Ok...my Six Sigma training and Deming philosophy is kicking in here.
The definition of quality is:
Meeting the reasonable needs and expectations of the customer
So "quality" is not how pretty something is, or how much it costs, or whether it's hand built, or how it "feels". It is all about what the customers needs and expectations are.
Now, if the customer expects it to meet their definition of beauty, then that is a component of quality for that customer. For example. If your need is for a bass that plays in tune with medium action...nearly every bass on the market is a quality instrument. The key word in the definition is "reasonable". Do you NEED a bass made of some exotic African wood? Of course not. Do you NEED a bass with hand turned wooden knobs when metal or plastic ones will do the job? Of course not. The plastic knobs will do the same quality job as the wooden ones.
What I'm seeing here is people confusing luxury, artistic style, beauty, exclusivity, and brand perception with quality. I've played Foderas, Ken Smiths, Roscoes, Dingwalls, Spectors, Warwicks, Fenders, G&Ls, Sadowskys, Mike Lulls, etc.....I can't name them all. And yes...there is a FEEL that is different about a well made instrument. The pots have more resistance. The frets are nicely dressed. The tuners are smooth and have no slop in them. The pickups have great tone and dynamics. The finish is thin and doesn't feel like plastic. The bridge is solid and easy to set up. The truss rod adjuster is easy to access and has a smooth operation. The neck is solid and doesn't move much.
That said, you can get all that in a mass produced instrument. I am currently having a bass custom built because I have very particular needs for each part of the bass that I can find individually on many basses, but no bass on the market gives me everything I want in one instrument. That doesn't mean they aren't quality basses, it just means as the customer my needs and expectations differ from what is on the market. Fodera makes some basses that would meet my needs, but my expectation is that my needs should be met for dramatically less money. It's wood and parts. There is no magic spells cast over electric instruments that make them worth $10,000+. Not in my opinion anyway.
Rick Wilson of Moonshine Custom Guitars is building my bass, to my specifications. He is going to allow me to come to the shop as it is built and get my feedback. I will be involved every step of the way. If I were to order a custom build from any other builder listed here, it would be considerably more expensive for the same bass. Rick's work is second to none. I assure you, I've seen many of his builds and the attention to detail is absolutely amazing. All of these things are important to me as the customer. My standards are exacting. I have sold three "quality" basses in order to fund the custom build which will meet my needs and expectations.
Sorry for the long rambling post, but this has been a great read and this post caught my eye with the "Six Sigma" comment
I agree with the sentiment that the perception is largely based on the needs/requirements of the user and their experience and perception.
I think it largely comes down to what feels/sounds right to you at your level of maturity/experience in playing and knowing what you like. I have 4 MIG Warwick's in my current stable and love the feel/playability and tone of all of them.. but they are all very different woods, electronics, etc. and therefore each unique and fit different requirements. I also have a couple of production basses that I love, but generally not searching for others... I generally don't really care for Ps or Js but my Fender American Precision Deluxe (to me) plays and sounds amazing and has it's place for a particular need (it's a keeper) but I'm not out looking for others as I've played enough of them that the 1 I have is good nuff for me. As an example I get why folks love EBMM and I've played quite a few to see if get that same sparkle, but again don't seem to be for me and didn't convince me enough for me to part with the funds to own one.
I have been fortunate to travel a bit for work so I have had the opportunity to play quite a few different boutique/custom basses at various shows and resellers in Chicago, Seattle, NYC and Nashville. And for me, some of the ones mentioned as the 'only choice' for someone else just didn't 'do it' for me... so as always YMMV, based on your perception, feel, etc. I've played about a dozen different Fodera's and they didn't really 'feel great' to me until I played an Emporer 5, a Matt Garrison and Tom Kennedy signatures and then I was like WOW, now I get what folks love about these.
And I'm not picking on anyone's favorite brand/style but for me, if I walk away going 'meh' than its not for me (including many of the basses mentioned in previous posts). I played a ton of really nice examples at Gruhn's a couple months back (Modulas, Dingwall, Sadowsky, Spector, Status, Alembic, etc.) which were all very nice, but none that felt like a 'fit for me' or wow'd me to drop $3-6k on them. The Status 6-string was probably the closest, but then had to weigh that against ordering new or having something built to my spec. At Chicago Music I played some really nice examples of Roscoe, Mayones, Fodera, etc. and wasn't swayed. I really liked the one special edition Mayones, but the neck had a thick clear on it that just didn't agree with me.
I have been searching for a particular next bass with my specific requirements for a while and will know it when I find it (I think
) but I have often either mod'd one that was close or have built a couple that have become keepers for that particular need I was looking for.
And I'm sure my opinion will change a bit on some of the other builders as I've had a chance to play more great examples. Most of the fun for me, is playing/experiencing different examples when I travel to different cities to see what I really like and would like to own.
I played 5-6 Skjold basses at a show a few months ago and was 'wow'd' by every one (4, 5 and 6 strings) he had at the show. I just giggled as I played each one, as the playability, the tone, the workmanship were all stellar (in my humble opinion) I know they're not for everyone... but at some point I think I'll have to make some room in my aresenal to allow me to make the trek to Pete's shop to spec out a build.
With that said, I have to go back to the good ole 'in the eye of the beholder' adage as there's no 'one' perfect bass, car, food, etc. for 'everyone'
as we all have different requirements, needs and preferences. Sorry for the rambling, that's just my $.02 - hopefully I've not offended any fans of the instruments mentioned
