warwickhunt

I'm new to EUB and I'm plugging my NS WAV into a BBE 'Acoustimax' preamp (3 band EQ inc variable mid, notch filter and BBE Sonic Maximiser circuit), ot sounds fine but I've no idea what 'extra' a top quality preamp would give me... any thoughts?

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1327270359' post='1508753'] Is the truss rod as loose as it'll go? If not, loosen it (initially, no more than a 1/8 to 1/4 turn at most) and it should release the tension in the neck and remove the back bow. If it is as loose as can be adjusted, the bass needs some work [/quote] LOL synchronised typing!

Slacken the truss rod right off and string tension should pull it forward, if that fails then with no tension on the neck you may need to apply pressure to the neck to bend it into a concave arc and then get the strings up to tension (probably best with the help of a friend). Failing that it is a luthier job to look at resetting the neck, possibly removing the fingerboard... probably not cost effective on a bass such as this!

[quote name='ROConnell' timestamp='1327257279' post='1508458'] There's another one on there now. Same seller 1 quid less! [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marshall-MBC-Series-810-1200W-Bass-extension-cabinet-Collection-Only-/270897937002?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item3f12c67a6a#ht_3226wt_932"]http://www.ebay.co.u...a#ht_3226wt_932[/url] [/quote] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/165659-oooof-theyve-come-down-in-price-dont-tell-wpd/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/165659-oooof-theyve-come-down-in-price-dont-tell-wpd/[/url]

[quote name='BassApprentice' timestamp='1327158882' post='1507192'] Hi all I have a Squier P bass Special which has a P/J setup and I was just wondering if anyone would fancy recommending an upgrade in the preamp department. I have heard good things about East preamps but I am unsure which one I would need as there seems to be one for Jazz basses and one for P basses. Any advice would be greatly appreciated Michael [/quote] Be sure that you love the Squier before you start going down that route Michael, as preamp upgrades aren't generally cheap and fitting something like you have suggested will cost almost as much as the bass is worth... and it won't mean that the bass will be worth significantly more with it fitted!

Bit of the Carl Thompson about it as well.

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marshall-MBC-Series-810-1200W-Bass-extension-cabinet-Collection-Only-/270897603919?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item3f12c1654f#ht_2985wt_1396"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marshall-MBC-Series-810-1200W-Bass-extension-cabinet-Collection-Only-/270897603919?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item3f12c1654f#ht_2985wt_1396[/url] Wayne will be foaming at the mouth!

Keep this among friends but I've not properly fretted a note in 5 years; muted the strings and played a dull thunk in time with the required notes... no body has noticed yet!

[quote name='Linus27' timestamp='1327082821' post='1506254'] Well, I have an December 2011 German made Streamer LX. The battery clip has snapped off in the first two weeks and the split precision pickups wobble so bad that I have had to take them out, wrap plumbers PTFE tape around the bolts and then re-screw them back into the brass slots to stop the wobble. I questioned this on the Warwick forum and it seems that i am not the only one who has had the wobbly pickups. This is on an £1800 bass that is brand new. Not sure I would call it a duff Warwick but its not the quality I was expecting for my £1800 and if I am totally honest, I am very dissapointed. [/quote] For the battery cover to snap off within two weeks of owning a new bass does seem extreme (I'm assuming that the battery was being changed for the very first time, so these clips went on the very first usage). It certainly isn't unheard of for the battery covers to give up the ghost (I presently have 3 Warwicks and one is taped on, whilst one of them is jammed in place) and is probably second only to 'chocolate fire-guard' jack sockets for common Warwick faults. As for the pick-up mountings - Warwick pups are mounted on springs (almost like shock absorbers) which have always had some give in them, I've known people add foam under the pups to firm it up and at the extreme for someone to put a block of wood underneath the pup so that it was fixed at a set height but it's down to personal preference and not everyone will like the 'spring-loading'... of course yours could have a separate issue! Saying all of that I have NEVER seen a Warwick with a misaligned/incorrectly fitted bridge or skew-whiff neck alignment... not something I could say about F*nd*r. In fact there's a brand new (Road-Worn) bass for sale on here at the minute that has this very issue and it must be the third I've seen on here in as many months. Now THAT I'd have issue with.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1327055214' post='1505639'] / what's that? 31% increase? So a bass selling then for about £800, like a american fender.... would be £1050 now..... which is how much off the current prices? and a fender isn't made of rare and hard to get now tropical african hardwoods either. [/quote] A very good point and something often overlooked. Fenders have taken some serious price hikes of late; for instance a MIM RW bass would appear to be seriously inflated and pretty much inline percentage increase wise with the Warwicks being discussed. [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1327056633' post='1505678'] Late eighties about £1200 - 1600 Early eighties.... more... [/quote] A lovely thought and some basses are 'advertised' at those prices but you can still find 80's - 90's NT Warwick basses on ebay for less than that! However... the state of the new prices means that values of older Warwicks will soon go through the roof!

Not sure about exact models but I've never had any problems with soloed MEC Jazz style pups in the NT active basses and I doubt that would be different to the rest of the range. Not sure that any of the MEC J pups are single coil passive so it'll not be an issue.

The non-original pup and what look like extra switches will affect the value to a degree.

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1326972466' post='1504433'] I picked this up in a trade last year. It's a stunning bass, easily one of the most accomplised players I've owned or played - typical Spector neck, brilliant build quality, BadAss II and active EMG J-pickups. It's one of a limited run, I understand, to celebrate the original NS2 - available in three colours, with 82 in each. This being the natural model. Sadly, it's a bit of a 'unicorn' bass - it's nice, very nice. And seemingly limited edition. So I don't want to take it out of the box, which rather defeats the point in having an instrument. Was considering a trade, or a sale, but am totally blind to current values - I think they were $2,200 new, but that position will have moved on, and I don't know enough about Spectors to take a stab. Thoughts? I'm happy to be told I'm being an idiot, too. [/quote] It's a bit 'too' natural coloured... can't see it!

[quote name='JPJ' timestamp='1326929934' post='1504078'] Ooh the Jack Bruce looks canny, I could defo fancy a fretless one of them :-) [/quote] +1 but what cost for a Korean made bass?

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1326925783' post='1503992'] is there that much difference between the old 2 band preamps and whatever they stick in nowadays? [/quote] I'm not a techy type so I have no idea of the actual components but don't SSI basses now have 3 band? I had an old SSI, with an 'upgrade' to the newer 3 band which never quite worked for me and despite trying to leave the mid flat and just working with the B & T I never liked it, so I took out and put in an old 2 band and it sounded much better... just my opinion!

So the 30th Anniversary is built to '84 specs BUT it has a two piece bridge and angled tuners... so it's based technically based upon an '87 model! Signed Mr P Dant

Hey, pleased to see that 'heads-up' worked out in the end Wayne!

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1326900623' post='1503444'] Upto 45lbs per cab doesn't concern me if the handle is good. [/quote] I was initially unsure of the one strap handle as the only means of holding them (especially with the weight that they are) but several years and numerous gigs later neither of my handles is showing any kind of fatigue or failure and I've no reason to think that will change!

Have you tried/heard my Aggie DB12s? You might be surprised how little tone you sacrifice and you could use one at rehearsals with two for the gigs... giz a shout if you want to try!