Corvette 5 Std. vs. Corvette 5 $$ Std Ash vs. Corvette 5 $$ NT Bubinga

[King David]

One of my friends just bought a Corvette $$ 5 Std. I must admit I am a little jealous. GAS is setting in, but for the record I am not giving in and getting one, but a few years down the road...who knows. I am curious, and perhaps this will end my GAS early for now to at least talk about it and admit to my problem. So here goes.

I love my Corvette Std 5. It is punchy, growly, deep, midrangey and has nice snap to it. I would say it plays well in almost any situation. I do use a POD to take care of some of my sound tastes, but this thing is a great bass without question.

I do sometimes wonder about those humbuckers. I do like the Stingray sound. I realize that it is not a direct Stingray sound, but you could get close. If I were to choose a $$ I would probably lean toward the NT, although the price is high and I have not seen one used (I have not looked super hard).
I would like to compare the following:
Bubinga Corvett Std 5
Ash Corvette Std 5 $$
Bubinga Corvette 5 $$ NT

Here are some questions for those that know. I am more intersted in the $$ to $$ NT comparrison, but comparing to the Corvette Std is good to as a point of reference. I know they are different animals, but that is why I am asking about them.

Comparing all 3
1. Which has the most growl?
2. Describe the growl from each (deep, mid, over the top, mild...)
3. Which has the deepest bottom tone?
4. Which has the best feel? (is the NT more playable without the heel?)

Comparing both $$
5. Which do you like better and why?
6. Which is the most versatile?
8. What is your favorite pickup settin and why?
9. Is the bubinga model have the darker deeper growly tone?
10. Does the NT truly have more sustain?

Please add any comments you like.

 

[budget bassist]

I've never really tried a standard corvette, but when it comes to jazz pickups Vs musicman style humbuckers, the $$ will almost certainly have the most growl.

 

[TylerDurdenPSSC]

The Ash is going to have a nice round rump,
whereas the Bubinga models will have a well
crafted and notable mid range kick.

Dark woods and light woods are like dark liquors
and light liquors.

(With the exception of Ebony, of course. )

 

[Wo0d643]

I have a standard ash. I love it! I can do lots of stuff with it. I played a bubinga and i thought it sounded great too but, the sound was almost to big for me. The $$ i played was ash and was a four. It was great to but, it was to me more of a METAL style bass clicky and less resonant midrrange.

I much prefer my Standard Ash 5. Its also tons lighter than the Buginga.
Thats just me though. I just got a thumb too and the guys in my band prefer the sound of the Ash Vette.

I vote Standard out of the choices laid out. But CAN you really go WRONG with a WW???


Wo0d

 

[TylerDurdenPSSC]

+1.

I love my Pro Line over the standard and Ash models.

It's different strokes for different folks.

 

[EVOLVEBASS]

I would like to compare the following:
Bubinga Corvett Std 5
Ash Corvette Std 5 $$
Bubinga Corvette 5 $$ NT

My opinions...

Comparing all 3
1. Which has the most growl? STD (see #2)
2. Describe the growl from each: Personally, I would consider the STD to be growly/cutting and the $$'s to be punchy/thick with a bit of growl when you dig in.
3. Which has the deepest bottom tone? $$ BO
4. Which has the best feel? $$ NT

Comparing both $$
5. Which do you like better and why? $$ NT - because it cost me way more... Just kidding. It's still the best bass I've ever owned.
6. Which is the most versatile? $$ NT
8. What is your favorite pickup setting and why? Dual parallel - because it kills the first 10 rows at every show.
9. Does the bubinga model have the darker deeper growly tone? No (maple neck) - and ash is darker.
10. Does the NT truly have more sustain? Maybe a bit, but more noticeable is its 'presence'.

EDIT: I should add that I love the $$'s because they have such a 'warm' tone. Some consider the $$ BO to be muddy in the lows, but the quality of your amp/cabinet plays a big role there, as well as your personal EQ settings.

 

[golem]

...........

