Warwick RockBass User manual

Manual For
Warwick and RockBass
Alien Acoustic Bass
ENGLISH

2
Markneukirchen in October 2011
Dear Customer,
Congratulations on your new Alien Acoustic bass by Warwick.
Warwick’s continuing stance on innovation by utilizing the most state-of-the-art technology and the diligence and dedication of
each and every Warwick associate combines to create instruments that are cherished by bass enthusiasts worldwide. Our
tradition of innovation and contemporary appeal continues with the Alien Acoustic bass. The Alien Acoustic bass offers
musicians worldwide a high quality, reasonably priced instrument.
At Warwick, our customers are IRST. We strive to give our consumers the best possible product and best possible customer
service and it is you, our satisfied customers, who continue to give us our worldwide success. We are eternally grateful.
Have fun playing your new Alien Acoustic bass by Warwick.
Yours sincerely,
Hans-Peter Wilfer

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Index
1) Tuners - Stringing / tuning procedure 4
2) Truss rod cover / Truss rod adjustment 5
3) Nut / Bridge 6
4) Strings 8
5) Piezo - pickups / Electronics for all models 8
odels, specifications
RockBass Alien Standard Acoustic Bass 8
RockBass Alien Deluxe Acoustic Bass 9
Warwick Alien Acoustic Bass 10
Warwick Alien Acoustic Bass 6-string 10
Warwick Alien Deluxe Acoustic Bass 6-string 10
6) Tips for Body, Neck and Fingerboard Care 11
7) Access to the Battery Compartment 12
8) Security Locks 13
9) User Kit 14
10) Warranty / Customer Service 14

4
1) Tuners - Stringing / tuning procedure
Tuners:
All Alien acoustic basses come standard with high quality precision tuners (20:1 ratio). Warwick tuners feature a sealed, self-
lubricating gear that warrants high tuning stability and needs no maintenance.
The tuners are installed slanted facing the player to
improve ergonomics and handling.
The turning resistance of the tuners can be adjusted
using a screwdriver.

5
2) Truss rod cover / Truss rod adjustment
Truss rod cover:
The truss rod cover of an Alien acoustic bass gives you - when needed - quick access to the truss rod. You’ll need a flat
screwdriver to unlock the integrated latch mechanism.
Truss rod adjustment:
A neck is set up correctly if it has a slight forward bow. You can easily verify this by pressing the lowest string at the 1st and last
fret and measuring the distance between the fret and the string at the 7th fret: it should read between 0.06 and 0.02“. This value
is independent from the action (height) setup of each individual string.
Turning the truss rod key clockwise (direction A) will tighten the truss rod and give the neck a back bow. Turning the truss rod key
counterclockwise (direction B) will loosen the truss rod and give the neck a forward bow. These adjustments should be done in
small steps because the neck’s reaction is not instantaneous. You should check the results after approximately one hour and
probably check again the following day. Readjust the truss rod if needed.
A change in humidity, particularly during the changing of seasons or during strong weather fluctuations, is when one should pay
attention to the neck’s setup and the corresponding truss rod adjustment
direction A = neck with a back bow
direction B = neck with an up bow
B
A

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3) Nut / Bridge
Nut:
All Alien Acoustic Basses are equipped with a Just A Nut III, manufactured using high-tech material with the best tonal characte-
ristics, fine adjustability and stability.
Use a 1.5 mm Allen wrench to adjust the string’s height at the nut.
TIP:
Press down on the string at the 3rd fret. Check the distance between the first fret and the
string. It shouldn’t read more than 0.3 mm /0.01“,
which equals the thickness of a business card.

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Stringing / tuning procedure
8 cm / 31/4 “
Place the string’s ball end on the bridge string holder.
Hold the ball end down with one hand and with the
other feed the string to the tuner.
RockBass Alien basses come with slotted bridge
pins. Before you pull out a bridge pin, make sure
that there is no tension on the string.Put the ball end
into the slot in the bridge and press the bridge pin
with its slot turned to the string.
Cut the string approximately 8 cm/31/4 “behind the
tuner. You’ll need this excess length for the windings
around the tuner’s post.
Tighten the string while winding it around the post.
This avoids string slippage and increases tuning sta-
bility.
The tuner’s post has a slot with a hole in the center.
Put the string in that hole before you start winding.
This system avoids the string poking out to the side
of the tuner and stabilizes the winding and thus the
tuning overall.
2 - 4 windings around the post are ideal for good
tuning and stability.

