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Musicman Stingray 5 VS. Warwick Thumb NT 5

#21
The Thumb is probably my all-time favorite tone, with MM being a close 2nd. I own a Stingray 5H, and it's my main bass by a long way.

However, I think the design and price of the Thumb are ridiculous. The neck dives so bad that I personally think it's unplayable when strapped on. If Warwick makes some improvements to the playability, then I will consider getting one.
 
#22
I've owned an SR5 and a Thumb 5. They are as different as any 2 basses from different manufacturers can be. I actually owned a Stingray 5 that I bought used, sold it to get a used Thumb 5, and sold the Thumb 5 to get a new Stingray 5. The Thumb is extremely growly, it's true. It really growls at you. The Stingray 5 has a distinct sound as well. I play a lot of rock/alternative, not metal, but the Stingray just "fits" better, IME. I also like the neck to the SR better than the Thumb. Both are on the thick side, but the Thumb is way too think for me. It was like playing on the business end of a baseball bat, and having my hand parallel to my waistline because of the neck dive. Not very comfortable. Speaking of necks...I got a 4 string Sterling as a backup to the SR5, and if you're looking for versatility and a neck that's to die for, I have to recommend it. The EQ on the Sterling is really sensitive and allows for way more tone control. After getting the Sterling, I considered selling the SR5 to get a Sterling 5, I liked its tone that much. I started playing the Sterling more than the Stingray for a little while, but picked up the SR5 one day, and it was like hearing it for the first time and falling in love all over again. But now, I like having the diversity that they both offer. The SR tone is well renowned, and rightfully so. If you're looking for a tone similar to the SR, but with some more tone control and variety, check out a Sterling.
 
#24
I owned a Thumb 5 BO, which was my very first 5 string. It was a great bass, but it did not sit well in the mix with our gospel choir. My next 5 string was a Peavey Cirrus, which I still have, that sits very nicely in the mix! I eventually sold it to purchase my dream bass-a Ken Smith Black Tiger 5-the best bass that I have ever owned or played so far. I originally wanted a Thumb NT-which killed-but it cost way to much at the time. If you like the Music Man and Warwick tone, you might want to consider a Corvette Double Buck, which I am considering myself. There are some nice clips of the Double Buck on youtube and many of the reviews that I've read are glowing.

Good luck in your decision!!!


A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste! :cool:
 
#25
Warwick wax,or "surface finisher",is just that.A surface finisher.There's no way that waxing,or lack of it,will make your neck warp.Many Warwick owners dont touch their natural oil finished basses with wax & let the surface dry out & experiance no warping of the neck.The fact of the matter is,Warwick's official stance is that the neck doesnt need waxing & your hand will give it plenty of moisture.
Just to put this above post into some perspective.
As for integrity,well,I've leave that one well alone.
 
#26
Trauma Boy said:
One thing though...why do you have to wax Warwicks so much??

thanks again
Click to expand...

As mentioned before, the natural Warwicks re oil finishes, so they are exposed. If you do not wax them, it is very possible that you will see discoloration at the common body-contact spots (above a pickup, where your forearm touches the top of the body, the back, etc.). For sweaty players like me, it's better to keep it waxed :)
 
#27
Use a wider leather strap on the thumb, it takes away the neck-dive. I wear mine with the bottom of the bridge pickup, at about belt line high. The thumb likes to go to a almost horizontal position, and so far this is the best set up Ive played it in. I started as high as I could playing comfortably, and then started making adjustments weeks to months over time. Fwiw Ive owned my thumb 4 years, and my other favorite position is, the strap adjusted so as youre at the same hight playing sitting down as you are when you stand up.
 
#28
I used (as a professional - 150 gigs/ year) a Music Man Stingray 5 for 5 years. It was one made in 1993, very good specimen.
At that time I thought it was the best bass (for me) ever built and that I'll never change it.
It had a very tight low B - very important for me. Other Stingrays I tried were floppy, so as an advice, if you buy one always try it first, because you'll never know what you get. In the specs, they say "selected hardwoods" for body, but you don't really know what you get when you buy a solid finish MM. Mine was poplar, not ash for example.

