30 Signature Guitars for Modern Artists

For decades, having a signature guitar was reserved for classic rock legends — the Claptons, the Hendrixes, the Pages, the SRVs and EVHs. But that’s no longer the case. From pop-punk to heavy metal, alt-country to neo-soul, modern artists of all genres and backgrounds are getting signature guitars from companies big and small.

Among the titans of the industry, that intentional shift came with a new generation being put into decision-making positions.

“When I started, it was largely classic rock and very much a pantheonic Hall of Fame,” Fender’s Executive VP for Products Justin Norvell says of the early 2000s. “It was an end-of-an-iconic-career kind of thing. But it was my feeling that it should be something that people can use to reflect back upon themselves. A Telecaster can mean James Burton, but it can also mean Brad Paisley or Jim Root from Slipknot. It can mean Joe Strummer or Jim Adkins from Jimmy Eat World.”

Some of the first “new” Fender artists under Norvell’s team were Tom DeLonge, Sonic Youth, J Mascis, Billy Corgan, and Kurt Cobain — not exactly the youngest rising stars, but a far cry from the big names of the ‘70s.

“We were not seeing the type of representation that we want — not only with the diversity of genres, but the diversity of musicians we were endorsing through signature models,” says Mat Koehler, Gibson’s Senior Director of Product Development. “There was a changing of the guard at Gibson a few years ago, and we had a lot more creative control. The entertainment relations wing of Gibson just did an outstanding job trying to cover a lot of ground with genres and diversity of musicians.”

In addition to the added diversity, the new lineup of artists for guitar behemoths like Fender and Gibson changed what a “signature” instrument means. It no longer has to be an iconic axe made famous by a particular music video or live show, but just something that represents the particular artist in a particular and relatable way. Whether that means a $10,000 custom shop release or a $199 entry-level model, the new generation of signature guitars is a much wider range than the traditional “blues dad” options and overwhelming price points of the past.

“The whole reason for these signature models is we want to hone in on what makes that artist unique through the instrument,” Koehler says. “Sometimes that leans more on aesthetics, and sometimes it leans more on the tone features. But the goal definitely is to produce something at the end of the day that the artist feels like represents them.”

“We want to honor our past, but we want to look forward,” Norvell adds. “Music changes, and the way people make music changes. There are less people playing together in a garage with amps cranked, and more people recording and sending things back and forth. We want to make tools for people to write the next ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ on. Signature models help with that aspiration, but also just show people what’s possible on our platforms and that you can make all different genres of music. We feel that’s really important, because it showcases what’s possible on our instruments. It’s not just a heavy metal guitar or a classical or jazz guitar — it’s for genres that haven’t been created yet.”

From Fall Out Boy to Tool to The Roots, here are 30 of SPIN’s favorite signature guitars for modern artists. – Josh Chesler