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WARWICK BASSES

LegendSTA

LegendSTA

Guest
Dec 21, 2017
16
6
#1
I'm currently looking to purchase a Warwick bass. This would be my second bass I purchase, the first being a squire P-bass. The reason I picked Warwick is because of the sound, primarily, that brass nut really gives a particular sound, not to forget about the amazing growl they emit.

I play and listen to all sorts of music, my influences are, jazz, salsa, alt, hardcore, but mostly metal.

the models I've been eying are:

Warwick Custom Shop Master-built Thumb BO 5-String
Warwick Team-built Pro Series LTD Thumb BO 5-String
Warwick German Pro Series Thumb BO 5-String Electric Bass

are there people here that can guide me in the right direction? my budget right now is about $3000.00, but if I'm already spending that amount why not hold on a bit longer and get a NECK THRU, but those as you know go from the $3000.00 to the $7000.00

should I wait and save more or what the heck?

any Warwick info, input, experiences will be deeply appreciated.
 
#5
I am the proud owner of a German-built Warwick Thumb BO 6. Warwicks have a unique sound of their own. You will quickly become accustomed to that "growl" and you'll identify it in any recording. I think you'll be happy with any of the 3 you've listed.

Had you a chance to actually try a Warwick? If you can test one, make sure to try it with a strap as well so you can accurately judge its weight. Their weight tends to be on the heavy side. However, this can be remedied by using a wider strap so you have even weight distribution across your shoulder.

I also wear my basses high, which combats neckdive which other players experience from the Thumb models. My strap also has a suede backing that "grips" my shirt and stays put.
 
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#8
LegendSTA said:
I'm currently looking to purchase a Warwick bass. This would be my second bass I purchase, the first being a squire P-bass. The reason I picked Warwick is because of the sound, primarily, that brass nut really gives a particular sound, not to forget about the amazing growl they emit.

I play and listen to all sorts of music, my influences are, jazz, salsa, alt, hardcore, but mostly metal.

the models I've been eying are:

Warwick Custom Shop Master-built Thumb BO 5-String
Warwick Team-built Pro Series LTD Thumb BO 5-String
Warwick German Pro Series Thumb BO 5-String Electric Bass

are there people here that can guide me in the right direction? my budget right now is about $3000.00, but if I'm already spending that amount why not hold on a bit longer and get a NECK THRU, but those as you know go from the $3000.00 to the $7000.00

should I wait and save more or what the heck?

any Warwick info, input, experiences will be deeply appreciated.
Click to expand...

Have you considered purchasing a used Warwick? It's my observation that Warwicks do not tend to hold their value nearly as well a lot of other brands. You should be able to score a previously-owned, good condition, neck-through Warwick for less than $2k if you search the usual secondhand places (i.e. Here on TB, Reverb, eBay, etc.).
 
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#10
Second the used market. A used thumb neck thru in fretted or fretless runs 2200 to about 3 grand. Just sit and wait for it. I just grabbed a 89 thumb nt 6 fretless that has been confirmed to be one of the very first fretless 6 thumbs ever made for 2200 out the door in pristine condition. I also have a 2004 neck thru nt 6 that is poly'd and is fretless. Rocking bartolini on both. Wait for it and have the money ready to snag it up you will find them on talkbass pretty often so much so you can wait for the woods you want. In my opinion their neck thrus are worth every penny especially used some of my finest instrumen's I've owned. I will be a fan for life. I will also mention the scotts bass lessons strap at only 120 bucks super high quality and cured the neck dive like no other strap, made of high quality hand stitched leather I've got 3 of em (and have bought all the others and still prefer these for my wicks).
 

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#12
JRA said:
my advice: put a brass nut on your p-bass, save $2,950, and re-evaluate. good luck! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

LegendSTA said:
I'm currently looking to purchase a Warwick bass. This would be my second bass I purchase, the first being a squire P-bass. The reason I picked Warwick is because of the sound, primarily, that brass nut really gives a particular sound, not to forget about the amazing growl they emit.

