Warwick or Pedulla?

[ProgRapture]

Wow. I was not expecting such a huge response! When I get the chance I'll give them both a test run with my style of amps and eq-ing.

I have to agree, neither have great resale value, but I like the fact that you hardly ever see either on stage. It may be just me, but I feel odd when I'm playing a set after an emo band and we have the same bass! (But it is nice having a rig taller than most of the kids there!)

My vote is heading towards the pedulla (used, so cheaper), but if it's gone before I snag it, and the Wick doesn't live up to my expectations, I'll probably look deeper into a SR 5 or Bongo 5.

Thanks for the input, and after joining TalkBass, I've been inspired to practice more than ever, with some major GAS as a side effect.

 

[Lonnybass]

Lonny, my Rapture sat in Guitar Center for about a year and a half before i could afford to purchase it. I haggeled Andy Gorman (when he was a salesman, he's a manager now) down to $1400.00 because the bass wasn't without it's faults. It had a slight neck bow, it had been dropped at least twice as the paint was chipped in two different places.

As i thought about it, i didn't want a bass as a show piece but rather a workhorse so i excused the lil idosyscrsies that i saw. A slight neck bow could be adjusted, the paint chipping could be refinished, also, i had a pro player friend of mine who tried to drop the strings down to there lowest point and they still sat up kind've higher than i would have liked them too, as i wanted Ken Smith type action on my Rapture, but that's not possible.

I trusted him and let him shave the nut down with a file and for some reason that set in motion me for me deciding to get rid of it as i felt it cheapened the craftsmanship of it.

Pedulla's are mighty fine instruments. Mike Pedulla is a very humble guy, as i spoke to him on the phone when i called up to his shop in Boston to see what he would charge for a Rapture neck, as i had a Rapture fretless 5 and i thought it would be cheaper to order a fretted neck than it would be to try & buy a whole nother bass. He said it would probably be in my best intrest to try & work a deal on the Rapture in Guitar Center, which i did, as Rapture necks are expensive.

Though my problems weren't really attributable to any defiency on Mike Pedulla's craftsmanship per se, problems are problems. Once it leaves his shop, his basses are subjected to the harsh realities of day to day encounters sitting in these guitar stores. So in the end, it all equals the same. Yes, the Pedulla might hold up better, but can anyone guaruntee that? Look how well those Japanese Marcus Millers hold up.

I agree with all your points. But I think we're kind of blurring the issue here between what goes IN to an instrument -when it is made - and what HAPPENS to it - AFTER it sits on a shelf getting banged all to hell by teenage wanks and kept in questionable setup conditions by guys who probably have no idea how the Pedulla truss rod even operates (much less knowing that they will need the factory-supplied wrench to adjust it properly without stripping it - I've seen it before). Of course there are no guarantees about how a wooden instrument will hold up, and I don't think Mike Pedulla would make the claim that his instruments were more durable.
A bass that gets dropped and nicked up, a bass that gets left in strange humidity conditions, a neck that never gets tweaked throughout 70 degree temperature swings...all instruments are going to suffer without some TLC. Wooden instruments are, in a way, still essentially "alive" and need to be treated as such in order to be set up properly and last.

But this is different than the consistency in level of quality from the shop when an instrument is made. Sounds like the Rapture you got had been through quite a journey when you bought it and wasn't set up properly at all. With the truss rod wrench and a professional setup and fret leveling, you should be able to adjust the neck to aircraft carrier deck flatness. Did you have the Pedulla wrench and instructions on how to adjust the components? (these are supplied with every new Pedulla but the idiots at GC tend to just throw everything in a drawer to be forgotten about).

Lonnybass

 

[batman1]

id go with the warwick, if not the warwick, then the musicman.

 

[fountain boy]

I agree with all your points. But I think we're kind of blurring the issue here between what goes IN to an instrument -when it is made - and what HAPPENS to it - AFTER it sits on a shelf getting banged all to hell by teenage wanks and kept in questionable setup conditions by guys who probably have no idea how the Pedulla truss rod even operates (much less knowing that they will need the factory-supplied wrench to adjust it properly without stripping it - I've seen it before). Of course there are no guarantees about how a wooden instrument will hold up, and I don't think Mike Pedulla would make the claim that his instruments were more durable.
A bass that gets dropped and nicked up, a bass that gets left in strange humidity conditions, a neck that never gets tweaked throughout 70 degree temperature swings...all instruments are going to suffer without some TLC. Wooden instruments are, in a way, still essentially "alive" and need to be treated as such in order to be set up properly and last.