I should add that I love the $$'s because they
have such a 'warm' tone. Some consider the $$
BO to be muddy in the lows, but the quality of
your amp/cabinet plays a big role there, as well
as your personal EQ settings.

+1.

I've got both ash $$s and bubinga JJs. The $$s
can be muddy if you put both in parallel and fail
to counter this with some upper EQ. Sometimes
mudd is useful, especially since you can turn it
off and on. It's something you can't really get in
quantity from the bubinga JJs. And the $$s are
so kind to your back and shoulder ... but I still
play the bubinga JJs cuz they do have a useful
vibrant tone that no amount of coil splitting or
knob twirling can bring forth from an ash $$. I
can't speak to the idea of a bubinga $$, but it
sounds like a waaayy cool idea when I imagine
its voice via extrapolation from my basses.


I think it's not ALL about the wood. My ash HS
Sterling can go where the ash $$s cannot, for a
tone that can challenge the bubinga JJs ... and
my JJs are both hotrods: EMG active and active/
passive Barts.

Whatever Warwick is buying from MEC, you and
I can also buy. There's a reason that MM will not
sell components. Workaround ? Start with an HS
Sterling. Have a bubinga body built, and get an
ebony FB installed. Starting with a used Sterling
this would cost about $1850. Not too bad really.​

 

[MichaelJordan]

Bump.

I am debating returning my 5 string Bubinga STD with Active pickups, and getting the corvette $$ or the Corvette $$ LTD 5 2009 special edition - but I cannot find ANY info on these things.

I am worried that if I give up my bubinga, I will lose the growl and deepness

Any help?

 

[MichaelJordan]

I should also add that the reason I am thinking about returning it is because 11.3 pounds is too heavy for my back. If it will sound better than the $$ I guess I can try to stick it out?

 

[EVOLVEBASS]

I am debating returning my 5 string Bubinga STD with Active pickups, and getting the corvette $$ or the Corvette $$ LTD 5 2009 special edition - but I cannot find ANY info on these things.

I am worried that if I give up my bubinga, I will lose the growl and deepness

Any help?

The LTD 2009 absolutely KILLS, man. What kind of info are you looking for on it? By the way, Greg at Rocket Music (rocketmusic.net) still has the 5-string version from NAMM.

EDIT: If you haven't been there, here's the place to start:

But it's very different than a typical Warwick...

(STD) From the wood perspective, the growl is more from the ovangkol neck and wenge fretboard than the bubinga body. And from your other post, yeah, bubinga is heavy for sure. The LTD 2009 is even lighter than the production (ash) $$...

Let me know if you have any $$ questions though...

 

[tjobrien21]

I'd like to try a 5 string $$.. But I wonder, do the pickups get in the way when playing slap? Particularly the 'pop', or if you're doing 'double thumb'? It's tough to do on some basses because of pickup positioning.

 

[golem]

Bump.

I am debating returning my 5 string Bubinga STD
with Active pickups, and getting the corvette $$ or
the Corvette $$ LTD 5 2009 special edition - but I
cannot find ANY info on these things.

I am worried that if I give up my bubinga, I will
lose the growl and deepness

Any help?

Yeah. Get an ash Sterling HS and stop
worrying about it. Get the FL, cuz the
sound of strings directly on pau ferro
is the sound god put us here to make.

​

 

[EVOLVEBASS]

I'd like to try a 5 string $$.. But I wonder, do the pickups get in the way when playing slap? Particularly the 'pop', or if you're doing 'double thumb'? It's tough to do on some basses because of pickup positioning.

It depends on your personal technique - taking one for a test drive is the only way you'll know for sure. I'm not a big slap 'n pop guy by any means, but for me the answer is 'no'.

 

[EVOLVEBASS]

Yeah. Get an ash Sterling HS and stop
worrying about it. Get the FL, cuz the
sound of strings directly on pau ferro
is the sound god put us here to make.

I'm starting to think golem works for Ernie Ball... just kidding.

 

[ectoflanger]

I love my Corvette Std Bubinga 4 string fretless and I plan to get the same in a 5. They fit the sound I'm looking for.