Looking to buy a Warwick Thumb 5 but unsure what time period is best (if such a thing exists

Hi Sergius Durante

Warwick Thumbs are only played by unknown amateurs!

Jack Bruce was one of them.



greetings

Wise(b)ass

edit: wrote thumb with a p

 

My Thumb is a 2006 and it’s a baseball bat neck alright.

 

Stefan Lessard has recorded a bunch with a Thumb.

 

I don’t mind it though. The thick neck kind of offsets the narrow string spacing. I had a 2014 Corvette with a slimmer neck and it really made the narrow spacing noticeable. The 05 you played probably had the same neck shape as mine.

 

The older the better
Pre-1998

 

As a former thumb owner.... the 98ish and older ones are absolutely the better instruments.

 

Are there bad ones? I think it comes down to preference. Mine is fairly new, and it is a quality instrument.

 

Yeah, it was around 1998 when Warwick changed its necks from wenge to ovangkol and the ovangkol necks are more baseball bat thick. The Wenge necks are slender. I think that was also the time they switched from the brass nut to the synthetic material.

However, I think Warwick's gone back to wenge in recent years? I read/saw that somewhere, but I don't always believe everything I read/see. I believe they've also gone back to brass nuts.

And you should check out Ryan Martinie's new band Soften the Glare. They are a jazz-fusion type band and a far cry from Mudvayne. He's still killin' it on those Thumbs.

 

Warwick thumb.....all hail the king of neck dive!!!!

 

not with a quality strap lol Ive seen local guys complain of neck dive with numerous instruments and they usually have one thing in common... a $10, thin nylon strap. Put 4-5" of abrasive leather on your instrument and the neck dive is almost gone.

 

It's not a problem if you like a thicker neck. The standard profile cut on the Ovangkol-necked Thumbs was noticeably fatter than some of the older ones, but by no means is it unmanageable. I prefer the older, slimmer wenge-necked models but they are comparatively more expensive. There are no 'bad' Thumbs, since most folk wouldn't be able to tell the difference between either model on sound alone. I recall that Warwick had moved to Ovangkol at the time because Wenge was becoming harder to source due to issues in the central African regions that supplied it. It's back on the menu these days. Ovangkol is by no means a bad wood and I would not hesitate to check out a decent looking Thumb, irrespective of what the neck wood is. If you've got some hand strength, you'll probably find the bigger neck just fine.

 

In my opinion, 2013 and on models are superior to whatever folks identify as “the golden era”. The return of thin Wenge necks, and better hardware.

But, it’s just my opinion, so.... do your own research rather than believing the ghost stories.

 

With my Warwicks (neither is a Thumb, but both have the standard Ovankol bolt on neck) the 2000 is medium/thin thickness and the 2006 is a thicc boi.

For the Thumb, I would say the models with Wenge neck & fingerboard are the most desirable.

 

+1. I actually prefer the fatter ovangkol neck on my Thumb to the slimmer Wenge neck on my Corvette.

 

The thicker necks of some Warwicks were actually designed ergonomically. To be the same thickness the length of the neck, thus giving a consistent feel at every position. 98 is when Warwick switched to Ovankol. But I've played a ton of em from all eras. They all work. Well. Norwood Fisher from the band Fishbone used Thumbs. He's the reason I fell in love with em. I have had to replace more Warwick onboard electronics than all other manufacturers combined, tho. The electronics can be a weakness. Bad pots, bad components. And Warwick, in my experience, were not nice nor quick to admit the issue. So, I quit usin Warwicks. Despite my avatar. I found the same tone in my G&L M2500 fretless 5 as I had in the Thumbs I've used. With better balance, lighter weight and far less of a sticker price. Still, the feel is different, and nothin feels like an old Warwick. Get one from before 98. That old style adjustable nut is the best design ever. And one other note. Long ago, Warwick used Aluminum, removeable truss rods, to better balance the basses. Those aluminum rods failed at a high percentage, so Warwick replaced that design with a steel rod. Improved stability and adjustability, longer life. The trade off was more weight. Neck dive is a bit of a myth. As someone mentioned, a good, wide, high friction strap cures this. But if the bass is a bit neck heavy, it prolly means the rod was upgraded. A good thing!