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Question regarding Warwick bass quality and pricing

Velocityx

Velocityx

Feb 12, 2008
34
19
Turku, Southern Finland
#1
Hi there!

I'm gonna go see a Warwick Corvette 5 Standard Bubinga today. It's a German made one.
But there's one thing I don't get - he's asking 800 € for it, which I thought is an absolute steal... until I saw Reverb listings that had people selling them for even 550-800€.

How can it be that german-made Warwicks sell for that kind of price, and today you can pay 1500-2000€? Is there a central piece of Warwick history I'm missing, for example "That was the time they only used plywood and had virtually no QC, after 2006 they had luthiers again" or something, haha :D

Also for those with experience, how is the QC for 2003 Standard German Warwicks?

Really appreciate all the help!
P.S. I really love this community, even though I'm just an occasional lurker, I always feel right at home :laugh:
 
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#2
If it's a German built Warwick it's going to be of a great build quality. As long as it hasn't been beat up it's a great deal. For some reason they have lost popularity especially in the united states where everyone seems to be gravitating towards fenders so it makes them depreciate very fast. Still they are great instruments. My 5 string Corvette made such an impact on me that it's all I ever want to pickup and play. If you want a unique sounding and feeling bass it's going to be wonderful for you. If it's your first Warwick then it'll either be something you won't like because you don't like the neck or string spacing or because you don't get a jazz bass sound with it OR you're going to like the sound and feel of the neck and won't want anything different afterwards. Strings will be around 16.5 mm and the neck profile is definitely going to be different from fenders or music man or most of the other common basses. I happened to love mine and will be shopping for another Warwick in a heartbeat given the chance. So anyway good luck and hope I was some help. I hope you get to sit down and play it and see what you think.
 
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#7
Anything from the Rock bass line will be Chinese or Korean. The serial number will be stamped RB and then the numbers. Good news is that they are usually great builds and they use the same hardware as the German built basses. For being asian and a budget line I think the guys at Warwick really made sure to give the buyers a good instrument and not just a piece of crap with a logo on it. If I were gigging and on tour I'd definitely be more inclined to keep a rock bass or 2 and safeguard my German built Warwick unless I was a famous musician and price was no object.
 
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#9
It actually is nice to have maple. I like the qualities in it better as a neck wood than a fretboard. Pau Ferro, rosewood, ebony, Wenge all seem to sound great on top of maple as well as it's usually a very solid wood that doesn't warp or move much. My Warwick is maple and it's super stable. Granted the ovankol looks cool but you're not usually looking at the back of the neck that much anyway.
 
#10
Sounds about right for a passive Corvette. I scored a German 2006 bubinga Corvette fretless 4 for $679 with shipping. The problem with Warwicks from around mid-2000 is the Just-A-Nut II and the tuners are both trash. If they are not broken already, they will sooner or later. Ask the seller questions and look at the pictures carefully. You better price out replacement parts to get a real picture of what you will be spending.

In my case, $679 is still a great deal. Total spent ~ $1000 after fixing it up. Could be less but I had a case of ass-itch and wanted a brass Just-A-Nut III and swapped all chrome hardware with gold.
 
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#12
The German 4 string standard I owned was no frills, but it was well made with dual passive pickups. It had an Ovangkol neck with a Wenge fingerboard. I put a Bartolini preamp in and...why did I sell that thing? :roflmao:

Pricewise, the 4 was around $1k new, (I didn't get quite the bargain that the poster above me did,) so I'm not too shocked with the used prices on these. I'd be more shocked if I saw them going for $2k and people were snatching them up.
 
#14
Velocityx said:
Hi there!

I'm gonna go see a Warwick Corvette 5 Standard Bubinga today. It's a German made one.
But there's one thing I don't get - he's asking 800 € for it, which I thought is an absolute steal... until I saw Reverb listings that had people selling them for even 550-800€.

How can it be that german-made Warwicks sell for that kind of price, and today you can pay 1500-2000€? Is there a central piece of Warwick history I'm missing, for example "That was the time they only used plywood and had virtually no QC, after 2006 they had luthiers again" or something, haha :D

Also for those with experience, how is the QC for 2003 Standard German Warwicks?

Really appreciate all the help!
P.S. I really love this community, even though I'm just an occasional lurker, I always feel right at home :laugh:
Click to expand...