Anyway, huge sound! well ballanced, and very comfortable for me to play.
At one time, a friend of mine had a Yamaha TRB 5 to sell, I paid 500 EUR for it, as a backup bass. I bought it because it was really nice and fun to play, to have it home.
I had once a rainy day gig, and I decided to bring my cheap Yamaha to the gig. I was lacking the big sound, I thought it was not OK, but then again I was very impressed by it's incredible sustain. My sound engineer came to me after the show and he told me I should take this bass from now on.

Two things happened at that time. I Understood that there are better basses for me than my beloved Music Man (which btw it is for sale on the Warwick.de forum). So I just started to buy basses (lots of them) from ebay, different brands. It was about one full year of testing. Another (good) thing that happened, is that I started to realise that the basses with the best sound in the mix, were the basses with the thinnest sound when played alone. So in this time, I made a good ear for good mids that made the bass to cut through. Because it is very hard to predict how a bass will really sound in a mix.
Anyway, during this time, 2 brands caught my attention more than others: Yamaha and Warwick. In the end I 've chosen Warwick, for more personality in sound, and for a tougher feel. I liked the MM very much for being very tough, good for tours. I had the same feeling with Warwick, while Yamaha felt a little bit fragile to me ( I know they are very tough instruments too, but it was simply my feeling)

One of the first Warwicks I owned was the Thumb NT. It is an amazing instrument. You can finally see where are the extra 1500 USD ;-) Definetly. Different world of sound quality IMHO. It actually has something of a SR5, that lower positioning in mix, but far more articulated, and more present in the mix.
Warwick has many many models, so if you chose a Warwick take your time and try some. A good thing is that if you try a thumb NT and you like it, you can simply order a new one and it will sound the same. Warwick are very consistent from bass to bass, I cannot tell you the same thing about Music Man unfortunately.
Don't buy a thumb NT or BO without trying first, because it is different positioned on your body than a standard bass, and you might not feel comfortable with it. Many guys including me, experience neck dive. They are also very heavy. But the sound is unique and incredible in the mix.
Well, I am sorry for the long story, and I hope it helps you making a decision.
Some of my conclusions are:
Music Man SR 5:
pros:
Good balance, nice to play, nice feeling, looking good, very reliable
cons:
you never know what you get, si try it first, really hard to get a tight, focused, articulated sound.
Thumb NT:
Pros:
different league of sound (IMHO), tighter, and more articulated sound, tough and reliable as well. You can place it in the mix anywhere you like.
Cons: very heavy, and not very comfortable to play.
 
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#29
I used to own a MM stingray 5, and I don't agree with those saying that it's aa 'one trick pony".
, like the pbass, the stingray don't have a lot of tonal option (but believe me if you tweak your eq and with the choice of 3 position for the pu you can dial a lot of sounds).
but the sounds that come out of the bass can fit any kind of music.
I regret not having anymore that stingray, it was a great bass for recording.
 
#30
I think the player might be a "one trick poney" not the bass...
A bass is a bass, and it can be used for a lot of tricks. Even a Pbass can sound in 1000 ways. You can use a Pbass for Swing, for Reggae, or with a pick with distortion for rock.
+1 on Stingray being great for recording. When I was using it I had a job in a studio, and they had there an Alembic Europa. I ended using the stingray anyway...
 
#31
Thank you!! I think I'm going with the Musicman Stingray 5 because there is no where around my location that has Warwicks, and the only Warwicks I can find are Corvettes and I don't like em' but this purchase won't be for awhile, I'm goin to give it some time first and hopefully there will be some Warwicks in the stores around me for me to play with! Thanks again all!
 
#32
I havn't played Music Man for many years now, but in 2000, they were not very good... I did some research and it seemed that the ones till 1995 were a safe buy. You can easily recognize them by the metal batery cover. I am not saying that the 2009 ones have not a good quality, because I really don't know that... But don't forget: try before buy, because they can be very different from an instrument to another, even from the same year.
Good luck with your purchase.
 
#33
luca said:
I havn't played Music Man for many years now, but in 2000, they were not very good... I did some research and it seemed that the ones till 1995 were a safe buy. You can easily recognize them by the metal batery cover. I am not saying that the 2009 ones have not a good quality, because I really don't know that... But don't forget: try before buy, because they can be very different from an instrument to another, even from the same year.
Good luck with your purchase.
Click to expand...

