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Getting Discouraged on my Dream Warwick Bass Hunt

Unless having an instrument from that specific era is really important, you could also have a Thumb built to the exact same spec through the Warwick Custom Shop. It'll cost you, but they have a ton of options and you'll get exactly what you want.
I thought about, but the properties of the wood now are very different from. The same
type of wood but from 40+ years ago. Back then it was more dense and naturally aged. Wood now makes
It sound more hi-fi and less primal.
 
I have only seen one Thumb bass made with afzelia instead of bubinga. Funny enough, it was at The Lowend in Nashville. Sadly, someone had performed a proper hack job on it and installed Ken Smith pickups. IT WAS SO COOL and yet... it wasn't.

What others have said about ergonomics is a real thing. Warwick extended the upper horn on Thumb basses around 1999. Before then, the Thumb 5s were real neck heavy. They are heavy period. That might not matter to you, it never did to me until I ended up having neck surgery because I played a 12lb Warwick bass for 20 years. That's why I only play my 6 string Corvette sitting down (almost 14lbs)
Ah man! They butchered such a phenomenal instrument!

Ergo does matter a bit, but maybe I need to learn the hard way lol

It matters enough to where if I saw a SSII or dolphin pro I in 5S from the same era, I'd jump on it and still be pretty happy.
 
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I am one of those "ergo" stories:
I once had this 1997 Warwick Corvette Standard 4 I bought from a TBer back in 2004 or 2005. Easily one of the best basses I've ever owned. That thing was built like a tank. Most solid-feeling bass I ever owned.

Ever since I picked up my first copy of Bass Player magazine at the newsstand in the 90s and started playing back in 1994 (when I was about 15), I was always drawn to the Warwick ads in the back of Bass Player magazine. When I was a teen starting out, Warwick was my dream bass.

Cut to 2004 or 2005, I bought a killer German-made Warwick Corvette Standard (it was a 1997 one with the all-wenge neck and brass just-a-nut, before Warwick switched to ovangkol necks and the composite just-a-nut). Easily one of the best basses I ever owned. Everyone who picked it up loved it and couldn't put it down... except me. That Warwick's ergonomics never felt right; balance was too horizontal and the neck jutted out too far making first position a stretch. I had that bass for 10ish years and the mentality of "This is the best bass ever, I HAVE to love it, I HAVE to make it work. Everyone loves it but I don't, what is wrong with me?!?!?!?!" but I just couldn't love that bass. Circa 2015, I sold it to a jazz student whom that bass fits like a glove. That bass is/was meant for him.

All that said, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants and even if you get the bestest most perfectest bass ever... it still won't be that Warwick you want. I say be patient, don't try to force anything, don't try to compromise (e.g. buy a used Rockbass).

Even though I know Warwick ergonomics aren't right for me, if a 2005 Limited Edition Warwick Corvette "Hot Rod" 4-string came into my orbit, I would GAS for it like nothing else.
I blame Bass Player, too. ;)
I started my Warwick journey with a Corvette (great bass probably the most balanced), moved to a Thumb (sounded amazing but yikes…F might as well been in the next town over), settled on Streamers. I love them, but every time I pick up my Sterling I'm reminded how much easier it is to play in first position.

Honestly, I think one of the reasons I settled on streamer five strings is that I can stay anchored around the fifth fret for most songs.
 
Unless having an instrument from that specific era is really important, you could also have a Thumb built to the exact same spec through the Warwick Custom Shop. It'll cost you, but they have a ton of options and you'll get exactly what you want.


This is for sale right now in Japan.

 
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This is for sale right now in Japan.

This is an absolutely gorgeous instrument. Probably one of the few modern versions that tempt me for sure, but I gotta wait until I get my vintage first before I save again and splurge on something as awesome as this.
 
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I blame Bass Player, too. ;)
I started my Warwick journey with a Corvette (great bass probably the most balanced), moved to a Thumb (sounded amazing but yikes…F might as well been in the next town over), settled on Streamers. I love them, but every time I pick up my Sterling I'm reminded how much easier it is to play in first position.

Honestly, I think one of the reasons I settled on streamer five strings is that I can stay anchored around the fifth fret for most songs.
That's why I'm still open to an SSII 5S from the same era. Objectively, it is more versatile and still has the same DNA.

