I'm looking to buy a Warwick Corvette Pro active 5 string. I've done months of research on the thing & am pretty convinced on buying it just, what can you guys tell me about it?
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What's YOUR experience with a Warwick?
- Thread starter BassmanWhiteman
- Start date
i had a hard time going from a Jazz to a Corvette.. the Warwick feels longer.. i.e. you have to reach for the 1st fret.. this caused problems for me, and i developed tendinitis in my fretting hand/forearm.. i had to change my playing technique to become comfortable with a Warwick.. hung higher on my strap, repositioning of my fretting hand.. the ergonomics of Warwicks are strange, if you're moving from a typical Fender playing position.. i think this is the reason most people do not warm up to Warwicks.. it just feels weird at first.. once, you re-learn how to position yourself during play, it becomes like a second skin and you wonder why you didn't do this sooner.. lol.. though relearning positioning, you become a better player.. you fret cleaner, your techniques become more precise.. and i attribute that to the fact that you are consciously thinking of your playing.. my 04 ProLine 4 has become my main player, after decades of playing Fender basses..
and there really is a Warwick tone.. it is distinct and clear.. get ready for your guitard to complain that you are cutting in the mix.. but even when you actually do sit back in the mix, that tone is still there.. the growl and aggressively dynamic tone still is present..
the only complaint i have about Warwick is the price of parts.. it's enough to make your mind swim.. 120 bucks for a brass adjust-a-nut III.. think about it.. $120 bucks for a nut.. sitting in your hand.. not installed.. MEC parts.. i.e. pots.. are so high, that it would be cheaper to buy another preamp than replace 2 pots.. it gets scary.. and the tuner collars are a constant problem with Warwick tuners.. the collars constantly loosen, causing the tuner to move in the headstock.. it's wildly irritating.. and the plastic Adjust-A-Nut IIs and IIIs have a bad habit of breaking the retaining tabs on the sides, and sometimes actually break in half.. and it's like 45 bucks for a plastic nut.. and the output jacks.. just buy a Switchcraft replacement and save about 40 bucks..
with all that said.. I love my Warwick.. so much so, i've contemplated selling/trading my other basses for another one.. i'd love to find an early German ProLine 6 in natural.. dream bass for me, right now..
and there really is a Warwick tone.. it is distinct and clear.. get ready for your guitard to complain that you are cutting in the mix.. but even when you actually do sit back in the mix, that tone is still there.. the growl and aggressively dynamic tone still is present..
the only complaint i have about Warwick is the price of parts.. it's enough to make your mind swim.. 120 bucks for a brass adjust-a-nut III.. think about it.. $120 bucks for a nut.. sitting in your hand.. not installed.. MEC parts.. i.e. pots.. are so high, that it would be cheaper to buy another preamp than replace 2 pots.. it gets scary.. and the tuner collars are a constant problem with Warwick tuners.. the collars constantly loosen, causing the tuner to move in the headstock.. it's wildly irritating.. and the plastic Adjust-A-Nut IIs and IIIs have a bad habit of breaking the retaining tabs on the sides, and sometimes actually break in half.. and it's like 45 bucks for a plastic nut.. and the output jacks.. just buy a Switchcraft replacement and save about 40 bucks..
with all that said.. I love my Warwick.. so much so, i've contemplated selling/trading my other basses for another one.. i'd love to find an early German ProLine 6 in natural.. dream bass for me, right now..
Roland GR 88
Commercial User
Like he said....^^^ Very different playing position and the added weight may be an issue if you play long sets. However the TONE may make you forget all that. I've had no issues with any hardware on my 10yr old Corvette but watch the nut, it's not fixed to the bass and can move about, tilt and go cockeyed during string changes.
My Corvette is very light. All of them are certainly not heavy.
My experience is that, far more often than not, every drummer I play with compliments me on the tone of the Warwick. It sits in the mix just right for the stuff I play.
My experience is that, far more often than not, every drummer I play with compliments me on the tone of the Warwick. It sits in the mix just right for the stuff I play.
Warwicks are great instruments. I've owned three of them over the years ('88 SS II, mid-90's Corvette, and a '93 SS I) and the thing they all had/have in common is that I never had to think about how the instrument sounds. And as ole Jason said above, drummers dig the tone too.
There's a consensus in the bass universe that in the mid 90's the quality of their craftsmanship slipped. I don't agree. I can say from my experience, that they "play" different, but they still have the same sound. Neck-thru models from the late 80's and early 90's had thinner necks, often without volutes and this had led to a lot of headstocks popping/breaking if they're dropped. You're looking at a bolt-on, so I'm probably not helping you out at all.
One piece of advice, if you're buying it new make sure you really like it. Buying one used makes a lot more $en$e because if you don't like it, you can recoup your investment fairly easily; they have a stable trade/sale equity.
Good luck with your hunt!
-Erik-
There's a consensus in the bass universe that in the mid 90's the quality of their craftsmanship slipped. I don't agree. I can say from my experience, that they "play" different, but they still have the same sound. Neck-thru models from the late 80's and early 90's had thinner necks, often without volutes and this had led to a lot of headstocks popping/breaking if they're dropped. You're looking at a bolt-on, so I'm probably not helping you out at all.
