Warwick Corvette Rockbass 4

Standard Rockbass 4 version of a Warwick Corvette. Nice transparent blue finish. Warwick tuners, more solid bridge than other basses in this price range. Made in China. MEC gold J pickups with a 2 band eq. 34 inch scale. Alder body. Maple neck with Rosewood fretboard.

I was looking for a contrast for my J Bass, and this was (past tense, see support below) it. Great bright "modern" sound from the MEC pickups. Just enough eq control to tweak on the spot, making major changes through the amp eq. Neck was comfortable. Was playing it: Rockbass>BBE Green Screamer>Rocktron Tsunami>Hartke HA3500>Avatar 2x10, with a BBE 482i in the effects loop. Strung with Dean Markley Blue Steels. It sounded good until the neck relief needed to be adjusted.

Just A Nut II stripped after first week, Truss rod was broken, which I didn't find out until several months later when I went to adjust it.

It seemed like it was well built for it's price range, except for the major flaws listed above.

This is where it gets ugly. Bought the bass at the local GC, during a sale. First week it is home, the Just-A-Nut II strips out. I contact GC who tells me to contact Warwick support (Dana B. Goods). DBG tells that this is a common problem, and they will send me out a J-A-N III at no charge. 2 months later, I still haven't received the nut. I e-mail again. About a week later I get a response that one had been sent out, and that since I hadn't received it, they would send another.
About a month later, with temperatures getting colder, the neck needs a truss rod adjustment to decrease the relief. I start turning the truss rod nut. It just spins freely in either direction. No tension to it. I e-mail DBG's again. This time asking about the JAN III that still hasn't arrived and telling them that I think I have a problem. After several weeks, support e-mails me to tell me the truss rod is probably broken (Duh!). I ask what can I do about it, including if can I purchase a replacement neck. Over the next month or so, I send 3 more unanswered e-mails to try and get this bass so I can play it. No responses. Finally I give up. I buy a replacement neck, strip and refinish the body, make the body string through, and put a Traben bridge on it.
I finally get a response back from Warwick support whining about how busy they have been, people being sent to NAMM, etc., etc. This is after me not hearing from them for 2 months. Their solution is for me to send the entire bass back, and they will put a new neck on it. I advised them that since I hadn't heard from them, I had done the previous mentioned "customization", but I would be more than willing to send them back the Rockbass neck with the broken truss rod if they would send me a replacement neck which I could then either put back on the body, or use in a future project. I haven't heard from them since. Haven't received the JAN III yet either. Go figure.

I have been playing on and off for 30 years. I have a 1973 Fender Jazz, a P-Bass with a J neck, a Steinberger XP-2, a Yamaha BB615, Ibanez SR500, and a 1970's Japanese Hofner Beatle Bass knock off. The Rockbass was to be my more "bright" modern sounding bass. I didn't really think I needed to check whether a truss rod worked or not on a new instrument. I know better now. Based on my experience with Dana B. Goods, I wouldn't consider dealing again with Warwick, or recommend anyone I know to deal with Warwick.

La Corvette Rockbass IV active, 24 frettes, fabriqu??e en chine, est une copie (clone) de l'originale fabriqu??e en Allemagne. Hormis le bois utilis?? (du h??tre pour la caisse et de l'??rable pour le manche) qui n'ont rien d'exotique comme le bubinga, par exemple), le pont et les m??caniques, tout le reste est semblable ?? la version allemande, y compris les collectes, de style Jazz Bass. La mienne est de couleur blanche r??tro (high gloss), un choix assez bien r??ussi, dois-je avouer; on dirait un bonbon! En fait, elle est superbement sexy et n'a pas le c??t?? aust??re des Warwick original au fini huil??. Vu le prix, j'accorde un 9. Rien n'est parfait...

