I’m curious about signature guitars…

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I’m curious dear readers. Would you, in this day and age, spend more than the usual MSRP for a guitar that is fundamentally the same as the non-signature version for a signature / limited edition guitar? What do you see as the benefits to such a purchase? What about any downsides? When I was much younger, I bought into the concept, and own a couple of Eric Johnson Stratocasters, and do find them different from what was available from the factory at the time in terms of feel and playability, but I have also played others and don’t find them any different in practical use. For example, I have the first Gibson Jimmy Page Signature Les Paul. It is indeed a lovely guitar with a much deeper top than Mr. Page’s Number 1 or Number 2, and it does have push pulls for different sounds on all four pots and although I have printed out the listing for what they all do individually and in combination, I truthfully cannot remember what they all are and find I rarely use the functions at all unless I’m noodling.

I ask the question because to be blunt, I see next to no actual innovation from the big builders, not Gibson, not Fender, not PRS and not Ibanez. I’m sure other makers have signature versions, I confess to not really paying attention at all. For example, I played several of the Gibson Les Paul Greeny guitars. The one that I liked best weighed almost 12 pounds and the far from gloss finish didn’t align with my preferences in finish on such an expensive guitar. There was a difference in sound, as expected because of the pickup layout, but I did the same reversing on an old PRS Core that I have owned for nearly thirty years with pickups from Bare Knuckle and get that Greeny sound, without the giant price tag.

Even with these signature instruments, I’m still me. I don’t channel Mr. Page, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Setzer, Mr. Van Halen or Mr. Green in my playing, I still sound like me, however decent or depressing I may be on a given day, so what really do I get from a signature instrument? In normal mode, I don’t really hear a difference and as soon as any effects or overdrive happen, the sound is masked by those things almost entirely.

But that’s me. I want to hear from you about your experiences with owning a signature guitar of any kind at all. The good, the bad, the ugly, whatever you see, hear or feel.

Thanks a lot!