# The Signature Guitar Company, A Little Canadian History



## GuitarsCanada

Signature Guitars were originally made famous by RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson. Alex helped get the company going in the early days and was heavily involved in the design and development of Signature instruments. Alex used Signatures (most significantly the Aurora model) almost exclusively for the albums "Hold your fire" and "Show of hands". Alex later switched to PRS guitars in the early 1990's when the company was no more.

The Signature Guitar Company was a Canadian Guitar company that made beautifully crafted, high quality electric guitars and basses. They were located in Aurora, Ontario and existed between 1987 and 1990.


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## FrogRick12

I used to sell Signatures as well Olivos (made in BC and used by Paul Dean of Loverboy) and Lados (used by all the Canadian big hair bands of the 80's) at the music store I used to work at in Bramalea,ON.

If memory serves, Signatures were distributed by Geo.Heinl the violin company.

Seeing it now, doesn't it remind you of a PRS? I wonder which came first.....


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## davetcan

That is a nice looking guitar. Sad to say I've never heard of them although I didn't start playing until the 90's.


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## Accept2

PRS was around along time before Signature........
My favorite feature of the Signatures were the Evans pickups.....


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## guitarzan

i wouldn't say it looks like a PRS, it is more strat with carved top.
PRS is more LPspecial with long upper horn. 
i have never had chance to try one out. but i did see a few Lados in my early years.


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## Accept2

Yes, they are very different from a PRS. Very different..............


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## davetcan

I'd agree with the strat statement. Reminds me a bit of my Carvin C66.


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## Accept2

Its very different from the Carvin too. That Oracle is neckthru. The tops were quite thick..............


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## davetcan

Accept2 said:


> Its very different from the Carvin too. That Oracle is neckthru. The tops were quite thick..............


Well I did say "a bit"


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## guitarzan

so i would say very Kramer stagemasterish. the signature that is.


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## james on bass

Yeah I remember Alex playing those, a lot of them IIRC.


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## sysexguy

I have a Signature that I had built from one of the last bodies when they shut down. I followed pretty much the same format (Evans, FR) but put a blade switch for strat sounds and a mini toggle to bypass all that and go Bridge Humbucker. It's a great axe except the neck moves still and I find the lowest notes a bit undefined. 

One of the main unique features was the long long scale (25-3/4")

Someone once told me that the neck thrus were built by Larivee so if anyone can confirm, that would be cool.

Andy


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## Accept2

The neckthrus were made by Larrivee, and the boltons were made by Godin. Both of those companies have built lots of guitars for other companies.............


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## GuitarsCanada

sysexguy said:


> I have a Signature that I had built from one of the last bodies when they shut down.
> 
> Andy


Which model did you have, or still have?


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## sysexguy

Neckthru.....if I have a sec, I'll post a pic but given that it's deep blue with black hardware and my lack of photographic expertise  no guarantees

Electronics are H/S/S Evans with a blade switch setup for the 5 single coil modes and a mini toggle that bypasses all that to go HB (regardless of the blade's setting). Schaller Floyd with a tremsetter and ebony tuner knobs

Andy


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## GuitarsCanada

Hmm, the Odyssey and the Visionary were in the HSS configuration. Might be one of those. According to info, the Visionary was being made right at the end of production.


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## Accept2

The end guitars had Seymours, so it cant be a Visionary. Evans however rule..........


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## david henman

Accept2 said:


> The end guitars had Seymours, so it cant be a Visionary. Evans however rule..........


...does evans still make pickups? jeff healey used them for many years.

an old friend, ron (last name escapes me) used to build signature guitars. haven't seen him for a couple of years, but i think he still works for a musical instrument distributer/wholesaler on king west in toronto.


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## Accept2

Evans is no longer making pickups, but he does come out of retirement from time to time. The story I heard from a CDN builder is that Fender and Lace drove him out of business back in the late 80s, and since then he has lost interest in the music business because of the way people like Fender and Lace act. It doesnt suprise me given that both Fender and Lace have screwed over smaller companies before..............


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## sysexguy

not to mention the dimarzio vs kinman story....


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## Accept2

Larry DiMarzio is a thorn in all pickup builders sides............


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## FrogRick12

Accept2 said:


> PRS was around along time before Signature........
> My favorite feature of the Signatures were the Evans pickups.....



I don't think so. 
I was selling Signatures in 1978. The earliest I ever recall being aware of PRS was 1985.


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## GuitarsCanada

Are you sure about that? According to information the company was not even formed until 1987


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## FrogRick12

I looked at those dates on the website too and it doesn't make sense - 

I would almost swear that we had Signatures in the late '70's.
I can remember going to Heinl at Sheppard and Vic Park with my boss to pick some up - white, black and navy sparkle and I was working at this store during the time I was first married which was 1979!

Maybe I've killed too many brain cells with loud music....:rockon:


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## GuitarsCanada

You would know better than me, I am just going off that info on the website too. But I thnk Russ made guitars long before this company was formed so you may have gotten some of those?


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## FrogRick12

Quite possible. It's going back a few years isn't it?


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## Accept2

PRS was around even before that. Ted Nugent got his first PRS guitar in 1973, Santana got his first in 1974. According to the stories, Heinl made the first Signature for Lifeson in 86. Maybe he made other guitars back then...........


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## crankmy5150

*Signature #NT1078*

Update!
Thanks to the administrator for pointing me in the right direction on how to post pictures. Here is my Odyssey, built approx 1989-1990 or so. 








It has a factory Floyd, and is neck through body. I run 10-52ga strings, and use a Peavey 5150 (hence my handle) and oh baby, it's beefy! 


Hi Everyone. 
Recently I was informed of this website by a friend of mine who lives in Finland, who like me is a fan of Signature guitars. He and I started chatting recently over e-mail, as he just won a Signature Guitar auctioned on E-Bay.
I haven't much to add, as the geocities website is probably the best source to find information on these wonderful guitars.
I am the proud owner of a wonderful Signature Odyssey. 
Truly an amazing guitar, that never had a long enough chance in the competitive market.
I would love to post a picture of it so you can check it out, however I am new to the site and do not have the privlage to do so.
This baby came with Seymour Duncans, has a three way toggle, and push-pull volume and tone knobs. The humbucker is a rail type and splits when the tone knob is pulled out. Cool! 
I am trying to track down a Signature Guitar case for it. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.
System Amin: Please advise if I can some how post a picture.
Oh, another thing, I have heard a rumour that someone in the Niagara Ontario region has 2 of these hidden under a bed somewhere. Ever here of this legend?


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## GuitarsCanada

Interestingly, that is where my Signature Oracle went. You are OK to post pics at any time, there is no post count requirement to do that. Follow the instructions that can be found in the Admin Announcement forum.


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## GuitarsCanada

Nice photo, the case is going to be real tough to come by. Can't offer any help on that. The guitars are hard enough to find.


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## Alp22

Hi all! I stumbled across this discussion while i was searching around the net regarding a beautiful Signature Oracle i have. I am looking to sell it but i really wanted to make sure this goes to someone that wants it and knows what it really is! I dont want to sell it but i havent had time to learn to play and i am in a bit of a pinch. Anyone have any suggestions on how i should go about it? I was considering ebay but it just seems so informal. I would rather find someone that specifically wants it. I tried emailing the owner of the tribute page floating around but that email seems to be non-functioning. All suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

edit: i guess i could start by making 5 posts and utilizing your for sale section...duh!!


