Warwick Corvette GPS Double-Buck ($$) 4 String Bass

I love the small details that really lift this bass; Strap locks as standard and fluorescent side marker dots. The “Invisible Fret Technology” and adjustable bass nut also makes for some welcome inclusions.

PROS:

It’s a Warwick, even their “budget” models are high quality.

Well balanced.

Wide tonal palette.

Case and Toolkit included.

CONS:

None

SPECS:

Warwick Machine Heads

Just-A-Nut III Nut

Ovangkol neck,

Wenge fingerboard

Guitar Interactive star rating: 5 stars

Warwick Corvette GPS Double-Buck ($$) 4 String Bass

MSRP (UK) £1999 (US) $TBC

Warwick Corvette GPS Double-Buck ($$) 4 String Bass

Featuring a very comfortable Wenge fingerboard and a powerful pair of Active MEC 2-way electronics, the Warwick Corvette GPS Double-Buck 4 string model is designed for the player who loves to rock hard and at a price that won't break the bank. Dan Veal tells us more.

I’m pleased to see Warwick back into the GI Bass Cellar. This time we have a rather eye-catching Pro Series Corvette that straight out of the included Starline case leaves you in no doubt it means business.

Let us get down to the details of this Double-Buck Warwick Corvette. First up, the $$ refers to the two massive dual coil hum-bucker pickups whose coils can be split or combined for a huge array of tones. Running as separate “single coil pickups” or in having the coils in each shell wired in parallel or series offers a tone palette that will suit a huge array of musical contexts.

Under the beautiful flame top, the US Swamp Ash body feels solid in weight without being too heavy. Around 4Kg for this bass in total. I loved the balance and that the whole instrument sat behaving itself on my leg with no signs of the headstock even remotely wanting to lean in a southerly direction.

Wandering up the Ovangkol neck - which is a 3 piece laminate, the stunning grain is worth more than a second and third look whilst the whole profile feels slim like a classic jazz neck, starting off with a 38mm width at the nut. Warwick also includes the Just-A-Nut III, which as the name suggests, is a height adjustable unit on the bass for tweaking to your desired ‘feel’.  Rolling the bass over each jumbo nickel-silver fret shows off an attention to detail as both fret and fretboard are cleanly finished. Once again we are treated in this example to a rich wood grain in the Wenge option fingerboard; Tigerstripe Ebony graces the fretless model of this bass.

Back down to the body and it’s engine-room time. We plugged the Corvette into a GR Bass Cube 800, Mic’d and DI’d. Of course, rather than me trying to explain the sound, get yourself head first into my review video to really hear what the pickup selections have to offer.

As I mentioned above, the Corvette $$ features too large MusicMan style MEC pickups and they are strapped to an MEC active preamp offering Bass and Treble boost and cut. With the active circuit engaged, the sound is big yet open in clarity. The Corvette’s system also features a pull switch on the volume pot that places the bass in to passive mode, which is really handy; a nice touch offering an inviting yet slightly subdued bass colour in comparison. Pickup blending comes courtesy of the knob next to the volume which has a nice even sweep of tones from the matched pickups. This bass configuration offers lots of punch in all settings with a forward boost in the mids as each series setting is selected. Absolutely brilliant for growl in tandem accentuated by pushing the treble control up a tweak too. Zing and huge amounts of bite. Before we were rolling the cameras, I had a go at a bad Ryan Martinie impression and I had smiles all over. Incidentally, whilst we’re on electronics, you can access the battery compartment without a screwdriver. Handy!

I love the small details that really lift this bass; Strap locks as standard and fluorescent side marker dots. The “Invisible Fret Technology” and adjustable bass nut also makes for some welcome inclusions.

Overall, of course, at this price point, the bass should and does have a feeling of great quality about it. Mentioned earlier, the sleek neck profile will reward even the smallest of hands with easy navigation. You can probably guess that actually, the body shape would be welcome for musicians with a smaller frame too.

What’s not to like about this one - that flame top is a beauty isn’t it?

For more information, please visit:

warwickbass.com