Funny thing is, if you go on some of the Warwick threads, many long time users will tell you that the ones made now (post 1996 I believe is the change point for whatever reason) are crap in comparison to the older ones. Yet their prices have skyrocketed.
I hear you. And to me "Custom Shop" means just that... something that's hand-made and customized to the musician ordering it. But I've heard from former WW employees that the custom shop stuff they make is really no different than the standard German-made models. Everything is CNC with very little human "hands-on" work.
Stuart has a CNC to get the general shape of the neck... to about 80% of the finished product, it saves time, but the crucial 20% finish work is done by hand. And the radius work on fingerboards are still hand-finished 100% as is fret cutting, installation and crowning. The CNC has allowed for Stuart to produce more, the old way would take 2 hours to do what the CNC now does in 15 minutes. But the thing that makes the SPECTOR Europe and USA Series basses so special is still present. An enormous amount of hands-on human-done work.
So yeah... I'm not sure how they justify the outrageous costs of their basses. They have some signature models that cost nearly $15,000 US dollars. And at that point you're talking about a top-of-the-line Fodera. Which to me is still an expensive bass, but at least you know with the Fodera it's all hand-made using the best woods and materials available. Vinny and crew make amazing basses which like SPECTORs are works of art in my opinion.
Look at Roscoe, Pedulla, Tobias, and even Sukop (I talked with him at BPL and really liked him and his wife. Really nice people making really beautiful custom-made, hand-made basses... about 5-7 a month in his workshop at his house)... These are true "Custom-Shop" instruments. As are the USA-Series SPECTORs... of course.
I don't know. I don't mean to be so negative but it so rubs me the wrong way. There aren't a lot of truly American Cultural standards... we are a melting pot of every different culture on this planet. But one thing I know that I was raised to believe in is that anything worth doing is worth doing right, and cutting corners, being unfair, cheating... it never allows you to win. For even if you do, you know that it wasn't a true victory.
Deep down inside I honestly believe that just because you and someone else do the same thing, offer similar products, whatever... that you can complete but still have respect for one another. That you can go after the same customer but it doesn't mean you have to dislike one another. I'd like to believe that there's enough bass and guitar players in the world that SPECTOR can do what it does and all the other guys can do what they do and everyone can be respectful and positive with one another. And I've seen it work. Mike Pedulla is a great guy. As is Mike Tobias. As is Steve Sukop... I've spoken with all of these guys at length and they're always very professional and respectful and they do their own thing and don't really worry about what others are doing.
Honestly Stuart lives by the same rules. It's guys like me who get bent out of shape when someone does something to someone they care about and it becomes something offensive to us on a personal level that probably keep this issue alive.
I only get worked up about it when I see people make comments that aren't accurate and therefore to do justice to my friends I jump in and retell the story the way it happened, to set the record straight.
I believe that if you do something wrong, you own it. And if it bothers you to be reminded of it, then you need to do something to make it right.
Lastly, I made a comment about "German Imperialism" earlier and it offended someone. And I want to say that I am sincerely sorry for that. I know that the majority of German people are kind, hard-working, honest people and they often get picked on because of WWI and WWII.
My last name is Stern. It's German. So it's not like I'm just picking on someone I don't know. I did consulting work for a couple of large, well respected German manufacturers. And my comment was more about what I said above about getting along with people you compete with. The German companies I've worked with in the past have been very aggressive, almost as if it was something personal that another company offered something similar to what they do. They treat competition as if they are the enemy and that what they do in the marketplace is more like a battlefield.
And this is an institutional attitude, not necessarily something that is individual based and can be attributed to the majority of the German people. I do have to admit I've seen it in my father, and I myself have an aggressive streak. To me the difference is that I focus on specific things to get angry about. Be honest, be professional and respectful and I have no problem with you. But lie, cheat, steal... and I'll have a fire in my stomach for you. LOL. To thy own self be true. And I've always been this way.
I'm sincerely sorry if that offends anyone. And please know that I don't have any issue with a musician choosing the instrument that they feel best gives them the "voice" they want to express the music inside of them. I never fault someone for owning a Warwick. My issue isn't with Warwick owners or even their artists like Andy. It's with HP Wilfer and the undeniably unfair and unprofessional way he's treated Stuart and Ned through the years. And Stuart and Ned are not alone. There's a list of other companies he's been unfair to as well.
Black and white are black and white. A spade is a spade. Fair is good and unfair is not. Pretty simple stuff. Not so simple to live by for some people I suppose.
