Warwick basses

[ead]

There is a lot of discussion on here about Fender, Musicman / Stingray and RIC basses but less it seems about Warwicks. So what is considered to be the state of the art / best ever Warwick bass?

I used to own an MIG Corvette Std that I sort of regret selling now (but needed to at the time), and I could seriously be tempted to get back into the saddle in the future. Probably not a candidate for the 'Ultimate Warwick' tag though. I have had a play of a number in Mr bagsieblues' collection too and they were all lovely in their own way.

Calling on all you Warwick experts; what would you buy (if you could)?

[Fionn]

It would have to be an early Streamer Stage 1

Hand made in the 80's, wenge neck, cherry body, EMG's, transitional hardware. In my opinion those are the "Ultimate" Warwicks,

Absolute modern classic.

[Fionn]

Not too pricey either. You'd pick up a sweet one for around £1k

[Bill]

[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1366842656' post='2058105']
It would have to be an early Streamer Stage 1

Hand made in the 80's, wenge neck, cherry body, EMG's, transitional hardware. In my opinion those are the "Ultimate" Warwicks,

Absolute modern classic.
[/quote]


True man! they are the best Warwicks IMO, i own a 1990 Stage I, 23 year's old and still looks and sounds great! nothing beats the tone and feel of it! i also own a thumb bolt-on and its a great bass, but the Stage I's have an edge over most of the warwicks!

Here's a few clip's of her where you can hear the versatile tone!

Melodic improvisation:
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq4UlgwoA8Y"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq4UlgwoA8Y[/url]

Funk bass and solo
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usEsOeyl9Tw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usEsOeyl9Tw[/url]

[funkypenguin]

my main bass. 97 streamer LX, wenge neck and board, solid flame maple body, duncan pickups, east U-retro pre. the only thing i would change is making it 33" scale rather than 34"

[ead]

All Streamers so far, so Ned Steinberger & Stuart Spector got it very right then.

I've always admired the Infinity models (from afar as they are quite pricey).

[bartelby]

My main bass is my very battered 1995 Corvette Proline.

[bagsieblue]

For the classic / desirable Warwick - I expect the consensus will be early Streamers - although I'd add Dolphin Pro 1 to that as well.
I love my Dolphin Pro II (considered by many the b'std child of Warwick) is also a superb bass.

For the "state of the art" ones I'd have to say a $$ Streamer or Corvette, for the modern trend of array of sounds etc.

Must admit I do like the Vampyre's as well - bit gothy though.

If I could buy any it would probably be a Dolphin Pro 1.

[charic]

One of these please

[CPBass]

Id like to add a Vampyre LTD to the collection.

Saying that, I'm quite happy with my weird Warwick lot at the mo.

1) Buzzard ltd 2005
2) Stryker mahogany
3) Dolphin pro 1

Just waiting for the right Vampyre to come along.

Edited April 25, 2013 by Voodoosnake

[bartelby]

I'd love a Vampyre LTD and a Dark Lord...

[badboy1984]

My favourite warwick is also the early Streamer Stage 1.

If someone offer that on a trade i will trade my ACG 5 string for it lol.

[clauster]

My personal favourite is the Thumb NT (or just plain old Thumb as it was when I first fell for it)

[badboy1984]

Talking about warwick. My first warwick i had and i still feel gutted now is a 4 string early corvette std with EMG jazz pickup and 2 band John East preamp. The bass feel and sounded fantastic.

I still don't believe i sold it for £400 .......

[ead]

[quote name='clauster' timestamp='1366891519' post='2058596']
My personal favourite is the Thumb NT (or just plain old Thumb as it was when I first fell for it)
[/quote]

I've never seen a Thump (NT or BO) in the flesh, what are they like and what makes them good?

[Lfalex v1.1]

I have;

'02 Infinity SN4
'97 Streamer LX6
'97 Fortress Masterman 5

None are perceived as the pinnacle of Warwick instruments, but the Streamer is nice, the Infinity pretty and capable.
The fortress is great. Good core tone and lots of nice eq variations, most of which sit really well in a mix.

My favourites? Streamer Jazzman. Dolphin.
Thumbs are OK, but the balance is off. The version with the pickups closer to the bridge suits me better.
Taranis and Dark Lord are a bit niche.
Some 'vettes are nice

Not sure about the $$. On paper, they should be great for me. In reality, they don't seem to cut it. Perhaps my expectations are too high.

Buzzards should have stayed at Status.

That upside-down-Stryker Adam Clayton monstrosity should simply be burned.

[Mr Fretbuzz]

Gas for a Star Bass :-)

[ead]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1366894127' post='2058651']

That upside-down-Stryker Adam Clayton monstrosity should simply be burned.

[/quote]

...and that would be an act of supreme kindness to it really.

[warwickhunt]

Which one is best EVER... eenie meenie miney mo



[URL=http://s54.photobucket.com/user/warwickhunt/media/IMG_2237_zps290385ff.jpg.html][IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/warwickhunt/IMG_2237_zps290385ff.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

It literally would be a case of doing that between the Streamer (Stage I/II/Ltd/all forms), Dolphin and Infinette... the Thumb is a bass that I've not ever gelled with!

[ead]

Nice...

[bagsieblue]

Very impressed and very jealous Warwickhunt.
If you had to save one from a burning / flooding building could you choose?

[sblueplanet]

That is some line up.

I have a '90's lefty Thumb BO 4 but really want a fretless NT 5 but just cant afford one. I like the small body but the sloping pickups are a pain. Quite a heavy sucker but most of the weight disappears when wearing the bass. I prefer to play it in passive mode too.

[Fionn]

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1366871566' post='2058214']
... so Ned Steinberger & Stuart Spector got it very right then.
[/quote]

Warwick made a better job (than Spector) of translating Ned Steinbergers design into an exceptional bass.

Edited April 25, 2013 by Fionn

[Guest]

No neck dive issues at all with my Thumb NT.
It's a joy to play, I love the tone and I find it very comfy once it's strapped on.

[Silvia Bluejay]

Right, you all got me gassing like mad, and I had only just begun to recover from that visit to the NY shop. Grrr....