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Why do people hate/shun warwick rockbasses?

#41
i just got rid of my rockbass vampyre, it wasnt bad but the screws holding the back plate stripped out it had a midrangey tone and the neck was wide and not to comfortable and the pickups kept cutting out. it took me a year to get rid of it but i do want to see how the new ones are. it did have its good points too so if they offer a denser wood with a better neck i might get one.
the last real warwick i played was a dolphin back in the early 90s and the rockbass couldnt compare to it at all.
 
#42
Eh...most Warwick fans are just snooty about their Wenge and Ovangol features. (guilty) And I'm sure its the concept of Squier/MIM vs MIA Fender. But I think Warwick needs to calm down about their prices though.

I played an older Rockbass Streamer the other day. Its was ok...its what I expected out of Maple/Rosewood. Affordable, Great for a beginner..I wouldn't pay more than $250 for it though.
 
#43
I've got a Corvette Deluxe (? or something) Rockbass. Maybe 2002? 4 string, active, 2 MEC J pickups and a nice preamp. The body is ash with a really thick cap of very figured maple. Neck is bare maple, rosewood fingerboard, crazy thin profile. I picked it up used in a big package swap so no idea what I really paid for it. I love the thing. I've found it to be very useful and reliable, light and comfortable, and easy to lug around. I can't imagine ever not wanting it around anymore.

It's not the same as the Warwicks I've played, but I'm not sure I liked the chunky neck profile of the "real" wicks. I'd never spend that on something I played in a bar anyway.
 
#44
rimtism123 said:
Eh...most Warwick fans are just snooty about their Wenge and Ovangol features. (guilty) And I'm sure its the concept of Squier/MIM vs MIA Fender. But I think Warwick needs to calm down about their prices though.

I played an older Rockbass Streamer the other day. Its was ok...its what I expected out of Maple/Rosewood. Affordable, Great for a beginner..I wouldn't pay more than $250 for it though.
Click to expand...

Agree 100% I'm very snooty when it comes to my Warwicks
And lets not talk about resale :mad: It's the biggest reason why i don't sell them i REFUSE to take the kind of hit most expect to pay for it.:scowl:
 
#46
The old rockbass series was clearly inferior to the German made warwicks, in parts, designs and materials.

The new Rockbasses are a bit more like the Lakland and G&L business model (well done I'll say IMHO) with a US (or German) main line and a low-cost offshore mfg of a US/German design.

The one thing that always has irritated me about the Rockbasses is their kinda cheesy finishes that a Warwick wouldn't be caught dead in.

But that aside, a lot of the residual angst seems to be confusion over just which flavor of Rockbass you are getting....the old crappier ones or the new pretty decent ones.

I'd go with the super used German Warwick supply here on TB....best used Warwick site on the planet.
 
#47
OK, I'll put in my 2 cents. I must be part of a small minority here. I own a 5 string Rockbass Corvette, the older version with the one piece bridge. I actually like it. Not ashamed of it. And I'm not a noob. Been playing on and off for 25 years. Sure, it's not the best bass I've played. But I like its tone, balance, and light weight. And it was the best cheap 5 string I could find at a time when I had limited funds. Probably from the batch that had the bad wiring that ate batteries. But I'm not sure since I bought it used from Daddy's, and I think the problem had been fixed already.

So how about some love for the old Rockbasses! Lest start a club! Who's with me?

(cricket, cricket)
:ninja:
 
#48
The only experience I have with them was the other day. I went by GC & played a few cheap basses just to see if I liked any. I played an Epi viola bass, an Epi EB-3 (SG looking bass) & a Rockbass. I liked the Rockbass best. Not enough to want one, but out of the three it sounded best. I may actually play a Warwick sometime after that. I'm curious now.
 
#49
IMHO they just dont sound as good as true German-made Warwicks, I played two corvettes at Guitar Center *shudder* the other night and one was Rockbass, the other a standard Warwick. I could not only hear/feel the better quality sound coming from the true warwick, but also it played a lot better than the rockbass. Yeah the rockbass was lighter....but again am i gunna wimp out over a few extra lbs to compensate for great tone...? lord no
Warwick>Rockbass
 
#52
I have the older Rockbass Corvette with the one piece bridge. I keep it strung piccolo.

