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who's had the longest running signature guitar in history?


mbengs1

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It's amazing how this guy's threads always generate the dumbest arguments that go on for pages and pages.

 

Who cares? I've never owned a signature model, but Les Paul's name is indeed on my Epiphone Custom. Does that make it a signature guitar? I don't care. It's my guitar.

 

You know, as a relative newcomer to this forum all I ever hear from the old hands was how great it was here "back in the day" when there were pages and pages of argument and wind-ups every day and "feelings ran high". So this should make them happy!

 

 

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For reasons I explained above.

The Les Paul is NOT a signature model!!!

Jeez, Fender has his name on Strats They are not "Leo Fender signature" models either.

Nor is the Crown Victoria a Ford 'signature' model.

 

That's just ridiculously illogical.

 

Leo Fender was NOT a guitar player. He was the OWNER of the company.

 

Les Paul was NOT the owner of Gibson. Merely an artist that came to an agreement with a guitar maker to make HIS guitar.

 

His is the VERY definition of "signature model".

 

 

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You are wrong on the Les Paul for one simple reason:

"Signature" guitars are a modeling of an artists departure from a standard model

 

 

 

In this case, the departure from the standard Gibson model being the solid rather than hollow body - but I do understand what you are saying.

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I think so long as and "Artists" name is printed on a guitar it qualifies as a signature model. Les Paul was unique because he was and artists and more heavily involved with designing and manufacturing, but he still qualifies.

 

What you can argue are the double signature models. Does a paint job or pickup wiring really make the instrument different enough to have a second name on it?

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I'm really amused with what we can find to argue about.

 

I'm sticking with my previous vote - Les Paul, as nobody has convinced me otherwise yet.

 

Headstock.jpg

Of course, assuming that is a copy of his signature ;)

 

And it's OK to disagree with me. I haven't been elected God yet, but I'm a potential candidate (OK, the odds aren't very great, but I'll work on that) ;)

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It would depend on if you meant continuous.

 

Nick Lucas would have had one before Les Paul, which is a signature model despite what people say.

 

Good call, the Nick Lucas guitar came out in 1927, and was discontinued in 1938. However there were re-issues in the 1990s, and the Gibson Nick Lucas Elite Custom in 2005.

 

As to long-running, Gibson's Roy Smeck signature model acoustic guitar came out in 1934 and is still produced today in limited runs. It hasn't been in continuous production since it was introduced, but neither was the Les Paul. So since Roy Smeck guitars have been for sale for over 80 years, it might qualify as the longest-running signature guitar.

 

I think I'm pretty safe in saying that Gibson most definitely considers the Les Paul a signature guitar. :) Remember, he was a certified pop music star in the 50s who sold a gazillion records.

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BREAKING NEWS from Gibson Support people: I stand corrected, there was a run of Nick Lucas guitars in 2015 and Wildwood guitars has a bunch of sale. So I guess Nick gets the longest-running signature guitar crown.

 

Props to Garrett Hamilton for the info, whose commanding knowledge of guitar trivia indicates he clearly has way too much time on his hands.

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That's what I figured. Pretty easy call on that one as the Nick Lucas is an amazing, iconic instrument.

 

Talking about electric guitars it would be the Les Paul. If people don't get that then it would probably be Chet Atkins.

 

My guesses would be:

 

Nick Lucas

Les Paul

Chet Atkins

The Everly Brothers

 

in that order

 

We could probably put Roy Rogers into there somewhere if you count those toy guitars, especially since a lot of folks out there are playing toy guitars these days :)

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We could probably put Roy Rogers into there somewhere if you count those toy guitars, especially since a lot of folks out there are playing toy guitars these days :)

 

Gene Autry would have to go on the list too then... he probably pre-dated Roy insofar as "singing cowboys" go, and they sold a ton of Silvertone / Harmony guitars with his name on them.

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It would be boring to say it is. the les paul is one of the first solidbody electric guitars ever made. give the props to a less famous instrument. smiley-cool12.gif

 

No need to let excitement get in the way of facts... ;) It may be "boring", but if Gibson and Les both considered it to be a sig model, that's good enough for me.

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