Je suis plut??t ??clectique dans le style, du rock jusqu'au classique. Ma nouvelle Rockbass, ultraversatile, se pr??te bien ?? toutes ces humeurs. Elle a un son plut??t m??tallique, ??moderne?? je dirais. ??a tient beaucoup aux cordes. Je le sais, j'en ai essay?? deux autres jeux avant de revenir aux originales, dont je pr??f??rais le son. La ??Vette?? vous permet d'aller chercher des aigus qui chantent presque et des graves qui ??rentre?? dedans. Son nom ne doit pas vous tromper, elle fait aussi bien dans le rock que dans les autres genres. Sa polyvalence est impressionnante, sutout pour un instrument de ce prix. Aux doigts, au m??diator ou en slap, elle ??groove?? et ne rechigne jamais ?? l'ouvrage. Et le sustain, voulais-je dit, est d'une longue et belle clart??. Neuf encore une fois.

Les r??glages d'usine n'??taient pas si mal. Mais il fallait n??anmoins les revoir. Apr??s avoir corrig?? l??g??rement la courbure du manche (truss rod), l'ajustement de l'action et le r??glage des hamroniques, je tenais un ??r??ve?? dans les mains! Oh yeah! Le manche en ??c?? est fin, fa??on Jazz Bass, et rapide; son fini satin?? y fait pour beaucoup. Une fois l'action bien r??gl??e, la touche est superagr??able. Pas de frisette; on dirait du beurre tellement ??a glisse bien. La encor??, j'accorde un 9

Le pont et les cl??s sont d'allure bon march??; ils fonctionnent n??anmoins tr??s bien et ne m'ont pas fait de probl??me jusqu'ici. Ma ??Vette?? ??tait livr??e avec des boutons ??strap lock??, un must! Bravo, Warwick !Un seul b??mol, le panneau d'acc??s ?? l'??lectronique, dont le m??canisme de fermture aurait pu ??tre mieux pens??: je ne suis pas s??r que ??a peut durer... ?? cause des m??caniques, du pont et du panneau d'acc??s, je me fais ici plus s??v??re: 7.

Je n'ai pas eu l'occasion de l'??prouver, mon achat ??tant encore trop r??cent.

Quand on ach??te un instrument, et qu'il prend le dessus sur les autres, c'est vous dire. Je poss??de une Godin BG-IV avec un manche de r??ve et une Spector, deux bonnes basses. Ma ??vette??, bien que moins ch??re, n'a pas ?? rougir la comparaison. Au contraire! Compte tenu du prix, c'est tout bonnement un instrument ??coeurant! Me la faire voler me briserait le coeur. ??ventuellement, je remplacerai le pont et les m??caniques, si cela s'av??rait n??cessaire. En terminant, le vrai conseil, le plus utile: n'h??sitez pas ?? vous la procurer. ?? ce prix, c'est une vraie de vraie bonne affaire!

Purchased new from GC for 99 bucks, although that was without case, strap, toolkit, etc. - just the bare bass. I couldn't pass it up for that price for a throw down bass to keep in my car as I have a lot of rehearsals in the evening after work. The set up was adequate, but with setting intonation and action the bass is very playable. I still have the original strings on it, I expect upgrading there will give a good result.

Decent sound. Really does well on the unplugged test. I'm using it as a throw down for a variety of styles from gospel to bluegrass. I'm using it with a little Behringer 1x10 practice amp for rehearsals only. The electronics are quiet. The active electronics are better than most in this price range and reasonably voiced, without a really harsh brittle mid-range. I have a variety of custom boutique basses and do not plan on using this on stage or in the studio.

No flaws. Very good fit and finish for this price range.

I really don't know as yet; but see no reason why it would not hold up. I expect the truss rod will need adjustment twice a year like most basses in the Southeast Texas area.

No opinion as yet.

Been playing 35 years. I own 60s Fenders, a couple Alembics, a Ritter, Warrior, Conklin, Surine, RJ Frenz and Sukop basses played thourgh Phil Jones amps. If lost, I would only buy again for the same price. I chose it because it was a great deal on a decent instrument.

I guess by now you should know the features. Active MEC Gold pickups with 2 band EQ. I got mine with a Warwick bag. Nice. I'll give it a 10 because it was what I basically wanted but without having to pay a crazy amount for it.