Trust me, nothing happened in 1995.

There have been some changes over the years, but this idea that there are 'good years' and 'bad years' for SR5s is just loony internet wisdom.
 
#34
Well, I don't count too much on Internet Wisdom, and I've owned some Stingray 5's in my life, and I tested a lot of them. And assuming that everybody that doesn't think like you is based on loony internet wisdom is wrong, and unacceptable.
In 2000 I bought a new one and it was way worse than my 93. It was not a matter of taste, but, deadspots, floppy B, etc. Others I've seen from 2000 - 2005, including higher end with piezo and stuff, were really not OK.
I've seen good new Music Man basses too, so I agree with you that nothing happened.
But all the pre 95 Music Man basses I tried were good, that's what I said it would be a safe buy. I might be wrong of course...
The good thing is that MM SR5 seems to be a really tough reliable bass, so if it was well maintained, I am sure they are as goos as new.
One thing I noticed both for old and new stingrays is that different basses can sound very different. I've noticed this more than on other brands. I had a 93 SR5 that had a deep dry, tight Warwick Thumb bass like - sound, and another one from 92 that had that Pbass "voice" Both really nice.
So I think no matter if you buy a new or a second hand one, you better try it to be sure it is what you want.
 
#35
I own warwick thumb bo 4 and stingray black stealth 5,the basses have their own pros and cons and they are very different.in sound - the stingray a lot more agressive,very raw in sound,clean and powerful.thumb is not,but have the deeper low end and a bit crunchy sound.about comfort - the stingray never dive his neck,as said before but warwick dives.the frets on warwick,the neck - is much better then on stingray.so its depends on your preferences,want a hi-end instrument with a perfect assembling with a crunchy,deep vintage tone - get the warwick.if you want an agressive,clean and straight sound-get the stingray.
 
#36
I own two Stingray 5's, one a 1996 model with single 'bucker, and a 20th Anniversary 5 string with dual 'buckers. A single 'bucker has at least 3 tones from coils being parallel or series or just single coil via 3-way Strat switch. You get five different tones with the dual humbucker, but you have to adapt your slapping technique due to the neck 'bucker position. Can't speak for a Warwick at all, but I have had my single 'bucker Ray for 17 years and not a speck of trouble. Hopefully I'll get the same longevity out of the 20th Anniversary model!
 
#39
I've been playing an SR5 H for about 16 years.

When shopping for basses I could afford at the time, I checked out the Warwick Thumb 5 BO & a Fender Roscoe Beck V.

To me, the Thumb BO had an inherently growely tone, which may be due to the combination of body & neck woods used back then, I know they've changed woods, but don't know about the tone, anyway, very nice for certain kinds of music, but I wouldn't want it for everything.
I did not like the string spacing.
I did not like the neck profile: very thick and cumbersome.
It was a bit heavier than my SR5 (which is 10.5 pounds).
Build quality was very good.
 
#40
Funny to see this thread come back from the dead. I own 6 Musicman basses and 4 German Warwicks so I have been able to do a lot of comparing. I have 2 SR5's and they differ in that one is a 2005 with the ceramic pickup and the other is a new 2013 with the alnico pickup. (In 2008 MM went back to using alnico and saved the ceramic for the Sterling5). They are both outstanding instruments basses with great cut in the mix and so comfortable to play and wear on a strap despite being about 10 pounds each.

I have a Thumb 4 NT that is by far the most expensive bass I own. The quality is there and it seems like the NT basses have some magic that the bolt on Warwicks don't quite achieve. I like the Thumb but its really different then any of my MusicMan basses. The Thumb is really aggressive and bright and just has such an in your face tone. I also have a $$ Corvette 5 which sounds incredible, a Corvette Standard 6 and a $$ Streamer 4 fretless.

Of my 4 Warwicks, the 6 has the tone I like the least and I think that is simply due to the big soap bar pickups. They just don't "wow" me like the Thumb and $$ pickups do.

For me, the Warwicks are so much less comfortable to wear on a strap then the Musicman basses but have some really different tones and playing experiences to offer. My "home base" if you will though is clearly the Stingray 4 and 5. They just do it for me!
 

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