After playing a 6-string Status for many (20 odd) years I thought I’d spare my shoulders some strain and try moving to a 5-string as a workhorse. Being a lefty I’m restricted (or rather focused) by choice.
I found an Ibanez SR505 for sale on eBay and thought that was the way to go in that it would have a thin ultra-fast neck and a versatile tone. I won the auction on it but was then disappointed when the seller cancelled the order, saying he’d damaged it beyond repair prior to sending it.
I went back to the drawing board and to the alternative I was watching - a Warwick Streamer Rockbass 5 - one of the newer versions with the 2-piece bridges and the ‘W’ on the headstock.
Largely due to frustration from losing the Ibanez that I’d kind of set my heart on, I made an offer on the Warwick, expecting it to be rejected and was taken by surprise when the seller accepted it.
I usually research instruments pretty thoroughly before buying them - especially without trying them in person first, so tried to look up opinions on the Warwick. I couldn’t find many reviews and whilst the YouTube video on the model gave a good impression (it would, wouldn’t it?) I was concerned by the lack of available opinions on it, and started preparing myself for buyer’s remorse. I wondered whether I should contact the seller and ask whether I could retract my offer but then thought about how mad I would be if someone did that to me.
So - when the Warwick arrived I opened it with some trepidation. My first impressions were that it was nice & light (one of my main drivers in getting a 5 string), the neck felt nice and it looked well made.
The strings on it were completely dead. When I gave it a go I noted how the output signal was pretty quiet (certainly in relation to my active Status), and noted how other owners had also mentioned this. I expected a lower output since it’s passive but perhaps not so much difference. In spite of the ancient strings and lower than expected output signal it seemed to have a decent tone.
I restrung it, cleaned it up, and gave the fretboard some lemon oil and that made a massive difference to the feel and sound. The relatively closer spacing on the neck (my 6-string has a very broad neck as the string spacing is similar to a regular 4-string) is taking some time to adjust to, but I really like both the feel to it (which seems to inspire me to play more funk-styled lines) and the tone of the passive pickups is killer - really punchy and precise. The Status is boomy by comparison.
The only thing with the Warwick is I wish the output signal was a bit stronger, but I wouldn’t want to change the tone of the pickups which I really like. It sounds a little less thumpy than some German Warwicks I’ve heard, but it’s a really nice tone.
I’ll get around the low output by using one of the slots on my multieffects as a graphic EQ to boost the signal - at least in the short/mid term. I might also look into getting an active preamp installed, but only if it’s not that expensive.
In conclusion - I’m really pleasantly surprised and pleased with this instrument. I reckon I would have been happy with the Ibanez but not sure on balance which one I would have liked more, whereas I would have assumed upfront that the Warwick would struggle to compete. I’m happy to say I was wrong!
I’m surprised there aren’t more opinions on these out there. Has anyone tried sticking an active preamp on one of these?
I found an Ibanez SR505 for sale on eBay and thought that was the way to go in that it would have a thin ultra-fast neck and a versatile tone. I won the auction on it but was then disappointed when the seller cancelled the order, saying he’d damaged it beyond repair prior to sending it.
I went back to the drawing board and to the alternative I was watching - a Warwick Streamer Rockbass 5 - one of the newer versions with the 2-piece bridges and the ‘W’ on the headstock.
Largely due to frustration from losing the Ibanez that I’d kind of set my heart on, I made an offer on the Warwick, expecting it to be rejected and was taken by surprise when the seller accepted it.
I usually research instruments pretty thoroughly before buying them - especially without trying them in person first, so tried to look up opinions on the Warwick. I couldn’t find many reviews and whilst the YouTube video on the model gave a good impression (it would, wouldn’t it?) I was concerned by the lack of available opinions on it, and started preparing myself for buyer’s remorse. I wondered whether I should contact the seller and ask whether I could retract my offer but then thought about how mad I would be if someone did that to me.
So - when the Warwick arrived I opened it with some trepidation. My first impressions were that it was nice & light (one of my main drivers in getting a 5 string), the neck felt nice and it looked well made.
The strings on it were completely dead. When I gave it a go I noted how the output signal was pretty quiet (certainly in relation to my active Status), and noted how other owners had also mentioned this. I expected a lower output since it’s passive but perhaps not so much difference. In spite of the ancient strings and lower than expected output signal it seemed to have a decent tone.
I restrung it, cleaned it up, and gave the fretboard some lemon oil and that made a massive difference to the feel and sound. The relatively closer spacing on the neck (my 6-string has a very broad neck as the string spacing is similar to a regular 4-string) is taking some time to adjust to, but I really like both the feel to it (which seems to inspire me to play more funk-styled lines) and the tone of the passive pickups is killer - really punchy and precise. The Status is boomy by comparison.
The only thing with the Warwick is I wish the output signal was a bit stronger, but I wouldn’t want to change the tone of the pickups which I really like. It sounds a little less thumpy than some German Warwicks I’ve heard, but it’s a really nice tone.
I’ll get around the low output by using one of the slots on my multieffects as a graphic EQ to boost the signal - at least in the short/mid term. I might also look into getting an active preamp installed, but only if it’s not that expensive.
In conclusion - I’m really pleasantly surprised and pleased with this instrument. I reckon I would have been happy with the Ibanez but not sure on balance which one I would have liked more, whereas I would have assumed upfront that the Warwick would struggle to compete. I’m happy to say I was wrong!
I’m surprised there aren’t more opinions on these out there. Has anyone tried sticking an active preamp on one of these?
