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WARWICK BASSES

#21
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.
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My favorite bass is a custom shop bubinga/Wenge thumb 5NT. I got it new for not a lot more than your budget and I regularly see these used go for 2-3k on the classifieds here, eBay, and reverb.

I think you can get a thumb 5BO for less than $1500 used.

Other advice, this will be a lot heavier than your pbass. I doubt anyone can tell much difference between the sound of BO or NT, but I always pick NT cause it is sexier and the lack of a heal makes playing slightly easier.

Warwick seems like a good company as best I can tell, though I've never had any problems to test them. If you have to wait for a custom shop instrument to be built you are probably looking at 3 months to delivery. I think they do all that import stuff through Chicago Music Exchange, and it is a pay half now, pay half for delivery deal.

I would suggest holding out for the best possible deal though. It will come up.
 
#23
DeepHz said:
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..................
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I frequently buy premium instruments without trying them first, primarily because there are few examples available to try first. If my purchase works for me, I keep it; if it doesn't work for me, I sell it on. In this case, however, I'd second what DeepHz is saying. I've tried Warwick basses and simply cannot get past the unique neck profile. They are fine instruments in virtually every way, but the neck profile is very different from most. Their neck profile isn't for everyone, and certainly not for me.

You should be able to find many a fine Alembic bass in your price range in the used market. Like Warwick, Alembic basses almost always have an adjustable nut. Having several Alembics I can state without reserve the adjustable nut makes a significant difference in your ability to set up the action to your personal preference. Although there are a few Alembics with a set neck, most are of neck-thru construction. Alembic doesn't make basses with a bolt-on neck.
 
#24
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...

For $1,700 you can get one of these Fender American Professional Jazz Bass V - Natural with Maple Fingerboard brand spanking new with a lot of growl and $1,300 left over. Granted it isn't a neck thru and neck thru's do tend to have greater sustain, but.......
 
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#25
B-Mac said:
For $1,700 you can get one of these Fender American Professional Jazz Bass V - Natural with Maple Fingerboard brand spanking new with a lot of growl and $1,300 left over. Granted it isn't a neck thru and neck thru's do tend to have greater sustain, but.......
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I don`t think that would satisfy the OP. Warwicks have a characteristic growl, quite different from a Fender.
 
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#26
Bass Viking said:
I don`t think that would satisfy the OP. Warwicks have a characteristic growl, quite different from a Fender.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I realize that, but he's going from a Squire P and making a huge jump.....I have a medium scale Corvette and know what you mean, although it isn't German made....however I really dislike the noise from the single coil pick ups it came stock with. The Warwick custom shop in Nashville told me flat out to get Nordstrands as everything that comes out of their shop has them. They were extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

en/Warwick---Company--Showrooms-worldwide--Nashville.html
 
#28
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...
There is a big jump in price between these. Unless there is a particular feature you want added go with the one that fits your budget better. I personally like the look and feel of the NT Thumbs. What I'm not a fan of is the standard pickup placement on the 5 string. If you are getting a custom shop, I would try to have it built with the 6 string pickups.
Also keep in mind that Warwick basses lose a lot of their value, which hurts if you ever have to sell it, but is great if you are buying a used one.
 
#29
Paulabass said:
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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Haha! You described mine perfectly.
 
#30
NicJimBass said:
Definitely buy used. I've seen a number of Thumb BO5's for under $2k. Don't sleep on the Guitar Center Used site- http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/
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You know, I'm shopping for a Warwick and am glad this thread came up because I wanted to start one of my own. The thumb interests me, but I'm wanting a 5 as I do not have one in my kit.

Why the heck are the BO 4's around a thousand or less and the 5's pushing 2k?? I can't bring myself to do it, especially since the Corvette is more versatile. The Korean thumbs are out there and cheap, but I hate how they look. Dumb reason perhaps, but whatever.

I can snag a German Corvette for under 1k used all day long. What gives with the Thumb 5?
 
#31
B-Mac said:
For $1,700 you can get one of these Fender American Professional Jazz Bass V - Natural with Maple Fingerboard brand spanking new with a lot of growl and $1,300 left over. Granted it isn't a neck thru and neck thru's do tend to have greater sustain, but.......
Click to expand...

I'm a big j bass guy and one of the things that had me shopping for a Warwick is the size. The body is nice and compact, and contoured. They are super comfortable to play and the construction on them really is awesome.
 
#32
The several different models Warwick make have some differences, but most of them (the German made ones) share that growly tone.

Be aware that a bubinga bass is rather heavy, and that bubinga kinda naturally compresses the sounds you make plucking strings. Along with the active pickups you may find these basses respond a lot different to your playing then your Squier bass ever will. Not saying it is bad just different. The ones with MM style pickups have an active pre but passive pickups, which are somewhat more responsive. Single coil and Twinjazz Mec pickups with gold print logo on them are active pickups, very nice and hi-fi but not everyone's cup of tea.

Like others said I too advise looking at 2nd hand models first, this will save you a lot of money and you can probably sell for more or less the price you payed this way, which gives you more room to experiment with different models.

Do try before you buy. A Warwick punches right through the mix where a P bass blends, this is a world of difference and takes getting used to. I like and own both.
 
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#37
I opted for a much less expensive version. I bought a lightly used German built active Corvette STD 5 string for about $600 about a year ago. It doesn’t have a brass nut, and is as heavy as a boat anchor, but it kicks serious butt, mine included. And used the difference in your budget for a significant contribution to my retirement fund.
 
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#38
I've got two warwicks and the tone and feel are totally different. I know it can be difficult but I'd recommend either playing a couple first or making sure you can return if you don't like em. As others mention they can feel very different from other brands. I've never really liked the feel of a thumb, the small body never agreed with me.


20170726_203836.jpg
 
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#39
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...
Im a big fan of Warwick thumb basses. I’m on my 5th warwick and third thumb. All were purchased in the $1500-$2800 range.

Bo5
8FAE2AD7-8A9E-45B1-BF23-398D536DFCBA.jpeg

NT5
1F1F1351-BEAD-4775-8AAA-3B0DE362C6CD.jpeg
and my current main bass the nt6
B3B0F7E8-6E5C-4F79-B6AA-E3E51CEAE26C.jpeg
63ADC4A8-2F52-4A66-9309-586B600FF5B3.jpeg
 
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#40
The Warwicks I have played had a Wenge neck which feels pretty cool. They have a tone that is highly identifiable and is one of the few basses that really has its' own sound. If you are going to drop the kind of cash a Warwick demands, you really need to take a road trip to a place that has a decent number of these to play and choose from. I once drove 200 mi just play some Warwicks. I didn't buy any as I decided that they just were not for me. You will probably love it but you might hate it. Try before you buy.
 
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