Well, as an owner of a MIG active Warwick Corvette 5 string I can attest to a couple of things. One, it’s heavier than a boat anchor, but for me that’s not an issue. It retailed for about $2,100 in 2006. I bought it 5 years ago used at Guitar Center for a little less than $600 including nice case. Two there are a couple of different series other than German built, Rock bass their version of the Fender Squire, and the master built class (I think those are made from foreign made parts assembled in Germany).

I can’t attest to the other levels other than a double buck Rock bass I played for all of 10 minutes which at the time was going for more than what I paid for my Warwick. As for a comparison to mine, the fit, finish, components, playability, and sound we’re not as good. The only advantage I could ascertain was it was lighter.

RE: Reverb sales. Don’t forget the shipping cost. It cost me $80 to ship mine from one end of the USA to the other last year. Also, there is a risk factor as the sellers opinion of it’s condition might not be the same as yours. My advice it’s worth several hundred dollars to play and check out an instrument before paying for it.
 
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#15
I have 2 pre owned LX5 Wick Streamers, one RB China made(gave $420) and a GPS($1250).. The fit is better on the German and it has better tuners, and previous owner put a 3x Bart preamp in it. RB I took out the noisy preamp and put Bart Jazz pups in. Love the necks. Either could be #1, worth what I paid.
 
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#16
Velocityx said:
Hi there!

I'm gonna go see a Warwick Corvette 5 Standard Bubinga today. It's a German made one.
But there's one thing I don't get - he's asking 800 € for it, which I thought is an absolute steal... until I saw Reverb listings that had people selling them for even 550-800€.

How can it be that german-made Warwicks sell for that kind of price, and today you can pay 1500-2000€? Is there a central piece of Warwick history I'm missing, for example "That was the time they only used plywood and had virtually no QC, after 2006 they had luthiers again" or something, haha :D

Also for those with experience, how is the QC for 2003 Standard German Warwicks?

Really appreciate all the help!
P.S. I really love this community, even though I'm just an occasional lurker, I always feel right at home :laugh:
Click to expand...

QC for that era of Warwick is great and it's most definitely German-made. Warwick s/h prices go up and down like crazy for some reason but a German-made Corvette Standard 5 is in that zone depending on condition, if it comes with all the case candy, and of course how much you like it. I have a 2008 Corvette Standard fretless 5.

Some Warwicks including Corvettes were made in Indonesia from 2010 for a few years but are badged Pro Line.

Don't know much about the Korean production but I believe badged just Pro.

Anything from Indonesia or Korea is probably as good as from Germany imo.

Anything from China is a Rockbass and badged as such.
 
#17
I had a couple of German Warwick’s pre 2000…a Corvette Standard 4 and a Thumb bolt-on 5. Amazing instruments. Necks a bit beefy, as I like them, stable and and tone forever with the MEC pick-ups and electronics through my rack system and various cabs (Goliath II, Big Ben, Henry 8x8, Euphonic Audio VL210’s and Acme LowB cabs with TOL tube pre’s and power amps)

Traded for a very expensive custom shop Thumb 4 through 4-string bass wants. Nice bass. EMG electronics package. Bolt on and dry exquisite woods throughout.

Disappointed. Thin neck, not stable, not adjustable to my preferences of a medium low clean action with moderate to aggressive attack for live performances. A disappointment at the price point at which these basses hit the market.
 
#18
Had a few Corvettes and Streamers from Rockbass to Streamer stage II. I liked em all. My least favorite was a German LX5 and my favorite is my 1991 SSII. The Rockvass wasn't bad at all, but I did immediately put seymour duncan basslines PUps in it and their Pre amp. But, the build quality and fretwork was very good.
 
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#19
I have 2005 German Corvette fretless 4. I knew before I bought it that the weight was going to be like a bag of concrete on a strap, but it’s been my favorite since. It’s is the only bass I keep out of it’s case (not only to keep it handy, but the Bubinga body seems indestructible).
The only complaint I can think of is the nut they used in that era. If you overshoot going back to the first position, the edges of the nut might having you shaking some minor pain from your fretting hand. Stays in tune pretty well for a bass that’s old enough to drive, which doesn’t help give me an excuse when my intonation is lacking.
I was looking for a 5-string Warwick about a year ago, I definitely would have jumped on a decent one at that price.
 
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