throwoff

on my Rockbass I changed the hardware for Black (including a Schaller 3D Bridge) and actually put a set of Duncans in it before I moved back to the UK. Pity I had to let it go so cheaply.

In fact that reminds me. Mansons have a pre-owned Katana in Natural oil on their site for 999. 1 pound under a grand for a made in Germany Warwick Bass, Neck thru, Active electronics and p/up, AAA flame maple top, flamed maple neck with an ebony fingerboard and Inlays (I do miss inlays on most 'wicks) If only it was a lefty I would of ripped it off the wall.

I for one have bought many things on a whim before simply because I played with them and liked them. Just because you walk into a shop with no intention to buy does not mean you cant A afford to or B decide to. If it means the assistant asks you to empty your pockets and remove your belt before playing then eyes you like a hawk while you do I understand if the bass is valuable. Why dont shops ask people to put on a dressing gown when they want to play something highly expensive for instance, yes you look silly but the isntrument is then supported on a soft fabric in all contact points. I for one as a customer would completely respect this and being made to look a bit foolish may well put off a lot of window shoppers as well. Theres ways around the possible damage argument. A flat buy it or get out attitude wins no sympathy from me.

I do like the Stage I but my softspot is for the Stage II if I was buying a neck thru Streamer

They are a music shop but part of the Cash Converters chain. Its all highly complicated but when I worked as a rep we went into great detail ensuring they were not simply a pawn shop before we sold to them.

Said it once and I'll keep saying it, Denmark St is a worthwhile trip for one shop and thats Wunjo. They are fantastic.

CC in Norwich used to be a Warwick dealer as it is technically not a CC. Long and boring story as to how, I know they are not anymore though.

They didn't throw it out! It was all stored in a section of the warehouse. And the Dolphin much like the Katana (my favourite bass Warwick make!) is visually a bit 'different' but sounds and plays like nothing else.

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='1365940' date='Sep 7 2011, 11:49 PM']What I disliked about the korean Thumb bass I saw, was not that it was a bad instrument, it was that it was so so far from the idea behind the original warwick ethos. I guess at heart they started of as woody hand built basses, then became increasingly mass produced. Different to fenders which were a solution to he problem - how can we mass produce guitars?[/quote] See again I wish i could go into details about how/what I know but the Warwick Ethos is not what most people seem to assume it is. Yes they started by building little quantites of instruments by hand but they have always been wanting to push the envelope of what they build and to invovate and the Pro-Series is in my eyes an extension of that. If you could see some of the prototypes they have built over the years and the ideas they have thrown around your jaw would hit the floor.

Agreed, Mine is a CIJ P and it's the best P I have ever played.

I would suggest the QC on the Pro-Series is better than on the MIA Fenders I have seen. Of course this takes us neatly onto the subject of whats mainstream and I would agree although I personally would take a PS Streamer over a Fender Jazz im sure that im 1 out of 100 that would make that decision (I of course do also own a Fender!) Where a bass is built is very ingrained into our culture as players and generally where a product is built can affect our decision to buy. I think it just takes a smart Korean luthier to stop building for others and promote his/her own brand into Europe and the states and we could see ther birth of a brand new breed of instruments. This of course will take a long time to establish itself and the payout would in no way be as quick as for building for a well known existing brand.

I could go into great detail about this subject but I wont for reasons I cannot get into (yep thats about as vague as it gets!) People looking for new WW's have The Bass Merchant as the main dealer now and Darren knows Wick's inside and out, to the point he can probably give you an on the money ballpark figure for any custom shop bass before he talks to Warwick. As for having to stock Hellborgs as of 2011 this may be the case although it would seem a big move from their previous standpoint. I do know the exact stocking commitments etc for 2008-2010 and again this may of changed but it was sizeable. I will not insult Warwick in anyway and of course as a private company they are completely within their rights to do business as they see fit however it is a shame to see such a gap in the UK market when their products are as good as they are, the new Artist and Pro-Series offerings (which I believe are available to anyone with an account with them) are incredible instruments and really showcase the fact that anyone who claims Made in Korea as being a mark of poor quality should really be careful about what they are saying. Someone did mention Gibsons stocking requirements, they are enourmous. They have some interesting ideas about what is nessesary to stock them but for those who can afford the investment they will of course sell and sell well especially with Gibson playing smart and introducing so many USA built models for under £700. The same can be said for Fender or any big name. There are industry wide rumours at the moment of Gibson introducing a new level of dealer agreement which will cater for the smaller stores and the larger ones who dont have the bankroll to throw into being a full scale dealer but still want some Gibsons on the wall. If this happens it might force the hand of Warwick et al. to change their way a little. What Warwick need in the UK is a store regardless of size ideally in London or somewhere easily commutable who will stock a good range of the instruments (perhaps 10 German, 10 Korean and a selection of amps and RockBass) which will allow players to try a wide selection and make a decision as to what they want, this would likely increase Custom shop orders as well from people who love one style of bass but a pickup set from another or a top from another. If I had the capital I would start such a venture.

I want a Mark Hoppus bass (J bass body with P pickup and P neck) and Im a lefty so custom build is only way! And yes finish was included!

I know a few BC'ers have experience with them. I just did a build on there for fun and did a calculation for VAT, Duty etc etc and it seems either their prices have gone down or the exchange/duty rates have changed a lot. A similar build I did last year came out at around 800 quid landed im now looking at 520. I hear varying reports about them as an instrument though, anyone care to share some stories?