RockBass Club

BassPlyr Randy

Long Winded SOB
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For those of you that haven't found it yet, we now have a RockBass club just like our actual German made brethern. It's located with the social groups under the community tab at the top of the page. Here's a link since your already here.



So all you RockBass owners, come join the RockBass Club and post them pics of all those beautiful RockBasses.
 
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I'm still getting used to the software, I'll join pretty soon. As an owner of both German Warwicks and Rockbasses I can attest that Rockbasses are not cheap Warwicks, but an alternative. They're great basses, I'll not sell mine that's for sure.
 

Myh

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Myh RockBass experience (Part 1)


sb1.jpg

Warwick RB Star Bass, 5 string, 2017, before reworks/upgrades


sb2.jpg

Warwick RB Star Bass, 5 string, after reworks/upgrades – Front


sb3.jpg

Warwick RB Star Bass, 5 string, after reworks/upgrades - Back


Specifications:

Machine heads (upgrade): Hipshot HB6 - 3/8" Ultralite® Mini Clover
Nut: Just-A.Nut III
Neck Wood: Maple neck with Ekanga veneer stripes
Fretboard: Wenge fingerboard
Inlay (upgrade): White pearl block stickers
Truss rod cover (upgrade): White pearloid (home made)
Fingerboard Radius: 26”
Scale length: 34” (long scale)
Width Nut: 45 mm / 1,75”
Width 12th fret: 61,7 mm / 2,43”
Width 21th fret: 67,7 mm / 2,67”
Fret quantity material: 21 Extra High Jumbo Nickel silver frets Body Shape: Curved
Bodywood (Topwood /Backwood): Laminated Maple Body, back, sides and top
Color: Solid Daphne Blue High Polish Finish
Pickups: Passive vintage MEC Single coil Pickups (neck & bridge)
Electronics: Passive
Pot layout: Volume (neck) / volume (bridge) / tone (neck) / tone (bridge)
Pot knobs (upgrade): Gibson chrome
Switch: 3-way toggle switch (pickup selection)
Bridge system: 2-piece Warwick Bridge
Strap system (upgrade): Dunlop dual design
Construction: Set-neck
Hardware color: Chrome
String label / gauges: GHS Custom Shop flatwound strings 045” – 126”
Weight: 3,73 kg (after machine head change)
Gigbag: RockBag Starline RB 20511








 

Myh

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Myh RockBass experience (Part 2)


sb4.jpg

Hipshot HB6 - 3/8" Ultralite® Mini Clover machine heads. White pearloid truss rod cover



sb5.jpg

Dunlop dual design strap system

sb6.jpg

Gibson chrome top hat style knobs (Les Paul 2017)


Reworks/upgrades:

Neck/frets: Smoothed the fret edges
Machine heads: Changed for Hipshot HB6 - 3/8" Ultralite® Mini Clover
(special order), enhancing the vintage look and due to neck dive
Inlays: Added white pearl block stickers, enhancing the vintage look
Truss rod cover: Changed for homemade white pearloid, enhancing the vintage look
Bridge system: Had to route an extra 2,5 mm deeper pocket for the bridge to allow the right string hight for myh liking
Knobs: Changed for Gibson chrome knobs, enhancing the vintage look
Strap system: Changed for Dunlop dual design, enhancing the vintage look and because I have Dunlops on all my other Warwicks
String label/gauges: GHS Custom Shop flatwound strings 045” – 126”, for old school sound


I was pleasantly surprised by the workmanship, finish and sound of this beautiful and playful instrument.
After the above-mentioned adjustments and upgrades,
I took it out for a gig with a 60’s -70’s band, where I was hired as a stand in. The band complimented the sound and look of the Star Bass.

This will not be myh last RockBass project.





















 

Myh

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Taking care of the Star Bass neck dive. Myh RockBass experience (Part 3)


I always felt a little uncomfortable with the Star Bass neck dive, although trying to compensate a little with the issue when installing new Hipshot light weight tuners (for that vintage look). It didn’t do that much.

I could not help but notice that the Lee Sklar Star Bass has a more pronounced upper horn with a strap button on it. So, I tried to find a way to reinforce the light wood of the upper horn to cope with a strap button, when I came across this link:

Moving the strap button on an Epiphone Jack Casady to the upper horn (Advice)

In this link, Stewblack (thanks to Stewblack) refers to another link:

Strap Button on ES Guitars

Bottom line: I followed the instruction and got my strap button fixed at the upper horn, and I could not be happier with the solution, the neck dive is almost gone and it is so much more comfortable to play the Star Bass. I wish Warwick would consider moving the strap button to the horn as upgrade for all future Star Bass’.

While making the Star Bass more comfortable playing, I made an armrest to take the sharpness of the edge of the bass when resting my underarm on the bass, it works very well, and I can highly recommend using an arm rest at acoustic and semi acoustic guitars and basses.

I used Loctite epoxy glue and Dulop straplocks (dual design strap at the horn and flush mounting type strap at the end)

Pics:

SBhorn1.jpg


SBend1.jpg


SBbalance1.jpg
 
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Hey,

my first Warwick bass was Rockbass Vampyre, I still love it and it sounds really good!

I am thinking about selling it, as I don’t play it almost ever (got too addicted to my teambuild Corvette), but when I just look at it, I don’t know if I can let it go lol
 

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I have a rock bass it's probably close to 20 years old sounds and plays great .... BUT one day it just wouldn't make a sound? has anyone else had the same problem. do i need to re-wire it or change the pickups.
where can i purchase harness kit or pickups for it?
 

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