Grangur

Warwick are in a bit of an odd situation. Most makers in the market fall in one of 2 camps: 1 - Mass-market, relatively budget instruments, high volume. Fast turnover of stock. 2 - Low volume boutique basses, small manufacturing plant, slow moving stock. Warwick are trying to move into the high volume area, but they're trying to keep at the luxury end. The problem here is to many people in the market don't mind a mass produced instrument at a fair price and don't want to pay for pretty woods. Going to the area of not giving credit won't help them. It's very possible it's nothing to do with Brexit. it could be more wide-spread than simply the UK. I've worked in the past with German companies. The German market will often be happy to pay extra for high quality and they will often expect other countries to be of the same mindset; not that they're alone on that last point. Good luck to Warwick. I'm a fan of their basses, but I don't hold out hope of this working. This could drive them under.

You, of course, mean West Herts / Beds

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1475158037' post='3143554'] I can't vote because there's no answer for my situation. Nobody in my family played an instrument or was a music buff. My parents did buy me an accoustic guitar on a trip to spain when i was 5 or 6 years old but the intention was to be a toy and a decoration piece. It was only when i was 15 that i saw my friends learning guitar so i had mine strung up and tuned and i learned the basic chords whith my friends. Everybody in my family encouraged my learning of guitar but there was never a talk about following music professionally and i never felt that calling either so i took my degree in engineering and keept playing bass as my main hobby (a well paying hobby in wich i try to be as professional as i can). If i had taken theory lessons sooner in my life i could have taken the music route but i still think that i made the right choice as i was a late bloomer in music and would have struggled a lot to get to a high-end/pro level. It also helped that at that time there were no internet or music schools anywhere near me (only philarmonic orchestra and the nearest music school was +30km away). Kids today have it much easier to get the information and can learn a lot faster. I'll make sure i'll try to interest my children in music as soon as possible (first i need to make them ). [/quote] I've edited the centre option and added another. Assuming we're all similar ages, I guess parents in the 60s had it tough and there simply wasn't the cash about to invest in instruments for amusement, where these days we as parents go buying games consoles just to keep kids up with their peer group. Maybe this is a way of making up for what we never had?

I guess this thought comes from seeing other threads on the go atm. Others are asking "what were you doing when you were 11? What was the first bass you had GAS for? etc. I've just watched a video with Tony Franklin, where he says the first bass he had used to be his mother's. His family were in a band. By contrast I had no music in my family. I had a borrowed bass at the age of about 16. The prospect of buying one, on a £2 a week paper round, was non-existent. The prospect of buying an amp was an idea that was up with the fairies. Owning all that kit was science fiction. Ok, I envy those who got support and help from Mum & Dad, even if it was birthday or Christmas pressies. But out of interest, who here did get some kind of support? Did it help? Did you like it or was it like having awful piano lessons likely to kill any love you had for the instrument you really wanted? Or, was my family more the average we all grew up with - liked the music on the radio, but their idea was that "music is done by other folk, we don't do that". [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7yYHH9SA54[/media]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1475099260' post='3143138'] I was just looking at the rusty area around Cap 7.... [/quote] That's sound. BUt I have just found a dry-joint on a resister. It's on the feed to pin 1 on the IC. Pin 1 is the output A

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1475099091' post='3143132'] I take it you have already run your soldering iron over that board just to make sure it isn't a dry joint somewhere causing the problem? [/quote] All the joints do look ok. That said; I know looks can be deceptive. I took the board out yesterday. Soldered the wires from the pup straight to the jack. It sounds good passive. It actually sounds better then it ever did with the board in place. It's tempting to go passive, but I also don't want to be beaten by a board. It's a new challenge. Only thing is, at this rate I never will get to learn to play bass. Instead I'm becoming a "bass tinkerer".

Found some good information on the meaning of the codes. 103K means 0.01uf 10% We're getting there...

OK. I've taken a pic of the board, numbered the Caps. Now to make a list of the writing in each and try to find a replacement for each. Each one only costs pennies, so it's worth simply going for it. Besides if one's gone then the rest can't be far behind it. Hopefully the guys down Maplin will know what a 1K 103K translates as - for example. Many thanks for your help, guys. [quote name='rmorris' timestamp='1475049600' post='3142520'] OK. I used to have one of these but have emgs in the bass now. If you can get hold of a multimeter that does capacitance you should be able to measure the value. It may not be exact but should be accurate enough to indicate the standard value used. [/quote] Many thanks RMorris. I already have 2 MM's but nothing that does capacitance. I might just go and buy one. I've seen one for about £50. It's no great shakes really and it'll be alot better than the cheapies I have. Besides, I can possibly sell the cheapies.

