HI Adam,
For good or ill I am going to plug you here old friend.
I met Adam about the time I got exposed to Warrior and JD back in 1988/89 after I was fired from the Christian band Sacred Fire (Right after Singer Jimi Bennett). Jimi Introduced me to both JD and Adam. Adam was 16, and was a blistering head cutting player. Made me want to give up, but we became friends, not real close though. (evne sold him my speaker cabinet)
He worked hard, got some good breaks, studdied with Russ Rodgers (awesome jazz player) endured 1 year at Ga State School of Music (I endured 2 years myself before joining Sacred Fire). His talent is a force of Nature.
I think the world of the man, still to this day.
I got a Warrior for a guy out of Pawn and found out what JD was made of. Unprofessional, non-communicative, and arrogant. I would have prefered that things could have worked out for the better for folks, but I am sure that Adam was always an asset to the efforts of Warrior.
I got rid of the Instrument (a Studio 5, QM BirdsEye Neck and Board, Neck Through) which others I played with loved and I enjoyed as then the best Bass I ever owned and one of the Best I ever played (having Exposure to Fodera and some home built by one Gaddis Tippet of Down East NC, all very enjoyable).
I got rid of it becasue I knew I could not replace it if anything ever happened to it.
Learning from Adam when I last saw him in 2005 (and he let me play his individual Bass) I decided that Barts and Bolt on was what I wanted, as I get rather percussive.
I found what I wanted in Ibanez BTBs. I have 4 of them, a 6 and 5 with Barts, a 6 Fretless with Ibanez pups, and a 5 with Ibanez pups.
I had them set up by Rick Asher of Rick's Music in Knoxville. 2mm at the 12th on the Low B, and 1 mm or less on the Highest strings. (After playing Adam's Bass I learned first hand of what he writes here about obsessive about low action!)
I bring this up because Rick's work was so much better than JD's operation (Warrior). These midline basses play even more fluidly than the Warrior and the sound is at least as good, infact I like the VariMid3 EQ, not too bright and easy to get what I want.
Price and JD is what killed the experience for me. Rick Asher changed my world and it ROCKS!
Shame Ibanez changed eq's and is neck through now.
I would never play another Warrior. I would never want anyone thinking that they were dealing with a professional much less a Chrisitian when seeing me play one.
Looking at the GAS horizion I see Status Basses (England), BassLab's Doubleneck (Germany), and David King (Seattle). Nothing else draws my attention for look and specs thesedays, but the Rick Asher set up will be the thing that each instrument must be able to hold to be in my inventory.
If you want a peice of Art with no resale value, this will make you happy. It will not play its best out of the factory, you have to see Rick in Knoxville for that.
Peace, Blessings, and Bass, especially to you Adam...all the Best