rogerbmiller said:
Personally, I would have it fixed. But the bass is yours... Do you love it? Yeaaaaaah!
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Warwick Fortress Footmen, unite!
- Thread starter RCCollins
- Start date
Personally, I would have it fixed. But the bass is yours... Do you love it? Yeaaaaaah!
If I fix it I would actually ship it out of NYC. There are plenty of great custom shops in the USA that don't have the rent costs that we do and can do labor for less than half the hourly rate. To have David Gage do this would be $700. Guitar doctor estimates $300 on the high side.
I guess one other question is whether having this work does devalues the bass. I would feel compelled to disclose this if I ever sold it and I wonder if having this work done would cause a buyer to balk or to want to pay substantially less.
Anyone have any thoughts about, or experience with this?
I guess one other question is whether having this work does devalues the bass. I would feel compelled to disclose this if I ever sold it and I wonder if having this work done would cause a buyer to balk or to want to pay substantially less.
Anyone have any thoughts about, or experience with this?
rogerbmiller said:
I don't think it would devalue the bass if it was done properly. I'd rather buy an instrument with a replaced TR than a broken one.
Had my tech look at it. It's snapped. He would normally do the work but he doesn't want to work with Wenge (the sawdust is septic and can cause severe dermatitis) so I found another shop to do it.
your tech sounds pretty stubborn. The sawdust isn't septic. And how much sawdust is involved in removing and replacing a fretboard? Wenge does tend to splinter easily - maybe he's just afraid of working with an unfamiliar wood that he might break while removing the fb!
Believe me, he is not stubborn. But he has had respiratory issues in the past and didn't want to risk it. Check this out:
Wenge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The sawdust doesn't come into play removing the board as steam is used. It comes into play when truing the neck and board once it is reassembled. Agreed he is probably using an abundance of caution but he does such great work for me on my other basses, so I am happy to bring it elsewhere if he insists.
Still on the fence though about whether to move this on or just repair it...
I think that wikipedia page overstates the hazard, but your guy is well within his rights to turn down the job. Still, if he's sensitive to irritants, it seems like he's picked a problematic profession.
Invalid Link Removed has a bit more detailed information. It's unfair to throw words like "septic" around out of context. Seems to me that a cheapo mask would protect against respiratory irritation, but hey, it's not like I do my own work so who am I to judge?
Invalid Link Removed has a bit more detailed information. It's unfair to throw words like "septic" around out of context. Seems to me that a cheapo mask would protect against respiratory irritation, but hey, it's not like I do my own work so who am I to judge?
All good. It will get repaired either way, that is the good news.
In other news, I have a Streamer PRO M with Wenge Neck coming this week. I guess there is another club for those...
wish it was a 5 string. i'd take it off your hands for you. good luck with whatever you decide! 
Well, as you can see, my new purple goddess has arrived! She plays sweet! The neck has a little more heft to it that my Flashback's (this is an early build, from '95, so it lacks the volute that the '96 Flashback has), but it feels swell - certainly less "chunky" than your average P-bass neck.
So while I love the look and feel, I'm not in love with the electronics. The usual MEC story: harsh high end, overall scooped tone, impractical crossover and too intense boost/cut make the EQ useless. The passive tone is pretty good, so I'm thinking I may just pull the pre and pups and put in some high output passives (with some kind of humbucking J) and skip the preamp altogether - I'm actually thinking of an MFD P/J set, but I think I should probably use a hotter bridge pickup to balance out the hot P.
I've also read claims that the MEC pickups sound great if you just replace the preamp - any suggestions from you fortress freaks?
So while I love the look and feel, I'm not in love with the electronics. The usual MEC story: harsh high end, overall scooped tone, impractical crossover and too intense boost/cut make the EQ useless. The passive tone is pretty good, so I'm thinking I may just pull the pre and pups and put in some high output passives (with some kind of humbucking J) and skip the preamp altogether - I'm actually thinking of an MFD P/J set, but I think I should probably use a hotter bridge pickup to balance out the hot P.
I've also read claims that the MEC pickups sound great if you just replace the preamp - any suggestions from you fortress freaks?
So I'm picking up my '94 fortress one on Friday! Anyone know what sort of profile the necks of these have? My $$ has the fat neck so just wondering if it would be the same or thinner?
all the wenge necks on warwicks i've tried have been slimmer than the more recent ovangkol necks. if yours is a '94, I'd expect it to be no more than 1.5" at the nut, and shallow up top but thicker on the way down - very playable
bongomania
Commercial User
I got a chance to play my new F1 last night for a short while. It's in desperate need of a setup, and the neck pickup height screws and springs are effed, and the bridge saddle height screws are rusted, and the nut seems like it might have been a good-but-not-pro DIY job. The preamp was replaced along with the pups, it's a Bart 3-band. I had to resolder one of the pickup connections, that was loose.
The good news is once I fixed that wire, and monkeyed with the neck pup height a bit, it sounds great! Actually TBH it didn't sound "great" until I boosted the lows with the preamp. With the preamp set flat, it sounded pretty much like any other Jazz bass with rounds, with maybe a bit more metallic sound--exactly like the Hamer Cruise! So if I ever find a Hamer Cruise 5 that isn't too heavy, at least now I know that adding a Bart preamp will help.
I think I'll go ahead and have a luthier give it a new nut and a proper setup, maybe shim the neck a tad, and of course I'll fix all the screws. After that, I'll decide whether I want to invest in some ultralight tuners for it, or let someone else enjoy it.
