Warwick Vampyre SN 4

I bought this bass from a local music store in Vancouver, Canada for $1,650 CDN. The bass came with a 'rock-bass' gig bag (with lots of protection), an improvement over the origal Warwick gigbags.

The tone and electronics are par-none. The bass is really well built and they bidy cut is amazing.

The neck thickness takes a little to get used to. This is compared to my first Warwick (an '87 Streamer), and the neck was super smooth and thin on it. The weight is a little heavy too.

The quality of this bass is great. The molded curves and finish are seamless.

This is a great bass for the money. It has wicked tone, great feel and looks awesome. A highly recommened instrument.

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

This instrument has a very distinctive look, the boundary between a body and a cello instrument from BC Rich. The version we're talking about here is the series Set Neck, as opposed to sets Ltd (much more expensive, untested) and Rockbass versions (of much lower quality, they have absolutely nothing to do).
As its name implies, the neck is glued type, semi-through, and covers 26 squares (a splurge of guys at Warwick).
The pickups are MEC assets, a stone bridge and a simple hand side handle. Electronics soberly offers a balance between these two pickups, a cut / boost for bass and one for treble, and of course a volume control.
The bridge is a two-body Warwick model has its advantages and disadvantages. I find eg furrows jumpers a little short, which limits the tuning of the intonation of each string.
The saddle height adjustment is a very good point (note, however, that the plastic guides on each side of the nut are fragile, broke one of mine, but it is annoying that when I change strings)
The tuners are of good quality, robust and accurate. Note that the tuning is admirably low on this, I am always amazed. FYI, I play sometimes DGCF Ball Dropped in CGCF with the 55-120.

UTILIZATION

The handle is a real tree trunk: it is very thick (it is surprising at first), and relatively long access to acute is easy because of the very form of the instrument ground.
The bass itself is quite heavy once cinched it does not, however, tendency to nose dive, and remains relatively straight. We really have the feeling of a solid object in his hands.
This bass is fun to play, especially if like me you have large hands.

SOUNDS

As far as the shape, the sound of this instrument is characteristic base, it has a grain that I accentuated by plugging into an amp Gallien-Krueger. The mixture of the two, well proportioned, allows a sound to the limit of the aggressive, perfectly suited to the style in which I officiated (mostly metal, broadly defined).
However, playing on the bass EQ or amp, you can easily get a much more round, or otherwise increase the side "brutal" and sharp instrument.
The only effect that I add is an overdrive through the Sansamp RBI in Tech 21. Sounds of thunder.

OVERALL OPINION

I use this bass for four years, I went through a few other brands before, and Warwick's really hit me in the ear. With experience, I would do this choice without hesitation, especially since I paid this instrument cheaper than the original price (around 1800 to 1900 €) because it was a model exposure, with some alterations on the body.
This model is no longer produced by Warwick, but it is accessible via their custom shop I think.
I love her look (which it must be said necessarily directs the choice when it is so characteristic) and quality finishes his grip, and versatility, as well as made for an edgy music, this may lower also make its way into registers calmer.
I like a little less, it is the strength of certain parts (around the nut, a jumper who one day became dislodged from its track, and the jack socket that I had to change ... ).
Overall, this is a very good instrument which can be trusted, very comfortable in the music for which it was designed.

The finish of Warwick is well established, but we can only be amazed by the smoothness of it (the work on this low volume of the body is truly beautiful), and this quality is found to any level: the mechanics are both accurate, robust and aesthetically pleasing. Adjust the nut, the bridge, the height of micro, intonation etc. ... is really a breeze.
Natural Finish Oil is particularly beautiful, because stressing forms of this bass.

UTILIZATION

I own this model 5-string bass and I must admit that the handle is less easy to pick up on other models from warwick, for slightly larger, however, access to the 26 boxes is nickel. The other negative is the weight: 4.6 kg, which is not necessarily very slight. But overall it is rather pleasant for all playing techniques

SOUNDS

The development is atypical both powerful and incisive. The Vampyre SN has a very specific musical identity that has been one of the reasons for my purchase.

OVERALL OPINION

I am totally satisfied with this gem, despite a comfort that could be better (not bad either), the overall quality of this bass and its sound fills me atypical. No longer produced in series (for a price of 2,500 euros at the base), it is offered through the custom shop but for a price indecent, I suggest you take the opportunity. That's the kind of instrument with strong personality (physically at the level of sound) So I board the musicians with a real heart for helping this low!