But this is different than the consistency in level of quality from the shop when an instrument is made. Sounds like the Rapture you got had been through quite a journey when you bought it and wasn't set up properly at all. With the truss rod wrench and a professional setup and fret leveling, you should be able to adjust the neck to aircraft carrier deck flatness. Did you have the Pedulla wrench and instructions on how to adjust the components? (these are supplied with every new Pedulla but the idiots at GC tend to just throw everything in a drawer to be forgotten about).

Lonnybass

Lonny, mine came with everything, the case, the case candy, instruction booklet, the whole 9.

After i purchased the bass (i traded in my fretless & an a american p bass towards the fretted j2 5) i called back up to the Pedulla shop just to make sure that those dings wouldn't spread and to see if Mr. Pedulla would cut me a slight break on refinishing, and boy oh boy was i wrong.

I forget the exact waiting, turn around time & pricing Mr. Pedulla quoted me to get the two dings fixed, but i do remember him telling me that i could put some black finger nail polish over them (i had the exact same tuexodo colored, black & white Rapture, as davedamaged's) and i remember hanging up the phone & pondered going with that option instead, lol.

Here it is, i have one of YOUR handmade, good ole USA AMERICAN basses, only 150 produced a year and this is my only option?

Guitar Center prices the Raptures at 2 grand and probably buys them from Mr. Pedulla for about $900.00 to $1200.00 a piece. To touch up 2 small dings *does* require labour, but c'mon? Really?

I can go throw my neck through thumb 4 warwick down my parents stairwell, ding up my wooden bass quite lovely, and heat up the old iron & restore the dings on it.

The Katana & the Thumb are workhorse basses. The Pedulla is a diva bass, imo.

I see your point about the shoddy craftsmanship of the MTD Z line basses but for the money that's one heck of a bass!

Besides, anything that Mr.Gouche is satisfied with is alright with me. I'm quite sure he puts his through there paces along with his other $4,000.00 MTD's!

 

[davedamage]

i actually picked my pedulla up used at a GC north of chicago used for $1100, and it has a little spot next to the pickguard, but other than that, most everything was pefect. the strings were set ridiculously low... i mean unplayable and i like my action low. raised the saddles a little bit and i haven't had to change a thing ever since. my warwick on the other hand, was set crazy high with a very bowed neck. same thing with it, though. a good setup by the only local guy i trust and the thing has been great ever since... even though it just sits in it's case.
and finally, FWIW, i sold my ebmm sr5 to fund the pedulla.
funny enough, i think i saw it for sale again in the classifieds awhile back...

 

[fountain boy]

$1100.00 is a good resale price. Our Guitar Center has had the cherryburst maple necked j2 5 (brand new) marked down to $1500.00 for a few months and no one seems to want it. That store is one of the largest Guitar Centers on the east coast, so it see's traffic in there.

They also have a 5 string ,neck through Warwick Thumb, brand new, marked down to $2200.00 but the neck isn't wenge, it's that other stuff and it has a really dull sound to it. If it was wenge, it'd be sitting right here in my lap!

 

[funkybassplayer]

They also have a 5 string ,neck through Warwick Thumb, brand new, marked down to $2200.00 but the neck isn't wenge, it's that other stuff and it has a really dull sound to it. If it was wenge, it'd be sitting right here in my lap!

thats a great deal. the neck must be ovangkol. wenge is found on the older thumbs

 

[svtb15]

All of my pedullas had the most even fretboard of any bass that i have ever owned.. that
includes sadowskys, Music Mans both pre and post ernie ball.Alembic, ken Smiths ect. I have never played a more true fingerboard.. I was able to get the string right down on the deck if i wanted to without buzz... i only sold mine because i was going for the bolt on sound..
I had three MVP 5s,, one Thunderbass, two MVP Buzzes and a Series 2.. all of them were the finest playing basses that i ever had.. i wish i never sold them..
I toured with 3 of then for about 7 years without any issues.. they went around the world numerous times from tropics to almost tundra in planes, ships and trucks...only at times needing a slight truss rod adjustment.. just a great instrument.. and the MVP to me is the most comfy of basses to hang on yourself. no sharp edges... great neck profile.. what else can i say....i may have given myself GAS to get another one now

 

[cnltb]

if its between pedulla and war wick...its gotta be pedulla fo me.

