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Best bass that the consensus says sucks

Not at all correct, but far more correct than the other guy!

Warwick uses the Steinberger designed body that Spector also uses, but only in one model....the Streamer.

Most everything else Warwick does is different and original. Corvette, Dolphin, Thumb, Katana, FNA, Vampyre, etc. They have nothing in common with Spector.

First off, I own both Bongos and Warwicks (disclosure and all that).

Warwick actually had to pay Spector a license fee for every Streamer they built due to the fact that it was an obvious copy of the Spector NS bass and they had to settle the litigation. Hans-Peter ain't shy about that fact.

That said, he also hates paying licensing fees, lol. They do have a ton of innovation and original design since that time. And tone. Lots of tone. I Love my Thumb5 Neck-thru.
 
What about Spectors? I am off topic, I admit, because I have never touched one. Seems like they are Warwick clones without much of a following... What's the input on these?

The Streamer is the only model that Warwick copied from Spector. They have to pay a fee to keep that model going.

Other than that, they are two very different basses.

I had a German Warwick Corvette Standard Active 5, and also own a Spector Rebop 4 and a Spector NS-2A.

I got rid of the Warwick because the neck didn't suit me, and it was way to heavy.


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Let me get this straight - the best bass that the consensus says, sucks.

So, who determines the 'best bass'?

Sorry, it's a little confusing to me.

Anyway, I'll play along... what I think is a 'really good' bass that gets bashed on here...

Ibanez, and to a certain extent Peavey. But there are clubs that love 'em on TB.
 
Squier Bronco. Many people diss them but they balance and play well, have great necks and are easy and inexpensive to mod.

I'd second that point on the Bronco- It's a Squier so it's really gotta suck, and it's the bottom of the line Squier so it's really really gotta suck and it has a guitar pickup instead of a bass pickup so it's really really really gotta suck. Wrong, they actually play fairly nice stock and really nice with a slight pickup swap. So that's my vote for the bass that everyone assumes is crap but actually isn't half bad.

And I'll add a runner up - the Danelectro Longhorn. It's a Dano so it's gotta be a cheap mouse fuzz bass just looking for a place to fall apart, it's one fugly bass so it really isn't cool to be seen wearing one, it has bizarre lipstick pickups and a nearly fixed bridge so it can't sound good at all. Wrong again, they actually sound really nice, are very light, balance great (at least the short scale does) and in some circles are so ugly they're cool.

And for the record, I own both.
 
Fender jazz bass....yeah thats right. I've bought 3 different jazz basses over the years,lusted and dreamed of them,wanted to love them...in the end just wasn't there. Now i realize the un sexy,low tech ,1 pickup p bass. is what i needed. Never could get the jazz to sit right in the mix, even the guiturds could tell the difference!
 
Original 70's (especially late 70's) Fenders.

Bad quality control, bad neck joint, bad bolt on system, heavy, etc.

Meanwhile have a 1977 which is a great bass and rivals any jazz I've ever played besides this one Lakland I still remember at the local Sam Ash. Too bad the Lakland probably cost 2-3 times as much as my 77'.
 

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