warwick thread

[Kev]

On 18/01/2021 at 22:14, legalbass said:

How well balanced is this bass? Any real issues with neck dive? I keep seeing photos of the Thumb bass and I must say it is quite possibly my next purchase... thanks!

Very well balanced.  I haven't had an NT 4 Thumb that has had any neck dive issues.  The 5 strings and bolt on models suffer a lot more from it.

[tauzero]

My 1987 JD Thumb is a little bit neck-divey - any strap which isn't slippery stops it though. Top horn extends to the 16th fret, it's not an early short horn one. My 2000 NT with a reprofiled neck is similar.

[MM Stingray 62]

Hi does anyone know what Warwick bass these tuners would have been on? I recently bought a 1968 fender jazz and these tuners were on the bass. I have now replaced them with original fender ones.

 

[warwickhunt]

HPW of Warwick initially made Jazz copies, closely followed by his 'TV bass'.

https://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2017/09/luthier-spotlight-hans-peter-wilfer-of-warwick/  

[Kev]

Certainly none of their core range of instruments, the gotoh type is exclusively used.  Warwick did at a time make budget Jazz bass copies, although I thought this was long enough ago to refer to West Germany on the key, rather than just Germany.  Interesting one!

EDIT Of course John beat me to it 😂

Edited January 29, 2021 by Kev

[MM Stingray 62]

Thanks for that I did a search but couldn’t find anything at all.

 

[LeftyJ]

My two Streamer LX's 

Left is my 2003 Streamer LX5 in Nirvana Black transparent HP (high polish), right is a 2002 Streamer LX4 in Burgundy Red HP that I recently acquired and have barely been able to put down since. The 5-string originally had gold hardware too, but when I got the bass around 10 years ago, much of the goldplating on the bridge had worn off. Both have chunky ovangkol necks, but I find them comfortable enough to play. The 5-string has been my main axe in my metal band, where it's had to punch its way through a full mix with two 7-string guitars and some keys, and it did so with ease. The tone is a bit scooped but thick and bright, and with just a tiny edge of Ampeg dirt it really does the trick. 

They're only 1 year apart, but have two striking differences: the 5-string originally came with a JAN2 (which was broken when I got it, I replaced it with a corian JAN3 but none of the available nut widths fully matched! I had to sand one down to the correct width) but the 4-string has an original JAN with individual string height. The 5 has the quick-access electronics cover, but the 4 has the old-style cover that is screwed on in threaded inserts in the body. I wonder if it's a lefty thing, I'm pretty sure the quick-access compartment had been around for a while in 2002 but maybe only on righties until then. 

Edited February 8, 2021 by LeftyJ

[Risk101]

Love that Nirvana Black transparent high polish!!! I used to have a 5$$ in Nirvana but the non-high polish finish marks so easily!  The black hardware really finishes it off nicely 👍🏻👍🏻

[Doctor J]

On 08/02/2021 at 11:26, LeftyJ said:

They're only 1 year apart, but have two striking differences: the 5-string originally came with a JAN2 (which was broken when I got it, I replaced it with a corian JAN3 but none of the available nut widths fully matched! I had to sand one down to the correct width) but the 4-string has an original JAN with individual string height. The 5 has the quick-access electronics cover, but the 4 has the old-style cover that is screwed on in threaded inserts in the body. I wonder if it's a lefty thing, I'm pretty sure the quick-access compartment had been around for a while in 2002 but maybe only on righties until then. 

Nice. My 91 SS1 has the quick release back plate so they definitely had been out for quite a while, though mine is right-handed. It's interesting that it has the JAN1 too, I thought the JAN2 (never saw one which wasn't broken by the way 😂) was standard from the mid 90's at least. Could yours be some kind of retro spec edition instead of standard for the time?

[Kev]

Quick access was brought in late 1990 I believe, but as with almost all of the old Warwick revisions, there was overlap.  Jan II came in about 1998/1999, perhaps was replaced by the III in 2006, and eventually the brass III in 2010 for the high end models?

[verb]

On 29/01/2021 at 11:02, marleaux62 said:

Hi does anyone know what Warwick bass these tuners would have been on? I recently bought a 1968 fender jazz and these tuners were on the bass. I have now replaced them with original fender ones.

 

Could they be from a Triumph upright?

[inthedoghouse]

My Fortress family - one of each

I've also got a '96 Corvette and one of the early German Dolphin Pro II that made it thought quality check with a serial number.

Edited February 14, 2021 by inthedoghouse

[warwickhunt]

I had a Fortress with the 2-Tek bridge.  Great bass but the bridge added about 2lb to the weight!  LOL

Is your Pro II black?  I've seen less ambiguity with the solid black basses than other colours.  