Well here you go. The sound is honestly great. I am an audio engineer in Nashville so I am used to great bass tone. I really think this bass has great tone for the money. Even comparable to my friends high end Corvette. But, I did have a little beef with it. I thought the stock strings sucked. They were brittle sounding and wore out quickly. So I replaced them with Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings and the tone difference is Amazing!! Change the dang strings to some good ones and you WILL notice a difference. But, over all it sounds like I want it to. It records nicely and sounds great live through about any amp I've played it through.

Well here is my problem with this bass. I went to change the strings for the first time and the nut basically EXPLODED! I mean it want flying off when I started tightening the first string! Needless to say I was upset. So, thankfully, I live in Nashville and there is no shortage of great guitar techs. So, I was referred to ED Beavers over at Soundcheck and he was great. I have never met before this and I am not affiliated with him nor am I getting paid to say this. He replaced the PEACE OF JUNK PLASTIC NUT, with a BONE NUT that he custom built himself. And, he only charged me $35.00 for the whole thing and he did a setup as well. And so after the new nut.....WOW, WOW, WOW!!!!!!!! It is a different bass. Better action. Better sustain. Better tone. Better feel. Better everything that could be better. IT IS WORTH IT TO GO GET THE NUT REPLACED ON THIS BASS. DON'T KEEP THAT PEACE OF JUNK ON THERE. GET IT CHANGED IMMEDIATELY. My rating is based on before the fix after the fix, its a 10.

Other than the STUPID PLASTIC PEACE OF JUNK NUT, I have had no problems. It seems to be a well put together bass other than that. The other hardware on the bass seems to be tough and well made. Take a look at the bridge compared to most other basses in this price range and some that are much more and it is MUCH thicker and seems better made overall. The finish looks great and I think the bass will be fine now. If I ever get another one, I will immediately have to nut changed.

I have had no experience with the customer support. Sorry.

I have been playing bass for about 12 years but just in the last couple of years have I gotten more serious. I am an audio engineer in Nashville and I am a tone freak! And I love this bass. So I think that should say something about this bass. If I lost it, I would either replace it with the same or try to buy a higher end Warwick on EBay. But I love Warwick basses overall. I wish this bass had a mid range EQ control with a frequency selector knob with level control like the higher end Warwicks. That would make it perfect. As far as comparisons go, you can't really get a better bass for the price. Especially if you have a pro deal with GC like I do.

Same configuration as everyone else's so far, except that I think the natural finish on mine is kind of non-standard.

I agree with other posters, the neck is an absolute joy for anyone whose primary instrument is guitar.

9 might be overrating it because it's not like it has a ton of features, but for the price it's very impressive.

I'm using it mostly DI for recording, into an M-Audio Firewire 410 and then into ProTools. It's just for demo work-- most of what I am composing is sketches for my post-* band (Sigur Ros, Isis, Pelican, Current 93). I'm very happy with the range and quality of "normal" sounds I can get out of it-- honestly, all I really need to do is drop a little compression on it and then play with the pots. I'm tuned down to CGCF and the bottom end is still quite tight, with minimal buzz on the fretboard.

I don't want to overrate it b/c I'm not a bass player and I'm not really chasing a tonal holy grail, but I find I don't have to do much to get it sounding nice in a basic mix.

It's also VERY quiet, even on DI.

Basic setup was amazing, but I bought it from a guy who'd bought it new one month before getting shipped off to Afghanistan (sorry dude.) I don't know if he'd set it up or the store had.

Basic fit and finish is terrific for the price. It's the equal of much higher-end guitars, especially the neck. Everything is tight, quiet, and fits perfectly.

It holds a fairly low action even when detuned to CGCF, and I only had to tweak it a bit for that.

I've had it a year but it only gets played maybe a couple hours a week. It's never been in a do-or-die situation. No visible wear, still looks new. It seems to handle climate changes well. Buttons are *definitely* solid.

N/A

I'm been playing rock and metal guitar for 17 years. I'm generally competent in fingerstyle rock bass technique, but I've never owned a real rig or held down a bass spot in a serious band.

Basically, this a great instrument for the money. Excellent choice for your studio bass if you're not primarily a bass player, or a solid axe for a bass player with limited cash. Fit and finish is fantastic, it does the basics well, and it's very nice to play. I'd definitely buy another.

