Is there anyone on the board here in Northern NJ who has a warwick fortress one 5 string (not rockbass)? I am considering trading for one but would love to be able to try one out first, I am only familiar with the newer warwick necks and I understand the older ones are much different. Not looking for someone selling one here, just want to try it out. Or, if you know of a store that may have one to try, tip me off to that too. I live near Giants stadium. Thanks!
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Try a warwick fortress in NJ?
- Thread starter mrufino1
- Start date
I don't live in NJ, but I owned a 1996 Fortress One 5 for about 10 years. The older Warwicks have a solid wenge neck - I believe the newer ones only have a wenge fingerboard. Solid wenge looks great, but it does have sort of an open pore feeling to it on the back of the neck (not as smooth as most basses out there).
My Fortress One was my main bass from 1996-2001. It never let me down and I loved how it played and sounded. The only negatives were: I managed to wear a thumb groove through the finish above the pickups, and, when I picked the bass up in 2006 (after not playing it for years) and used it for a 3 hour practice, I realized how thick the neck actually was. Of course, this is not an issue when you are used to the neck, but over the years I've moved to thinner necks, so this led me to sell the Warwick....
My Fortress One was my main bass from 1996-2001. It never let me down and I loved how it played and sounded. The only negatives were: I managed to wear a thumb groove through the finish above the pickups, and, when I picked the bass up in 2006 (after not playing it for years) and used it for a 3 hour practice, I realized how thick the neck actually was. Of course, this is not an issue when you are used to the neck, but over the years I've moved to thinner necks, so this led me to sell the Warwick....
Thanks for the info. I actually like feeling the grain of the wood- when I had my warmoth gecko I finished it in oil and loved the feel. Too bad it was 35" scale, my short fingers just couldn't do it anymore, too much pain. That is my biggest worry about the warwick is that my hands are small. I had a J bass last year, and the neck was too skinny for me, felt like playing a toothpick. For finesse stuff that may have been cool but sometimes I like to really dig in and didn't feel I could do that with the J bass. Plus the neck was finished, which I hate. So I think I would enjoy wenge. I am concerned about the depth of the neck, but I bet I could get used to it pretty quickly, especially if it sounds awesome. Any tips on where to hear a fortress one recorded? Also, if someone who has one is in NYC or surrounding I would love to meet up, I do cross the river 
.
.
Good luck on your search. There are two really nice Fortresses for sale on trade on TB as I write. I almost swapped for one of them, but I backed out because I knew I would only end up missing my Jazz and the price to replace one has increased by 30% since last year.
Here is a Fortress getting slapped around:
Here is a Fortress getting slapped around:
