Dubs Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 Just wondering how bad it is not to wax my natural finished Warwick as amongst other things, I simply can't be arsed to do it the recommended once a week. If I'm honest I'll probably do it at least every 3 weeks but more often than not it will get done every 2 weeks when I'm replacing the strings. Hypothetically...how bad is it to leave it for a month? like on a regular basis that is for instance a year or 2...will this actually lead to the wood drying out? what happens when the wood does dry out? how can i tell when the wood is drying out? etc etc... I'm sure warwickhunt knows a thing or two about this Cheers in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 I never waxed a warwick once a week, once a month at most, and never had a prob. Warwickhunt whaddya say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 There's someone on the Warwick forum who had never waxed his. Someone else took it away for a week, dismantled it and oiled it - apparently a very occasional wax is all it will need. I'm gonna have a go at mine now that the wax has started bringing my hands out in a rash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_the_bass Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 [quote name='benwhiteuk' post='184161' date='Apr 23 2008, 10:15 PM']more often than not it will get done every 2 weeks when I'm replacing the strings.[/quote] new strings every two weeks?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Forgot to say - if oiling use tung oil (or similar) not 10w/40 semi-synthetic castrol gtx! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Once every two weeks is a little excessive IMHO. I did mine once every 4-6 weeks or so, or when it started to feel less smooth and more porous. The idea is to keep the wood protected. If it feels like it's got a nice smooth and non-porous finish, it's probably ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 [quote name='benwhiteuk' post='184161' date='Apr 23 2008, 10:15 PM']Just wondering how bad it is not to wax my natural finished Warwick as amongst other things, I simply can't be arsed to do it the recommended once a week. If I'm honest I'll probably do it at least every 3 weeks but more often than not it will get done every 2 weeks when I'm replacing the strings. Hypothetically...how bad is it to leave it for a month? like on a regular basis that is for instance a year or 2...will this actually lead to the wood drying out? what happens when the wood does dry out? how can i tell when the wood is drying out? etc etc... I'm sure warwickhunt knows a thing or two about this Cheers in advance[/quote] MB1. How Bads Waking up to a case full of Dust? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 Wax it... Oh is that what that yellow stuff is for I can put my hand on my heart and say that IMHO and experience you do NOT need to wax every week, month or whatever! I tend to give my spare basses a wipe every couple of months or when I change strings (every 2 weeks! phew I wish). You don't even need to go to the trouble of giving it a proper wax if you are doing it every 2 weeks. I use the same cloth all of the time and it is impregnated with wax (best to let the cloth warm up before using it as it can go a bit stiff... fnarr) so I tend to just wipe it over my basses every now and again and every Christmas I give them an annual service; a strip down, wax and fresh battery (quite theraputic) and each bass gets a proper dab of wax at this point. My regular gigging bass gets a bit more attention (ie the string change wipe regime) but it's more out of habit than neccessity. I'm no scientist but TBH the wax is unlikely to evaporate from a bass that isn't being used and if you use your Wrawick regularly you are actually putting oils into the wood from your hands. They 'can' dry out a bit if they never get any form of care but I've received basses that have never been waxed and 'some' of them have been a bit pale coloured and slightly dry to the touch but not to the point that they crack. To give you an idea of how much wax I use, I've had up to 15 Warwicks in my possesion all at one time (and clocking on for having owned near 50) and I've yet to finish a tin of wax that I got 15 years ago, though I have started using my spare tin as the original wax is more brown than yellow To balance that I am aware of Warwick Forum members who go through a tin every couple of months... I've yet to figure out how Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 Cheers for all the replies guys. Yeah string change every 2 weeks - I like them fresh . Band practise is around 3 hours once a week then if I've got 2 gigs that week + any playing at home then they get a bit dull. Have to admit that I usually just boil them up then actually put a new set on every couple of months. Very helpful comments in regards to the wax situation. So I don't have to worry that I'm being grossly negligent then?...well that's good to know. Warwickhunt...50 Warwicks?!?!?!?! wow...and 1 tin of wax. Sounds like the sort of maintenance that I could get used to and obviously not worry about the wood deteriorating. Hopefully I will be able to build up a collection like that in the future. I’ll probably end up waxing it once a month then – less time and effort (I’m a lazy student). Cheers again for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 [quote name='warwickhunt' date='Apr 24 2008, 10:41 AM' post='184356'] Wax it... Oh is that what that yellow stuff is for I can put my hand on my heart and say that IMHO and experience you do NOT need to wax every week, month or whatever! I tend to give my spare basses a wipe every couple of months or when I change