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I currently have two problems: (1) that I am obsessed with Warwicks; and (2) I love tinkering with them. By this I mean, experimenting with pickups and electronics combinations. As a result, I have come across what so far has been the more satisfactory setups, IMHO, and would like to share my findings since there are so many people that are not happy with their current Warwick set up. This is only what I have found and there are other combinations that I'm curious about and would like to try.
I believe that the key to a killer Warwick is to have a setup that captures the most of the woods' natural tone and growl. There's just no other way for me to stress that enough. A BIG part of this equation is having a good quality preamp with at least 3 bands of EQ... the mids are crucial for Warwick tone.
I have to point out that all of my testing was done through headphones via a headphone amp. Keep in mind that the way a bass sounds through headphones could be vastly different than how it sounds live. This will all depend on your rig, effects, the venue, etc. All of these factors in their totality can give you a different version of your bass's sound as well as a different "perspective", so to speak. There is no right or wrong set-up and combination. This is all a matter of PERSONAL PREFERENCE.
Here are my findings...
For an excellent sounding Warwick (German-made):
Woods: The Warwicks I've owned have been comprised of Wenge, Bubinga, and Ovangkol. I had a Thumb that had an all-ovangkol body with wenge neck and wenge fingerboard. I felt that this one had a warmer sound to it because of all of the wenge. Wenge is a denser and warmer-sounding wood. However, the "warmth" of that bass was not a hinderance but rather REALLY enhanced the natural Warwick growl. Other Warwicks I've had were all-bubinga with ovangkol necks and some with ebony fingerboard or wenge fingerboard. To me, bubinga seems to be a bit on the brighter side . However, it has a killer natural tone to it. I find that it's perfect for gospel. But then again, it's just killer for any application. I have not tried nor owned a Warwick with any of their other exotic woods such as snakewood, black wood, zebra wood, afzelia wood, etc. However, if Warwick chose those woods, then it's for a pretty damn good reason. 'Nuff said.
Preferred Brand of Pickups: so far my favorites are MEC and Seymour Duncan Basslines. I would have to say that I prefer the Basslines over the MECs. I find that they are brighter and slightly hotter. They beautifully capture that typical Warwick growl and just sound killer. In addition, you can get a pair of Basslines (the Phase I ASB) for $190. This is an incredible value for what you get.
Other Brands of Pickups Used: I have previously used Nordstrand Fatstacks, Nordstrand Big Singles, and custom-wound Roscoe Bartolinis. I wasn't too impressed with how these all captured the tone. While they are all excellent pickups, they are not the best option, at least for my taste. The Nordstrands will cause you to lose that piano-like glossy tone. To me they sounded like the highs were capped off. Also, the Nordstrands have exposed magnet poles and large and powerful magnets. Because of the extra magnetic attraction to the strings due to the size of the magnets and the closeness of the pickups to each other (these were installed in a 6-string Thumb), I found that this contributed to slightly increased string tension. Once I switched to Basslines, the string tension was reduced as the magnets in the Basslines are not as powerfull as the Nordstrand Big Singles. The Bartolinis where the same as the Nordstrands (except for the exposed poles and magnet size) but instead had low output. No matter what preamp I used, I found myself having to crank all the way up when using the Bartolinis. Further, any custom sound from the Roscoe Bartolinis went out the window, IMHO, as the natural sound of the Warwick woods drowned out the Roscoe Bartolini custom tone. They ended up sounding pretty must just like regular Bartolinis.
Pickup Brands to be Tried: I would like to experiment with Delano, SGD, EMG, and Ken Smith pickups (the Ken Smiths for poops and giggles). I've had Delano in other basses and they are just superb. However, they are EXTREMELY transparent and EXPENSIVE. I'm not sure that the value is entirely there simply because of their price. I've also tried EMG in other basses but I have to admit they tend to sound a bit artificial at times and a bit lacking in their versatility. But I could be wrong. The Ken Smiths would definitely be an interesting experiment.
