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1996 Warwick Dolphin Pro I | Natural Oil Finish Boiré African Rosewood Body | My #1
ADDENDUM: 08.21.26
Lowered asking price...
I'm open to a partial trade at my full price value...
I'm needing a 5 String - and want a Warwick Masterman only - up to 95-96' Wenge Neck Only - without Volute this would be something that I could work into the deal. Color Prefs - Teal/Turquoise/Violet/Black/ - #1 Prefer Platinum Hardware - Black okay. If Color Pref - I could do a Hardware swap. 4 String Masterman would work as well since I am needing to replace this bass. Same Color Spec as the 5. Streamer Stage one from 90's would also partial trade at for less $ towards Dolphin Purchase.
Thirty-Year-Old Mastery in Excellent Condition!
No Cracks, No Repairs, No Thumbrest Wear or Nail Damage.
Stamped June 1996 (F in the serial), this bass represents the very last of Warwick’s Boiré (African Rosewood) bodies on the Dolphin model — and it showcases the absolute peak of their hand-contoured craftsmanship up to that point in the company’s history. After 1996 they discontinued this wood for the Dolphin; only two more known hand-shaped Boiré bodies ever turned up, and those were used in 1997 after the shop had already relocated to Markneukirchen, and they had Cnc'd Necks with Volutes.
That puts this instrument among an extremely small handful of its kind on the planet...
Last few of the original spec'd made with love and focus.
These basses were never a production line bass like the mass produced bolt-ons. Even the other neck through basses were made in significant numbers compared to the Dolphin basses. The Flagship or excellence and detail. Every single one was hand-shaped, one piece of wood at a time, by builders who knew exactly what they were doing. No two from this era play or sound quite the same — the density, the grain, the way the neck was carved that day — it all lives in the instrument. This one has its own unmistakable voice: deep, piano-like lows with woody warmth and sustain, growling or clear melodic mids, and crisp, tight highs that cut through. It walks a jazz line with grace and bites for rock or metal when you dig in, all without ever fighting you. The active electronics give it extra dimension and snap, but the soul is all in the wood and the build.
The neck is a rock-solid 7-piece Wenge/Zebrano through-neck with a wenge fretboard and mother-of-pearl dolphin inlays. It carries a modern, slightly flatter C-profile — fast, smooth, and stable as an arrow from the first fret to the 26th on this long-scale (34") instrument. No relief issues, low action, and thanks to the concave sculpted back and that beautifully angled upper horn, it balances perfectly on your body with zero neck dive. It just pulls into you naturally, like no other bass I’ve ever played — even compared to all my other Dolphin Pro I’s.
This bass was Plek’d and professionally set up by Mike Lull at his shop in Washington state in 2019.
When I picked it up from him, he told me it was one of the most amazing-feeling and musical basses he had ever played. This has been my #1 since I replaced a stolen ’93 model back in ’96. Of all the Dolphins I’ve owned and played over the years (nearly twenty of them), this is the definitive one. There’s the magic of a Dolphin Pro I… and then there’s this!~
It’s in excellent condition with all-original electronics that have never been altered or replaced (only routine battery changes, and they last a long time in this bass). Original everything except one tuner. The neck is straight and true, the Platinum hardware is just something to marvel, and it plays like a dream of effortless flow easing it's way in through and back out of your refined and beautiful.
Non-Smoker, Adult Hygienic Player and Collector.
ADDENDUM: 08.21.26
Lowered asking price...
I'm open to a partial trade at my full price value...
I'm needing a 5 String - and want a Warwick Masterman only - up to 95-96' Wenge Neck Only - without Volute this would be something that I could work into the deal. Color Prefs - Teal/Turquoise/Violet/Black/ - #1 Prefer Platinum Hardware - Black okay. If Color Pref - I could do a Hardware swap. 4 String Masterman would work as well since I am needing to replace this bass. Same Color Spec as the 5. Streamer Stage one from 90's would also partial trade at for less $ towards Dolphin Purchase.
Thirty-Year-Old Mastery in Excellent Condition!
No Cracks, No Repairs, No Thumbrest Wear or Nail Damage.
