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Steve Bailey speaks on Warwick/Fender..
- Thread starter fretlesssurfer
- Start date
- Jul 20, 2005
- 881
- 76
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Samuel Shen Basses, NS Design, D'Addario Strings
Thanks for your candor, Steve. You are a straight-up good guy, and it is a special treat for you to drop in on us.
I never got to try the Fender (I would like to, since I have always loved Fenders and I like 6'ers). Your original post sheds light on why I haven't seen any or ever hear about them outside of an occasional post on TB. And I have yet to try any Warwick
. Hope to change that.
Like the majority of TB'ers, I hope your relationship with Warwick results in excellence for you and the company. We, as fans, listeners, and fellow players, reap the rewards from that. I have your latest album, and I look forward to those that will follow. Maybe you can let us know when projects that feature this bass are forthcoming. Or let us know about any forthcoming projects. Love and admire what you do.
Bill
I never got to try the Fender (I would like to, since I have always loved Fenders and I like 6'ers). Your original post sheds light on why I haven't seen any or ever hear about them outside of an occasional post on TB. And I have yet to try any Warwick
. Hope to change that. Like the majority of TB'ers, I hope your relationship with Warwick results in excellence for you and the company. We, as fans, listeners, and fellow players, reap the rewards from that. I have your latest album, and I look forward to those that will follow. Maybe you can let us know when projects that feature this bass are forthcoming. Or let us know about any forthcoming projects. Love and admire what you do.
Bill
As for the articles linked by Asomodai,
These slave labour accusations werent responded to by Warwick officially because it's pretty much crap. Media often beat up stuff like this when the news is slow, or maybe that particular journalist has an axe to grind. But the publication of this story coincided with a visit to the Warwick factory by the German Federal President. Warwick custom built a Thumb bolt on finished in the German flag colours & presented it to the federal President, who handed it back after this story was published to avoid any accusations of corruption. This is how petty this sordid little affair became. iirc it was one newspaper article, which was then re-reported by other media. if these accusations were accurate I would've imagined all the mainstream German media would've ran with the story. Warwick are, after all, the biggest musical instrument company in Europe, who started in 1982 with only a handful of employees. I believe it would be rather difficult to grow that much if you're treating employees in such a way as this article describes. The working conditions at Warwick are in line with normal, legal work practices in that part of the world (the former DDR). The boss, Hans peter Wilfer is the first one at work, & the last one to leave. So nobody at Warwick works harder than him. Warwick have built a state of the art manufacturing facility that leads the industry in terms environmental factors. They generate more elecricity than they use & generate it for the surrounding areas. They also have residential facilities so new employees have somewhere to live while they get settled into their new surroundings. Some employees move to Markneukirchen from other countries to work there. One guy moved there from China to learn a trade recently. Why on earth would anyone make such a dramatic change in their life to be treated as a slave labourer?
Now I dont work for Warwick, or officially represent them in any way. I only help moderate their bass forum since march 2006, & in that time I've learnt a few things about Warwick. First I decided to play their basses & amps coz I liked them Then I learnt more about the company behind the name & know for a fact that morally & ethically, not many other companies, musical or otherwise, can match Warwick's integrity when it comes to how well they treat their people, & the environment.
If you wanna read up on some official Warwick facts & figures, you can access the entire Warwick newsletter archive from a link on their website.
Thanks for reading.
Greg
These slave labour accusations werent responded to by Warwick officially because it's pretty much crap. Media often beat up stuff like this when the news is slow, or maybe that particular journalist has an axe to grind. But the publication of this story coincided with a visit to the Warwick factory by the German Federal President. Warwick custom built a Thumb bolt on finished in the German flag colours & presented it to the federal President, who handed it back after this story was published to avoid any accusations of corruption. This is how petty this sordid little affair became. iirc it was one newspaper article, which was then re-reported by other media. if these accusations were accurate I would've imagined all the mainstream German media would've ran with the story. Warwick are, after all, the biggest musical instrument company in Europe, who started in 1982 with only a handful of employees. I believe it would be rather difficult to grow that much if you're treating employees in such a way as this article describes. The working conditions at Warwick are in line with normal, legal work practices in that part of the world (the former DDR). The boss, Hans peter Wilfer is the first one at work, & the last one to leave. So nobody at Warwick works harder than him. Warwick have built a state of the art manufacturing facility that leads the industry in terms environmental factors. They generate more elecricity than they use & generate it for the surrounding areas. They also have residential facilities so new employees have somewhere to live while they get settled into their new surroundings. Some employees move to Markneukirchen from other countries to work there. One guy moved there from China to learn a trade recently. Why on earth would anyone make such a dramatic change in their life to be treated as a slave labourer?
Now I dont work for Warwick, or officially represent them in any way. I only help moderate their bass forum since march 2006, & in that time I've learnt a few things about Warwick. First I decided to play their basses & amps coz I liked them Then I learnt more about the company behind the name & know for a fact that morally & ethically, not many other companies, musical or otherwise, can match Warwick's integrity when it comes to how well they treat their people, & the environment.
