Does Mike deserve his own signature guitar?

Pearl Jam and toast

exhausted wrote:

the concept of "selling out" is for kids detached from reality.

You'd think that, but it's possible.. Most of the time people use that term it's total bullshit (like allowing a custom guitar be made in your name - that's just cool). But let me point you to the way Green Day marketed themselves and manufactured an image to sell a record to the trendy 'fuse' crowd. That's a textbook sellout. The word should be in the dictionary with a picture and description of Green Day so people will know exactly what 'selling out' really is I think.

enharmonic

Most people that have them, do not deserve them.

I bet if you asked Mike, he would be more into people playing guitar because they love music, then spending 2-3000 on a Mike McCready signature guitar.

The music isn't in the guitar...it's in the person.

MichaelMcKevin

I don't think having a signature guitar is selling out, but i do think not having one and being good enough to have one makes you less of a sell out, or an anti-sellout, if that makes any sense. The first thing i thought when i saw this thread was "What type of guitar could it be?". He definitely plays too many guitars for one to be his "Signature" model. I like that Mike will play anything if it gives him the sound he wants. He wouldn't play a signature strat on a song that he thought should have a fat p-90 sound just to make fender happy. You can't really attribute one guitar to mike, stone, or eddie. They change too much.

exhausted

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

You'd think that, but it's possible.. Most of the time people use that term it's total bullshit (like allowing a custom guitar be made in your name - that's just cool). But let me point you to the way Green Day marketed themselves and manufactured an image to sell a record to the trendy 'fuse' crowd. That's a textbook sellout. The word should be in the dictionary with a picture and description of Green Day so people will know exactly what 'selling out' really is I think.

you sell out as soon as you play your first gig for beer quite honestly. it's a stupid concept.

they had just an much of a manufactured image before armstrong started to wear eyeliner.

BetterManningNYG

this thread got me thinking about an article that was in GuitarOne last month. it was called "clapton's 10 iconic axes and essential licks." i just went to their website to see if the article was there, but their site is under construction and i can't find it anywhere else on the internet. it was from this issue if any of you know what i am talking about:

http://www.guitaronemag.com/images/GuitarOne_03.gif

but the article isn't the point. the point is that eric clapton is a musician who has MANY signature guitars... but each one of them is unmistakably clapton. this does not make him a sellout.

the discussion to this point has generally been based around the question of whether or not having a signature model makes you a sellout. but there's another side to this topic that hasn't been brought up yet: the artistic aspect of the guitar-building craft.

building a great guitar is an artform in itself, just like playing music is. some musicians, such as clapton, clearly have a deep respect for the luthiers who build their instruments. therefore it is considered an honor for him to have his name associated with these instruments. i would be honored too (although personally undeserving). i'm not implying that mike lacks respect in this regard; clearly he just doesn't choose to demonstrate it in the same way that clapton does.

but obviously, not all musicians consider the building process. it really annoys me when i see some these pop bands prancing around the stage with paul reed smiths and custom shop gibsons. in my opinion, many of these guys do not measure up artistically to the person who built their guitars (relatively speaking). then of course it's always necessary for them to smash the guitars after their song is over. why don't you show some mastery of the instrument before you destroy somebody else's art? how does that sound?

DISCLAIMER: i am not stating that guitar smashing is always wrong. but it should never be done if it was built by a master luthier or if you fail to demonstrate an ability to play it well.

i really have no idea how i ended up on the topic of guitar smashing. sorry for going off on such a ridiculous tangent there. but i think i've said what i wanted to say.

BetterManningNYG

exhausted wrote:

you sell out as soon as you play your first gig for beer quite honestly. it's a stupid concept.

they had just an much of a manufactured image before armstrong started to wear eyeliner.

+1...

http://toolshed.down.net/lyrics/aenimalyrics.php#07

xtremehardy388

enharmonic wrote:

Most people that have them, do not deserve them.

I bet if you asked Mike, he would be more into people playing guitar because they love music, then spending 2-3000 on a Mike McCready signature guitar.

The music isn't in the guitar...it's in the person.

+1

I totally agree. I never got what selling out was to be quite honest.

lucylespian

exhausted wrote:

the concept of "selling out" is for kids detached from reality.

+ Avagadro's number

Everyone wants to be a rock star so they can be rich ! They also want the music they love to be loved by everybody, cos that proves what good taste they have. Then when that happens, "it's a sellout" !!
ON guitar smashing, I totally agree that it is a crime to smash a beautiful handbuilt guitar. As I have said, they are all female, and it's like bashing women. It shows a total lack of respect to the craftsman who built it, to the music and to themselves. Mass produced junk guitars, maybe under extreme circumstances, like it is old and unplayable and of no use to anyone.

Thorns2010

Is it wrong that I would buy a signature Mike guitar and I don't even play guitar???

Pearl Jam and toast

Making money has nothing to do with "selling out". Green Day changed themselves completely to make money after a couple flops of an album and almost completely disappearing for whatever reason. The album actually wasn't half bad, I'd say better than anything they've ever done honestly, but I can't respect them at all.

