Who has WARWICKS with non-MEC pickups?

I always wondered the same thing. I always felt that the MEC pickups in my corvette proline sounded brittle & thin, with little bottom end.

Sooo... I replaced them with EMG's. Good god, what a difference. I'm shocked at how much it opened up the sound, gave it a 'blossoming' bottom end, and gave it even more growl.

It really makes me wonder why warwick puts those MEC pickup in there... i mean the difference really was like night & day, and I can't imagine why anyone would actually want those MEC's.

Anyways, I also have a thumb 5 bolt-on, and I've been considering doing the same thing.... My thumb has a really good growl to it, but again i fuind the bottom end pretty thin & without complexity. I also find the sound to be VERY "stifled"... and needs to be opened up.

I haven't done it yet because 1. 5 string pickups are a lot more expenzive; and 2... the thumb is a lot different sounding than the corvette...so i just don't know.

by the way, i notice the biggest difference in recording... it really has opened up the sound & given it a 'beef' that it never had.

Anyone else?

 

Whafrodamus has EMGs in his warwick.

His advice is that EMGs preamps suck, but the pickups are good.

I beleive.

I really like barts. I would put them in, with a bart preamp.

 

...especially because of their characteristics on the mid low-end.

+1 on the Barts.

 

Hi,

I until recently had a 94 Corvete Proline. I had the MEC's replaced with Basslines and couldn't have been happier with the change. I always hated the MEC's in all the Warwicks I had. To me none of the growl was lost and much tone was gained. For the ultimate in tone upgrade I also junked the MEC pre and went to a Bartolini which completed a perfect Warwick sound for me. All the bite of before just better. Hope this helps.

 

+1 on bart pre, as already mentioned.

Im a biggg warwick fan although i do not own one. I lust for a bolt on thumb 4 string, and if i ever get one i will put bartolini pickups and preamp in it.


Am i correct to assume that the bartolini jazz pickups are passive,and the preamp will be active?

 

That seems more a testament to the woods, and how they STILL play a role, no matter how crappy or nice your pickups are. Basslines are probably another really nice choice. They never seem to disappoint.

I think the overall response so far in this is that MEC's don't do Warwicks justice for their combination of construction and woods. Look for a pickup/pre combination that doesn't destroy the integrity of the source of the tone (woods) that makes Warwick's growl famous.

 

Don't own, but have played.

A Warwick Streamer with a Basslines MM sort of pickup. It was THE BEST sounding Warwick I have ever encountered. Not just played. However I have not heard one with Barts.

 

I replaced the MEC's on my thumb 5 with EMG's, made the world of difference. opened the sound up, the sound because less hissy.

 

I have a warwick with EMGs. I love it. The sound is so much clearer and natural. Uhh.. Yeah.. ALL>MEC.

 

You won't lose the growl. It's in the wood. The newer MEC's aren't TOO bad, but I prefer the Basslines. As for EMG's, they do nothing for me. The weakest Warwick I've ever played had EMG's in it. I'm not saying they suck, they're just not for me.

 

The best Warwick I've ever played was an older Streamer Stage I 5 string with Bart pickups and preamp. Amazing bass.

 

dont put Barts in a Warwick. I have had EMGs and MECs, and they sound about the same. Slightly better with EMGs but not worth bothering to change them.There is more difference in various Warwick basses (years, neck thru vs. bolt on) than there is in those pickups.
Ive also had Bill Lawrence pickups in a Warwick 5 and they sounded different, more open high end, but too hi fi. It wasnt the classic Warwick sound.

 

hmmm ... well I have bart pickups and preamp in my Covette fretless. The tone of this thing is amazing. Very versitile with amazing punch and growl. Great fretless tone!

 

I have 2 warwick thumb six strings (fretted-1988, fretless-2004), the fretted has barts, the fretless MEC's. I DEFINITELY recommend the barts.

 

From what I understand, the Basslines sound pretty much like the MECs, because the MEC pickups were actually designed by the same designers...?

Just what I heard...

Barts on the other hand might be awsome?

 

I have an '87 Streamer with its original reverse-P/J EMGs. Though I replaced the MEC preamp with an OBP-3. To me, it seems that MEC pickups are designed to sound like EMGs, it's just that EMG executed the concept better and MEC is Warwick's less good in-house copy.

I've yet to hear a Warwick that sounds as good as this one though - just clearer, fatter and more of everything.

Alex

 

+1
I LOVE the sound of the barts in my '90 Thumb 5 N/T. As covered already, all the growl is there, and opens up a whole new world of ...'complexity'...? within the entire range. Ahh I'm in flavour country

 

I had a Streamer LX6 and I really never digged the sound too much.
Even my bass playing friend said it was thin sounding.

Thats until I replaced the pickups for a set of active basslines and a preamp. They sound totally improved, it was fat, growly, and even more defined.

After some time, even one of my friends started saying the bass had changed completely, and bacame alive. ... He bought my bass a few months later, and has been happy ever since.

 

what barts & matching preamp can be put into a thumb 5 N/T?