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4) Strings
Standard String Gauges for Warwick and RockBass Alien Acoustic Basses
Warwick Alien Acoustic Bass
4-string:
Warwick Black Label Acoustic Bass Strings / Medium Scale: .045" .065" .085" .105" (36200 MS 4)
5-string:
Warwick Black Label Acoustic Bass Strings / Long Scale: .045" .065" .085" .105" .135“ (36301 LOS 5)
6-string:
Warwick Black Label Acoustic Bass Strings / Long Scale: .025“ .045" .065" .085" .105" .135“ (36302 LOS 6)
RockBass Alien Acoustic Bass Standard and Deluxe
4-string:
Warwick Red Strings Acoustic Bass Strings / Medium Scale: .045" .065" .085" .105" (35200 MS 4)
5-string:
Warwick Red Strings Acoustic Bass Strings / Long Scale: .045" .065" .085" .105" .135“ (35301 LOS 5)
6-string:
Warwick Red Strings Acoustic Bass Strings / Long Scale: .025“ .045" .065" .085" .105" .135“ (35302 LOS 6)
Attention on Warwick Alien Acoustic Bass!!!
If the string gauge is thicker than .125” we strongly recommend using tapered core strings. Otherwise the string won’t fit in the
ball end holder. Warwick Black Label Acoustic bass strings are with tapered core and available as 5-string set with string gauges
.045" .065" .085" .105" .135“ (36301 LOS 5) and as 6-string set with string gauges .025“ .045" .065" .085" .105" .135“ (36302
LOS 6)
5) Piezo – Pickups and Electronics for all odels
All Alien acoustic basses are equipped with a ishman Transducer system.
More information is available at: www.fishman.com or www.warwick.de
TIP: To increase the life of your battery unplug the cable from the guitar between playing sessions.
RockBass Alien Standard Acoustic Bass
Pickups: ishman Sonicore Piezo
Preamp: ishman Sonitone
The control section is fixed to the rim of the soundhole.
1) Volume Control: Controls the overall gain.
2) Tone Control: Controls the amount of high frequencies
being cut.

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RockBass Alien Deluxe Acoustic Bass
Pickups: ishman Sonicore Piezo
Preamp: ishman Presys+™
1) Low battery indicator
2) Tuner: The preamp also has a built in chromatic tuner. The display shows the note actually played. The red light on the left
side of the display shows when the note is flat, the green light in the middle shows when the note is in tune, the red light on
the right side shows when the note is sharp. When the tuner is activated, the sound is muted. The tuner is in true bypass mode
when deactivated.
3) Volume Control: Controls the overall gain.
4) Bass Control: This is a boost / cut shelving tone control for low frequencies.
5) Middle Control: This is a boost / cut shelving tone control for mid frequencies.
6) Treble Control: This is a boost / cut shelving tone control for high frequencies.
7) Notch ilter: This is a fixed-level, variable-frequency filter for eliminating feedback or unwanted resonance. The Notch ilter is
effectively turned off in the full counterclockwise position.
8) Brilliance Control: This is a resonant-style boost / cut filter that adds presence to the sound.
9) Phase Switch: The Phase Switch compensates for acoustic phase differences that often occur between instrument and
speaker. It can be used as a tone filter at low volume levels or as a feedback filter at high levels. The Phase Switch can
correct any electrical phase difference between the piezo system and an outboard instrument microphone. lip the Phase
Switch several times and use your ear to find the optimum setting. The best position for the Phase Switch may change
depending on the sound system and/or venue acoustics.
1
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4
5
6
7
8
9

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Warwick Alien Acoustic Bass / Alien Acoustic 6-string / Rockbass Alien Deluxe 6-string Bass
Pickups: ishman Acoustic Matrix
Electronics: ishman Prefix Plus-T
1) Notch ilter: This is a fixed-level, variable-frequency filter for eliminating feedback or unwanted resonance.The affected
frequency is variable from 40 to 500 Hz. The Notch ilter is effectively turned off in the full counterclockwise position.
2) Low battery indicator
3) Volume Control: Controls the overall gain of the Prefix Plus-T™.
4) Bass Control: This is a boost / cut shelving tone control for low frequencies.
5) Contour: This is a wide-range semi-parametric filter. It is used to selectively shape the instrument’s tone. The Contour Level
slider controls the amount of boost or cut applied to the selected contour frequency. The Contour requency slider
determines the frequency band that is boosted or cut by the Contour Level control. The frequency is variable from 250
to 10 kHz.
6) Treble Control: This is a boost / cut shelving tone control for high frequencies.
7) Brilliance Control: This is a resonant-style boost / cut filter that adds presence to the sound.
8) Phase Switch: The Phase Switch compensates for acoustic phase differences that often occur between instrument and
speaker. It can be used as a tone filter at low volume levels or as a feedback filter at high levels. The Phase Switch can
correct any electrical phase difference between the Prefix™ system and an outboard instrument microphone. lip the Phase
Switch several times and use your ear to find the optimum setting. The best position for the Phase Switch may change
depending on the sound system and/or venue acoustics.
9) Contour requency: You can scoop out harsh midrange by setting the Contour requency slider slightly above center with
the Contour level cut to taste below the center detent. You can also cut midrange by boosting the Bass and Treble sliders to
realize an “implied” mid cut at 800 Hz.
10) Tuner: The preamp also has a built in chromatic tuner. The display shows the note actually played. The LEDs beneath the
display indicate whether the note is flat (lower red LED), sharp (upper red LED) or in tune (green LED in the middle). When
the tuner is activated, the sound is muted. The tuner is in true bypass mode when deactivated.
1
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5
4
6
7
8
9
10

