ProfFrink Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 So... Anyone got a Warwick GPS yet and can say whether the quality justifies the price? AFAIU "GPS" means [i]German[/i] Pro Series and it's a new thing (from 2015, or possibly 2014...?). Previously this line was made in Korea (was it called the "Pro Series" before? not sure...) and were cheaper. The german made are supposed to be higher quality... (The "RockBass" ones are still made in China as before) Anyone baught one and can say how is their quality? I'm especially interested at:[list] [*]Good fretwork and neck alignment allowing for good buzz-free low action. [*]Well shielded and low-noise electronics. [/list] Posting on the lefties forum because I've seen in the past (e.g with Ibanez) that lefties are sometimes constructed with lower quality than RH, so doubly suspicious about the lefty ones... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 (edited) I've got two Korean Pros, but I haven't tried the German ones yet, so my experience below may not be relevant to your question. There may be an element of truth in the idea that LH instruments can be a bit more hit-and-miss in the quality department then their corresponding RH models. My first Korean Pro (a fretted Corvette 5), bought brand new, arrived with a wiring problem of some sort that made it totally mute, plus a loose strap button. Its replacement is absolutely fine in all respects, but I still had to replace the strap button screw with a bigger one (that problem might have been caused by mishandling during packing or transport). The second Korean Pro, the fretless version of the above, again brand new, arrived with a terrible mess in the assembling of the bridge. It played fine as it was, but I'm OCD, so I fixed the mess while I was replacing the strings [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/255630-fixing-a-dodgy-bridge-on-a-2010-korean-warwick-corvette-pro"]http://basschat.co.u...ck-corvette-pro[/url]). In both cases, a slight buzz can be heard from the electronics when I'm near a TV or a PC monitor (both flat), but to be fair, it's only noticeable because I like to scoop the mids up in the EQ - with the EQ flat or in the smile configuration, the buzz is not audible. While I think the above quality problems may well have been a factor in Warwick's canning of its Korea manufacturing plant, perhaps left-handed instruments are also treated with less care at the factory. I also would be curious to hear other people's experiences. Edited November 15, 2015 by bluejay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfFrink Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 (edited) Thanks! I must say that your experience is a bit disconcerting, but I already decided to take the chance (actually before I saw your post here) and ordered the GPS Corvette $$ from Thomann. I do have some general appreciation of German quality (not from basses though), and I do have the (possibly naive) expectation that at this price point quality is going to be good. Thomann does have a return policy but since I'm outside the EU, a return will still leave a hefty dent, so I'm hopeful. BTW, My bad experience with lefties was with an Ibanez, that I basically had to fix myself for more than 30% it's original price, but that now I'm relatively happy with. I'm not entirely sure it's a lefty thing, but there were some pretty weird things going on with that bass and I really don't have any other explanation. The GPS bass is a sort of present to myself for a few good career moves that I've accomplished lately (not as musician), and also I'm really hoping this Warwick $$ is going to work for me soundwise. This is also a bit of a gamble, because I generally don't like Warwicks, but I did get a chance to noodle on a CS corvette $$ a few months ago and I really liked the sounds of some of the settings. Also I've learned to appreciate how they sit in a mix. Fingers crossed then... Edited November 15, 2015 by ProfFrink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 I'm sure you will be fine! The middy sound typical of Warwicks is modern as opposed to traditional, and allows the bass to cut through. Keep us posted about your new toy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmo Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I bought a Pro Series Streamer, and it played and sounded perfectly. I guess it must be hit and miss on quality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfFrink Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 (edited) Got the bass yesterday, and it's off to my favorite tech. It's extremely heavy, but seems to have excellent ergonomics. Seems very well made, but it doesn't look like they bothered to set it up very well, and it also came with "black label" Warwick strings, which AFAIU are Warwick's cheaper Chinese made strings. They don't look very good, and don't seem to sound very good (they seem to have that chorusy effect that bad string sometimes have), so I'm holding judgment of the sound until it's properly setup with new strings. The gig-bag seems to be of good quality, which I understand is a new thing for Warwick. Edited December 10, 2015 by ProfFrink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfFrink Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 Ah! One strange thing is that they seem to be using non-standard output jacks. My fender guitar cables works OK, but my more expensive VOX cable seems to have plugs that are just a little too wide. Very strange... