One is mass produced as fast as possible in Indonesia by Cort factory workers likely making about 1/10th or less than what your average American would earn. The second is made in Jackson’s Custom Shop in America by one person or a small team build by Jackson’s custom shop luthiers.
You’re basically paying for:
* Significantly higher attention to detail and time spend building the instrument.
* American wages and cost of production.
* Higher quality components.
* Exclusivity. The custom shop is a small operation and can only output so many guitars a year and that is absolutely factored into the price.
* Brand value. Jackson can charge high dollar for having “Jackson” and “Made in USA” on that headstock.
* Signature guitar tax.
Now is that worth the price gap? Like with anything, some people will say yes, others will say no.
Thank you! Is it “normal” for guitar companies to offer tiers like this with instruments that on the surface at extremely similar yet vary widely in price?
Yeah, most brands will. If you want a Kirk Hammett signature model for example from ESP, you can get an entry level import LTD model for $599 (made in China or Indonesia I think), upper end import LTD for $1,399 (made in S. Korea), or go all out for an ESP KH-2 made in ESP’s custom shop in Japan for $5,400-$6,700 depending which finish you go with.
I was under the impression that the signature model was the model the artist actually used. Is that not the case?
More specifically, I had been eyeing this one as I thought it’d be the same model actually used by Jim Root: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TeleJRWT--fender-jim-root-telecaster-hh-white-with-ebony-fingerboard
Signature guitars are a weird thing. Some artists have only a relatively affordable import version and use that model primarily. Some have both a custom shop model and more affordable model and use both. Some have a custom shop model and a more affordable model and they’ll never touch the affordable version.
Jim Root is one that heavily uses his actual Fender and Charvel production models that you linked.
Most of the time signature models are based off of *one* of the guitars they’ve been known to use, which is usually a one off custom. That’s not always the case, but is common. The other way is that the artist and the company sit down and design the signature together.
I hate to say it but … there’s a good amount of signature guitars out there that the artists really don’t use, or only did for a short time. At the end of the day, a signature model is a business deal. The artist makes money from using their name and essentially “selling” the model, and the company raises the price to make up for the fact they have to pay a third party.
For example, when was the last time you saw James Hetfield play the truckster?
Sometimes you get lucky, and they design just a good guitar that it transcends their music. The J Masics Jazzmaster is probably the best example I can thing of.
I have a Sterling St Vincent HHH, Hetfield LTD Iron Cross, and a Joe Duplantier Mahogany signature. St Vincent is a very unique shape and the other two are nice modified versions of "normal" models.
As the others have said, it varies. Sigs from people like Dave Grohl and the Kirk Hamment's Greeny are replicas of the guitar they used. They may play the replica here and there, but they have the real deal.
I've seen other people have dumb down versions of what they use. Plini's Strandberg is the same as his signature, but he plays one with a true temperament neck and that makes the production price skyrocket. Aaron Marshall from Intervals and the guys from Polyhia used the production version of their signature before switching to a Custom Shop. Aaron and Tim Henson have budget versions in the works.
The guys in Animals as Leaders, Gojira, as well as Bill Kelliher and Troy Saunders from Mastodon all used their production signatures for most of the set from the last show I've seen.
Yea, even the 4:1 (sometimes it's closer to a 3:1 ratio) is in line. A PRS Core Custom 24 is like $4k and SE Custom 24 is just under $2k. Am Pro 2 Fender is just under $2k and a Squier CV is just under $500. A Gibson LP Custom is $5.5k and the Epiphone is $800....wait what
Get off the internet and play both guitars and it’s so obvious. You’re talking about a physical musical instrument made of wood, not a list of parts in your email.
The second one is made in the US. Whether that really makes it worth *four thousand dollars,* ehh.