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6) Tips for Body, Neck and Fingerboard Care
Tips for Body Care
Satin Finish (Warwick Alien):
A matte and transparent surface with visible wood structure and
accentuated grain is the essential characteristic of the Satin inish.
This sealed and non-colored finish does not need special care. If the
surface gets dirty it should be wiped with a damp cloth or with one of
the many non-abrasive spray cleaners available in selected stores or
specialist shops.
High Polish Finish (RockBass Standard and Deluxe):
A High Polish inish is produced with the use of a high polish lacquer. The wood is completely sealed under the finish; the
surface is as smooth as glass and without noticeable wood grain structure. As with Satin inish, care is limited to the
visual aspects. You can wipe the surface clean with a damp cloth or with a suitable spray cleaner, or you can use polish that rein-
states the full shine of the finish and can also get rid of small scratches and typical traces of playing.
Tips for Neck Care
All neck surfaces of Alien acoustic basses are sealed with a Satin inish. This sealed and non-colored finish does not need spe-
cial care. If the surface gets dirty it should be wiped with a damp cloth or with one of the many non-abrasive spray cleaners avai-
lable in selected stores or specialist shops.
Tips for Fingerboard Care
All fingerboards of Alien acoustic basses are non-lacquered and thus require a little maintenance once in a while to avoid getting
rough or dull. To clean and protect the fingerboard use products specially made for this purpose and that are available at selected
stores or specialist shops. Please refer to the manufacturer’s product information to achieve the desired result.
You can order our cleaning products on our webshop: www.warwick-webshop.de.
Polishing cloth (SP W 50017)

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7) Access to the Battery Compartments
The piezo pickup systems are powered by a 9V battery.
To change the battery you can open the electronics
compartments as shown below:
Warwick Alien and RockBass Alien Deluxe:
The battery and electronics compartment can be easily opened with your fingernail. Push the battery in until it locks in place. Please mind
the correct polarity!
RockBass Alien Standard:
The battery compartment is located directly beside the output jack. You can easily open the compartment with your fingernail. Push the bat-
tery in and close the lid. Please mind the correct polarity!

8) Security Locks
All Warwick and RockBass Alien acoustic basses ship with Warwick Security Locks, which need to be installed. The Warwick
Alien and the RockBass Alien Deluxe are equipped with a strapholder that also contains the output jack. This cannot be replaced.
The strap lock can only be installed at the neck joint, where the wood is thick enough to hold the screw (see illustration). Do not
try to install the security lock on the side of the guitar.
Assembly:
Put the piece with the outside thread in the strap hole. Put the ring on the thread from the other side of the strap.
Screw the nut on the thread. Tighten with a wrench.
Press the button of the Security Locks to unlatch it so
you can remove the strap or put it on.
Install the strap lock only at the neck point, which is
strong enough to hold the screw. Drill a hole with a
2mm wood drill first
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14
9) User-Kit (Warwick Alien acoustic bass only)
You also receive the Warwick user-kit with your bass. It contains useful supplies like:
- Trussrod Tool
- Warwick Polish Cloth
- Warranty Card
10) Warranty / Customer Service
Warwick’s warranty for all musical instruments is limited to 2 years, but this condition may vary from country to country.
Please, contact your local Warwick dealer for more information.
In case of a defective product please refer to your musical instruments dealer.
We wish you a lot of fun with your new Warwick Bass.
If you have further questions about your instrument feel free to contact us.
Email: [e-mail] or [e-mail]
The manufacturer reserves the right to any technical modifications.
Visit our website:
www.warwick.de, www.warwickbass.com
Visit our distributor page:
www.warwick.de/catalog
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http://warwickframus.blogspot.com/

15
This recycling logo informs the end user that it is
forbidden to throw away the product in the trash.
It has to be disposed of accordingly.
Weee-Nr.: DE93670540
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