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Warmoth Gecko owner's club

tubby.twins

tubby.twins

Amateur Pickup Reviewer
Gold Supporting Member
Apr 15, 2009
1,004
144
Oregon
gerb.ws
#1
Let's start a new club. And why not? I think they're great basses. If you own a Warmoth Gecko bass (or have owned one in the past) you're welcome to join and share pictures.

Here's an outdated picture of my collection of Geckos:

IMG_0361.jpg


Here's the membership so far:
#1 - wyliee
#2 - tubby.twins
#3 - Gecko 5
 
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#5
Jim Nazium said:
Well, this club doesn't seem to be in danger of overcrowding :)

Seriously, I'm thinking about building one of these. Do they balance well? How is the access to the upper frets? Anything else I need to know?
Click to expand...

Balance is superb. Upper fret access is good, but can be better. They go together well and are solid basses. The necks are a little chubby, but comfortable.

I'll get some Gecko pics up soon, but I'm working on my 3rd. The first was built in 2001, the second was built in 2003-2005 and included some "refinements" after my experience with the first. The current one is using the neck from the first, but I shaved it down. The new body includes further refinements such as a super light, thinned body (1.5" thick, <3lb), custom pickup locations, and custom horn reshaping that gives full access to the last fret.

Doing all the refinements myself has been a challenge. There are lots of little details that I'm having to re-engineer as I go, but the results are VERY cool. I just need to do a few things before I start the oil/urethane finish. I'll get some in-process pics up soon, too.
 
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#8
Wow man,just wow.
Thats a big collection.

That also makes me wonder...Why?
Yes,these are great basses.
But if I'd buy a bunch of them,it will be:

4 String,5 string,6 string,6 string fretless.
Lets go wild,and add a 4 and 5 string fretless basses.

I'd understand it if you did something like that.
But what I see here is 11 basses that are all 5 string basses,and just have different woods..
 
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#10
SCMan88 said:
Wow man,just wow.
Thats a big collection.

That also makes me wonder...Why?
Yes,these are great basses.
But if I'd buy a bunch of them,it will be:

4 String,5 string,6 string,6 string fretless.
Lets go wild,and add a 4 and 5 string fretless basses.

I'd understand it if you did something like that.
But what I see here is 11 basses that are all 5 string basses,and just have different woods..
Click to expand...

The man knows what he likes and has the disposable cash to do with as he wishes.

However, I am also curious as to why it's just 5ers...
 
#12
The only difference I can tel is fretted/fretless, and pickup configurations and brands. I imagine different electronic configurations as well. All this besides the obvious wood choices.

I've always thought about having a gecko made down the line if I had some money to throw around. I like the gecko inlay on the neck and would dig a 35 in mahogany or swamp ash.
 
#13
BananaKing said:
However, I am also curious as to why it's just 5ers...
Click to expand...

I've stuck with the 5-string Geckos for two reasons: I've grown accustomed to 19mm string spacing at the bridge, since it offers me more control over fingering techniques; and a 6-string bass is just too much for me to manage. I used to have a 6-string bass a number of years ago, and it was just too wide.

My Geckos are an ongoing, evolving set of combinations of different neck and body woods, different pickups and variations to electronics. Each combination sounds different to me, and I regularly mix things up just to try something new. It has been a fun journey and it's not over yet! :)
 
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#15
tubby.twins said:
My Geckos are an ongoing, evolving set of combinations of different neck and body woods, different pickups and variations to electronics. Each combination sounds different to me, and I regularly mix things up just to try something new. It has been a fun journey and it's not over yet! :)
Click to expand...

Have you tried the graphite rods in a Gecko yet? I've considered getting a new neck for the new project bass with graphite rods and a rosewood board without the Gecko, but that's a lot of money to spend when I have a perfectly functional neck that I've used for over 10 years.

I wish I had the disposable cash to build a few variations, but I'll use what I've got for now.
 
#19
Nice looking basses, but let me ask the most obvious question of all, is there a way to get rid of the 'Gecko'? I don't mind it when it's not too conspicuous in the more recent bgartisit's bass, but on the maple fretboard, I think it's looks very out-of-place, to put it mildly.

Also, could you guys give us an idea (range) about how much these basses cost? Are they comparable to Carvin's?
 
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#20
woo10 said:
Nice looking basses, but let me ask the most obvious question of all, is there a way to get rid of the 'Gecko'? I don't mind it when it's not too conspicuous in the more recent bgartisit's bass, but on the maple fretboard, I think it's looks very out-of-place, to put it mildly.

Also, could you guys give us an idea (range) about how much these basses cost? Are they comparable to Carvin's?
Click to expand...

Sure there is... Just pay the upcharge for them to custom build you a neck without it. Or wait till you see one you like in the Showcase; they tend to put a lot of non-inlaid necks in the Showcase.

Personally, I like the big contrast more than a subtle contrast. I would forgo it on a dark-wood fingerboard, and DEFINITELY forgo it on a fretless. It is unique, though.

Depending on the option, you can build a nice Gecko for probably $1000-1200. At least you could the last time I tallied it up. Get a pre-finished body from the showcase (~$350), a neck from the showcase ($300), hardware ($200), pickups of your choice ($200), maybe add a preamp and other little odds and ends... Or spend a bit more and get more custom options.
 
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