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 [quote name='ProfFrink' timestamp='1449763728' post='2926628'] Ah! One strange thing is that they seem to be using non-standard output jacks. My fender guitar cables works OK, but my more expensive VOX cable seems to have plugs that are just a little too wide. Very strange... [/quote] I find that surprising! On mine, the output jack was a bit tight at first, but it's fine now with all the leads I have used with it. Perhaps it's the Vox cable that's non-standard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfFrink Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 [quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1449763926' post='2926633'] I find that surprising! On mine, the output jack was a bit tight at first, but it's fine now with all the leads I have used with it. Perhaps it's the Vox cable that's non-standard? [/quote] Nope. The VOX cable works on all my other basses. And even more surprisingly, the cheap RockCable patch-cables which I have, and I'm pretty sure are some sort of Warwick brand, also don't fit into this jack. I think I've read somewhere (possibly one of the user-reviews for these basses on MF or a similar site) that people have issues with these jacks and replaced them with Carvin jacks, which seem to fit well on these basses. Very very strange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Strange indeed. Maybe try pinging Warwick an email and ask if they have heard of the problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfFrink Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 I opened a thread on the Warwick user forum. It doesn't look like anyone heard of this problem there (though I actually doubt that forum is very popular ). But anyway, besides this strange jack problem, that I can probably live with fine (if I'll just remember to always bring my own cable) - I got the bass back from the tech yesterday and I'm super pleased with it. With the new strings (Ernie Ball Super Slinky nickle) you can now really here it, and it sounds great. All of the tones are "Warwicky", but I find that I actually like it, and I keep trying to find the more extreme mid-grinding ones, and going over to the amp to turn the volume a bit higher, which is the greatest compliment a tone can get (I usually dislike higher volumes). There are also the more "thumpy" settings (sort of the Warwicky take on a p-bass) and smoother settings (Warwicky take on j-bass) and a lot in between. I do find that this bass makes me rethink EQ, and I'm pretty sure that once I go buy a new amp (currently only keep a small practice amp) - this is the bass I'll take for testing, because it seems to "challenge" the amp more than my other basses. It's really strange that they put these cheap strings on it in the factory. They really don't do it any justice. I can imagine people walking into a store, picking this excellent instrument for a play, and going out thinking it's actually very bland. I'll probably be replacing the gig-bag. Yes - it's a "premium" gigbag, and I understand from my tech that the quality of this bag is a big step up for Warwick, but I'm still not really impressed. E.g. it has a "neck protector/holder" but it's zippered (to make an ostensibly useful pocket out of it). I don't need the pocket, and I'm not at all convinced that zipper doesn't rub against the neck, despite the not very impressive padding. Will probably get a "Mono" or something similar for it soon. The ergonomics are great, and I now see that although I don't know what it is exactly - the neck just feels "right" - much more so than my other basses. Probably something in the profile and texture - just not sure exactly what yet... Overall quality seems very high. I'm a "fineschmecker" (in the sense of beeing sensitive to imperfections and defects - I think the people who built this will readily recognize the word ) and the fact that I still haven't found any fault with it is a good testament to its quality. There is also no sign the it being lefty had in any way affected quality. The electronics also seem top-notch and extremely low-noise. Using any of the serial or parallel settings, or even the single-coil with the pan balanced produces noise that seems to be below the noise-floor of my already low-noise setup (so practically - no noise), and even having one of the pickups panned in single-coil mode, although this does produce some inevitable noise - it's relatively very low. I'm sure I'll find some faults once I learn to know it better (I always do eventually ) but even if I do - I think I'm going to be super happy with this bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmo Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I have had 2 Warwicks, so far from being an expert, but my jack plugs fitted any cable i tried. I will say that the jack on the Fortress was rubbish and had to be replaced, but maybe it was because it was a Rockbass. I am glad that you like it. Everyone should have at least one in my opinion.They do seem to have a unique sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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