Re: If you were to own signature guitars, which would they be?
While a straight Les Paul or SG is technically a signature model, I'd allow variants like the Page or Perry or Angus. If all you want is a straight off-the-shelf LP with no one associated with it other than Les Paul, don't bother with making the cliche` joke.
I have had a few Jackson sig models:
-Rhoads
-Mustaine KV Pro
-Kip Winger bass
-Collen Archtop
-Morton Dominion
However, those all had distinct features that were not available on any other model.
-The Mustaine V had a Kahler flatmount non-trem bridge, whereas all other KV models at the time had a Floyd (KV2, KV3) (and I'm speaking about the time when I got the guitar, not when it came out, as the KV2 was originally what later became the KV3)
-The Winger bass was made entirely of Australian Lacewood. If you've never seen it in person, you're missing out. While the bass later became the Futura, it went to a bolt-on neck and lost the Lacewood.
-The Collen Archtop had a unique sculpted body that was actually convex from back to front (belly to bridge), which gave it both a very unique feel when wearing it as well as flawless access to the neck. The top horn was about 1" behind the back of the neck. While the lower "nub" looked odd, it was out of the way.
-The Morton Dominion offers a "chambered body" design (solid neckthrough tenon, hollow on either side of the body) in a "just a hair bigger then a Strat" form factor. It's not big like a 335 or Emperor, or even as big as a Jazz'R, but it sounds and plays considerably different than any other Jackson model (it's not "just a Soloist with a funky body", which is what some companies have done).
However, I'm not a fan of Winger. They sucked, IMO. Technically, the music was spot-on, with far more complex arrangements/composition than their closest "Corporate Rock" competitor Whitesnake. But lyrically speaking, both of them sucked IMO. I'm just not a fan of songs that revolve around your penis. Or anyone else's, for that matter.
I did like some songs from Def Leppard, but have never bought an album. Don't intend to. I can only take so much of Joe Elliot's voice, and Phil Collen doesn't impress me on the scale of say Tony Iommi.
Haven't heard much of Lamb of God, so I can't really comment on Morton's abilities. WHat I have heard on Music CHoice's Metal channel sounds like everything else in that genre, more or less, so I can't say I bought the Dominion as a fan of his.
While I do count myself as a Megadeth fan, I didn't buy the Mustaine KV for that reason. I've always liked Vs. The looks, anyway. I've owned about 5 Gibson Vs over the years, and ended up getting rid of them. I've also owned a few King Vs, including a Double-Rhoads based on Robbin "King" Crosby's Jackson V. As much as I like the looks, I just couldn't get along with the necks. The only Vs I'm comfortable with are the Vantage FV575 and the Jackson KV2T. They both have a more rounded neck profile, similar to a Les Paul, and they're both short-scale. Those factors work together to make them more comfortable for me.
However, all my other, more-regularly-played guitars are 25.5" scale, so go figure.
I'm still on the fence about Rhoads. I did not like his tone when Blizzard came out, and still don't. I also thought his playing was a bit "busy", though at the time I was a huge Sabbath fan, and thought that Ozzy made the mistake of his career by leaving them (being 12 years old, I didn't get the full story on why he left, as the reporting on such things back in 1980 wasn't as thorough as it is today).
As for the Rhoads guitar, I'm not a fan of it. The top horn is overly long for me, and it's got the same old V problems, namely with the neck. I did have one Rhoads Custom model that had a huge neck, but IMO was too big, or at least should have had a more narrow nut width. As well it was Alder, which made it acoustically over-bearing.
I have never in my life had the urge to possess an EVH guitar, whether Kramer or Charvel. I understand the Wolfgang/Axis is loved by many, but I just don't see myself getting one, despite the fact I'm loyal to Jackson guitars (only 2 of my 24 electrics are not Jacksons). However, at one time, on a whim, I did acquire a licensed EVH Strat (Fender Strat in B&W stripes approved by EVH's lawyers). I loathe Strats. I detest them with a flaming passion. This one did not do anything to improve that. I get along great with my Charvel SoCal, for some reason, but aside from that and the one MexiStrat I used to own, I just cannot abide their shape. They look nice, but just feel 9 kinds of wrong, like I've got a sack of potatoes on a strap.
If these models had been available without the artist's association (obviously you can't have a Rhoads without Rhoads, anymore than you can have a Les Paul without Les Paul), I would still have owned them. The artists in question had no influence on my decision to buy, or to sell.