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## GuitarsCanada

That would be a start. Get it posted here and see what happens. I was an Oracle owner myself at one time. Maybe I will buy it. :wave:


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## Alp22

May i ask as to why you are no longer an Oracle owner?


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## GuitarsCanada

Same old story. Someone wanted it, offered enough cash, I was in the selling mode so now it's gone. One of those that I wish I had not sold, but you know how it goes.


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## Alp22

Yep i do. I'm in the same boat. Need cash...cant play. Wish i had the time to learn. 4 kids and my own business dont leave much leisure time. My brother plays and he just makes this guitar rock. I figure i'll regret it someday and i hope everything i have going on here gets resolved before i have to sell this thing. Time will tell.


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## elindso

I almost bought an Odssey in 1978. It looke like aa PRS though not strat like.

It was a good deal. I bought a 68 Tele instead. I love the Tele but sort of sorry the Odssey was really nice.


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## sysexguy

2 for sale here (no affiliation):

http://www.lespac.com/search/detail...&prixfrom=De...&prixto=%C0...&offre=t&etatb=t


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## Zeusse

Here's a pic of me and Steve..aka.Zane72 when I visited him in Montreal this summer the Signature was very nice to play first time I ever played one I got dibbs on it if he ever had to sell it....somehow I don't think that will happen its his baby..LOL


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## zane72

Hey, I just saw this thread...Yes I'm a Signature Oracle owner..hehe.
Zeusse is right..it is my baby.It as been my favorite guitar for 18 years now.It has the evens pickup which are very clean and quite under high gain. The Oracle I have is the 22 second one to be built by Signature. There is about 500 of them including all models.


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## bobb

As a loyal Evans user since day one, it saddens me to find out that Rod is out of the pickup business yet again. Evans Pickups


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## greenwood_woo

VERY, very nice axe


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## axpro

I wanted a signature SOOO bad when i was in high school lol

Of course I have found very few of them over the years, but the ones i find are always in terrible condition.


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## rippinglickfest

*Oracle*

In a fit of G.A.S I sold my Signature Oracle to a drummer friend of mine for 400 bucks CDN two years ago. BIG MISTAKE.
And now the &%$ker wont sell it back to me.................
I miss those Evans pickups.......they cut through any mix without the noise.


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## zane72

rippinglickfest said:


> In a fit of G.A.S I sold my Signature Oracle to a drummer friend of mine for 400 bucks CDN two years ago. BIG MISTAKE.
> And now the &%$ker wont sell it back to me.................
> I miss those Evans pickups.......they cut through any mix without the noise.


I saw one on Ebay for $5000...Jeez I paid $1200 new for my Oracle

You should epnotize your friend and get it back...or give him a special drink that will make him dream a bit :food-smiley-004:


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## tomBeze

*Signature "Visionary" NT 1034*

Hi there, own one of theses guitars. Bought it in the early 90ies. It´s neck-through, Evan pickups SSH, golden Schaller hardware and Floyd. I´ll post some pics?!


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## xbolt

I have managed to snag a few of these...
Great guitars :smilie_flagge17:


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## Alp22

i'm glad i kept mine...had it on the block quite some time ago.


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## ron2112

great looking guitars. i have been looking to buy one for a while. any help in finding one would be greatly appreciated.


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## Drazden

Wow. Those are ALL gorgeous. But xbolt's white one takes the cake. Daaaamn!


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## Archer

I remember these guitars...they were excellent. BUT the front trem route was TERRIBLE. To big...made them look like the company was a cost cutting giant.


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## xbolt

The route is a bit different but looking at the woods, build sheet and playing them usually dispells any doubt in terms of quality...
To each his own though :food-smiley-004:


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## Accept2

The route is made that way to have the non-receessed Floyd with extra pull like on a recessed one. In those days the debate raged over recessed and non-recessed. Its a great example of having the best of both worlds..........


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## Lemmy Hangslong

SRV played one... saw him play a white model with three single coils.

Craig


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## crankmy5150

Hmm,
Been a while since I chimed in on this thread. I still have my Odyssey. I'm hoping Mr. Evans would be kind enough to make just one more set!

Wanna here it getting played? Check out my My Space:
www.myspace.com/nt1078

I record songs in my home for fun. No vocals yet, but they're coming!
Yes, my project is called NT1078, the serial number to my Signature Odyssey. My logo is the decal found on the rear of the neck.

Wow, that guy who owns the three Signatures is a lucky fellow, eh? The red one he has is gorgeous!

I'll try to get some more pics of mine up soon. 

Cheers,
Adam


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## xbolt

Cheers,
The tunes sound good.
Let's see some pics of yours!!!

One more recently joined the clan...:smilie_flagge17:

It's a parts mutt I Resto-modded but is loved just the same...Siggy/Lasido body and neck with a set of white Evans in this one.


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## SpAnKY22

Nice guitars, especially the red one. I want one! Is it true that only about 500 were made? How hard to find one I wonder?


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## crankmy5150

Wait a minute:
X-Bolt: Is that you, Juha? You're about the only person I know of that would have a horseshoe rammed so far up his rear to have four Siggies. If not, my apologies.

You own a great percentile of all Sigs ever made. (not many)

More pics coming.
Adam


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## xbolt

Nope...not Juha...some other horseshoe totin' fooh...:smilie_flagge17:


Post Pics!!!!!!!!


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## smorgdonkey

guitarzan said:


> so i would say very Kramer stagemasterish. the signature that is.





Accept2 said:


> The neckthrus were made by Larrivee, and the boltons were made by Godin. Both of those companies have built lots of guitars for other companies.............


...and my 1986 Kramer Pacer Deluxe which everyone tends to think was made by ESP Japan...



























...was made by Larrivee according to Jim Mozell the Guitar Psychologist in Calgary Alberta. He said while holding the guitar and examining it closely "I was in the factory when they were making the necks for these". 
I said "you're kiding." 
He says "No". 
I came back with "when was that?"
He replied "1986".

So with the Larrivee and Godin connection related to Signature guitars and the Larrivee and LaSiDo connection related to Kramer guitars...it's like a blood relative twice removed!!


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## Signature_Fan

Xbolt, that is a mighty fine-looking collection! I remember seeing a white flat-top Crusader and a blue carved-top Odyssey with a cut-off heastock point for the longest time at Jack's in Montreal - are they yours, by any chance?

Also, unless I am mistaken, I believe you beat me to the Visionary. I hesitated due to being out of work at the time . That is one sweet axe. I can't complain, though, I also have four of these neat guitars, and they are suprisingly cheap on the used market!










There is a guy on MySpace that runs a page for Signature owners, if anyone is interested:

http://www.myspace.com/signatureguitar

Nice collection!


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## xbolt

Very nice herd!

The white one is originally from Montreal, I picked it up used so may be the same one...

The blue one I stripped, refinished and built myself so I doubt it is the one you saw, it was a mess when I got it.
The neck is a Lasido/Godin built neck so it was probably just a parts guitar originally.

