I know most wick's have a neck like a baseball bat, but are any thinner than the others?
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Recommend me a fretless
- Thread starter RxFunk
- Start date
I know most wick's have a neck like a baseball bat, but are any thinner than the others?
Not true! The thinner neck profile became standard some time ago and the chunky necks were special order only.
Do you happen to know when(what year) they changed the neck profile? I'll be buying used so I want to know what years to look out for.
Warwick necks changed in '97. Some '97s are thinner, some thicker. You want a wenge neck, not ovangkol.
Another bass to consider is a Cort B4FL. I had one for a long time and it was a really solid fretless. Lots of good tones, very versatile. Used should be under $400.
+1
Mine is coming up to 2 months old now...
It is a joy to play.
Especially for £300.
Spend the change on upgrades or a gig bag.
That's backwards. The thinner (wenge) necks were pre-'97. They switched to ovangkol sometime in '97 and the necks became much thicker. My '96 has a very thin neck, almost like an Ibanez, but if you play a new Warwick in a store the necks are much thicker.
Ah, now I'm confused because that's the opposite of what tylerwylie said, I guess I'll just try and find a new one to see if I'm okay with it's neck thickness.
With the fretless, that issue goes away.
Find one and play it, and you'll understand. I will never purchase a fretted Warwick, but my fretless feels great.
Interesting, hopefully, I can find one to try out sometime soon. Other good news, I showed my dad a bass from the wishbass site, and told him I liked it, and he said graduation is only a few months away
A wishbass may be in my future
AAAH! I know, and I would be all over that spalt maple goodness too, but these are suggestions for later in May(when I graduate) and that will probably be long gone by then.
Interesting, hopefully, I can find one to try out sometime soon. Other good news, I showed my dad a bass from the wishbass site, and told him I liked it, and he said graduation is only a few months away
On second thought, it seems like a lot of people buy the wishbasses to mod them, refinish them, upgrade them, etc. That's not really how I'm feeling, so I think I'm back to warwick.
OK, notwithstanding the argy-bargy around here about fretlines, it should matter to you, and not for aesthetic reasons. There are ergonomic and mental issues that arise from use of lined vs. unlined. As an owner of several unlined FLs and many years of experience, let me explain my position:
1. Nine times out of ten, if not more, lined FLs have side dots at the same position as on fretted basses. The result? You have to think twice as much to play the correct pitch. An unlined FL typically has the side dots at correct pitch and dots at 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17.
On a lined FL with side dots at standard fretted positions, you need to identify the dot, then figure out how far from the dot you need to be to get the correctly-intonated pitch. On an unlined FL with side dots at pitch, you find the dot and you've already played the correct pitch and moved on.
2. To see the lines on a fingerboard in ordinary playing position, you need to crane your neck to actually see the fingerboard. Then go back to item 1. While you're figuring out where the correct pitch is during the verse, I'm already playing the bridge.
It's up to you and your results may vary and all that cal.
I totally understand what you're saying, and understand your concern, but to back up my original statment, I have tried both lined (Squier VM) and unlined( Carvin LB20F) basses, and I didn't have much of a problem playing either. Based upon your posted information, I am leaning towards an unlined, I like the idea of having the dots at the correct pitch for sure. I also used to play the cello, so not having any lines on the board itself doesn't bother me that much.
I have a Carvin (5-string fretted) that I bought new direct and I almost pulled the trigger on a Carvin fretless, but I snagged a '06 Warwick Corvette fretless from the local GC for $450. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Carvin - it's a great bass, but after playing the 'wick for several months now, if I had to do it over, I would opt for a Warwick 5 instead of buying the Carvin. Yes, comparing the 5 fretted to the 4 fretless may be apples to oranges, but there's just something about the Warwicks. The fit and finish actually seems to be a little bit nicer on the Carvin, but in general - the sound, the feel, etc. - the Warwick just suits me better. YMMV.
