100% made in Germany Warwick bass
This is John Entwistle's signature model and it is one of the brand’s most special and unique designs. Here are some more details about the birth of this instrument (text by Dale Titus)
Designed by John Entwistle in collaboration with Warwick, the Buzzard bass was introduced in 1985. Warwick issued the followin press release in 2001 following John Entwistle's death.
"Hans Peter Wilfer, the founder of Warwick basses, was approached by John Entwistle to create a special bass for him in 1985. John had some very unique ideas as to how the bass should look and play, so he sat down with Hans Peter and the two of them sketched out the design that the world knows today.
Hans Peter came up with the idea of the distinctive "hand grip" on the lower horn, the stylized headstock and many other design specifics that make the Buzzard such a wonderfully unique bass. Then, after the basic body shape was agreed upon, Hans Peter and John sat in a London nightclub called Maggie's and decided to name the bass the Buzzard. In all honesty, Hans Peter says that many drinks were consumed that night and he cannot remember exactly who thought of the name the Buzzard, but he thinks it was John's idea.
In the days that followed, Hans Peter then made a few prototypes for John to play and critique, and the design was further polished. The photo shown below is of one of those early prototypes, which shows an early headstock design. It was after the duo decided on the name Buzzard, that the headstock was changed to more closely resemble the beak of said bird".
The Buzzard was discontinued in 1995 but was reintroduced in 2003, 2 years after Entwistle's death. Warwick offered 4 new buzzard models for 2003 and this is one of them.
The neck is really solid and stable and it has the classic Warwick oil finish which makes it a joy to play. The ebony fingerboard is just perfect and is also a pleasure for your fingers.
Warwick's frets (26 in this case) are made from the same material as German church bells so you can expect perfect sustain and resonance as well as extra life from them.
Sustain in this bass seems to be endless indeed. This is also thanks to the great tailpiece/bridge combination which allows the strings to have the perfect break angle at the bridge. Of course you can adjust the bridge in all directions: overall and individual height, intonation, string spacing, etc.
Small details such as pickup height adjustment have been redisgned and improved using metal inserts for the screws in the body of the bass meaning you can set the correct pickup height effortlessly. Cool.
Of course there's a two way truss rod so you can tweak the neck yo suit your climate and/or playing style. The truss rod can be accessed easily.
Also electronics are easily serviced. No tool is needed to access the battery which by the way is found inside an ultra clean electronics area. Just use your fingernails fo open the rear electronics plate. Cool. Conductive paint is used thoughout and just the right amount of wire and top notch parts. We love it.
German made MEC electronics are used. The term here would be ultra quiet and effective. You get Volume, Balance, Bass, Midrange and Treble. Of course you also get Passive mode by pulling the Volume pot.
Two active MEC Splitcoil Single coil pickups in mirror arrangement are used and these are incredibly powerfull, deep and bright at the same time. The front pickup is deep, punchy and clear (sort of P Bass on asteroids so to speak) while the back pickup is really focused and tight. The reverse design on this pickup helps bring out all the harmonics from the lower strings. Using both pickups produces a very deep and wide tone that will just cut through any mix effortlessly.
This instrument comes with a custom Flightcase.