Candid Warwick opinions from somebody who plays a '93 Fortress One passive (the un-Warwick!) and admittedly loves Fortresses above all other Warwicks and doesn't much care for "active" basses or the "modern" sound.
-Warwicks have some pretty distinctive features that some folks love and others don't. The same way any instruments do.
-One distinctive feature is the unfinished neck. I like the design a lot. Wenge is the original wood that it was designed for and it is the best choice of available woods for a Warwick. The texture is optimal and it is an important component (there are several) of the signature Warwick sound.
-MEC pickups are supposed to sound like EMGs. They are supposed to be a big factor in the trademark sound, but my Warwick has passive pickups, so I suspect their role is overstated. That said, if you hate MECs what the heck are you doing with a Warwick, dude? It shouldn't NEED hotrodding - it's not as if it was cheap!
-The Warwick bridge is awesome and a major innovation in bass design. Its role in the "Warwick Sound" is an important one that you rarely hear people talk about. A Rockbass lacks the Warwick bridge (which only costs like 50 bucks but is certainly more labor-intensive to install than a standard bridge). A Rockbass really fails to deliver the "growl" (there, I said it). Not much point buying a Warwick if it doesn't have a Warwick bridge is there?
-Exotic woods are cool. They're not for everybody. Warwick's "sound of wood" slogan aside, I think the role of exotic wood in the "Warwick sound" is a little overestimated and exaggerated. I say this because my Fortress has a maple body, not what you'd call exotic, and it delivers "the sound" perfectly. It does have a bolt-on Wenge neck though.
-(vanity point) That's right, bolt-on neck, maple body, passive P/J pickups, gloss solid black finish - you can see why I call her the "un-Warwick" (I do realize they make bolt-on Warwicks, but you get the point).
-I don't know the whatnots of the company history or anything so I won't mention this or that factory expansion or the other. But I will tell you this: early 90s Warwicks are noticeably nicer instruments than the current Warwicks. I have never played an 80s Warwick (though I'd love to) but I have played some 93s, 95s and several late 90s and 2000s Warwicks of many varieties and the only post-say,95 Warwicks that matched the craftsmanship of, for instance, my simple, "low-end" Fortress were superdeluxe and supepricey models, so they BETTER be well-made. The current standard Warwicks are nice instruments, don't get me wrong, but they aren't really the same as he high end - don't ask me why, I just suspect they don't get as much attention.
I know the above point will piss off a lot of people but let me get to where I'm going with it: If you are a Warwick hater or a Warwick doubter, refrain from judging the entire brand until you have a chance to play an earlier issue model.
-Rockbasses don't cut the mustard and are overpriced for what they are. German Warwicks' prices are surely inflating every day so don't buy a new one, the older ones are better anyway!
Well that about covers it. I'll add more to the list if anything comes to mind. For now, let the tomatoes fly!
