Warwick AL Bootsy Collins Spacebass

Having lusted over this bass I finally took the plunge.

The sound is absolutely superb. I wanted this as an antidote to my usual style of playing as I am usually a fretless player, but this Bootsy bass just demands you to play the funk out of it. It is immense fun.

It's a beautifully made and finished instrument. But what on Earth were Warwick thinking when locating the bass-side horn strap button on the REAR of the body? Because of the particular body shape and the way that it hangs on a strap this means that the strap button is digging the player in the chest. Considering the bass is equipped with Warwick's proprietary strap locks - they protrude out about 3cm - this is quite painful.

Also needed setting up, fret dressing, etc, which sadly is often the case with modern Chinese made instruments. My local luthier did this for me plus he moved the strap button to a more sensible location (i.e. to the inside edge of the bass-side horn).

I also found that the trussrod needed some tweaking to adjust the action; thankfully Warwick's trussrod system and their own hex tool made this very easy to attend to.

A MAJOR bugbear is there is no case available for this bass, with not even a gig bag being offered by Warwick. Trying to find a case to fit was a nightmare because of the bodyshape. I ended up having a custom flightcase specially built, which not only cost me an additional £200 but which also is the size and weight of a small aircraft carrier and not the easiest thing to lug around to gigs.

Another accessory that you need to consider is a guitar stand. This bass WILL NOT stand up properly on most guitar stands. Again, this is a problem caused by the shape of the bass. I ended up using a stand where the instrument is essentially hung by the headstock and the body rests against a pad at the rear of the stand. You will have to shop around to find a suitable stand for this bass, believe me.

So... lovely bass, plays beautifully, sounds fantastic... but if you want one, bear in mind you'll need to shop around for a stand and a case (you will most likely need to get a custom case made) and you'll want to move that top strap button to avoid injury to yourself.

For a Rockbass the build quality & finish of the Spacebass is excellent, (on a par with my German Corvette $$). This Spacebass is great value, you get a lot of bass for your money It's a big bass but not too heavy. Importantly, it sounds great & is easy to use too, with a wide range of tones available with controls for active/passive, volume, tone, treble, bass and control across the pickups. I only wished it came with a gig bag or case, but these won't fit in a standard case! A Spacebass is probably a love it or hate it bass by design: I love it. Thanks Thomann for the great communication & customer service too.