As far as the Visionary, I got it locally from the original owner who bought it in Toronto...


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## SpAnKY22

What's the story with the Signature guitar tribute site? It looks like it finally went down. It didn't look like that guy updated it in years. Anyone know who the fellow is? I wonder if he's going to make another? If he doesn't, I will.


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## xbolt

Not complete but someone beat you to it...:smilie_flagge17:

http://thesignatureguitarcompany.com/


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## SpAnKY22

X I would love to hear your opinion on the bolt on Sigs vs the neck-thru's. Is there any one you prefer? It seems like they are very different. The sound is quite noticeable, the neck-thru's seem like a thinner neck (although I did play my friends Visionary, I could have sworn the neck was a little fatter than my neck-thru Odyssey).


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## xbolt

There seems to be two types of bolt-on necks...

The early ones have R2 locknuts with a fuller C shape not fat but not thin...I guess a traditional 22 fret Godin feel.
http://solarwinds.ca/tunz/87Signature.htm
http://www.autonobot.com/temp/90Signature.htm

The later ones are also R2 but quite thin in depth and feel like they have a flatter radius too. Very fast, a mix between Ibanez and late Lado thin if that makes any sense...but all it's own feel...probably my favorite but it was my first Siggy so I may be biased.

Both very nice though.

http://solarwinds.ca/tunz/89Signature.htm

The neckthrough is an R1 and is somewhat of a small/thin C shape. also very nice but probably not for everybody. The fretboard shape is very "Larrivee" and get noticeably wider as you go up the neck. 

http://www.autonobot.com/temp/892Signature.htm

I have a few Nightswans and the neck is close to that in size as they are R1 but they have a distinct D shape and are one of my favorite necks ever so the R1 is not a problem for me. 

http://www.autonobot.com/temp/902Kramer.htm

I also have a Larrivee neckthrough that is an R2 with an even more pronounced transition as you go up the neck than the Visionary.

http://www.autonobot.com/temp/87Larrivee.htm

Hope that helps.


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## Wellington09

*Signature Crusader on ebay.com*

Hi everybody,

I am new to this forum and a soon-to-be owner of a Signature Oracle. I bought it last week on ebay and am now waiting for it to be delivered. I´ve been hunting one for years, finally I managed to get one. I just can´t wait to play it.

I am really pleased that there is a web community for Signature guitars. I will be happy to post my experiences with the Oracle and post some pics, too. 

I just found this on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Signature-Crusa...QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item414a36d2ad 

If I hadn´t just blown all my money on the Oracle, I´d buy it. Looks in pretty good shape, but sort of low res pics.

Good luck!


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## Oracle

I have two Signature guitars, a black Oracle and a black Crusader. I primarily play the Oracle as I prefer the black hardware. Looking at these ebay prices I may have to sell one :rockon2:


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## GuitarsCanada

Oracle said:


> I have two Signature guitars, a black Oracle and a black Crusader. I primarily play the Oracle as I prefer the black hardware. Looking at these ebay prices I may have to sell one :rockon2:


Welcome to the forum. Best of luck with that. 3dgrw


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## crankmy5150

Here's a few recent pictures of my renovated rec room which now features a little music room. My Odyssey is on the right!

Notice the Rush picture on the organ? This picture is a few weeks old. There is a door and all trim is in place in the music room.


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## crankmy5150

Ah,
Here is another pic of my Odyssey I took recently.
RUSH just played in Toronto for a few nights. I wanted so badly for Alex to sign it! I've been on this quest since I've owned it, about 17 years, and so far, no luck with the autograph.

Here it is with mini Alex. He digs it:









Cheers,
Adam


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## SpAnKY22

Nice pictures. I've wanted to get mine signed by Alex too. Maybe if you could talk to a crew member before the show, they might be able to take the guitar back to their room so Alex could sign it... haha. That's the only way I've thought about having him sign mine! Here's some pics of mine. Your Odyssey is like mine, except mine has the eliminators and yours has seymours.


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## dodgechargerfan

crankmy5150 said:


> Ah,
> Here is another pic of my Odyssey I took recently.
> RUSH just played in Toronto for a few nights. I wanted so badly for Alex to sign it! I've been on this quest since I've owned it, about 17 years, and so far, no luck with the autograph.
> 
> Here it is with mini Alex. He digs it:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers,
> Adam


You'd love the closing video on the current tour.


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## Birdman308

Hey Guys, you seem to be experts at Signature Guitars. Back in the late '80s I saw Rush (favorite band of all time since I was a kid) on the _Hold Your Fire_ tour and Alex was playing Signatures. I have some pics of them someplace as I met him and chatted about them at the time. Anyway, I have wanted one for a while. I just got one on eBay pretty cheap, but it has arrived and seems to be somewhat of an oddball. It appears to be an Odyssey with a figured top, bolt on neck. Aside from some knucklehead messing up the switches with some custom crap, it also has some things that do not jibe with "typical" Signatures.

1. The headstock is wrong. At first it just looks like the "beak" was broken off, but upon closer inspection, it doesn't look like a repair. The finish on the end of the headstock appears the same as the rest of the neck. Made this way, or exceptionally well "repaired"?

2. No serial number on the neck plate. It's blank. No S/N anywhere on the guitar in fact.

3. No model name on the mother of pearl inlay on the 21st fret, although the inlay is there.

The neck has the right markings and says signature guitar co. The Body looks right, the Floyd says "Signature" on one side and "Made by Schaller" on the other along with the "Licensed by Floyd Rose" stuff.

It's clearly a Signature guitar, but a bit of an oddball.

Thoughts?

Birdman

P.S. Is there no way to attach images except to link them from elsewhere?


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## Birdman308

Here's a couple links to some pics of Alex's Signatures from the Hold Your Fire tour.

Fan photos from Alex Lifeson | Facebook

Fan photos from Alex Lifeson | Facebook


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## SpAnKY22

Birdman308 said:


> Here's a couple links to some pics of Alex's Signatures from the Hold Your Fire tour.
> 
> Fan photos from Alex Lifeson | Facebook
> 
> Fan photos from Alex Lifeson | Facebook


Thanks for posting those pics. I hadn't seen them before. Very exciting! 

Hey go to photobucket and post some pics there so we can see some pics. 
I have a pegasus with no serial number either. The plate is blank like yours. I'm not really sure why some have serials and some don't. 

I have also seen a Visionary with no engravings in the pearl like yours. That is also a mystery. 
That might be cool so now you could get your own name engraved there.


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## crankmy5150

Hi guys,
I haven't checked this thread for a while. Spanky: Cool pics of your Sigs. Can we see the Pegasus without the serial number? Keep in mind the serial numbers are a semi adhesive decal on the back of the neck someone could have removed them along their travels. Also, I have read that some units did not have serial numbers as they were prototypes. Very rare creatures amongs rare creatures if you catch my drift.
Your Odyssey is MINT. I contacted Evans to see if I could get just one more set of Eliminators made, and he respectfully declined. He is retired and promised to make no more pickups, ever.
That cardboard piece you have on yours is original! I would love to re-create it for my guitar! Could you post some pictures with measurements? Is there text on the opposite side? Can you transcribe it for me? I would like to contact a printing company and see if they could make something like that on card stock for me. Could you email pictures of the tag to: [email protected] That would be really cool. What are your serial numbers? Mine is NT1078 so mine fell towards the end of production. A few years ago I spoke to Russ Heinl, Alex's partner who built these guitars. He is a really cool guy who told me if I mailed him a picture of my guitar he would be happy to sign the picture. That would be pretty cool! Rush is coming back to Ontario in April. Maybe I can think of a different way for Alex to sign it? A local radio station was trying to help me last summer, and they emailed back saying they do not sign instruments for fear of them showing up on Ebay. Rats. 

