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The Warwick Influence! J/MM Sadowsky Metro
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I guess my opinion comes from asking why does a nut need to be adjustable in the first place?I came to realy like these adjustable nuts on my two german Sadowskys. But the covers can burn in a fire, there we agree
If the nut is cut too low, the open strings buzz and if the nut is cut too high, intonation suffers in the low positions. So a nut needs to be where it needs to be. Not exactly a variable setup parameter, such as string height at the bridge, which some players prefer high, some low etc…
The only explanations for an adjustable nut seem to be , able to raise the nut height incrementally as the string slots wear in over time, which seems rather um.. “picky” being at a loss for a better term IMO.
or an easy fast way to get a setup at the factory without having to take valuable time to properly measure and detail a nut by hand. Aka a production shortcut.
Not trying to be argumentative, just explaining my thought process.
Where might I be wrong ?
I bought my first streamer stage 2 in 1995 and the problems with the plastic compartment cover was that the little tabs wear out, deform and break with repeated use. I’ve had replace a couple over the years on different Warwick’s I’ve owned.
And it still balances funny…
So the extra two frets on a real thumb bass aren’t the cause of ergonomic quirks
It's the short upper horn and baseball bat neck that are the real culprits.
My point was that sticking a 26 fret neck on a Jazz Bass body would not work without major re-engineering.
Actually Doc, it wouldn’t .
A simple extended fingerboard overhang would do it with no design modifications
Not saying that it’s ideal, but could be easily accomplished without redesigning anything except the actual fingerboard.
I would think a real 26 fret jazz bass would indeed require a major design overhaul if you really wanted to be able to get to those additional notes if you intended on actually playing up there
A simple extended fingerboard overhang would do it with no design modifications
Not saying that it’s ideal, but could be easily accomplished without redesigning anything except the actual fingerboard.
I would think a real 26 fret jazz bass would indeed require a major design overhaul if you really wanted to be able to get to those additional notes if you intended on actually playing up there
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What sense would it make to have a super extended range fingerboard that could not be comfortably played?
Maybe sell them to dumb people… I don’t know
Back in the day I had a 26fret neck through thumb bass for a minute
It was heavy, uncomfortable, neck divey and tonally narrow..
I returned it for a streamer stage 2 and played that one for ten years.
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oh, come on, Thumb BOs always had 24 frets. but still had that small body with the top horn ending at 15th fret.
they have no baseball bat necks as a standard (not a custom shop) for more than a decade now (and frankly I miss that sometimes). my 2011 already has the slim neck.
That was my mistake. The only Warwicks I have ever owned were Corvettes and a single pickup, passive, Streamer. I did not know there was a two fret difference between bolt on and neck through Thumbs
My 2006 has the baseball bat neck. I also owned a later model Corvette with a slimmer neck. I actually prefer the fatter neck because it makes the narrow string spacing less noticeable.
not sure about the Streamer, but there is a difference between a Thumb and a Corvette. on a Corvette the top horn is a bit longer, I believe that's only for one fret, but this difference is very significant in my hands. many noted that Thumb feels like a really long bass because of this. but in reality this is just the short upper horn.
I've been wanting to try a Thumb BO4 for a while, not sure how it sounds compared to BO5, but the neck pickup in a more traditional place seems just more ergonomic to me.
No no, your points are certainly valid.
I just stated that I liked those adjustable nuts, because I actually got to use them on my basses. I could lower them a bit on both my basses and achieved a nicer setup than before. I wouldn't be able to do this on my own with a regular nut and would need to employ a tech, which again costs money.
Is it a production shortcut? Most probably yes, but its one I'm quite willing to accept rather than a badly cut nut. Pretty sure it comes down to preferences in the end.
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I've no personal experience with Warwicks or adjustable nuts, but I'm thinking along @rowsi 's line: the advantage is that they can manufacture the nut to perfectly match the radius of the neck. Then the owner can easily adjust the nut height to his/her preference without needing the skill to correctly file the nut slots.
That’s kind of what I was getting at. I don’t see nut height as a preference issue.
It’s either correct or incorrect.
If the nut height is incorrect on the low side, it causes one problem
If it’s incorrect on the high side it causes a different problem
Either problem is solved by proper nut height. I would think that an expensive premium instrument like a Warwick , or anyone else at that price point should be delivered with proper nut height. That’s literally one of the things you pay for when you get a top shelf bass.
but anyway, it’s off topic and probably isn’t worth discussing here any longer.
nut height is an element of action (and balancing open and fretted strings).
disclaimer: I also have good experience with Warwick's adjustable nuts and think they're a killer feature of Wicks. do I really miss them at my basses where I don't have it? not really that much. but I tried both and prefer it adjustable.
I see your point. I wonder if it reduces the extra time and labor of slotting a nut at the factory?
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
I got tired of having the little brass pieces spin around every time I changed the strings.
i had to recheck the nut height after every string change
This is the nut that I had on my Warwick’s
Pretty much.
It’s actually pretty awesome, but I’m unable to spend $4500 to find out how awesome it is!
