Warwick Thumb??

[Housefire]

Saw one used for $900 @ local music shop. Sounded kewl through the GK they had set up. What do you all think? Wasnt beat up at all..

 

[TonyRo]

Any more details on what kind of thumb? In general that's a great bass, and that's a good price for an authentic German-built Warwick.

 

[Housefire]

Any more details on what kind of thumb? In general that's a great bass, and that's a good price for an authentic German-built Warwick.

I think it was an early 2000s model..4 string, with 3 eq knobs ( or 2 with 1 volume). One knob had a stack. The neck was bolt on. Nice to meet a fellow Rotella btw

 

[NicJimBass]

Any more details on what kind of thumb? In general that's a great bass, and that's a good price for an authentic German-built Warwick.

Quickest way to tell a German from a non-German is neck wood (dark, either wenge or ovangkol) and body (usually a satin/matte finished dark wood, either bubinga or ovangkol). If you can find one with a wenge neck, $900 would be a good deal. If it has a maple neck, it's not German, but may still be a good bass, at a lower price.

 

[NicJimBass]

I think it was an early 2000s model..4 string, with 3 eq knobs ( or 2 with 1 volume). One knob had a stack. The neck was bolt on. Nice to meet a fellow Rotella btw

That era would likely be an ovangkol neck and body, with a wenge fingerboard. There should be a serial number stamped on the back of the headstock. Usually the last 2 digits indicate the year it was made. Bolt on controls are normally volume, blend and stacked EQ (bass and treble).

 

[Housefire]

Quickest way to tell a German from a non-German is neck wood (dark, either wenge or ovangkol) and body (usually a satin/matte finished dark wood, either bubinga or ovangkol). If you can find one with a wenge neck, $900 would be a good deal. If it has a maple neck, it's not German, but may still be a good bass, at a lower price.

This one was dark all over. Looked like this

 

[NicJimBass]

This one was dark all over. Looked like thisView attachment 3168140

Sounds like a German Wick. The body and neck are likely the same wood, and the fingerboard is likely different (more porous) than the neck itself. Warwick transitioned from wenge/wenge to ovangkol/wenge sometime in 1999. Lots of people seem to like the w/w better (my 99 BO5 has this), but I'm fairly certain it's good either way. The price doesn't sound bad, but if you can knock off a few dollars, even better!

 

[Double E]

Quickest way to tell a German from a non-German is neck wood (dark, either wenge or ovangkol) and body (usually a satin/matte finished dark wood, either bubinga or ovangkol). If you can find one with a wenge neck, $900 would be a good deal. If it has a maple neck, it's not German, but may still be a good bass, at a lower price.

Is the Thumb available in the Rockbass line? I thought this model was exclusively German made.

 

[NicJimBass]

Is the Thumb available in the Rockbass line? I thought this model was exclusively German made.

You're right, my bad. I was thinking of the Pro Series, which I thought was made elsewhere, but is made in Germany. That one has a gloss finish on some of them, if I'm not mistaken. OP, if there's any way to post a pic, that'd be the best way to determine what you're looking at.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Thumb was NEVER in the RockBass line. There were only a couple years when Warwick introduced the Pro Series that were made in Korea. This was sometime around 2011-2015 or so. I believe they are all made in Germany again, the Pro Series now being Team Built, and Custom Shop being Master-built.

 

[Warpeg]

Quickest way to tell a German from a non-German is neck wood (dark, either wenge or ovangkol) and body (usually a satin/matte finished dark wood, either bubinga or ovangkol). If you can find one with a wenge neck, $900 would be a good deal. If it has a maple neck, it's not German, but may still be a good bass, at a lower price.

If I recall correctly, there were some special edition German Warwicks that had maple necks (Dirty Blonde?).

 

[TonyRo]

Nice to meet a fellow Rotella btw

A fella Rotella? So lucky! Nice to meet you as well!

 

[NicJimBass]

Thumb was NEVER in the RockBass line. There were only a couple years when Warwick introduced the Pro Series that were made in Korea. This was sometime around 2011-2015 or so. I believe they are all made in Germany again, the Pro Series now being Team Built, and Custom Shop being Master-built.

THAT'S what I was thinking about- thank you for clearing that up!

 

[NicJimBass]

If I recall correctly, there were some special edition German Warwicks that had maple necks (Dirty Blonde?).

That's true, but I wouldn't expect them to go for the price OP mentioned. Could happen, but not likely. I was incorrectly referring to a Rockbass Thumb, which didn't exist.

EDIT: Actually, I was referring to the Pro Series mentioned earlier. They were made in Korea and had maple necks. Thought I was imagining things!!

Warwick Korean Pro Series Thumb bass Black Gloss

 

[eastcoasteddie]

If I recall correctly, there were some special edition German Warwicks that had maple necks (Dirty Blonde?).

Those were typically limited edition pieces or custom orders...
Here’s one that is relatively inexpensive for its rarity:
2003 Warwick Thumb 4 Limited LTD Bleached Blonde Flamed Maple #3 of 326 | eBay

 

[TolerancEJ]

I think we're telling you to go get it. Haha I own a Warwick Thumb BO 6 and I love it.

If you're not already familiar with Warwick, they have some weight to them. Mine is about 11 - 12 Lbs. Thumb-specific, a lot of players experience neckdive if your preference is to wear the bass lower. I've never had this problem as I always wear my basses high and I use a nice wide strap with a rough suede back that grips my shirt to stay in place.

 

[Chrisk-K]

I used to own a Thumb 4 bolt-on. A killer bass that sounded like a J on steroids. I lost it due to flooding:-(

 

[Housefire]

Quickest way to tell a German from a non-German is neck wood (dark, either wenge or ovangkol) and body (usually a satin/matte finished dark wood, either bubinga or ovangkol). If you can find one with a wenge neck, $900 would be a good deal. If it has a maple neck, it's not German, but may still be a good bass, at a lower price.

That's true, but I wouldn't expect them to go for the price OP mentioned. Could happen, but not likely. I was incorrectly referring to a Rockbass Thumb, which didn't exist.

EDIT: Actually, I was referring to the Pro Series mentioned earlier. They were made in Korea and had maple necks. Thought I was imagining things!!

Warwick Korean Pro Series Thumb bass Black Gloss

So I called the store back and it is German made, October of 2005, and has ovang. body and neck. I looked at it a couple of weeks ago and its still there. I said $900 but the guy said they have it at $1000.

 

[Housefire]

I think we're telling you to go get it. Haha I own a Warwick Thumb BO 6 and I love it.

If you're not already familiar with Warwick, they have some weight to them. Mine is about 11 - 12 Lbs. Thumb-specific, a lot of players experience neckdive if your preference is to wear the bass lower. I've never had this problem as I always wear my basses high and I use a nice wide strap with a rough suede back that grips my shirt to stay in place.

Kind of new to Warwick - I am assuming BO6 means bolt on 6 string...?

 

[bass12]

Kind of new to Warwick - I am assuming BO6 means bolt on 6 string...?

That's right. Try the bass while strapped on and standing before buying (I once made the mistake of buying a Thumb 5 BO without doing this first and ended up exchanging it the next day - too much neck dive for my tastes).