I like it quite a bit. It is well built and good sounding. But it doesn't sound like a Greman Warwick. Then again, I was never under the illusion that it would. It is built like an active Jazz bass (ash body, maple/rosewood neck, jazz pups) and that's what it sounds like.

The newer models definitely look more like true Warwicks. But as others have stated, the prices are too close to those of used German Warwicks to warrant buying one.

I also think the comparison with Fender would be more accurate if one was matching the MIA Fender vs. MIM Fender.

Cheers!
 
#53
Well, the thing is this:

I have a '94 W Fortress Masterman with the old wenge neck and everything. I sold a custom shop Peavey Cirrus because of it, I had both for 6 months and the Peavey just wasn't being played any more. I paid 450€ (a bit under $600) for the Warwick.

Now you can get a Rockbass for $400 or $500 or something. That's only a ~$200 difference between a decent Chinese bass with a fat neck I don't much care for and an absolutely fantastic bass with a neck I'm madly in love with, that sounds terrific, plays terrific and looks terrific.

Not much of a contest, I dare say.
 
#54
"Here's a better question: does ANYONE use a Warwick amp?"

I DO!:hyper:

WarwickJonasHellborg.jpg
 
#56
In my opinion, real Warwicks are too different from Rockbasses. They share the same or similar shape, but where Warwicks use more unconventional woods on the majority of their basses, Rockbasses use more common woods. To me, that makes all the difference. A rockbass, to me, has more in common with a standard fender or similar bass than it does with Warwick. And at the prices they charge, it's simply not worth it. Plus, I live Warwicks for their signature sound, which I don't hear in a Rockbass. I'd rather buy a Fender for the tone I hear out of rockbasses.
 
#57
Me, I guess I'm just a snob - period. I'd never be caught DEAD going into a biker bar with a Rockbass I paid 350 dollars for new. Anything that costs less than 2k is just junk and you would be embarrassed to be seen with it, and preferably you should go for a 5k or 10k bass, if you want gear bragging rights on this site. Think Alembic, vintage Fender, Sadowsky, Lull, something along those lines anything else just isn't a bass.
 
#58
LilloEsquilo said:
Me, I guess I'm just a snob - period. I'd never be caught DEAD going into a biker bar with a Rockbass I paid 350 dollars for new. Anything that costs less than 2k is just junk and you would be embarrassed to be seen with it, and preferably you should go for a 5k or 10k bass, if you want gear bragging rights on this site. Think Alembic, vintage Fender, Sadowsky, Lull, something along those lines anything else just isn't a bass.
Click to expand...


Coming from the guy in the modified squire club. lol
 
#59
the new ones are good, look for a 2010 built. Date's on the headstock with the serial

Personally ....dont listen to what the others say. if its what you can afford, get it. If you like it, get it.

Try before you buy. There's one made with a cheap soft wood, stick a fingernail in it, and if it dents, that's the cheap wood. avoid.

I have a Corvette (German though)...I love it, try one out see if it works...if not, look at the others.

Go to Warwick's forums [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] you'll find other opinions about them
 
#60
I have the newer generation of the Rockbass; the Corvette $$ model to be exact.

I bought it at GC when it first came out and tried everything in it's price range; I'm a bassist on a budget where the used market isn't the greatest. This bass felt perfect in my hands and it achieves the sound I was looking for. I don't have much experience with the older generation of Rockbasses, other than trying out a fretless Corvette at a Sam Ash a few years back, and as I remember, it didn't feel as sturdy as mine, but I could be/am biased. I've had this thing for a year now, and it's still my go-to bass. Mine has a wide variety of tones to choose from, so much that I use cheap Epiphone numbered knobs on it. (I like numbers.) It's like playing bass bingo for a certain sound. I love this bass and I thought I'd share a couple pictures of it looking gently used.

EWey3.jpg


KSwsN.jpg


This is a year's worth of moderate wear on the bridge pickup where I normally rest my thumb, and it's the only wear on the finish, other than the glossing that occurs where the right arm rests. Personally, I'm not worried about it, but this is for reference to anyone who is looking to buy one in the future and is curious as to how it holds up.

Now, I know it sounds nothing like the real thing, but I'm happy with it as is. It's not like this is the last bass I'm going to buy.
 

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