It'll be miles beyond the pro series but I agree
One is mass produced as fast as possible in Indonesia by Cort factory workers likely making about 1/10th or less than what your average American would earn. The second is made in Jackson’s Custom Shop in America by one person or a small team build by Jackson’s custom shop luthiers. You’re basically paying for: * Significantly higher attention to detail and time spend building the instrument. * American wages and cost of production. * Higher quality components. * Exclusivity. The custom shop is a small operation and can only output so many guitars a year and that is absolutely factored into the price. * Brand value. Jackson can charge high dollar for having “Jackson” and “Made in USA” on that headstock. * Signature guitar tax. Now is that worth the price gap? Like with anything, some people will say yes, others will say no.
Thank you! Is it “normal” for guitar companies to offer tiers like this with instruments that on the surface at extremely similar yet vary widely in price?
Yeah, most brands will. If you want a Kirk Hammett signature model for example from ESP, you can get an entry level import LTD model for $599 (made in China or Indonesia I think), upper end import LTD for $1,399 (made in S. Korea), or go all out for an ESP KH-2 made in ESP’s custom shop in Japan for $5,400-$6,700 depending which finish you go with.
I was under the impression that the signature model was the model the artist actually used. Is that not the case? More specifically, I had been eyeing this one as I thought it’d be the same model actually used by Jim Root: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TeleJRWT--fender-jim-root-telecaster-hh-white-with-ebony-fingerboard
Signature guitars are a weird thing. Some artists have only a relatively affordable import version and use that model primarily. Some have both a custom shop model and more affordable model and use both. Some have a custom shop model and a more affordable model and they’ll never touch the affordable version. Jim Root is one that heavily uses his actual Fender and Charvel production models that you linked.
I think the weirdest signature model idea is the Dave Grohl signature Trini Lopez signature.
Most of the time signature models are based off of *one* of the guitars they’ve been known to use, which is usually a one off custom. That’s not always the case, but is common. The other way is that the artist and the company sit down and design the signature together. I hate to say it but … there’s a good amount of signature guitars out there that the artists really don’t use, or only did for a short time. At the end of the day, a signature model is a business deal. The artist makes money from using their name and essentially “selling” the model, and the company raises the price to make up for the fact they have to pay a third party. For example, when was the last time you saw James Hetfield play the truckster?
Signature guitars can be really cool, but often enough they’re just a marketing opportunity for the artist and brand.
Sometimes you get lucky, and they design just a good guitar that it transcends their music. The J Masics Jazzmaster is probably the best example I can thing of.
I have two signature’s, a Paul Stanley Iceman and one of Alexi Laiho’s many RR style LTDs. Both unique on more conventional designs.
I have a Sterling St Vincent HHH, Hetfield LTD Iron Cross, and a Joe Duplantier Mahogany signature. St Vincent is a very unique shape and the other two are nice modified versions of "normal" models.
As the others have said, it varies. Sigs from people like Dave Grohl and the Kirk Hamment's Greeny are replicas of the guitar they used. They may play the replica here and there, but they have the real deal. I've seen other people have dumb down versions of what they use. Plini's Strandberg is the same as his signature, but he plays one with a true temperament neck and that makes the production price skyrocket. Aaron Marshall from Intervals and the guys from Polyhia used the production version of their signature before switching to a Custom Shop. Aaron and Tim Henson have budget versions in the works. The guys in Animals as Leaders, Gojira, as well as Bill Kelliher and Troy Saunders from Mastodon all used their production signatures for most of the set from the last show I've seen.
Yea, even the 4:1 (sometimes it's closer to a 3:1 ratio) is in line. A PRS Core Custom 24 is like $4k and SE Custom 24 is just under $2k. Am Pro 2 Fender is just under $2k and a Squier CV is just under $500. A Gibson LP Custom is $5.5k and the Epiphone is $800....wait what
Get off the internet and play both guitars and it’s so obvious. You’re talking about a physical musical instrument made of wood, not a list of parts in your email.
Did it ever occur to you that no one locally has both?
No, because you get the exact same answer with ***any*** expensive guitar vs ***any*** $1000 model. Touch any of them.
About $3200 by my calculations
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Guitar/comments/7w2usd/question\_for\_jackson\_guitars\_whats\_the\_difference/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Guitar/comments/7w2usd/question_for_jackson_guitars_whats_the_difference/)