Warwick value

[bongostealth]

My Thumb NT 6 is my heart and soul as far as bass guitars are concerned. Would I pay $5K for a brand new one? Nope. I wouldn't even pay $5K for a Fodera, unless I knew I could flip it for a decent profit. Would I pay half that for a used Thumb NT in excellent condition? You bet your Mee-Maw's dentures I would!

 

[J Gold]

I was curious, so I took my 2005, perfect condition Corvette into GC last night...they played real dumb, asking about the wood, and I had to explain to them that the Proline is the cheap version, and no, they are not a custom only house like Carvin. They offered $400...I closed the case and left....

 

[joebar]

I have owned 5 warwicks.
I recently sold a vintage 88 thumb 5 NT. the NT's are in another league IMO-very nice complexity of tone.
I find the NT 5 thumb lacked in low end but if a piano clear bass tone is what you are after, then it may be for you.
the older WW's are far better in every way IMO.

they are a great deal on the used market
the one thing I see about WW's is they are generally heavy basses.

 

[eyeballkid]

I was curious, so I took my 2005, perfect condition Corvette into GC last night...they played real dumb, asking about the wood, and I had to explain to them that the Proline is the cheap version, and no, they are not a custom only house like Carvin. They offered $400...I closed the case and left....

which means they thought they could sell it for $800-$900 probably.

 

[elBandito]

That's about the going price for a german corvette standard. It took forever to unload mine, and I didn't do better than $400. Surprisingly, GC actually made a decent offer.

I was curious, so I took my 2005, perfect condition Corvette into GC last night...they played real dumb, asking about the wood, and I had to explain to them that the Proline is the cheap version, and no, they are not a custom only house like Carvin. They offered $400...I closed the case and left....

 

[Schilling]

You have to realize, Warwick steeply raised prices in the recent 2 or 3 years while adding several refinements to their basses. That new thumb probably cost around 2.5k$, not 5.

That said, prices seem to be weird for the US. Warwicks barely lose value in Germany, many older basses i see on offer actually far exceed the original prices...

 

[bertthebassist]

I picked up a used German 90's Corvette 5 for $800 at GC about a month ago. I loved the sound, but hated the weight (around 11 lbs). I returned it to GC because it was not balanced. The neck sagged and I needed to hold it up while I was playing. It killed my wrist after about 2 hours.

 

[throbgod13]

i think where the prices went down is when Warwick went through the distributor changes.. the inventory changed hands, then was literally dumped.. i was foolish not to get it, but when Warwick took over distribution, GC had dropped the prices of the existing stock (M code) to literally 60% off what they had on it days before.. could have bought a brand new $$ in nirvana black for $650.00 with everything.. a bag and a OHSC.. and that was walk out with cash.. and they had an NT Thumb for 1250.. there were quite a few of them.. but once they were gone, and the new stock came back in, the prices jumped 20% back then (2006, or so).. and the prices have continued to jump since.. to near insane levels.. there's no way i could afford a new Warwick, i count myself lucky i have my 04 Proline Vette 4.. i can't really complain about resale prices, because eventually i'd like to find a Proline Vette 6 in natural.. hopefully it's reasonable when i get ready to get one..

and i do understand the issues of ergonomics with Warwicks.. i went from an 83 USA Jazz to the Proline Vette.. reaching for the first fret was unreal, and eventually i developed tendinitis in my fretting elbow to the point i couldn't play for weeks.. then had to use a TENS unit to stop the pain.. during this time, i went to Warwick's forum and there are tutorials on how to adjust your playing to accommodate the differences in Warwicks.. i had to change entire playing techniques.. had to reposition the bass on the strap, change how i fretted as not to over flex my elbow and wrist.. it took a few months to get use to the changes.. i was quite determined, because i really like my bass.. after i made those changes, my Vette is unbelievably comfortable and i'm finally fretting in a more correct position, which improved my playing in a very meaningful way.. i can sit down with a Jazz now, and true, it is WAY comfortable.. but from playing the Warwick, my fretting is more accurate and clean.. i love my Proline, though now.. but the first months were not fun at all..

 

[IncX]

i always found it strange that people have a hard time playing warwicks ... but maybe because my first warwick was a vampyre darklord. eventually i got a vampyre ltd, and had a buzzard BO 5 for a short while.

i never felt they were strange, coming from a jazz bass and pre EB stingray (i actually had a harder time with the neck on this one).

thunderbirds were harder for me, but i adjusted to it after a week.

