Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

OK, after the toilet flushing and sink draining experiments of Bob, I feel I must outdo him on trivial pursuits and questionable thought patterns.

The other day I was surfing the net and read a factoid about the number one cause of copier breakdowns reported by office equipment servicemen. It's the old sit-your-butt-on-the-copier routine in order to get a moongraph of your derriere. Somehow that factoid morphed and translated to putting a photocopy on the bottom of a guitar or bass. So I flipped my bass over and sat on it to check for proper fit and framing of a possible moongraph overlay. Yep, perfect sizing. So right then and there I decided that if I ever had a chance to have my own signature bass model, it would have a photocopy of my derriere on its derriere. Also, the photocopy would have a great big red kiss on the buttcheek, because every time you buy a signature model and pay extra, that is EXACTLY what you are doing to that artist's derriere. They do not add one penny of value or performance to the instrument, but because they have attached their signature or other personal mark to the instrument, you are supposed to pucker up and pay them homage. My signature model would simply be a lot more honest than the rest.

Now, it's time to cast you vote for Phil or Bob for having the most wasted day at home following trivial pursuits.

P.S. I want to emphasize that I am against paying EXTRA for a signature model. If a signature model sells for the same or less than a standard model, or sells only for an additional amount sufficient to pay for upgrade differences from a standard model, then that's OK. A special paint job that costs no more than a standard paint job is NOT an upgrade and is not due any price increase in my opinion, unless the endorser did it himself and signed his work. For instance, if John Entwistle had painted one of his cartoon characters on a Buzzard Bass, then he would have been selling the art work he was noted for and using the bass for his canvas. He himself added something to the product in such a case, not like the signature instruments we always see where the endorser never laid hands on the instrument. He was also the co-designer of the Buzzard Bass, so every one is actually his signature model whether or not Status Graphite sells them as such. In such cases the endorser actually adds value to each instrument, because he created the design.

When a famous rock star gets a signature model named after him because he is holding it on the cover of his breakthrough album, but the instrument actually belonged to his less famous bandmate, that is also highly questionable for the manufacturer to assign the signature status to the borrower rather than the owner. Possession is 9/10 of the law, and the possessor has more legal rights than the borrower for any monetary benefits that notoriety might create.