Paulhauser

@thodrik the Spector is 5,15 kgs, the Thumb is 5,6 kgs. 

15 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

I'd have thought a 6 string Thumb before 91 would have been a custom order... in the 80's period of Warwicks even a 5 string was a rare bird!    

Warwick started in 82 though the Thumb (4) didn't arrive till 85 iirc.  You do get mid/late 80's 5 string Thumbs but 6 strings weren't 'fashionable' back then so I doubt there was a demand for them to produce for stock.  Lots of the 80's basses had an element of hands on work, which became less so as production techniques changed.  Into the 90's and 00's you had a lot higher number production, so 5/6 string basses would be regular production. 

Ok, I see what you have meant. Do you know that the stories of the 2000' ovangkol neck basses had chunkier profile than before or after? Maybe it is not so much true for a 6 string neck but seem to remember reading about that in general Ww neck profiles changed through time and there was a period of think / chunky necks....

1 hour ago, bagsieblue said:

Good point!!! - seen many of the truss issue basses  - had a few myself. 

I cant recall any of them being Thumbs, so anecdotally fully agree that this would be much less common on Thumbs.

Actually it was some of your comments in a WW related topic about truss rod issues that caught my eye as a potentional problem for basses from 2000-2010-ish.

1 hour ago, thodrik said:

This is pretty irrelevant to the thread @Paulhauser,  but could you be kind enough to provide a brief comparison between the Warwick Thumb 6 and your Spector Forte 6? 

The reason I ask is that they are both Spector and Warwick are options I am considering as a first six string in the future and it is highly unlikely that I will find them in a shop to try out side by side! 

Cheers!

Happy to do it, mind you I am a full time Spector owner-user (you know that I guess) and the Thumb I only played for a week- albeit quite a lot.

Both have incredible build  and finish quality so both winners there.

The Thumb is 34” but due to the design the first fret positions are the same place as with the 35” Spector. 
Thumb is heavier.

IIRC neck dimensions are very similar (nut width 82 vs 84mm fingerboard widt at the  24th fret 85 vs 86mm) but the Spector neck profile is thinner front to back. Also spacing at the bridge is the same (17mm)

Soundwise they’re different and both represent well the characteristics of their breed (NT6 Thumbs vs NS Spectors with soapbars) but there is lot more sonic difference between 5 and 6 string Thumbs than between 5/6 NS Spectors. As said above the NT6 is really stands in its own.

 Happy to answer any further questions you may have...

@warwickhunt thank you for taking your time to comment. I never was very deep into comparing or swapping pickups other than the EMGs in my Spectors so what you have written is fair enough of an information for me and answers my question. 
 

As for necks, what do you mean by the NT6 not being around? Were they not produced for a while? I found NT6s from 91, 2011 and iirc from the end of the 80’s...

Calling Warwick experts / Thumb historians here 🙂

I have recently took possession of a mid-2010's Warwick Thumb NT6 which I quite like. It piqued my interest in the model and its history. I had a '91 Thumb NT5 before which I did not like, neither the ergonomics not the sound but this NT6 is surpassing my expectations in both departments and as strange a beast it is I like it a lot (honeymoon period maybe).

As this one has EMG's in it not the typical MEC or Bartolini I went a bit of a window shopping trip to see what's out there for sale (used) Only NT, no bolt-on and masterbuilt / whatever it was called before. Not that I need another one but just....you know how it is 🙂 Mainly I was looking for the natural bubinga bodied ones and digging into the model's history I became aware that there are a couple of phases. Like the early ones had somewhat skinnier necks and mainly Barts in them, then MEC came in and also in the 2000's the neck became ovangkol and thicker, too. Also I read about the truss rod/nut issues that were popping up in the same time.

So anyone in the know could verify these or point me out what to look for or avoid in terms of woods, time periods, pickups (Mec vs. Barts) Or simply elaborate on the models history a bit (or direct me to someplace where this already have been discussed. What I'd like to especially know:

- how much is the difference between Barts and Mec soapbars

- which period has the skinnier necks (in Ww terms, anyway)

- anything to look for / avoid as if I will ever make a purchase it will be a distance purchase most likely so can't try or inspect (truss rod)

Thanks in advance!

19 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

@Paulhauser The strings spacing at the bridge of a Yamaha TRB-6P is 19mm. I had a few, even some defretted ones that sounded really great, but they were all on the heavy side so they went away.

Thank you. Secretly I hoped it to be less but alas, no. 

