list exploded!

BC Rich was Bill Bodine (right again J) and the guy Johhny (last name slips me) who designed the Mockingbird.

ESP was Akira Takasaki in 1982 4 years before Loudness broke in the states. But even EVH was seen in the early days with a coke-bottle head ESP.

Rickenbacker was John Lennon (first to have a Sig model made by Rick) in 1984...before that, no sig models existed.

Dean [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] hard to pinpoint that list!

Hamer could've been Rick Neilsen in the late 70's but not 100% sure on that.

Guild goes back into the early 70's, but I think their first Sig guitar was an acoustic, and not a solidbody. The first Guild Sig solidbody I'm aware of is the Mick Mars X79 Star in 1986(7?)

Jackson is obvious....J already stated that firmly.
As for Charvel....it's been discussed before, but I'd say Alan Holdsworth.

Carvin?....hmmm...that one slips me too. That would be mid-80's (timeline would make sense)

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[VulfgangPfuck]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

[ QUOTE ]

Coke Bottle ESP? Try Charvel Star with a Danelectro Neck.


[/ QUOTE ]

EVH's or Akira's?....and I didn't say that was a signature...I just mentioned he was seen in the early days using one (had an ESP logo on it). I could care less about the technical aspects of it...I'm not that big of an EVH fan. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[VulfgangPfuck]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

[ QUOTE ]
Guild had a Johnny Smith George Barnes & Duane Eddy In the 50S. Mosrite Ventures in 60s. Gretsch Had Bo Diddley in 50s Monkeys in 60s. Gibson Byrdland 50s & Barney Kessel 60s. Epiphone Horard Roberts & Al Caiola 60s . Just to name a few more.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah...thanks JTR!....I knew there was a lot more than my memory allowed! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
Bo Diddley's Gretsch...was that actually a "Signature" guitar back that far? I know the others were all "signature"
Can't believe I forgot all of them! [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[LarryL]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

[ QUOTE ]
what about chet atkins? he had a couple of sigs - one from gretsch and a couple from gibson.

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The C.A. 6120 came out in 1954. I'd have to agree with Dinkyjacksonman that the Les Paul is the first electric (1952). It's also easily the most popular of all time.

If we are including acoustics I know Gibson had a Nick Lucas model in the 1920's. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[The Eristic]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

[ QUOTE ]
According to my "The History of the American Guitar" book, the first signature guitar was the Gibson Nick Lucas model in 1928. It was an acoustic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Should be right.

[VulfgangPfuck]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

Easily the Les Paul....Toru had it from the beginning!

[LarryL]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

Oops, jeff300 beat me to the punch on the Nick Lucas. [img]/images/graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img]

[Newc]

Re: What was the first signature guitar?

You can't limit this topic to mass-production-only models. Any model made specifically for one particular artist and bearing their name whether on the guitar or in official company advertising literature classifies it as a Signature Model, so the Merle Travis counts just as much as a Les Paul or Rhoads.

Now for another bit of trivia:
Charlie Christian had the first signature guitar pickup [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]