dubkitty wrote:from my perspective as the Old Guy, the marketplace has been pretty homogenized since the late 1980s, when the Eddie Van Halen style of shred guitar came to popularity and the Roland MIDI guitar and Steinberger died a death. ever since then there were generally three options: Fender or Fender-esque, Gibson (by which i really mean Les Pauls) or Gibson-esque, and shredder (which came to include the weirder Gibson shapes like the V and Explorer). i actually think that there are more options now than there were for many years, what with the aluminum-neck makers, FMIC's revitalization of Gretsch and now Guild, the reissuing of rare Epiuphones like the mini-humbucker Wilshire, and the various odd small-builder guitars at reasonable prices e.g. DiPinto.
i don't disagree with the intent of the OP, but try to remember that the A7/Opeth/Mustaine/Kirk/Petrucci/etc. market, as someone said above, essentially subsidizes the interesting parts of the major manufacturer's lines and gives e.g. FMIC the economic space to take the flyer they're current on with the new Guild electrics. people have always followed fashion...look at the number of UK/Continental guitarists in the early 70s who played white Strats in emulation of Hendrix' last tour. it's deliberately driven by the signature models thing now, which i also dislike personally...i wouldn't play a Peter Green LP copy. but i don't mind a sunburst LP, you know? the thing i think is particularly weird is the Paul Gilbert flanger...what's the point of a flanger button that's essentially one guy's party trick?
What I think is weird is that Paul Gilbert is of any interest at all... even in Japan...
For me the fact that they're 'signature' models is a turn-off, just there are some that happen to be cool enough to override that. ALTHOUGH I doubt I'd ever buy one unless it was actually unique in some way, because with the j mascis as an example it's probably easy enough to get a white jazzy and a sweet pickguard separately. 
