Seeking some opinions on this one. I have a Corvette Double Buck for a few years now and hadn't really thought about getting another Warwick until I spotted a Thumb BO being sold 2nd hand locally. What are the differences in tone between the 2? Can the Double Buck be similar to the Thumb?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Have a Warwick Corvette Double Buck...now for a Thumb?
- Thread starter DeiseBassman
- Start date
Hugely different. Balance is very different and tones aren't very similar. Nothing really sounds like a thumb except thumbs. The double buck is a great bass, but can get a little muddy IMO (for a Warwick at least), and can get many different sounds with the pickup config. The thumb oth has a very tight, punchy, articulate tone. It's not for everyone but I for one love it! Cuts through the mix brilliantly too. If you're looking to add it in addition to the $$, I say do it! It will give you two totally different and great sounds.
I just picked up a thumb bo 5.... really nice bass. Hass much more low end than I expected given the JJ pickups/location and woods used...
The tone of the thumb is more articulate and jazzy, with a lot less punchiness. The corvette has a more rock like sound. Personally I prefer the Thumb, but it is up to whatever tone you want and the music you will need.
I've heard the Thumb in both Metal and Jazz, and it does wonderfully in both settings.
Listen to Mudvayne: Thumb in Metal
Check this clip out: Jazzy
Listen to Mudvayne: Thumb in Metal
Check this clip out: Jazzy
For what it's worth, depending on your playing preferences these basses can be very uncomfortable.
- May 12, 2007
- 481
- 43
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist for Low End bass guitars, DNA Amplification
Quick answer.....Nope.
I had a Thumb 4, then I picked up a great deal on a $$ 5 because much of what I play requires a 5er...but as hard as I tried, I could never cop the tone of the Thumb. You can get good sounds from the $$, but it just doesn't have the same cut as a Thumb. So I traded my Thumb 4 for a Thumb 5 over this past summer.
My $$ gets little action nowadays, unless I'm working with something that needs a very round/smooth sound. The Thumb is just going to sound like a Thumb.
As far as comfort....the $$ is a far more comfortable bass to play between the two. It sits in a pretty traditional position on a strap. The Thumb tends to sit with neck out further (to the left if you're a righty) and very horizontal. The best way I've found to set my Thumbs on a strap is to hold my fretting hand out to where it seems natural, then to adjust the strap so that the top of the body sits just about the same height. Too much lower and I find myself fighting the bass when playing any quick passages in the lower registers.
All that said...knowing you have two great basses to choose from is nice.
A Thumb cuts like a knife in a mix - that's why it works well even against very loud & higly distorted guitars. The tone is articulate, clear, and very growly. The way it balances can tick some ppl off though - it's definitively the kind of bass you really need to test in person before buying it.
I loved the sound of Thumb bo5. I wanted one for the longest time. I bought one around the same time as my Jazzman 5. As hard as I tried I just could get comfortable with the balance. The Jazzman can get close to the Thumb sound but not quite there. I tried a Thumb NT 5 and it was even worse. I was soooo bummed out. I sold it and bought an awesome bass rig instead. IMO an Active Corvette with pickups favoring the bridge will cut like a Thumb does. I've been thinking of picking one up used and moding it to have a two jazz pu's at the bridge and keep the neck pu the same.
im looking for a bass that can get a justin chancellor sound without forking over much more than a grand. would corvette $$ get a similar sound?
