1991 Warwick Streamer Stage 1 NT - 2 issues

[Josh]

Hey guys,

I'm currently in the middle of a trade for the bass in question, fortunately the seller has been kind enough to send me the bass first to make sure I'm happy with it, before doing so he did inform me of a slight problem which would only be a quick fix, which unfortunately now hasn't been the case.

The first issue is that there is significant buzzing at the first fret on the E string, the seller said that it might just require a new JAN saddle. I received the new saddle for the JAN today and installed it and the buzzing is still very much there. I've tried raising the action at the bridge and the bridge itself to compensate but it's still there. Raising the height of the JAN saddle dosen't make a difference either. So, me and the seller are guessing it might require some fret work if it is indeed related to being worn out after 25 years of use. Or does it sound like it might need a slight tweak of the truss rod?

The second issue is that the bridge pick up has a seriously low output compared to the neck pick up. I've tried raising the bridge pick up and it has made no difference. It obviously is working as when the blend is set to the centre you can hear it, but as soon as the bridge is soloed it becomes very weak. Could this be attributed to 25 years of wear and tear and needs new soldering?

Thanks all,

Josh.

[roman_sub]

Buzzing could be caused by either excessive wear to first fret - i.e. that the F fret is always too low... however, if the neck relief is too far forward, this may also cause the fret to buzz. Measure the relief to decide if this is the case, and *maybe* try a small trussrod adjustment... In my experience, Warwick alloy fretwire holds up quite well... but if you're not sure definitely get a professional to look at it!

1991 Warwick, I guess that means MEC as opposed to EMG? Could be soldering, or knackered pickup..... however if it's a 4 string SS1, then you'll have a P in the neck, which will always sound louder, so to get the two to balance, you may actually need to try lowering the P.

Hope this helps!

[Kev]

1st fret wear sound like the cause, although with high action at the bridge and/or the nut and it still being present is a little odd - certainly the wear would need to be visible for that to happen. Does the fret look visibly worn compared to the 2nd and beyond?

The pickup issue is odd. These are active pickups - is the battery fresh and do the cables look sound?

I would get the seller to give the bass a full pro service and send it back to you and, providing everything is now fine, pay the £50 or so I wouldn't take it in its current state with pickup replacements and refret possibilities.

[Billy Apple]

If the E is buzzing while open it could be a worn cut in in nut. Fret at the second and tap over the first, you should be able to detect a gap however small. If its dead then sort the nut.

[warwickhunt]

The fret buzz is a process of elimination and something we could all likely throw ideas at but most have been discussed. Low rear pup output; I think part of this depends on your expectation. I've never found the rear pup on any PJ set to be 'powerful' in comparison to the neck unit, even when adjusted correctly but MEC do need to be adjusted quite close to the strings. Ideally you need to get another SSI and do an A/B (too far from me). I'm no whizz with the electronics side but can you not get an imbalance in outputs from a pan pot if the value of the pot isn't correct, are the pots original or could one be failing?

[Grangur]

Warwicks are notorious for the plastic just-a-nuts breaking the tabs at the side. Is yours ok, or has it broken?

I'm just wondering, if it's broken, have the string become misaligned on the neck?

I have a SS1 with MEC pups too. The P pup is good. But the jazz pup output is pretty feeble. It doesn't bother me much as the P pup is pretty clank IMHO. This will be because compared to a Fender, the P pup is 50mm further towards the bridge than a Fender P bass.

[Josh]

Thanks for the advice and info guys, fortunately the buzzing has been solved. It must've had a slight over-bow as when I loosened the truss rod slightly, the buzzing disappeared. Just for clarity, being a 1991 Streamer it has a brass Just-A-Nut 1, the original nut saddle screw had lost its thread so it needed replacing regardless of the buzz.

The only reason as to why I've asked about the output difference on the pick ups is that any other active PJ bass I've had there was never as much of a difference in volume when either is soloed. On my Lakland the bridge is just as loud as the neck pick up, two previous Streamer LX's also had a more balanced output.

[bcbass]

Try to mesure bridge pickup output.If it is to low than is rewinding needed.