Help on buying decision: Katana NT or Proline Corvette

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jumbosilverette

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First post here and first Warwick purchase. I bought a 4 string Katana NT through GC for a good closeout price ($1245) but was impressed with the sound and feel of two Corvettes: the passive ash and active Proline. I love the feel of all three basses and the sound of the Proline. The Katana seems to lack the prototypical "growl," but that might be a factor in my playing or the stock strings, I don't know. The Proline is special order but can be bought for under $1200.

Anyone favor one over the other or am I just over-thinking this purchase?

Thanks in advance for any counsel.

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Hey man,

welcome to the forum. :D I think it doesn't matter what bass you have bought: you will be overthinking anyway. You got a really great deal on the Katana, considering it's a NT Warwick. The two Corvettes are indeed completely different basses, and only you can decide whether you made the right one or not. The Katana is definitely a much more exclusive model, and only a few members have one. Hey, it's a NT as well, so that makes it exclusive as well..............Enjoy your bass man !!! :D
 
if i had t make a choice between those two, definitely Katana NT.

as for the growl... what amp are you using? how old are the strings? do you dig in while playing or do you just pluck the strings lightly?

and oh... WELCOME :)
 
regarding the growl factor, you can expect more from the corvettes due to their ovangkol necks, while the katana NT will have a distinctly more traditional sound because of it's mple NT design

hence why the Streamer Stage 1 also has less growl than most other warwicks - the maple...

I personally would choose the proline, but thats just me...
 
but remember...

if you search in youtube... you would find a lot of awesome guys playing a j-bass and their tone is HELL GROWLY!

id like to quote florin on this RE factors affecting tone:

1.) fingers
2.) bass
3.) amp
4.) everything else
 
KEEP IT! put some nickles on, play closer to the bridge, and you should get some great GROWL!
 
Keep your bass man.
It obviously drew you in in the first place. In fact, since you actually purchased it, there was something about it that you liked better than the others. As for the growl factor, strings, amp and your style will have an effect on how much you get, as will the wood combinations.

That's a VERY attractive bass. Unique, probably sounds like a dream. Change your strings and dial in YOUR amp, not the one at the store. If you really feel that you can do better, haul your amp down to the store and play them all through your amp before making a decision. Chances are, you'll stick with the Katana.
 
if its any help... the katana has two things most warwick basses dont have:

1.) fretmarkers = this means so much to me, aesthetically, and for my guitarist and i to just look at the neck of our instruments and visually differentiate the 7th fret from the 8th fret *lol*

2.) Neck Thru = ok, its a status symobl... and gives more sustain :D

you really should keep that katana, and buy a 2nd warwick instead... it would take awhile to save though....
 
keep the katana! u made a great deal of this not so common bass + it's an nt!
save some money and get one of the vette's later + ebay can be cheaper :wink:

btw lovely katana!
 
herb vibes said:
keep the katana! u made a great deal of this not so common bass + it's an nt!
save some money and get one of the vette's later + ebay can be cheaper :wink:

btw lovely katana!
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+1.

Hang onto the Katana cuz it's not an easy item to replace. Later on, you add something like a bolt-on doublebucker and you've got two basses with extremely different and useful voices, yet both have the familiar feeling Warwick neck. A pair like that covers a huge piece of the bass voicing spectrum. Someday you add a fretless, with the JazzMan PU's so you have that honkin mumbuxxer near the bridge, and you'll have a huge tonal pallette and sufficient tools for a broad range of techniques.

Will it end GAS, will it be the "end-all-be-all" and holy grail ? Don't kid yourself :-)

You'll still "need" :

Large FL hollow box [Alien?]
Travel Bass [Nobby?]
EUB [Triumph?]
Something "Reeeeaaally DiFfeRenT" [Custom Shop?]

