Warwick Corvette FNA Jazzman 4

Made back in 2001 in Germany. Tone woods consist of ovangkol for neck, swamp ash for body, flamed maple top and a slice of ekanga (I presume) to separate the top from the ash body. Mine has a natural oil finish. Fretboard is made of wenge and features 24 bell brass frets. Body style is - of course - Warwick's Corvette.

The bass has passive pickups, one Musicman-style humbucker for the bridge paired with a J-style single coil for neck. Electronics are active, three-band. Besides the three eq-pots, the bass has one pot for vol/blend (top ring for vol, bottom ring for blend). All hardware is gold plated.

Whereas I'm perfectly happy with the ovangkol neck, I'd love to make slight changes to the tonewoods of the body. Nothing wrong with the looks of ash, but aesthetically I'd prefer a 50/50 ratio for the bodywoods - the top is only 3/8" thick. I'd also love active pickups. But besides these small issues, the features are good.

I play various styles, and generally speaking this bass performs well. I use a small 12" combo for home rehearsing, otherwise I plug it straight to the mixing console. Just like my Warwick Thumb BO, this bass has a great raw sound - I rarely have to use the mixing console's eq to spice up the sound.

Even on loud volumes the bass doesn't produce hum or unwanted noise. The sound is pretty heavy on high-mids, might be 'cause of the bridge humbucker. I've strung this one with Warwick's nickel plated roundwounds, which further add to the bright sound. Therefore I usually have the bass and treble pots at full boost, but the mid pot only at halfway.

Since I personally love a full, round sound, I'm not too crazy about the heavily high-mid boosted sound. In my experience this bass doesn't necessarily fit music styles requiring heavily boosted lows / low-mids. Comparing the passive MM/J pickup setup with Warwick Streamer Stage I's active J/P setup, I believe this bass falls a little short on sound. Don't get me wrond - the bass sounds very good. It however, in my experience, isn't always versatile enough.

I got this one from another musician, who had it set very well. Action was low, just the way I like it. Intonation was slightly off, but I got it right.

The truss rod's cavity under the cover plate was a bit messy compared to my Thumb BO. Along with the output jack's surrounding, it had some wood chips. The output jack's surroundings also had some glue stains visible. Besides these small cosmetic issues, everything's perfect.

Haven't played this one live yet. Feels solid and reliable though, based on hours of rehearsing. Would probably play it live without a backup.

I didn't actually buy this one, since I traded away my Ibanez BTB Prestige for this. Otherwise without the trade this would've costed some 850 EUR.

This bass is a fine example of European craftsmanship. I love the feel of this bass - maybe the best playability on any bass I've tested.

Only dislikes I have about this bass are about it's looks and versatility. I'm personally getting bored about the Corvette bodystyle, which of course isn't any flaw. A full 1" top would've saved much too. Then again the sound is pretty heavy on high-mids, which doesn't suit my style that well. I do occasionally though play styles, that find the growly tone very welcome.

Overall: great feel, good looks, good growly sound.

this is not the ltd model---this is the production model.i see no reviews here for this model[[[[ very strange ]]]].this is one bad ass bass---4 string--nirvna black--ash body/flamed maple top--ovangkol neck--wenge board--mec j/mm p/ups--active electronics.3 way switch....

i use the warwick with a peavey session bass head---bbe 362 max.---and a peavey 4x12 that i made into a 15 with a eminence speaker.no noise coming from this bass[ just sweet music ]--you can get any sound you want from this bass---as far as likes and dislikes[[ none]].this is the best bass i have ever owned--and i've owned many.

fantastic,not one issue ---setup was perfect.

the minute i removed the bass from the soft case,i knew i had the perfect bass--and the sound[[[[[ massive]]]]].i'm trying to find fault with the bass----i'm very happy to say,there is none.it's been said that there is no perfect bass [i've said it myself] but there is...i now own it.if you get a chance to play one,you should.you will then see my point.i have owned 3 ricks-and many other basses...nothing comes close to this warwick.

i have emailed warwick a few times[rob bush]will get back with you in short order.......a few years ago i purchased a used corvette standard model.i found after the purchase,a problem with the electronics....warwick sent me the complete active elect.set.---now thats service.simply put,they are on the same page as the warwick owner.customer support is fantastic..........

i have been playing for many many yrs.the best feature of this bass--it sounds great--feels great.you can tell as soon as you pick it up that it's very well made.i have owned two other warwicks prior to this one--thumb and corvette standard,,,both were great basses.owning those basses led me to this one.the corvette jazzman fna is just one great bass.looking for a high end bass at a reasonable price....you just read about it...........