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Warwick

sigmafloyd

sigmafloyd

May 1, 2011
1,994
675
#1
I'm a pretty dyed in the wool fender guy, but warwicks have always interested me due to having been a big DMB fan in a past life. Whenever I see ads for warwicks it seems to always be metal guys. I'm looking to eventually get an alternative to my p and j basses and am particularly interested in warwicks, but I know nothing about them. Is there a flagship or classic Warwick model? What's up with the dolphin? How easy are they to buy/find? How is the qc?
 
#2
You should check out the Warwick Star Bass.

I think the Corvette and Streamer are 'the' Warwick basses. I've seen quite a bit of Thumb bass interest on this forum. I had a German Corvette Active 5 - didn't do for me - a bit too heavy and the pickups weren't for me. The construction is amazing. I probably won't try a Streamer just because I'm a Spector guy...I won't get it that. I am really liking the Star Bass. Great tone.

Here's an example alongside other basses - check it out.
 
#3
Warwick's are great for metal because they can be aggressive and punchy basses, and it seems that the Warwick artist roster is fairly laden with metal guys. Maybe it's a geographical thing (made in Germany, closer to all the awesome European bands). It's hard to say why players from other genres aren't better represented.

But their basses are pretty versatile - the Streamer and Corvette $$ have to be two of the most versatile basses on the market these day. Not to mention all the little features you find on Warwick's that you don't get elsewhere; cool woods, brass frets, 2-piece 3D bridge, Just-A-Nut, etc.

The Thumb is probably the 'flagship' Warwick bass because it is so unique in the bass world and no one makes a bass remotely like it. All Warwick's are growly and punchy, and the Thumb is particularly so (it's hard to hide this bass in a mix). The Streamer Stage II is the closest alternative 'flagship', I'd say.

I have a Fender (and a Squier) Precision and a Warwick Corvette 6. With those two, you can basically cover any style or sound thrown at you.

For a good example of Warwick, check out Stuart Zender on Jamiroquai's Cosmic Girl, or anything of their's pre-1998:
 
#4
I'd also say the Thumb is 'THE' Warwick. By that I mean the neck thru Thumb. They make or made a bolt on as well. It didn't have the same 'oomph'. And I even mostly play only bolt ons, so I'm not normally prejudiced against them. But the first Warwick that really said "Hey take a look at this." to me was a fretless neck thru four string Thumb.

I wish I could find another just like that one while I had the money handy to actually get it.

Dolphins are also pretty awesome. But I never see them used.
 
#6
I recently bought a 96 Warwick Fortress Masterman from the classifieds here. My Brother in Law has a 99 Warwick Streamer Stage II that he bought new. I can't say enough good things about Warwick basses. Just fantastic build quality and features. There are great deals out there to be had on used ones as well. I don't think you can go wrong with these.

As far as a flagship model it has to be a Thumb, maybe the Streamer, but it really doesn't matter any of the German made Wicks are gonna be great basses.
 
#7
Bard2dbone said:
I'd also say the Thumb is 'THE' Warwick. By that I mean the neck thru Thumb. They make or made a bolt on as well. It didn't have the same 'oomph'.
Click to expand...

I've had the opposite experience: the Thumb NT 5 that I owned got absolutely lost in any kind of band setting while the BO 4 I owned was punchy and clear. I spent a few years playing Warwicks (Streamer Stage I plus the aforementioned Thumbs) before I got fed up with the narrow frequency range of most Warwicks (I was always trying to get more bass out of them than they could provide) and was turned off the company by some very bad customer service. If you're a Fender player then you're used to playing an ergonomically-friendly design, something a lot of Warwicks are not. The Thumb and Dolphin are very good examples of a company that often prioritizes style over function. So try them out before committing to anything (and make sure you try them standing as well as sitting, as you might be in for a nasty surprise otherwise).
 
#9
TinIndian said:
As far as a flagship model it has to be a Thumb, maybe the Streamer, but it really doesn't matter any of the German made Wicks are gonna be great basses.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately this is not true. My Thumb NT 5 was the biggest waste of money I've ever encountered. The fingerboard cracked in two places and there was a crack in the body wood near the control cavity from a badly mounted screw. And sound-wise? That thing turned to absolute mud in the mix. It also had one of the most undefined B strings I've ever played. Useless.
 
#10
I've had a few Warwicks - included a slightly coveted '91 Warwick SS1 (same as Stu Zenders). Personally, they aren't for me. They feel nice (especially that Streamer), but their stock electronics are horrible compared to other basses in their price range. I recently picked up a Spector Eurol 4LX and, IMHO, it's a far superior bass in every way.
 
#11
Just wanted to add my 2 cents about something... I don't think that Warwick's deserve the label of being a 'metal' bass. They work great for it, but most of the big name Warwick players are jazz and funk guys, and most of the youtube vids of awesome 'wick players are also jazz or funk guys.
 
#13
my streamer stage 2 is the best bass I've ever had... great bass and tons of well placed mids... I stop using my eq on my amp with that bass !!

I own an active bubinga corvette too, which is a low end beast too but I prefer my SS2...

IMO and from my experiences with these bass, they are all very well built instruments. But you have to try some cuz they don't sound the same from one model to an other, and and narrow your choice on the sound you want...
 
#14
El-Bob said:
Just wanted to add my 2 cents about something... I don't think that Warwick's deserve the label of being a 'metal' bass. They work great for it, but most of the big name Warwick players are jazz and funk guys, and most of the youtube vids of awesome 'wick players are also jazz or funk guys.
Click to expand...

The "Warwick sound" works well for fusion-type jazz because it is a very lean sound, but I don't know of too many funk players who favour Warwick. Now, you might have folks like Larry Graham and Bootsy who endorse the brand, but I can guarantee that a Warwick is not going to be their "go to" bass.
 
#17
jmattbassplaya said:
Maybe. But he dominantly played Modulus Flea/Funk basses.
Click to expand...

I saw DMB maybe 5-6 times in the span of time (that I was dating a huge DMB dan) and I had seen Stefan play both live. I think I saw the Thumb in earlier shows (2004-05 ish) and the Modulus in the later ones. You can totally pick out "that Warwick sound" when he uses the Thumb... probably why he opts for the tamer Modulus, to better fit in a band of 6 or so musicians.
 
#19
bass12 said:
If you're a Fender player then you're used to playing an ergonomically-friendly design, something a lot of Warwicks are not. The Thumb and Dolphin are very good examples of a company that often prioritizes style over function. So try them out before committing to anything (and make sure you try them standing as well as sitting, as you might be in for a nasty surprise otherwise).
Click to expand...


A P bass or Jazz more ergonomically friendly than a Thumb or a Dolphin?? Give me a break . . .
 
#20
Warwick brings 311 and Incubus and that metal-for-begginers slipknot ripoff band (the name escapes me at the moment) to my mind in the popular music arena. Apparently Meshuggah as well. Pretty broad range of styles there. As for my personal opinion, I have tried a number of times to really dig warwicks but they just don't work for me and the 2 band EQ is pretty universally disliked (ymmv etc) from what I have gathered on here. I rank Warwick up there with Ric and Gibson as love/hate basses around TB.
 

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