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How many Warwick Dolphin Pro Is are out there?

Scott French

Scott French

Dude
May 12, 2004
567
46
Grass Valley, CA
www.scottfrench.com
#1
I have been doing some Pro I model research and am having trouble finding examples online. For example, I can't find an image of a '97 Dolphin at all. I'm sure there are some old forum posts, but most of the image links are dead at this point. The mid nineties in general seem very hard to find much on and a lot of people consider this to be the "golden era" for these basses. The '88-91 range is a little better represented online but it's still slim pickings compared to a lot other models. Later years seem to show up a lot more often but I don't have as much interest in those.

Anyhow, this got me thinking... If I can't find much online about a bunch of the best years, almost never see them for sale, pretty much never see them being used... how many are really out there? Does anyone have a solid idea? Less than a thousand total through the year 1998? I'm curious who might know more than me.

It took me many years to find the 1990 I recently purchased and I think I got very lucky. I'm starting to wonder if it was so hard to find one because they don't exist, or if there are a ton and people are just sitting on them. Any ideas?
 
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#4
Not a lot of interest here obviously, but here's the little timeline I have been working on that shows all the various feature changes between years. I'm still gathering information and photos but this is a decent start.
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Also, here are a few shots of the 1990 I recently purchased:

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#7
Bass Viking said:
Scroll down the page in this link and you`ll see some photos and information on a 1990 Dolphin Pro 1 that was owned by the late TBer Oddio. After he passed away his gear was sold and I don't know the whereabouts of the Dolphin. I did get to play it while he was alive and could have purchased it but I opted for his Warwick Infinity instead.

Other Basses I Know & Love
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That's a real shame. I remember Oddio from the Bunny Bass message board many years ago and am of course very familiar with the 1990 he got from BB (and the rest of his awesome collection). I had no idea he had passed though. That's really sad to hear.
 
#8
He was a great guy. I went to his house a few times to check out his amazing bass collection. It's very sad that it will never happen again. I also got him into Dingwalls when I traded my Afterburner 1 for his Warwick Infinity. Check out these links:

R.I.P. Oddio

My visit to Oddio's House of Bass

Regarding Dolphins, the last time I saw one was on a cruise ship a few years ago. The house bassist had one, sounded GOOD.
 
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#10
Thanks for the heads up! I saw that one a while back, it's interesting to see the Thumb style pickups on a Dolphin. There's also a 1990 just like mine on Reverb for over a year because it is $5,000+. These are some high prices. I paid $1,200 for my first one... should have never sold!

There was also a crazy purple 8-string Dolphin for sale recently at Ish guitars but it looks like it is gone now.
 
#13
Hi Scott, here is my 1992 Dolphin as a lefthand one. Not the best shots, just as a proof that it exists... ;)
At the close-up you will see the "92". I remember Warwick changed the pickups, you still got Bartolinis, mine has MEC's. I shot him in 2005 via Ebay for ridiculous EUR 600,-! Since I live in Germany it could be the reason why I had this lucky offer. But I have never seen one being offered for years now.
Thanks for your work on the Dolphin history. Good to see there are some people out there who love this masterpiece of Warwicks craftsmenship. I still love the hint on the backplate: "Handcrafted in West Germany". Although it's some sort of ironic since in 1992 no West Germany existed anymore. Guess they had to many backplates in stock... Greets David
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#14
The Dolphin is by far my favorite Warwick body shape, and the ones above are typically good looking.

I played one very briefly, long ago, and liked it. ;)

Someday... I'll still be unlikely to get one. ;) :(
 
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#16
Used to be on this forum, but it’s been several years. Out of curiosity, did a search on Warwick Dolphin and came across this thread, so rejoined so I could add to the discussion. My interest is from a custom shop cream white 5 string Dolphin Pro I I bought on eBay back in 2007. The guy I bought it from purchased it from Andrew Oddio. I asked Andrew (years ago, obviously) where he got it, and he said he got it from Bass Central around 2000-2001. Bass Central said they bought it used in September 1999, but that’s where the trail goes cold. It has a volute, so I’m guessing it’s a 1998, but I can’t find the serial number to confirm. Anyway, I’ve been playing that bass for 14 years now and I still love it!
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#17
Kern Lunde said:
Used to be on this forum, but it’s been several years. Out of curiosity, did a search on Warwick Dolphin and came across this thread, so rejoined so I could add to the discussion. My interest is from a custom shop cream white 5 string Dolphin Pro I I bought on eBay back in 2007. The guy I bought it from purchased it from Andrew Oddio. I asked Andrew (years ago, obviously) where he got it, and he said he got it from Bass Central around 2000-2001. Bass Central said they bought it used in September 1999, but that’s where the trail goes cold. It has a volute, so I’m guessing it’s a 1998, but I can’t find the serial number to confirm. Anyway, I’ve been playing that bass for 14 years now and I still love it!
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Nick from Bass Central here.
Awesome bass. So cool to see a part of our company's history as well. I wasn't even a year old when they bought this back in '99!
 
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