Warwick Defret

[Paddy]

Hi All,

Not sure if this is the right forum but here we go.

My custom Sei is about 7-8 weeks away so it's good times here (check out my build thread in my sig!)

I've got a fretted 1991 Warwick Thumb n/t 5 string that is completely stock and mint with Bart pickups and pre-amp. It's a gorgeous bass and it's got lovely tone.

I'm a bit worried that with the Sei turning up that the Warwick may get relegated to just an expensive backup that doesn't get used. Thats somthing I want to avoid, Martin at the Gallery can defret it for me for around £70-80. I don't doubt Martin's work in any way - I know it would be an absolute 1st class job so thats not the issue. He also assures me it's a reversible process.

The defret would give my playing a new lease of life and mean my beautiful Warwick remains a used instrument.

I just worry whether I should be doing this kind of work on a 15/16 year old mint instrument.

As you can probably tell I'm nearly sold on going through with it but I thought I'd open it up here to get peoples opinions.

 

[vindy500]

cant you buy a fretless neck for it?

 

[Paddy]

It's a neck-through

I abreviated that to n/t - sorry for the confusion.

 

[62bass]

If you really want a fretless 5 and the workmanship is good, then go for it. Otherwise, leave it stock. I think down the road you'll appreciate the bass again as it is. Try putting flats on it for a second bass with a different sound. That's very reversible.

I don't know if that will ever be a "vintage" instrument that appreciates with age. You never know though. Back in the early 60s we never thought Fenders would be worth more used than new. We bought and sold them with abandon.

 

[Luke73]

Personally I wouldn't de-fret a completely stock and mint '91 Thumb NT, but that's just me.

It's your bass

 

[Paddy]

Interesting idea about simply putting flats on it for a different sound. I never stopped to think about doing that. I'll give that a go first - thanks.

I'm not really thinking from a vintage/resale point of view. My attitude is simply "these things are to be used not sit in a cupboard".

Once you've made a change like that - it's done - you can't really go back to how it was. Even though you can refret it I can't help feeling it would lose that stock vibe and the feel it currently has.

Not sure that last sentence even made sense - did anyone get what I'm on about

I do fancy a 5 string fretless though to complement the Sei - maybe the flats would help a little to give that feel. It's an interesting idea as the frets are bedded in so I don't get the railroad effect. We will see.

 

[indykrap]

+1 on the flats idea, I'd also reccomend maybe getting into the whole Piccolo bass deal, maybe. I know a friend who put flats on his backup, loved it, and started using them as normal with Piccolo strings on his backup now.