NBD! 1997 Warwick Thumb 5 BO (bubinga/wenge content)

Yes ,I dig a Thumb BO ! Sweet bubinga ! Is it much heavier than that year , except a Corvette 5 with the same parts ? My 'Vette 5 is heavy . Is your Thumb sort of rounded on top / concave on the back, extra thick body ? 11 to 12 lbs. ?

 

Great bass, congratulations! My 4-string Thumb BO ('98-ish model? I bought it in 2004, had the slimmer, faster neck) is the biggest gear regret of my storied being-stupid career. I sold it in around '08 due to brokeness/it being the most valuable thing I owned that I could do without.

Man, that thing was just the BADDEST for rock/metal, mine balanced well (most don't), had just huge, growly, mean tone, and could get the lowest playable action of any bass I've ever owned (besting the likes of US Music Man, Lakland, and G&L). I'll get another one someday.

 

Nicest 5-string I ever played was one like this. Nice catch.

 

It's a five, so it's pretty much guaranteed to be neck-heavy (hell, most 4-string Thumbs are). I assume you've tried a wide, soft, leather strap? Mine was a four and it weighed like 11 pounds, that's probably why it balanced well. I'm pretty sure Hipshot makes drop-in UltraLite tuners to fit it, that MIGHT help, too.

 

Wearing a Thumb way up high helps, too.

 

Gorgeous and congrats! I picked up a ‘98 Thumb 5 BO back in early May, and it’s all I ever dreamed of.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine!


As for the neck dive, hipshot ultralites made a huge difference. And comfort Strapp made quite a big difference too. I’m content with it now

 

That's really sweet. Enjoy. Looks like it's in great condition.

 

Hi,
I own a 1994 Thumb BO5 since 2009. It has got a all Wenge neck and a Walnut body. It is pretty light, less then 4kg!
But also neck heavy!

I decided to extend the upper horn with a double aluminum tube, that fits in the hole of the recessed straplocks.

It does look funny, maybe tou think it's ugly, but it works well for 11 years. No stress on the wood. A little easier to reach for the C on the B-string.

Hope this helps.
Sietze

 

Warwicks are amazing instruments where the tone is really dictated by that wood recipe: Those heavy(!), dense African woods (with careful tuning of the electronics / pickups) result in that 'staccato tuba' and articulation in the deep end like few other basses. The German ones are exceptionally well-built in that sort of humorless German vibe of precision above all else.

On the other hand:

'the ergonomics are the only pet peeve I have with this one!'

and . . . . .

'haven’t weighed it exactly yet, but it’s definitely an anchor'

and . . . . .

'The balance is funky (and not in a good way)'

. . . . can be the downside of some of their shapes, and how dense the weights can become.

 

Thanks!
My bass has the recessed straplocks, so a part of the 'pipe' fits in the body. The pipe is not just anchored by a long bolt!

Sietze

 

Thanks!
My bass has the recessed straplocks, so a part of the 'pipe' fits in the wood of the upper horn.
The pipe is not just anchored with a large bolt
Sietze