This Explorer-inspired, North America-shaped
bass was the brainchild of
Who bassist John Entwistle and Warwick’s
President and Founder Hans Peter Wilfer
back in 1985. Entwistle had some very
specific ideas for his custom-made bass after
moving away from his Rickenbacker 4001,
Alembic models, and the Fender “Explorer-
Bird,” and knew Wilfer could do the job.
According to lore, John and Hans Peter
drew up the basic design in one day. That
night, after a few drinks in a London nightclub,
the two agreed it would be called the
Buzzard.
A few prototypes were made and
after a few design tweaks became the bass
we recognize today. After the duo decided
on the name, the headstock was changed to
more closely resemble a buzzard’s beak during
late-stage prototyping. Warwick released
The Buzzard to the public soon thereafter,
and the company continued making custom
Buzzards for John in subsequent years.
The Buzzard featured here has its own
story to tell. Warwick made about 18 basses
specifically for Entwistle in 1990, and the
bass shown here was the only instrument
out of Entwistle’s extensive collection chosen
to be featured on the cover of his book Bass
Culture. It features a 34" scale and two EMG
P-style pickups. On the Buzzards built for
Entwistle, he preferred a Modulus graphite
neck for its ability to hold his low-action,
which required constant truss-rod adjustments
on standard necks. He also valued
the neck’s suitability for his dynamic playing,
as well as its seeming imperviousness to
weather changes.
The current owner purchased this
Buzzard, along with a gold one, from John
at his home in 2001. Regarding the signature,
he relates, “John signed this one for
me right there with one of the sharpies that
he used for his illustrations and drawings,
as we were halfway between his downstairs
studio and his art room.”
Thanks to Greg Dorsett and David Brewis of Rock Stars Guitars for listing this bass on
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