Warwick necks

PBFACTOR · #1 03-05-2011, 10:31 PM

I've had 20+ warwick basses over the years and never had/seen a neck problem. I've been in new england about a year and in the last 3 weeks I've checked out 2 that do. One I bought on the bay. A corvette 5 active bubinga, the seller took it back and resold it. And the other a thumb 5 bolt on I went to check out tonight and had to pass on it. Both twisted badly. I know it's humid here but i've lived in south florida too. Anyone else come across one?

sixtyneedles · #2 03-06-2011, 12:32 AM

I have my $$ since 08 with no isues and i live in a realy humid part of athens

SoonerMatt · #3 03-06-2011, 12:42 AM

My Thumb's a 98 and has a 3 piece wenge neck, no problems at all.

Buxtehude · #4 03-06-2011, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBFACTOR

I've had 20+ warwick basses over the years and never had/seen a neck problem. I've been in new england about a year and in the last 3 weeks I've checked out 2 that do. One I bought on the bay. A corvette 5 active bubinga, the seller took it back and resold it. And the other a thumb 5 bolt on I went to check out tonight and had to pass on it. Both twisted badly. I know it's humid here but i've lived in south florida too. Anyone else come across one?

Live in boiling hot and humid Sydney and my thumb neck is still fine.

PBFACTOR · #5 03-06-2011, 05:12 AM

That's been my experience too. That's why I find it so strange.

Kipaste · #6 03-06-2011, 05:34 AM

I'd say that even though you've owned plenty, the sample size is still relatively low and all this could be said to be coincidence. But personally I do also think the climate can play a part too. It's good to remember that even though florida is humid, the overall differences are quite small as to my understanding the air is never super dry and the temperature differences are pretty small. In my experience, it's not the humidity, it's the changes and extreme dryness that do the damage.

I live in a place where the difference between a cold winter day and warm summer day can be 100 fahrenheits. And it gets humid in the summer and super dry in the winter. And even though I keep a humidifier running during the winters the air still very dry because the constant heating eats the humidity away quickly. Now I've never noticed a problem occur to a bass during the summer no matter how humid it is. It's always the dry winter. This winter has been pretty nasty and made my marcus miller neck commit a suicide. Sure the neck had tendencies, but it was the three weeks of -20 weather that pushed it over the edge.

So get a humidifier to your instrument room and run it when you're heating. And especially if you have clear gloss finishes, when ever you take an instrument out let it sit in the case or gig bag for a while so it warms slowly.

KsPiNeSh · #7 03-06-2011, 06:29 AM

It happens, if only because of the law of averages

PBFACTOR · #8 03-08-2011, 07:53 AM

Just weird they were both from new england and had the same kind of problem.

JoshuaTSP · #9 03-08-2011, 08:27 AM

I'm in WI with two warwicks.....corvette $$ 5 and Thumb 5 NT and both are rock solid and straight.

spufman · #10 03-08-2011, 09:53 AM

No Warwicks in my house, but I'm also from New England and need to make truss rod changes pretty much every season. Never extreme, but necessary. There has only been one exception: my '83 G&L SB-2 never needs adjustment, that thing is a rock.

JimiLL · #11 03-08-2011, 02:51 PM

I had a Corvette that had a twisted neck. Real bummer, new necks cost $600 +

Lots of people dont take care of these basses like they should.... warwick says to wax the instrument about once weekly, and lots of these basses are lucky if they even see it at all.

Real shame.... people should have just bought a fender

JoshuaTSP · #12 03-08-2011, 02:58 PM

I wax my Wick everyday.

(not really....monthly, but I just wanted to say "wax my Wick")

KsPiNeSh · #13 03-08-2011, 03:01 PM

FWIW, I live in the Midwest, where it goes from 105 degrees and 100% humidity in the summer to 10 degrees and 0% humidity for months during the winter. I've owned Warwicks for going on 5 years now and had zero issues. I keep a close eye on my instruments, but the only setups I've ever really needed on my 'Wicks were when I changed tunings, even with those extreme swings.

bassnbat · #14 03-08-2011, 08:21 PM

I live in Taiwan which is a small island country with very very humid and hot climate. I used to own a Warwick thumb bass. First I got to adjust the truss rod very often, likely every day, because the neck changes day by day. After about three months, it wrapped and twisted extremely bad and the truss rod cannot adjust anymore. I finally had to sell it as bass parts for about 300 US or something. It is weird that almost every Warwick got this same problem in here. I've seen about 30 pieces of them have this problem even in some very hi-end maple neck items, say Stage I and stage II series. No one survived.