One piece of advice, if you're buying it new make sure you really like it. Buying one used makes a lot more $en$e because if you don't like it, you can recoup your investment fairly easily; they have a stable trade/sale equity.
Good luck with your hunt!
-Erik-
It did change the way I play! I feel like I'm fingering the notes in a more precise, efficient way.
I also love the tone too!
I also love the tone too!
Positive experience with the German Made Warwicks. I wasn't overwhelmed with their other offerings.
mark beem
Wait, how does this song start again??
I've owned three, all German made; Two Thumb B.O.s (4 & 6 string) and a Fortress Masterman.. My only complain was the balancing issues with the Thumbs.
I like a little more fretboard radius than the Warwicks tend to have (they feel almost flat). I've also played a number of them that have dead spots around the middle of the neck. I had the same issue with Ken Smith basses in the late 90s. Just my 2 cents.
Excellent build quality and playability. I really liked my Corvette - stupidly sold it. IMO - Warwicks DO have a "Warwick sound". They don't sound like Fenders.
The Rockbass Corvette has a weird feel, my neck weighed more than the body so it always sloped when I played it. The German made corvettes have much better parts, nice woods but can be on the heavy side at times! Great tones for rock and metal tho
Love, absolutely LOVE my German made Corvette. The combination of bubinga and ovangkol and wenge can't be beat. Yes it is heavy, but you never notice while you hear that tone sing out.
My personal experience of Warwick?
Waaaaay too expensive for what you get.
Ergonomics take getting used to.
The necks are not as stable as you expect.
The sound is awesome & distinct on the mix if that kinda growl is what you're after.
MEC electrics have been reliable for me.
I had to change the standard nut within a year as the movent annoyed me.
Customer service isn't the best.
I do love the sound & have had my current thumb bass for 13 years.
Would I buy another? Not unless I find one used or win the lotto.
.
Waaaaay too expensive for what you get.
Ergonomics take getting used to.
The necks are not as stable as you expect.
The sound is awesome & distinct on the mix if that kinda growl is what you're after.
MEC electrics have been reliable for me.
I had to change the standard nut within a year as the movent annoyed me.
Customer service isn't the best.
I do love the sound & have had my current thumb bass for 13 years.
Would I buy another? Not unless I find one used or win the lotto.
.
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Yeah, so, I'm going to have to take the same tone as VFX here, I don't hate my Warwick, but I do NOT love it anywhere near as much as my Spectors, my Stingrays, my Fender Jazz.....
Please note that all of my comments apply to the non-gloss, (satin?) finish models (e.g. German Corvette Standard, which is what I own.)
1) Resale is almost non-existent on the non-gloss models. Much worse than other basses. There's a guy with a custom shop red Corvette with flame inlays that has has been listed on the forums for over a year. Bass was $4000 new, price has dropped to $1750 with no takers for almost a year. This is due to the next item.
2) They wear out exponentially faster than other basses due to the combination of Bubinga and a satin finish. My Warwick, with standard wear, is chewed to poopie. There's a notch above the pickups where my thumb rests, there are massive gouges on the fretboard past the 24th fret due to slapping, misc dings everywhere on the body. MEC logos had worn off the pickups within the first year and both have chunks of plastic missing due to slapping. Please note, I haven't dropped this, or thrown it around....the gig bag takes a light bump and the bass ends up with a dent. I had a major panic moment when someone spilled a few drops of beer on that bass when it was only a few months old, and tbh there wasn't really a satisfactory way to clean that beer off of it. Those drops essentially soaked in instantly, with a non-satin finish I would have just wiped it off and gone about my day. TL;DR Satin finish + fairly fragile wood = not durable.
3) There's better for the price. My Corvette was between $900 and $1100 from GC in 2001. If I could travel back in time and buy a NS-CR or NS-CRFM I would in a heartbeat. Warwick, in my eyes, is REALLY expensive when you consider any of the real alternatives. TBH if I had been aware of the Spector brand there's no way I would have bought that Corvette.
4) Maintenance is a bit of a pain, again, due to the type of wood they use and the fact that they don't put a "real" finish on them. They are supposed to come with a maintenance kit (mine didn't, go GC!.) If you want the bass enough to put up with the additional maintenance, then more power to you, personally I'd prefer to just toss the bass in a case/gig bag after the show and go home.
In terms of tone; it's ok, not great. Definitely not a Fender sound, so if you want something with body that's non-traditional it's not a bad call.
I've personally been playing so long now that almost any instrument I play will sound the same once I'm done eq-ing my amp, etc. My Warwick does not stand out sonically at all in comparison to the aforementioned Spectors, Stingrays, etc.
My personal opinion re: Warwicks, after owning this one, is essentially "why bother". I can buy something I personally like better for less money (e.g. used Spector Euros) so that's the route I'm taking.
As I said though almost all of these complaints are specific to the non-gloss finish models, so YMMV, etc.
