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warwick stage 2 -> p bass - yea or nea?!?

R

remulous

Feb 24, 2011
43
0
NYC
#1
alright, so i'm actually thinking of giving up (selling) my beloved early 90s warwick streamer stage 2 with emgs and noll preamp and getting … a passive p bass?!

radical!! should i do it?!

the 'wick is perfect. maybe too perfect? maybe i'm just getting older. and/or maybe i just miss that "pieces of wood with strings" vibe that makes me want to play the bass (and not vice versa) …

at any rate, i'd want to get a decent instrument. don't care *at all* about it being "vintage" - after all, back in the day, what now classic tracks were actually done with a "vintage" bass anyway? for example, the "funk machine" was, what, just a few years old when all those motown hits were done?!

but i would want a *quality* instrument. which is, perhaps, what "vintage" (eg pre cbs) really does signify.

so if i were to do it, the next question, the big question - what would peeps recommend, a nordstrand or a lull?

and, new or used? (i imagine the quality of these two builders is so high, none of the used ones are dogs - rather, they just haven't found the right owner)
 
#4
I would look also at the '51-style P basses. Many of the high end builders make them, including Sadowsky. I find them to sound better for almost every use. They can nearly match a P-bass by turning down the tone knob, and with it open you have super deep and clear bass, with more versatility from your playing hand position and style.

I think they are underappreciated is all.
 
#6
I just bought myself a J bass. I'm in College and my Warwick stays home. I'm really appreciating the passive J pickups and just the over all feel of the bass. Definitely going to become my main bass. It's the first time I've gotten a tone I'm really happy with in years.

My Warwick is a spectacular recording bass though. The wide array of things you can do tonally as well as the clarity of it is hard to argue. Sounds "woodier" for an active bass too IMO.
 
#7
You don't need to get a super awesome P-Bass to meet your jonses. Sure, a vintage P-Bass would kill but I think you'd be well served keeping the 'Wick and getting a mid level P. I bought a MIM Deluxe P-Bass and love it!

Different flavors of awesome. Again, I wouldn't sell the 'Wick since you can get a good P for just a bit of cash.
 
#8
sub'ed!

I am in the market to fill a gap. As you can look in the "signature" space, in my current arsenal there are two Warwicks that I simply love. But, I also love the traditional woody passive tone of a late 70' fender JB, they are quite expensive in Italy and almost considered at the border from used-vintage. I continue to love the Warwick mid growly tone that sounds so sweet to my ears, and was also considering an early Streamer stage II with a wenghe neck.
I can not afford the two basses, so I have to choose. I will follow this thread very carefully, looking for other's experience with this dilemma...
 
#9
Well I have a Warwick and a fender, and I always find myself trying to make the fender sound like the warwick :)
Yeah if you feel like it go for it. You can always change again down the line.
Change is good.
 
#10
I wouldn't trade my Streamer II for 5 P basses but that's me. You can't get a true P tone out of my bass though so if it's the P tone you must have then do what you have to do.

I say keep the Warwick and buy a P bass instead. If you like both sounds you would miss either one of them.

My collection isn't huge it's under 10 but I try and keep different basses. I don't want all one direction in my tone I try and diversify so I would say have both.
 
#11
benthughes said:
You don't need to get a super awesome P-Bass to meet your jonses. Sure, a vintage P-Bass would kill but I think you'd be well served keeping the 'Wick and getting a mid level P. I bought a MIM Deluxe P-Bass and love it!

Different flavors of awesome. Again, I wouldn't sell the 'Wick since you can get a good P for just a bit of cash.
Click to expand...

this is what i would do. You will miss your SS2. I know I do.
Currently Ive been craving the passive p bass tone too. Well more PJ tone really. I'm pretty sure I'm going to just squirrel away my pennies for a bit and get a Yamaha BB425X. They sound too good for the price.
 
#13
+1 for keeping the Warwick and getting a decent (not necessarily expensive) P of some sort. Also, +1 for a Yamaha. I just received a BB415 that I paid 80 pounds for, and I'm totally happy with it. I've had some expensive basses, a German Warwick Streamer as well (I DO regret letting it go), and this Yamaha is not inferior to any of those. Just simpler. Marco Mendoza used to play a stock black BB415 before he got those new BBs. So did Prince's bassist Ida (a white 4 string model). If they are good enough for them, I can't complain either ;)
 
#14
ok some very good advice here - thanks! so *if* ... i were to sell the 'wick (and not saying i will; if i had unlimited funds i love to have a "stable" of basses, but) ... how much should i ask? 92 streamer stage 2 (says just "streamer bass") on the headstock, wenge/afzelia, perfectly balanced (and i mean perfectly), original emgs, mec pre replaced with noll 2 band (same eq points as mec, but zero noise) ? $2500?

and what would peeps suggest, nordstrand or lull? (maybe i'll make a separate thread for that)
 
#15
Honestly, and I'm not trying to start a Fender brawl, I don't see what the big obsession with P-basses is. Your Warwick has EMGs AND a Noll preamp?!?! I don't think it gets any better than that! If you want a P-bass sound, I would just roll my blend knob over to the neck pickup and call it a day!

I guess I'm biased towards German-made Warwicks, but it sounds like what you've already got there is a tone machine!

I personally could never get into P-basses. Ever.
 
#16
bongostealth said:
Honestly, and I'm not trying to start a Fender brawl, I don't see what the big obsession with P-basses is. Your Warwick has EMGs AND a Noll preamp?!?! I don't think it gets any better than that! If you want a P-bass sound, I would just roll my blend knob over to the neck pickup and call it a day!

I guess I'm biased towards German-made Warwicks, but it sounds like what you've already got there is a tone machine!

I personally could never get into P-basses. Ever.
Click to expand...

yeah yeah i know! as good as the ss2 is (and it's damn good) i find it just can't be as skanky, fat and dirty as a p

(i still may keep the ss2)
 
#17
I'd keep both. They sound very different from one another, and if your tastes have changed, who's to say it won't change again?

If you're going to go for a one-off, consider a Nash - great bass for the money made with good parts and a good pickup. Or you can do a parts P. I bought all the parts on my parts P for under $100 for everything (warmoth neck, allparts body, SD QP).
 
#19
remulous said:
alright, so i'm actually thinking of giving up (selling) my beloved early 90s warwick streamer stage 2 with emgs and noll preamp and getting … a passive p bass?!

radical!! should i do it?!

the 'wick is perfect. maybe too perfect? maybe i'm just getting older. and/or maybe i just miss that "pieces of wood with strings" vibe that makes me want to play the bass (and not vice versa) …

at any rate, i'd want to get a decent instrument. don't care *at all* about it being "vintage" - after all, back in the day, what now classic tracks were actually done with a "vintage" bass anyway? for example, the "funk machine" was, what, just a few years old when all those motown hits were done?!

but i would want a *quality* instrument. which is, perhaps, what "vintage" (eg pre cbs) really does signify.

so if i were to do it, the next question, the big question - what would peeps recommend, a nordstrand or a lull?

and, new or used? (i imagine the quality of these two builders is so high, none of the used ones are dogs - rather, they just haven't found the right owner)
Click to expand...

Oh for Godsakes, don't be ridiculous man.
 

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