Warwick Corvette FNA Jazzman 5

my bass is a 5 string made in germany late 2004 i have tuned this bass with a high c string instead of the low B for the moment and it works fine. The basses body is a 3 piece swamp ash with a flame maple top. the neck is made from ovangkol and the fretboard is wendge with bell brass frets, the hardware is gold.
The pickups are one passive MEC Musicman pickup and a passive MEC Jazz pickup, these run through an active 3 band eq, which gives the bass an amazing variety of sounds it also has blend pot, volume, and a coil selector for the Musicman pickup.
my one problem is that the bass didnt come with a case, only a gig bag but thats not a problem as the bass is excellent

i play all kinds of music and so far it has handled it all extremely well.
this bass has an excellent variety of sounds. if you set it on the back musicman pickup you have an excellent punchy tone and if you set it on the front jazz pickup you get a very nice warm sound and you can use the blend control to get anything in between.
the only problem i have had is that the bass sounded distorted when playing loudly, although i had the pickups up way to high, after i fixed this it was alright so it is not a problem anymore.

The bass was setup very well by the music shop i bought it from, apart from the pickups being way to high.

This bass is built like a tank, everything on it is really solid. the only problem i have is that the gold hardware is getting a little spotty, although i always expected this to happen so it is no great shock.

i have been playing bass for 5 years and this is by far the best bass i have played or owned. i believe it has great is a fair priced bass with tons of features.

2006 Corvette FNA JazzMan 5 Fretless. Swamp Ash, Flamed Maple Cap 8.80 Lbs. MEC "Large Pole" Passive J MEC Active BEC III-2, 3-way Gold. 24 fret, 5 string bolt on. Flamed maple top on a swamp ash body. Ovangkol neck with Wenge fingerboard. Warwick tuners. Warwick strap locks. Gold hardware on the Honey Violin finish. The 34" scale is perfect for this Fretless bass. This bass can be adjusted to fit almost any style - very adaptable. THe Oil finished body is attractive however only a monthly oiling will keep it that way - Kind of a pain...

This is a fretless so lets keep that in mind (I'm getting a fretted version this week), I play Blues, World Music and Jazz. The Warwick 'Growl' is what sold me - this bass has it especially fretless. I find the B string reliably clear through my Mesa Boogie Walkabout and Acoustic Image amps. Midrange is solid which is great as I end up playing back toward the bridge most of the time. this helps me punch through the guitars I compete with. On the downside - I thing that if the tone pots aren't adjusted properly - the tone can get pretty bassy making it difficult to mix through the PA. If you prefer a bright sound - I can't get it with this bass. It fits me fine.

I pulled this bass off the floor at my local GC and haven't touched it in a month... and I normally take my basses through the setups myself. That seems more like luck in this case. Nothing was out of order that I can report here. As I mentioned earlier, the finish on this bass is oil, and as such needs monthly intervention. The jury is out on that - it looks fantastic now. This bass balances well on a strap too, the Thumb 5 I debated over was a nose-diver! The FNA is heavy but balanced much better than the Thumb. Fretless? the FNA was more versatile than the Thumb as well (Thumbs are sweet for Rock I hear).

Yup, this bass can take live playing - I use it now with no fears. If kept oiled I think this thing will look good 20 years from now while I'll be hideous.... The Gold Harware is getting a bit tarnished even though I wipe everything down after use. I'd pick Black Hardware if given the choice (there is none).

The straplocks are very cool. I put them on my fave strap and don't mess with those Yoga gyrations of getting the strap off of me when changing basses. However since I don't leap 20 feet across the stage to hit the 'ONE' on a chord change (not that its a bad thing mind you), I don't know if the straplocks will hold up to hard use, because I hear they can cause issues under that kinda pressure (like my spine wouldn't?!?). I wonder though - they seem pretty rock solid.

Haven't dealt with Warwick - Can't answer this.

I'm getting a fretted FNA model this week if that says anything. I trust that this bass will be my sound - after owning Pedulla, Fender, Rick Turner, Carvin, Epiphone (Another Planet), G&L and Lakland, Phew!
I still own a Mexi Jazzbass Fretless and a Reggie Hamilton Signature (Fenders). They can stay around only if they behave themselves.... Oh yea - one Christopher DB204 Upright.