I do love the feel of the wenge neck, both the shape and the grain. And the neck-body balance really is fantastic.
The good news is once I fixed that wire, and monkeyed with the neck pup height a bit, it sounds great! Actually TBH it didn't sound "great" until I boosted the lows with the preamp. With the preamp set flat, it sounded pretty much like any other Jazz bass with rounds, with maybe a bit more metallic sound--exactly like the Hamer Cruise! So if I ever find a Hamer Cruise 5 that isn't too heavy, at least now I know that adding a Bart preamp will help.
I think I'll go ahead and have a luthier give it a new nut and a proper setup, maybe shim the neck a tad, and of course I'll fix all the screws. After that, I'll decide whether I want to invest in some ultralight tuners for it, or let someone else enjoy it.
I do love the feel of the wenge neck, both the shape and the grain. And the neck-body balance really is fantastic.
Bongo, that bass has Bartolini pickups as well as pre, right?
The dusty screws were one thing that kept me from bidding on that bass. sorry to hear so much needed replacing. At least you don't have to invest in a preamp!
The dusty screws were one thing that kept me from bidding on that bass. sorry to hear so much needed replacing. At least you don't have to invest in a preamp!
bongomania
Commercial User
Yeah the pups are Barts too, and there's no complaint from me about that--I like Bart pups a lot. Noiseless, warm, strong.
Can't return it!
It is all my fault since i know better but wasn't prudent enough before buying. My first bad experience buying something on the net.
All started when saw this bass on Ebay
1994 Warwick Fortress One - Collector Item Handmade | eBay
It was also auctioned on many other sites and on Craigslist Atlanta(Trent) region.
like:
Like New 1994 Warwick Bass Fortress One | Sweetwater Trading Post
The Seller is
sheabutterman, or Rob Butterman or JumpStartEnter or and other names.
He sells a lot on eBay including many guitars and has a good feedback.
That is the only reason i decided to buy from him.
I asked questions on eBay auction and proposed i wanted to buy on a lower price (meaning on relisting) since i found it was too high and had been on eBay many times without a buyer.
He proposed half shipping to Canada, i declined.
He then sent a request for a personal email outside eBay to send me a video profile of the bass.
Sent him my email. Only because of his feedback on eBay.
He sent me a mail agreeing on the price and an invoice, saying that he had no video but wanted to communicate with me outside eBay because eBay monitors his emails...
I asked for S/N , for pictures, better description, certain type of shipping etc...
HAd a lot of problems getting them.
Only received the pictures after i bought it...But i had seen them on a Craigslist add that has now been deleted.
I saw there were what seem to be light scratches.
I thought they where more obvious because of the flash...
I had many communications problems with him after payment.
He sent mails stating info i requested was answered within but it wasn't.
He took a lot of time to communicate shipment info... he said he had death in the family, then he was out of town, he made a mistake, he forgot the info on a mail he sent, his computer problems, etc...
The bass arrived and i was very disappointed.
1- ON the auction it said ''This is a beautiful Bass Guitar in excellent condition all the way around'', ''the guitar is in 100% excellent condition, minus a few scratches, no chips, dings, pings or dents'', ''Like new!'' among other things.
Well, this is misleading because there are way more than a few scratches, a lot of belt rash on the back, there are a lot of scratches, a lot of dings, deep dings, on many locations lacquer is gone. No way like new... I relied on his ebay feedback... i was wrong.
2- The bass was very dirty, frets where full of grim. HE stated that he had it cleaned... i hope he didn't pay for that.
3- The case was soo dirty inside and out i was scared to keep it home and went on vaccuum it.
I had mail him my disappointment and that i felt he mislead me...i requested a refund of part of the transaction and i told him i was going to tell my story so others can judge for themselves.
He said he didn't lie and that the dents (he said there where none on the auction) where nothing he felt needed to be talked about on the auction.
So, yes i have learn my lesson, my lessons.
I will not buy from him on ebay anymore because i felt l was misled
I will deal with caution based on Ebay feedback
I will tell Ebay when another ebayer wants to communicate with me outside Ebay.
One cannot rely on pix because they may have been retouched or may not show real damage because of angle or flash.
This is my story, sorry for my english it is my third language.
But the bass plays great and i like the sound and the balance.
I was so desperate to buy a Fortress that i forgot the basics.
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
the mistake you made was accepting his offer to go off-ebay. when you did that, you gave up buyer protection and recourse.
I should add that the pictures he included in the auction made it clear that the bass was pretty banged up, whatever he claims. The patches where the finish was flaking were visible even in his blurry, dark photos. I asked for better shots of the body - I never received them. When a cool bass doesn't sell and is re-listed many times, there's usually a reason!
When a seller has multiple accounts, that's kinda sketchy right there. And he sounds REALLY sketchy, claiming there were no dings and then stating that they dont matter.
I do hope the bass cleans up well and becomes a solid player for you. But did you use paypal? You may still have some protection.
I should add that the pictures he included in the auction made it clear that the bass was pretty banged up, whatever he claims. The patches where the finish was flaking were visible even in his blurry, dark photos. I asked for better shots of the body - I never received them. When a cool bass doesn't sell and is re-listed many times, there's usually a reason!
When a seller has multiple accounts, that's kinda sketchy right there. And he sounds REALLY sketchy, claiming there were no dings and then stating that they dont matter.
I do hope the bass cleans up well and becomes a solid player for you. But did you use paypal? You may still have some protection.
bongomania
Commercial User
Also, did you use a credit card for the funding? Because the card company will take care of you.
