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German Warwick Value Trends

Number179

Number179

Gold Supporting Member
Jul 4, 2009
371
848
#1
In the last year or so, I feel (yes feel, this is not scientific) like German Warwicks that have popped up for sale have been very accessible price-wise, in shop, TB classys, verb. I'm not talking their custom shop or master built lines. Every time I see a German up for sale, there's a Rockbass marginally less expensive right next to it. I got a '00 Thumb BO Pro Series for under $1k just because and these do play different, I like it, but it's different compared to FSOs and even my Ric.

So, #1 is this trend persistent or am I off base?

#2, if I'm track, why do you think this is the case?

My attempt at explaining the accessibility of these is 2 fold: the scooped tone of the early 2000s where these were noticeably popular (in rock genre which I am most familiar: Martinie, Dirk Lance, P-Nut; even Zender and Lessard) has fallen out of favor for more traditional P or J tone and/or boutique custom builds with all tones available - resulting in decreased market demand.

Interested in thoughts/discussion/other's experience.
 
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#5
With the explosion of pricing for their new stuff, I see a lot of people asking really high prices for used Warwicks. I haven't been looking for one so I don't follow these listings but I have to think at some point people are forced to drop their price after things sit for a while.
 
#6
Honestly Warwick pricing has never made sense to me but I have owned 4 90s Warwick's that were all really cheap and really undervalued basses imo. My favorites have been the ones that don't have "standard" pickup layouts like the fortress masterman and an fna jazzman Corvette. I feel like used Warwick's being cheap is not a new thing and it has been this way for at least a decade
 
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#7
Warwick's value took a plunge when Bass Player Magazine started taking a dive. When they were done, it seems so was the popularity of Warwick. They had lots of advertisements and reviews, plus profiled a lot of Warwick users. And reviewed anything new they were putting out.

That's not happening anymore. And the prices of Warwicks at that time didn't help.

No idea what the future holds here. Warwick prices have always been all over the map.
 
#8
Warwicks are some of the best values on the used market and have been for many years. They tend to not hold their value quite as well as some other big brands. That's bad news for those that bought their Warwicks new, but great news for guys like me that only buy used basses! :thumbsup:
 
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#9
The few Warwicks I've seen for sale don't seem like they jumped in price. If anything, they've gone down. At least the Corvette models I've seen.

I always thought the used Streamer models or Thumb models have held steady price wise. But I haven't been shopping around for those particular models in some time so I might be off.

And I'd agree with you OP that the Warwick sound has fallen out of favor. I saw Mudvayne last year and from what I could tell, Ryan Martinie wasn't playing a Warwick.
 
#10
It's kinda a tone nerd thing. There are ones with certain features that make them more valuable and ones with features that make them quite affordable. They kinda look just the same in photos a lot of times.

The affordable ones are fine basses, definitely better than a rock bass, but they aren't the bass those of us after the expensive ones really want at all hence the affordability.
 
#11
ole Jason said:
Warwick basses are generally pretty unpopular on TB. I think used German Warwicks have always been undervalued, I think I paid $600 for my Corvette. I haven't noticed any big swings in the prices recently though. Warwick has pretty much always been a "buy it used" brand in America.
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I think they're unpopular because so few can afford them. A new Thumb 4 NT is $12,500 Canadian ($9300usd approx)! That's insane!
 
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#12
They've never really held their value that well. Plus I think like 8 or 9 years ago they seriously diluted their brand when they restructured their Made in Germany line. They saddled what had previously been the standard Made in Germany line with the "teambuilt" moniker and nerfed the features and cosmetics. Suddenly the German Warwicks that anyone could afford were not as appealing as they once were. The Corvette $$ went from having the much more attractive all black hardware to having normal silver hardware for example. A tier above it was also introduced called "masterbuilt", at a way higher price point. This led to the perception that teambuilt were lesser German Warwick basses.

In 2010 you could buy a German Corvette $$ for $1100 on clearance at Guitar Center and feel that you had a premium product from the brand, top of the line except for the Custom Shop. Then that model reappeared at upwards of $2k and had been nudged to more closely resemble the Rockbass version of the model. At this time it was also still possible to custom order a brand new EBMM Stingray with any color, preamp or pickup configuration you wanted for about $1500. Basically a custom shop order in all but name that Sweetwater for instance could procure for you. So I think it was kinda like hmm, maybe for $1800 I can get something a little more premium than a budget tier German Warwick. They turned their flagship into a budget line basically, but a budget line that was still pretty pricey. And they still call that line the Pro series to this day. It could be a localization mistake for all I know but someone should have told them that "Pro" kinda means not pro. It kinda means a cheaper version of the real thing. And the "real" top of the line Warwicks now cost absolutely pants-on-head insane amounts of money.

