Joe Hubbard Warwick signature

[lemmywinks]

On 19/10/2018 at 09:26, Joe Hubbard Bass said:

Wariwck's head designer Marcus Spangler and their owner Han Peter Wilfer have both told me directly that they have never made a neck as wide as mine to accommodate the 19mm specs.  Have you spoken to them directly?  No- I didn't think so. 

They did broadneck options which went to 20mm spacing (apparently that's not maxed out too) on 5 and 6 string basses so maybe they're having a memory lapse there.

[cetera]

2 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

maybe they're having a memory lapse there.

Yeah, Hans Peter Pilfer has lots of those....... *cough* Spector royalties *cough* 😂

[Kev]

2 hours ago, cetera said:

Yeah, Hans Peter Pilfer has lots of those....... *cough* Spector royalties *cough* 😂

Can you link me to the source which documents when Spector requested royalties and Framus/Warwick refused?

Edited November 2, 2018 by Kev

[HazBeen]

Okay, can we all stop this now please? This is about the JH Warwick bass, not another Spector vs Warwick and certainly not does a Thumb neck dive yes or no thread. Come on guys..... 

[TheGreek]

Well discussed...

sambucadan

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Posted October 11, 2011

Just to set the record completely straight 😉

The Streamer models are similar to Stuart Spector NS basses in terms of body shape, original one piece bridge (now a two piece) and headstock design, which caused a legal conflict when the Streamer was first introduced. Spector eventually sued Warwick for copying the body shape, but the jury decided not to fine Warwick^{[citation needed]}
It was well documented that the first versions of the Streamer were exact copies of the NS-Bass™. The SPECTOR® NS-Bass™ was designed by Ned Steinberger for Stuart Spector in 1977; 5-years before Warwick was formed.
At the annual NAMM Show in 1985 Stuart Spector became aware that a new German-based company was producing exact copies of his now famous SPECTOR® NS-Bass™. Spector, along with Ned Steinberger, confronted Hans Wilfer and he agreed to pay a licensing fee to both SPECTOR® Guitars and Ned Steinberger in return for being able to continue to produce the Streamer without legal action.^[2]
Shortly after this agreement was reached, SPECTOR® sold to Kramer Guitars. The new owners had no interest in pursuing Warwick to enforce the licensing agreement and Warwick continued to make the Streamer without any consequence. It is also noted from several sources that Warwick never paid any of the agreed fees.
In 1990 Kramer became insolvent and filed for bankruptcy. In the wake of their financial failure Stuart Spector formed Stuart Spector Design, LTD. in 1993. In 1997 after a lengthy court battle, Stuart Spector bought back the trademark and copyrights to SPECTOR® and threatened to sue Warwick to enforce the 1985 license agreement.^[3]
Facing new legal action from SPECTOR®, Warwick changed many design elements of the Streamer body to make it less like the NS-Bass™. The pending litigation was eventually dropped because the new Streamer design was no longer an exact copy of the NS-Bass™

 

[yorks5stringer]

Are they good for Metal?

[Grangur]

24 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Shortly after this agreement was reached, SPECTOR® sold to Kramer Guitars. The new owners had no interest in pursuing Warwick to enforce the licensing agreement and Warwick continued to make the Streamer without any consequence. It is also noted from several sources that Warwick never paid any of the agreed fees.

 

So, if Kramer Guitars have no issue about it, why do some folk here have to continually beach about it?

All the rest is old, been chewed over dozens of times. 

I like Warwick basses. The legal wrangle isn't my fault and has nothing to do with me. I also don't like the look of the Spector, slightly longer look. It isn't as well proportioned, IMHO. That is just my opinion. 

If some here don't like Warwick basses, then go and find another thread and keep off the few Warwick ones we have.  /rant   

Phew. I feel better now.

[HazBeen]

Ah the folly of bass players.... I am off to get a pint. 

[Kev]

2 hours ago, HazBeen said:

Okay, can we all stop this now please? This is about the JH Warwick bass, not another Spector vs Warwick and certainly not does a Thumb neck dive yes or no thread. Come on guys..... 

Thanks for stepping in, my efforts to get back on topic have been ignored somewhat and I keep getting baited back in by those naughty Spector folk! ;)

[HazBeen]

16 minutes ago, Kev said:

Thanks for stepping in, my efforts to get back on topic have been ignored somewhat and I keep getting baited back in by those naughty Spector folk!

On the bright side, clearly bass players care deeply for their instruments....... if only singers cared as much

[LukeFRC]

2 hours ago, Grangur said:

So, if Kramer Guitars have no issue about it, why do some folk here have to continually beach about it?

All the rest is old, been chewed over dozens of times. 

I like Warwick basses. The legal wrangle isn't my fault and has nothing to do with me. I also don't like the look of the Spector, slightly longer look. It isn't as well proportioned, IMHO. That is just my opinion. 

If some here don't like Warwick basses, then go and find another thread and keep off the few Warwick ones we have.  /rant   

Phew. I feel better now.

Same reason people don’t like Chinese copies of bass pedals ... we have an culture of not liking when people rip off other people’s IP ... that’s why it keeps coming up. It’s a bit stupid really, it’s hardly like it’s warwicks only model and even looking at the streamer no one ever seems to says that they sound similar to Spectors at all 

[Al Krow]

2 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

Same reason people don’t like Chinese copies of bass pedals ... we have an culture of not liking when people rip off other people’s IP ... that’s why it keeps coming up. It’s a bit stupid really, it’s hardly like it’s warwicks only model and even looking at the streamer no one ever seems to says that they sound similar to Spectors at all 

Valeton pedals are just fine with me! A better clone of the Boss OC2 I couldn't wish for. 

