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[quote]Warwick's Chinese Rockbasses are half the price of their German counterparts.[/quote] Labour costs aside, the Rockbasses use non exotic woods with cheaper electronics and flat bodies. I don't think QC is the issue it once was, the vast majority of asian stuff is very well put together these days.

[quote name='benwhiteuk' post='377289' date='Jan 11 2009, 11:32 PM'].....I’d be very interested in having a closer look at one if there wasn’t a voice at the back of my head telling me that it’s likely to retail around the £1800 - £2k mark and therefore pricing me out [/quote] Agreed. Not a fan of sig models, really. I'd be interested if they eventually added that shape to their normal range....

How about a pre year 2000 Streamer Pro-M or LX? Relatively cheap second hand and will most likely have the slimmer wenge necks.

[quote]They really good, almost too good if you ask me! There's always a risk of ranges like these cannibalising the sales of your higher spec'd ones.[/quote] True, but I think the distinction will remain pretty clear with the German versions being made from exotic woods, having curved bodies and higher spec electronics. That nasty "Rockbass" logo put many entry level buyers off, IMHO. The fashion conscious kids who make up the lucrative entry level market are the ones they're after. Warwick will then hope that when they get to their late 20s/early 30s they'll upgrade to the posher models! The guys who make the Ibanez Soundgear mid/entry ranges will be taking notice, no doubt....

[quote name='sshorepunk' post='375973' date='Jan 10 2009, 10:37 AM']SZ was doing the p-bass thing last time I saw him, sounded good and just looked right in the MR band, this new bass looks odd for what he's doing now, not that its all about looks?[/quote] Perhaps he'll be using it for another project he has lined up. Ultimately I think it a case of Warwick and Zender scratching each other's backs. I'll bet Warwick have had this shape planned for a while and cast around looking for a player willing to endorse it's launch. If it sells they'll make it a permanent model, I reckon. I love the shape, the neck joint and horns also remind me of Rickenbackers (which I normally dislike, but it works for me here).

They finally got rid of that horrible "Rockbass" logo! And added a two piece bridge. I'd consider buying one now (esp. the fortress fretless). Great move. Love the Zender sig shape - quirky and elegant.

+1 for the Lakland.

I like A the most, especially if you drop the lower horn and contour back an inch to make the shape more dynamic.

I'd pick the Ibby SR505 (a great bass) or BTB675 over the Traben.

Everyone loves Thumb basses. That much I do know! One shape I just can't get on with are Rickenbackers. They just look odd to me. As for Bongos.....

I'd personally go with the Bronco - a classic design and much more scope for tweaking things if you want to.

Easy to fix on a Warwick - just sand and wax.

Ibanez SR505! Light body, narrow string spacing, a fast neck, decent electronics, nice woods and a very reasonable price. [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/ibanez-sr-505/11055"]http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/ibanez-sr-505/11055[/url] (We've had a few questions similar to this one recently and I keep recommending the SR505. I don't work for Ibanez. Honest. ) By the way, if you are going to get into 5 strings try adopting the [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU"]Floating Thumb technique[/url]. It will make things much easier.

I'm glad to see Bruce and Rick out making a bit of dosh. Always thought they were shoddily treated by prima-donna Weller. Nothing he's done since has come close to what he achieved with The Jam. Classic case of a songwriter completely discounting the importance of the band as a whole.

Wow. It's pretty cool that they'll do that for you. Go for it.

[quote]I'm no expert but I reckon you may be able to pick up a second hand S1 Jazz for about £500. The S1 switch wires the pickups in series to give a much fatter sound similar to a P. Best of both worlds in one instrument.[/quote] Aha! +1 to this, then. They have these in their American and American Deluxe series, apparently.

[quote name='bassatnight' post='356725' date='Dec 17 2008, 10:34 AM']So what instrument would be best - the P or the J??[/quote] Best just to try them out at a local Fender dealer. Lakland also do versions of both that are well worth a try, you could perhaps get them for about £500 secondhand. Here's a Lakky that went for £575: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=33216&hl=lakland"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...&hl=lakland[/url] Another off-the-top-of-the-head (and perhaps too pricey) option could be to build a Jazz using Warmoth parts and perhaps drop in some Dark Star pickups to get a huge sound. Like this: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=30338"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=30338[/url] Cheers-

I vote for the hipshot O-Rings because...well, why not? Great work.

These are brilliant basses - they play as well, if not better than US Fenders I have tried. When my bank balance has recovered from Christmas will definitely have to get myself one of these, despite not being a Fender fanboy. For the price they cost new I can't see a decent pickguard harming the value at all, especially if it's an official Fender plate.

For a non-Fender retro look, how about giving a Lakland 55-01 a try? There's been a couple for sale here at around £450 secondhand. On a side note, there's also a secondhand Warwick Streamer Stage 1 going for £560 - a great bass at a great price, but it isn't very "Fendery".

I'm with BigRedX on the shaping - for the money I'd like to see the neck finished properly.