A bass that takes on the characteristics of its master, the German-built Jack Bruce Survivor exudes classic looks and a warm, lyrical persona.
Here’s a trivia question for you: Who was the first major endorsee amongst Warwick’s immense roster of bassists? As the title of this review might suggest, it is the legendary Jack Bruce. Best known as the bassist and vocalist for Cream, Bruce’s virtuosic musicianship and vocal offerings from the seminal power trio were massively influential, arguably to the levels of his bandmate Eric Clapton.
Jack Bruce has played Warwick basses since 1985, leading to his first signature model with the company in 1988. And recently, another product of this longtime collaboration made its debut at the 2012 NAMM show. A bass that takes on the characteristics of its master, the German-built Jack Bruce Survivor exudes classic looks and a warm, lyrical persona.
Pieces of Bruce
The Jack Bruce Survivor is a clear combination
of Bruce’s past and present basses.
While the body is influenced by one of his
earlier instruments (the Gibson EB-3), the
neck, electronics, and hardware represent
Warwick’s approach to Bruce’s modern
preferences. Both the body and the neck
on this neck-through-designed beauty are
constructed from mahogany, and the tigerstripe-
ebony fingerboard is available in both
fretless (tested here) and fretted versions.
For electronics, the Survivor is outfitted with a pair of passive MEC pickups that look like humbuckers at first glance, but are actually single-coils with a shape that adds to the instrument’s vintage vibe. Wired to an active MEC 2-way preamp, the Survivor’s controls consist of a pushpull volume, balance, and stacked bass/ treble knob.
The bass also features Warwick’s highquality hardware, highlighted by the Justa- Nut III Brass nut and the company’s 2-piece, 3-D bridge—both of which offer a large degree of adjustability. Last but not least, Warwick installed LED side dots, which act like 13 red-nosed reindeers to help guide a bassist along the unlined fingerboard—especially nice for low-light gigging situations.
Jet Set Jewel
When I first removed the Survivor from its
included flight case, I was surprised to find
such a lightweight bass, particularly one
made of mahogany. While the bass required
a few tweaks of the truss rod and bridge
due to some extensive travel getting to us,
nothing raised any major concerns and I
was quickly ready to check it out.
There is an old adage that says one can determine the excellence of an instrument in three notes. From the very first pluck of the Survivor, it displayed its quality. Compelled to hear the natural voice of the bass, I played for sometime while unplugged and in a seated position. Instantly, the warmth and “mwah” of each note was delivered with a quick response and steady bloom, supported by a slight, low-mid punch. Anything my hands requested of the Survivor was easily communicated, from harmonic slides to varying vibratos. There was nothing in the construction that fought the vibrations of the strings, and for a solidbody bass, it conveyed an impressive amount of resonance.
Jazz bass lovers will likely enjoy the slim profile of the neck with its fast and smooth feel. Despite my personal preference for satin necks, I felt comfortable shifting over its glossy finish. The Survivor seemed a bit neck heavy for my playing style, given that it naturally settled into a horizontal position when strapped around my body. That said, it may work for you, depending on your penchant for perpendicular playing.
Open Up and Say Mwah
To assess the electric tone, I plugged the
Survivor into a Phil Jones D-600 amp paired
with a Glockenklang 410 cabinet, as well
as a Peavey Headliner amp and Headliner
410 cab. Starting with the volume knob
open and the pickups balanced, I found the
Survivor’s mids were complemented by the
onboard preamp, which was quite capable
of enhancing the articulate voice of the bass
with warm lows and airy highs.
Ratings
Pros:
articulate tone. comfortable fretless neck with cool
led side markers.
Cons:
expensive. neck heavy.
Tones:
Playability:
Build:
Value:
Street:
$10,085.50
Warwick
warwick.de
The bass was adept at recreating classic, fretless tones. By rolling the balance knob slightly toward the bridge pickup, I was able to produce a sound similar to ’80sera Pino Palladino. Mick Karn fans need only boost the bass and treble a bit, which results in tight lows and a present midrange that just begs a bassist to emulate Karn’s slides and leaps around the fingerboard. Though Jaco disciples may not necessarily find his voice lurking within the Survivor, they may very well discover their own through this expressive instrument.
Whether it was plugged into an amp or sent through a DI, the Survivor was a nice tool to have in live situations. It created a sweet, lyrical foundation to ballads, as well as an eclectic vibe to free-form jams. While some jazz and bluegrass bassists may not find the Survivor to be an alternative to schlepping their upright around town, its tone found a place for both these styles to my ears. Surprisingly, the Survivor was also able to emulate the lower strings of an oud. Just by lightly plucking the strings right in front of the bridge, I was able to create this unique timbre—and that was loads of fun.
The Verdict
The Warwick Jack Bruce Survivor is a bass
that truly channels a player’s voice. The
more than $10,000 price may not be for
everyone, but the Survivor will certainly
appeal to fretless aficionados and fans of
Jack Bruce. Bruce, who turns 69 this year,
calls the new signature bass “the best there
is.” And if the Survivor inspires him to keep
making music, perhaps investing in this
burgundy beauty will inspire you too.
Mooer's Ocean Machine II is designed to bring superior delay and reverb algorithms, nine distinct delay types, nine hi-fidelity reverb types, tap tempo functionality, a new and improved looper, customizable effect chains, MIDI connectivity, expression pedal support, and durable construction.
