The new Warwick and Framus ranges are overwhelming, so we’ve broken down a few of the highlights from the two German manufacturing divisions.
2019 Limited Edition Corvette $$ Neck-Through and $$ Bolt-On Bass Guitars
These two stick out very quickly because of their insane new finishes. Painting over a Selected California Buckeye Burl Top and Swamp Ash body, Warwick has given the Corvettes a natural satin and multicolour acrylic finish. Otherwise you’re getting the same high-end bass guitars, packing the craftman style invisible fret technology, passive MEC MM-style humbuckers and an extra long 34-inch scale neck.
Framus Devin Townsend Signature: Stormbender Seven-String Guitar
Canadian heavy metal star Devin Townsend has worked with Framus over the past two years to develop a guitar that looks like it’s fit for a stormtrooper. Townsend said in a press statement the desire in production was to make “an instrument for heavy music that has a collection of practical and elegant features that does not exist in any other guitar being produced today.” It’s certainly a difficult statement to refute, as the Stormbender sports a striking carbon fiber centre maple top, a 20″ fingerboard radius and Graph tech machine heads. The Stormbender is fit with active Fluence humbuckers to provide a noiseless punch.
Warwick Syklar Bass I Artist Series and Artist Line
Warwick have come up with two Skylar basses, in carved top and flat tops respectively. Both basses are fashioned out of flamed maple and a mahogany back. Picking one is a choice primarily between the Artist series’ active MEC vintage single coil pickups, or the Artist Line’s passive MEC vintage single coil pickups. Whichever you choose, you can expect a solid ’60s-esque bass.
Framus Panthera II Studio Supreme Masterbuilt
The Panthera II Studio Supreme is a metal behemoth; comprised of a mahogany body with matching wooden electronic compartment cover, a carved AAAA flamed maple top and a flamed maple neck with tigerstripe ebony fingerboard with 22 Jumbo frets and fluorescent side dots. The brunt of the sound arrives courtesy of the Seymour Duncan pickups – APH-1N Alnico II Pro (neck), APS-1 RW/RP Alnico Pro II staggered single coil (middle), SH-5 Custom (bridge). You’ve got a five-way pickup switch and a two way-“lead” free switch, so there’s a lot to play with.
The remainder of the range features plenty of 2019 revamps, and other novelty finishes. Framus is bringing various iterations of the Diablo II Supreme, Pro and Progressive X guitars to the NAMM conference, while Warwick is packing fluoroscent finishes for the Streamer LX bass as well as four and five string versions of the Idolmaker bass.
Keep an eye on Mixdown for our coverage of NAMM 2019 from Friday January 25 to Monday January 28 (AEDT). Warwick and Framus are distributed in Australia by Amber Technology.