Tony Franklin advocates using roundwounds on his fretless. I guess there's nothing to stop you doing that too. You just. Need to accept that you may get more board wear than with flats.

[quote name='rmorris' timestamp='1475011213' post='3142370'] Any electrolytic caps on there ? If so replace those first. Value should be written on the case. [/quote] They're all red drop cap type. Most have values on them. There are some really small ones on there though. I guess the values of those probably wont to too critical though. It's not like it would blow up.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hP3R9jyGEqI"]http://www.youtube.c...d&v=hP3R9jyGEqI[/url] Yes, roll on Vic Wooten/Jaco, but can he play a conventional bass line?

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1474989946' post='3142106'] Looking at the shadows, is the sun rising or setting in the north? [/quote] I never said he's pointing north. That has to be pointing due west as the sun is setting that way. "Why setting/" you ask. It has to be evening as no good bass player is about when the sun is coming up, unless he's still driving back from a gig.

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1474987578' post='3142069'] Spotted this, it's near me and may pick it up if it stays this low. Any ideas on the maker?, that truss rod adjustment looks a little unique? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Bass-Guitar-70s-80s-Unkown-Maker-Needs-a-Little-TLC-Lots-of-Pics-/191980028824?hash=item2cb2e6c398:g:D-YAAOSwOyJX6D03"]http://www.ebay.co.u...-YAAOSwOyJX6D03[/url] [/quote] Nahh, that type of TR adjustment was common in the 80s. If you adjust one, you need to bend the neck and then tighten the TR. Don't just crank it tighter and tighter, or they break. I know this! (It was a long time ago) I think thats a Kays bass from the 80's, but Jon will be along in a mo' and tell me I'm wrong

[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1474988701' post='3142086'] Thought this might be fun and also a way to meet/see some of the other bass chatters with their basses. [url="https://flic.kr/p/MAX815"][/url] [/quote] At least we now know, with authority, which way is North.

Truth is he probably upgraded his bass by putting an old Squier neck on there, with a Fender decal.

I did, but I've not enrolled. Maybe I should. Many thanks Mind you, there are enough folk there re-wiring their Thunders without the pre-amp already. It looks like the Pre-amps are dropping like flies.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1474974950' post='3141917'] Have you tried googling 'Westone thunder 1a preamp schematic' ? I just did that and there are wiring diagrams out there. They mean absolutely nothing to me at all, but might be a starting point for getting your problem sorted. [/quote] Many thanks for your input. You mean like this one? That's a diagram for how to wire the bass, treating the preamp as a "black box". What I'm needing would look more like this: If you've found one then I'll be really grateful for a link. Many thanks

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1474962169' post='3141753'] Most businesses have a 90 day payment requirement on POs. [/quote] In most industries 30 days is normal

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1474958084' post='3141720'] I'm sure I read that, post Brexit, Warwick want payment up front from UK dealers, so I wouldn't be massively surprised if UK dealers just quietly let stocks sell through and then equally quietly forget about being dealers. I know I would if I were being dictated to like that. [/quote] Don't dealers of other make instruments own their stock then? Surely Fender don't stock all the shops FOC and only take payment when it's sold. Otherwise, how does Fender/Warwick know the stock has sold and they're due their money?

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1474905922' post='3141422'] You've not mentioned what preamp you're thinking of using (so I don't know what options it offers) but if you keep a passive/active switch do you intend to run the pickup with no tone shaping? [/quote] I've been playing around with the electronics tonight. I connected the pickup straight to a jack. The output quality was so much better than anything I ever heard from this through the pre-amp. Now, having connected it back, it won't output anything now, without the batteries fitted. There's certainly something weird going on with this.

I have a pre-amp from a Warwick Rockbass. It's actually designed for a 2 pup bass. So I don't know if I'll use that. the other alternative could be to use a pre-amp like the one used in the Musicman Sabre. I don't think it has shaping. TBH I have a bass with shaping and it all seems a bit complicated for a simple bass noob like me. That said\; the MM Sabre Pre calls for a 1M Reverse Log pot. Don't know where I can get one of those.