Help me to understand this!

[Fire-Starter]

I was reading this thread over in the Bass forum about Warrior basses,

Warrior Basses?

I am a previous Warrior owner, it played great, looked nice but the sound could have been better imo.....

although they are very nice to look at, and pricey, some people like them and some don't, and the common reason why they dont, seem to be the SOUND QUALITY

these basses can have either Bassline pickup/preamps or the Barts pickup/preamp, they are built with the best woods, and if you read their web-site you will see what I am talking about. Everyone likes how they look and Feel, but you mean to tell me even with the best of woods and some of the best electronics, there are issues like quality control and sound? So my question is...

I dont seem to have seen this issues with like Sadowsky, or Ken Smith bassses for example, as far as quality and tone goes, for example, with Ken Smith, you either like his tone, or you dont, but its not "this bass sounds great, but I picked up the a different modle and it sucked, but it looked great" With Sadowsky, I have not heard of ANY complaints! lots of people talk about Woods and wht what woods to pick to get this or that sound, and how old the wood is etc...........

What is it that really gives basses the quality sound? in the case of Warrior, if you have top of the line woods, and electronics and people still have the hit or miss conception with regard to the sound of this bass, than what gives?

[The Golden Boy]

Just from reading the linked thread reminded me of something I ran into around 15 years ago. My band was practicing in a studio in a small town, and there was a little sub place right there. A few guys from the band and I are hanging out eating and this hippie guy comes walking along with this crazy guitar. It was this amazing sculpted thing with skeleton reliefs carved into it, really nice mahogany body and a bolted on mahogany neck with Ebony fretboard as well as a carved headstock. He's just carrying it, and said he'd made it and it was the first guitar he'd ever made. It really was a really nice- if not 'over the top' looking guitar. We asked him to come into our studio so I could try it out. That thing was a tone turd. It played OK, I don't remember the sustain, but it sounded like poo through my amp, either clean or dirty.

I guess my point is just because you use the best pretty materials and you're a great woodworker doesn't necessarily make you a great luthier.

PS. The Warrior stuff does not appeal to me at all.

[Fire-Starter]

Originally Posted by Joshua

It's simple; tone is subjective and can't be quantified. If the folks don't like the sound, they just don't...

Joshua, that I can agree with, but what about tone varying so much from one bass to another, I mean from WOW!!! to Blah..would you suggest this is subjective also? have you hear of bass players having this issue with other HIGH END bass

Thanks