 

[Lonnybass]

Lonny, mine came with everything, the case, the case candy, instruction booklet, the whole 9.

After i purchased the bass (i traded in my fretless & an a american p bass towards the fretted j2 5) i called back up to the Pedulla shop just to make sure that those dings wouldn't spread and to see if Mr. Pedulla would cut me a slight break on refinishing, and boy oh boy was i wrong.

I forget the exact waiting, turn around time & pricing Mr. Pedulla quoted me to get the two dings fixed, but i do remember him telling me that i could put some black finger nail polish over them (i had the exact same tuexodo colored, black & white Rapture, as davedamaged's) and i remember hanging up the phone & pondered going with that option instead, lol.

Here it is, i have one of YOUR handmade, good ole USA AMERICAN basses, only 150 produced a year and this is my only option?

Guitar Center prices the Raptures at 2 grand and probably buys them from Mr. Pedulla for about $900.00 to $1200.00 a piece. To touch up 2 small dings *does* require labour, but c'mon? Really?

I can go throw my neck through thumb 4 warwick down my parents stairwell, ding up my wooden bass quite lovely, and heat up the old iron & restore the dings on it.

The Katana & the Thumb are workhorse basses. The Pedulla is a diva bass, imo.

I see your point about the shoddy craftsmanship of the MTD Z line basses but for the money that's one heck of a bass!

Besides, anything that Mr.Gouche is satisfied with is alright with me. I'm quite sure he puts his through there paces along with his other $4,000.00 MTD's!

Interesting. Don't forget, Mike Pedulla could probably spend his entire lifetime fixing dings and dents from Guitar Center (or, as some call it, Guitar Denter) showroom mis-haps. To do a repair job that meets HIS quality control standards, there's a significant cost of labor involved. It's not bad customer service, it's economics. On my own self-built basses I've done the finishes myself - not a simple process by any means as I'm sure you already know. It's time consuming and labor intensive in order for it to look perfect. And for those of you who have seen Mike's work, his finishes are the icing on the cake. Like any other small business owner, Mike has fixed costs he has to cover...payroll, rent, utilities, lumber, tooling, etc., not to mention maintaining a punctual delivery schedule for ordered basses in production. He'd risk taking a major dent himself! Sounds like you would have been better to get G/C to knock down $$ if the gouges were that bad.

I'm off to play my diva bass.
Lonnybass

 

[Bass Thunder]

After i purchased the bass (i traded in my fretless & an a american p bass towards the fretted j2 5) i called back up to the Pedulla shop just to make sure that those dings wouldn't spread and to see if Mr. Pedulla would cut me a slight break on refinishing, and boy oh boy was i wrong.

I forget the exact waiting, turn around time & pricing Mr. Pedulla quoted me to get the two dings fixed, but i do remember him telling me that i could put some black finger nail polish over them (i had the exact same tuexodo colored, black & white Rapture, as davedamaged's) and i remember hanging up the phone & pondered going with that option instead, lol.

Here it is, i have one of YOUR handmade, good ole USA AMERICAN basses, only 150 produced a year and this is my only option?

Guitar Center prices the Raptures at 2 grand and probably buys them from Mr. Pedulla for about $900.00 to $1200.00 a piece. To touch up 2 small dings *does* require labour, but c'mon? Really?

I can go throw my neck through thumb 4 warwick down my parents stairwell, ding up my wooden bass quite lovely, and heat up the old iron & restore the dings on it.

The Katana & the Thumb are workhorse basses. The Pedulla is a diva bass, imo.

If you're into "workhouse basses" why would you even waste the time to make a phone call about "2 small dings" created by Guitar Center to see if they will "spread"??

Let me know how that phone call to Warwick goes after you tell them you threw their bass down the stairs and you want them to repair a ding for cheap.

If you get a door ding in your car, make sure to take it back to the manufacturer - not.

 

[hiderebirth]

to fuel OP's GAS...

Link Removed

This has been my workhorse for 4 years now and it cuts through the mix just fine

just make sure you have fresh set of strings on it

 

[fountain boy]

If you're into "workhouse basses" why would you even waste the time to make a phone call about "2 small dings" created by Guitar Center to see if they will "spread"??

Let me know how that phone call to Warwick goes after you tell them you threw their bass down the stairs and you want them to repair a ding for cheap.

If you get a door ding in your car, make sure to take it back to the manufacturer - not.

