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Yeah, let's do a small review.

Well, first I have to say it feels and plays wonderfull. It's just very well build, such a nice bass.. All the used woods. Almost a piece of art and I keep looking at the striped back of the neck, the nice mahogany, the 3D quilted maple, the very black ebony of the fretboard. Even the inlays, laminate-stripes, ... And I love the fact I ordered an 38mm neck. I don't mind the 44mm Buzzard neck, but sometimes it's hard work... I also asked for th satin finish. High polish can feel a bit sticky at the neck, but this is more like an oiled bass. Going up and down the neck, feels like going up and down a girl's stockinged leg. One of Entwistles other hobbies.

I think the Stryker is, like the Buzzard, not everyone's bass, I guess. There are two ways to play it: Or in the Entwistle style: Quite high on the body, so you can use the big wing as arm rest. That's to high for me, but if I play it sitting down, it's quite nice to have your arm on the wing. Very comfortable Like hanging at the bar, again one of Entwistle's other hobbies
The other way is to have it low, more JLO, and a bit besides your body. I call that the BB King style. The neck of the Stryker and Buzzard are so long, you can't reach the tuners if you have the bass right in fromt of you:D I am used to play my other basses, like the Thunderbird, in this way, so both the Stryker as the Buzzard felt quite naturally for me immediately.

It's a tiny little bit neck heavy, but I'm used to that (Gibson player...) so no problem.

Sounds: It's nice the bass sound exactly the same with EQ-bypassed and EQ all in the middle. The Sound Of Wood. With everything flat it's a middy (and moody) monster: glassy treble, lots of growling Warwick-mids, not that much bass, but the active pick ups give some sort of sub low, which makes the sound very rich. Hard to explain. The hollow body gives it a bit more of a vintage vibe. Compared to the Buzzard (Mine's also mahogany, maple necked, but passive pick ups) it's a bit warmer, a bit more versatile. I can use my Buzzard in my rockband only in a great way, but it doesn't suit my melodic pop band (I tried a Star Bass: That's the perfect bass for my melodic popband, but less perfect (still very good) for the rock band).

This is my first active bass, I did three rehearsals and two gigs with it, so I'm still puzzling around a bit. I took the bass to my melodic band and with treble a bit rolled of, a bit more mid and bass open gave a great vintage bass sound. Yesterday I used it for the rock band. Also treble a bit rolled of, a bit mid, a bit bass and I had a very nice growling bass. Have to fool around with that a bit more.

I have to end with a bad note. I'm very disappointed in Warwick. The bass has its certificate, it has a flightcase, it has the black manual with strap locks... But I didn't get two cannisters with straws, one filled with red wine and the other with cognac...



Next weekend I play a litte festival with two other Dutch bands and two British bands. One of them, The Brew, is a very nice band. I don't know the other. Of course I'll take the Stryker

The formidable duo of John B. Williams & Mordy Ferber will commandeer the NYC Showroom for the May 8th installment of Sessions on 7th. Showtime: 7 – 9 PM. And it’s FREE! Click on the picture for more details.

OBSCURA / PESTILENCE bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling, who is known for his signature six-string fretless playing in progressive death metal, is offering private bass lessons and personal coaching in metal and other styles. "These lessons are suitable for bass players of all levels who want to get more out of their instrument. Many bassists in metal and other genres concentrate primarily on playing techniques, while there's often more that could be developed. The main focus, therefore, will be on intonation, tone development, bass arrangements and fretless playing", says Thesseling. The lessons will be given in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as well as in Genoa, Italy. Interested parties can contact Jeroen via his official website www.jeroenthesseling.com