Enjoy!!!
`
 
First of all welcome! :D I have to say I love both of the Vettes you're asking about, but I would never trade the Katana for them. The Katana is almost like a limited Warwick. Inlays, gold hardware, neck through, Ekanga veneer, AAA maple top. I agree with Golem you can add to get the tonal range you need, but you should add the Thumb or a $$, or at least a bubinga Vette. The Katana can sound like the two Vettes you're talking about. As far a growl I keep saying I own a Fender Jazz 5, and they get plenty of growl credit themselves, my Katana BLOWS IT OUT OF THE WATER!!! :twisted:
 
KEEP THE KATANA

Seriously, it's a beautiful instrument and like other people said, not a lot of player got this bass. Also, a katana is kinda like a Vampyre NT without the twinjazz, so you can expect a lot from this instrument.

the rest has already been said
 
Not my favorite shape,but the wood combo looks good.And the value to what you paid is great.Keep it and add a Vett in the future as you can never have to many Wicks :D
 
1.- Welcome to the forum.

2.- KEEP the Katana thgey are not so easy to be found especially good for the NT construction.

3.- save for the Vette or apply for that GC ceit card that allows 18 months no interest (I think this was the laest deal i heard) to be used towards the vette.

4.- enjoy the end result= Definetly a win (Katana) Win (vette) situation.

You have any pics?
once you pot them and upload them then you'll hear more "Keep the Katana" cheer here.

seriously, post some pics.
 
Personally I would say the Corvette is the better looking instrument by far, however, it should be prioritised sound, playability, looks.

Just do the right thing any bassist knows is right. Keep it and buy another bass 8)
 
Okay, thanks guys. After a few weeks deliberation I've decided to keep the Katana. It is a unique and beautiful playing bass. I will change over to some nickle strings and get to know this axe and what I can get out of it. It seems to be a perfect match for the group I play in -- 2 singers and acoustic guitar. NExt order of business is to find a new amp.

Thanks for helping me make my decision.
 
jumbosilverette said:
Okay, thanks guys. After a few weeks deliberation I've decided to keep the Katana. It is a unique and beautiful playing bass. I will change over to some nickle strings and get to know this axe and what I can get out of it. It seems to be a perfect match for the group I play in -- 2 singers and acoustic guitar. NExt order of business is to find a new amp.

Thanks for helping me make my decision.
Click to expand...
Two vocalists, hollowbox and Katana? Go back to GC and check out the weird MarkBass combo with the vertical arrayed twin 6" speakers. It has no EQ, just gain, VFL, and VLE controls. With your J-J PU's and the simple controls on that combo, you will own-the-tone. Those two knobs [VFL and VLE] combine to easily produce a wider pallete of tone than you get from a 4-band EQ, and it's so easy to use.

It's for URBists and small ensembles like yours, but it rocks out. If you push it way too hard, it will fart out, so it's not for loud roadhouse bands.

`
 
golem said:
jumbosilverette said:
Okay, thanks guys. After a few weeks deliberation I've decided to keep the Katana. It is a unique and beautiful playing bass. I will change over to some nickle strings and get to know this axe and what I can get out of it. It seems to be a perfect match for the group I play in -- 2 singers and acoustic guitar. NExt order of business is to find a new amp.

Thanks for helping me make my decision.
Click to expand...
Two vocalists, hollowbox and Katana? Go back to GC and check out the weird MarkBass combo with the vertical arrayed twin 6" speakers. It has no EQ, just gain, VFL, and VLE controls. With your J-J PU's and the simple controls on that combo, you will own-the-tone. Those two knobs [VFL and VLE] combine to easily produce a wider pallete of tone than you get from a 4-band EQ, and it's so easy to use.

It's for URBists and small ensembles like yours, but it rocks out. If you push it way too hard, it will fart out, so it's not for loud roadhouse bands.

`
Click to expand...
I ike the Markbass stuff, Golem. As appealing as the MB combo is, I'm thinking about the Little Mark II head, just so I can use my Avatar 212 cabinet. And thanks for the recommendation.
 
jumbosilverette said:
Okay, thanks guys. After a few weeks deliberation I've decided to keep the Katana. It is a unique and beautiful playing bass. I will change over to some nickle strings and get to know this axe and what I can get out of it. It seems to be a perfect match for the group I play in -- 2 singers and acoustic guitar. NExt order of business is to find a new amp.

Thanks for helping me make my decision.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum man! You took the right decision. The best Streamer STage I I tried had the wood combination of katana. This is an amazing bass, and no other warwick has this slap sound like Katana. Beautiful bass, I like the looks too!
 
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