Birdman:
Cool pictures on your FB. Where did you get the picture of the four Sigs together? That's a great shot.
I think it's possible yours had a name on the mother of pearl inlay, and maybe someone removed it? Maybe someone went with the option of having their first and last name on it rather than the model, so as it changed hands someone removed it. I'd love to see pics of your Franken-Sig. Like I mentioned above, maybe it had a serial number on it at one point and it was removed, or possibly yours was at the last of the production run. I heard as Signature was going out of business they were scraping any parts together they could find or had in stock to fulfill their last orders. If that is the case with yours, you have something very special. Pictures must be shared! You can post your pics on Photobucket and just copy the tags. Your pictures will then show up on this site.

Cheers,
Adam


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## SpAnKY22

crankmy5150 said:


> Hi guys,
> I haven't checked this thread for a while. Spanky: Cool pics of your Sigs. Can we see the Pegasus without the serial number? Keep in mind the serial numbers are a semi adhesive decal on the back of the neck someone could have removed them along their travels. Also, I have read that some units did not have serial numbers as they were prototypes. Very rare creatures amongs rare creatures if you catch my drift.
> Your Odyssey is MINT. I contacted Evans to see if I could get just one more set of Eliminators made, and he respectfully declined. He is retired and promised to make no more pickups, ever.
> That cardboard piece you have on yours is original! I would love to re-create it for my guitar! Could you post some pictures with measurements? Is there text on the opposite side? Can you transcribe it for me? I would like to contact a printing company and see if they could make something like that on card stock for me. Could you email pictures of the tag to: [email protected] That would be really cool. What are your serial numbers? Mine is NT1078 so mine fell towards the end of production. A few years ago I spoke to Russ Heinl, Alex's partner who built these guitars. He is a really cool guy who told me if I mailed him a picture of my guitar he would be happy to sign the picture. That would be pretty cool! Rush is coming back to Ontario in April. Maybe I can think of a different way for Alex to sign it? A local radio station was trying to help me last summer, and they emailed back saying they do not sign instruments for fear of them showing up on Ebay. Rats.
> 
> 
> Cheers,
> Adam


My serial number on my Odyssey is NT0936. I sold the Pegasus since the last post. That one was either a mutt or a prototype. I'm not really sure on that one. It was a bolt on maple neck, so the serial numbers would have been engraved on the back plate (only the neck-thrus had the serial number stickers on the back of the headstock).
My gut tells me that the Pegasus was a mutt, meaning it was assembled after the company shut down. Technically, it was a genuine Signature with authentic Signature parts... But from my understanding in my conversations with Russ Heinl, there was a lot of unassembled stock that was sold after closing (kind of like a liquidation of parts). 
That's a pretty interesting story about Evans. Too bad he couldn't wind a few every now and then to keep a few people happy. 
As for Rush - I have also tried to get an Alex signature on my "Signature." Like you, I heard the same thing about them not wanting to sign it because of Ebay. I would bet though you could get it signed if you convinced them somehow that you love your guitar dearly, and wouldn't sell it to make a profit. If you told them to autograph it to you personally, as in "To Adam", then I bet it wouldn't be a problem. I guess the problem is getting the message to them though. 
I hear a lot of people send pictures, cd's, posters to a venue before they play. They are able to get them personally signed if they send a paid return envelope. That's really cool, but I'm not about to send a 2 thousand dollar guitar to a venue to be left alone and unsupervised by me... I'm guessing chances are I wouldn't see my guitar again.


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## Wellington09

*How to post pics of my Signature?*

Hi there, I would like to share some pics of my Signature Oracle and Aurora, but I could not find out how to do that. any help? Thanks!


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## SpAnKY22

Hey we would love to see the pics. Go to photobucket.com... create an account (free) then upload your pictures. Then, come back here and make a post. Click on the Image icon in your post box, then type in the address. Pretty simple. Looking forward to those pictures!


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## Wellington09

*Signature Oracle and Aurora*

Hey,

thanks for the directions for uploading the pics!

Here they are, hope you enjoy:







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[/IMG]

The Oracle is a sheer beauty. The pics don´t come close to the actual guitar, but they give an impression. It is the best guitar I own, playability and sound (so versatile!) are incredible. Bought it on ebay for lots of $$$, but worth every penny.

The Aurora is also extremely nice. Unfortunatly the headstock was badly damaged. The pre owner had it fixed by a luthier, who did an excellent job. But you can still see the scars. another thing was the replacement of the bridge pickup. At first I thought this was a FrankenSig, but the pre owner said he had bought it that way in a shop in the late 80s, when the company still was in business. After removing the Trembucker, I was awestruck. Someone had carved in a new cavity (probably using a rusty chainsaw or such) to replace the original active Fernandes SC. No way this was done at the factory. I was incredibly lucky that Steve, the nice guy who sold the Oracle to me, gave me an original Sig pup he had laying around. The lower photo shows the reanimated Aurora as it was meant to be, thanks again Steve! The black cover was first installed a little bit out of angle, as can be seen on the pic. it is repaired now and perfecly centered. If there is any interest I can post some pics of the butchered body and the repaired headstock.
This is the first SC-equipped guitar I know of that sounds best when played with just the mid pup (at least to my ears). Also the bridge and neck pups combined sound really nice. I wonder why no other company offers the same posibility of using all sorts of pup-combination like Signature did. Or are there other guitars with that option?


----------



## SpAnKY22

Hey Marcus, good to hear from you again! I really miss my old Oracle. It sure is a beauty and sounds even better.

An Aurora just sold on Ebay. Looked like it was metallic black with a bolt on neck. $1700.00 dollars!


----------



## GuitarsCanada

Birdman308 said:


> Hey Guys, you seem to be experts at Signature Guitars. Back in the late '80s I saw Rush (favorite band of all time since I was a kid) on the _Hold Your Fire_ tour and Alex was playing Signatures. I have some pics of them someplace as I met him and chatted about them at the time. Anyway, I have wanted one for a while. I just got one on eBay pretty cheap, but it has arrived and seems to be somewhat of an oddball. It appears to be an Odyssey with a figured top, bolt on neck. Aside from some knucklehead messing up the switches with some custom crap, it also has some things that do not jibe with "typical" Signatures.
> 
> 1. The headstock is wrong. At first it just looks like the "beak" was broken off, but upon closer inspection, it doesn't look like a repair. The finish on the end of the headstock appears the same as the rest of the neck. Made this way, or exceptionally well "repaired"?
> 
> 2. No serial number on the neck plate. It's blank. No S/N anywhere on the guitar in fact.
> 
> 3. No model name on the mother of pearl inlay on the 21st fret, although the inlay is there.
> 
> The neck has the right markings and says signature guitar co. The Body looks right, the Floyd says "Signature" on one side and "Made by Schaller" on the other along with the "Licensed by Floyd Rose" stuff.
> 
> It's clearly a Signature guitar, but a bit of an oddball.
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> Birdman
> 
> P.S. Is there no way to attach images except to link them from elsewhere?