[inthedoghouse]

Yes,, the 2 Tek bridge is certainly a weighty piece of engineering.  I read on the Warwick forum that there were only about 70 something of them made with that bridge.

The Pro II is a very dark brown, very similar to the Fortress One in my pic above, perhaps a bit darker.  I boiught it off someone on here last year and really like it.

[Kev]

How does the Flashback sound?? I’ve always assumed they sound quite different from the usual Warwick vibe, but I’ve never heard one.

[inthedoghouse]

6 minutes ago, Kev said:

How does the Flashback sound?? I’ve always assumed they sound quite different from the usual Warwick vibe, but I’ve never heard one.

Thanks, Kev

Sound is a very subective matter to everybody, as you know, and depends on the amps, style etc.  But you already know that.  I've never been great at describing how something sounds but if it helps at all, I usually play in 3 or 3 piece rock bands and the Flashback sits very well where my P would usually sit, but a tighter bottom end.  I have something akin to a SVT sound with a touch more top and it does that perfectly.  I'm sure I'm not getting anywhere near the full potential and range of the Flashback but for what I do it's perfect and a joy to play, if a little heavy.

Here are some vids from a band I was in a few years ago.  It sounds better(?) through decent headphones or speakers, as always on Youtube.  I was playing through a TE 500 head, 4x10 & 2x10 with Sansamp BDDI.  Shame I'm hidden behind the PA.

Dave the Bass - YouTube

 

[Fionn]

Some uncluttered curvy goodness 🖤

[Lfalex v1.1]

Would that be a Streamer Pro M, perchance?

Nice.

What are the controls? Bass/Treble stack, Pan, Volume ?

[warwickhunt]

I'm sure I was close to pulling the trigger on that very bass a couple of years ago.  IIRC it is very light weight... yes/no?  

[Fionn]

2 hours ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

Would that be a Streamer Pro M, perchance?

Nice.

What are the controls? Bass/Treble stack, Pan, Volume ?

Yes, it is ... And you’re correct about the controls. When the preamp is bypassed the pan becomes the sole tone control. Yeahhh, the twin-j pickup is a bit of a Pandora’s box. MEC did something very good there.

Mine is one of the rarer early models with the wenge neck and single preamp (those are from the first year of production). Sometime in 1998 they changed to ovankol necks and the twin-preamps. Most Pro M’s are like that.

[Fionn]

2 hours ago, warwickhunt said:

I'm sure I was close to pulling the trigger on that very bass a couple of years ago.  IIRC it is very light weight... yes/no?  

Hi there John. I’ve not really  been on BC for a while. Did you end up moving to the Neuk??

I’ve had this for about five years, but I bought it here from a guy who goes by the name ‘Bamboo’. I think I recall you saying you were eyeing it up though.

So far as weight goes, I can’t weigh it for you unfortunately as I don’t have scales, but it’s significantly heavier than the ‘87 Streamer I had (which is your kind of target weight, right?).

Edited February 24, 2021 by Fionn

[Lfalex v1.1]

11 hours ago, Fionn said:

Yeahhh, the twin-j pickup is a bit of a Pandora’s box. MEC did something very good there...

They certainly did. I have 2 different implementations of the twin-j in my Fortress MasterMan 5 and Infinity SN4.

[Risk101]

So I am taking the reluctant decision to dispose of my Infinity which I've had the joy of owning for a few years now - it will appear in the "for sale" section later. But a couple of quick questions, could one of the Warwick experts on here help me out with describing two of the controls? The volume/pick up pan stacked control also has a "push/pull" on it, but for what?

And I'd also be interested to know what the push/pull on the other stacked knob is supposed to do - I believe it "splits" the bridge pick-up but for what purpose? 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DONT MAKE ANY REFERENCE TO THE SALE AS THIS WOULD BREACH FORUM RULES !!

Thanks

 

David

Edited February 25, 2021 by Risk101
Typo!

[Lfalex v1.1]

I'll guess that one push-pull is active/passive, the other will likely be a coil-tap for the bridge pickup that kills the rearward half of the twinjazz, essentially leaving you with a thinner, more jazz bass oriented sound.

Edited February 25, 2021 by Lfalex v1.1
That's what it does on my Infinty SN4

[throwoff]

19 minutes ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

I'll guess that one push-pull is active/passive, the other will likely be a coil-tap for the bridge pickup that kills the rearward half of the twinjazz, essentially leaving you with a thinner, more jazz bass oriented sound.

This, Warwick love putting the toggle switches in with their HB pickups to coil split. 

The push pull is a direct bypass for the Active, which is nice as if your battery craps out mid gig you still have a perfectly serviceable passive bass.