What we have here is a beautiful 2005 model Warwick FNA Jazzman 5 string bass made in Germany. Neck is a bubinga/ovangkol laminate with 24 bell-brass frets on a wenge fretboard and very handy and convenient Just-A-Nut II constructed of Wilferite (Hans Peter Wilfer's own composite material). Body is 3-piece ash with a 1/4" bookmatched flamed maple top with what looks to be a thin walnut veneer sandwiched between.Honey Violin oil finish. Gold hardware including Dunlop-like straplocks (waaaaay better than Dunlop's, though :D) and a 6-way adjustable bridge. Electronics are Seymour Duncan MEC Jazz neck pickup and Music Man-style humbucking bridge pickup. Active 9V circuirty is Duncan MEC BEC III-2 3 way circuitry. Controls are stacked volume/pickup balance with push/pull active/passive control (Warwick's site claims that it is merely a slap contour, but I tested the control with the 9V battery disconnected, and it IS an active/passive switch :D), treble, midrange, and bass control knobs, and a 3-position coil tap for the bridge humbucker (up= humbucking and routed in series, mid= single-coil and routed as humcancelling with neck pickup, down= humbucking and routed in parallel). Also has ultra-convenient pop-in/out control cavity cover and truss rod cover. Accessories included a Warwick RockBag (easily one of the nicest bass gig bags around), truss rod wrench, bridge and nut allen wrenches, and straplocks.

There's not much to dislike as far as the sound goes. All of the dozens of tone settings fit real well with any music style, and the frequency range cuts through very clearly without being overpowering. I play mainly blues, rock, alt. rock, and funk, and any one setting fits just fine. I gig with a Hartke 3500 350w head with a Rane PE-15 Parametric Equalizer and two Gallien-Krueger Backline 410-BLX 4x10" cabinets. No real noise to speak of on-stage. Haven't had the chance to use it in the studio, though, but I would imagine that it wouldn't have any white noise to speak of there, either.

The action was set up by the previous owner and it was super-low and easy to play, though he had it strung EADGC instead of BEADG. I restrung it accordingly and amazingly didn't have to do a whole lot of adjusting to get it right where I wanted it. The pickup heighs were a little low for my liking, but again, not alot of time or effort taken to get those just right. The only flaws that I could find on the bass were some minor gold finish wearing on the tuning machines from the past owner having used it for a year, and the truss rod cover has some friction wear as a result of the long truss rod wrench resting against it during adjustments.

This bass is most definitely a workhorse. It was constructed very good and precise and the woods seem tough and durable, and though I'm sure that after a long while of use it will gain it's character flaws, but I doubt it would fall apart if Murphy's Law happens to come into play. The hardware seems real tough and good quality. Doesn't look like any of it would break unexpectedly or rust out at all. The gold hardware has already started to wear off just slightly, but it should last a good while. The strap buttons are the most solid I've seen in awhile. Warwick does this unique thing where instead of using felts between the bass and the strap pins, they use little rubber discs that actually offer resistance against the pin to keep constant pressure on it. This is a very dependable bass that I would most definitely confidently use without a backup.

I haven't had to deal with the company yet, or had to get it repaired, and I don't think it's under warranty anymore, so I can't offer a real opinion on this just yet. Stay tuned.....

I've been playing music for about 10 years and electric bass for over 7 years, and along with this gem, I own a late 90's Ibanez SR506 6 string bass, a MIM Fender Jazz Bass V that I converted to fretless with a Warmoth neck, and a MIM Fender Precision Bass that I added a Kahler bass tremolo to and a Warmoth neck. If this bass were stolen or lost, I would definitely have to buy another one. My favorite feature on it is the active/passive switch on it. Now I don't have to worry so much about the battery dying during a performance. I just pop the volume knob out and go!! I've played all sorts of basses-Fender, Carvin, Ernie Ball, Ibanez, etc.- and I've not found a better bass with so many features and such quality of craftsmanship at the price it's worth. I do wish it had a deeper lower bout cutaway to access the 23rd and 24th frets easier, but it's not like I spend a whole lot of time up there anyhow, hehe.

2005 model, German made, 24 fret, 5 string bolt on. Flamed maple top on a swamp ash body. Ovangkol neck with Wenge fingerboard. Warwick tuners. Warwick strap locks. The adjust a nut 2 is a little ridiculous. I prefer the older style. I have the gold hardware on the Honey Violin finish, standard 3 way MEC electronics and J/MM pickups. I really like the active/passive feature, although you can't adjust the tone in passive mode. The 34" scale is much more accessible than some 35" scale basses I've played. Mine came with trussrod tools, allen wrenches for the bridge/nut, and a gig bag. I give it a 9 because of the lack of tone control in passive mode.