It is possible that it is another one of the earlier prototypes as well.


----------



## Kenmac

Originally Posted by Wellington09 _This is the first SC-equipped guitar I know of that sounds best when played with just the mid pup (at least to my ears). Also the bridge and neck pups combined sound really nice. I wonder why no other company offers the same posibility of using all sorts of pup-combination like Signature did. Or are there other guitars with that option?_

Actually I've got a 1991 G&L Comanche that came with toggle switches that allows you to use any pickup combination you want. Here's a link to one of the photos I took of it: http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r227/Netskenmac/Comanche/Comanche3.jpg


----------



## xbolt

I've had Charvels and Kramers that have 3 toggles too...


----------



## tuique

I worked at Signature Guitars on Industrial Parkway Aurora during Signature's last few months. I had a big history halfway written for this thread when I stupidly googled something without opening a new tab and lost it. Grrrr!
Anyway, it was a very special experience for me, as I got to meet Alex, and bought one of the 2nd gen Oracle prototypes hanging up in the back from the boss himself (Russ, not Alex). Cash. Blue flame maple, Schaller-licensed Floyd knockoff, strap locks, EMG pickups, ebony (or rosewood?) fretboard, gold Maxima strings. Everything top notch (except for the Schaller bridge, but it was actually not bad, but not top of the line either). I've since replaced the bridge with a real Floyd after it got all corroded and flakey from all my beery sweat.
I still have the guitar. Almost mint condition. I sometimes think of selling it but I do love it, and things will have to get pretty darn bad before I resort to such desperate measures.
It's still the best guitar I've ever played. 20 years later. It makes the Randy Rhoads model Jackson I found in Akita, Japan feel like a plastic ukelele. Never goes out of tune, month after month. Neck solid, arrow straight, still in perfect intonation.
The Russ Heinl Group also imported and distributed Trace Elliot bass amps, Metaltronix guitar stacks, Digitech and DOD effects units, wireless stuff, can't remember what else.
I spent most lunch hours noodling on the guitars lying around the warehouse, no doubt annoying the crap out of the front office girl, what with my half-baked attempts at Crazy Train and the entire first side of 2112. Thankfully, I wasn't slaughtering anything by Rush the day Alex showed up at the warehouse. He was in something of a subdued mood because it was the week after October's Black Friday and apparently he'd just taken a big hit on the markets. But he was nice enough to sign my Presto CD. Should have got him to sign the guitar too, except I hadn't bought it yet 
Partly Signature went under because of the economic hard times, and the crappy hair-metal pointy guitars mentioned by someone else, but also partly because Russ and his wife were living pretty high on the hog for a while there. His 'n' her Porsches, etc. He had chutzpah, though. And he teared up the day he laid me off in January 1990, soon before closing down for good. Now he flies around hanging out of helicopters taking pictures of mountains. The man is inspiring.


----------



## GuitarsCanada

I have heard from a few people that the necks on them were weak. That was not my experience with the one I owned. Have not heard anyone on here mention it either.


----------



## Presto1202

I've always been interested in Signatures since Alex Lifeson is my favorite guitar player. Too bad they're hard to come by used and often expensive. Maybe one day I'll manage to pick one up.


----------



## SpAnKY22

tuique said:


> I worked at Signature Guitars on Industrial Parkway Aurora during Signature's last few months. I had a big history halfway written for this thread when I stupidly googled something without opening a new tab and lost it. Grrrr!
> Anyway, it was a very special experience for me, as I got to meet Alex, and bought one of the 2nd gen Oracle prototypes hanging up in the back from the boss himself (Russ, not Alex). Cash. Blue flame maple, Schaller-licensed Floyd knockoff, strap locks, EMG pickups, ebony (or rosewood?) fretboard, gold Maxima strings. Everything top notch (except for the Schaller bridge, but it was actually not bad, but not top of the line either). I've since replaced the bridge with a real Floyd after it got all corroded and flakey from all my beery sweat.
> I still have the guitar. Almost mint condition. I sometimes think of selling it but I do love it, and things will have to get pretty darn bad before I resort to such desperate measures.
> It's still the best guitar I've ever played. 20 years later. It makes the Randy Rhoads model Jackson I found in Akita, Japan feel like a plastic ukelele. Never goes out of tune, month after month. Neck solid, arrow straight, still in perfect intonation.
> The Russ Heinl Group also imported and distributed Trace Elliot bass amps, Metaltronix guitar stacks, Digitech and DOD effects units, wireless stuff, can't remember what else.
> I spent most lunch hours noodling on the guitars lying around the warehouse, no doubt annoying the crap out of the front office girl, what with my half-baked attempts at Crazy Train and the entire first side of 2112. Thankfully, I wasn't slaughtering anything by Rush the day Alex showed up at the warehouse. He was in something of a subdued mood because it was the week after October's Black Friday and apparently he'd just taken a big hit on the markets. But he was nice enough to sign my Presto CD. Should have got him to sign the guitar too, except I hadn't bought it yet
> Partly Signature went under because of the economic hard times, and the crappy hair-metal pointy guitars mentioned by someone else, but also partly because Russ and his wife were living pretty high on the hog for a while there. His 'n' her Porsches, etc. He had chutzpah, though. And he teared up the day he laid me off in January 1990, soon before closing down for good. Now he flies around hanging out of helicopters taking pictures of mountains. The man is inspiring.




Hey thanks for sharing that. That's pretty neat. I've communicated with Russ over the email a few times. He's a cool dude!

Do you have any pictures of your Oracle? I'd love to see it.


----------



## Wellington09

SpAnKY22 said:


> Hey Marcus, good to hear from you again! I really miss my old Oracle. It sure is a beauty and sounds even better.
> 
> An Aurora just sold on Ebay. Looked like it was metallic black with a bolt on neck. $1700.00 dollars!


Hey Steve, thanks for replying, good to hear from you, too! Yes I saw the auction, it was sold before I could make an offer. not that I _need _another guitar, but hey...:smilie_flagge17: That one was nice. I wonder if it is the one pictured earlier in this thread.


----------



## Wellington09

Presto1202 said:


> I've always been interested in Signatures since Alex Lifeson is my favorite guitar player. Too bad they're hard to come by used and often expensive. Maybe one day I'll manage to pick one up.


Yes they are hard to come by! But it seems they show up more often these days, for whatever reason. and the price ranges are huge! since I bought an Oracle about a year ago, I saw at least four of them on ebay. One of them wasn´t even sold, a Crusader that seemed to be in very good condition, including an original case (US 800$/ buy it now 1200$ if I remember it right). Did not have the money then and still regret it... Then I bought the Aurora for I think 400$. It was beat up (see above) but it is still way below its value imo. It might be a good idea to search internationally. The Aurora was posted on ebay Germany, I guess even less people know about the company there. Good luck with your search!


----------



## GuitarsCanada

I think a lot of them made their way to Europe for whatever reason. Mine went to a guy in Finland.


