Inside Warwick’s Limited Edition Fortress 2026: Masterbuilt and Teambuilt Versions Revealed
Each year, Warwick unveils a limited-edition model, and they revealed this year’s edition to be the Fortress Bass at NAMM 2026. The Limited Edition Fortress 2026 is built in their custom shop at two levels: Masterbuilt and Teambuilt. Each features the base model’s shape and dimensions, including its long upper horn, but differs in its appointments.
First up, the top-of-the-line Warwick Limited Edition Fortress 2026 Masterbuilt features a hidden neck-through construction. It pairs a flamed maple neck with USA swamp ash body wings topped with a highly figured piece of Amara Ebony. Warwick reduces the weight by chambering sections of the body.
“The playing experience is shaped by a combination of tactile refinement and tonal control, from brass frets installed with Invisible Fretwork Technology to a comfortable C-shaped neck that invites movement across the full range of the instrument,” the company states. “MEC soapbar pickups and a three-band boost-cut preamp offer wide-ranging control, from crisp, articulate response to warmer, rounded textures, with an EQ bypass that reveals the bass’s natural harmonic depth.”
Get the full rundown with Andy Irvine:
The Limited Edition Fortress 2026 Teambuilt/Pro Series bass carries many of the same design elements, but it is a bolt-on design. It has a chambered swamp ash body, Amara Ebony top and fingerboard, and a three-piece maple neck with Ekanga veneer stripes. Its dual MEC soapbar pickups are matched to a 2-band EQ with a bypass option for tonal flexibility.
Again, Mr. Irvine shows us the way:
Both the Masterbuilt and Teambuilt versions come in four- and five-strings, fretted or fretless, and in both right- and left-handed configurations. They carry prices starting at $10,500 and $6,550, respectively.
Limited Edition Fortress 2026 Masterbuilt Specs:
| Strings: | 4 or 5 |
| Construction: | Hidden Neck-Through |
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Body: | USA Swamp Ash Body Wings |
| Top: | 3/8″ Master Reserve Amara Ebony |
| Neck: | Flamed Maple with Ekanga Stripes |
| Fingerboard: | Amara Ebony |
| Fingerboard Radius: | 20″ |
| Frets: | 24, Fretted or Fretless |
| Pickups: | Active MEC Soapbar Humbucker with Black Chome metal covers |
| Electronics: | Active MEC 3-band electronics |
| Bridge: | Warwick 2-piece solid brass 3D bridge |
| Tuners: | Graph Tech Ratio machine heads with Ebony wood pegs |
| Finish: | Natural Blackburst Transparent Satin top / Bleached Nirvana Blackburst back & sides in transparent satin |
| Other: | Warwick Limited Edition Certificate of Authenticity, hand signed by Nicolas Wilfer |
| Orientation: | Right and Left Hand |
Limited Edition Fortress 2026 Teambuilt/Pro Series Specs:
| Strings: | 4 or 5 |
| Construction: | Bolt-on |
| Scale: | 34″ |
| Body: | Chambered USA Swamp Ash |
| Top: | 3/8″ Amara Ebony |
| Neck: | Maple with Ekanga Stripes |
| Fingerboard: | Amara Ebony |
| Fingerboard Radius: | 20″ |
| Frets: | 24, Fretted or Fretless |
| Pickups: | Active MEC Soapbar Humbucker with Black Chome metal covers |
| Electronics: | Active MEC 2-band electronics |
| Bridge: | Warwick 2-piece solid brass 3D bridge |
| Tuners: | Warwick machine heads |
| Finish: | Natural Blackburst Transparent Satin top / Nirvana Blackburst back & sides in transparent satin |
| Other: | Warwick Limited Edition Certificate of Authenticity |
| Orientation: | Right and Left Hand |
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
