Warwick versus Warwick RockBass

dethology · #1 11-23-2011, 11:11 AM

Hi. Hello there. Yes, you. help me. i am new. just registered actually.

so im having something we all call dilemma. what dilemma? kindly refer to my post title. yes! that kinda dilemma. i'm considering on buying my second bass, and warwicks really have my interest.

what i would really like to have now is your opinions, precious opinions. do i choose a rockbass version of warwick, which is manufactured in China, for its affordable price or do the real warwicks (made in Germany) really worth every penny? I mean does the high difference in price really put them in a big different level of quality?

so. please, kindly, give me, your OPINIONS. thanks.

bzmnt · #2 11-23-2011, 11:30 AM

Somehow this message doesn't make me want to give my precious OPINIONS, but anyhow, I had a German Warwick Corvette Standard 5 for 8 years and it was a quality instrument. Realiable and good sounding.

morguedoc71 · #3 11-23-2011, 11:33 AM

Split the difference. Go Korean.

kjpollo · #4 11-23-2011, 11:50 AM

IMHO it depends on which models you're considering.
If its the $$ Corvette- I LOVE the German version and I wouldnt buy the RockBass version with YOUR money!

I know they cant make the RockBass with all of the features of the original but they cut too many corners on the $$- again IMHO. When I played the German version, I was at a store with a guitar playing friend of mine. I was horsing around with the $$ and even he was impressed at the wide range of tones I was getting- and he really knows his stuff.

Fast forward about a year- I'm in a different store and I'm playing the Rockbass version on a comparable amp setup. All I keep thinking is, the inherent tone is very solid, but where are the variations??? I could not get the snappy, growly single coil tone or the outrageous boost from the series (or is it parallel??) setting. And its passive-no preamp in there at all.

At least for that model, the Rockbass version fell WAY short of my expectations. I know they probably cant reproduce the coil-switching at the price of the RockBass, but I GOTTA think they could at least have put a preamp in there.

Toastfuzz · #5 11-23-2011, 12:01 PM

From the ones I've played, the RockBass line shouldn't even carry the Warwick name. At least Squiers sound like watered-down Fenders, Epiphones sound like Gibsons, etc. In my experience, the RockBasses didnt sound like Warwicks, they sounded like a generic bass that looked like a Warwick. They still sounded good, just nothing special or unique, which is kinda what people buy Warwicks for right?

beggar98 · #6 11-23-2011, 12:12 PM

A friend of mine had some luck buying a $$ Rockbass and then installing an aftermarket preamp. Not quite as good sounding as the German $$, but a few hundred cheaper.

arginator · #7 11-23-2011, 12:39 PM

Will the rockbass sound the same as a German Warwick? No. Will the Rockbass sound good? That's up to you. I had a 1st generation rockbass, which gets no love around here. While it was no German Warwick, it sounded good to me. I couldn't get the neck adjusted to the way I like it though. I know that the quality control on the 1st rockbasses was pretty bad, but I hear the newer ones are better. Maybe still not up to German Warwick standards, though. But you pay a lot more for that quality.

dethology · #8 11-23-2011, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by morguedoc71

Split the difference. Go Korean.

so i've read about warwick on wiki, it's said that warwick was afraid of losing more money by lotsa-money-consuming production in germany, so they had to move the production to korea, which will cost them less moneyyy. same material, same technique, but are those basses made in korea as good as the original basses made in germany?

cjmodulus · #9 11-23-2011, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dethology

so i've read about warwick on wiki, it's said that warwick was afraid of losing more money by lotsa-money-consuming production in germany, so they had to move the production to korea, which will cost them less moneyyy. same material, same technique, but are those basses made in korea as good as the original basses made in germany?

I've asked this before in other threads with no answer, but does anyone know where the Korean models are available, or what their street prices maybe? The corvette six strong model has been giving me GAS lately.

genericusername · #10 11-23-2011, 03:54 PM

I've seen quite a few used german warwicks for under 1000 euros, which really isn't that bad. But I haven't played neither german Warwicks nor rockbass ones, so IDK if they're worth it.

IngerAlb · #11 11-24-2011, 05:49 AM

RockBasses are not Warwicks - despite the advertisement; they might look like one, but don't sound like a real W. Of course that doesn't mean they sound bad - just different.

Buying a new MIG bass is quite expensive now; you could get a new MIK Pro bass, but honestly you'd be better off with a used Warwick, because they're MIG and they're cheap (way cheaper than a new one, that's for sure).

Just make sure you know exactly what you're looking for - They have a lot of models and each one sounds different.