----------



## Presto1202

Wellington09 said:


> Yes they are hard to come by! But it seems they show up more often these days, for whatever reason. and the price ranges are huge! since I bought an Oracle about a year ago, I saw at least four of them on ebay. One of them wasn´t even sold, a Crusader that seemed to be in very good condition, including an original case (US 800$/ buy it now 1200$ if I remember it right). Did not have the money then and still regret it... Then I bought the Aurora for I think 400$. It was beat up (see above) but it is still way below its value imo. It might be a good idea to search internationally. The Aurora was posted on ebay Germany, I guess even less people know about the company there. Good luck with your search!


I've searched in Europe for other guitars but for some reason I never thought of trying that with Signature. I'll have to try that. Thanks for the heads up, Wellington!


----------



## tuique

Hey SpAnKY22, I do have some pix of the guitar from back when I was toying with the idea of testing its market value. I'll post them when I find them.
I also have the original case. I had no idea that might be something of interest, but it makes sense. Plus, it's a neckthrough and the pickups are Evans, not EMG. Brainfart.
The serial number is 0957, which means it was the 32nd model to arrive in Aurora from the guy in Quebec and get set up. All of the guitars arrived sans hardware. All the hardware and the finishing was done in Aurora. Then Alex would arrive and do final production testing on each guitar by playing Broon's Bane and the solo from Kid Gloves. If they passed muster, they were anointed with special Rush sauce and lovingly placed in their cases for shipment ;0)


----------



## xbolt

tuique said:


> Plus, it's a neckthrough and the pickups are Evans, not EMG. Brainfart.
> The serial number is 0957, which means it was the 32nd model to arrive in Aurora from the guy in Quebec and get set up.


If it's a neckthrough it was probably from BC (Larrivée)...not Quebec (Lasido/Godin) which were making the bolt-ons bodies/necks...


----------



## tuique

xbolt said:


> If it's a neckthrough it was probably from BC (Larrivée)...not Quebec (Lasido/Godin) which were making the bolt-ons bodies/necks...


Possibly, but the only luthier/source I ever heard about was the guy in Quebec. However, I only worked there for a few months near the end.


----------



## Wellington09

tuique said:


> Possibly, but the only luthier/source I ever heard about was the guy in Quebec. However, I only worked there for a few months near the end.


Hey tuique,

thanks for sharing your inside information with us. can´t wait to see the pics!

In 2010 I had the chance to talk to Russ Heinl via email a couple of times, and -though beeing the busy man that he is-he was kind enough to answer my questions about Signature. as you said he seems to be a very busy man taking incredible photos (landscapes and buildings mainly, see Aerial & Architectural Photography by Russ Heinl - Victoria BC photographer). About Signature he said that most of the information on that one Signature tribute website came from himself. The guy who made the website had interviewed him. That was important for me to know, because there is so little information about the company out there. I was glad to hear that this particular site seems to be accurate.


----------



## SpAnKY22

tuique said:


> Hey SpAnKY22, I do have some pix of the guitar from back when I was toying with the idea of testing its market value. I'll post them when I find them.
> I also have the original case. I had no idea that might be something of interest, but it makes sense. Plus, it's a neckthrough and the pickups are Evans, not EMG. Brainfart.
> The serial number is 0957, which means it was the 32nd model to arrive in Aurora from the guy in Quebec and get set up. All of the guitars arrived sans hardware. All the hardware and the finishing was done in Aurora. Then Alex would arrive and do final production testing on each guitar by playing Broon's Bane and the solo from Kid Gloves. If they passed muster, they were anointed with special Rush sauce and lovingly placed in their cases for shipment ;0)


Wow man. To think that Alex Lifeson played one of my guitars at its birth. That is too cool for words.


----------



## crankmy5150

Hi all,
I'm wondering if all owners on this thread have registered their axes on MySpace? There is a guy on there creating a registry, pretty cool. Right now he has accounted for 37 Signature pieces. The thread is found here:
Signature Guitar Registry by Phil Snyder (Signature Guitars) on Myspace

Also, I had no idea Signature outsourced the building of their guitar bodies. I just assumed they were made from scratch in Aurora. Interesting!

I'm glad, tuique you have also joined in on the conversation. Cool to have someone aboard who used to work for the company. And to think Alex might have touched my guitar is really exciting!

I don't suppose anyone who has joined the thread recently would know where I could track down a Signature case? I bought my Sig second hand, and the case was long lost by then 
I have a really nice case for it, and it fits well, but it would be nice to have an original!

Cheers all,
Adam


----------



## Wellington09

crankmy5150 said:


> I don't suppose anyone who has joined the thread recently would know where I could track down a Signature case? I bought my Sig second hand, and the case was long lost by then
> I have a really nice case for it, and it fits well, but it would be nice to have an original!


Hi Adam,

cases are even harder to find. As far as I know they did not sell them separatly, so each guitar received its case, and that was it. But chances are good that a case comes with your next Signature. Most of those I saw on ebay were sold with the original case. 

Thanks for the reminder about Myspace. I only registered one there, the other one will follow soon.


----------



## Super Phil

I am the one who started the Signature Myspace site with the registry, and once I get off my lazy ass I will transfer all that info to facebook and start up a page there....and update the registry. I need to get some pics of my collection up too. This thread rocks! :banana:


----------



## Super Phil

I tried to post a few pics, but for some reason I am not allowed....


----------



## GuitarsCanada

Super Phil said:


> I tried to post a few pics, but for some reason I am not allowed....


Follow the intructions in this thread

http://www.guitarscanada.com/admin-announcements/42252-posting-pictures-forum.html


----------



## Super Phil

Alright...let's see if these pics work! :banana:


----------



## Super Phil

Yay, the links work, but no actual picture posted. sigiifa


----------



## Guest

They are showing up now, and a very nice collection indeed


----------



## GuitarsCanada

Lifeson with his Signature in 1988 performing 2112

[video=youtube;QDjx6aM-7VM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDjx6aM-7VM&amp;feature=related[/video]


----------



## Wellington09

GuitarsCanada said:


> Lifeson with his Signature in 1988 performing 2112
> 
> Thanks for sharing this one :food-smiley-004: i´ve watched this so many times before, but it never occured to me that they must have stapled this together from at least two shows. See how Alex´s Sig changes from black to white to black again between 0:53 and 1:05? Can´t be reflections imo, since Geddy´s bass stays black throughout the song. Same clothes though, ha! So funny...


----------



## atomic-age

Hi everyone, Hope it's OK to post an ebay link in this thread. I thought that those of you who might be tracking down a Signature Guitar Co. instrument might be interested in this... RARE CANADIAN MADE SIGNATURE GUITAR CO. EXCALIBRE BASS | eBay It's an Excalibre model bass in deep blue finish, quite similar to the one pictured on the far left in Super Phil's collection pics posted earlier in this thread. Anyway, here's a pic...


