• 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.

Help me understand Warwick?

#21
ajkula66 said:
I'll bow to your voice of experience since you own both and I've never owned a Spector. However, *to me personally* the older NS-2 Spectors did feel very similar - apart from the neck shape - when compared to an early Streamer I owned at the time. That was also more than 35 years ago so my memory could be just a bit cloudy...;)
Click to expand...

By the time the Streamer became the Streamer Stage 1 around '87, I know the body got thicker and I'm betting the maple neck got thicker too, than the previously used wenge. The general trend for Warwicks it seems was starting out VERY thin in the neck from '82-'84, then slowly growing until peaking in chunkiness in the early 2000s, then getting thinner again starting around 2012?

But having 2x '83 NS-2s and the '84 Streamer....the Streamer is much thinner and wispier in every dimension. The neck in particular is like a pencil. NS-2 neck is slim, Streamer is...something else. Too thin, IMO, and it's not stable either with temp/humidity. The '84 Streamer compared to the NS-2 feels like....Warwick was still figuring stuff out. My '77 Spector feels pretty "mature", and the 83s very much so.

And I can certainly understand that for anybody not knee deep in NS body shapes across 4 decades (like me, unhealthily obsessed), a Streamer and an NS-2 would seem more similar than different, and that would be natural and expected. Especially if there were months or years between trying each.
 
  • Like
Reactions: /\/\3phist0 and Bass Ape
#26
Low Main said:
Warwick is a brand that I have to see in person before buying.

What concerns me before even plugging it in are the glue joints (on the bodies and necks that are all exotic species - ovangkol, bubinga, wenge, etc).

I sat in a store with a fabulous older fretless Thumb that I loved on the spot. I walked away from it because I saw separation in some of the glue lines in the neck and headstock. I've done a lot of repairs, but those are not issues I feel like dealing with.

Checking out other Warwicks, it's the first thing I look for and it's disappointing how often I find it.
Click to expand...

I've seen many with the body halves split at the neck screw section.

Lance Bunyon said:
Heavy.
Got strong shoulders?
My one Warwick lasted the weekend before I returned it. 12 lbs is not acceptable for me.
Click to expand...

Yup, I dont know why they're so heavy for how small they are!
Ive had 9 Wawicks, tried many different models all MIG, their tone just 'not me'.
 
#27
mikeswals said:
I've seen many with the body halves split at the neck screw section.



Yup, I dont know why they're so heavy for how small they are!
Ive had 9 Wawicks, tried many different models all MIG, their tone just 'not me'.
Click to expand...
The weight is COMPLETELY dependent on the type of wood, it’s not a mystery.

- I’ve had Bubinga and Ovangkol bodies 10-13lbs for 5/6s
- I’ve had Ash bodies 7.5-8.5lbs
- I’ve had Ash bodies with maple caps 8-8.5lbs

And… believe it or not… tone depends on the body/model for pickup placement and electronics.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Bass Ape
#28
Yes the solid maple body ones I had were the lighter ones. But for how small those bodies are, they still shouldn't be that heavy.

The only one I liked was the original FNA 5, it had factory Duncan preamp and Pickup.
All of the others with MEC-everything I didn't like.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Barticus
#29
2008 Corvette $$. 9lbs 1.6oz, ash body and an Ovankal neck that is a very fat u shape.

IMG_1682.jpeg



IMG_1703.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: filler83 and Barticus
#31
dbsfgyd1 said:
Having owned a MIG Active Warwick Corvette STD 5 string ( babinga body ) for a little short of ten years,. I would highly recommend paying it first and standing while you play it. IMO, it played very well, the neck was not wide or particularly fat at the nut. It had a two band EQ (treble & Bass boost/cu)t, volume and blend controls. In passive mode there was no tone adjustment. One thing I thought was odd was the nine volt battery is only restrained by the wire that connects to it and the cover. But it's pretty loose in there. The neck was very stable.

Finally, the street value on these at the moment is ridiculously low considering how well made they are made.One of these made in the early 2000's that retailed for over $2,000 can be had for $800 to $1,000 used in good to great condition.
Click to expand...
I’d say IF your looking at Warwick and being a Spector player I’d stick with a streamer familiar shape wise tonally different growl n all ! Knob layout similar weight similar
I have a streamer n NS and love em both get soap bars and those buckers cut through it J/j’s
 
  • Like
Reactions: dbsfgyd1
#32
Low Main said:
Warwick is a brand that I have to see in person before buying.

What concerns me before even plugging it in are the glue joints (on the bodies and necks that are all exotic species - ovangkol, bubinga, wenge, etc).

I sat in a store with a fabulous older fretless Thumb that I loved on the spot. I walked away from it because I saw separation in some of the glue lines in the neck and headstock. I've done a lot of repairs, but those are not issues I feel like dealing with.

Checking out other Warwicks, it's the first thing I look for and it's disappointing how often I find it.

If you watch Warwick factory tour videos, you'll see that they do a superb job with their gluing processes. But a lot of the time they're using a one part PVA type glue that may or may not be up to the task. There are a lot of industrial PVA formulations out there. The glue they use must have decent rigidity because I seldom find creep in the glue joints. But the adhesion properties may not be what they should be, hence the glue lines opening up.

They also appear to use a lot of pressure with their clamping and pressing processes and may be using too much pressure for the glue in use. Overclamping is common with adhesives like PVA and epoxy.

Prepping the gluing surfaces is also important with exotics and I can't tell if Warwick does a good job with that or not.

I don't have a Warwick at the moment, but if I came across a good one that I liked, I would definitely consider buying it. Regardless of the things I mentioned, the wood selection is excellent (other than the small added slips glued to the side edges of the headstock).
Click to expand...

I see older Wicks with the split in the glue joints, too. IMO it's caused by people not waxing the body properly. The woods will dry out since they are essentially just bare wood. They really need the wax conditioner applied at least once a year or they start drying out and separating. I've never seen one of their instruments with a hard finish have a split.
 
#33
I have played a lot of basses over the decades and worked on a generous number of Warwick basses. I have worked on many active instruments – Fender, Gibson, Martin, Dean, Music Man, G&L, Spector, Alembic, Ibanez, Warwick, Jackson, ESP, and so on. Warwick basses are well-engineered and well-built, but one thing that has surprised me about them is that more than a few have audible white noise from the preamp when you are not playing. There are enough active instruments on the market today that are silent when not being played, so to hear any noise from an active Warwick bass (IMHO) comes as an unpleasant surprise. For this reason, I recommend that before you buy, play the instrument you intend to purchase.
 
#35
I’ve had 13 or more vampyre and dolphin only ones that I have never owned . The old ones to me have a feel and tone all to them selves . The LTD’s are also great . Warwicks to me are and have a unique feel and sound like no other bass you either love it or hate it ! I love it but settles for just 3 a streamer and a fortress super comfortable and weight and balance are spot on the Steamer 1998 Ltd and the Fortress 1989 and a super light punchy $$ in matte black 2012 I’m not a fan of maple necks mine are wenge and Ovankol
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back