The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Other Bass Brands => Topic started by: Basvarken on January 15, 2008, 05:28:25 AM

Title: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: Basvarken on January 15, 2008, 05:28:25 AM
Never been a fan of Warwick basses. The shapes were always a bit too "amoebic" for my liking. And the "hanging dog ear" machine heads have always looked silly to me.

But I must admit that their latest Star Bass II look downright appealing...

(http://www.warwick.de/tools/load.php?id=00000071634&height=390&)


The description on the Warwick site is confusing me. They mention a bolt on whereas the pics show a set neck.

(http://www.warwick.de/tools/load.php?id=00000071636&height=390&quality=80)



And why would Warwick want to make pickups that look like mudbuckers when they're not?

Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: chromium on January 15, 2008, 08:19:00 AM
Looks good!  What's under the pickup covers - active MECs or something?

I can't help but wonder if the "Star Bass" moniker was a nod to Framus...
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: doombass on January 15, 2008, 09:30:33 AM
Wow. The first Warwick that ever has appealed to me. Those Muddy looking pup's were made for the Jack Bruce Signature model they made just before the Royal Albert Hall Cream reunion concerts. Even Gibson themselves are practising the sheep in wolfs clothing on the SG Reissue.
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: Dave W on January 15, 2008, 10:54:03 AM
Yeah, this is obviously an extension of the EB-3ish Jack Bruce Signature concept. I do remember that Jack said they hadn't got it quite right, can't remember if he was referring to the electronics. That prototype did have MEC electronics of some sort.

I agree about the Framus Star reference.

Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: PhilT on January 17, 2008, 06:48:03 AM
So is Warwick going into the Gibson reissue business? Maybe they'll make that NR Bird reissue you lot are always on about.
Title: Dynasty
Post by: uwe on January 17, 2008, 08:05:23 AM
Definitely a bow to the Bill Wyman popularized Star bass though that was singlecut and the Framus doublecut hollowbodies had different monikers. Warwick owns the Framus name and resurrected it after Framus had gone bust in the early eighties, Framus founder and then CEO being the dad of Warwick's founder and current CEO Peter Wilfer.

If this bass doesn't have anodyne pups, I might be tempted ...

Uwe
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: Andrew on January 19, 2008, 08:23:39 PM
Add me to the list of fans of this Warwick bass. I'd like to see it in a solid finish, or with a different body wood.
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: Dave W on January 19, 2008, 08:47:38 PM
I'd like to see it in a single (neck) pickup version, but that's unlikely with Warwick.
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: SKATE RAT on January 19, 2008, 09:14:38 PM
it does look really nice,i got a chance to play the Jack Bruce warwick in a GC a few months ago.it sounded great but made my T-40 seem like balsa wood.seriously the heaviest bass i've ever seen.this one might be really nice.usually i hate Warwick but this one has spiked my interest.but the JB bass was 4 grand,i hope these are cheaper.
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: Andrew on January 20, 2008, 12:53:07 AM
I'm curious about the price too. Hollowbody rarely equals cheap.
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: OldManC on January 26, 2008, 06:02:16 PM
Dang, that's a nice looking bass!
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: drbassman on January 26, 2008, 09:36:07 PM
Holy crap, Batman! How did I miss this?!? It's the first Warwick that's really appealed to me too!  Wow!
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: gweimer on January 27, 2008, 12:39:03 PM
I'm curious about the price too. Hollowbody rarely equals cheap.

Sorry, I didn't see this.  The price is about $4000, according to other sites.
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: Basvarken on January 27, 2008, 02:00:19 PM
The price is about $4000, according to other sites.
Thanx, that cures GAS instantly ;D
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: gweimer on January 27, 2008, 08:23:34 PM
But, hey, it's only about HALF the price of the Jack Bruce model...   ;D
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: Basvarken on January 28, 2008, 01:51:46 AM
But, hey, it's only about HALF the price of the Jack Bruce model...   ;D
the jack bruce sig goes for 2990 euro over here... (4400 dollar)
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: gweimer on January 28, 2008, 05:19:10 AM
They came out over here at about $7,000.
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: drbassman on January 28, 2008, 10:40:55 AM
Yep, my Warwick dealer told me $4000 MSRP, so they would sell it for $3000 or so.  Yikes, it's a bit worse than I expected, but then again, I'm naive.
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: gweimer on January 28, 2008, 02:58:20 PM
They must have dropped the price.  The price I saw was hanging on it at NAMM a couple years back, when they introduced it.
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: drbassman on January 30, 2008, 05:58:11 AM
They came out over here at about $7,000.

$7000!  That's insane!  A $4000 MSRP is bad enough.  How hard is it to make a hollow body bass anyway?  Don't answer that, it's just rhetorical whining!
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: Chris P. on January 31, 2008, 11:40:15 AM
I like the Star II except for the exotic woods. Make a cherry one and I'd happily become an endorser;)
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: Chris P. on March 24, 2008, 10:05:40 AM
It's a beautiful bass in real life, but I GAS more fr a Buzzard or Buzzard-headed Explorer-style Stryker.
Title: Re: Warwick Star Bass II
Post by: Chris P. on April 29, 2008, 02:39:42 PM
The Star Bass has the same pick ups as the Jack Bruce, but passive instead of active.

I can't remember who asked it here, but I guess you can order a CS model with one pick up?