2 hours ago, Cairobill said:

Yeah - this TRB6P is INCREDIBLY well made. Unusual colour as well - it's what I would call a 'Tequila Sunrise' burst. Not the usual orange or cherry/redburst.

What is the string spacing at the bridge on these? I had a TRB-II6P which was a great sounding bass but IIRC the spacing was like 19mm plus they left an ample amount of wood on both edges of the fingerboard so that made it like a Jumbo could land on it. I had a bolt on TRB-II6 before but this was wider (and a lot heavier)

27 minutes ago, DiMarco said:

Will make decent pics with a DSLR once I cleaned and waxed it, and replaced those awful strings.
Battery compartment showed a leaking 9v has been in there. I think the bass has been stowed away unused for a very long time.

I like old Warwicks over the newer ones  though. I have no real reason why.

The neck is asymmetrical on the back which is really nice ergonomically. I wonder what I should use to remove all the grime before waxing it. Common soap?

 

My only other Ww so far was a '91 Thumb NT5 which was a disappointment both ergonomically and sound-wise. My recent Thumb 6NT is a pleasant surpriese in both ways. It does not seem to have asymmetrical neck carve though but has a very playable neck (which is thicker front to back that my other sixers but feels great) Keep us updated on the cleaning process as I'm curious....as I was looking at some older natural finished Thumbs and seen some excessive usage of the Ww wax which is not really my liking aesthetically. 

I have recently did a trade with Vincent (Rollo). Trading high end basses remotely (ie. not in person) are always a bit risky and based on complete trust in each other.  Communication and making sure both parties are happy and kept updated in the process is a key element of a flawless transaction.

This was my first deal with Vincent and couldn't be happier with the way things went. Great communication, bombproof packagind and fast shipment - plus I got what was promised to get and in a condition it was described. 

I was a bit sad letting one of my basses go but I got another great one  in which I'm happy about so in the end it has been great. 

I would deal with Vincent again without hesitation, great and trustworthy person! Have fun with you new bass!

@DiMarco how are you liking the Thumb? Any pics of it? I recently got my Thumb NT6, a fairly recent one and that piqued my interest in earlier NT6's. 

11 hours ago, DiMarco said:

I just bought my 2nd six string. A Warwick Thumb NT from 1990 with Bartolini pickups.
Cheers! Marco

 

Ohh cool. I'm looking at WW Thumb NT6s myself.... 

19 hours ago, binky_bass said:

There's only one reasonable course of action here:

The BassChat Brawl... 

We all meet up in a dimly lit carpark at exactly midnight with our basses and engage in a battle royale, smashing each others faces in with our basses until one person walks (crawls?) out victorious, that person shall hence for dictate to all others which bass we must all play. 

I see this as the only fair way to break this deadlock. 

I have 4, 5 and 6 string basses so where do I stand? (also two guitars and a few cymbals, too 🙂 )

16 minutes ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

No new bass from BD, I am afraid, only clearing our "living"room to make my wife happy. Although, I am still looking for a Stingray Classic, natural finish, maple FB 😉 

I see. Pity for that 1977, these are really great basses...

On 10/05/2021 at 16:58, Eldon Tyrell said:

I don't know. What I do know is that after having applied the Feed-N-Wax, the 77 looks better than ever! The colour of the wood just looks more intense. Difficult to explain. So, thanks again @Bunion 👍

@Eldon Tyrell I'm seeing this and a Forte at Bassdirect. What are you getting? 😉 🙂

@Bunion and @Eldon Tyrell I always thought that these 1977 and 79's have clear coating on them, a satin, thin one but still it is not untreated wood or not oil finished. But I might have been mistaken as clearly the wax must have gone somewhere IN...or simply evaporated into air? 

The only thing I'd comment on is the Cobalts have great feel and sound and they are now my preferred strings of choice (yes, pity about the no 6 string set...and would love a .125/.045 5er set, too. I know, they offer single strings, too but they are a PITA purchasing with the options I have)

1 hour ago, Moos3h said:

Hi folks

I’m STILL struggling with the move to a five string, but do want to persevere with it - my Woodworm is a lovely thing but I really don’t get on with how wide the neck is as my hands are quite small.

Not knowing much about these things, is there a brand that is known for a slightly narrower neck when it comes to five strings? Some look like the width of a floorboard and I have no hope at all!

