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Warwick basses, I have zero knowledge, educate me

H

Helbent Revenge

Feb 16, 2009
31
0
#1
Other than their outrageous prices, I don't know anything about them. I'm assuming they're top of the line, but how, why? Tell me everything I should know about them, their sound, tone, what music they're generally suited for, etc., anything. Thanks.
 
#2
here come the do a search nazi's

Talkbass Warwick Club Thread

There are several parts to that.

In a nutshell I have a mid priced Warwick myself...$1500 in Y2K (check my profile). You can spend a lot more than that on a Warwick. I recall seeing a passive Corvette Standard priced around $7-800. They are supposed to cop a Jazz Bass vibe. Used market tends to be reasonable on bolt on models. Neck Thrus are alway going to be a bit pricier.

There are many models. Some are nods to Spectors. Some have their own character. When it comes to Thumbs a lot of people love them and a lot of people hate them. Complaints are often about weight and neck dive which is easily remedied with a wide sturdy strap.

I could go on and on, but the best advice I can give you is to go out and find a retailer try them out.

EDIT: Was there any thing in particular you were hoping to find out?
 
#3
I play a P-nut II which is the best bass I have ever owned. My bass has a mm pickup and a jazz pickup both with open poles. The sound is bright the mids a great as well as the lows. Before you even plug a Warwick in you can hear the difference in the bass. Right now Musicians friend has some Fna 5 string basses by warwick for under a 1000.00 jump on one you will not regret it,trust me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:bassist:
 
#4
warwick.hoy said:
here come the do a search nazi's

EDIT: Was there any thing in particular you were hoping to find out?
Click to expand...

Yeah I did a search and didn't find much, just people asking about questions with specific models, but not much in general about the line of basses.

I was just wondering what makes them stand out ahead of all the other brands, what makes them (in many peoples opinions) better. I don't know if it was this forum but I recall seeing like a "top ten wanted basses" topic and a lot of people had Warwicks listed.
 
#5
For me....I loved how my Thumb sounds. It is a growly beast and those clips only do it justice on the low notes.

I also love how it feels in my hands. The neck is substantial. It works well on the 5 string models but feels like a baseball bat on the 4 string versions.

It's a well made bass but not anymore so than any other bass in it's price range. I've owned it for going on 9 years have had no problems with it although the input jack could stand to be replaced.

Like I said you either love them or hate them, but it all boils down to reproducing the sound in your head and I have a bass that does that for me. It's the best bass I've ever owned as well, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't love to have a Sadowsky, or a Lakland for a different sound all together.
 
#9
Warwick...no other bass sounds like them, and with tweaking they can sound like alot of basses, if those basses were on LSD. Ive got a thumb and a streamer, both fretless, and they're awesome, no other bass has the clarity on that low b like the wick does.

That's all you need to sell me a fiver, i challenge anybody to find a better low B
 
#11
Awesome I've had mine for 6 years I've gigged heavily with and and banged it into everything under the sun without a scratch on it. Warwicks have a certain growly aggressiveness.
The only problem is the low B it has to be tapered but easily fixed with a rat tail file.
I've got a corvette standard 5 and though the jack needs to be replaced and the pickups are beat to hell, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
 
#13
warwick.hoy said:
I also love how it feels in my hands. The neck is substantial. It works well on the 5 string models but feels like a baseball bat on the 4 string versions.
Click to expand...

Did you mean to say that the 5-string necks are chunky, but not the 4 string necks? I have a Thumb 4 that has one of the thinnest necks I've ever played... that thing is fast!

warwick.hoy said:
Like I said you either love them or hate them, but it all boils down to reproducing the sound in your head and I have a bass that does that for me. It's the best bass I've ever owned as well, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't love to have a Sadowsky, or a Lakland for a different sound all together.
Click to expand...

Bingo. My Corvette is a huge part of the sound in my head, so it is a perfect match for me. There are other basses that I like that give me different flavors, but the 'Vette is the total package: it produces my sound and feels great in my hands, all while looking so dang good :D
 
#17
Allz I'll say is buy used. The resale value of Warwicks is completely and totally insane. I have a $3300 Streamer Jazzman that resells in mint condition for around $1200. You can get a mint condition Corvette these days for under $600 if you're patient enough, new they go for 2X as much. Not quite sure how Warwick stays in business. At least here in the US. :rolleyes:
 
#18
I noticed that one poster mentioned that they seem to have high action. No bass is permanent with high action, you can have any bass, expensive to cheap setup to play any way you want them. My Warwick Katana actually has the best action Ive ever played, and its a factory setup. The neck is completely straight with no curve at all, and yet no buzz anywhere on the neck. Love it!
 
#20
theunknowndude said:
I've never plugged one in but in comparison to the other ibanez at my local shop it seems like they have a really high action, is this normal or is this just really bad setup on the ones theyre trying to sell???
Click to expand...

My Thumb 5 BO has (I think) 25" radius fretboard which allows for incredibly low action, about 2mm on the G and 2.5mm on the low B at the last fret,... and buzz free. This is actually the recommended setup specs in the Warwick manual, so the one you tried prob was setup badly.

The stock Warwick Black Label strings can feel rather stiff compared to some other brands, so this may have made the action feel higher than is really is.
 

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