Stamped June 1996 (F in the serial), this bass represents the very last of Warwick’s Boiré (African Rosewood) bodies on the Dolphin model — and it showcases the absolute peak of their hand-contoured craftsmanship up to that point in the company’s history. After 1996 they discontinued this wood for the Dolphin; only two more known hand-shaped Boiré bodies ever turned up, and those were used in 1997 after the shop had already relocated to Markneukirchen, and they had Cnc'd Necks with Volutes.
That puts this instrument among an extremely small handful of its kind on the planet...
Last few of the original spec'd made with love and focus.
These basses were never a production line bass like the mass produced bolt-ons. Even the other neck through basses were made in significant numbers compared to the Dolphin basses. The Flagship or excellence and detail. Every single one was hand-shaped, one piece of wood at a time, by builders who knew exactly what they were doing. No two from this era play or sound quite the same — the density, the grain, the way the neck was carved that day — it all lives in the instrument. This one has its own unmistakable voice: deep, piano-like lows with woody warmth and sustain, growling or clear melodic mids, and crisp, tight highs that cut through. It walks a jazz line with grace and bites for rock or metal when you dig in, all without ever fighting you. The active electronics give it extra dimension and snap, but the soul is all in the wood and the build.
The neck is a rock-solid 7-piece Wenge/Zebrano through-neck with a wenge fretboard and mother-of-pearl dolphin inlays. It carries a modern, slightly flatter C-profile — fast, smooth, and stable as an arrow from the first fret to the 26th on this long-scale (34") instrument. No relief issues, low action, and thanks to the concave sculpted back and that beautifully angled upper horn, it balances perfectly on your body with zero neck dive. It just pulls into you naturally, like no other bass I’ve ever played — even compared to all my other Dolphin Pro I’s.
This bass was Plek’d and professionally set up by Mike Lull at his shop in Washington state in 2019.
When I picked it up from him, he told me it was one of the most amazing-feeling and musical basses he had ever played. This has been my #1 since I replaced a stolen ’93 model back in ’96. Of all the Dolphins I’ve owned and played over the years (nearly twenty of them), this is the definitive one. There’s the magic of a Dolphin Pro I… and then there’s this!~
It’s in excellent condition with all-original electronics that have never been altered or replaced (only routine battery changes, and they last a long time in this bass). Original everything except one tuner. The neck is straight and true, the Platinum hardware is just something to marvel, and it plays like a dream of effortless flow easing it's way in through and back out of your refined and beautiful.
Non-Smoker, Adult Hygienic Player and Collector.
- Body: Boiré (African Rosewood) — discontinued for this model in 1996; only two more hand-shaped Boiré wood bodies in this wood were later found and used in 1997, after the Warwick shop relocated to Markneukirchen
- Neck: 7-piece Wenge/Zebrano
- Width at Nut / 24th fret: 44 mm / 63 mm
- Neck Thickness, 1st fret / 24th fret: 21 mm / 24 mm
- Construction: Through-Body (Hidden Neck-Through)
- Fretboard: Wenge, Inlays Mother-of-Pearl "Dolphins"
- Scale: long scale (86.4 cm / 34")
- Frets: 26
- Hardware: Platinum ( Satin Chrome )
- String Action (nut / 12th fret / 24th fret) — G string: 1 mm / 2.5 mm / 2 mm
- String Action (nut / 12th fret / 24th fret) — E string: 1 mm / 2.5 mm / 2 mm
- Pickups: MEC®, active J/TJ combination
- Electronics: MEC®, active BEC II, 2-way
- Controls: 1 stacked volume & balance with center click, push/pull for active/passive.
1 stacked bass/treble, push/pull for single coil/twin coil on bridge pickup, cut or boost from center position - Overall length: 114.5 cm
- Weight: 4.5 kg
- Strings: Rotosound Swing Bass, Nickel, Medium "M" .045"–.105"
- Finish: Natural Oil Finish
What’s Included: - New extra set of Rotosound Swing Bass Nickel medium strings (matching what’s currently on it)
- Near-new can of Warwick’s own custom-blended wax for the natural oil finish
- Brand-new Mono Betty XL wide padded strap
- Factory-installed Dunlop Recessed Straplocks
- Nice Padded Gig Bag.
Shipping included.
I am needing a 5 String - I want a Warwick Masterman only - up to 95-96' without Volute this would be something that I could work into the deal. Color Prefs - Teal/Turquoise/Violet/Black/ - #1 Prefer Platinum Hardware - Black okay. If Color Pref - I could do a Hardware swap.