 

 Thanks,

James

James, which part of the neck have you problem with? Is it already too wide at the neck or it is fine for the first positions but tapers too much much towards the bridge making it wider as you go for the higher positions?
For example the Spector Euro 5 that I use a lot has a tight spacing at the bridge (17mm) and the nut is not wide so the whole fretboard tapers not that much. Whereas my old Yamama TRB had much the same nut measure but the bridge spacing was wider (19mm iirc) so the whole board  tapered big time, it became almost like a landing zone for military aircrafts 🙂

26 minutes ago, DiMarco said:

 

@Paulhauser wow that Spector looks very tasty! About the JP: You get used to the 19mm string spacing pretty quick. I play five string basses with various string spacing and actually feel the 19mm works easier once you get used to it. I do not have big hands by the way so I think it is mainly a mentality thing.

 

Thanks for the compliment about my Spector, all glory goes to Stuart and crew, I'm just the caretaker 🙂

As for spacing, I've been there, done that and enough time, basses and experiences passed that I understood my needs and preferences. Sure, I can adapt to almost anything (and my gigging Spector has 19mm but I play that with a pick so that's another story) but in this day and age where we bassists are blessed with an abundance of product to choose from or even have one made and tailored to our own needs one doesn't need to make compromises as long as finances and availability allow. I just feel at home a lot more with tighter spacing, that also goes to my 5'ers, too (17mm)

While I use a BEAD tuned 4 string Spector for my main gig and record with my 5 string Spector NS-5XL so basically all my 'professional' work does not use sixers I have a special place in my heart for them as I love the extended range and actually also the aesthetics of them, too. But they have to be sleek and compact otherwise they won't stay. I liked my Yahama TRB6II and TRB6PII but the necks were too wide and so were the bodies. So anything over 17mm spacing is a no for me (but still I wanna have a Yammie Patitucci at some point even if I know it won't fit) 

So all things considered I currently have these three six string basses, I have them for quite a long time now so they are keepers. 

Spector US Forte

Ibanez Prestige SR3006 and 5006 (with a heavily customized Spector in the middle)

13 minutes ago, Bunion said:

I haven’t tried a great array of Spector’s but  I have tried a great variety of basses over the years and I have to say my 77 with sunbeams is an absolute pleasure to play. 
ive ordered some fat beams to try out with it too. 
My other Spector has Blue steels for a bit more bite, it also doesn’t have the tone pump trim pot so hasn’t the versatility of the 77. 

Cool! Nowadays I'm using either HiBeams / Fatbeams or EB Slinky Cobalts (these are great!). They all sound awesome on my Spectors (and others, too)

3 hours ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

I know, I know but I have a loooong wishlist and GAS is a dangerous and costly disease 😉 Moreover, there is only so much space in our "living" room and I have already been shown the yellow card by my best half. 

Well, it surely is not a bright thing to mess with the Missus especially when shown the yellow card so I get it 🙂 

(Fortunately - for me at least- I have enough space in our office room thus no objections so far....)

3 hours ago, Bunion said:

Your quite right Getting drunk and looking at the classified ads is deadly 🤣😂 

however this time I was quite clear headed, I saw this model when spector set them free into the wild and was determined to catch one. 

Well I don't know you, I only read what's down in your signature 😄

I wrote this elsewhere in this forum but I think some of the best basses that ever came out of the Czech workshop are these two, the 1977 and the 1979.

I don't play 4 string basses. Or rather, my main gigging bass is a Euro 435 tuned to BEAD but that is another kind of 4 string. And I use my other 5 string Spectors (pictured above in this thread) for recording and gigging as I seem to have to have the low B. So in a way I don't have a practical reason to own two 4 stringers that I only play for fun, but I happen to have lots of fun playing the along with some of my fav songs and that is fair enough of a reason to own them (being privileged as no monetary nor space issues could go between us)

1 hour ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

 So, sadly the 77 and another Forte will have to go soon (wink wink ;- )

Ohh come on you know you are gonna regret THAT. 

2 hours ago, Bunion said:

Just got myself one from @Alfie Noakes and I’m finding it hard to put down even though I’ve been playing mostly fretless this last 6 months. 
I’ve got my eye on your 79 too @Paulhauser 😏

 

Nice score, quite a bit of figuring on that one. Seems like you weren't drunk when making this purchase (= very cear minded and clever decision 🙂 )

As for my '79 I have no plans putting up for sale soon, but even if I did me being in the EU a purchase from me would be a hassle now post-Brexit. 

21 minutes ago, barrycreed said:

I have admired the Spector body shape for a while and the headstock. Wonder if they ever did a p pickup only bass? I suppose you could just yank out the j pickup! 😛

Yes they did, it is called Euro 4 LE1977 and it is a wonderful bass, happen to have one. 

edit:

And the new Ian Hill Signature is also a single P 

https://www.spectorbass.com/product/euro4-ian-hill/