Similarly to the original, the Ocean Machine II offers two independent delay modules, each with nine different delay types of up to two seconds, including household names such as digital, tape, and echo delays, as well as more abstract options, such as galaxy, crystal, and rainbow. A high-fidelity reverb module complements these delays with nine reverb types, as well as a shimmer effect. Each delay and reverb effect can also be ‘frozen,’ creating static ambient drones, an effect that sounds particularly impressive considering the pedal’s DSP upgrades.
While the original Ocean Machine’s looping capabilities provided just 44 seconds of loop storage, the new addition features an impressive 120 seconds. To experiment with this feature, along with OceanMachine II’s other sonic capabilities, users can use an intuitive LCD screen along with 12 knobs (four for each delay and reverb module) to easily adjust parameters within the device’s ‘Play Mode.’ Three footswitches are also provided to facilitate independent effect toggling, tap tempo control, looper interfacing, and a preset selector.
Once the guitarist has crafted an interesting effect chain, they can save their work as a preset and enter ‘Patch Mode,’ in which they can toggle between saved settings with each of the three footswitches. In total, the Ocean Machine II provides eight preset storage banks, each of which supports up to threepresets, resulting in a total of 24 save slots.
The pedal’s versatility is further enhanced by its programmable parallel and serial effect chain hybrid, a signature element of Devin Townsend’s tone creation. This feature allows users to customize the order of effects, providing endless creative possibilities. Further programming options can be accessed through the LED screen, which impressively includes synchronizable MIDI connectivity, a feature that was absent in the original Ocean Machine.
In addition to MIDI, the pedal supports various external control systems, including expression pedal input through a TRS cable. Furthermore, the pedal is compatible with MOOER's F4 wireless footswitch, allowing for extended capabilities for mapping presets and other features. A USB-C port is also available for firmware updates, ensuring that the pedal remains up-to-date with the latest features and improvements.
Considering the experimental nature of Devin Townsend’s performances, MOOER has also gone above and beyond to facilitate the seamless integration of Ocean Machine II into any audio setup. The device features full stereo inputs and outputs, as well as adjustable global EQ settings, letting users tailor their sound to suit different environments. Guitarists can also customize their effect chains to be used with true bypass or DSP (buffered) bypass, depending on their preferences and specific use cases.
Overall, Ocean Machine II brings higher-quality delay and reverb algorithms, augmented looping support, and various updated connections to Devin Townsend’s original device. As per MOOER’s typical standard, the pedal is engineered to withstand the rigors of touring and frequent use, allowing guitars to bring their special creations and atmospheric drones to the stage.
Key Features
- Improved DSP algorithms for superior delay and reverb quality
- Nine distinct delay types that support up to 2 seconds of delay time: digital, analog, tape, echo,liquid, rainbow, crystal, low-bit, and fuzzy delays
- Nine hi-fidelity reverb types: room, hall, plate, distorted reverb, flanger reverb, filter reverb,reverse, spring, and modulated reverb
- Freeze feedback feature, supported for both delay and reverb effects
- Tap tempo footswitch functionality
- New and improved looper supporting up to 120 seconds of recording time, along withoverdubbing capabilities, half-speed, and reverse effects.
- Customizable order of effects in parallel or series chains
- Flexible bypass options supporting both true bypass and DSP bypass
- Large LCD screen, controllable through twelve easy-to-use physical knobs for real-time parameter adjustments.
- Adjustable Global EQ Settings
- Full stereo inputs and outputs
- Synchronizable and mappable MIDI In and Thru support
- USB-C port for firmware updates
- External expression pedal support via TRS cable
- Support for the MOOER F4 wireless footswitch (sold separately)
- Designed for durability and reliability in both studio and live environments.
The Ocean Machine will be available from official MOOER dealers and distributors worldwide on September 10, 2024.
For more information, please visit mooeraudio.com.
MOOER Ocean Machine II Official Demo Video - YouTube
Some of us love drum machines and synths, and others don’t, but we all love Billy.
Billy Gibbons is an undisputable guitar force whose feel, tone, and all-around vibe make him the highest level of hero. But that’s not to say he hasn’t made some odd choices in his career, like when ZZ Top re-recorded parts of their classic albums for CD release. And fans will argue which era of the band’s career is best. Some of us love drum machines and synths and others don’t, but we all love Billy.
This episode is sponsored by Magnatone
An '80s-era cult favorite is back.
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
Victory Figured Top Iguana BurstThe SDE-3 fuses the vintage digital character of the legendary Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay into a pedalboard-friendly stompbox with a host of modern features.
Released in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay was a staple for pro players of the era and remains revered for its rich analog/digital hybrid sound and distinctive modulation. BOSS reimagined this retro classic in 2023 with the acclaimed SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH, two wide-format pedals with stereo sound, advanced features, and expanded connectivity. The SDE-3 brings the authentic SDE-3000 vibe to a streamlined BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative tools for every musical style. The SDE-3 delivers evocative delay sounds that drip with warmth and musicality. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs for expanded sonic potential.
A wide range of tones are available, from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music. Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's original mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset knob to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, the user can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay. This provides a wealth of mono and stereo colors not available with other delay pedals, including unique doubled sounds and timed dual delays with tap tempo control. The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations to suit any stage or studio scenario.
Two stereo modes include discrete left/right delays and a panning option for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two amps for wet/dry setups, and the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs. The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance live and studio performances. Tap tempo mode is available with a press and hold of the pedal switch, while the TRS MIDI input can be used to sync the delay time with clock signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Optional external footswitches provide on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.
The new BOSS SDE-3 Dual Delay Pedal will be available for purchase at authorized U.S. BOSS retailers in October for $219.99. To learn more, visit www.boss.info.