If you wanna read up on some official Warwick facts & figures, you can access the entire Warwick newsletter archive from a link on their website.
Thanks for reading.
Greg
No apology necessary. If I believed everything that was written on the internet about me... I would be practicing my intonation right nowThe reality is that I have been busy with a couple of projects, and have not been around.
But instead of practicing my lack of intonation, I am going surfing.
Some folks love negativity, plain and simple. I have even been at shows, signing autographs, and people have tried to get me to say something bad about someone, or dispel something they "heard that I said" about someone. I don't need to go there... although sometimes, just for fun, I will.
This thread was started, not to defend rumors about a company, but to explain a decision I made.. and try to squelch the BS associated with it. Its that simple.
There are things in life that are simply not worthy of acknowledging. I think Warwick proved that in their forum... they left up the accusations on the thread, and simply did not reply. Many companies yank down that stuff and most of us never see it. I wonder why...
I know that if I have nothing to defend (like my intonation, for example) i simply get entertained by what folks think. That, along with the chance of helping someone out, is why I come to TalkBass periodically.
NOW... about the YouTube dude who plays along with groovin recordings, bobbing his head... with his bass pretty much inaudible... and everyone talks about his great groove?.....
That's a very good point Steve.
I/we that moderate/administer the Warwick forum have, from day one, had a policy of not deleting or editing posts/threads, unless it's absolutely necessary, & even then it's a decision made democratically by at least 3 of us, & we all have to be in agreement. We've done it maybe a handful of times in over 5 years. The "family affair" slogan you coined is totally apt in Warwick's case. We have forum members report back to us that their enquiry emails are often handled personally by Hans Peter, sometimes at 6am & within minutes of them being received.Most of these emails are simply people enquiring about a vintage bass that left the factory 20 years ago. This goes to show that they're prepared to take some time to help people out even when there's no chance of a sale. The majority of the forum members bought their basses used, but Warwick & it's distributors stand behind their products in the long term.
There's also 3 current models that were the direct results of competitions held by Warwick, to design a new bass. The most recent being the Thumb Single Cut.With the winning designer being awarded a free bass.
personally, whenever I myself have needed any parts, or out of warranty service, my countries distributor ships them free of charge, ASAP.
There's also 2 Jonas Hellborg Preamps currently touring the world free of charge to anyone that wants to demo them, courtesy of Warwick.
Now I better stop babbling, but when it comes to this company, it's sometimes hard to keep a lid on it.
Cheers & I'm just so chuffed to see so many bass legends coming on board to join a wonderful family.
Greg
I'd just like to thank Steve for taking the time to talk about his choice with the community here at Talk Bass. I think that it was very gracious of him to take time out of his busy schedule to talk to us. The idea that any artist should have to defend their choice of instrument, is completely ridiculous, However, I found Steve's post very insightful, and enjoyed reading it!
As a fan of Steve Bailey I would love to own any of his signature instruments. I loved the striking looks of the Aria, I have always been a fan of Aria, and think that they make fantastic quality instruments, for tremendous value. I recently played a fretted version of the Steve Bailey Aria in a music shop in London, I was it played lovely, and I was very tempted to buy it, however I was in the market for a fretles instrument, and couldn't bring myself to de-fretting it.
I also had the opportunity to play the fretles Fender Bass, I loved it, it balanced much better then the other sixers that I have played. But unfortunately it was way out of my price range... I was very reluctant to hand it back to it's owner.
I have not yet had the opportunity to see Steve's Warwick in the flesh, However every Warwick Bass I have ever played has been a joy. I just wish I could afford one!
As for the Ethical issues mentioned in this thread, I think that it is extremely unfair to expect Steve to make a comment on the accused practice of Warwick. If you were to look into the back ground of any major company, you will undoubtedly find some ethically questionable practices. I have always considered Warwick to be one of the more socially responsible companies, especially compared to those larger manufactures that source labour and materials from developing countries. To question a public figure on such matters, when he clearly has no involvement with these issues, that allegedly took place before he became associated with the company is extremely unfair.
Thank you again for sharing with us Steve, I have been a fan for a long time, and as a fellow six string, and fretles player, I feel privileged to be able to exchange ideas with such a pioneer with the instrument.
As a fan of Steve Bailey I would love to own any of his signature instruments. I loved the striking looks of the Aria, I have always been a fan of Aria, and think that they make fantastic quality instruments, for tremendous value. I recently played a fretted version of the Steve Bailey Aria in a music shop in London, I was it played lovely, and I was very tempted to buy it, however I was in the market for a fretles instrument, and couldn't bring myself to de-fretting it.
I also had the opportunity to play the fretles Fender Bass, I loved it, it balanced much better then the other sixers that I have played. But unfortunately it was way out of my price range... I was very reluctant to hand it back to it's owner.
I have not yet had the opportunity to see Steve's Warwick in the flesh, However every Warwick Bass I have ever played has been a joy. I just wish I could afford one!
