It's a "Streamer Jazzman" 5-string from Warwick's Custom shop in Germany. It has a swamp ash body, with a beautiful "Swirly Bubinga" top. The fretboard is bird's-eye maple (!) with a 7-piece bird's-eye maple and walnut bolt-on neck. The pickups are a combination of active MEC exposed pole "soap bar" along with an additional Jazz neck pickup. The sound is then run through an active MEC electronics system consisting of a 3-band EQ, 3-way single coil/serial/parallel switch and it has a slap contour switch (creates an EQ "U" curve for a good slap tone). The sound is best described as that of a grand piano--the lows practically pull the floor out from under you, yet they have a beautiful, clear bright tone to them.
This bass was designed as a show piece for the recent NAMM Winter 2000 show in Southern California (for those of you unfamiliar with NAMM, it is an annual trade show [actually twice a year] where manufacturers of musical equipment from all over the world show off their latest technologies). In talking to Dana B Goods (the exclusive US distributor of Warwick basses) this and its 4-string brother were absolutely drooled over for the entire show. As a matter of fact, this bass made it into Warwick's NAMM show brochure and 2001 instrument catalog, advertising their new custom shop (pictured below) and their product line!
