So this arrived today...

[tvickey]

Just to add that I've now had a chance to really jam away on the new LX5 (since it is a more reasonable hour).  It became pretty obvious to me that tonally, the A, D and G strings are much different than the B or E.  In fact, the B and E seem mis-matched to both the other three and to one another.  It could be two or three sets on here.  What a mess.

Undoing the twist on the low-B string seems to have fixed some of the sound issues that I had earlier, which triggered this thread.  I have also now adjusted the height of the pick-up closer to the neck, and things are sounding a bit better.

But, a mis-matched set of stings on a new Warwick bass is indeed totally unacceptable.  So hopefully they'll drop some in the post and send them my way soon.

Edited February 1, 2020 by tvickey

[Guest]

Yuck! How disappointing. 
@Silvia Bluejay - if you think Warwick strings are bad, take a look at La Bella Super Steps! I had them once - all sorts of weird overtones when playing because just the core goes over the saddle. And they broke at the bridge (I hardly ever slap and play light fingerstyle). Apparently Anthony Jackson’s sig Fodera string set are the same. 

[Lfalex v1.1]

I use Elixir strings  on my Fortress MM5 and Infinty SN4. I used them on my Streamer LX6 when I had it. I've never had any issues, and I've been using 130s as B strings alongside 45,65,80,100 G,D,A & E respectively.

[Monkey Steve]

I've had a couple of 5 string basses new from Warwick - the latest a Custom Shop Stage 1 that I got three or four years ago, direct from Warwick not via a shop.  Never had a fingerboard protector.  Pretty sure that the strap locks came in a plastic bag, not a full package

Never had non-Warwick strings.  In my experience, the low B sound is massively powerful, and usually needs a bit of dialling back (admittedly I've always has $$, not the same as on yours)

The tapered B used to be a bit of an issue, because the tailpiece wasn't wide enough to hold non-tapered B's, and using non-Warwick strings used to involve a bit of violence to get it to fit, either on the string or on the tailpiece.  No such problem on my current bass so it looks like it's been addressed.  However, it might explain why somebody might mix the strings and use a Warwick low B with a set of D'Addarios.

But it wouldn't explain why Warwick would do this, and I'm with everybody else that I can't see Warwick putting on a set of D'Addarios in the factory.  Even if the shop did a full set up, there wouldn't be any reason to change the strings

Edited February 3, 2020 by Monkey Steve

[tvickey]

Thanks for your comments and input, everyone.  Warwick now confirmed via email that none of their strings have colored ball ends (but this community already knew that!).  Response was basically, "Our Black Label strings do not have colored ball ends, none of our strings have colored ball ends, why would you need that?"

@Monkey Steve:  Interesting about your fretboard protector and the strap buttons.  Regarding the strings on my bass, I posted the Warwick factory 'mugshot' photo earlier in this thread and there you can very clearly see that the bass strings have colored ball ends!  

Still a big mystery... and a mis-matched set!

[tvickey]

I'm still waiting to hear back from Peach Guitars (who sold me the LX5), but a quick google of the model number on my certificate returned this webpage from Zoelch Musikhaus (screen snapshot attached), where a GPS Streamer LX5 in cream white with black hardware had recently been in stock.  

The mystery deepens and there are now more questions... Is this where my bass came from?  Did Zoelch Musikhaus put D'Addarios on some of the strings before returning it to Warwick?  Why did it get a new 'mugshot' photo taken with the D'Addarios on when passing through Warwick?  Why didn't Warwick just put on new strings?  Should I ask for a small refund, as this was possibly not a true 'custom' build?

[tvickey]

Update: The distributor intervened and reassured me that this is a bespoke bass built just for me.   This is consistent with the serial number on my bass, which includes an M = December and a 19 = 2019.  So indeed it appears to be newly built and it is very unlikely that it has taken some strange convoluted route through Germany, or spent a large fraction of its time up on a shop wall.

The distributor is sending me a fretboard protector, as well as a new set of strings.

The explanation (provided by the distributor) is that some Warwick strings now have colored ball ends,.  This information differs from what Warwick just told me earlier this morning.  I encouraged them to make the community aware with some twitter / facebook posts, and perhaps an insert that comes with the bass ("hey, our Black Label strings now feature colored ball-ends!").

Beware: your new Warwick bass might arrive with strings that look like D'Addarios (except the low-B, which does not yet have a colored ball end). 

[Silvia Bluejay]

Thing is, I don't think Warwick would be allowed to use exactly the same colours as D'Addarios for exactly the same strings. I'm reasonably sure D'Addario must own some sort of patent to their combination of colours and strings, and they're unlikely to have licensed it to Warwick... *scratches head*

[tvickey]

6 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Thing is, I don't think Warwick would be allowed to use exactly the same colours as D'Addarios for exactly the same strings. I'm reasonably sure D'Addario must own some sort of patent to their combination of colours and strings, and they're unlikely to have licensed it to Warwick... *scratches head*

I had this same thought as well @Silvia Bluejay.  Will the new pack of strings that I receive in the post have colored ball ends?  I think not, but hey I could be surprised...

Maybe D'Addario bought out Warwick strings and now supplies them all?  Does this mean an improvement for the Black Labels?  When will they start making the low-B have a purple ball end?   So many questions!

Edited February 3, 2020 by tvickey

[Silvia Bluejay]

LOL I'm tempted to ask Mark Gollihur, of the omonymous bass store. He seems to know everything about strings!

