Haha! I feel the exact same way towards the precision bass. An aesthetically bland & obese version of a stratocaster . . .
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Opinions on Warwick Thumb
- Thread starter Sergius Durante
- Start date
Haha! I feel the exact same way towards the precision bass. An aesthetically bland & obese version of a stratocaster . . .
I used to have a limited edition German BO 4 string. It got a killer look and sounded like a Jazz bass on steroids. I stupidly sold it to buy a synth 15 years ago when I was getting more into synths.
God I envy you lol, the wood grain is beautiful, how it is parallel with the strings looks amazing. Question, what strings do you use on your fretted thumb? Any recommendations?
Question, did you purchase the bass in 93? Or more specifically, has this been your axe for years, or did you purchase it used recently (also price lol, sorry Im not to familiar with used equipment)?
I ask because I have the opportunity to get a used one for 1300 at GC, and knowing this one, I may only have moments lol
Thumbs vary A LOT depending on the year they were made. This includes body shape, neck profile, woods, pickups & electronics & even truss rod material (which affects the 'infamous' thumb bass weight quite a lot.) 80's and very early 90's thumbs (when the company was still barely known) are quite different from the late 90's thumbs. The same goes for thumbs made in the 2000's. I personally prefer thumb basses from the very early years (80's & early 90's), because of their 'handmade' factor. The bodies are sleeker, the necks are very thin and fast and the original pickup offerings (EMG, Seymour Duncan & Bartolini) just sound better to me. The 'baseball bat' neck reputation is mainly a thing of the late 90's so don't pay any attention to those who make blanket statements about this. Like it's been said before, it's a very distinct bass and certainly not everyone's cup of tea.
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I have two 6 String BO Thumbs, one fretted and one Fretless, both sound amazing; I use a wide leather strap belts and really don’t notice a particular issue with weight or neck dive.
Both basses are ultra reliable, very ergonomic, very unique in sound, yet can deliver a wide spectrum of sonic possibilities. Highly recommended!!
Both basses are ultra reliable, very ergonomic, very unique in sound, yet can deliver a wide spectrum of sonic possibilities. Highly recommended!!
That’s hysterical; I definitely just startled the cat cackling out loud as I read “obese version of a Stratocaster.” Good stuff sir.
I can’t say I totally disagree either. The P bass can definitely have a sterile look to it, but I tell myself it’s classic instead.
I should just cop to having bland taste and live my truth
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I bought that 3 years ago I believe. Paid 1500 at GC and used it for a year. As much as I wanted to love it after dreaming of having one as a teenager the awkward reach and funky ergonomics just got to me.
Lately I have been liking the DR Lowrider Nickels.
I have used the Pure Blues. They have a very sweet tone for fretless. I also used Sunbeams for years. You cant go wrong with those.
I feel like the hex core Low riders place more punch in the bass frequencies tho. Making a more authoratative overall tone. Accentuating bass growl and attack.
Cool, Im already a DR lowrider user, so If I ever decide to get a Thumb, I know what Im using on him
The neck is super slim with zero neck dive. It’s no heavier than a P Bass I used to have. Neck pickup is the growler and I pluck right over it with the balance pot centred between that and the bridge pickup. Bass and treble pots turned up full. I previously went through a Trace Elliot GP12 and I loved the Klaaang sound with plenty bottom and top.
The bass never let me down. I had minor issues with my E or A string breaking at the bridge - easy fixed by some wee adjustments. It oozes no frills German efficiency and quality. Added bonus is the strap fixings which never budge.
I previously had a Washburn Status which sounded tremendous and rather than upgrade to the Status I moved away from headless and achieved the similar sound I was looking for at a lesser price with the Warwick- which also looked great (I blame Doug Wimbish and Malcolm Foster also Charlie Jones to some extent).
Now I’m looking to replace it with a Gretsch White Falcon after I fell in love with Jack Lawrence’s bass when I saw The Dead Weather 10 years ago. Is that a good move?
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I cashed in all my chips for a 94 NT6 thumb. (It has been owned by several of the previous TBers in this thread coincidentally)
Sold the bongo, offered my kidney, etc. to get it.