Anyway, that's off topic :rolleyes:

If Mike had a signature guitar it would be a dark sunburst strat,.. like that ancient one he plays Even Flow on. But I love how he switches things up so much.. That's something that always bugs the hell out of me is when guitarists never change their guitar. Like Frusciante,.. he's great and all, but cmon, does he have to ALWAYS play a strat?

keeponrockin

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

Making money has nothing to do with "selling out". Green Day changed themselves completely to make money after a couple flops of an album and almost completely disappearing for whatever reason. The album actually wasn't half bad, I'd say better than anything they've ever done honestly, but I can't respect them at all.

Anyway, that's off topic :rolleyes:

If Mike had a signature guitar it would be a dark sunburst strat,.. like that ancient one he plays Even Flow on. But I love how he switches things up so much.. That's something that always bugs the hell out of me is when guitarists never change their guitar. Like Frusciante,.. he's great and all, but cmon, does he have to ALWAYS play a strat?

It always works! That man shouldn't change a damn thing!

Novawind

Frusciante also has a white Gretsch hollowbody, I forget which video he plays it in.

Pearl Jam and toast

Novawind wrote:

Frusciante also has a white Gretsch hollowbody, I forget which video he plays it in.

probably Otherside. I saw him use a hollowbody during it live. Still, other than that i've only seen him with a strat.

armanHammer

Thorns2010 wrote:

Is it wrong that I would buy a signature Mike guitar and I don't even play guitar???

Yes.

lucylespian

Thorns2010 wrote:

Is it wrong that I would buy a signature Mike guitar and I don't even play guitar???

Not at all. Guitars are as much art as function, and most people who buy art don't paint or sculpt. If you have an attitude about owning something, ie think it makes you a better person or whatever, then that is to do with your attitude. If you buy something for pleasure of ownership, cos you want it, then what makes a particular guitar different to any other consumer product you choose ?? Who knows, it might inspire you to start playing, you could be the next big thing, or your little brother, or the kid next door might be cos of you having it.
I think it is wrong that anyone would presume to tell what you should or should not like. I think that is called tribalism !!

BetterManningNYG

lucylespian wrote:

+ Avagadro's number

Everyone wants to be a rock star so they can be rich ! They also want the music they love to be loved by everybody, cos that proves what good taste they have. Then when that happens, "it's a sellout" !!
ON guitar smashing, I totally agree that it is a crime to smash a beautiful handbuilt guitar. As I have said, they are all female, and it's like bashing women. It shows a total lack of respect to the craftsman who built it, to the music and to themselves. Mass produced junk guitars, maybe under extreme circumstances, like it is old and unplayable and of no use to anyone.

whoa... you just gave me a nightmarish flashback to 10th grade chemistry class... lol...

"selling out" can pretty much be defined as doing something that contradicts one's own moral convictions for the purpose of monetary gain. as such, only the accused can know for sure whether he/she did in fact sell out (although the power of denial is an amazing thing). the rest of us can only speculate.

certainly there are bands out there that have distanced themselves from their preferred style of music in order to make money (i think the goo goo dolls have openly admitted to this). it's a ridiculous thing to do, because if you are truly talented, then you should be able to make money playing the style music that you love.

of course, this theory does not account for the fact that breaking into the music industry is 99% luck regardless of what style of music you play.

in any case, i like your guitar smashing analogy, LP.

BetterManningNYG

Thorns2010 wrote:

Is it wrong that I would buy a signature Mike guitar and I don't even play guitar???

no. in fact, it may very well be the least wrong thing ever in the history of human existence...

unless of course it was a limited run and you bought the last one, thus preventing me from getting my own...

then we'd have a problem.

one minor detail is that a masterbuilt '59 stratocaster relic retails for around $5400 i think, so i can't even imagine how much it would cost after they aged it to look like mike's.

enharmonic

Thorns2010 wrote:

Is it wrong that I would buy a signature Mike guitar and I don't even play guitar???

It's only wrong if it's wrong for you. If you bought it as a piece of functional art, you wouldn't be wrong. If you bought it for its potential collectible value, it would be speculative at best. If you bouught it because you love Mike, you might better show your love by donating the same amount of money to the CCFA.

At the end of the day, it's your money. Do with it as you see fit. Buying a guitar isn't the worst thing a person can do . And hey, if you happen to learn Rear View Mirror one day for kicks, all the better.

In short...no...not wrong. I'd only like to caution that buying a MMcC signature guitar will not make one sound or play like Mike...which is where the marketing comes in. Mike would sound like Mike on a student model guitar.

enharmonic

BetterManningNYG wrote:

no. in fact, it may very well be the least wrong thing ever in the history of human existence...

unless of course it was a limited run and you bought the last one, thus preventing me from getting my own...

then we'd have a problem.

one minor detail is that a masterbuilt '59 stratocaster relic retails for around $5400 i think, so i can't even imagine how much it would cost after they aged it to look like mike's.

Since it would have to be done by hand, you're probably looking at $10-12k...which is on the low side if you've been following the likes of Clapton's "Blackie" reissue, or some of the Hendrix models that were limited runs.

keeponrockin

Like other's have said, as cool as it would be, there's nothing really special appearance or otherwise about Mike's strats (other than the fact they're beat to hell!)