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Buying a new 4 string bass, Warwick or Musicman
- Thread starter stringzz
- Start date
Heard two warwicks tonight, and was impressed with neither of them. Both of them lacked any umph, and just sounded woody..
It wasn't the bands rigs either, they were more than sufficient it's just those basses did nothing for me...
Musicman is going to be aggressive, and active if that's an issue for you.
I'd go with a Jazz, but that's just me. Of the two choices here, i'd take the MM
It wasn't the bands rigs either, they were more than sufficient it's just those basses did nothing for me...
Musicman is going to be aggressive, and active if that's an issue for you.
I'd go with a Jazz, but that's just me. Of the two choices here, i'd take the MM
WARWICK.
I love the woody sound of Warwicks. They don't have that nitro finish on the necks and bodies and feel so great in general.
Plus Warwick has plenty of options that have humbuckers, which I feel are much stronger than the stingrays. You have your Corvette $$ that has 2 humbuckers in the middle and bridge, and the Streamer $$ as well. Musicman just doesnt cut it for me with the humbuckers only.
I tried out several models such as the stingray H, HH, sterling H and HS, and the bongo, and none of those really gave me any tonal variety. Warwick basses still have single and split coil options if humbuckers aren't your thing, as shown with the Dolphin I and the streamer jazzman.
Ultimately your choice, but I will say that from my experience, Warwicks tend to be more versatile.
I love the woody sound of Warwicks. They don't have that nitro finish on the necks and bodies and feel so great in general.
Plus Warwick has plenty of options that have humbuckers, which I feel are much stronger than the stingrays. You have your Corvette $$ that has 2 humbuckers in the middle and bridge, and the Streamer $$ as well. Musicman just doesnt cut it for me with the humbuckers only.
I tried out several models such as the stingray H, HH, sterling H and HS, and the bongo, and none of those really gave me any tonal variety. Warwick basses still have single and split coil options if humbuckers aren't your thing, as shown with the Dolphin I and the streamer jazzman.
Ultimately your choice, but I will say that from my experience, Warwicks tend to be more versatile.
Obviously, this is an issue of personal preference. My opinion about the Warwick is pretty negative. I play a MM ray as my primary bass. I played in a group with another bassist for a while (college pep band) and my counterpart had a Standard Corvette (J style pups). It never sat right on my body, with the neck dipping quite a bit. On a similar note, I noticed my fretting hand seemed to have a hard time finding a comfortable spot in relation to the pickups. For some reason I couldn't get comfortable directly over a pickup. As far as weight, both of the basses in question are pretty heavy. The only tone comment I can make is that the Warwick does lean towards farty. I never really had enough time with it to find something I liked, but that's my memory. Hope this helped.
Apples and Oranges.
Warwicks Growl and Stingrays sing.
Personally I'd be equally comfortable with both. I lean towards Warwick because I own one, but I'd be a proud owner of a Stingray too. Both are quality.
The necks on Warwicks (at least the Thumbs) tend to be chunky and that would be about the only con of the Wick that I could think of. Both basses are quality. Corvettes have a less traditional look.
Warwicks Growl and Stingrays sing.
Personally I'd be equally comfortable with both. I lean towards Warwick because I own one, but I'd be a proud owner of a Stingray too. Both are quality.
The necks on Warwicks (at least the Thumbs) tend to be chunky and that would be about the only con of the Wick that I could think of. Both basses are quality. Corvettes have a less traditional look.
if you buy Warwicks with natural oil finishes, you've signed yourself up for some high maintainence chore of waxing the body every 2 weeks, if you don't want the body to change color at the parts that are touching your body when you play.
What I understand is that the open pores on the natural oil finish wood, will absorb your sweat and cause the body to change color at the parts where your skin is touching it.
whereas if you buy a Musicman or a color finished Warwick, none of this hassle and extra effort is necessary.
What I understand is that the open pores on the natural oil finish wood, will absorb your sweat and cause the body to change color at the parts where your skin is touching it.
whereas if you buy a Musicman or a color finished Warwick, none of this hassle and extra effort is necessary.
unless the color change hurts the bass in anyway then i don't see that as a problem. i mean some people embrace that aspect of things...the belt system in karate comes to mind. the stories i'm told is that they all started off wearing white belts but through practice sweating and bleeding the belts turned black, which is symbolic in the rankings now. some might see the color change as just proof of their playing and determination (which also may be a reason why people like scuffing up their bass to look vintage or whatever).
back on topic: i always perceived stingrays as very in the forefront of the song and warwicks in the back holding down a groove just by their signature tones. both are quality and it should be what tone you're after that determines your choice.