Sandberg totally ripped off Fender. Didn't see too many folk winging about that either. 

In both cases they've taken the original design and built on it (smaller footprint - Valeton, typically better quality finish Sandberg). 

The winner in both cases has been us bass players. 

[HazBeen]

I own a Sparwick Streamer and a Wector NS..... 

[lemmywinks]

Nobody on here seems to care when Harley Benton or Vintage rip off Fender models, in fact you lot all buy them!

[NickA]

Used to go hear that Joe Hubbard with Morrissey Mullen at the half moon in Putney; back before slapping was sneered at.   He sounded pretty good to me back then on a stock Jazz Bass. 

This here custom  fortress seems like an attempt to make as un Warwick a Warwick as poss ( ash body, bolt on neck, one piece bridge, narrow frets, maple fingerboard) very similar to the fodera and more like a future-world fender than a Warwick.

Still, if someone offers you a lovely bass for free .. even if youre not that keen on the make ....

Edited November 3, 2018 by NickA
change of heart

[lemmywinks]

Quite a few Warwicks have ash bodies and bolt on necks (the majority of Corvettes have this configuration) and they've done maple fingerboards before. In fact the Fortress Flashback was ash, bolt on and had a 2tek bridge. The original Fortress One and the Masterman were bolt on maple.

Edited November 4, 2018 by lemmywinks

[eude]

I'd argue the bass is very much still a Warwick. There's 3 defining features for me in their basses, the headstock, the 2-piece bridge and an interesting and considered body design.

This bass has 2 of those things so it's a Warwick.

I appreciate Joe has tweaked a lot of the spec to his wants/needs, but go look at the Warwick website and scroll through the custom gallery, they're pretty much making folks whatever they want these days, albeit at a price and they're all still Warwicks.

And my 2p on the Spector/Warwick thing, when I came up playing in the early 90's I always held the NS-2 and the Streamer as two very distinct instruments. The were similarish but beyond the body everything else was different as were the markets and players they appealled to.

Ultimately, it's not our fight anyway, and as mentioned above, nobody on here seems to mind Fender's designs being ripped off constantly...

Now, back to Joe's bass, which I might add looks pretty cool.

Eude

[NickA]

Im just an old stuck in the mud.  For me a "proper" Warwick is sculpted heavy wood ( ovangkol, bubinga, boire) with a through neck, oddly angled pickups maybe and a clear sound thatuts through.   Thumbs, dolphins & streamer stage X. 🙂

Spot the real one ( the home build is pretty good, but still don't sound quite like a Warwick .. I blame the bolt on neck and one piece bridge 😉 )

 

Maybe need to move on a bit.

Joe, meanwhile, always sounded great playing anything.

[Grangur]

Getting back to the subject of the signature bass for @Joe Hubbard Bass

For those who haven't even checked it out. Here's a vid:

The subject of similarity to Spectors or even Streamers isn't relevant here.

I'm really pleased @Joe Hubbard Bass is thrilled with the bass. It's good to see the care and attention to detail. How many makers drill holes for the bridge and then countersink the holes to get the burrs off, so they can be certain the bridge will lay flat?  OK, don't give me a list, but you don't get that everywhere.

Sorry, Joe, I would have prefered the natural colour of wood to the the custard colour with naked maple for the neck, but each to their own. Warwick have done a very neat job matching the grain of  the body to the wood used in the cover on the back. You obviously didn't like the standard quick-release covers for the battery replacement and the truss-rod covers. I always thought they were a good idea, but I guess you have gone for looks rather than practicality?

The Dunlop strap locks are a good touch too. Yet, here's the video of the final result.  The important part is the tone, I guess, this starts at 10.00mins in.

Any chance, Joe, of a demo of the tone variants in the bass showing the different pickups and controls?

 

[Grangur]

PS, @Joe Hubbard Bass, Looking forward to seeing the 4 string... please?

[Grangur]

Here's another video of @Joe Hubbard Bass playing the bass. 

BTW, Joe, what does the fancy device from Holland do? You mention it in the un-boxing, but never actually show what it does.

Also, Joe, what is it about the tone from the Warwick 2 part bridge that you don't like?

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by Grangur

[ped]

24 minutes ago, Grangur said:

Here's another video of @Joe Hubbard Bass playing the bass. 

BTW, Joe, what does the fancy device from Holland do? You mention it in the un-boxing, but never actually show what it does.

Also, Joe, what is it about the tone from the Warwick 2 part bridge that you don't like?

 

That’s a Bassmute. You can switch the foam mutes to touch the strings at the flick of a switch and have two positions (one more tightly pressed than the other). They are great fun. It takes up a bit of room so wonder if a single piece bridge was chosen as it might take up less space. A two piece and the Bassmute might have interfered with the rear pickup position perhaps. 

[Grangur]

Yes, @ped, a 2 piece bridge, 2 chunky pickups and the mute thing would mean a big body. Add to this his wanting 24 frets and you're getting up to it being a big bass.

Also, this would clash with his demand for something lighter than his old Fodera. 

[Al Krow]

4 hours ago, Grangur said:

Here's another video of @Joe Hubbard Bass playing the bass.

That video clip has got me looking a bit further into doing a bit of classical bass. I thought this might be right up your street Grangur - I've just ordered myself a copy!  

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1495089118/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AHRB2OK2Q2YCL&psc=1