[Bob Faulkner]

I would say it's more along the lines of having quality instruments for quality bassists.

Most people don't have a clue what a Smith bass is and they usually freak out when I tell them the price tag on mine. They are used to seeing $250 Squiers and tend to think every "guitar-style" instrument is at or near that.

I'm not rich by any stretch. I simply have a substantial portion of my life invested in playing bass. As such I feel I should have a quality instrument to play and express myself with.

You start on a pos instrument usually. Once you're committed to it and have gained sufficient skill, most people would tend to gravitate more toward higher quality instruments. I want an instrument to faithfully produce what I play, and not fight me while I'm playing it. Every lower end bass I've tried tends to fight me a bit. My Smith is almost effortless.