I have been buying, selling (worked at a Warwick dealer back in 89 or 90), and enjoyin Warwicks since I started playin seriously. I've owned a ridiculous amount of them over the years, my first bein a Thumb Bolt-on 5, with a maple neck, wenge board and Walnut body. The Warwicks back then had removable aluminum rods. I found out the hard way, broke mine, and had to replace it. Warwick necks at that time were suspect for having twists, or warpage, and the rods they used weren't up to the task. They made a steel replacement, I learned how to replace them, and thus began my bass tech education.
Cut to the present and I currently own two today. Both Stage I. A fretted 6 from '04, and a fretless 5 from '90. I have played and worked on hundreds of Warwick basses. My friends in town have a few as well, I suppose if we gathered? I'd have ten or twelve very fine examples from all eras. There are myths about Warwicks, there are truths. If you are buying a Stage II from back in the day? Check its truss rod for adjustability, making sure its neck responds to adjusting. I've had a few friends with truss issues and the newer ones do not have removable rods. It can make for a heavy disappointment. I've had more Stage IIs cause disappointment than any of their models. All that is from my tech side, but there is another...
The player in me loves Warwicks. The feel. The sound... I saw Norwood Fisher playin a fretless Thumb, thus my first purchase. The Thumb basses, live, fought me. Tight string spacing, neck heavy construction. Small body. I loved my Thumb, but fought it so hard. I sold it, then bought it again, then sold it. I tried the Neck Thru Thumbs, Fortresses, every model except the top two, which my boss would never order. The Streamers. I got a chance at an old Streamer Bolt, previously owned by a friend who had "made it" big and was an endorsee. It was converted to fretless, and it cured every one of my issues with Warwick. It was balanced. It sounded like a Warwick, but thicker and infinitely more versatile. The string spacing still irked me, tho, so I moved to Stage Is. My First was a 90 fretted 5. And I really haven't looked back. The Streamers are different animals than other Warwicks. Bigger bodies and slightly different neck shapes change the tone and playability significantly for me... Like others here, I suggest a little more variety. Today, Warwick is much more than just their Thumb design. Many will argue the Streamers are just Spector copies, except they aren't. I've played Spectors almost as long as Warwicks, and they may resemble each other aesthetically, but feel and tone are wholly different. Different issues come with differing years, as in my 04 Stage I 6 had tuners that have issues. I bought better ones and played it. Different versions of their Just-a-Nut exist. The early ones are my fave, but they all work well. The Bolt On basses of the late 90s to late 2000s had slightly thicker neck dimensions, but my old 90 Stage I has a pretty thick, D shaped neck with very square shoulders, similar to the late 90s bolts. It feels great. Weight was always another concern for some. Both my Streamers weigh less than my Deluxe Jazz 5, and my 6 weighs under 10lbs. Tho I love all Warwick models and years, even the Rockbass fretless 5 was great, beating up on a few Fenders and Lakland I've played. Cheers to you, man. For discovering somethin a little later in life that brings you so much joy. Some of us here have become quite jaded, your enthusiasm has done my heart great. Thank you.
Cut to the present and I currently own two today. Both Stage I. A fretted 6 from '04, and a fretless 5 from '90. I have played and worked on hundreds of Warwick basses. My friends in town have a few as well, I suppose if we gathered? I'd have ten or twelve very fine examples from all eras. There are myths about Warwicks, there are truths. If you are buying a Stage II from back in the day? Check its truss rod for adjustability, making sure its neck responds to adjusting. I've had a few friends with truss issues and the newer ones do not have removable rods. It can make for a heavy disappointment. I've had more Stage IIs cause disappointment than any of their models. All that is from my tech side, but there is another...
The player in me loves Warwicks. The feel. The sound... I saw Norwood Fisher playin a fretless Thumb, thus my first purchase. The Thumb basses, live, fought me. Tight string spacing, neck heavy construction. Small body. I loved my Thumb, but fought it so hard. I sold it, then bought it again, then sold it. I tried the Neck Thru Thumbs, Fortresses, every model except the top two, which my boss would never order. The Streamers. I got a chance at an old Streamer Bolt, previously owned by a friend who had "made it" big and was an endorsee. It was converted to fretless, and it cured every one of my issues with Warwick. It was balanced. It sounded like a Warwick, but thicker and infinitely more versatile. The string spacing still irked me, tho, so I moved to Stage Is. My First was a 90 fretted 5. And I really haven't looked back. The Streamers are different animals than other Warwicks. Bigger bodies and slightly different neck shapes change the tone and playability significantly for me... Like others here, I suggest a little more variety. Today, Warwick is much more than just their Thumb design. Many will argue the Streamers are just Spector copies, except they aren't. I've played Spectors almost as long as Warwicks, and they may resemble each other aesthetically, but feel and tone are wholly different. Different issues come with differing years, as in my 04 Stage I 6 had tuners that have issues. I bought better ones and played it. Different versions of their Just-a-Nut exist. The early ones are my fave, but they all work well. The Bolt On basses of the late 90s to late 2000s had slightly thicker neck dimensions, but my old 90 Stage I has a pretty thick, D shaped neck with very square shoulders, similar to the late 90s bolts. It feels great. Weight was always another concern for some. Both my Streamers weigh less than my Deluxe Jazz 5, and my 6 weighs under 10lbs. Tho I love all Warwick models and years, even the Rockbass fretless 5 was great, beating up on a few Fenders and Lakland I've played. Cheers to you, man. For discovering somethin a little later in life that brings you so much joy. Some of us here have become quite jaded, your enthusiasm has done my heart great. Thank you.
You've obviously got the Thumb thing covered! Probably the nicest Warwick I've ever played was a 1990 Streamer Stage II four string. I think this one had something special going on too. The story goes that it was hand picked by Hans Peter Wilfer for the original owner (they were childhood friends). And the guy I knew who owned it wouldn't sell it even though he only played 5 strings.