strings (every 2 weeks! phew I wish). You don't even need to go to the trouble of giving it a proper wax if you are doing it every 2 weeks. I use the same cloth all of the time and it is impregnated with wax (best to let the cloth warm up before using it as it can go a bit stiff... fnarr) so I tend to just wipe it over my basses every now and again and every Christmas I give them an annual service; a strip down, wax and fresh battery (quite theraputic) and each bass gets a proper dab of wax at this point. My regular gigging bass gets a bit more attention (ie the string change wipe regime) but it's more out of habit than neccessity. I'm no scientist but TBH the wax is unlikely to evaporate from a bass that isn't being used and if you use your Wrawick regularly you are actually putting oils into the wood from your hands. They 'can' dry out a bit if they never get any form of care but I've received basses that have never been waxed and 'some' of them have been a bit pale coloured and slightly dry to the touch but not to the point that they crack. To give you an idea of how much wax I use, I've had up to 15 Warwicks in my possesion all at one time (and clocking on for having owned near 50) and I've yet to finish a tin of wax that I got 15 years ago, though I have started using my spare tin as the original wax is more brown than yellow To balance that I am aware of Warwick Forum members who go through a tin every couple of months... I've yet to figure out how MB1. Stiff Cloth???? "would you buy a second hand warwick from this man?"...........YES! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted April 24, 2008 Share Posted April 24, 2008 [quote name='benwhiteuk' post='184382' date='Apr 24 2008, 11:08 AM']Warwickhunt...50 Warwicks?!?!?!?![/quote] Here's a tip for you if you want to have owned that many... don't have kids and get a day job Bear in mind that I got my first one 20 years ago. Funnily enough my quest for the sound I want is bringing me back to what I had 20 years ago... a Stage I though a solid state amp and 10" speakers. Funny old game bass playing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted April 24, 2008 Author Share Posted April 24, 2008 [quote name='warwickhunt' post='184389' date='Apr 24 2008, 11:13 AM']Here's a tip for you if you want to have owned that many... don't have kids and get a day job Bear in mind that I got my first one 20 years ago. Funnily enough my quest for the sound I want is bringing me back to what I had 20 years ago... a Stage I though a solid state amp and 10" speakers. Funny old game bass playing [/quote] that sounds like a reasonable trade off; no kids = more bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 [quote name='warwickhunt' post='184356' date='Apr 24 2008, 10:41 AM']To give you an idea of how much wax I use, I've had up to 15 Warwicks in my possesion all at one time (and clocking on for having owned near 50) and I've yet to finish a tin of wax that I got 15 years ago, though I have started using my spare tin as the original wax is more brown than yellow To balance that I am aware of Warwick Forum members who go through a tin every couple of months... I've yet to figure out how [/quote] I think I've used one tin now, having had one Warwick for 20 years and the second for three or four years. Actually, it might be two tins. I did have a bit of a session with the two of them a couple of years ago, cleaning them off with white spirit, allowing them to dry, then linseed oiling them, then re-waxing when that had dried. Current regime is to wax them whenever I change strings. I haven't been using the JD and the fretless gets used on open-mic nights, so the last string change on both was just over a year ago. Um, probably time to try out those Trace-Elliot strings on the fretless then... Oh, and why is it you can't get thick dusters these days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 [quote name='benwhiteuk' post='184407' date='Apr 24 2008, 11:36 AM']that sounds like a reasonable trade off; no kids = more bass[/quote] Not sure I agree, long term kids may pay off in the bass field: -Collect basses -Have Kid -Get Kid addicted to bass at young age -Kid buys basses -Confiscate basses when kid is bad -If kid is never bad frame kid It could work IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaty Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 (edited) well I dont wax mine more than a couple of times a year, but the wood can get a bit dry. The warwick wax is rather hard and dosnt always soak in as well as it could especially on wood that is a bit dry. So I have switched to using a softer wax. just avoid any of the silicon based polishes. Bees-wax based furniture polish is just fine (ex spouse makes her own as a by product of her bee keeping hobby I find this works a treat). Pete Charic it tends to work the other way round kids borrow your basses, dont wipe the strings down after sweaty practice, and develop chops that puts parents efforts in the shade....It is still worth it though. Edited April 29, 2008 by Peaty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBeefChief Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 I wish my girlfriend waxed once a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBeefChief Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Everyone knows new strings give you finger cancer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted April 30, 2008 Author Share Posted April 30, 2008 [quote name='BigBeefChief' post='188018' date='Apr 29 2008, 01:30 PM']I wish my girlfriend waxed once a week.[/quote] +1 finger cancer?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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