Warwick Hellborg amp reviewed in BP

[tombowlus]

I heard that rig at last year's Winter NAMM, BTW. It definitely sounded nice, but they did not have the Hellborg cabs out at that time.

I will say this, those backlit switches and knobs sure did look purdy!

Tom.

 

[KJung]

I heard that rig at last year's Winter NAMM, BTW. It definitely sounded nice, but they did not have the Hellborg cabs out at that time.

I will say this, those backlit switches and knobs sure did look purdy!

Tom.

It is beautiful looking stuff. Interested BP review. Since their reviews are typically 'sugar coated', my interpretation of reading between the lines is that they pretty much dumped on it. The tone descriptions and comments where quite underwhelming.

It's interesting that Jonas Hellborg would have a line of amps. His playing always impressed me a lot. His tone... not so much He never struck me as a 'tone fanatic' or someone who was a 'purist' about tone.. his sound was always quite woolly and non-distinct to me. However, I haven't heard any recent recordings, so maybe things are different now.

 

[rockstarbassist]

That preamp is still a BAMF, any way you slice it. That's what it's made for, to sound amazing.

You have people whining about something that is both an ultra-high end amplification piece AND a killer recording item, but pay $5k for a Jazz rip off? Nice.

 

[kaputsport]

For less money, you can get a Chandler LTD-1 or a Drawmer 1960 tube preamp...

Better, and time proven, but not really designed to be portable.

The Chandler was designed off of the Abbey Road Console preamps, and the Srawmer is so warm and rich... Anyone who would want to do the por style preamp/power amp game would know about these two and look at warwick, and chuckle...

 

[greenboy]

For less money, you can get a Chandler LTD-1 or a Drawmer 1960 tube preamp...

Better, and time proven, but not really designed to be portable.

The Chandler was designed off of the Abbey Road Console preamps, and the Srawmer is so warm and rich... Anyone who would want to do the por style preamp/power amp game would know about these two and look at warwick, and chuckle...

Only another opinion... and thus I could chuckle equally at your statement. But that's coming from a guy who doesn't think there is anything inherently superior in attempts to recreate specific "holy grail" vintage gear sounds, but is interested in the diversity of methods people are approaching the gear side of the artisitic equation.

To me it's all good, though I may have my own prefs for expression.

 

[cnltb]

For less money, you can get a Chandler LTD-1 or a Drawmer 1960 tube preamp...

Better, and time proven, but not really designed to be portable.

The Chandler was designed off of the Abbey Road Console preamps, and the Srawmer is so warm and rich... Anyone who would want to do the por style preamp/power amp game would know about these two and look at warwick, and chuckle...

"Appart from the fact that I tend to chuckle at warwick anyways" i find this post quite funny( not in a bad way funny)

 

[JimmyM]

OK, so we chuckle at Warwick. Hahaha. But I can't see anything but good come out of assembling rigs like this, no matter what the cost. So you plug into it and it doesn't sound any better than any other esoteric boutique preamp plugged into a McIntosh power amp. Then Jonas Hellborg succeeded in getting Warwick to drop a huge amount of change on an idea he thought would work but didn't. No harm has come to me either way.

But from what I hear, certain aspects of it do work for some people. So even if it gets us slightly closer to the elusive tube breakup sound that SS still can't nail, it's worth it.

Either way, we're all just talking out of our butts and imposing our impressions based on looks and cost at this point. What counts is how it sounds, and none of us have a clue.

 

[Handyman]

I really do wonder if Warwick will be able to make this product line financially viable. No matter how great it sounds, a $3500 preamp, by simple virtue of costing $3500, will be confined to a really really small niche.

 

[greenboy]

I really do wonder if Warwick will be able to make this product line financially viable. No matter how great it sounds, a $3500 preamp, by simple virtue of costing $3500, will be confined to a really really small niche.

Another post said they were built on a per-order basis anyway. So it sounds like they are entirely comfortable with that.

 

[KJung]

That preamp is still a BAMF, any way you slice it. That's what it's made for, to sound amazing.

You have people whining about something that is both an ultra-high end amplification piece AND a killer recording item, but pay $5k for a Jazz rip off? Nice.

