Warwick Basses - Harder to get in the UK now?

[dc2009]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' post='1328621' date='Aug 5 2011, 12:44 PM']If I had the cash I'd be buying one or two German Warwicks and keeping them under my bed. I suspect at some point they will become trendy again and the prices will increase.

Whilst we're on the topic of expensive basses---whats the holy grail when it comes to old, expensive basses? The bass equivalent of a 1959 Les Paul, say.[/quote]

If I had the cash I'd be doing the same, and not selling mine, that's for sure!

The holy grail is an untouched pre 1970 (ish) fender p or j, for most people. A few Gibbo thunderbirds may fetch similar silly money.

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' post='1328621' date='Aug 5 2011, 12:44 PM']Whilst we're on the topic of expensive basses---whats the holy grail when it comes to old, expensive basses? The bass equivalent of a 1959 Les Paul, say.[/quote]

If you are on about strictly Warwick basses, it'd probably be the first run of Streamers (paddle headstock as licensed by Spector with one piece bridge), JD Thumb basses (though both of these basses can still be found and bagged for less than £1k). However some of the early (proper) Ltd Ed basses are probably worth having. I've been offered £3k for my 5th Anniversary Ltd Ed Streamer (oddly made in 84 but released in 87) but I wouldn't part with it.

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1328644' date='Aug 5 2011, 12:58 PM']If you are on about strictly Warwick basses, it'd probably be the first run of Streamers (paddle headstock as licensed by Spector with one piece bridge), JD Thumb basses (though both of these basses can still be found and bagged for less than £1k). However some of the early (proper) Ltd Ed basses are probably worth having. I've been offered £3k for my 5th Anniversary Ltd Ed Streamer (oddly made in 84 but released in 87) but I wouldn't part with it. [/quote]

Nice bass.

In a bid to answer my own qquestion I just made the mistake of looking for rare vintage Fender jazzes on the interweb. Now I have serious GAS!

[dc2009]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' post='1328647' date='Aug 5 2011, 01:02 PM']Nice bass.

In a bid to answer my own qquestion I just made the mistake of looking for rare vintage Fender jazzes on the interweb. Now I have serious GAS! [/quote]

If it helps they're not all that IMO.

Personally I find the fender p necks are far too fat to ever play anything other than root notes on, and I once played a 63 or 73 J in a shop (I forget which but who cares) and the thing was so heavy I had a dead leg after 10 minutes, it'd be the dream buy for your chiropractor!

[BigRedX]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' post='1328621' date='Aug 5 2011, 12:44 PM']Whilst we're on the topic of expensive basses---whats the holy grail when it comes to old, expensive basses? The bass equivalent of a 1959 Les Paul, say.[/quote]
Pretty much any pre-CBS Fender. If you had to pick an individual bass I'd go for Herbie Flowers' Jazz bass since not only has it been used on countless great recordings, but it's one of the very earliest Jazz basses in existence.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1328644' date='Aug 5 2011, 12:58 PM']If you are on about strictly Warwick basses, it'd probably be the first run of Streamers (paddle headstock as licensed by Spector with one piece bridge), JD Thumb basses (though both of these basses can still be found and bagged for less than £1k). However some of the early (proper) Ltd Ed basses are probably worth having. I've been offered £3k for my 5th Anniversary Ltd Ed Streamer (oddly made in 84 but released in 87) but I wouldn't part with it.

[/quote]


nice photo. Are the pickups slightly angled or is that a trick of the photo?
and.... thats not wee dip switches on the bottoms of the pups is it?

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='1329327' date='Aug 5 2011, 10:26 PM']nice photo. Are the pickups slightly angled or is that a trick of the photo?
and.... thats not wee dip switches on the bottoms of the pups is it?[/quote]
Correct on both counts! The pups are slightly angled, though I would guess it would make very little audible difference. The dip switches on the bottom alter the frequencies (though you wouldn't adjust mid song/gig) and through a decent amp and cab you really can hear the difference... just wish I could find some reference material on the web as to exactly what the settings are (my fave is as they are set at present).

