Actually proves the point, he has said in interviews that he doesn't like playing his axe basses (irrespective who makes them for him) for exactly that reason, he also thinks they don't sound right and balance badly. So he generally only digs them out for encores "because the kids want to see me with it".
Simmons knows what he wants from a bass, everything on the Punisher makes sense and is well thought out.
Personally, I thought those Kramer Axe basses from the early 80ies didn't sound bad at all, I just couldn't afford one at the time and had to settle for the Kramer XKB-10 "Flying Broom". I read that those old Kramer Axes now fetch good money and they've become quite rare. I did play the Cort Axe reissue a while back, that wasn't a bad bass by any means, but nothing on the Kramer which sounded meaner.