I play and listen to all sorts of music, my influences are, jazz, salsa, alt, hardcore, but mostly metal.

the models I've been eying are:

Warwick Custom Shop Master-built Thumb BO 5-String
Warwick Team-built Pro Series LTD Thumb BO 5-String
Warwick German Pro Series Thumb BO 5-String Electric Bass

are there people here that can guide me in the right direction? my budget right now is about $3000.00, but if I'm already spending that amount why not hold on a bit longer and get a NECK THRU, but those as you know go from the $3000.00 to the $7000.00

should I wait and save more or what the heck?

any Warwick info, input, experiences will be deeply appreciated.
Click to expand...

Heck, get a Just-A-Nut directly from Warwick. The shipping is a little pricey, but two days standard to here? At least for the nut, that's what I've done. Btw, Warwick's direct price is waaaaaay better than from Reverb or anywhere else. Warwick's shipping price pales in comparison to other sites' jacked-up prices overall.
 
#14
I agree with trying one first. I have owned several Warwicks with neck through and bolt on. The reason I sold all of them was I never warmed up to the feel of the neck. They are a great quality Bass and as stated earlier they have a nice growl to them. I just never got past the neck..................
 
#15
I have 2 instruments with brass nuts (one is a warwick thumb) and they sound nothing alike.

If you can first try the warwicks I would suggest you do that, as there are a lot of little aspects to their instruments (the thumb in particular) that make up the particular charm of the instrument that others cant deal with (such as the general imbalance of the instrument, the pickup placement, the tiny body, the thick necks, etc) so I would really suggest that you try to find one.

I'm a big fan of neck through thumbs (have owned 3) but the bolt on stuff is just as good and more flexible set up wise and they also give you basically unhindered access to the 24th fret (and give you an extra 25th and 26th frets) which you don't get with the bolt on instruments. Up to you to decide if that will be an issue to you or not, or if its worth an extra few thousand dollars.
 
#16
I had a corvette $$ German made bolt on. About $800 used. The sound still haunts me to this day how perfect it was. In addition, the thing had super low action and played like butter. Ultimately the corvette body shape just kills it for me. But something about the pickups in the $$ and the woods Warwick uses is a really great combination.
I agree with buying used. Awesome as they are, buying a new one, unless you are 100% sure you’re gonna keep it a looonnggg Time, might not be the wisest use of funds.
 
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#17
Having owned several. I would echo what a lot of people have said. Buy used, buy a neck through Thumb, Stage I or II from the late 80's through 1999. From 2000-2013 ish the necks were bigger and not the fast c shaped of the previous years. They sound great and look awesome. I would stay away from corvettes or bolt on stuff. Get the flagship Thumb or Streamer. Just my 2 cents.
 
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#18
Not trying to be a d!ck, but.....
....Warwicks sound awesome. Nicer amps sound awesome also. Jumping from a Squier to a Custom Shop Warwick? Well...... howzabout starting with a new Rockbass model, upgrading to a nicer rig, and only dropping about $500 on each?
The new RB line is very high quality, retains 90% of the specific growl, and can be really enhanced with a growly rig like a GK or something similar.
 
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#19
Will echo others on the nut. I have a brass Just A Nut on my Ibanez SR885LE. Certainly some open note change compared to stock, but nothing drastic.

My Ibanez is heavily modded. I bought the nut mainly for adjustability. Had the bass tuned piccolo for awhile.

I would definitely recommend you get out and try some basses if you can. Thumb would not be my first choice for your styles, but everyone has their own preferences (so it may be the bass for you). I have always preferred the sound of the Streamer Stage I and the Corvette $$. Thumbs certainly are comfortable though.
 
#20
A woman's perspective on a lot of Warwicks. The ovancol, bubinga, wenge comb.
They're really brown. You look left, you see brown, you look right...more brown. Brown everywhere. Soooo much brown. If they could make brown chrome...
Beautiful if you like brown, or giant dog turds.
Nice basses.
 
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