I put some Bart CB's/NTMB pre in my Warwick

In case anyone's interested I put some Bart CBJD1 PU's and a Bart NTMB pre in my Warwick Corvette Proline and thought I'd share my thoughts.

The 'Vette Proline is a fairly bright bass: All flame maple body, ovangkol neck, wenge fingerboard. The MEC's weren't bad but the tone was just a tad harsh on the treble end and I just couldn't seem to dial that out. Seemed like overall the tone could be a little more full or fat. I never have really cared for the frequency centers of the MEC pre either.

I'd heard good things about the Bart CB's so I thought I'd give 'em a try. I also thought I'd give the NTMB a whirl since I like it so much in my Modulus. The new PU/pre combo definately delivered what I wanted. The character of the bass didn't really change. It still sounds like a 'Vette Proline. However, the harshness is gone. It's also got a fuller, fatter tone. It sounds like this is due to a bump in the low mids from the Bart PU's. The change in tone was immediately apparent when I took it to band practice. It just seemed to cut through better. I could "feel" it more. The trademark Warwick growl is still there. Don't worry about that. The great thing about this new combination is the added versatility it gives me. The MEC didn't have a mid control. The bass and treble controls on the NTMB seem to cover a wider range and give more tonal options. I don't know if they really cover a wider range but it "seems" like they do because IMO they offer more tonal variety that still remains "musical". Overall I really like these pickups. They seemed to be very balanced tonally; the highs aren't as muted as they are on the Bart 9J's on my Jazz bass. The highs are much smoother and musical when compared to the MEC's. These PU's are also very clear-sounding, articulate, and responsive.

All in all I definately recommend this combo, at least for this bass. I'd like to hear it in a darker Warwick, maybe a Thumb or 'Vette Standard. It would be interesting to see if the Barts make them too dark. Very soon I'm going to put some EMG's/Aguilar in my Thumb (I'm a big EMG fan too) that I've had lying around. If I don't like that combo I'll be trying the Barts.

Papersen said:

I thought the same about the stock MEC preamp, so I decided to change it and installed EMG pickups with an Aguilar OBP-1 preamp. The difference was also quite evident.

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I've checked out your clips before and they sound really sweet. I've actually got EMG's and an OBP-1 in my 'Wick SSII. I almost put the same in the Proline but I figured it might ending up sounding too much like my SSII if I did. No need for two basses that sound nearly identical. So, I went for the barts.

azzyrazzy said:

A bit strange to me though that you also like EMG's which IMO is indeed harsh in the high mids. But of course, sometimes that can help cut trough in the right circumstances.

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You know a lot of people say that about EMG's but I just don't hear it, at least not with the basses I've had them on. I have EMG's/Aguilar OBP-1 in my SSII and I don't think it's harsh at all. The top end is extremely clear-sounding, but not harsh. Maybe the Aggie helps with that. The mids are really tight and the top end is actually very sweet-sounding.

I also just put EMG's in my 'Vette fretless with no preamp, just the pots that come with the EMG's. Haven't made up my mind on that one. It's not harsh but it does seem a little sterile. Still better than the stock passive MEC's, though. I may end up putting Barts in it too. That's down the road, though. I don't play fretless too often.

Papersen said:

You know, I bought a SS II (haven`t received it yet) and wondered how would the EMG sound there.

Does the bass retain the trademark Warwick growl or changes into a completely different sound ?

I`m really intrigued to see if I`ll make that change.

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Unfortunately, I won't be of much help. Mine had the EMG's/Aggie in it when I bought it. It still has plenty of growl, that's for sure. In the lower register it has an extremely tight, focused, growly sound. Somewhat mid-heavy but not as much as a Thumb bass. The upper register has a very clear, smooth, sweet tone. Sometimes it actually reminds me of Wooten's bass in the upper register (maybe that's the EMG's). The SSII has killer sustain.

Overall, the SSII is the best 'Wick out there in my opinion. There's just a certain sweetness in it's tone that you just don't hear with anything else. Definately Warwick's "boutique" bass.

I'm sure you'll love it! Enjoy!