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My old Warwick, sell or keep?

Sell or keep?

  • Sell

    Votes: 6 20.0%

  • Keep

    Votes: 24 80.0%
  • Total voters
    30
Jonah

Jonah

Lord of the String
Jan 19, 2007
227
2
Vantaa, Finland
#1
Ok, here's the deal.

I have this old custom Warwick which I ordered in '98. I worked my ass off to pay for it, was only 16 at the time. After a *really* long search I found a NOS Kahler tremolo from Bass Central (God knows how old it is), and had it shipped to me (thanks Beaver!). It cost a friggin' fortune in that day.Then I convinced the Warwick CS to install it. Also, the EMG electronics it has, were not in the option list. Same thing, they were expensive, and the Warwick CS charged *a lot* to install them.

Ovangkol body, wenge neck, Kahler, EMG DC + 3-bang EMG EQ @ 18 volts.

Over three months after I sent the Kahler and EMG's to Warwick the bass arrived. It is really an awesome (and hugely expensive) bass.

But it rarely gets played nowadays. This is the main problem. It was my main and only bass for years and years, but now it just hangs on the wall. Maybe somebody else could have a better use for it. It sounds awesome and plays great. Perfect for recording. I just have other basses that get played more often. :rollno:

Should I keep it, incase I "find" it again, or just sell to someone who really has some use for it?

Invalid Link Removed

Thanks for reading,
Jonah
 
#5
On the ONE hand:

1) It's just a thing. A tool, a hunk of wood. Basses come and basses go, but there will always be more in the world. Why stick with this one if your tastes have wandered elsewhere?

B) It's true: someone else can be enjoying this bass. You could let it sit in your closet, but then it won't get the playing time that it deserves.

On the OTHER hand:

3rd) You saved up a lot of money at a young age to pay for the bass - you've got more than just the cash invested into it; you've got xx amount of hours at a crappy part time job (probably) and skipped movies, CDs, and concerts that helped pay for the bass.

IV) There are a few things about this bass that make it inherently "yours". It's not like if you realized that you were missing it you could go to the store or eBay and find another Fortress Masterman with a Kahler tremolo and EMG electronics.

6) They don't make Fortresses any more!

Which train of thought speaks more to you?
 
#6
I have to say keep it. Its YOUR custom Warwick. You will probably find a use for it at some poitn down the road, and something that unique that you paid for with blood, sweat, and tears will likely cause you huge regret if you ever sold it. Nice bass, btw.
 
#7
Yeah...I kinda get the same thing with my Fender Jazz. It's a really nice bass, but I rarely play it because it's not really my style. I've thought about trading or selling the bass repeatedly. However, it's my first bass and I do still love it. Just that alone is what has justified me to keep it. I know I'll probably come back to it anyways, but as of right now, I'm just happy with it being apart of my family.
 
#8
Some good points addressed here.

First, the resale value. It will be piss poor, the bass cost well over $3000. I'd be surprised if I would get get anything over $1000 for it, despite having an all-wenge neck and that "old-school" Warwick stuff.

Second, I'd bet my house that this is the only one with these specs.

But, at the moment it is just hanging at the wall. Not being played, and that's what makes me think about selling.

I don't know.

Damn.

Well, it does look pretty in my living room :)
 
#9
Jonah said:
Some good points addressed here.

First, the resale value. It will be piss poor, the bass cost well over $3000. I'd be surprised if I would get get anything over $1000 for it, despite having an all-wenge neck and that "old-school" Warwick stuff.

Second, I'd bet my house that this is the only one with these specs.

But, at the moment it is just hanging at the wall. Not being played, and that's what makes me think about selling.

I don't know.

Damn.

Well, it does look pretty in my living room :)
Click to expand...

Get some 1" ~ 2" molding and a wall-mount guitar kit... Make a faux-frame on the wall and hang the bass in it.. PRESTO!!! COOL INSTANT ART!! :bassist:
 
#13
mark beem said:
Get some 1" ~ 2" molding and a wall-mount guitar kit... Make a faux-frame on the wall and hang the bass in it.. PRESTO!!! COOL INSTANT ART!! :bassist:
Click to expand...

I'm going to do that w/my 'player' basses(w/the wife's blessing, no less:eek: ). On topic, my first high-end bass was a bolt-on Thumb- sold it under similar circumstances(mine was a '98 I got for my B-day)& although it wasn't custom, I did pine for the wenge for years- in fact, I just paid for an older FNA(not Jazzman)4-string to complete my arsenal. I vote keep it.
 
#16
Do you need the money? How much would it fetch? How would you feel without it?

IIRC, you've been trying to sell it for some time. Personnaly, I'd keep it at least for sentimental reasons, and Selling a bass with that much depreciation (I'd figure, well < $1000 resale?) would be pointless. I think it needs a good shine and buff to make it look good and desirable again.
 
#19
I posted the same question in Warwick.de forums a while ago... just thought I would get a more unbiased opinion in here. :hmm:

I don't need the money. I really have no idea how much I could get from selling it, but I'd guess it wouldn't be even half of what I paid in the time... not a big surprise though as the market for these kind of basses is very limited.

Anybody more familiar with Warwicks, would it be a bad idea to give it a light sanding with steel wool or something similar? It doesn't look as good as it used to. Maybe a light sanding and a load of wax could to the trick?

Atleast I'd like it to look as good as possible if I decide to frame it :p
 
#20
I suggest you to keep it.
You`ll surely never find a similar bass and your customization is after all, part of your own history.
I`ve owned many basses in my life, but I`ve realized that some of them will be keepers for me.
If it`s a great bass as you said, you`ll surely want to play it back someday. It`s just a matter of time.

Now if you really need the cash, that`s a completely different story.
 

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