----------



## SpAnKY22

Here's a rare Signature Odyssey I have, with active Evans pickups. Look at the top on this thing. I think it's birdseye maple. It's for sale. Check Ebay


----------



## tomBeze

*"Visionary"*

Hi there,
this is seriously one of the finest. Signature model: Visionary (SN: NT 1034).
Bought 1991 in south of Germany (seem to be crafted in `89)
It`s all stock except: tremolo had been replaced by a new original Schaller. Couldn`t handle the original Sign. v/t knobs, so I changed them.
It`s a neck-through with very destinctive fine-sounding Evans Pu`s.
SHE`s not for sale, please don`t ask. Only want to share with all Sig lovers and owners because they`re so rare.

http://s1132.photobucket.com/albums/m577/tombeze/

Hope this link is working.

Rock on!
Tommy


----------



## PaulS

There is a Signature Excaliber Fretless bass with the drop tuning lever on the E string for sale at Guitar Nuts in Bancroft, I checked it out and it is a great bass,


----------



## Super Phil

I finally got a Signature Guitars facebook page up and going....got all the registry info transferred over. If you are on Facebook, check it out and give it a 'Like'. :wave: If you have a Signature Guitar and you're not on my list please get me your info so I can add your guitar to the list! Also, just ran across a guy in Ontario who is selling a red, neck-thru Odyssey if anyone is interested. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Signature-Guitars/328098957203384


----------



## crankmy5150

Here is a nice Signature Odyssey for sale on Ebay for those who are looking.
Pretty good deal!

SIGNATURE GUITAR COMPANY ODYSSEY ALEX LIFESON ULTRA RARE W/ HD VIDEO DEMO!! | eBay

Adam


----------



## GuitarsCanada

$1500 and $335 shipping? No deal there


----------



## guitarman1952

GuitarsCanada said:


> Signature Guitars were originally made famous by RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson. Alex helped get the company going in the early days and was heavily involved in the design and development of Signature instruments. Alex used Signatures (most significantly the Aurora model) almost exclusively for the albums "Hold your fire" and "Show of hands". Alex later switched to PRS guitars in the early 1990's when the company was no more.
> 
> The Signature Guitar Company was a Canadian Guitar company that made beautifully crafted, high quality electric guitars and basses. They were located in Aurora, Ontario and existed between 1987 and 1990.
> 
> View attachment 8676


Just to make history a bit more precise Olivo had his shop 5 min away from Steve's Music in Toronto Ontario NOT BC and he did build master pieces I myself had him make me a few he did also join forces with Lado building guitars but was not happy with Lado's more mass production techniques so he bailed out.


----------



## loudnproud75

Here's a Signature Oracle on Craigslist - $1000

http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/msg/4571037589.html


----------



## Gord Holland

tuique said:


> I worked at Signature Guitars on Industrial Parkway Aurora during Signature's last few months. I had a big history halfway written for this thread when I stupidly googled something without opening a new tab and lost it. Grrrr!
> Anyway, it was a very special experience for me, as I got to meet Alex, and bought one of the 2nd gen Oracle prototypes hanging up in the back from the boss himself (Russ, not Alex). Cash. Blue flame maple, Schaller-licensed Floyd knockoff, strap locks, EMG pickups, ebony (or rosewood?) fretboard, gold Maxima strings. Everything top notch (except for the Schaller bridge, but it was actually not bad, but not top of the line either). I've since replaced the bridge with a real Floyd after it got all corroded and flakey from all my beery sweat.
> I still have the guitar. Almost mint condition. I sometimes think of selling it but I do love it, and things will have to get pretty darn bad before I resort to such desperate measures.
> It's still the best guitar I've ever played. 20 years later. It makes the Randy Rhoads model Jackson I found in Akita, Japan feel like a plastic ukelele. Never goes out of tune, month after month. Neck solid, arrow straight, still in perfect intonation.
> The Russ Heinl Group also imported and distributed Trace Elliot bass amps, Metaltronix guitar stacks, Digitech and DOD effects units, wireless stuff, can't remember what else.
> I spent most lunch hours noodling on the guitars lying around the warehouse, no doubt annoying the crap out of the front office girl, what with my half-baked attempts at Crazy Train and the entire first side of 2112. Thankfully, I wasn't slaughtering anything by Rush the day Alex showed up at the warehouse. He was in something of a subdued mood because it was the week after October's Black Friday and apparently he'd just taken a big hit on the markets. But he was nice enough to sign my Presto CD. Should have got him to sign the guitar too, except I hadn't bought it yet
> Partly Signature went under because of the economic hard times, and the crappy hair-metal pointy guitars mentioned by someone else, but also partly because Russ and his wife were living pretty high on the hog for a while there. His 'n' her Porsches, etc. He had chutzpah, though. And he teared up the day he laid me off in January 1990, soon before closing down for good. Now he flies around hanging out of helicopters taking pictures of mountains. The man is inspiring.


I too Live in the Vancouver area. I have what I believe ( and can tell so far ) is a Signature Bass ( 1974 Jazz repop). From what I can tell it is unit # 11 of 1989 , so I believe this is one of the very first / few. I would love to speak to you about it.


----------



## Gord Holland

guitarman1952 said:


> Just to make history a bit more precise Olivo had his shop 5 min away from Steve's Music in Toronto Ontario NOT BC and he did build master pieces I myself had him make me a few he did also join forces with Lado building guitars but was not happy with Lado's more mass production techniques so he bailed out.


who is Olivo....I have a Bass with his inspection tag....I think


----------



## Gord Holland

This is a " Signature " Hand Made Bass done by Olivo in 1989. It was a Geddy spec'd 1974 Jazz repop. I still own it. It is #11 and completely Beautiful and mint. Been stored for almost the entire 30 years since it was built.













This is the Video upload I sent to Russ Heinl
Just so people know....with these basses in the neck pocket there was a possibility of 5 different numbers referring to the pickups installed. 1-4 or 4B. this is a # 1, meaning the original hand wound PU's in the first Generation of this Bass


----------



## greco

@Gord Holland Beautiful bass!


----------



## Gord Holland

greco said:


> @Gord Holland ...your link was not showing.


....thanks





This is the Video upload I sent to Russ Heinl


----------



## Gord Holland

Just so people know....with these basses in the neck pocket there was a possibility of 5 different numbers referring to the pickups installed. 1-4 or 4B. this is a # 1, meaning the original hand wound PU's in the first Generation of this Bass


----------



## Gord Holland




----------



## Markus 1

FrogRick12 said:


> I used to sell Signatures as well Olivos (made in BC and used by Paul Dean of Loverboy) and Lados (used by all the Canadian big hair bands of the 80's) at the music store I used to work at in Bramalea,ON.
> 
> If memory serves, Signatures were distributed by Geo.Heinl the violin company.
> 
> Seeing it now, doesn't it remind you of a PRS? I wonder which came first.....



The carve to me is reminiscent of Godin Artisans from a few years ago


----------



## Gord Holland

Markus 1 said:


> The carve to me is reminiscent of Godin Artisans from a few years ago


But the Bass not only has Olivos inspection signature from 1989 but the appropriate marks on the neck and neck pocket . I also know for a fact it has been stored since 1991. Did you watch the video. I know that production stopped in January 1990 because of the Fender copyright strike.