One good thing that other people have mentioned is that it's very light, lighter than some guitars I've owned.

corvette standard 4,
black,
active electronics,
alder body
and purchased for #100 cos i traded in some old basses.

i'd already played this bass as well as the streamer and vampyre rockbasses and i would have either of these models but for the value and the availability in the store (www.electromusic.co.uk) it was the corvette i chose.

action was perfect straight away although i had to go back to the store a couple of days later to get the bass restrung cos i use this bass for my band and we play in C. the bass was completely flawless, not one scratch on it.

i've already bumped it on my amp and i didn't even seen any sign of a scratch so i was happy.

this bass makes me wanna play all day, everyday.

i couldn't fault the guys at electromusic for hooking me up with the bass.

plus i had purchased a Profet 3.2 and two warwick cabs ( 4x10 and 2x12) on the same day and my tone is amazing!.

i've been playing bass for 5 years but i've been in bands playing guitar but decided to make bass my primary instrument for me and for my band. if anything i'd love to get a vampyre rockbass to go along with as a back-up.
i did play some fenders and an ibanez SRX but this warwick is what i want and need in a bass.

warwick rule!

Same as all the other reviews here, standard black Rockbass Corvette 4 string, except mine is left handed. Alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, nickel frets, MEC pickups, 2 band active electronics, adjustable nut. Nothing fancy like the real Warwicks though.
Made in 2003 in the land of China.
Purchased new at the Bass Place in Scottsdale, AZ.
I think around $450 at the time.

Just about perfect as long as you keep the bass and treble down on the active electronics. Too much treble and the sound is harshly bright. Too much bass and it starts to distort. Both of them set right in the middle sounds perfect, which I guess means no boost or cut.
I can make it sound like a nice fat P-bass by twisting the pickup knob with a little more neck pickup.
Right in the middle and I swear this thing sounds like Geddy Lee's Wal bass from Power Windows. A nice deep, woody, punchy sound.
I can't say enough about how nice this thing sounds and the range of tones I can get. I guess the active electronics could be a little better though.
By the way, the original Warwick Red strings sounded really good. After a while, I replaced them with Rotosounds, then after that with GHS Boomers. Neither of those sounded or felt as good as the originals. I finally went to higher end Warwick Black strings and they are perfect for this bass. Incredible sound, feel, and action. And they last friggin forever.

Couldn't be any better. The neck feels exactly like the expensive Warwicks. Very small and lightning fast. I keep the action ultra low, right at the edge of fret buzzing and it sounds great.
Intonation is good all the way up to the 24th frets.
This bass allows me to play faster than any other bass I've owned.
Everything seems to be very well made. It's the kind of bass that makes you want to pick it up all the time and play it. I don't even touch my Jazz bass anymore.

I play for fun, not for money. One thing I notice is that this bass is very light compared to any other bass I've owned. It feels like it's half the weight of my Jazz bass. That's probably a good thing for a live player. Although, the upper horn is kind of long and skinny and the neck is kind of smallish. I'm guessing it wouldn't take a fall too well.
As a side note, the weather got colder recently and I noticed the neck tightening up a bit and the action getting higher. A little bridge/nut adjustment and it's back to normal. Just like any other bass except made easier by the adjustable nut. Keeps me from having to adjust the truss rod.

Never needed it.

Over the last 20 years, I've banged on just about every piece of wood I've come across. It's not perfect, but for the price I paid, I can't think of another bass that feels or sounds like this bass. That's probably why the prices keep going up. Actually, the price seems to have gotten alot closer to the real Corvette bass. Makes the choice between the two of them tougher. Under $500 and you have a nice piece of wood to play with.

The model i purchased was shiped in straight from the factory so it'd be a 2005, its a four string freted, it has a volume, bass, mid and treble crontrols, 2 MEC gold active pick ups with 2 band electronics (what ever the fuck that means, but it sounds shmick :P), maple neck with rosewood fingerboard which is fucking sweet to play, also the wood for the body is nice and light so you can play it for hours with out getting back pains.

