How far is too far when talking signature gear? (Page 2 of 3)

That is ridiculous.  Joe Bonamassa is a collector.    Who plays. And not the only one. 
I know your point has some validity (lots)...
Hilarious inference about the Les Paul being signature, but I think an even  more respectable name would be TRADEMARKED (and genius)!
Rock ON & Keep the Faith,
Rocket

"He still doesn't charge for mistakes! "
http://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/
"Everybody wants ta get inta the act!"
“Now, this isn’t your ordinary party crowd, here.  I mean, there are professionals in here.”

I loudly agree with you.  It's a total shame and a sham on the overall marketing and pricings.

Rock ON & Keep the Faith,
Rocket

"He still doesn't charge for mistakes! "
http://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/
"Everybody wants ta get inta the act!"
“Now, this isn’t your ordinary party crowd, here.  I mean, there are professionals in here.”

The part that gets me is the seediness of some of the marketing and even the actual stuff.  On top of that the sometimes short-lived aspect of the name dropping. Sometimes I suppose you could call it all masterful marketing ploys, but as Dave says, a lot of it is tat, which, although I don't know the term, I am deducing means not worth the time of day let alone the price.  And tat at the outset, not after the rush of buying and holding, or hoarding, if that is the case.  Does company f really need to pump up sales by riding artist b's coattails? Since we, company f, decided WE want part of artist b, YOU too should want to buy into the part of f that wants said artist.  And does artist b really need to be associated with company f, as if without f, artist b's life would be severely impacted in the quality of their artistic endeavors?      It's convenient for sure, and part and parcel of life and even much, much, much worse in other cross-dependent business relationships.  Just draw a line somewhere, regardless of side of ventures one resides.  My life experiences, for me, demonstrate that low-key, friendly advice from knowledgeable participants who compile and resolve all aspects of pricing vs. usage, i.e. cost of actual pleasing functionality and resultant integrated quality or qualities should be sufficient, and just toss out the hype.

Rock ON & Keep the Faith,
Rocket

"He still doesn't charge for mistakes! "
http://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/
"Everybody wants ta get inta the act!"
“Now, this isn’t your ordinary party crowd, here.  I mean, there are professionals in here.”

Obviously people "Jones" for Joe's stuff. We might not have heard of a lot of the companies below if it wasn't for Joe. I like to think what he plays does indeed impact the sound of his albums... I notice it especially during the Gigliotti years in the transition to the LesPaul years. Severely impact quality? I'd say 'no,' but influence on creativity? 'Yes.' How many of these companies wear Joe like a badge of honor? All but one.

Guitars:
Exhibit A: Gigliotti -> Joe
Exhibit B: not Fender -> Joe
Exhibit C: Gibson -> Joe
Exhibit D: MusicMan -> Joe

AMPS:
Exhibit E: Budda -> Joe
Exhibit F: CarolAnn -> Joe
Exhibit G: Category5 -> Joe
Exhibit H: Marshall? -> Joe
Exhibit I: Van Weelden-> Joe

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping.

Signature guitars are not always just for those who are big fans. I have a PRS DGT, I'd never heard of David Grissom until I read the review of the guitar in guitarist. It ticked all the boxes for me as a guitar so I saved and saved and saved some more and finally got one, 10 top with birds.

Exactly! Thanks for making my Monday!

Roy

For me personally, it comes down to what sort of premium the manufacturer is charging for a 'signature' guitar.  A 10% premium over a stock standard model I think is OK.  I'd even go to 20%.

However I see some manufacturers charging 100%, sometimes even up to 500% for an artist model.  Not sure about that at all, but then again, if there is a market of collectors that will pay that, then I guess market forces will dictate.  In any case, I don't like how these prices are set based on some presupposed hype and expected demand.

What happens when the pricing has missed the mark?  What if company 'X' has a guitar model 'Y' which normally sells for $2000.  Then they release an 'Artist Z' model of 'Y' which sells for $8000.  They may sell half of their initial release to the avid collectors and die hard fans, but then the remaining inventory sits around for a while.  6 months later they mark down the signature series to $4000 to clear them out.

How would the early adopters feel to have their 'investments' halved just like that?  Just because some corporate MBA got a little bit greedy ahead of time?

Personally, I consider myself a big Joe B fan, and yes, watching him play a Gold Top LP has made me desire one, but I really don't know if I will actually go out to buy the signature Gold Top - even though I can afford to.  I would rather get a Historic Shop '57 Gold Top Reissue and make some minor mods to suit my playing style and tone.

+1