You sound as clueless about basses as I am about preamps

 

[realdeal]

Well, the price is the price- It's not a secret. The Hellborg system wasn't meant to be mass-marketed. If the cost is out-of-range, or unacceptable, then it's probably like window shopping a Ferrari; why drool if it's not gonna happen? Or for that matter, why get indignant? just don't buy. Simple.

I agree with the posts equating spending 3-4K or more on a bass vs. the same amount on a pre-amp. What's the difference? Less expensive alternatives exist,if it's a consideration.

And the BIG issue, resolved for me at least, re: any gear:

Reviews from ANY source are taken with appropriate reservation, specs are considered, then-
How does the gear perform and sound as to my needs, my style, and my taste? That's all that matters, period. Not whether the technology is unimpressive to some, or overrated by others, or whether there are alternatives.

How does it sit in the mix? Does it give ME the tone and flavor I like? How does it feel using that piece of gear, most importantly to me, performing live; I try to do that quite a bit.

That's about it.

If it meets that criteria, I'm sold, providing I can pay the price.
I'm not interested in either a review of some other player's impression, or a laboratory dissection of the gear to tell me it's value.

The Hellborg System looks pretty impressive in my book, a very well thought-out and designed system. I'm sure it was designed for a niche user group. Want something else?
It's available. Why slam Warwick for offering this rig?
I don't think they intend to sell thousands, or even hundreds of them.

Personally, I'd LOVE to play through one and hear it for myself.

 

[KJung]

Well, the price is the price- It's not a secret. The Hellborg system wasn't meant to be mass-marketed. If the cost is out-of-range, or unacceptable, then it's probably like window shopping a Ferrari; why drool if it's not gonna happen? Or for that matter, why get indignant? just don't buy. Simple.

I agree with the posts equating spending 3-4K or more on a bass vs. the same amount on a pre-amp. What's the difference? Less expensive alternatives exist,if it's a consideration.

And the BIG issue, resolved for me at least, re: any gear:

Reviews from ANY source are taken with appropriate reservation, specs are considered, then-
How does the gear perform and sound as to my needs, my style, and my taste? That's all that matters, period. Not whether the technology is unimpressive to some, or overrated by others, or whether there are alternatives.

How does it sit in the mix? Does it give ME the tone and flavor I like? How does it feel using that piece of gear, most importantly to me, performing live; I try to do that quite a bit.

That's about it.

If it meets that criteria, I'm sold, providing I can pay the price.
I'm not interested in either a review of some other player's impression, or a laboratory dissection of the gear to tell me it's value.

The Hellborg System looks pretty impressive in my book, a very well thought-out and designed system. I'm sure it was designed for a niche user group. Want something else?
It's available. Why slam Warwick for offering this rig?
I don't think they intend to sell thousands, or even hundreds of them.

Personally, I'd LOVE to play through one and hear it for myself.

+1 all the way, and putting on my marketing hat, I think it was a VERY good move for Warwick. Their amplification products don't seem to be taken very seriously by most, and haven't really caught on. My guess is part of the reason for introducing this high priced boutique line was to put out a statement about quality, innovation, etc. that might trickle down to their entire line.

Regarding innovations.... I think some above are being way too harsh. Producing a bass specific rig based on classic recording technology and also some older SS amplification design is unique and innovative. I've never been that impressed with using high end recording pre's in a live setting for a number of reasons. However, actually tweeking one of these designs for optimal use with bass in a live performance situation is, to me a pretty good idea.

My only 'surprise' was that the usually gushing tone of the typical Bass Player review did not come across at all. This suggests to me that this system might look much better on paper than on the gig. However, who the heck knows, and at the price point (which might be a good price value, but still will be out of reach of almost everyone), there will be very few 'first hand gig' reports on this stuff.

Just BEAUTIFUL design though... maybe the best looking stuff (head and amp) I've ever seen!

Edit: To finish up my marketing thought... it would not surprise me if we see the next iteration of Warwick mainstream amplification products to have some features taken from the Hellborg design. That would be some very effective marketing, and assuming the products live up to it, it's a nice way to reposition their mainstream line up a notch. IMO!

 

[Son of Bovril]

+1 good marketing sense there...

