Rockbass Fortress 4

2004 Warwick Rockbass Fortress 5 String in Almond Sunburst

What a gift to receive!!! My wife decided to surprise me and give me a substantial amount of the money I needed to purchase this bass as a combined birthday and Christmas. I paid $599 NZD for this brand new a few days ago.

<a href="https://www.rockshop.co.nz">https://www.rockshop.co.nz</a>

What's not to like. It has a wonderful sound, fantastic feel and is (to me anyway) better than the newer models (2009/2010). It's in an active j/j setup and sounds beautiful through an SWR setup. Gives you all the growl of a Jazz with the thump of a nice fat P-Bass. I've got to give Warwick a huge nod on bringing out this budget line which is anything but budget sounding or feeling.

J would have preferred the brass fretwork of a higher end Warwick but I will be buying my own brass fretwire from the Warwick shop and have it installed but a luthier here in NZ. I may change the pots as well as with any lower-end instrument, corners are cut on certain parts and one of those parts are the pots. I will be replacing them in the next year for sure. They aren't bad pots per se, just not the most solid of feels.

Besides my slight disappointment in the pots, the rest of the bass construction is top notch. The finish is beautiful and I especially like the single-piece bridge which brings a rediculous amount of sustain with it compared to the newer model Rockbasses (the German made Warwicks still have more so don't worry). This is definitely a great primary bass and an excellent backup to any of your other basses.

You can't ask for better bang for the buck out of a new bass. I'm a bit lucky as I found an older but brand new bass but the newer ones are great as well.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought my Rockbass at a Sam Ash store in Columbus, Ohio. I bought this bass because I wanted a heavier sounding and more powerful bass. I paid $470 for this bass.

They're are so many things I love about this bass!!! Here a the things i love about it:
1. Looks: The looks are cool and very sharp.
2. Tone: The tone is amazing!!! The low end is deep and dense, the high end is crisp and clear, and mid is powerful, yet clear.
3. Price: This bass is amazing for how low the price is! I've played the Warwick Corvette Standard, which is about $1,500 and the Rockbass keeps up with is well.
4. Pickups: The Warwick Rockbass comes MEC Gold Active Pickups. They are extremely powerful and they sound amazing.
5. Weight: The bass is so light!!! I had a Squier P-Bass before this bass (and still do) and when compared the weight they difference was mind blowing. This bass weighs less than my Squier Tom Delonge Electric!!!!
6. Playability: This bass is so fun and easy to play. Like I said, this bass is extremely light and has a great feel.
7. Controls: The Rockbass has 4 controls on the bass itself. The include Volume, Tone, Treble, and Bass. If you mess around with them you could make it sound like a few different basses. Plus you could find your perfect tone.

Those are all the things I like about this bass.

They're is not one thing I don't like about this bass.

The Rockbass is a well put together bass. The quality is truely amazing. Even though it is a cheaper version of a Warwick, no quality is sacrificed. I think this is the absolute best bass in the $500 range.

If you are a bassist considering a serious bass and don't want to spend a ton of money, check out the Rockbass. It doesn't matter what style of music you play. This bass covers it all. It's a fantastic bass that definitely desirves to be played. You won't find anything better in it's price range. GO CHECK IT OUT.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com