molan

But, based on direct experience that wouldn’t be true. Sure it could change but there’s little indication to say that Roger is going to have the clout to override the Warwick sales machine that’s all about ‘throughput’. . .

There was a world of difference between Warwicks we received from the Pro range that were finished and QC’d in Germany compared to the Sadowsky instruments that arrived from Tokyo. Warwick felt like they wanted to get them out of the door as quickly as possible and pretty much every one needed adjustments and sorting before they could be sold. You could lift a Sadowsky Metro out of the box as it came from Tokyo and play it immediately. Just that extra bit of care going into the finished product rather than just another ‘sale’ going out the door

Having actively worked with both Warwick and Sadowsky I'd say there's a world of difference between the two of them in terms of sales tactics, genuine interest in 'musical instruments' and everyday quality. The latter is really the most important from an end customer basis. Instruments out of the German factory (and I use that descriptor advisedly) simply weren't as good as those coming from Tokyo in terms of final build quality, fit and finish. It always amazed me that you could take a Sadowsky Metro out of the box and it would be pretty much in tune and ready to go. Every bass from the German (oops, it's that word again) Warwick Pro range needed setting up. Sadowsky were also bang on delivery times and you could actually pick what you wanted to buy - Warwick more or less told you what you could have and then, seemingly, delivered them when they felt like it. The thought of poorly finished Chinese Sadowsky instruments fills me with dread. Whilst it wasn't true for all Chinese Warwicks, I have seen some absolute dogs get through their quality control system. Somewhat ironically, Spectors out of China were even worse. Killed resale values of used Warwicks across the board with even older genuine German models plummeting in value. You'd think that cheapo poor 'copies' would make the original stuff more desirable and maybe push prices up but we saw a long term decline in values of all Warwicks. Only possible exceptions were a few very old Streamers & Thumbs but even they were a fraction of the price of a new German masterbuilt instrument.

We Certainly bought all Metros via a contact in LA (that appeared to be a sub-contracted third party) and had them shipped direct to UK from Tokyo.

More likely that simple cost of production in Japan is one of the highest in the world. Certainly way more than the location that Warwick use for their team-built instruments. My guess would be that cost of production will fall through the floor and prices will rise to cover licensing and distribution arrangements.

Or a factory that isn't overseas but also isn't in Germany but allows them to retain a 'made in Germany' label. . .

I wonder if this will use the ‘hidden’ Warwick factory that makes the Pro series.

Must be about time for you to be thinking about selling this one now 😂 You need a nice Lakland custom J I reckon 😉

I don’t understand this attitude at all. This is an open forum where people come for advice and information of possible new gear purchases. The OP is clearly in love with his gear. I’m sure no one has any issues with that. However, this is a brand with more complaints about build quality, fit and finish than any other I’ve ever come across. This is a simple statement of fact, it’s not an ‘opinion’ just something that is well-documented both on this forum and others. Whenever anyone reports these simple facts it seems owners of the brand’s products feel the need to somehow defend them as if it’s not important that things peel away, parts chip and break and bits drop off as if it’s a personal attack on their brand choice.

It’s not my cab - just one of the many I see up for sale with build faults. This particular one appeared a couple of days ago. I’ve never seen this from any other brand. It’s not exactly like this is ‘new’ technology but there’s only one brand out there that have yet to master how to glue a basic protective covering to a speaker cab. Even home-made ones are better than this. . .

I'll just leave this here - only 2 years old. Manufacturer support - 'I'll send you some glue'. . .

Persian end-blown flute for me. It has been played continuously for 4,500–5,000 years, making it one of the oldest musical instruments still in use so why go for anything else?

Just seen one of these. New product launched last week and promoted on FaceBook by manufacturer. First question asked - "how much is it in UK I'd really like to know". Time delay for message to filter through to manufacturer and response of £769 takes 30 minutes. Simple Google search reveals it's already discounted to £749 and that 7-8 retailers are taking orders at £769. Time taken to discover this was less that it took the guy to type out his initial question. I'm now watching to see if he asks where it's available. . .

Try manning the phones on a Saturday in a retail shop - the questions you get are often hilarious and you have to try desperately hard not to laugh. To be fair - the opening line of ‘I’ve been on Basschat and. . .’ would often lead to some of worst informed questions of the lot. Usually people who had ‘researched’ things in great detail but hadn’t really played much (or at all) and clearly didn’t know what they were talking about. This was often especially true when it came to gigging gear. People would say a certain feature on an amp or cab was an absolute necessity and if you asked, politely, why, they would come up with some nonsensical or crazily technical reasons that made no sense out in the real world of a gigging musician. I will always remember one guy insisting that the minimum requirement for a pub gig was an 8x10 cab and he wanted to know why we didn’t stock such an ‘everyday’ item. Strangely he didn’t have a gig at the time. . . You just had to smile, remain calm, and try to be as helpful as possible and explain about how something might work on a stage.

Yes, it was built and painted for TM Stevens but he didn’t keep it. Has barely been played and sat on display for over 30 years!

and from the rear. . .

This will be heading my way soon!