Used Warwick Bass, yea or nae ?

[3bc]

I am looking to buy a used Warwick bass from an overseas store. Would cost more than a couple grand, plus tax, shipping, and import tariff (Aaugh).

There maybe a language barrier that is making things seem worse than they are, I think that's likely to be true. But the seller described the neck as "warped". I ask for some additional clarity and pictures if possible. They send pictures that don't look bad to me. Then add "Depending on how hard you pick the neck, you may feel some rattling, but it appears to be relatively straight for a WARWICK neck."

This is a neck through bass, so I'm confused what would make it rattle (even if it were B/o). And the neck looks totally straight to me, except for maybe a bit more relief than I might normally dial in. Of course the worlds worst pictures...

The price is fair, even a pretty decent deal on a bass that is relatively hard to come by, if there's nothing actually wrong with the bass. Seems to be a big reputable seller.

I hard a German made Warwick for years and the neck was quite good, so I'm confused why Warwick is taking strays from the seller here, unless their reputation is bad in ways I don't know about?

Would you run from this or?

Cheers!

 

[Docduval]

What’s the truss situation like?

 

[Chrishi87]

A couple grand = > 2000$ - Hard pass.

 

[MrAB4003]

There maybe a language barrier that is making things seem worse than they are, I think that's likely to be true. But the seller described the neck as "warped".

 

[Kevin Hailey]

Run away

 

[MasterMonkeyMan]

Which model is this?

 

[monsterthompson]

 

[Nille]

"Depending on how hard you pick the neck, you may feel some rattling, but it appears to be relatively straight for a WARWICK neck."

I think the seller might be talking about string buzz here. As in: If you dig in a bit harder, you might get some string buzz. So this might really not be a big deal at all. The neck being described as warped might just be mistranslated for having relief. Technicalities are often hard to translate if you’re not a native speaker.

But I agree that if you don‘t feel confident about getting precise information about the condition the bass is in due to language barriers, it‘s probably not a good idea to go for it.

 

[Element Zero]

Don’t do it.

 

[MrWolf14]

my 0.02$: I would not be able to understand whether the neck it's warped from these pictures.
Maybe a better picture could help.
Or maybe you could ask some additional measurements: in my world 2k it's enough money to justify requesting some additional info.

 

[ardgedee]

Warwicks are not hard to find in the US, why is this one so compelling that you're willing to take a big-stakes risk?

 

[ModuMan]

It's probably fine.

But probably not "multi-thousand dollar, overseas shipping gamble-worthy" fine.

It's a 4-string Streamer Stage 1? If so, they aren't that rare. I'd say hold out for one that inspires more confidence.

 

[Geepers]

Seriously? No.

 

[Taustin Powers]

Yeah, that looks like a Streamer Stage 1. A nice bass, I have a 2000 model myself. But "more than a couple grand" doesn't sound like an amazing deal to me, especially if you factor in shipping and customs. And you can't easily return it, so you are stuck with it and have to sell it on if you don't click with it or the neck does not allow a comfortable setup. I would pass.

 

[Gunga Din]

I am looking to buy a used Warwick bass from an overseas store. Would cost more than a couple grand, plus tax, shipping, and import tariff (Aaugh).

There maybe a language barrier that is making things seem worse than they are, I think that's likely to be true. But the seller described the neck as "warped". I ask for some additional clarity and pictures if possible. They send pictures that don't look bad to me. Then add "Depending on how hard you pick the neck, you may feel some rattling, but it appears to be relatively straight for a WARWICK neck."

This is a neck through bass, so I'm confused what would make it rattle (even if it were B/o). And the neck looks totally straight to me, except for maybe a bit more relief than I might normally dial in. Of course the worlds worst pictures...

The price is fair, even a pretty decent deal on a bass that is relatively hard to come by, if there's nothing actually wrong with the bass. Seems to be a big reputable seller.

I hard a German made Warwick for years and the neck was quite good, so I'm confused why Warwick is taking strays from the seller here, unless their reputation is bad in ways I don't know about?

Would you run from this or?

Cheers!

It maybe has a rod that's not at tension. But if there's no recourse after buying it, avoid.

 

[Polfuste]

I would not risk this money with this kind of unsure situation.

 

[Flaked Beans]

As my uncle Joey said, take a look at it from behind!

 

[Windreaper]

Wouldn't risk ordering an expensive pre-owned instrument overseas (unless there was a really explicit guarantee), Warwicks are not THAT rare and "couple grand" doesn't sound like a steal.

 

[Lo-E]

The pics don’t look that bad, as you say, but ask yourself this question:
If the neck isn’t that bad, why would the seller go out of their way to point out a potential neck problem and risk torpedoing the sale if the neck is okay?

If this were local I wouldn’t hesitate to go look at it in person but it’s far from local at a price that’s only okay, even for an example that doesn’t have neck issues. Logistically, none of that sounds like a good idea.

It’s quite possibly a really nice bass but it’s one I would walk away from.

 

[burgerdj]

Unless it is a screaming deal, it’s always better to try before you buy. This bass could simply need a good set up, or possibly a major overhaul. Unless your budget can account for either scenario, look elsewhere.