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NBD Warwick RockBass Corvette $$
- Thread starter leegreenman
- Start date
Very nice! The old Rockbasses didn't get much love, but these new ones are awesome.
Congrats, play her hard!
Congrats, play her hard!
So the newer ones are better? How so? There's a Fortress 5er in my local shop that I'm tempted to buy, but can't get over the "cheaper/import/non-german" stigma.
It's obviously not the same quality of a German made one, but I think these sound and look great. Solid feeling instrument and the hardware is of nice quality. Great sounding pickups. I assume there are probably some quality control issues, but that seems to be par for the course with Chinese made instruments.
Yeah, the new ones look just like the "real" Warwicks. They're priced at $449 zZounds, but they accepted a $75 off Guitar Center coupon I had.
Congrats, Lee
Biggest difference is woods and preamp.
The Rockbass Corvettes and Vampyre are Alder. The $$ is Ash, the Streamer is Caroline (pine/spruce), and the Fortress is Swamp Ash. No Bubinga or Wenge or Ovangkol here.
The pickups are silver MECs, but the pre is a Crystal Sounds and a little noisy on the treble side. Tuners, JAN III, and bridge are also Warwick.
Neck feels REAL good on these.
Bob
Biggest difference is woods and preamp.
The Rockbass Corvettes and Vampyre are Alder. The $$ is Ash, the Streamer is Caroline (pine/spruce), and the Fortress is Swamp Ash. No Bubinga or Wenge or Ovangkol here.
The pickups are silver MECs, but the pre is a Crystal Sounds and a little noisy on the treble side. Tuners, JAN III, and bridge are also Warwick.
Neck feels REAL good on these.
Bob
Scrap framing lumber, in plain English. Yes, I'm dead serious. That's exactly what they are. I've done joist carpentry with better spruce.
AVOID!
I was pretty shocked to see these bodies. The first one I got in transparent was so soft that the screws were pulling out and the wood was too soft to mill without fuzzing, so it was sticking up rough between the grain. The strap button actually came out in my hand. It was an atrocious bass in every possible way it could be bad and screwed-up. I sent it back and got one in gloss black that was very nice -- as nice as the first one was awful -- but I'm still scared silly of that insubstantial wood, especially when the stopbar is only held on with two screws holding ~200#-250# in string tension. The engineering just ain't there. Seated in some Tanzanian bronzewood or some such exotic Warwick upscale frou-frou hardwood, sure, maybe...but not in some crappy scrap as soft as balsa.
The old/new makes no difference is quality. I got one of the old Corvette basics (with a body made out of alder, an appropriate wood for the job) with the old bridge and logo and it was pretty much a flawless instrument.
The first new Streamer from a few months ago wasn't fit for the burnpile. It was literally one of the two or three worst new basses I've seen in over forty years of working on them.
Whether the RockBass you get is junk or jewel is pure, blind luck.
Nice new rockbass. Yeah the improved hardware etc is welcome and at the prices zzounds got them for I'l real tempted to get one myself. Lol.
Whether the RockBass you get is junk or jewel is pure, blind luck.
I think this is how we need to take these models
Whether the RockBass you get is junk or jewel is pure, blind luck.
I think this is how we need to take these models
Honestly, I have never, ever seen anything like it.
The QC spread is totally unique in my experience...that is if there is even any meaning to the term "quality control" with the RockBass instruments. I don't think there is.
I got the first Corvette Basic for $199.99 from AMS on one of their one-day sales, just out of curiosity. I'd never given Warwicks a look before because, well, that Corvette weenie sticking up in the air has always creeped me out (I mean seriously, look at that thing!).
Anyhow, I saw all this dis for the RockBass here but when I got it the next day, I was mystified, as it was near perfect and had all the pricey German hardware and electronics. I was stunned at what a really nice bass it was.
I mean, aside from the big weenie and the old RockBass logo.
Frets were virtually perfect, alignment bang-on, etc. Even the setup was right.
Gorgeous piece...then I got that first Streamer and I just couldn't believe what a POS it was -- and this was the new, "good" model.
And supposedly these are coming from Warwick's own factory. Who's managing the store?
I own a Corvette $$ and a Streamer and both play and sound great. I've played a few in stores that weren't as nice, but that probably could have been remedied with a pro set up. Like I said earlier I'm sure quality control issues do exist but my experience has been very positive with these instruments. Operating on the budget that I am, these are ideally suit my needs.
nice looking bass!! I played one not too long ago, if I were looking for a new fiver that would be high on my short list!!