 

[J Gold]

I'll sell mine next time I go to Europe!

 

[ole Jason]

i always found it strange that people have a hard time playing warwicks

i never felt they were strange, coming from a jazz bass and pre EB stingray (i actually had a harder time with the neck on this one).
.

Agreed. I regularly swap between a Corvette, a J-bass, and a Conklin 7 string. They're all obviously different but I've never found it difficult t change between them.

 

[lancimouspitt]

I would love to play another Warwick. Only played one once and that was just on impulse at GC many moons ago. It was interesting. It looked,felt,and sounded like a bass,yet their was something alien about it all the same.

 

[Session1969]

Just finished working out with my Thumb 5 BO and I love it as much as when I bought it 7 months ago. I've bought 5 more (basses, one 6 string NT Thumb right after this one) since and I'm still blown away by the quality of build, sound, and esthetics of it. Today after not getting to it for a while I was so impressed with how solid it feels in my hands and consistent it is overall on the neck (no dead spots). Mine's an '06 German made. As for why they don't hold their value - their greatest attribute is also their greatest curse - the mass and density of the woods they use. For me it's more than a fair trade off for the qualities I mentioned earlier and in a lot of respects, accounts for them. My 6 NT Thumb has all of what the 5 has but also plays faster and smoother than anything I've ever picked up.

My bubinga Corvette was the only bass that gave me neck and shoulder pains after about an hour of playing. I loved the tone with new strings, though.

 

[Bombadil]

A) You are comparing used prices to list prices. No one ever pays full list price for Warwicks or Fenders....
B) I've been playing a Thumb 5 NT since I bought it new in 1997 and love it. Also have a fretless jazz bass and and hopped-up frankenjazz bass---and they are fun to play too. I paid $1700 for my Thumb bass in 97-- the list was $3200 at the time I believe...so you need to compare actual paid price vs resale

 

[BawanaRik]

Does anybody know why Warwicks lose their value so quickly. I'm blown away at the used prices I see Warwicks sell for. I feel like no other basses lose their value so quickly. There is a Thumb NT in the classifieds for 1800$ That is almost a 3000$ loss. Just curious why this might be. I have seen it with other Warwick sales as well. I am thinking about looking for a thumb and was curious if anybody had some ideas/info about this. Thanks everybody!

Mike

It seems the used bass is a bargain. I would recommend that over the new bass.

It's possible that Warwick sends a lot on marketing. That would drive the new market up and maybe leave the used market with more downward float.

Keep in mind that I'll be selling mine soon. This is for full disclosure.

The sound is, in my opinion remarkable.

 

[tedsalt]

Used is the only way to go, especially for Warwick. I bought a Streamer Stage 1 5 five+ years ago and just sold it for the same price I bought it for, $1400. I'm going to miss that bass. Was a great bass for playing at church, but I haven't been playing there lately ...

 

[bachlover]

i always found it strange that people have a hard time playing warwicks ... but maybe because my first warwick was a vampyre darklord. eventually i got a vampyre ltd, and had a buzzard BO 5 for a short while.

i never felt they were strange, coming from a jazz bass and pre EB stingray (i actually had a harder time with the neck on this one).

thunderbirds were harder for me, but i adjusted to it after a week.

I agree with this. I've read numerous threads re. "Neck dive" issues to the point that the player had to use their hand to hold the neck up while they were playing. My Wicks are heavy - the 6er is over 12 lbs., but I've never had an issue with dive, perhaps because I'm tall with long gorilla like arms. I've come from a J background as well & didn't find the transition difficult at all.

 

[Goatrope]

I guess I'm in the minority in that I've never bought a bass used. Also never sold one, so I guess I hadn't looked to resale price as a "value" datapoint .

Each of my basses are very different from each other and I value them for what they are rather than what they're worth as a re-sale. In that way, I value them all the same even though there's a wide range in purchase prices.

As I think about Warwick, I think the tiny distribution network for the German models keeps the average buyers away, so not being able to fiddle with one at a shop probably has an impact on the used market too. For anyone that's sold a German Warwick, did it spend a long time on the market and did you drop your price significantly before it sold?

Ergonomics-wise, my Thumb NT has a skinny little neck. It's a bit odd down at the first few frets, but I like it. My Ric is more prone to neck dive, but the Thumb is more prone than the StingRay or PBass. I think a big part of dealing with that comes down to your choice and length of strap.