The Warwick will always be my finger-style bass, which for me interprets into "the bass I use for plucked basslines, primarily." It can funk out very well, but I use my 'Ray5 for that purpose. I have yet to meet a bass that can serve all stylistic and tonal aspects of the artistic spectrum. This is one of (for now) four bass-tools in my "toolbox." I'm planning on buying one more, and then another, and so on, because my "last two" basses are mediocre. I roll my eyes and laugh when I remember how, as a kid, I played everything with one bass, even though I could've afforded another, given that I was playing a sublimely cheap knockoff.

Sound
The Warwick growl is a trademark sound. The question is: Do you want to be heard that way? My answer is: "Yes, often I do." I love its upper-mid emphasis (the source of the growl); that's why I bought this fiver. The sound fits perfectly when I play melodic runs or plain-old-throbbing basslines. It cuts through the mix no matter how the guitarist might fight it. And I enjoy the simplicity of the passive electronics. The whole package complements my equally useful hyperactive Stingray5, a zingy instrument I love for ultra-funky applications.

Features
Warwick is the only company that equips its "Standard" basses with strap-locks. It deserves major props for this! Fender only throws those in if you buy the pricey American Deluxe. IDK why; anyone who plays gigs uses (or should use) strap-locks… read more so it's a no-brainer that they should be a standard component of any bass-package. Why force players to "mod" their instruments? I adore the brass frets' look and sound; and I find the lack of fret-markers quite beautiful. Woods?! For the price I paid, I never imagined I'd get an Ovangkol neck, Wenge board, Swamp Ash bod.... I challenge you to find another company that will sell you a bass at this price point with such tone-woods. Good luck! The unique 2-piece bridge and adjustable nut assure that my B string is taut, in spite of this bass being "only" 34"-scale.

Ease of Use
The shape of this bass fits my hands and body as if it were a custom instrument. The contours are as curvacious as...yeah! I often forget that the thing's pressed against me for hours. People whine about the "baseball bat" neck. Excuse me? My hands are of average size, as are my fingers. I've played for about two decades, so I've definitely got more flexibility than a beginner, but even a newbie should have no problem with handling this neck with no more than average transient growing pains. Any narrower and it would be too narrow for my playing style and taste; any wider and it would mess up my playing. Clear? This neck suits me perfectly, and I play all over the neck. The angled tuners make emergency tuning-while-playing easy (as easy as one could expect). I enjoy the simplicity of the passive electronics: It frees me to mess around with the myriad of controls on my big rig, and sends an unadulterated sound to aforesaid rig or DI.

Quality
Every piece of wood has its unique look, unless you hide it under a thick coat of finish. Warwicks are made of real wood from "exotic" locales. Warwick likes to show off these woods, so forget about the plastic-looking finishes you see on other instruments. With Warwick, no two basses appear alike; your bass is unlike any other. The grain shows, and some mistake the idiosyncrasies of aforesaid as "blems." No: That's how the slab of wood was before Warwick got its hands on it, and Warwick chose to keep it that way. Subjectively speaking by necessity, the neck is a veritable work of art: The Ovangkol is a stunning, rarely seen wood and you will enjoy seeing it. The Wenge board is smoother than your typical Rosewood one, because the grain's tighter. I like that. This bass will stay in tune through three sets (unless your strings are a day old), which is a welcome and unusual thing. I found no loose parts, no issues whatsoever. I played it "out of the box" and will not mess with it until I change strings, which tends to be every 2-3 months.

Value
It beats the competition with a 2 x 4. My comments above reflect this conviction of mine, and support it with more objective statements.

Manufacturer Support
But, you know, N/A: Never had any trouble; don't expect any. But a Co. that provides you with a luxurious, embroidered cloth-bound snap-locking manual with various goodies including a registration card is "telling you" that you can "come hither" any time. I've asked around, and it's true: Warwick will respond to your inquiries, even if you're a bit on the ill-mannered side, and the response will be swift, helpful, and cordial. However, try to be polite. It pays off.

The Wow Factor
The bass is attractive in its simple external design, as well as thanks to its uniquely carved horns, understated "W" adorned headstock, and dot-free board. The two-piece bridge's an eye-catcher as well. Does this bass look like Bootsy's bass? No. Would you like it to? Then by all means, go for it; it's sold stock. Does it look like the devil's bass? No. If that's what you want, dial BCR and make sure yours is made of woods at least nearly as good as the Warwick's.

Musical Background:
Active Musician for over 20 years.

Musical Style:
Rock, Funk-Rock, Blues, "Jangle" Rock, Alt, World. read less