 

[realdeal]

I've always found BP gear reviews to be at least somewhat fair, at least not puff pieces. They always seem to have the "cons" listed alongside the pros. I can recall quite a few product reviews wherein they pointed out flaws in construction, even had the manufacturer respond and/or acknowledge and offer corrections- (Poor fretting, bad nut, etc.) Haven't read the Hellborg piece, but the proof would still be in running it through it's paces.

The bottom-end Warwick heads and cabs are made offshore, and are mid-level quality and price from what I understand.

OTOH, their X-treme heads are factory-built in Germany, not at all inexpensive, and have impressive features and specs.
I'd very much like to give them a listen.

They also build a Hybrid head, the Tube-path, which has not been brought into the US by the distributor- Don't know why not.

I agree that it gives Warwick status by offering a top-of-the-line, high-end unit, and if the technology employed filters into other products down the road, all the better for us as far as choices.

There's another high-end preamp made by Hevos- Not quite as costly as the Hellborg, but still up there. It too has some technology and specs that make it desireable.
Their Stateside distributor, in Canada, I believe, has a program in which, by agreeing to pay shippng costs, the unit can be obtained for a trial period of evaluation, then shipped on to the next prospective customer. That's a great program, and I'd love to see Warwick/Dana B. Goode offer something like that with the Hellborg system.

Unless there's either an extensive opportunity to use the rig, or a return policy, I can't imagine making an investment like that being an easy decision.

I also agree about the product's aesthetics, FWIW. Beautiful in design and function.

 

[SuperDuck]

I saw some videos about them a while ago, and all price and technology tom-foolery aside, I would really like to get a chance to try them. $4K for the preamp is more than I'll ever have to spend, but I bet it sounds pretty nice.

 

[Psychicpet]

Well, the price is the price- It's not a secret. The Hellborg system wasn't meant to be mass-marketed. If the cost is out-of-range, or unacceptable, then it's probably like window shopping a Ferrari; why drool if it's not gonna happen? Or for that matter, why get indignant? just don't buy. Simple.

I agree with the posts equating spending 3-4K or more on a bass vs. the same amount on a pre-amp. What's the difference? Less expensive alternatives exist,if it's a consideration.

And the BIG issue, resolved for me at least, re: any gear:

Reviews from ANY source are taken with appropriate reservation, specs are considered, then-
How does the gear perform and sound as to my needs, my style, and my taste? That's all that matters, period. Not whether the technology is unimpressive to some, or overrated by others, or whether there are alternatives.

How does it sit in the mix? Does it give ME the tone and flavor I like? How does it feel using that piece of gear, most importantly to me, performing live; I try to do that quite a bit.

That's about it.

If it meets that criteria, I'm sold, providing I can pay the price.
I'm not interested in either a review of some other player's impression, or a laboratory dissection of the gear to tell me it's value.

The Hellborg System looks pretty impressive in my book, a very well thought-out and designed system. I'm sure it was designed for a niche user group. Want something else?
It's available. Why slam Warwick for offering this rig?
I don't think they intend to sell thousands, or even hundreds of them.

Personally, I'd LOVE to play through one and hear it for myself.

Bing-frickin-O!

 

[Psychicpet]

and as far as coil eqs go, this apparently is floatin' Tony Levin's boat BIG time!

and no, it's not gonna be cheap.

 

[tombowlus]

+1 all the way, and putting on my marketing hat, I think it was a VERY good move for Warwick.

I may just have to save this quote for future incriminating use down the line.

 

[KJung]

I may just have to save this quote for future incriminating use down the line.

Just to make my point clear.. I dont' think they will sell more than a handful of these things (if that). However, my guess is they don't care if they sell any. Every bone in my body says they are trying to figure out a way to ignite interest in their primary amp line, which, at least in the US as far as I know, seems to have very small sales or distribution at this point.

If they didn't have another product line and this was their 'big idea' for a bass amp, I'd think they were idiots (at least from a business perspective) and predict disaster like some of the other stuff I've called

 

[rockstarbassist]

You sound as clueless about basses as I am about preamps

I'm just sayin... It's the same thing. Top tier quality demands (and gets!) top tier price tags.
It's the same when people whine about Foderas or CT's, etc.. You don't need like tons of them, and it's not like you'll need to replace it anytime soon, or like, ever!