First, i was privileged to even be able to own 2 of Mikes Pedulla's basses, let alone talk to him on the phone. I'm sure he was, in turn, honored that i preferred one of his mighty fine instruments. I wasn't looking for preferential treatment (i'm no Byron Miller, who used one of his MVP basses for awhile) but you sometimes can never really tell how or what voicing a small complaint can yield, can you?

I couldn't conclude that calling Mr Pedulla and asking him about further preventative maintenance was insignificant, so yes, even though it was intended to be a workhorse, why not let it at the least, start out in it's mintiest form.

You can even search the site & familiarize yourself with stories on how Mr. Sadwosky goes the extra mile for his people. The NYC Sadowsky & The Rapture are *kind've* comparable.

How about Mr. Nino Valenti? I betcha if one of his custom basses ended up in Guitar Denter, & by the grace of God i purchased it with minor structual damage and informed him about it he would go the extra mile to get in back in optimal condition. I can almost guaruntee you that.

And it's not even a customer service thing with the Pedulla's, so i'm not trying to spend this thread down a meaningless path. Pedulla's are mighty fine, if that's your thing.

I would never intentionally throw my Wick down the steps but these Wicks are durable, and almost need minimal maintenance, which was my point. (some waxing, slight truss rod adjusment due to climate, that's it)

 

[bgartist]

Amen.

That's strictly an issue of numbers. There are a fraction as many Pedulla basses out there as there are Warwicks, not to mention a much smaller marketing/A&R arm. Hell, more Warwicks probably come off the line in a year than Pedulla has made in five.

Plus, they sit in the mix just fine. A Warwick might cut through the mix, but a Pedulla will push through it.

 

[melt]

First, i was privileged to even be able to own 2 of Mikes Pedulla's basses, let alone talk to him on the phone. I'm sure he was, in turn, honored that i preferred one of his mighty fine instruments. I wasn't looking for preferential treatment (i'm no Byron Miller, who used one of his MVP basses for awhile) but you sometimes can never really tell how or what voicing a small complaint can yield, can you?

I couldn't conclude that calling Mr Pedulla and asking him about further preventative maintenance was insignificant, so yes, even though it was intended to be a workhorse, why not let it at the least, start out in it's mintiest form.

You can even search the site & familiarize yourself with stories on how Mr. Sadwosky goes the extra mile for his people. The NYC Sadowsky & The Rapture are *kind've* comparable.

How about Mr. Nino Valenti? I betcha if one of his custom basses ended up in Guitar Denter, & by the grace of God i purchased it with minor structual damage and informed him about it he would go the extra mile to get in back in optimal condition. I can almost guaruntee you that.

And it's not even a customer service thing with the Pedulla's, so i'm not trying to spend this thread down a meaningless path. Pedulla's are mighty fine, if that's your thing.

I would never intentionally throw my Wick down the steps but these Wicks are durable, and almost need minimal maintenance, which was my point. (some waxing, slight truss rod adjusment due to climate, that's it)

Any painted finish on a bass is normally going to cost more to repair than a natural wood finish, which can be fixed as you've described. That comes with the territory.

The tradeoff compared to something like a Warwick is it's normally more resistant to knocks in the first place; I know, I've had a Streamer Stage 1 and 3 Dolphins, and one of the reasons they went south (though not the only one) is because I was always scared of putting dings in them (and they pick up scratches like nobody's business in my experience). Any painted bass is likely to present the same problems when you get a chip in the paint.

It may be that someone else could have done the job cheaper than Mike (don't know if you checked), and to be honest the method quoted is a common fix. It may be that some luthiers will do repairs on their own instruments cheaper than normal, but it's certainly not something I expect. If Mike was going to charge you his normal hourly rate, I don't see anything wrong with that. If other luthiers don't then that's just a bonus. Did you try ringing Mike before buying it? Was he charging more than his hourly rate?

FWIW, in addition to my Warwicks I've also owned a Pedulla MVP, and once it was setup my Pedulla didn't need any more maintenance than my Warwicks; in fact the Warwicks probably needed more because of the rewaxing etc. I also preferred the Pedulla to any of the Warwicks, but that's just a matter of taste.

It sounds like you're happy with your Warwicks, so I don't really see the issue. If you're happy with them, stick with them.