It's heavy, i have shoulder pain after gigs. The first couple frets are a reach and I'm 6'1". It looks like it has a phallus protruding from the body.
Still i love it. You cannot replicate that tone no matter what you do. If you love the tone, there is no substitution. If you dont like the tone, it isnt worth the ergonomics.
Also funnily enough, despite the ergonomic issues, I play and sound better on the thumb than I did on the bongo.
Sold the bongo, offered my kidney, etc. to get it.
It's heavy, i have shoulder pain after gigs. The first couple frets are a reach and I'm 6'1". It looks like it has a phallus protruding from the body.
Still i love it. You cannot replicate that tone no matter what you do. If you love the tone, there is no substitution. If you dont like the tone, it isnt worth the ergonomics.
Also funnily enough, despite the ergonomic issues, I play and sound better on the thumb than I did on the bongo.
[/QUOTE]
Now I’m looking to replace it with a Gretsch White Falcon after I fell in love with Jack Lawrence’s bass when I saw The Dead Weather 10 years ago. Is that a good move?[/QUOTE]
Got the Gretsch, anyone looking for a Warwick?
Now I’m looking to replace it with a Gretsch White Falcon after I fell in love with Jack Lawrence’s bass when I saw The Dead Weather 10 years ago. Is that a good move?[/QUOTE]
Got the Gretsch, anyone looking for a Warwick?
Had a Thumb 5 bolt on about 8 years ago and ended up selling it because the neck dive was atrocious. Sounded good though.
Also, I had issue with the farther reach near the nut due to the upper horn being at the 14/15th fret rather than the 12th fret like on most basses.
Also, I had issue with the farther reach near the nut due to the upper horn being at the 14/15th fret rather than the 12th fret like on most basses.
I've been tempted on this model for years but the resell is dodgy given the sheer volume of used Thumbs in the market. That and I can't afford to deal with an ergonomical nightmare.
It really isn’t such a nightmare, you just need to be aware of the balance when going in. If you expect it to hang and play like a J bass then you will be disappointed.
Fender shaped objects and the way I am accustomed to wearing them, unbeknownst to me, had been worsening my carpal tunnel. I also have shoulder injuries so playing standing causes some issues too, particularly the effective reach to the first frets. When I wear it the curved body shape changes the angle of the entire neck and makes fretting less painful, even if the reach is a bit further.
Kind of a dream for me really, not a nightmare. I had to try myself to figure it out. Talkbass hive thinking would have me playing short scales. Hell now I’m thinking about trying a Torzal twist bass.
I have a ‘92 BO Thumb 4 string, according to Warwick it’s neck is slimmer than the current models. The neck is best described as ‘fast’, and the bass does have an amazing tone.
If the ergonomics suited me better, that would be great, though. I’ve heard of people using a horn extender to help with the balance issue, does anyone know who makes them? TIA
If the ergonomics suited me better, that would be great, though. I’ve heard of people using a horn extender to help with the balance issue, does anyone know who makes them? TIA
I know this is a bit old, but i just picked up my second thumb and wanted to share.
Both thumbs were bought used. The first one about 10 years ago was a 4 string neck through. Like others my initial reaction was the neck dive. It was enough for me to say how can a premium bass like this be this imbalanced? The sound was great, though i was coming from a Corvette Standard (Bubinga/Ovangkol) so i didn't notice that huge of a difference. I really liked the neckthrough, the size of the bass and its playability. It was fast and basically played itself.
I wound up selling that bass, not because of the bass itself though. That was probably a decision i would like to have back.
Fast-forward to today, i pulled the trigger and picked up a used 5 string neckthrough 2004 thumb (bubinga body and ovangkol neck). The balance on this thing is 1000% better. Absolutely no neck dive. It sits perfectly balanced and is solid. The pickups are configured differently between the 5 and 4 (5 has both at an angle, 4 has 1 at the bridge with the neck p/u straight). The tone on the 5 string is unbelievable. If you like warwicks, the sound that is in your head is the thumb 5. Really happy with the purchase though the just-a-nut ii stripped, so i had to order a replacement. Once it comes in, look out!