On a less jokey note, let us know what arrives in the post - take pics! Our community is now really curious!

[tvickey]

BTW @Silvia Bluejay: I like your profile banner.  This is almost what I have on my bass, except the low-B ball end is not purple. 😂  Looks like you're left-handed?

[Silvia Bluejay]

Yes, I am, and D'Addario made me a special set of 5 left-handed strings for that Corvette.

 

 

 

Umm, hang on... 😂

[tvickey]

3 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

LOL I'm tempted to ask Mark Gollihur, of the omonymous bass store. He seems to know everything about strings!

On a less jokey note, let us know what arrives in the post - take pics! Our community is now really curious!

Believe me, I thought about taking these strings under a microscope and comparing them to D'Addarios.  We could get the alloys in them analyzed... I'm happy to send them off somewhere.

[tvickey]

The next conspiracy theory: Is it possible that D'Addario strings are made by the same basic out-sourced manufacturer as the Warwick Black Labels, say somewhere in China?  Was there a limited-term packaging mix-up?  Perhaps at the Warwick factory the strings are delivered as large quantities of singles with E, A, D, G being mis-labeled D'Addarios, and the B genuine Black Label?

[Silvia Bluejay]

Judging by this reasonably recent blog entry, D'Addario strings are made in NY.

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by Silvia Bluejay

[Paulhauser]

On 01/02/2020 at 16:55, Silvia Bluejay said:

While I'm sure there's nothing wrong with Warwick strings in general, in this case a bit of the tapered section on the low B is actually part of the speaking length of the string, which can't be good for the sound or the stability of the string. In other words, the saddle is actually too big for the diameter of the string at the point where it touches it. I would not accept even a new string if it did the same as this one, and would insist they sent me one with a shorter tapered section.

Sorry for being a bit off topic here but all the tapered core strings I have used had the tapered section as a part of the speaking lenght of the string.  Most of the tapered B strings  I have used had only the core wire touching the bridge saddle and it tapers to full width after that point - in the speaking lenght of the string, not to the other way. 

[tvickey]

The other important information is that the ends of the strings going into the tuners on the LX5 (for A, D and G at least) do NOT look like the ends from the Black Label strings on my GPS LX4 Streamer (photo below).  At that end they also look like D'Addario strings. 😂 

Edited February 3, 2020 by tvickey

[Silvia Bluejay]

1 hour ago, tvickey said:

The next conspiracy theory: Is it possible that D'Addario strings are made by the same basic out-sourced manufacturer as the Warwick Black Labels, say somewhere in China?  Was there a limited-term packaging mix-up?  Perhaps at the Warwick factory the strings are delivered as large quantities of singles with E, A, D, G being mis-labeled D'Addarios, and the B genuine Black Label?

 

1 hour ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Judging by this reasonably recent blog entry, D'Addario strings are made in NY.

 

Mind you, apparently Warwick Black Labels are made in the US too (I don't know where exactly), which opens some interesting possibilities.

My head hurts.

[tvickey]

9 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Mind you, apparently Warwick Black Labels are made in the US too (I don't know where exactly), which opens some interesting possibilities.

Yes, I discovered that a short while ago too, after googling around a bit.

[tvickey]

If one wanted to avoid using tapered strings altogether, perhaps this wide-slot saddle insert would be better than what is on the LX5 for the low-B now.

Edited February 3, 2020 by tvickey
clarification

[2elliot]

Have you looked in the Warwick Custom Shop gallery? All the fives are fitted with the same strings you have received.  

[tvickey]

11 minutes ago, 2elliot said:

Have you looked in the Warwick Custom Shop gallery? All the fives are fitted with the same strings you have received.  

I've looked in the gallery, but I cannot find any basses at all that have colored ball ends.  Are you able to point out an example?  Or are you just referring to the tapering on the low-B?

Edited February 3, 2020 by tvickey

[2elliot]

2 minutes ago, tvickey said:

I've looked in the gallery, but I cannot find any basses at all that have colored ball ends.  Are you able to point out an example?  Or are you just referring to the tapering on the low-B?

Sorry, I should have said 4 normal strings and a tapered B. Like you have on your bass, it looks to be standard practice for Warwick.  

[Doctor J]

22 hours ago, tvickey said:

If one wanted to avoid using tapered strings altogether, perhaps this wide-slot saddle insert would be better than what is on the LX5 for the low-B now.

It wasn't the saddle which was the problem, it was the tailpiece. The slot for the B string wasn't wide enough to take a B sized wrapped string going right up to the ball end.

[Mastodon2]

On 03/02/2020 at 20:43, Paulhauser said:

Sorry for being a bit off topic here but all the tapered core strings I have used had the tapered section as a part of the speaking lenght of the string.  Most of the tapered B strings  I have used had only the core wire touching the bridge saddle and it tapers to full width after that point - in the speaking lenght of the string, not to the other way. 

I was just about to post the exact same thing.

There seems to be a level of misunderstanding about taperwound strings on this forum. The thin core part of a taperwound string sits over the saddle. This won't cause any issues for stability, sustain, tone etc. 

I'm interested to know if OP will be able to get a decent sound from his B string. Some basses just sound a bit dead on the B, through no fault of the strings used or how they were applied to the instrument. Could it be perhaps that the open B is a dead spot? Does the B in any of the other positions sound weak?