Warwick Streamer LX review

Warwick’s Streamer LX was originally released in 1996 as the renowned German luthier attempts to bring the ever-popular Streamer bass to musicians on a budget. 

The intended market was those who - like most of us - couldn’t afford the costlier through-neck version, along with bassists who simply preferred the tones of the bolt-on design. After years and years of constant improvements in manufacturing, construction and finishing, how does this bass stack up?

Build

Priced at £1875, the new LX sits somewhere in the middle of the Warwick range. Although it doesn’t claim to match the Masterbuilt Limited Edition heights of the Streamer, it looks, feels and plays like an instrument of a very high standard. The familiar body shape, with its extensive cutaways and contouring front and back, ensures comfort and playability. The body timber is US cherry with a gloss black finish, and the warm colouring of the wenge fingerboard and ovangkol neck timbers gives the bass a simple but refined appearance. 

At 4.1 kilos, the LX isn’t the lightest bass, but the upside is that it feels solid and sturdy. There is a small amount of neck dive, but that’s easily rectified by putting it on a strap. The classic look has been maintained, with minimal decoration; the wenge fingerboard has only side position markers and looks remarkably clean, and the curves of the classic Warwick headstock remain, along with the easy access truss rod cover. The super-shiny chrome Warwick tuners, two-piece bridge and four controls - volume, pickup pan, bass and treble EQ - give off a certain air of refinement. 

Sounds

Just sitting and plucking the strings with the bass unplugged illustrates the lively, bright nature of the LX. The natural bounce of the bolt-on design is reinforced with a tight resonance that vibrates through the instrument. The familiar woody, organic tone is present, along with a tight treble response. All this before we’ve even plugged it in... 

With the bass EQ set at and a at tone response from our test amp (an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 and SL212 cabinet) the bass bubbles along very nicely with a smoother tone than expected. The MEC
P/J pickup configuration and circuitry have often been a bone of contention with Warwick. Whether you like these or not is a personal opinion, but for the purposes of this bass, the system certainly works - it provides a full-rounded bottom end along with a noticeable zing and snap at the top. The midrange isn’t too pronounced, so it isn’t necessary to remove any mid-bark. 

Panning between the pickups reveals familiar tones from the split-coil and single-coil units. Midrange honk and tight fingerstyle tones are easily coaxed from the bridge pickup, while a solid, rounded tone emanates from the neck unit. Adding some bass EQ fattens up the signal noticeably, while rolling on the treble should be done gradually unless you’re after a particularly brittle tone. 

The passive tone, operated by the push/pull volume control, is very impressive, with a signal as strong as the active, unboosted tone; it’s a great alternative if you wish to bypass the EQ. No matter which mode you decide to use, there is a full, even response across the whole neck with no lack of definition across any of the strings. Whatever playing style you employ, the LX is well up to the task. 

The ovangkol neck has a full, rounded profile but feels slim as it progresses, while the satin finish gives the LX an organic feel, which is further highlighted by the visible open grain of the wenge fretboard. With a 19mm string spacing at the bridge, playability is high on the agenda, and the bass’s high level of finishing, lack of sharp fret-ends and slinky feel all add to the impression that it’s designed to be enjoyed. The action and setup are also conducive to making the LX as playable as possible. 

The Streamer LX is a fine instrument, and a whole lot of fun too. It faces considerable competition at £1875, but it is certainly worthy of the Warwick name - and if a great-sounding, simple, classy-looking bass is what you’re searching for, then you could do far worse than to consider this one.