 

[bradjonesbass]

Be careful buying a Pedulla used - CHECK THE TRUSS ROD NUT! I loved my Pedulla Rapture 5, but found out about a year later that the idiot setup man at Guitar Center had stripped the nut by using the wrong wrench - Pedullas have a proprietary truss rod design and you should only adjust them with the included proprietary wrench. I'm sure I'm not the only person who had that happen. Only solution was to live with it, figure out a way to adjust it with what was left of the nut, or buy a new neck. I sold it at a big loss and bought my G&L L2500.

That said, between those two options, I'd go Pedulla all day, it was the best playing bass I've ever had in my hands and it was almost as versatile as my G&L. I'd try to find a used Thunderbolt instead though.

 

[fountain boy]

Any painted finish on a bass is normally going to cost more to repair than a natural wood finish, which can be fixed as you've described. That comes with the territory.

The tradeoff compared to something like a Warwick is it's normally more resistant to knocks in the first place; I know, I've had a Streamer Stage 1 and 3 Dolphins, and one of the reasons they went south (though not the only one) is because I was always scared of putting dings in them (and they pick up scratches like nobody's business in my experience). Any painted bass is likely to present the same problems when you get a chip in the paint.

It may be that someone else could have done the job cheaper than Mike (don't know if you checked), and to be honest the method quoted is a common fix. It may be that some luthiers will do repairs on their own instruments cheaper than normal, but it's certainly not something I expect. If Mike was going to charge you his normal hourly rate, I don't see anything wrong with that. If other luthiers don't then that's just a bonus. Did you try ringing Mike before buying it? Was he charging more than his hourly rate?

FWIW, in addition to my Warwicks I've also owned a Pedulla MVP, and once it was setup my Pedulla didn't need any more maintenance than my Warwicks; in fact the Warwicks probably needed more because of the rewaxing etc. I also preferred the Pedulla to any of the Warwicks, but that's just a matter of taste.

It sounds like you're happy with your Warwicks, so I don't really see the issue. If you're happy with them, stick with them.

Melt, i do enjoy my Warwick. I only have 1, the neck through 4.

I talked to Mike before and after the purchase of the Rapture. (this was in October of 2004) I talked with him before, on getting a fretted neck from him, but the pricing was outrageous and then after about the cosmetic issues of it.

The chips in the paint wasn't really a big deal and maybe if i would've sent the bass to him to get repaired he would've saw it and charged me much, much less than what he quoted me, who knows? I know i didn't have what he was asking ($)and wasn't intending to wait around 3 to 4 weeks for him to get to mine, my only bass at that time, lol!

 

[bgartist]

That Z that Mr. Gouche is playing is a far cry from the Zs in stores now. It was not Korean made but one of the new prototypes handmade by Mr. Tobias himself.They won't have the Korean pickups and pre, but genuine Bartolini. Mr. Tobias states that he wants to make those here in the U.S. so, whenever they start production, I'm sure they will cost quite a bit more that the current Zs.

I see your point about the shoddy craftsmanship of the MTD Z line basses but for the money that's one heck of a bass!

Besides, anything that Mr.Gouche is satisfied with is alright with me. I'm quite sure he puts his through there paces along with his other $4,000.00 MTD's!

 

[melt]

Melt, i do enjoy my Warwick. I only have 1, the neck through 4.

I talked to Mike before and after the purchase of the Rapture. (this was in October of 2004) I talked with him before, on getting a fretted neck from him, but the pricing was outrageous and then after about the cosmetic issues of it.

The chips in the paint wasn't really a big deal and maybe if i would've sent the bass to him to get repaired he would've saw it and charged me much, much less than what he quoted me, who knows? I know i didn't have what he was asking ($)and wasn't intending to wait around 3 to 4 weeks for him to get to mine, my only bass at that time, lol!

In the end you can only make a decision based on what you know at the time. I personally think Pedulla make great basses though. One thing I will say is every one of my basses bar my 2 newest have plenty of dings in them. I seem to be incapable of turning round on stage without walking into something......

 

[swpyne]

I have a lot of great basses but I just bought a new Pedulla MVP-5 19mm and it is totally amazing. Incredible deep, warm and commanding tone with excellent playability. It is by far my favorite bass at the moment.

It has the clarity and sustain of my graphite neck basses (Zon & Modulus) along with the warmth and character of my wooden neck basses (Lakland, Spector & Fender). It really seems to combine the best of both worlds.

The only other bass I have owned that compared was my old Brubaker Lexa 6. It too seemed to exhibit the same qualities as my new MVP-5.

So IMO the only answer is PEDULLA!