I play rock and funk, a little tapping here and there, and lots of chords. Everything sounds amazing. Great slap/pop sound, and great dub rumble are easily achieved with the EQ. With the coil tap on the MM pickup, and the 3 band EQ, any tone you hear in your head can be achieved. It sounds amazing through my SWR Workingman's 8004 and Behringer 4x10 cab. Everything is quiet as a mouse when you aren't playing. My only gripe is the active/passive switch makes a strang echoing noise inside the control cavity. It doesn't go through the pcikups, but it is audible when not playing.

Amazingly, the bass was set up flawlessly from the factory. I've been through a few sets of strings and the action is still dead on as the day I got it. Pickups weren't too high or low, and all the frets were clean as a whistle. I would actually scared to adjust the bridge myself. It looks really complicated.

The hardware seems to be built for the long haul. Considering the price, it had better be!! The strap locks that came with it are great, which are essentially the same as the Dunlops. I haven't had it long enough to necessitate a truss rod adjustment, so I can't comment. The finish seems to be up to par with the rest of the bass. I haven't worn anything off, but I usually rest my thumb on the pickups rather than on the body. As far as using it without a backup, I would have no hesitation.

I can't remember how long the warranty is, and nothing is wrong, so I can't say.

Been playing now over 5 years, and have gone through a lot of basses. Spector, Dean, Ibanez, Fender, Peavey, Tobias, Ernie Ball, G&L, Traben. This is easily the best I've played. Admittedly, I will never spend 4000+ on a Fodera or anything like that, so for my personal tastes this is as good as it gets. I would buy another one in a heartbeat if it were stolen or lost(?). I love the tonal variety, and the neck is simply perfect for me. I just wish it had a tone control for the passive mode. I'm a devout Warwick head now. I didn't understand at first, but now I want nothing but that infamous growl heard around the world.

German made, 2004. Standard warwick neck. Honey Violin-stained swamp ash body with 3/8" flame maple top. Some inner laminate I can't identify. MEC 3-way active electronics with coil tap for the humbucker. Comically adjustable bridge and nut. Mine didn't come with anything because it was used; ordinarily, you should get a bag, manual, trussrod wrench, adjustment keys, and perhaps a tin of wax.

This bass is more or less the sound I was looking for. It's not straight-on warwick sound, like a corvette can be or the thumb is. There's very little rattle audible through the pickups while it's on. If I beat it up, it makes a lot of noise, but it is loud and sensitive enough that I can use a light touch plugged in. What I believe to be the only con is that with brand new strings on it, it's really unruly in the upper mids and highs. It could be an interaction between my SVT-3 pro and the bass, but I swear that in the three hours after I put strings on, they had already deadened up enough to be tolerable. Otherwise, the tone controls are very functional, not overvoiced at all except for a bit of an overextension on the top end of the treble control. I haven't recorded it direct yet, though.

I have played a bunch of warwicks over the last several years. Most of them that are new have a setup that makes playing difficult passages particularly easy. The adjustability of the nut and bridge makes it significantly easier to fix problems, but as other reviewers have said on this site, it seems like it would be easy to really mess up the bass without much effort at all. The pickups seem to have been set in the same place as new FNA jazzman basses I've played, but I had to raise the jazz coil a bit to better balance output. The only complaint about fit and finish I have is that there's a line down the middle of the neck from about the sixth fret on out to the heel below the nut. The sides of the neck are great, and seem to have been well worked at the factory. The person who had this bass before me didn't abuse the neck at all like I do; there is no shine on the back, nor are there dings on the sides or surface of the fretboard. Frets have not taken string grooves, either.

The bass was manufactured (as I might have said above) apparently in 2004. It is, with the exception of some finish spots on the top and dents along the bottom, in the same condition as new FNA Jazzman basses are. These are made to last -- a trip around them with a clean cloth brings it back to looking like new. One thing that might be worth checking at string changes is the tightness of the tuning keys. The strap button on the upper horn had come loose, but that was easily repaired by way of phillips screwdriver.

