Warwick Corvette Custom 5-String

Made for me in Germany in January this year (2003)
24 frets, 5 string
Passive single coil MEC 'dynamic correction' pickups - whatever 'dynamic correction' means...
one volume pot, one pickup mix pot, one tone pot
wenge neck, bubinga body. It weighs a ton.
oil finish. - damned annoying.
It looks good when you buy it, and it's really good the way it goes darker when you give it the first wax - it really is very pretty - but you have to wax it every week - I've known a few luthiers in my time - would it kill these guys to whack on a nitro coat like violins have? - it would look just as good with out all this messy waxing - and possibly be more durable...
has the snazzy-looking bell brass frets
Best looking instrument I've ever seen
I can't really rate this fairly because they built what i asked for - definitely not a standard model
i give it a 10 for looks and a 7 for the awkward waxing routine
AND WHY DOES A REALLY TOP-LINE INSTRUMENT LIKE THIS COME FROM THE MANUFACTURER IN A PLASTIC GIG BAG? HAVEN'T THEY HEARD OF HARD CASES?
IF YOU'RE FGOING TO BUY AN INSTRUMENT LIKE THIS THE LITTLE BIT EXTRA FOR A SOLID CASE IS NOT GOING TO STOP YOU BUYING.
in case you wrer wondering - i find buying this, and then needing to go out and get a custom made case for, was a bit of an annoyance - admittedly for touring you have to go out and get a flight case anyway, but i was annoyed

Ok - I've played in bands now for 30 years (scary thought) - i went around everywhere and played evry bass i could find - and this line seemed the best.

I wanted a bass with a very stable 5th string and this is definitely it.
I personally have a few problems with the sound - my fellow musicians rave about it and say it's fantastic - maybe i'm overcritical, don't know - but it certainly does sound good to me.
The single coil pickups don't seem to have the feedback problems my old 1970's Fender Jazz had, but they have the same problem of picking up any radiant stuff - you have to stand AWAY from your amp or 'noisy' lights or they sing along through your pickups...
I play everything from hard rock to Folk and a little light jazz fusion - i'd have to say i love the sound in all these areas. - Very responsive - very nice tops and bottoms here - it can be bright as - lots of detail in the sound, yet very warm - i generally just use the blend of the two pickups, i personally try to get the sound with my fingers - it has a nice 'growl' - but is very clear with chord structures
I've had a few basses in my time, and this one definitely needs to have a strong attack wwhen you play, it somehow just doesn't sound right if you aren't really hitting that string solidly - but if you do the sound is really good.
I get really annoyed because i swear i'm getting occasionall dropouts in the sound - and I suspect it's the out put jack - which i slander in the next section. - as i have no idea what 'dynamic correction" means i can't say how it effects the sound - but if that was the culprit those pickups would be out tomorrow...
overall - beautiful responsiveness - MOST of thetime, bit thin at the top, abit too(?) warm at times at the bottom - but overall my favourite bass to date -but the good is the best -AND IT'S PASSIVE - NO UNRELIABLE BATTERIES!
so although i have quibbles - it is a 10 here

after travelling from germany to Autralia it needed a setup - which was minimal - primarily the neck wa just a bit to tightly adjusted when picked up - my tech fixed that overnight.
Action is - good - the 4 string model of these is a breeze to play - this one is a definite 'plank' - but as i have big hands i find i have adapted fairly easily.
pickups adjusted beautifully - just the noise factor is an issue
my next custom job will have Humbuckers
I don't know what the shop did to it before i picked it up - but the instrument was flawlwss (excepting action) when picked up
My biggest beef is the output jack - this thing sucks - I don't know how they managed it - but it's really unstable
I'm a hi fidelity freak and use the best custom made leads i can get - Mic cables with Neutrick connectors - and the shaft length of a neutrick is just a fraction to big for the socket in the bass - I had to change to decidedly less swank leads to keep it stable - but i swear i'm getting the occasional dropout and that sends me twitchy at gigs - something in this price bracket should work properly all the time!
I do have to say i don't know what teh fault is - so when i find out i will come back and correct this review
To play - it's like playing a piano - the bass is so precise in sound that it's like i'm back in my first classical guitar classes again - despite the criticisms i love this instrument - but it gets an 8 because of a niggling fault

I ahve only had this for 4 months, and apart from the crap output jack/mysterious dropout problem i am extremely pleased to have it - I have sold all of my other instruments because this thing is magic, and i'm getting another one at the end of our next tour ( this time with humbuckers)
so i cannot really comment on reliability at this time
except i DO like the way it holds it's tuning
the strap buttons grabbed my leather strap so hard i just leave it on the bass - so it has stayed very stable
I have flogged of the rest of my electric basses because this one has taken over and i do not doubt it will be reliable - i have been using it without backup for 4 months

Mixed feelings here - the main company Warwick? - well - according to the manufacture date that was on the paperwork, they built this almost the day my order was confirmed, and it was built and shipped across teh world in record time, and they built itbetter than i expected - so i am very happy with them.
The local company that is the importer? - i paid my deposit and confirmed and signed the order - price was agreed - the instrument landed and they refused to surrender the instrument for the agreed price - i was an extra $100.00 out of pocket because they said they'd made a mistake in the order and the BLACK pickups are $100 more??? they thought they could milk me for more - I caved, and paid becaiuse i wanted my toy - my local music shop were as pissed off as i was because they very embarassed and i am NOT pleased with the importers!
My band spends thousands at our local shop and they look after us - it's a good relationship, warwick are wonderful, but their importing agents - well - i do not like them!
..and they didn't like my complaint about the output jack either -
It's a good instrument - but I can't afford dogy importers or hassles over warranty - I just take stuff to my tech and he fixes it fast - that's how it goes here - i had to fix it myself
overallthe quality of the instrument is greater than any petty hassle with the importer and i was really impressed wit what i got for my money

30 years - had Fender jazz, gibson G3, maton Jb4 other cheaper toys
price confirmation - the change by the agents was an unecessary awkwardness
I like it so much i'm going to get a second one with humbuckers - I nay grizzle, but i LOVE this toy - if stolen - the same again
I love the sheer clarity and precision of the sound, I hate the lack of a solid case - it should be standard
favourite bit - a combination of the 'grand piano'feel when playing ( it is , in a way, kind of like a classical guitar in that i am very aware of the detail in the playing) and - sorry guys - the REALLY pretty wood........
I can only compare this with a maton jb4 - solid, reliable(well - so far - the maton was rock-solid at 20 years of age)
If they had a 5 string maton the same quality as the jb4 i would have bought it - but maton just dropped their bundle and stopped building basses and wouldn't even discuss it on the phone
it sits right when i play it, their is a slight catch on my hand with the metal nut - which has sharp corners(why), buti just play around that and no longer notice it, and so far - despite any grizzle you read above - every time i pick this toy up, and just after i finish polishing it, i just love the thing alll over again.
should have got one years ago.
a nine for small thingsthat shouldn't go wrong, but no lower - the actual instrument is a work of art and sound