They also seem to be spending way less on marketing and the artist program than they used to. There was a time when they were gobbling up every big name in bass. I assume it simply didn't work for them in the US at least and they mothballed it. In my opinion the branding changes were a big blunder and probably diminished their appeal in the US. If nothing else it was confusing at the time. For one reason or another they haven't established the kind of prestige brand here that they probably in all honesty deserve. I don't know if anyone anywhere makes a better bass than Warwick. Their fit and finish might be literally as good as can possibly be. I moved mine on a long time ago because I didn't like how it sounded or responded live, but it had the best recorded bass tone I've ever gotten.
 
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#13
I've been shopping around lately for an old 80's/90's neck-through model and they seem to hold their value almost too well, at least here in Norway. I got my used SS2 12 years ago and the prices have more than doubled since then. I really wanted an old Thumb NT, but with this small market and at these prices I can't do it, not now at any rate. I went with a Bleached Blonde Thumb instead, which actually was quite a bit less than I was prepared to spend.
 
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#15
Number179 said:
In the last year or so, I feel (yes feel, this is not scientific) like German Warwicks that have popped up for sale have been very accessible price-wise, in shop, TB classys, verb. I'm not talking their custom shop or master built lines. Every time I see a German up for sale, there's a Rockbass marginally less expensive right next to it. I got a '00 Thumb BO Pro Series for under $1k just because and these do play different, I like it, but it's different compared to FSOs and even my Ric.

So, #1 is this trend persistent or am I off base?

#2, if I'm track, why do you think this is the case?

My attempt at explaining the accessibility of these is 2 fold: the scooped tone of the early 2000s where these were noticeably popular (in rock genre which I am most familiar: Martinie, Dirk Lance, P-Nut; even Zender and Lessard) has fallen out of favor for more traditional P or J tone and/or boutique custom builds with all tones available - resulting in decreased market demand.

Interested in thoughts/discussion/other's experience.
Click to expand...

I found a German Corvette $$ about 2 years ago for 700€. It was a 2006, as good as new bass, hardly used and taken care of like I've rarely seen. The seller kept it stored away and preferred his Sandberg.
So 700€ for beast like that and in that shape is pretty hard to come by, I know I got lucky.
This particular Corvette had been sitting idle on the market for over 6 months!!!!

But what I've learned of Warwick is that they aren't always the easiest to sell on the secondhand market.
Warwick in these parts, Western Europe, is a very well entrenched brand among bass players, yet they don't get the love they used to, and there seems to be more interest in other brands like Sandberg who produce more traditional shaped basses amongst other types.

To me they really are something of the 90's, their sound just sat perfect with some genres of music that came out then. Since the end of the 90's and early 2000's, music has shifted hugely imo, and genres like hardcore, cross over and such, have taken a back seat....it may have something to do with a shift in the musical landscape.

Just my two cents, and I love Warwick! If you have one to spare, send it to me and I'll take care if it! :drool::hyper::bassist::roflmao::thumbsup:
 
#16
Inertialsky said:
I've noticed the opposite. They're getting more expensive.. just like everything else
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Certainly. In the UK, and maybe in Europe, they're as expensive s/h as new, almost. A Thumb bolt-on, used, can come in around £1800; neck-throughs, used, north of £4k. I really regret getting rid of both my '91 Thumb NTs, but that's for another day.
 
#19
IronLung1986 said:
Their fit and finish might be literally as good as can possibly be. I moved mine on a long time ago because I didn't like how it sounded or responded live, but it had the best recorded bass tone I've ever gotten.
Click to expand...

This.
Bought mine cheap (so I thought at the time, priced like a used Mex P). Loved the neck and finish, and pretty solid tone at home. But didn't impressed me in a band mix, besides heavy as f$#k, so I think I could move it with a profit (90's Corvette, original case, Aguilar preamp).
I can't find a buyer in Brazil paying a dime more than a used Mex P worths... :rollno:
 
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#20
Regarding OP's #2 Q: they sound amazing playing solo, they fill out a bedroom sound perfectly.

Live, in most non-funk and non-NuMetal bands, their baked in voicings just are a square block you're trying to shove into a round hole. It's frustrating how close to other basses they sound with any tweaks or mods while still always being noticeably Not Quite Right.

Almost nobody actually wants to own a livingroom-only bass, so they dump them at $Curiosity prices.

———

I urge any reader here to consider a classic Warwick with gold frets in a wenge board & MEC preamp as a Treat Yourself instrument worthy of being worked into your home decor hung on the wall near your couch or work desk.

I wish I'd kept my MIG Corvette for just that purpose. Someday I'll be snagging a bolt on Thumb 5 for just that purpose.
 

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