Pricing/opinion on a Warwick Thumb NT5?

[Jason Bonilla]

Where are you located? that bass is in Atomic Music, if you go in store and make an offer the guys at atomic will likely work with you on with the price unless its a consignment. They've always worked with me on pricing. they also take trade ins. but I don't think they'll haggle over the internet because Reverb is killer with Fees.

 

[jpdischi]

It seems to me that the better question is how much do you specifically want a 92 Thumb 5NT? Is paying slightly over the odds worth it to you to get one now? Given you're also thinking Dingwall then maybe you don't know or care about what makes these special. As a very happy owner of a 94 NT5 Thumb I'd happily pay $2800 for mine.
Also don't worry about any small scratches on the body. I mean its 30 years old, its gonna get some rash, and personally I just think of that as mojo, but one of the great things about an unpainted bass is that a light sanding makes it as good as new, if that's your thing. Just don't forget to retreat the wood after.

I understand what makes it special, it's definitely a solid beautiful piece of wood and it's got a nice resonance to it. The reason why I personally want it/liked it is because of the comfort, as it seems more comfortable than my Spector Legend 5. I suggested a dingwall as a frame of reference as far as the price goes. A lot of people have mentioned the Warwick Streamer which does seem to boast some of the same qualities and may be better suited for me/my price range.

Also, of course I know it's an old instrument, but you already pointed out my other concerns outside of scratches and rash, it seems like this thing needs TLC. Whereas the price they're asking for is more like it's ready to walk out the door in amazing condition IMO.

 

[jpdischi]

well i’ve had a dingwall 6 combustion with a 6 way from fretnation and installed a darkglass pre sounded great but comparatively to my warwick steamer lx no comparison why tonality warwicks are deeper tonally and neck thickness at 17mm compared to 19mm on the dingwall that poopie was wide even for my hands but yes to each there own that bass is over thirty years old and that wood petrifies and you can not duplicate that tone sound feel to any new bass not ever good luck friend
PS by the way, you pick that bass up, get yourself a darkglass micro tubes, and that thing will sound better than any dingwall

Yeah I'm thinking about getting a Streamer LX. I've seen a few for sale, really nice basses!

 

[jpdischi]

Where are you located? that bass is in Atomic Music, if you go in store and make an offer the guys at atomic will likely work with you on with the price unless its a consignment. They've always worked with me on pricing. they also take trade ins. but I don't think they'll haggle over the internet because Reverb is killer with Fees.

Indeed it is. That's where I was when I saw it in person. They seemed in no way interested in trying to make a deal with me on it tbh. I even offered to trade some things in with some cash, and still they gave me some hassle. I've had some good experiences with them, and a few bad experiences. Overall nice people, but it seems when it comes to the higher ticket priced things that there's not too much room for negotiation when I was there at least.

I also want to say, that this one is on the floor over by the PA/outboard gear room so it's getting banged around by other basses that are basically stacked on top of each other. Makes me kinda sad to be honest given that it should be properly hung up.

 

[avi]

That headstock should not be as light as that, but like others say it might just need some wax/oil. Assuming that's a sign that whoever had it never waxed it, I would definately check the rest of the bass to make sure that no joints have dried out/opened up.
BTW the headstock facia material is apparently a company secret. I tried asking HPW what material it actually is, but beyond saying it's man-made he won't disclose it.
$2800 is high but not crazy. You're paying an opportunity cost because it's not often that a golden years 5 NT ever comes up for sale. The reason is that people generally hold onto them because they are so good, so you probably won't see another advertised for a long time.
It seems to me that the better question is how much do you specifically want a 92 Thumb 5NT? Is paying slightly over the odds worth it to you to get one now? Given you're also thinking Dingwall then maybe you don't know or care about what makes these special. As a very happy owner of a 94 NT5 Thumb I'd happily pay $2800 for mine.
Also don't worry about any small scratches on the body. I mean its 30 years old, its gonna get some rash, and personally I just think of that as mojo, but one of the great things about an unpainted bass is that a light sanding makes it as good as new, if that's your thing. Just don't forget to retreat the wood after.

You can also try a wet towel and an iron for dents. My understanding is this works well. There are tutorials videos on YouTube.

 

[avi]

Indeed it is. That's where I was when I saw it in person. They seemed in no way interested in trying to make a deal with me on it tbh. I even offered to trade some things in with some cash, and still they gave me some hassle. I've had some good experiences with them, and a few bad experiences. Overall nice people, but it seems when it comes to the higher ticket priced things that there's not too much room for negotiation when I was there at least.

I also want to say, that this one is on the floor over by the PA/outboard gear room so it's getting banged around by other basses that are basically stacked on top of each other. Makes me kinda sad to be honest given that it should be properly hung up.

