warwick thread

[Rickybob]

Some of the many Warwick's I've had over the past 30+ years.

[Risk101]

Lovely - I find Infinity basses hard to resist although ergonomically to play they are awful (imho) unless you have very long arms! 😂 still tempted to buy another though!

[Lfalex v1.1]

Does anyone know if there are any tuners that are a direct drop-in replacement for the standard Warwick units. I've had 5 fail on my 2002 Infinity,  2 of which were replacement Warwick units. They're just made of really soft metal and keep stripping themselves during tuning. 

 

Ideally good quality- Schaller, Hipshot etc.

[nige1968]

1 hour ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

Does anyone know if there are any tuners that are a direct drop-in replacement for the standard Warwick units. I've had 5 fail on my 2002 Infinity,  2 of which were replacement Warwick units. They're just made of really soft metal and keep stripping themselves during tuning. 

 

Ideally good quality- Schaller, Hipshot etc.

This sort of thing? https://shop.warwick.de/en/parts-for-instruments/warwick-spare-parts/machine-heads-parts/21093/warwick-parts-schaller-m4-machine-heads

 

they can probably advise on drop-in-ness

Edited January 10, 2023 by nige1968

[Pauld]

Hipshot 3/8 are a drop in fit. I have them on a Streamer std.

The Schaller above has the screw hole in the wrong place. They are M4 180, you would need M4 90. 

https://schaller.info/en/machine-heads/292/m4-90-light?c=53

Gotoh GB707 should fit. https://g-gotoh.com/product/gb707/?lang=en

 

[Lfalex v1.1]

Thankyou,  gents.

I shall pursue this further.. and replace the JAN II which  has as also self- destructed. 

[Risk101]

Ooh yes the JAN replacement (especially with the brass one) is an excellent upgrade - the others usually seem to fall apart after a few years use!
The brass JAN does alter the tone somewhat so be ready for that if you go for that!

[tauzero]

Seeing the price of JAN Is, I'm glad I picked up a couple of JAN I 5-strings for about a tenner each a few years ago. I'm surprised that they're five times the price of the JAN III.

[Lfalex v1.1]

I'm probably not that bothered about what goes on there. As it's got black hardware, a black nylon JAN III will look more of-a-piece than a brass one. 

 

Anything will be better than the evil JAN II...

[Pow_22]

My first ever warwick has arrived. To give a short brief - ive always been a flats/p bass type player but always been in love with the tone Leigh Foxx got live with Blondie playing a spector ns-2.  I was lucky enough to pick up a Spector Euro some time back but couldnt bond with the neck. I love that sleek curved glossy black body tho so when this came up well within budget i jumped at it.  Definitely needs gold hardware but loving the feel and sound of it! My warwick cherry is popped 👍

[Fionn]

@Pow_22… How curved is the body on these models? Can you show a picture from the derrière-end of the bass?

[Pow_22]

Not as much as the Spector Euro i had but the back is definitely curved. Hard to photo but…

Edited February 6, 2023 by Pow_22

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, Pow_22 said:

My first ever warwick has arrived. To give a short brief - ive always been a flats/p bass type player but always been in love with the tone Leigh Foxx got live with Blondie playing a spector ns-2.  I was lucky enough to pick up a Spector Euro some time back but couldnt bond with the neck.

 

I know the feeling - I've tried Spectors a few times (four and five strings) but never got on with the neck. At least Spector necks seem fairly consistent over the years, Warwicks have had several different neck profiles in the last four decades.

[Pow_22]

Still working out the controls. From what i can tells its master volume, treble, bass and pan. No push/pull here. Strangely the pan sounds deeper the more clockwise it is and i would assume thats putting more J pickup in so would expect the opposite?

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, Pow_22 said:

Still working out the controls. From what i can tells its master volume, treble, bass and pan. No push/pull here. Strangely the pan sounds deeper the more clockwise it is and i would assume thats putting more J pickup in so would expect the opposite?

 

I would expect clockwise to put more P pickup through - if it had a pointer knob with the pointer towards you, you'd see the pointer pointing more at the P pickup as you turn the knob clockwise.

[NickA]

1 hour ago, tauzero said:

more at the P pickup as you turn the knob clockwise.

