Ovangkol Neck Warwicks

It's not a whole world of difference between the wenge and ovangkol neck Warwicks, but there is one. I prefer the wenge necks (seems to give a somewhat more tight and crisp tone, and it looks much better in my eyes and feels better in my hands). I also think Warwick would have stuck with wenge if they could get enough supplies.

Haven't played the model you're mentioning, sorry.

 

I agree there is a difference,but personally I prefer the Ovankol.It feels smoother to my hand,and the neck made entirely from Wenge sounds a little too dry to me.

 

Hey Luis,

I tried several Streamer 6-Strings in the last few weeks (looking for a new sixer).
I liked the LX pretty much, and if I had to choose one, I would have taken the LX, because of the pretty good pricing, although I liked the higher-end Neck-Thru Streamers better.
The B-String was pretty sweet, the C didn´t sound thin, everything was good. But be sure to upgrade to Bart or SD Soapbars, don´t use the MECs...

David

 

"Dry" was the word I was looking for. Giving the bass a "drier" tone is exactly what I like about it. Different strokes...

 

hey Luis

I own a Streamer LX5 (the place were I bought it now have an LX6 on display) and I love that bass.
I don't belive I would part with it, at least not untill I could afford a neck thru Streamer *wink* *wink*

anyway, to describe the bass I would say it's very responsive and has a rich tone and I love that tight punchy growl it has.

however, I'm looking to replace the electronics and pups, I think some of the 6 string models come with Basslines soapbars stock though.

 

I prefer the Wenge neck over the Ovangkol. I've found that most people feel the same way.

 

I had the chance to try some different Thumbs side by side, and the Wenge (thru-necc) looks SOoooo much better than the Ovankol (bolt-on). Feel wise I didn't notice a great deal of difference, probably the wenge felt a little nicer. The wenge weighed a lot more as well, but had a much better sound. Obviously the construction method influences these things as well.

Also, I've tried a 6 string LX, side by side with a Thumb thru-neck 6 string. I actually preferred the LX. (1) I like the shape better. (2) It was lighter (the Thumb 6 was one of the heaviest basses I've ever tried). (3) The neck of the LX didn't go screaming towards the floor every time I let it go! (4) Where I live, the Thumb would cost me twice as much. While the Thumb possibly played a little better, and admittedly sounded a little better, I don't think it's worth twice the LX, and when you weigh in all the factors that I preferred about the LX, it would be an easy choice. In fact, I'm considering ordering one. I've recently received a new Streamer Stage I from Warwick, which is amazing, so that has further pushed me towards an LX.

 

I own an older Corvette 5 with an all wenge neck and I really like the feel of the wenge. I haven't tried the ovangkol.

On a side note: I don't use my Warwick that often and have considered selling it yet I can't seem to bring myself to sell. It's something about the fact that the wenge supplies are so limited now that makes me feel I have a "special" instrument or the value will go up in the coming years. Do you think I'm wrong?

tapp

 

Luis: I somehow doubt that the MEC stuff is "so good" that Warwick stopped using Basslines. More likely, they did so simply because MEC is considerably cheaper, given that it's owned by the same people who own Warwick. Just another example of Warwick's corner-cutting measures...

 

Wenge is superbly strong but heavy and rough. Mine is a bit smoother from use. I love the wenge neck and fear that the ovangkol is now used due to wenge shortages and in response to customer complaints of imbalance. I don't think it is nearly as sturdy as wenge. Not even close.

There was a picture posted on this board months ago of a guy standing on a wenge neck suspended between tow chairs.

 

Well, about MEC.. I don´t like the way they sound, especially for a heavier band (I thought about that, cause you say you play Prog-Thrash). Bartolinis, to me have a bit more punch, but maybe thats just me...

I got your point about the E.Q. Maybe thats something good right.

I´m not sure about what my choice will be... Warwick is pretty cheap here (Germany) in Comparison to the U.S. etc..
So I thought about the LX6 maybe in Honey Violin or Black, but not sure about that. Another option, to keep the costs lower, would be the Yamaha RBX6JM, but I don´t like the way it feels. I also thought about saving and then getting a Spectur US Bolt-On Sixer in about three months...

Originally, I had DP Custom in my mind, but got away from that after reading your comments, and the comments of the others...

David

 

So I understood it right and you´re getting your money back for the DP? Pretty hard decision, right ?
Anyway, Honey Violin is a cool color, I tell you I think we have the same taste in Colors .. I liked that Zebrawood pretty much, too...

I will play both, I can get Spectors pretty cheap at a dealer a few miles away. That dealer is located next to the German division of Spector, so they get & sell the Stuff at about 1/2 List Price..

David

 

You can order the locks at any Dunlop dealer, like GC. If you can't find them, you can actually sink the bigger ones.

Warwick doesn't sink locks anymore.

Wenge necks are cool. I love mine. But they are using ovangkol now because it has a similar tonal quality and is easier to get. The country where they used to get wenge is entrnched in a war and people are dying trying to get it.
Ovangkol is a more expensive wood as well.

 

Like Rojo412 said, Warwick's don't come with the strap locks anymore, they're just plain old strap buttons, although the two on my Streamer are really big. If you have a good quality strap, they do a pretty good job. To be honest, having lived with the strap locks for the last 6 months on an older Streamer, I prefer the new buttons. What you get will depend on how old the bass is coming from the distributor, as I think this is a fairly new change.

With regards to the pickups, I also considered getting either Bartolini's or Basslines direct from Warwick, but the price convinced me otherwise! For them to factory install the pickups was just a ridiculous amount, and I figured I could do the same change for half the cost, and I'd end up with an extra set of pickups. Anyway, I'm glad that happened, because , as it turns out, the MEC pickups are quite good. The person who compared them to EMGs is pretty close to the mark. They do sound similar.

One other thing to consider is this. I've had a natural Streamer I in oil finish for 6 months, and the oil finish is very high maintenance. It gets dirty very easily, and looks pretty horrible when it does. My new bass is high gloss blue, and I much prefer the look of it. Obviously the high gloss feels different, but it still feels very good. Actually, I prefer the feel of the gloss finish. Unless you absolutely have to have the plain oil finish, I would strongly recommend going with the high gloss. However, it does cost quite a lot more, so you'll have to consider whether you think it's worth it or not.

 

Advice, Advice (@ Luis): Don´t get the LX6 Broadneck - thats unplayable...

David