The original Star Bass original was released by the German brand Framus back in 1954. The idea was to produce a thinline bass that would be easy to play for guitar players so it featured a short scale neck. The sound and style was quite similar to the guitars produced in the 50's. When Framus owner's son Hans Peter Wilfer founded Warwick Basses in 1984 he designed some cool new models that are considered as one of the best "modern basses". However, Hans Peter always wanted to update the original Star Bass so he designed the Star Bass II that actually takes a lot of features and specs from the original model but is made at the same factory in Markneukirchen, Germany, where the rest of Warwick basses are made. This means that wood selection, build up quality, hardware and electronics are all top notch.
About the biggest difference with the Framus bass is scale. Despite being easy to play, short scale basses usually fall short when it comes to low end punch and note definition so the Star Bass II features a traditional 34" scale.
Pickups are MEC passive splittable Humbuckers. Passive electronics are used, of course. You get two Volume and two Tone pots plus a 3 way pickup selector switch. Tone pots are Push-Pull for Humbucker-Single coil operation. Cool!
This is also Warwick's only 21 fret neck bass. This allows for correct pickup location.
With the stock roundwound strings the sound from the neck pickup is warm while the bridge pickup is almost the opposite. Blending both pickups produces a somewhat hollow type of sound that can be used in just about any style of music. When you order this bass from us you can choose flatwound strings (no extra cost) and we really believe that these strings really make this bass sing.
This is the Masterbuilt Star Bass II Flamed Maple Singlecutl and it features a beautiful flamed maple top in matt finish.