That's how my dolphin is for sure.

[Pow_22]

15 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

I would expect clockwise to put more P pickup through - if it had a pointer knob with the pointer towards you, you'd see the pointer pointing more at the P pickup as you turn the knob clockwise.

 but i mean at fully ANTI clockwise the pointer is pointing towards the P pup, as i turn it clockwise i.e towards the J pup it certainly gets beefier and more P-ish.  Its not an issue just seems a bit counter intuitive 

[tauzero]

9 hours ago, Pow_22 said:

 but i mean at fully ANTI clockwise the pointer is pointing towards the P pup, as i turn it clockwise i.e towards the J pup it certainly gets beefier and more P-ish.  Its not an issue just seems a bit counter intuitive 

 

Your pointer is on the wrong side of the knob. If it points vertically up at the mid-point, clockwise goes P-wards and anti-clockwise goes J-wards. If it points down, you'll get what you see.

[Pow_22]

10 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

Your pointer is on the wrong side of the knob. If it points vertically up at the mid-point, clockwise goes P-wards and anti-clockwise goes J-wards. If it points down, you'll get what you see.

Ahh i get you.  Yes i know what you mean now.  I have the knobs on so that at the middle indent the knob is pointing directly down as i wear the bass.  Your answer makes sense now, cheers

[Parkie]

Hi All,

 

Just found this thread & thought I'd put some pics of my bass on here a Corvette $$ with flame maple top.

This is my 1st post so I hope the pictures come out OK.  It's a lovely bass.  I used to have a Streamer Jazzman but never got on with it, until I found out years later the neck was warped.  This put me off the W's, but just bad luck I guess.  So I strayed elsewhere for a bit but was never satisfied kept changing.  But the W's keep louring me back in, I played this & loved it, I think its the neck they feel so organic.  Anyway got a hankering for a Thumb now & thinking of selling this, trust its OK to ask some thumb questions here.

 

I played a 4 string NT the other day & loved it, its about 15yrs old.  But for a similar price I could get a new BO (I haven't tried the BO) would this be a better option?  And I notice the BO is one control missing I think its the mid, any idea why?

Also I am toying with the idea of getting 5 string, I've not really played a 5er before so I assume its just practicing & getting used to it.

And one of the things I like about the thumbs are the woods & organic feel, but I saw a white one the other day 5 string BO & thought it looked really nice too, but is more expensive than the natural or stained options (which I don't understand), any opinion on a white thumb or know why its more expensive.

 

Sorry many questions any advice would be appreciated.

 

And hope you like the pics of the vette (if they come out OK).

[VTypeV4]

I wouldn't worry about age with these things, my Streamer is 22 years old and whilst it's had plenty of use over the years, it's still very much fighting-fit.

 

The NT models are usually the higher end of the Warwick lines so seems to me, you'll be getting a superior spec instrument that would also better value for money in terms of purchase and resale value. The newer BO will no doubt be a lovely instrument (personally, I've never played a badly built Warwick) plus it will come with a guarantee / backup but given the choice of these two, I'd take the older instrument everytime. 😆 Just as a final thought, you could do with playing both back-to-back but I appreciate, this isn't always possible. 

 

 

[tauzero]

If you get on with the NT, I'd go for that - neck profiles changed through the years so it does help to try before you buy. My 1987 JD Thumb NT is fine, as is my similar vintage Thumb 5 NT. I've also had a bolt-on Buzzard 5 and currently have a Corvette 5, and have a Thumb 4 NT that started out as fretted but I had the neck reprofiled to be the same as the JD Thumb and also had it defretted.

[tauzero]

Also, the transition from 4 to 5 takes a little time but you get there. If you're not sure about it, I'd suggest getting a cheap 5-string to get used to it before investing much money in a 5-string Warwick.

[Parkie]

Thanks for the advice gents, much appreciated. If I do get one I will post pics here.

[3below]

Just had rehearsal this morning with full kit.   The first gig of new 5 piece prog jazz rock lineup is in two weeks.  Corvette fretless > Sansamp  RB1> Crown XLS 1502 > Barefaced Dubster.  TI flats and just straight in, no effects whatsoever.  Result - stonkingly good tone (even though I say it myself).