Bass Musician Magazine - 8th Anniversary Issue with Stu Hamm | Page 26

So overall, the bass community is really

Hans-Peter Wilfer, the CEO, and Marcus

supportive of each other, with very few

Spangler, the instrument designer, at Warwick

exceptions.

were doing. They were sort of after me, talking
to me, then I was in Germany on tour and I

There’s a new collaboration for you with

planned to spend a day with Marcus. They have

Warwick. How did that come about?

a really good thing going there. Hans-Peter is
really passionate about working with the bass

It’s hard to believe that I was the first bass player

community. We built a couple of basses and

to ever have a Fender signature bass. It’s hard

we only had one spectacular failure, which

to believe because in my mind I’m still a kid

was absolutely great. We were sitting around

riding his bike around Champagne, Illinois, but

and came up with this idea, “Man, this is the

I’ve been playing bass for 42, 43 years now.

greatest idea ever. I can’t believe no one has

I take it seriously and I’m a total bass geek!

ever thought of this for bass guitars. We’re

I love bass guitars. Every time I walk into a

geniuses! It’s going to set the world on fire!” It

music store to do a clinic, I love to look around.

turns out it was a really stupid idea that didn’t

I go right to the bass section and play – they’re

work and that’s why I guess no one had ever

just so cool looking!

done it before. But dammit, we tried it! It was
cool that we took a little bit of what we learned

So I learned a lot designing the bass with

from that and inserted into version 2.0 of the

Fender, we had the short scale, strings through

bass and I’m thinking the next one is going to

the body, we switched to a longer scale, and we

be the one that makes it to market.

changed the bridge. I learned a lot about wood.
Then I was with Washburn for a while.

Again, I’m wearing many different hats, but
when you’re doing what I’m doing you have be

Then Steve Bailey and a bunch of guys had

aware of the market size thing, designing an

been telling me a bunch of stuff about what

instrument that it’s going to fit a small niche with