A huge question about RockBass Electronics.

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Hola!

Well, I got a huge question about RB because the YT demo videos are saying some stuff that the website do not and that I have checked by myself so I really need your help.

I work with Colombian distributor as a warwick specialist giving info to new warwick buyers, I got many documents thanks to Chris Kunitz, Dan Africano, Florence and Andy's videos.

Recently a buyer came and asked me about the electronics on RB line. As website says and by what I've seen: Only the Fortress, the Streamer NT 1 and the Robert Trujillo Artist Line got MEC electronics (that's obvious when you open the compartment and you check by yourself the pots. The other models got generic active or passive electronics.

The buyer got mad because all RB videos says "MEC electronics" on the active models shown (LX, Corvette Basic, Classic, Premium, Vampyre and Dark Lord), he called us "liars" and left the store so upset.

This problem has started to slowly grow up since I manage the colombian warwick support page and people is sending many questions about this topic.

So here's my big question:

Is this a video edit mistake or as 2013 all RB will come with MEC electronics (for active models) as a standard.

Colombian distributor and me will be very thankful uf you solve this huge question for us.

As I mentioned I opened the basses and I've seen that only 3 models got it (the only model I haven't opened is the LX and website says it has).

Thanks everyone.

Regards from Colombia,
 

schlobodan

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not being a rb expert I can say that some of the wick vids contain erronous statements even though they are generally very good quality.

If had to make a bet I would set my money on the error in the vid.

If these things become problematic maybe a forum spot the error contest would help:)

just my 2 cents
 

LoerEnd

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Real ♣♣♣♣ty situation to have to face the customer if Sascha here is right.
Hope it's not you who has to.
 

schlobodan

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most of the time the errors are minor like on the new pnut 3 vid where andy states
that push pull would be active/passive where in fact it is slap contol.
maybe somebody who knows the configs by heart should be involved.
e.g. most of the time coil switching is explained in the wrong order
(at least on all my wicks it is different:)
things like this could be easily a avoided.
 

Augie

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Wow, thats a pretty big error, seeing as MEC pots and pre's cost a freakin fortune, and if i bought something that was advertised as having a couple hundred bucks of guts and got miscellaneous chinese stuff of unknown quality i would be pissed.
 
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Good question... I am staying tuned for the answer!

Shaun

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Hardy

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maybe somebody who knows the configs by heart should be involved.
e.g. most of the time coil switching is explained in the wrong order
(at least on all my wicks it is different:)
things like this could be easily a avoided.

Schlo, maybe you should enforce the official Warwick product specialist team? "Hey, what´s happening? This is Sascha from Germany! I got this beautiful beautiful Warwick P-Nut 3 bass...". Yes, you can! :D
 

Florin

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Wow, I thought I answered here, sorry...
So, I asked and I've been answered that it was indeed an error in specs, and they (the specs, not basses) will be corrected ASAP... I am sorry you've been in this situation, Duvan...
 

Augie

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So the RBs have generic electronics? Now I assume that warwick would get GOOD generic electronics, but its a big step up to the MEC stuff, which is really top of the line.
 
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So they have MEC pickups and generic pre?

(Fortress Rockbass)

Shaun

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Thanks Florin! Is there a MEC replacement Pre that is a direct fit?

Thanks

Shaun

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Florin

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Of course there is, please contact NY Custom Shop for one. And read your PM please :)
 
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Really?

So the Rockbass Streamer LX I've had for three years doesn't have an MEC preamp in it?

That's kind of messed up. All of the videos, literature, and everything I came across before purchasing showed the MEC preamp was included, not some generic "active 2-way electronics" system. It's especially messed up that this went on for three (or more) years and went completely unnoticed.

I was going to order a new 6 string Rockbass Corvette in a few days, but knowing this I'm not certain that I'll place that order. I'm not sure what I'll get now...
 

Augie

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Does the spec sheet that would have come with the rock basses have it listed as a MEC BECII? If so I think you might have a case for getting warwick to give you one. If the specs say it was a MEC you could argue that the product want as described. Ads and interwebs video usually have disclaimers that protect the manufacturers if they change specs, but if the spec sheet with your bass's serial number on it has MEC pre on it you should get a MEC pre!
 
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I like my Fortress but I to thought the same thing about the pre. I feel pretty let down. I wish there was something Warwick could do.

Shaun

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Not a BECII, no.

There's certainly conflicting information though.

In some demo videos people from Warwick state that the Rockbass line use the same components (hardware, pickups, AND preamp), as the German Warwicks, and I thought this was part of the selling feature when they revamped the line in 2009 or so.

I found this youtube video, youtube.com/watch?v=-ZdEGxJ-NDo, and Andy says that Rockbass basses "all feature MEC pickups and MEC electronics".

In this video showing a Rockbass Corvette Active, youtube.com/watch?v=aiIOBD8_H0c, it shows the following:
Rockbass MEC electronics.png

But in other videos, it just lists them as "Active 2-way Electronics", which is also what it shows under the specifications tab of the webpage.

To be honest, I was emailing WarwickOfficial a few weeks ago asking him about the pickup/electronic differences of the 6 string Rockbass Corvette and the Korean Pro Series Streamer LX - my main question was pickup location, but we got to talking... At the time, under the specification sections, both models were stated to have "Active 2-way Electronics".

I asked him if there were differences and his response was that the electronic components are different, but the pickups are the same. So, he wasn't lying.

But at the time, honestly, there was no differentiation on the website about the two different electronic systems used. The "Active 2-way Electronics" listed for the Korean Pro Series Streamer LX was the MEC preamp, and the same thing was listed for the Rockbass Corvette, so why would it be different? I also considered the many youtube videos I had seen, not just those that I showed above, where they state MEC electronics were being used. I thought that WarwickOfficial was wrong, possibly misinformed...

Turns out he was right though.

I really wish this was made more clear though and there wasn't so much contradicting information all over the place about this.

To me, it was really alluded to that the Rockbass line models, which had active components, had MEC preamps, not some inferior generic active system.
 
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Like I said above, I really like my Fortress but the pre amp is killing me. I would return the bass since I just bought it but they said I would have to pay the 15% restocking fee. So I might just sell the bass out right. I really wish this information was out there prior to my purchase.

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Is there any wsy of returning the bass without the fee? I purchased the bass from an online dealer of Warwick.
Music Power

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