Doc B

Damn that's lovely! Lucky you!

My Streamer Std 2 is the most comfortable bass I've played on and I loved the feel of it as soon as I picked it up - it felt like it was made for me. Strangely I have small hands for a man. The new price at the time was a bargain as it was on a par with MIM Fenders and was way ahead in quality. The best £400 I spent. My bass was so good I couldn't justify buying one of the more expensive Warwicks but a Thumb NT is my lottery win bass.

I'm a big fan of Doug Wimbish (especially with Living Colour) and I had considered a DWB3 but as you say they are a bit bling and I couldn't live with an orange bass! I've gone all passive recently having sold my Status on. I just find it easier to get good sounds from passive electronics.

Nice collection indeed. Is the Ibanez a Doug Wimbish sig?

[attachment=9338:BadAssBass2.jpg]

Dammit!

I've had strap locks (a mix of Grolsh, plastic and Schallers) on my basses and guitars since I was first in a band. The only time I had bass fall off happened when I first got my Streamer Std and hadn't got round to putting the strap locks on. I was playing a gig at The Casbah in Sheffield and the strap came off at the bottom strap button. I actually managed to drop to my knees and keep playing without missing a note (it wasn't that difficult a bassline). The rest of the band just thought I was 'getting into it'!

I'd go with John Paul Jones, John Entwhistle and Billy Gould

The only things I'd add to the other replies is to suggest that you look at passive instruments only (ones that don't need a battery for the tone controls and/or pickups). IMO you'll find it simpler to get a good tone if you don't have too many controls to contend with. Cheaper active (ones that do need batteries) can sound a bit, well, cheap. Simpler, Precision or Jazz style basses are what I'd advocate - they can be modified easily and are easy to sell on. The Squier VM series are great, in fact I sold a rather tasty graphite necked Status bass and got a Squier VM Jazz. There's also a couple of Precision basses in the VM series. A Squier VM would be a very good buy as Squiers tend to lose value less quickly than other cheaper brands. The VM Series are about £220-230 new and well worth it. I am currently 'pimping' my Squier VM Jazz and will post pics when it is done.

My Trace Elliott BLX150SMC combo. Loved the looks and sound of it and wish I'd never traded it in for something bigger/louder.

I've got 3 domed chrome push fit control knobs a round chrome string retainer and a chrome 4 hole neck plate from my old Jim Deacon MM copy going spare. Cover the cost of postage and they are yours. I'll even throw in a black plastic Jazz bass know for free!

I've got a set of 4 chrome tuners in a 3+1 configuration from my old Jim Deacon MM copy. All bushes and screws as well. I've got no use for these, maybe you do? I've also got the 'bent tin' bridge off my Squier VM Jazz - this is brand new as I replaced it with a Bad Ass 2. These would be good for a project - say for about £5 in postage.

[quote name='foxthebiker' post='201815' date='May 18 2008, 11:05 PM']Love Jazz basses. [/quote] Well the Jag ain't no Jazz, so I think you really know which to get. I've have Jazz GAS (oo-er) since before I started playing and have gone through a number of Jazz-like's (Hohner, Ibanez, etc) over the past 16 years. Finally got my Squier VM and will be sticking with it. Looks like a Jazz, plays like a Jazz and sounds like one too (with the Wizard 64s). Hell it even says 'Jazz Bass' on the headstock. Check out the Japanese Fenders on www.guitaremporium.co.uk

I recently downgraded my gear from a Nemesis NC410 combo and Status bass to a Squier and an Ashdown Electric Blue as I felt they better matched my playing ability

Totally biased but my new Squier VM 70s style maple necked Jazz is the best I've played and should be even better when it has its Bad Ass 2 fitted at the weekend. It's already got Wizard 64s on and sounds amazing. Other than the looks of the maple body and maple neck with black block markers I followed the a example of a lot of Basschatters and got a decent, modestly priced Jazz as a start and then fitting the electronics and hardware you really want.

A set of 4 Warwick Thumb NTs with Streamer Std electrics (vintage humbuckers, 2 vol, 1 tone) in fretted and lined fretless both in 4 and 5 string, natural finish of course - whatever woods were used for the early 1990s versions. I'd also have the yin yang position markers from the Streamer SS2 on the fretted ones.

I've had a Vester P-Bass and Telecaster guitar copies and they were among the best Korean built guitars around at that time IMO. I played one of the Vester Thumb copies in Sound Control Edinburgh years ago and really liked it. In fact it was the same colour as the one on eBay.

[quote name='Viajero' post='199400' date='May 15 2008, 11:05 AM']Nice tip - to the internet![/quote] Found one! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/90s-VESTER-BASS_W0QQitemZ7314070544QQihZ008QQcategoryZ4713QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247"]HERE[/url]

[quote name='Viajero' post='199392' date='May 15 2008, 11:01 AM']Yeah, that's exactly it. I want this Thumb NT5, but I can't have it. Tantalisingly out of reach. So, I'm going up to Newcastle in a fortnight to hit any and all Warwicks I can find. I look forward to being coverted to a make I'd not got on with in the past. Unless, of course, anyone has about 500 quid they can donate to a worthy cause...?[/quote] BTW - have you seen a Streamer Stage II (I think) with the yin-yang inlays? Those are veeeerrrryyy nice too. You could always try and track down one of Vester's Thumb copies from the early 1990s! The transparent blue/green ones with gold hardware looked fantastic.

I think I'd have to agree with the view that the best Warwick is the one that suits you best. I've loved the look and sounds of Warwicks from before I played bass, mainly after seeing Norwood Fisher of Fishbone play a Thumb 5 NT at the second gig I ever went to. To me the Thumb 5 NT is the 'ultimate Warwick' but although I've played a few different Warwicks (Streamers, Fortress, Corvette, FNA, Corvette/Streamer Jazzman) the one that really blew me away was the Streamer Standard (German Built with the W on the headstock). The 'bang for buck' was astounding so I got one new for about £400 back in 2000. I haven't played another Warwick that has made me want to spend more cash since. The only thing that niggles me slightly is the lack of the 2 piece bridge as they look very cool but the oldest Warwicks had Schaller 3D one pieces bridges, so perhaps it's more authentic! If money was no object then I'd have a Thumb NT5 no questions asked.

I had my graphite-necked Status Groove for 2 years and it barely went out of tune (no gigging) and played fantastically well out of the box. I never adjusted it once as it had a very similar action to my Warwick. I actually prefer the herringbone pattern of the Status graphite weave and love the way it catches the light giving a nice 3D depth to the finish. The Modulus finish just looks weird to me. People pay a lot to get exposed carbon fibre weave (like the Status) on their car's interior and exterior. The Groove I had was alder bodied too and was (is) a great bass but I found I prefer passive dual pickup basses and sold it to Smash a few weeks ago. The neck was fantastic, if a little wide for me higher up as it was a Status MM type neck and I tend to prefer Jazz bass type necks.