5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fanstastic Sustain, August 25, 2004
This review is from: Warwick Thumb 6-String Bass Guitar
SOUND: Great sustain and warm sound from the wood and unique brass nut. Pluck an open string and the note seems to last foreeevvveerrr.... the harmonics ring like hand-bell tones. For a good example of the Warwick sound, listen to Jimmy Earl on his solo bass album. The slapping tone is actually "killer" (as one of my bassist friends who tried it commented) and very good for a 6 string. The B string sounds amazing for a 34" scale and resonates really well. The soapbar MEC pickups appear to have achieved an overall better sound than the jazz-style MECs found on the 4 and 5 string models. In passive mode, the bass still sounds powerful and able to do the job for most musical settings but it really comes alive in active mode (there is an active/passive push/pull switch).
CONSTRUCTION: The wood is beautiful and dense - its got the "Wow!" factor - Warwick chooses a slightly lighter coloured ovangkol for the laminated neck as compared to the body - this adds a lovely contrast. The fingerboard is wenge and looks great. I did not find it that neck heavy as some people have commented; however I am used to heavy basses. The frets are special - they are made of a type of brass alloy used in church bells. There's easy access to the back cover - no screws, just two small plastic catches. Same for the truss rod cover - flicks open with a small flathead screwdriver. The neck/truss rod was too loose when I got mine but was soon sorted out by a friend. Once the truss rod was straightened out, the fretboard plays like butter. Everything seems to have been very carefully thought out and precise (as per usual German engineering style).
COMPLAINTS: The bolt-on model only comes with 3 knobs - volume, balance and a stacked bass/treble knob. For this price, you would expect the bass to come with a mid-boost (which is found on the more expensive neck-thru model). The wood, although dense, appears to dent easily - however, this is apparently rectifiable according to the Warwick tech using a hot soldering iron over a damp cloth over the dent and sanding it flat again (the heat expands the dent back). The bass also only ships with a gig bag (albeit a very good high quality one) - wish it came with a standard hardcase.
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