[Linus27]

Well I finally picked up my Warwick Streamer LX Jazzman and she sure is a beauty It came strung with Labella Deep Talking flats which looked great being all black but sounded naff to my ears so I re-strung with a set of rounds. It also came with a Gator hard case, manual, wax, Warwick Strap Locks and a spare Just-A-Nut III. It has that typical tight Warwick growl but also has the ability to produce any sound you like so overall very happy. I can't believe I bagged this for £500 when they are around £2400 new

[dc2009]

Lovely, Linus, congrats. :-)

Great price too.

[fender73]

That's a cracker Linus

[xilddx]

[quote name='fender73' post='1363847' date='Sep 6 2011, 10:27 AM']That's a cracker Linus[/quote]
It certainly is Michael!

Where did you get it from?

[Linus27]

[quote name='silddx' post='1363980' date='Sep 6 2011, 12:21 PM']It certainly is Michael!

Where did you get it from?[/quote]

Hey Nigel. I got it from Ebay of all places. The owner was a teacher who had been made redundant. It is in mint condition and well looked after so I am very lucky. He also has a fretted Streamer which he said he would never sell.

[LukeFRC]

so I was in a music shop today, and they had a selection of warwick basses, I'll be honest I never looked at where they were from but I'm guessing not german. A couple of streamers, and a rockbass streamer, and one of the proffesional series thumbs. What on earth is it? It certainly seems to have little resemblance to the old thumbs i have played...

[MikeBass]

unfashionable though they may be (at the moment) and having owned a Ray, a 1959 P-bass and still own a 1964 P-bass, my 1990 NT 5 string Thumb blows them all away -
I can get any tone I want from it and it'll never leave me whilst I draw breath - prob same goes for my 1988 NT 4 string -
dont bother with new ones (anything after 2003) go for a 80s/90s Thumb.
nothing compares!!

PS: I dont do metal, Nu or anyway!!

Edited September 6, 2011 by MikeBass

[funkypenguin]

Seeing these list prices makes me really glad I jumped at the chance to buy my '97 streamer LX6 custom shop (many thanks again to mattbass6!!). As for them being unfashionable, my streamer is my first choice whenever I play jazz, soul and funk. Such a warm, 'woody' sound some lovely examples cropping up on this thread!!

[throwoff]

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.

[Linus27]

[quote name='throwoff' post='1365223' date='Sep 7 2011, 01:09 PM']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.[/quote]

To me this is the big problem. The price of a Pro-series Warwick being Korean made is just too high. The quality may well be good but the price is just too high. GAK have the Pro Series Corvette at just under a grand. Thats Fender MIA prices. With Fender being mainstream and Warwick being far less so, Warwick will find it hard to compete against a mainstream American made bass with its Korean made bass. I know where my money would go. You would not want to buy a Korean made Mercedez when you could have a German made BMW

[throwoff]

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.

Edited September 7, 2011 by throwoff

[fiatcoupe432]

now i regret even more selling my wick se 5(only 4 made) !!!!

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='throwoff' post='1365268' date='Sep 7 2011, 01:35 PM']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.[/quote]

This is totally true.

For myself, I don't care where a bass is made, so long as its a good instrument. However, when buying an instrument I also consider resale value when buying things these days and unfortunately a lot of the musical world is biased/prejudiced/downright racist when it comes to where instruments have come from. A sad fact of the guitar/bass world is that an American made instrument is probably going to hold its value much more than a Korean one, almost regardless of the actual quality of the instrument. There are probably exceptions out there---but until the bass/guitar playing community as a whole overcome our instinctive feelings that "American (or German, or wherever) = Better" then it'll keep happening

[dc2009]

I agree and my preconceptions tend to match what I think of the people. Where would I like my basses made? Places where precision and workmanship are commonplace, IMO that's Germany and Japan, and to a lesser extent Korea and one or two other European companies. Where do I think the workforce are most likely to be lazy slackers? The USA, Mexico, the UK (yes, I said it) etc.
I'd far rather have a MIJ Fender than an MIA...

[throwoff]

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

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='throwoff' post='1365268' date='Sep 7 2011, 01:35 PM']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.[/quote]


ahem, cort? and then they realised the real money was making other peoples instruments for them (with "interesting" labour practices) and became the largest guitar maker in the world.....


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?

[throwoff]

[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.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='throwoff' post='1366427' date='Sep 8 2011, 02:13 PM']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.[/quote]


and then you wonder what on earth is wrong with their marketing department. If they are doing stuff that makes your jaw hit the floor- they could be making a far more interesting brand than they are.