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Sure been quiet today...something this bass isn't :P I've been struggling to get my hand around the Cort B5 5 stringer's neck, so I've been looking around for a four string that could handle the b.e.a.d tuning and I think I might have found it. March 2003, a really early model. 34in scale & real active pups (the pups need 9V, instead of just the preamp ). This thing sounds allright- far more suited to the style I'm playing in the band than the Cort. The Cort had a P bass sounding neck pup and a musicman-esque bridge pup. The Vampyre has a bit of growl, but has a very active sound - kinda tough to explain - doesn't sound much like any of my other basses. I did compare it to a Corvette Rockbass (same preamp, just had a single jazz pup in the bridge though) and this Vampyre sounds much better with the bridge humbucker, it's fat where the Corvette sounded thin. The neck plays beautifully, which is what convinced me to twist Graham's arm @ The Gear Junkie and trade me for the 5 stringer. It's flat-ish, narrow at the nut but widens enough to feel comfortable slapping the lower strings. Has a few dings, scratches and missing a little paint (no chips) on the bottom horns & the electronics were a bit sick when I got it - neck pup dead and the blend knob needed replacing. I've been struggling to sort it out - still can't find a 25k dual rail centre-dent pot for the blend pot (Any suggestions? I did jury rig something I got from mantech, it works, but I do need to replace it in the long term. Oh and those knobs are from a Pioneer stereo.... :sorry: I admit, it's properly Fugly. But then, I think the same of pretty much every Warwick (it's that top horn, it looks like a sex toy). To my eye this is less offensive than the rest of the Warwick shapes, so in that way it's a win. The shape is kinda growing on me, especially since someone pointed out that it does kinda look like the batwing. With a batman logo slapped on it and a re-shaped headstock, this could actually look okay? Got a jam on tonite, so we'll see how it sits in the mix. I have hopes!
    ☹ That's my dream bass right there.
      Hay I have one too! ?
      Excellent instrument.
      Only drawback is the known issue with fast battery discharge on some Rockbass models.
        Sheesh never thought I'd stare at the body and neck of a bass for that long. Nice find and a stunning rhythm chopper indeed.

        Congrats Meron and happy plucking

          Looks like a weapon! Great basses those Warwicks. Nice find, enjoy!
            Lu22 wrote: ☹ That's my dream bass right there.
            My mate's as well - she was most unimpressed when I called it fugly. Then again, I go stoopid over a Warlock shape (but not the playability, it makes for a crappy bass unfortunately).
            Doomsower wrote: Only drawback is the known issue with fast battery discharge on some Rockbass models.
            Nicccceeee...What's the chances there's two Vampyres on a guitar forum... ?

            It came with a duracell, which worked fine for two weeks and then died after I read your post. Literally. Thought my amp had died! Apparently the wiring/parts arn't great on earlier Rockbasses, which mine certainly is. I'll have to keep an eye on it - gonna remember to unplug it - perhaps the input jack switching isn't functioning (common RB issue apparently)
            Stoffeltoo wrote: Sheesh never thought I'd stare at the body and neck of a bass for that long.
            Maybe like looking at a accident scene...you don't want to look, but something compels one too?
            studmissile wrote: Looks like a weapon!
            Does a bit! Headstock could be more interesting, maybe I'll do something about that. A mate has a 3D printer and idle hands...But ultimately this bass is a tool for me.

            Tough to hear how well it performed at practice - as much as I enjoy Kill CIty Blues, only one of the four rehearsal rooms is setup for getting a decent idea of what it'll sound in a band context. And we weren't in it this week and everyone was properly rusty. But I think it worked, do need to add a compressor to the rig. I'm switching between pick and fingers and you can hear the change in attack on the strings - It's still early days as a bassist for the ol' V8 ???
              Very nice!

              I've found it takes a few attempts to find the right strings for a particular bass- so it's worth trying out some other strings on this. Just be careful that your B string can fit through the bridge...

              And the other thing that can make most basses sound 100% better is to raise the action- you'll get less fret buzz and a louder string because the witness point on the saddle has a better break angle. Might hurt playability a little bit, but will mean you can dig in a lot harder fingerstyle without buzzing.
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