I was playing an LTD B-50 metal bass before because i was playing punk and it looked mean and diabolical but it sounded shit when i went past around the 9th fret for solos and overall wasn't versitile. the Warwick on the other hand provides a nice fat tone and dosn't loose it when i go up to the high notes, i play it through an SWR workingman's 15 which sounds nice and fat and awesome to slap with. i play mainly funk, blues, rock, punk and reggae and it is so versitile i can use this bass for almost everything i've comr across

the action the factory had set up was sweet. and the neck is so smooth it like masturbating a well lubricated cock. it has totally revolutionised my playing, i can hit more notes more precisley and quicker than before. there was a slight buzzing on the 7th fret on the E but it was just needed a bit of a tweek at the shop, probably due to climate change (travelling from China to Australia), but overall the action and shit was sick

strong as an ox and its new so it hasn't really had a chance to fuck up but i have faith in it

like above it hasn't fucked up yet so i dunno what they're like

Many people seem to squirm and get all bitter when a boutique company such as warwick announce a cheaper alternative and instantly shove it off. when i was shoping around i played basses which where twice the cost of this beuty and they felt like shit to me. for the price i paid for this bass it was a bargin, just cause something is said to be "cheap" dosn't mean its quality is shot to bugery. i recomend this bass for intermidiate players looking for a reliable up-grade, or advanced players who can't afford the "real thing" such as my self

I bought this one at the Sound&Drumland in Berlin. I own it for about one year. It has an long-scale 24-fret neck with closed tuners. The Pickups are from MEC. The electronic is active and there is a two-band-eq build inside. What I miss is a switch to use the bass passive. Not only when your battery is empty but also for a larger variety of sounds.

The Bass has a nice sound quite well adjustable by the equilizer and pickup knobs. I use this bass in a rock and in a jazz band and it fits very well. It is really pressing and able to resist against gainy Guitarists. If you want to play smoother or softer music, you may be a bit dissapointed, because the dinamic range of this cutie seems to be a bit limited by the active elecetronic. You can play this bass very loud and fast. Its a real working-man-bass.

Everything was well prepared by the Warwick guys. First Class Quylitiy!

I played it a lot and it never broke up or sth. Only the Outputjack had to be repairead a bit after half a year, but nothing seriuos. This one is ready to tour the world!

Never dealt with them.

This bass is a real rocking bitch that wants to be played. It may not look awsomely beautiful, but is rock solid and very suitable for any kind of loud music. And it costs only half of the original Warwick basses :)

Bought in 2004, for AU$600, down from 1100. Hows that for a bargain. Not sure of the year of manafacture, made in China. 24 frets, alder body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, all the same as everyone elses but with one big difference. MINE IS PASSIVE.
I tried a few in the store, plugged them all in to a warwick combo, and this one was my favorite. Still has the MEC jazz pickups, controls are volume, pick-up pan, neck pick-up tone, bridge pick-up tone.

I play in a grungy rock band and this thing roars. Even though it is passive, i can still get a huge array of sounds from this thing. Anything from a boomy bass sound, to a rich, bright slap tone, this thing has it covered. It runs through a Hartke 3500 and VX410 cabinet and sounds beautiful, and it produces sounds through my boss bass overdrive and dunlop bass wah i didn't know existed. This bass sounds awesome.

The bass was perfect to play straight away, however, i replaced the factory stainless strings to nickel-wounds and needed to slightly alter the height at the bridge and nut. Pick-ups are at a perfect height and the finish is flawless. Only critisism is the cheap asian pots, but these still do an acceptable job.

I've only gigged with this thing a couple times but I didn't bother with a back-up. It seems solid, and if looked after, will last a long time I think. The strap buttons are huge and i would be amazed if any strap in reasonable nick fell off.

If in doubt, buy this bass. You will not regret it. It is by far the best asian made bass i've ever played, solid, good workmanship, amazing sound. If it were stolen, i would put a bounty on the guy who stole it. This is without a doubt an excellent bass for the price, and seasoned pro's to beginners can enjoy every second this axe is around their neck.