Ha! The beat one at Natik Musicgoround was hanging behind the counter and I had to prove to them I was an actual bass player before they would let me play it. They were rough. So's the bass though!

 

[ThomasTronics]

I have a 1990 thumb 5 NT and it's a beast. Great to play, sounds great and looks awesome.
This one needs to be waxed and rubbed. Not a big deal, needs to be done every year or so. Headstock looks more like a lighting thing than a problem. Also if the tuners work, don't change them.
Looks great and would agree with someoneelse's quote that a good NT from the early 90s doesn't come around too often And when they do they do command $2k+

$2500 would a decent price and these things are built to last. That's what i got mine for and it's a monster. Band likes it and sounds great in the mix

They make all the replacement parts still. it hss a replacable truss rod of that ever goes. The neck never moves and is very solid. The weight can be an issue but i just muscle it out. Tone wise it sounds like a thumb but when i want it to be something else i have a pedal to mellow it out and change its characteristics.

Beautiful piece and more importantly, if you liked it and it felt comfortable that's the most important part.
Mine has a great sounding B string. I can get the action super low (although i don't play with super low action).
Mine also has a bubinga body that kind of "shimmers".

I give the the THUMBs up. I use mine daily and love to play it every day. 1990

 

[jpdischi]

I have a 1990 thumb 5 NT and it's a beast. Great to play, sounds great and looks awesome.
This one needs to be waxed and rubbed. Not a big deal, needs to be done every year or so. Headstock looks more like a lighting thing than a problem. Also if the tuners work, don't change them.
Looks great and would agree with someoneelse's quote that a good NT from the early 90s doesn't come around too often And when they do they do command $2k+

$2500 would a decent price and these things are built to last. That's what i got mine for and it's a monster. Band likes it and sounds great in the mix

They make all the replacement parts still. it hss a replacable truss rod of that ever goes. The neck never moves and is very solid. The weight can be an issue but i just muscle it out. Tone wise it sounds like a thumb but when i want it to be something else i have a pedal to mellow it out and change its characteristics.

Beautiful piece and more importantly, if you liked it and it felt comfortable that's the most important part.
Mine has a great sounding B string. I can get the action super low (although i don't play with super low action).
Mine also has a bubinga body that kind of "shimmers".

I give the the THUMBs up. I use mine daily and love to play it every day. 1990View attachment 5113798

Great pic and great pun

 

[Barticus]

There’s a pretty cool 1988 NT5 on the verb right now, if you’re interested (no affiliation).

 

[scott sinner]

Indeed it is. That's where I was when I saw it in person. They seemed in no way interested in trying to make a deal with me on it tbh. I even offered to trade some things in with some cash, and still they gave me some hassle. I've had some good experiences with them, and a few bad experiences. Overall nice people, but it seems when it comes to the higher ticket priced things that there's not too much room for negotiation when I was there at least.

I also want to say, that this one is on the floor over by the PA/outboard gear room so it's getting banged around by other basses that are basically stacked on top of each other. Makes me kinda sad to be honest given that it should be properly hung up.

Oh, good old Aromic…Atomic is more likely to haggle with just the cash offer than any trades right now. Last time I was there (two weeks ago) they told me they were a bit flush with inventory right now, you can see that on the floor, but he said the back was near capacity too.

The wax really does bring the wood out on these. My Thumb

 

[jpdischi]

Oh, good old Aromic…Atomic is more likely to haggle with just the cash offer than any trades right now. Last time I was there (two weeks ago) they told me they were a bit flush with inventory right now, you can see that on the floor, but he said the back was near capacity too.

The wax really does bring the wood out on these. My Thumb

View attachment 5113856

Dang that's gorgeous. I did offer them something but they were basically in the camp of: "these sell for more than this". Which made me feel like haggling was off the table

 

[Gizmot]

I’ve owned three Warwick basses and all of them were fantastic. The design and the workmanship are absolutely top-shelf. I also love the neck profile which sort of mimics an acoustic bass and once you get used to it, it plays great.

If i love Warwick so much, how come I don’t have one now? Price and availability. The German built models cost a good bit and most of the ones I was interested in are essentially custom with price tags to match. Here in the U.S., it’s rare to find anything other than Rockbass and Corvette models in stores.

If you can land this bass at a fair price, I’d grab it

 

[avi]

I’ve owned three Warwick basses and all of them were fantastic. The design and the workmanship are absolutely top-shelf. I also love the neck profile which sort of mimics an acoustic bass and once you get used to it, it plays great.

If i love Warwick so much, how come I don’t have one now? Price and availability. The German built models cost a good bit and most of the ones I was interested in are essentially custom with price tags to match. Here in the U.S., it’s rare to find anything other than Rockbass and Corvette models in stores.