I just can't help shake that inner child telling me he still wants the same bass Ryan Martinie played on LD50 lol
 
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I am one of those "ergo" stories:
I once had this 1997 Warwick Corvette Standard 4 I bought from a TBer back in 2004 or 2005. Easily one of the best basses I've ever owned. That thing was built like a tank. Most solid-feeling bass I ever owned.

Ever since I picked up my first copy of Bass Player magazine at the newsstand in the 90s and started playing back in 1994 (when I was about 15), I was always drawn to the Warwick ads in the back of Bass Player magazine. When I was a teen starting out, Warwick was my dream bass.

Cut to 2004 or 2005, I bought a killer German-made Warwick Corvette Standard (it was a 1997 one with the all-wenge neck and brass just-a-nut, before Warwick switched to ovangkol necks and the composite just-a-nut). Easily one of the best basses I ever owned. Everyone who picked it up loved it and couldn't put it down... except me. That Warwick's ergonomics never felt right; balance was too horizontal and the neck jutted out too far making first position a stretch. I had that bass for 10ish years and the mentality of "This is the best bass ever, I HAVE to love it, I HAVE to make it work. Everyone loves it but I don't, what is wrong with me?!?!?!?!" but I just couldn't love that bass. Circa 2015, I sold it to a jazz student whom that bass fits like a glove. That bass is/was meant for him.

All that said, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants and even if you get the bestest most perfectest bass ever... it still won't be that Warwick you want. I say be patient, don't try to force anything, don't try to compromise (e.g. buy a used Rockbass).

Even though I know Warwick ergonomics aren't right for me, if a 2005 Limited Edition Warwick Corvette "Hot Rod" 4-string came into my orbit, I would GAS for it like nothing else.
I think I am in a similar boat. Those ads got you when you were roughly the same age as when Ryan Martinie hooked me in with his "Br-Br-Br-DING!" from Dig on the LD50 album.

Ever since I heard that masterpiece, I couldn't shake it. And as much as I can expect from the bad ergo and less versatility, that itch won't go away.

I gotta look at that hot-rod now. I have a 1996 German-Made 5 string corvette in a maple body. Great bass for sure. Sounds a little airy and clangy on the markbass rig, but the sansamp helps a bit.
 
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It took almost 30 years for the universe to end my hunt for the Great White Buffalo. Last year I finally acquired the bass I had hunted since the mid 90's, a 5 string Streamer Stage II. Mine is a 1994 model. It was a long search, with several "almost" stories, but in the end it was worth the wait. Keep in mind that for the specs you are after from the golden era, they weren't making many 5 strings. From what I've read, aside from the Thumb bass they only averaged about 100 pieces a year for each of the neck through models back then. Less than half of those would have been 5 strings. They are more rare than most people realize. The rarest is the Dolphin 5er with a rosewood biore body. Those essentially don't exist unless you run with the kind of crowd that uses "Fidelio" as a password. The good news for you is that they made a LOT of Thumb basses back then.
Talkbass is the best place to track these things down. Just haunt the classifieds and put a listing in the WANTED section. This thread is a great move. One of us knows where to find one. I would check with Brian at The LowEnd in Nashville. He probably has what you're after in a closet not listed.
Thanks a ton, man. The story is inspiring. I've come across a couple of SSII 5s, and I would have probably pulled the trigger but the sellers have been unresponsive. Funny, as the seller who had second thoughts on my "almost" sale was also hunting an SSII from 89-93 era.

Thanks a ton for the lead on the shop in Nashville. Going to reach out today.
 
@casasrm

If I were to get into Warwick again, I would most want to try a Fortress and a Vampyre, since those body shapes seem like they'd work with me.

And I've heard it said about Thumb basses that you really need to put in the time to make that bass work for you. That it's a bass that needs to be concquered, earned. Somehow, Ryan Martinie made the Thumb work for him. I tried one and it was an ergonomic nightmare for me, but Ryan makes look and feel like an extension of himself. It's like DuckTales when Uncle Scrooge swims like a fish through his money bin, but whenever anyone else tries to swim through the coins, it's "CLANNGGGGGGG" and bumped heads. (And the irony is not lost on me that my ESP/LTD bass looks like the most uncomfortable thing and others who've checked it out wonder how I can play it... but it's the most comfortable bass for me).

