This all-solid state amp has a ton of features and a bucketful of benefits for the pro bassist. Not only is it a mighty 1000 watts (!) at 4 ohms, but it also has the most unique tone-shaping capabilities of any amp on the market today. Stefen Manz, the genius behind all of Warwick’s amp designs, really pulled out all of the stops to create an amp that is powerful in every possible way.

The best way to introduce you to the X-treme’s capabilities is to go through the front panel controls one at a time. Starting from the left, there is the input jack and gain control knob. The input gain control knob has a LED light that helps you adjust the incoming bass level so that it gives you the best possible signal. If the LED stays red when you are playing, the signal is too hot, so you need to turn the knob counterclockwise until the LED briefly flashes red only on your peak notes. When I plugged my Thumb 4-string into the X-treme it had so much headroom that the LED rarely flashed red, even when I set the input gain knob on 10 (it goes to 12). Next to the input jack you will also find a mini toggle switch that is a –10db pad. If your bass has a very hot output (like most active basses) you should flip this switch up, which reduces your bass signal.

Next, there is a compression section that is quite cool. The compression ration can be adjusted by turning the compression knob – the more clockwise you turn the knob, the more compressed your signal will be. This allows you to choose the amount of compression you want, which opens a whole new world of flexibility to you. Another hip feature of the X-treme’s built-in compressor is the mini toggle switch, which has three positions. In the middle position the compressor is off, when the switch is up the compressor is on, and when the switch is down the compressor only comes on when you activate the EQ. That rocks!

The next two mini switches are for the boost and the EQ, respectively. The boost switch also has three positions. In the middle position the boost is off. When you flip the switch up you get a +6db boost and when you flip the switch down you get a +2db boost. I thought it was incredibly insightful that Warwick gave you two options for boosting your signal. When you turn on the boost, the compressor is automatically activated.

The last mini switch activates the parametric EQ. When the switch is in the down position the EQ is off. Flipping the switch up turns on the EQ. Another cool feature is that you can use a dual, latching footswitch (sold separately) to activate the boost and the EQ. This is invaluable for the working bassist! I use the boost and the EQ switching live to help me customize my performance, and it really helped my solos cut through!

Next to the Compression knob you will find the EQ Balance control, which is a real gem! This knob allows you to mix in the amount of EQ signal into your tone. I found this to be highly effective for matching the tone I got in the practice room to whatever club I was playing in – all without touching the individual parametric EQ controls! Imagine that; you worked hard to get the perfect tone, and now you can tweak it to each venue with the turn of a single knob. Awesome.

The next set of controls I want to cover are the four knobs that make up the Voicing section. The Voicing section is always on, and it gives you a myriad of ways to customize your bass tone. These controls actually allow you to change the character of your amp, making it all the more individual and personal. The first knob is the Bottom control, which lets you extend the low frequency terms. In layman’s terms, the more you turn this knob clockwise, the lower and deeper your tone is. At low volumes you can add more Bottom to your tone, making it sound bigger than it normally would sound. When I really cranked the X-treme amp up, I found that reducing the amount of Bottom really cleaned up my tone and kept it from getting too muddy.

The next Voicing control is the Contour knob. This is by far my favorite Voicing control! By turning this knob clockwise, you boost the lows and highs while simultaneously cutting the mids. When the knob is set at 0 there is no affect to the signal. As you turn the knob up, you increase the amount of contour that is added to your signal. It is an easy way to get the funk tone that you dream about!

The Contour control is followed by the Growl control. This knob simply boosts and cuts the low mids. Many players like to boost their low mids to get that aggressive edge to their tone that really cuts through the mix and is ideal for heavier music. Setting this knob to the 0 position (straight up) makes the effect neutral.

The last Voicing control is the Attack control. It functions in a similar way to the Growl control, only it boosts and cuts the amount of presence in your tone. Turning the knob to the right adds presence, while turning it to the left reduces the amount of presence. Once again, the straight up position is neutral. I liked to add more Attack when I played chord melody pieces and when I played with a pick. I cut the Attack whenever I wanted to get a smoother, mellower sound – like playing a Jazz ballad.

Directly under the Voicing section is the parametric EQ. You have a Bass knob, a Mid Frequency control, a Mid Level control and a Treble knob. These bass and treble knobs are pretty self-explanatory, but the real beauty of this parametric EQ is fond in the Mid controls. The Mid Frequency control actually sets which mid frequency you want to boost or cut. Once you dial in the frequency that you like to control, you can use the Mid Level knob to boost or cut it. This is another example of how you can personalize the X-treme so it is as individual as you are!

Next to the Attack knob in the Voicing section there is a mini switch that controls the mute. By flipping this switch up you mute the output while simultaneously activating the tuner output on the rear panel. You will know when the amp is muted because a red LED will light up above the switch. Even when the mute is on the Phones output, located below the mute switch, will stay active.

Last but not least, there is the Master volume control knob, directly below that, the power button. This is a good time to comment on the high-quality pots that Warwick used on the X-treme. They are all notched with incredibly smooth action and just enough resistance to make them comfortable. Very nice detail.

The X-treme has a fan that vents through the front panel. This is an awesome feature because it means you can tight-rack it without effecting the ventilation. I also like the fact that the protection circuit on the X-treme will shut down the speaker outputs whenever it senses a harmful condition, but the line out and DI out stay active! This means if the protection circuit activates during a gig, your speakers will be saved while the signal you are sending to the house mixer remain on! This is a wonderful upgrade that pro players will go ga-ga over!

I fear that I may be boring you with all of this detail regarding the controls of the X-treme, so lets get to some real-life application. I played the X-treme in my home studio with a Warwick 411Pro and a 115Pro cab stack. I found that after about 15 minutes of experimenting with the X-treme’s controls I was able to start dialing in a great variety of tones and textures. I found that I could get a great tone by using just the Voicing section, and then set the EQ for my solos. With the footswitch, I could activate the EQ, the boost, or both, to help my solos and chordal playing to sit better in the mix.

If you get the chance to sit down with the X-treme, I strongly suggest that you turn off the EQ first and use the Compressor and Voicing section to get a tone you like. Then experiment with the EQ and Boost to help you get alternate tones. If your experience is like mine, you will be amazed with how flexible this amp is.

As always, stay tuned
Dale Titus