If you can land this bass at a fair price, I’d grab it

Agree. And they don't last long when they are in store. Snagged this 97 LX as soon as I saw it. I put it on hold with a small down payment while I figured out how to pay for it!(Literally $10- got to love GC for that). I knew if I left it, it would be gone in a day. Especially with upgraded pickups and pre. I felt it was under valued at $1300.

 

[kumimajava]

in my experience, Warwicks from the 'golden age' are a bit hit & miss. I've come across some (golden era Thumbs) that were incredible, felt nicely balanced, and played great. Others, on paper 'identical' in terms of specs, felt different; some would neck-dive terribly, one had a neck that would move around day-to-day, and others just sounded rather uninspiring.

I guess a lot forum-based advice is based on the mythical 'average instrument' and/or the few specimens that each of ush ave tried. For some consistent builders (in my experience e.g. Curbow, Yamaha, Ibanez's japan-based models, FCGR, LeFay, etc), that's probably quite helpful.

But for high-variance builds (Warwick tends to have that reputation over here) - just give it a try yourself, if you can. You may have come across an absolute gem, and if it plays great, I'd not worry about the cosmetics, and maybe try to wiggle a bit on the price. On the other hand, if it's total dog, then the cosmetics/price don't really matter. In this case, buying a similarly-specced instrument online, without trying it first, is not a good substitute, IME.

 

[tremor100]

Matter of opinion, but the headstock would be a massive turnoff for me, i have no idea *** is going on with it... like it almost looks like the Black plastic or wood they normally put on peeled off so they just pasted some clear plastic to make due or some poopie.

I'm also personally not a fan of the wood color on this Thumb anyways, its way too light for me personally.. is it even Bubinga? I feel like most of the "golden years" thumbs were Bubinga. I would pass and keep an eye out for a different one.

 

[jpdischi]

in my experience, Warwicks from the 'golden age' are a bit hit & miss. I've come across some (golden era Thumbs) that were incredible, felt nicely balanced, and played great. Others, on paper 'identical' in terms of specs, felt different; some would neck-dive terribly, one had a neck that would move around day-to-day, and others just sounded rather uninspiring.

I guess a lot forum-based advice is based on the mythical 'average instrument' and/or the few specimens that each of ush ave tried. For some consistent builders (in my experience e.g. Curbow, Yamaha, Ibanez's japan-based models, FCGR, LeFay, etc), that's probably quite helpful.

But for high-variance builds (Warwick tends to have that reputation over here) - just give it a try yourself, if you can. You may have come across an absolute gem, and if it plays great, I'd not worry about the cosmetics, and maybe try to wiggle a bit on the price. On the other hand, if it's total dog, then the cosmetics/price don't really matter. In this case, buying a similarly-specced instrument online, without trying it first, is not a good substitute, IME.

It felt pretty good to me overall. Granted I only had like maybe 30 minutes or so to really play it. I agree though that there is something to be said about people's specific experiences with their instrument brand that leaves them with rose tinted glasses. I understand that it's a great quality instrument, but $2800 for an instrument is pretty steep IMO. I felt similarly about Strandberg for example when I owned one (guitar, not bass) but I fell out of love with it and took the rose tinted glasses off.

 

[jpdischi]

Matter of opinion, but the headstock would be a massive turnoff for me, i have no idea *** is going on with it... like it almost looks like the Black plastic or wood they normally put on peeled off so they just pasted some clear plastic to make due or some poopie.

I'm also personally not a fan of the wood color on this Thumb anyways, its way too light for me personally.. is it even Bubinga? I feel like most of the "golden years" thumbs were Bubinga. I would pass and keep an eye out for a different one.

That's what I thought too, I was like what's wrong with the headstock? The body too? Some people mentioned waxing it but I cannot imagine that any amount of wax is going to resolve possibly years of neglect on a natural finish like this. I was almost wondering if this was a knock off or something initially.

 

[Barticus]

It felt pretty good to me overall. Granted I only had like maybe 30 minutes or so to really play it. I agree though that there is something to be said about people's specific experiences with their instrument brand that leaves them with rose tinted glasses. I understand that it's a great quality instrument, but $2800 for an instrument is pretty steep IMO. I felt similarly about Strandberg for example when I owned one (guitar, not bass) but I fell out of love with it and took the rose tinted glasses off.

Good decision.
You have a ton of amazing options for that kind of money, or even $1k less than that.

 

[jpdischi]

Good decision.
You have a ton of amazing options for that kind of money, or even $1k less than that.

Streamer LX is up next as my next option if I can't snag one of these for $2k

 

[avi]

Streamer LX is up next as my next option if I can't snag one of these for $2k

Take pics!