Please note that all of my comments apply to the non-gloss, (satin?) finish models (e.g. German Corvette Standard, which is what I own.)
1) Resale is almost non-existent on the non-gloss models. Much worse than other basses. There's a guy with a custom shop red Corvette with flame inlays that has has been listed on the forums for over a year. Bass was $4000 new, price has dropped to $1750 with no takers for almost a year. This is due to the next item.
2) They wear out exponentially faster than other basses due to the combination of Bubinga and a satin finish. My Warwick, with standard wear, is chewed to poopie. There's a notch above the pickups where my thumb rests, there are massive gouges on the fretboard past the 24th fret due to slapping, misc dings everywhere on the body. MEC logos had worn off the pickups within the first year and both have chunks of plastic missing due to slapping. Please note, I haven't dropped this, or thrown it around....the gig bag takes a light bump and the bass ends up with a dent. I had a major panic moment when someone spilled a few drops of beer on that bass when it was only a few months old, and tbh there wasn't really a satisfactory way to clean that beer off of it. Those drops essentially soaked in instantly, with a non-satin finish I would have just wiped it off and gone about my day. TL;DR Satin finish + fairly fragile wood = not durable.
3) There's better for the price. My Corvette was between $900 and $1100 from GC in 2001. If I could travel back in time and buy a NS-CR or NS-CRFM I would in a heartbeat. Warwick, in my eyes, is REALLY expensive when you consider any of the real alternatives. TBH if I had been aware of the Spector brand there's no way I would have bought that Corvette.
4) Maintenance is a bit of a pain, again, due to the type of wood they use and the fact that they don't put a "real" finish on them. They are supposed to come with a maintenance kit (mine didn't, go GC!.) If you want the bass enough to put up with the additional maintenance, then more power to you, personally I'd prefer to just toss the bass in a case/gig bag after the show and go home.
In terms of tone; it's ok, not great. Definitely not a Fender sound, so if you want something with body that's non-traditional it's not a bad call.
I've personally been playing so long now that almost any instrument I play will sound the same once I'm done eq-ing my amp, etc. My Warwick does not stand out sonically at all in comparison to the aforementioned Spectors, Stingrays, etc.
My personal opinion re: Warwicks, after owning this one, is essentially "why bother". I can buy something I personally like better for less money (e.g. used Spector Euros) so that's the route I'm taking.
As I said though almost all of these complaints are specific to the non-gloss finish models, so YMMV, etc.
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Years ago, I played Rickenbackers exclusively, and completely turned up my nose at Warwicks. Then, after some years, somebody plopped into my hands a 4-string 98 Streamer LX. I found it immediately likeable and playable. It feels and seems to sit much longer, but the playability up the neck was particularly attractive. It balances well and I love it. Setup took some time because every single part adjusts, almost, but once I got it in place, it stayed.
I have played a couple of five-string Warwicks, and although I'm not a five-string guy at all, those could convince me otherwise. Easily the most comfortable fives I've played.
I have played a couple of five-string Warwicks, and although I'm not a five-string guy at all, those could convince me otherwise. Easily the most comfortable fives I've played.
I used to own a 1997 Warwick Corvette. I removed the MEC pickups, and installed DiMarzio Model Js, and an Aguilar OBP-3. That bass was nothing short of magical. The all wenge neck, the hardware, the feel, the tone... Why did I sell it? The weight. I couldn't make it through gigs with that thing without getting serious shoulder pain. If it hadn't been the bass equivalent of a boat anchor it would still be my main player, or at least in the top of the rotation.
Who said I hate my Warwick? Quite the opposite, why do you think I kept it for so long? In fact my bass is a one off built for me by the Warwick custom shop. I commissioned it after buying & trying several Warwicks.
However, I did give my OWN experience with my current Warwick & apologies if it wasn't rosey enough for some Warwick fans.
Regardless, I couldn't personally, wholeheartedly recommend buying a new one.
.
However, I did give my OWN experience with my current Warwick & apologies if it wasn't rosey enough for some Warwick fans.
Regardless, I couldn't personally, wholeheartedly recommend buying a new one.
.
I had a streamer standard and a corvette fretless back int he early 00's. I absolutely loved it. I didn't have any of the hand position issues, but it could be becuase I have never owned a fender instrument. It felt very easy to me.
That said, depending on price, I think I would lean towards a Peavey Cirrus USA, since many warwicks are in that range. The warwick tone IS awesomely good though.
That said, depending on price, I think I would lean towards a Peavey Cirrus USA, since many warwicks are in that range. The warwick tone IS awesomely good though.
I had a German Corvette 5'er and loved it. It had Growl for days and balanced nicely. It wasn't too heavy, especially for a five string. It was a stretch to the first fret for me but I spent the most time at the third and higher. Wicks are extremely playable basses IMO and I am currently purchasing a Warwick myself but in the negotiation stages. I also had a German Streamer 5 which was less growly but I really liked it. Both were Active basses and I never ever had a problem with either of them. IMO, Thumb nail gouges are avoidable and can't be blamed on Warwick.