Prefered Preamps: as of right now, I would have to say that my preferred choice of preamps are: EMG BQC, John East U-Retro, and MEC 3-band equalizer preamp. The EMG is the best value, IMHO. It is transparent, you get great lows and highs as well as sweepable mids. The whole thing is dead-quiet and the best part is the price... all of this for $110! You can't beat it! The only downside is that there is no passive option. Active is all you get. The John East U-Retro is also killer sounding with sweepable mids and a bright push/pull feature. However, the price is not so killer. The U-Retros go for about $325. Ouch! In addition, the U-Retro is a bit on the warmer side. For my personal taste, a Warwick's tone shines through best without added coloration and/or warmth. Finally, the MEC 3-band equalizer preamp is great as well. Transparent, boutique, and effective. Because this preamp works so well with the MEC pickups and the Basslines, I usually just run it either in passive mode or run all of the EQ flat. It gives me delicious Warwick tone!
Other Preamps Used: I have previously used the MEC 2-band preamp and Aguilar OBP-3. IMHO, the MEC 2-band is not that great nor useful. It's seems to be in a class much lower than it's MEC 3-band equalizer preamp counterpart. It doesn't have mids. The mids, IMHO, is critical for capturing Warwick tone and growl. The Aguilar was good, but I'm not too impressed with how they sound on Warwicks... but that's just me. I've heard them on several Warwicks and I was never really moved. IMHO, the Aguilar preamp is a bit on the darker side. Not warmer, but darker. However, they still manage to be transparent and have great decibel ranges.
Preamps to be Used: Glockenklang, Delano Sonar, ACG Filter preamp, Mike Pope Flexcore, Bartolini, and Audere 3ZB 4-band. The only problem with wanting to try these is not the preamps themselves but rather that the preamp cavity in most Warwicks is room-prohibitive. There just isn't enough room in there for 4 or 5 pots plus switches. Not to mention that few preamps out there offer 3-bands of EQ in just 3 pots. (the '3 pots' is in regards to the standard pot set-up found in Thumbs and Corvettes Standards; Streamers and other Corvettes have 4 pots; some of the newer Thumb Single Cuts have 4 pots and some switches, if I'm not mistaken)
Strings: As of right now, my preferred pack of strings on a Warwick is D'Addario ProSteels. IMHO, you just CANNOT beat their value. They are inexpensive, sound killer, and retain their brightness for what seems like forever! Not to mention that they have some of the lightest string tension in the biz! Although steel strings are not as smooth as nickel strings, these more than make up for that in the way they really let that Warwick tone shine! They sound beautifully mid-sy and crunchy.
Other Strings Used: D'Addario XL nickel-wound, and DR Black Beauties. The XL nickel-wounds are everything the ProSteels are except that they are not as bright and have a smoother feel. The DR Black Beauties looked killer with their black coating but had more string tension than the D'Addarios and lost their brightness very quickly. This is because they are handmade. For their price, I don't think the value for DRs is as much as the D'Addarios.
Tuners: these will not affect your sound but can help with some of the neck dive. It won't eliminate it entirely but it can help. I find that the best tuners are the Hiptshot Ultralites. Not only do they look killer but they help shave off some weight from the headstock.
Well.... that's it for now. As with everything I have stated above... your results could be different OR they could be the same but rather you find that you prefer that which I don't.
Any comments would be encouraged!!!
I think it was Dean Markley's and Rotosound's (Harris!!!) up to that point. I actually still string the TRB with the D’Addario's...it's just "the sound" for that bass I think.
I have Bart Soap Bars in my 87' Thumb NT, i had the Bart 2 Band EQ orginally and i swapped it out for an MEC 3 Band but the 3 band never sounded as good, yes you got the mid control but with the right pick ups, the mids should be good and can be contoured with your Amp head. Sometimes less is more.
