Alright....new guy in the house

eastcoasteddie

eastcoasteddie

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I had no idea there was a Warwick forum (I don't know why I didn't think of it...there are forums for EVERYTHING these days...)

I just got a used Rock Bass Corvette Basic 5 fretless off ebay, and I am quite surprised by its fit & finish. The control cavity layout blew me away the second I opened it.
I do believe it is an '03 model (s/n is RBA 009716-03) I didn't think these were out for that long...when were they introduced? I only started to hear about them & actually see them in as late at '07. Mine does not have a Just-a-Nut at all...only a standard fixed nut :(
I like the sound, although not like a real Warwick...but still growly.

I totally dig the tiger/ebony fingerboard.
(pics taken during cleaning & restringing)
 
Man, I'm in love with your Ebony Fingerboard. :o
 
I think an RB should have a JAN, both of mine do.
 
Congrats and welcome to the forum! They're nice basses, and I must say this fingerboard looks much, much better than mine's :)
Which strings are you using on it?
I've heard about some ppl who broke their JAN's when trying to adjust it without detuning/releasing string tension, maybe that was the case. It is not actually prone to breaking.

Have a good jammin' with it ;)
 
Motor said:
Congrats and welcome to the forum! They're nice basses, and I must say this fingerboard looks much, much better than mine's :)
Which strings are you using on it?
I've heard about some ppl who broke their JAN's when trying to adjust it without detuning/releasing string tension, maybe that was the case. It is not actually prone to breaking.

Have a good jammin' with it ;)
Click to expand...

Looking at the nut more closely, it really does look original. The Satin black finish from the headstock is on the sides of the nut as well. If it was replaced, it sure looks like a factory job. Could it be an original fixed nut?

It came with Flatwounds on it, but the E was totally dead and vibrated in a really weird way that sounded like it was rubbing the fingerboard no matter where it was "fretted"

I put on a set of Ernie Ball Slinkies I had from another fretless I used to own.
Any recommendations on the best string to use on this bass? I was hesitant to put rounds on it for the sake of saving the fingerboard, although this ebony seems a bit more resilient than rosewood...
 
Hi Eddie,
Good to see you found us mate.
I'm the guy you've been talking to on talkbass.
 
eastcoasteddie said:
Looking at the nut more closely, it really does look original. The Satin black finish from the headstock is on the sides of the nut as well. If it was replaced, it sure looks like a factory job. Could it be an original fixed nut?

It came with Flatwounds on it, but the E was totally dead and vibrated in a really weird way that sounded like it was rubbing the fingerboard no matter where it was "fretted"

I put on a set of Ernie Ball Slinkies I had from another fretless I used to own.
Any recommendations on the best string to use on this bass? I was hesitant to put rounds on it for the sake of saving the fingerboard, although this ebony seems a bit more resilient than rosewood...
Click to expand...

Well, I don't really know if RBs came with anything other than the JAN II, have to ask the more experienced guys on the forum for that ;)

I'm using D'addario Chromes on mine, they gave the "acoustic" kinda sound I wanted for a fretless. Flatwounds are rare around here so I didn't have much of a choice. =/

As for resistance to roundwound attrition, the original set of Warwick Redbox strings that come with Rockbasses tried to eat the fingerboard raw, I changed 'em in few weeks, but it was enough to leave a few marks.

Cheers
 
I'm seriously starting to love this bass more & more each time I play it. The preamp delivers a great tone.
The only thing slightly bugging me is the tight string spacing. 17-18mm would be ideal. When I pluck, I tend to only get my fingernail under the string, where as I usually like to get a bit more of the meaty area of my fingertip under the string.
 
Congratulations on the new bass Eddie!

Beautiful ;)

...and welcome to the forum!

:)
 






About the rapid initial marking of the FB by RW
strings ... I don't know how it works, but don't
let the quick initial effect, rows of little parallel
grooves, scare you. Somehow it all slows down
enormously after that. Obviously, the long term
wear is less with flats, but even with RWs it will
take years to need a replaning.

I happen to prefer the sound of flats, even on
fretted basses ... especially on fretted basses,
since I only wanna hear the string, not all the
sloppy noises I make ! So, I'm more likely to
play RWs on FL than on fretted. Having plenty
of basses, mostly FL, i get to play a real mixed
bag of "native" tones, so even while prefering
the hum of flats, I find the growl of RWs adds
to the variety .... and I dig variety. I have no
"My Tone", and I'm not innerressed in finding
one. I simply avoid tones I DON'T like and the
rest of it is all good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Important context, re: my remarks on tone.
I never slap, I don't care to 'stand out', and I
expect to hear only low end from my playing.
That doesn't mean all low bass EQ. I'll add
all the upper EQ needed to enhance or enrich
my low end, but I want it heard only as rich,
deep, bass tone ... not as hot or spanky tone.

YMMV.

​




 
Last edited by a moderator:
After playing around with it for a few days, I found that I like to keep the bridge pickup solo and turn up the bass boost about 1/2 from the center detent, treble at "0" detent. BIG growl from this configuration; BIG smiles from me!
I might even feel saucy enough to put up a sound clip...
 
What Golem just said was music to my ears....I totally agree. I like to hear people say that they "feel" my playing as opposed to "hearing" my playing.
 
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