And this is the 2005 Limited Edition Warwick I think is one of the sexiest basses I've ever laid eyes on: en/Warwick--Products--Instruments--Customshop---Masterbuilt--Basic-Bass-Models--Ltd.-Editions--2005----Corvette-Hot-Rod-Ltd.--4-string--Pictures.html (Side note, Warwick seriously needs to upgrade their website. Great basses, crappy website).
 
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@casasrm

If I were to get into Warwick again, I would most want to try a Fortress and a Vampyre, since those body shapes seem like they'd work with me.

And I've heard it said about Thumb basses that you really need to put in the time to make that bass work for you. That it's a bass that needs to be concquered, earned. Somehow, Ryan Martinie made the Thumb work for him. I tried one and it was an ergonomic nightmare for me, but Ryan makes look and feel like an extension of himself. It's like DuckTales when Uncle Scrooge swims like a fish through his money bin, but whenever anyone else tries to swim through the coins, it's "CLANNGGGGGGG" and bumped heads. (And the irony is not lost on me that my ESP/LTD bass looks like the most uncomfortable thing and others who've checked it out wonder how I can play it... but it's the most comfortable bass for me).

And this is the 2005 Limited Edition Warwick I think is one of the sexiest basses I've ever laid eyes on: en/Warwick--Products--Instruments--Customshop---Masterbuilt--Basic-Bass-Models--Ltd.-Editions--2005----Corvette-Hot-Rod-Ltd.--4-string--Pictures.html (Side note, Warwick seriously needs to upgrade their website. Great basses, crappy website).
Haha your Duck Tales analogy was a huge stretch that somehow works perfectly!

And I think that's part of the allure for me - that a Thumb will punish any minor mistakes made while playing and will reward the work that is required to put in to do it justice.

I'll likely be clanging around and bumping my head for sure, but look forward to it. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment.
 
My favorite bass, an LTD (by ESP) HTB-600 (that I had modded to a good degree) is one I didn't "bond" with right away. I needed to really spend time with that bass, let it grow on me, work that bass, and now it's the bass that feels most like an extension of myself. It looks uncomfortable (and it initially was), yet it now nestles against me the way I like most. It was also through playing other basses (including some "superior" ones) that cemented home that that LTD will always be "my" bass. We have history, I put in the time to make that bass truly mine. I had to conquer/earn it in a way. It's not what I normally go for in a bass and I initially bought it as a backup... but it's my ride or die bass. Of all the basses I've ever owned, I've had that one the longest.

It's like with relationships. Sometimes the person you like best right off the bat isn't your ride-or-die. Maybe someone you weren't into at first, but put the effort into getting to know and getting through to eventually becomes ride-or-die over time.

So maybe that Thumb will be worth the effort for ya.
 
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You could also post on the official Warwick forum. Bunch of guys from EU there maybe can help ya find what you want. I've half a dozen Warwicks, but the one I should have bought was the Streamer 25th anniversary I played back in like 2014 that was a cherry body. Just amazing but the price ($5800) was just too much for me at the time.
 
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Where abouts are you based, op? I'll keep an eye out for you. Here my '91 that ticks most of your boxes, except it's not a 5. Oh, and it's not for sale. 😁
1991 Warwick Thumb NT (1).jpg
 
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Owned and sold more than a few thumbs - and those from your desired build eras. Thumb ergonomics never fit me - loved the tone, but for me the fit was never there.

Fast forward several decades and I found the singlecut thumb. Not the same woods as a thumb as its ash body and a maple neck. It gets me 99% of the tone I wanted and the ergonomics are so much better than the standard thumb body shape.

If the standard thumb shape doesn't work out, you might try the thumb singlecut. For me, it fits me much better and I love the tone.

John
 
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I was looking for almost a year before I found my 1988 Thumb NT5. The one I ended up buying wasn't listed anywhere, I asked around on a bass group on Facebook and got a reply there.

I'd been wanting one since 1992 and when I finally got it, it didn't disappoint. It's an amazing instrument.
 
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