I’ve seen Streamers without the “W” but not a Rockbass without their logo on the headstock. So I don’t know about that one tbh.
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Hi @Bersist. The headstock on this one has “Rockbass by Warwick” on it, with the Corvette detail just above the neck. It just doesn’t have the usual W. Everything else (pups, knobs, pegs,electrics etc) are identical
Just don’t want to buy a knock off lol
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Hello no, I don’t want you to buy a cheap knock off either. See if you can run the stamped SN number on their website to make sure, idk. Or message someone at warwick & show them the listing.
I’m no expert but I’ve just never seen a Rockbass without their trademark “W” stamped to it’s forehead before not saying it can’t.
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If you can’t then just message them and ask them to run the SN with the listing. I’ve always gotten decent help when asking questions straight from the manufacturer in most cases.
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So I have never played one, but the thing I read somewhere is that early RockBasses did not used to carry Warwick’s branding with the logo, and the general opinion is there were serious quality control issues with them. Eventually Warwick clamped down on the quality issues and once satisfactory started putting their logo on them. I do not have a reference for this though.
Another thing to point out is that some of the older non-W RockBasses did not have the two-piece bridge. You absolutely want the two-piece bridge; you absolutely want the Just-A-Nut as well. Warwick’s adjustable bridge system and the adjustable nut are two of the best things about them. The bridge should look like this:
and not a normal one-piece bridge. The nut should be similarly adjustable via two allen bolts as well. As far as I am concerned those are table stakes for considering an older Warwick of any kind, not just the RockBasses.
I would personally not consider a non-W RockBass. That said I have owned two Warwick branded RockBasses and they were both fine.
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Thanks for the heads up @howard I’m sorry that the sale ended up being too good to be true but at least you and all of us got the info on that batch of Rockbasses.
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I am a little confused.
It says Rockbass by Warwick. doesn’t that make it a Branded Rockbass.
Corvette$$ just above the nut would be on the truss rod cover I believe.
Would you not consider that to have a W, or were there Rockbasses (early ones) that said Warwick Rockbass, but did not have the W on the headstock.
As I am reading this thread, I gather, if it is Branded (W or Warwick Rockbass), and has that 2 pc bridge, and hopefully (but not quite as important, as you could replace it with one) the adjustable nut, then it would be a good bass to consider at that price.
But if it is unbranded (no W or Warwick Rockbass) on the headstock, and does not have the 2 pc bridge and adjustable nut, then avoid it?
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No, specifically the W logo on the top of the headstock is what to look for, from what I have read. Apparently they started doing that once the quality was adequate.
I would personally not buy a RockBass without that (and there’s no reason to anyway, they are inexpensive enough even for used newer models).
But for sure you want the two -piece bridge and Just-A-Nut, even if you would consider an older RockBass.
You could roll the dice and try one outside of those recommendations, but there’s no way I would. Up to you.
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Yeah, I get the part about the bridge, and they are really great bridges, I was just confused about the W, but it is clear now, thanks
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NP! I wish I cound find the reference for that. It was more than just some rando on TalkBass saying it, or something. Unfortunately I can’t find it. Might have been on the Warwick forums (which are really good).
The current Rockbasses are quite nice and if you get a deal on one I would definitely recommend them.
One weird thing I did notice in pricing - used Rockbasses are dirt cheap here. $220-$400USD equivalent tops, for a Corvette. I sold two Streamers myself in the middle and the top of that range. I have no idea why they are more expensive in Europe, but it looks like they are.
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The model I was looking at, apart from not having the W, also only had a one piece bridge (branded Warwick). This leads me to believe it is an older, probably inferior quality model.
Between the lack of the W on the headstock and the one piece bridge, I’ve decided not to buy it.
Also @howard, they are expensive second hand here in the UK. For example, used Streamers (with the W & 2 piece bridge) are £500+
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Now, just to make things interesting, I have found a used, mint condition Warwick Thumb for £800.
Going to inspect it and give it a play. Hope I don’t like it as I didn’t really want to spend that much lol
Any pearls of wisdom on this?
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Never played one but Thumbs are pretty highly regarded. Not sure what a good price would be.
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That one is definitely at the cheaper end of the scale here in the UK. They go up to £2k+
It’s a minefield buying second hand…
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MIG custom shop Warwicks are in the $2-8k range new so bear in mind that with Warwicks you need to look at the line as well as the country. They make basically three lines, Rockbasses, Teambuilts, and Custom.
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Yeah, I get that. When I look at MIG customs, the sky’s the limit when it comes to price.
The one I’m looking at is definitely MIG, but teambuilt build, not custom. I think the price is excellent but didn’t really want to spend that at the moment. Now I’m caught between it being such a good price that I should just buy it, or walk away
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If it is in really great shape, especially if it has all the paperwork and tools, and you CAN afford it, if you purchase it and sit on it for a little bit, if you don’t like it, and it is MIG, with all the goodies, you could probably sell it for profit once people start getting back from lockdown and start making money and are looking to buy again.
Maybe not a whole bunch of money, but maybe enough to end up with a 300e-500e bass out of the deal at no cost.
I have had been fortunate to almost always turn a profit when I buy something and decide its not what I want, because I usually buy when its a great deal, and in great shape.
Just a thought.
It could be 6 months before you could sell it for around 1200e however.
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To be honest @T_dub if I buy the Thumb I’d probably keep it forever and pass it to my son. I love the look of it and hopefully will love playing it
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800 pound for a Teambuilt Warwick seems like a really good deal. They go for $1250-1700 on Reverb.
Between the custom ones and Teambuilt you also have Masterbuilt. Those are really expensive. 
If you want a MIG I would personally go for a Teambuilt, the quality on those are insane as it is.
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