As for the Ethical issues mentioned in this thread, I think that it is extremely unfair to expect Steve to make a comment on the accused practice of Warwick. If you were to look into the back ground of any major company, you will undoubtedly find some ethically questionable practices. I have always considered Warwick to be one of the more socially responsible companies, especially compared to those larger manufactures that source labour and materials from developing countries. To question a public figure on such matters, when he clearly has no involvement with these issues, that allegedly took place before he became associated with the company is extremely unfair.
Thank you again for sharing with us Steve, I have been a fan for a long time, and as a fellow six string, and fretles player, I feel privileged to be able to exchange ideas with such a pioneer with the instrument.
listen i worked for warwick for many years in the uk and also based in Germany(only speaking english)
The stuff you are quoting is in fact is WRONG
Warwick have always treated there staff fairly,no one makes them do a job they dont want to do and for the agreed wage,right! If you dont want to work somewhere go else where its simple,not rocket science. You as a worker from senior mgnt/mid or string packer all have a significant importance in a firm. Working in the music business is not a job.......its fun you do it because 1) you get paid 2) Its a fun industry to work within especially warwick (work very hard -play harder) there is nothing like it so it really fills the expression "If you love what you do you will never work another day in your life.!" I found HP the president and his managers staff and all that worked for him to make me very welcome and always go beyond the call of duty to what was agred on my contract. The work was hard and expectation was high like in any senior job i have worked in but it was driven by the top of someone who cares about making sure the products were beyond consumer expectation and sometimes the staff were not always thinking that someone might be spending x on a bass .Warwick is a big family and yes there has been some people who have worked in the company who lack people skills but this sometimes happens in all companies. I dont blame tghem for not responding to the press,who believes the press they tell u **** all the time,email warwick and visit the company yourself you will be blown away.
The stuff you are quoting is in fact is WRONG
Warwick have always treated there staff fairly,no one makes them do a job they dont want to do and for the agreed wage,right! If you dont want to work somewhere go else where its simple,not rocket science. You as a worker from senior mgnt/mid or string packer all have a significant importance in a firm. Working in the music business is not a job.......its fun you do it because 1) you get paid 2) Its a fun industry to work within especially warwick (work very hard -play harder) there is nothing like it so it really fills the expression "If you love what you do you will never work another day in your life.!" I found HP the president and his managers staff and all that worked for him to make me very welcome and always go beyond the call of duty to what was agred on my contract. The work was hard and expectation was high like in any senior job i have worked in but it was driven by the top of someone who cares about making sure the products were beyond consumer expectation and sometimes the staff were not always thinking that someone might be spending x on a bass .Warwick is a big family and yes there has been some people who have worked in the company who lack people skills but this sometimes happens in all companies. I dont blame tghem for not responding to the press,who believes the press they tell u **** all the time,email warwick and visit the company yourself you will be blown away.
I haven't read every page in this thread, but I would be interested in a comparison between the Warwick and Fender fretless SB's, from SB or anyone. I think the Fender is a lot prettier, but that's just me.
AA5L said:
I just purchased a warwick corvette std. Fretless with bubinga wood and duo mec jazz-fuzzion pickups from europe. I think its the best sounding bass I've ever owned, and I've owned a few thru the yrs. Started messin around at 14, I'm 59 now. But fender also have some good pro line fretless axes too
Thanks for taking the time to explain your thought process and for transitioning with class.
Your album "So Low" is an all time favorite. Woud love to see some additional solo releases (on itunes) - heck I would even pre-order?
Your album "So Low" is an all time favorite. Woud love to see some additional solo releases (on itunes) - heck I would even pre-order?
- Jan 21, 2012
- 665
- 2
- Disclosures
- endorsing artist hard luck king guitars and knuckle head strings
I love how some people feel such strong loyalty bonds toward certain brands but such is the world. Since you are one of a couple people that inspired me to play bass as far as I'm concerned you can play whatever bass you want to.
- Jan 21, 2012
- 665
- 2
- Disclosures
- endorsing artist hard luck king guitars and knuckle head strings
Let me rephrase such strong loyalty bonds that they criticize someone else's choice of instrument brand.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
I thought it was interesting take on endorsing with major companies. I know people who are endorsers with smaller companies but I have never heard from people dealing directly with the likes of Fender and Warwick. I enjoyed the post and I thought others might as well. I hope that answers your question satisfactorily.
I actually have a fretted Steve Bailey Jazz bass that I love. Since it was one of the last ones made I'm almost enticed to get a Warwick because I love the neck shape and am a little nervous about taking it out.
C/s,
Rev J
C/s,
Rev J
Right on. I have 1 of the 40 (I believe) black fretless ones. It has the best 6 string necks I have ever played personally. I disliked the electronics enough to gut it, and start from scratch with Seymour Duncan stuff. I would LOVE to try out the new Warwick for comparison's sake, but I will never, ever be able to afford one!
Nice is that it in your profile pic?
Here is a picture of me and mine that's about 8 years old:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I pimped mine up with a set of Spellbinder Stanley Clarke knobs.
C/S,
REv J