----------



## SGreco

Hi folks, I came across this thread trying to identify my bass. It's a Signature J Bass. I have had it since 2010(ish) my brother bought it very cheap in the UK circa 2008 from a local shop that had it as a trade in. I am no bass aficionado, back then I just wanted a something to thrash about in a garage band I was in. I have not played it in years and I am looking at selling it, just I have no idea how to price it. This is the only place I could find any information on the brand/bass. Anyone help identify what I have? What is it worth? Please see pictures
Thanks in advance
IMG-0433
IMG-0434
IMG-0435
IMG-0436
IMG-0437
IMG-0438-2


----------



## greco

Welcome to the GC Forum!

Are we distant relatives?


----------



## Gord Holland

SGreco said:


> Hi folks, I came across this thread trying to identify my bass. It's a Signature J Bass. I have had it since 2010(ish) my brother bought it very cheap in the UK circa 2008 from a local shop that had it as a trade in. I am no bass aficionado, back then I just wanted a something to thrash about in a garage band I was in. I have not played it in years and I am looking at selling it, just I have no idea how to price it. This is the only place I could find any information on the brand/bass. Anyone help identify what I have? What is it worth? Please see pictures
> Thanks in advance
> IMG-0433
> IMG-0434
> IMG-0435
> IMG-0436
> IMG-0437
> IMG-0438-2


There are many , " Long island " franken bass's out there. The guy selling them there had VERY FEW parts to complete an original parts only bass.....so he substituted a lot. But he had a ton of head stock Labels...(Logo). I suspect this a much later run where basically none of it is the real deal, but if you can take a picture of inside the tone pocket and upload i will give you a much better Idea. In the end it is still worth something along the lines of a copy Bass. The neck pocket kind of gives it away....garbage numbers as the the fella in Long island had no idea what they meant . They provide a legend to the Bass manufacture), so he invented numbers that looked the same to him


----------



## SGreco

Gord Holland said:


> There are many , " Long island " franken bass's out there. The guy selling them there had VERY FEW parts to complete an original parts only bass.....so he substituted a lot. But he had a ton of head stock Labels...(Logo). I suspect this a much later run where basically none of it is the real deal, but if you can take a picture of inside the tone pocket and upload i will give you a much better Idea. In the end it is still worth something along the lines of a copy Bass. The neck pocket kind of gives it away....garbage numbers as the the fella in Long island had no idea what they meant . They provide a legend to the Bass manufacture), so he invented numbers that looked the same to him


Thanks Gord, unfortunately I suspect you might be right (please see pics). Oh well, only cost my bro £180 over 10 years ago! Again, I'm no aficionado, but it feels so nice to play, probably one of the nicest basses I have played, especially at that price - probably worth keeping it for the kids to thrash in a few years time. 

IMG-0439
IMG-0440


----------



## SGreco

greco said:


> Welcome to the GC Forum!
> 
> Are we distant relatives?


Thanks fellow Greco!


----------



## Gord Holland

SGreco said:


> Thanks Gord, unfortunately I suspect you might be right (please see pics). Oh well, only cost my bro £180 over 10 years ago! Again, I'm no aficionado, but it feels so nice to play, probably one of the nicest basses I have played, especially at that price - probably worth keeping it for the kids to thrash in a few years time.
> 
> IMG-0439
> IMG-0440


Having seen the inside of the Tone pocket In conjunction with the neck pocket I am positive this was a unit Parted together from Long Island in '95. The Original handmade Bass's built by Olivo in Ontario, Canada last came out in January of '90. Signature Guitar Company are Located in Aurora , Ontario, Canada. Looks to me that this bass has seen a lot of " Tweaking".....so if it plays good ...keep it , as it's value will not net much .


----------



## SGreco

Gord Holland said:


> Having seen the inside of the Tone pocket In conjunction with the neck pocket I am positive this was a unit Parted together from Long Island in '95. The Original handmade Bass's built by Olivo in Ontario, Canada last came out in January of '90. Signature Guitar Company are Located in Aurora , Ontario, Canada. Looks to me that this bass has seen a lot of " Tweaking".....so if it plays good ...keep it , as it's value will not net much .


Thanks Gord, much appreciated! Nice to know a bit more history about the bass. Agree, definitely some tweaking has happened in the past! But it does play good. Now I have it out - it's not going back into storage any time soon - I think I'm going to commit to playing it again after a 6 year hiatus. Thanks again


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## Gord Holland

SGreco said:


> Thanks Gord, much appreciated! Nice to know a bit more history about the bass. Agree, definitely some tweaking has happened in the past! But it does play good. Now I have it out - it's not going back into storage any time soon - I think I'm going to commit to playing it again after a 6 year hiatus. Thanks again


Remember if the action seems different or a little high the "fairies", didn't mess with the bridge.....check your truss rod adjustment....probably needs one after that long.


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## Gord Holland

Proof of Rush's connection to Russ Heinl ( Owner, not Luthier),and Signature Guitars. Located in aurora Ontario, Canada.


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## Obsessed Amateur

Just found this thread. I bought a Signature Jazz bass about 5 years ago and love it. I'm going to assume its the highest end one they made. Its cream coloured body with matching head stock colour, bound maple / rosewood neck with mop block inlays, large hipshot tuners with D tuner on E string, red shell pick guard with great sounding J bass pups and wiring, large block bridge with string through body. 12th fret on Toronto says larivee made the necks, godin made the body, and 12th fret themselves did the wiring. Signature then assembled them. Complete professional stage worthy bass. Pure quality.


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## Permanent Waves

I don't want to stir up a big argument or generate a lot of flak but... at the same time, I would like to share information which I think is correct, which is the purpose of this forum. We are all here to share information and although people are free to disagree, ultimately we all benefit from multiple points of view. 

The Signature Guitar Company started by Russ Heinl in Aurora Canada in the late 80's and operated for about 3 years made "super-strat" style guitars in either bolt-on (flat top or carved top) and neck-thru (carved top only). They also made a line of basses that were exclusively neck-thru carved tops called the Excalibre. All of the Signature Guitar Company (the company associated with Alex Lifeson) instruments featured an eagle-beak inspired pointed hook headstock. 

I have seen a lot of bolt-on J-Style basses out there with the name Signature on the headstock, and I am not familiar with their value or level of quality, however, to my knowledge, they are not associated to the Signature company founded by Russ Heinl. The logo Script on the headstock is different between these instruments and to my knowledge, Signature Guitar Company never produced any bolt-on basses or J-style basses. I'd be interested in seeing any proof on linkage between these instruments but I could not find any. 

I pasted some pictures of the Excalibre below and a link to an old talkbass discussion on the subject. 
350$ old "Signature Excalibre" brand bass, should i buy?

Again, I do NOT want to stir up arguments, I am only doing this in the interest of sharing information.


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## Obsessed Amateur

No problem. Interesting response. There is a sticker on the control cavity that has a hand written signature and the number 89 on it but no other serial number at all so I thought maybe this was at the end of the original company's production line. I have to lookup the 12th fret email also so see what I actually asked them. At any rate, if this is a china or Korea copy or something else, I have to admit, It's damn nice and fits into my investigative curiosity about guitars.


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## Obsessed Amateur

I went through the thread here and I think mine is one of the bolt on J basses similar to the green one in the video here and not associated with Russ Heinl or Rush - not exactly sure where it came from or who did it - but still got it for half the price of a used Fender mexico jass bass. Finding these unknown hidden gems is the fun of musical instrument collecting.


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