I've been playing for 6 years now, and have owned four basses before this: a very generic Epiphone, a Spector NS/2000 Q5, a Fender mexican Jazz (fretless), and a Rockbass by Warwick Fortress 5. I've also played on a Stingray 5 fretless. The feel of this bass is "the best" of the bunch, but comparing its fit and finish to the stingray is difficult (owing to the fretted v. fretless). It's of very high quality, and I'm glad I bought it. I wish they had given me a gig bag, instead of offering me 10 bucks off another one, but whatever. The bass had been in guitar center's possession for over 3 weeks, so the price was lower than marked. For the $1100 I paid for it, there is no way I could say this bass was anything but the greatest deal ever. If I had to replace it, I'd probably have to go with a corvette because of the expense, but I'd love to not have to do so.

My advice to you: give it a try if you have the option available. Compare it to corvettes and streamers, make the choice based soley on what you hear. The feel of almost all the warwick basses I've ever played are one and the same, but the proof is in the pudding. You'll love it if you get it, that's for sure.

Made in Germany, my bass comes with a Flamed Maple top and back its a Bolt-on 5 string with an Ovankle neck, along with nice standard gold hardware. MEC Humbucker pick-up for the bridge and a "J" style jazz pick, slanted, for the neck. This is an extremely versitle configuration that produces a variety of usable tones, making this a "one-for-all" bass. The pick-ups are "passive" but the signal runs through an "active" Basslines pre-amp that sweeps well and is very quiet. There are 4 knob controls; lows, mids, highs, and blend with volume and pop-up slap contour. The pre-amp also provides a 3 position swith for series, single-coil, and parrallel tone switching. The "Slap Contour" and the "Tone Switching" is what sold me on this bass. My Warwick came with a Great Gig-bag, special wax, Allen wrenches, and a truss rod tool, How considerate! I purchased a hardcase for an additional $100 dollar, cheap insurance.

I researched and played; Ken Smith, Pedulla, Alembic, Tobias, Yamaha, and Musicman. I considered all of their pick-up configurations and the tone variations they produced. After comparing these mentioned, to the Jazzman, I decided It was still the best bass for my dollar. None of the basses mentioned produced any better sound, or greater variety of tones, or showed better craftmanship. However, they are great basses for those who appreciate them. I love the way this bass sounds without effects, and it sounds just as good through my BFX-708. I have made some demo recording with it, and the bass definitly cuts through with the low notes as well as the highs, and it records beatuiful slap tones. It is always rich and full, you'll need to try it to believe it, I did and fell in love.

This bass was set up well from the factory for my style of play. the pick-ups are setup nice and firm, not too high either. The finish is beautiful, with one or two stain smudges, or thats what they appear to be? The bass is very light, I can't believe that a small and light bass like this can produce such a growl and deep tones. This craftmanship is just as good as any other exotic bass ranging from $2000 to $4000 dollars (retail)

The bass feels strong and firm, I call it the Mercedes-Benz of Bass guitars. At first I though waxing it as often as the manufacture recommends would be a pain! but so far everytime I wax it I get a chance to admire it more. I realized, after scratching the maple back that maple is a soft wood and made sure to remember to cover my belt buckle, with my shirt, when strapping it on. It is only 4 months old, or since I picked it up at the store? and no adjustments needed yet. "there is no need for a backup"

I called Dana B. Goods once to inform them that I was unable to send the warranty form within the required ten day period. This was on a Monday which was a holiday, and they called me back Tuesday morning by 9am. It seems that we will have a good and long-lasting relationship.

I have been playing bass for 14 years now. I have owned a Yamaha TRB4, and now my Jazzman 5. I would certainly buy another one if were stolen, I doubt I could ever lose it though? I play contemporary Praise and Worship music for our church and the band I'm in. We do Salsa, Reggae, Ballads, Cumbia, all styles of Rock and Alternative music. I am the biggest fan of Abraham Laboriel (Koinania) and I know he plays Warwick. I have found that buying this bass was the best investment I have ever made to support my styles, and create the tones that motivate me as a bass player whether on stage or in the studio. Everyone in that band loves it as well! By the way, during my research on this bass, I read that Warwick had imitated the pick-up configuration from Lakland. However, according to the guys at L.A. Bass Exchange, Lakland used the idea after it was first introduced to the market by Warwick on their Dolphin Basses many years ago. The Lakland still doesn't sound as good, smart move though!