I love my Warwick but for you ... my advice is for that sort of money, play both for a decent amount of time before deciding. One will seem more 'right' to you, and that's what you should get! Both are fine choices.
I personally like all warwick through-neck and set-neck models and generally don't like their bolt-ons nearly as much.
I personally like all warwick through-neck and set-neck models and generally don't like their bolt-ons nearly as much.
This is really a "you need to play them both" question. Both are great and you should be happy with either. You may find that you prefer one over the other, though.
For me Warwick necks tend to be a little on the crazy, ridiculously, gigantically, baseball bat huge side for my tastes, but I think they have recently slimmed at least some of the necks down a bit.
Love Warwick tone, though. And I own a MusicMan, so I'm fond of them too.
For me Warwick necks tend to be a little on the crazy, ridiculously, gigantically, baseball bat huge side for my tastes, but I think they have recently slimmed at least some of the necks down a bit.
Love Warwick tone, though. And I own a MusicMan, so I'm fond of them too.
I wax my Warwick every time I've changed strings,....which is about 4 times in 10 years and maybe once or twice in between.
If there has been any significant color change,...I'd say it was for the better.
I would also submit that it is no more or less hassle than properly caring for a poly or nitro finish. YMMV
try playing a passive warwick... look for a pre-99 with a slim, wenge neck
it's sure not a fender but those old warwicks just sing. i've been less enamored with more recent ones i've played - the ovangkol neck is cool, but the expanded neck profile isn't for me and sorry but it can't touch the feel of the wenge. Also the plastic justanuts can't hold a candle to the older brass ones
it's sure not a fender but those old warwicks just sing. i've been less enamored with more recent ones i've played - the ovangkol neck is cool, but the expanded neck profile isn't for me and sorry but it can't touch the feel of the wenge. Also the plastic justanuts can't hold a candle to the older brass ones
i got a 93 stingray and i got a corvette proline. I love both. The warwicks more versatile. ive never waxed my warwick seems fine to me no noticeable wear. Think i might prefer the warwick sound a little more though i love my stingray!
I actually prefer the ovangkol necks myself and the newer JANs, I get that I'm in the minority with that though.
I think of the two the OP mentioned, I'd go for the stingray, even though I'm a Warwick fan, I don't really dig the standard Corvettes. I play one of the (discontinued) FNA Jazzman 'wicks myself, its just got a whole bigger tonal palette than the standard passive Corvette.
To sum up..... play them both, use your ears and your hands to give you the answer!
As to the Wicks changing color, yes they will....but depending on your tastes, it could be a good thing. With an occasional waxing my '98 Bolt-On has taken on a sweet chocolate coloring.
Yummy.
Yummy.
Warwick: 'The Sound of Wood'.
Warwick are not solely passive. Double bucks (dual humbuckers) can offer really nice power.
Not really a fair comparison as they are on different price bands.
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I think the official line on waxing Warwicks is you should absolutely lather them in wax for the first couple of months, then they will be protected against gradual weathering for a long time. It's effectively a second, more permanent, protective coat. I'm personally not too keen on the chocolate look of old Thumbs, I prefer something brighter. I find they always look like they've been left in a cupboard for too long.
+1 Play them both.
I, too, have an FNA Jazzman, which is great because it's got both, a J-style pickup and a humbucker, too. Great for toggling your sound the way you want it with a lot of bite and punch. I found the neck isn't as bad as everyone leads to believe on the Jazzman compared to, say, a Thumb bass; I got a five-string and that was a big concern for me as far as the width of the neck. I find it quite comfortable.
If you look around, you can find a used one for a pretty good price, I would imagine.
But, again; TRY before you BUY. You're the one that has to live and work with it, not us. Good luck!
Its a FNA Jazzman 5 I play too, in honey oil violin finish. What finish do you have? I actually love the neck on mine and I've got pretty small hands. I was playing on a much thinner neck beforehand and it was playing havoc with my wrists.
