Warwicks - What are they like?

[Linus27]

Back around the late 80's, I had an advert from Warwick advertising a Streamer. It was the light ash or maple colour that they do and it had yin and yan dot inlays. I fell in love with it and always wanted one. However, I am a Fender bass player through and through. I love the feel, the neck length and the sound of the Fender basses. They are perfect for me as a player. The only other non Fender bass I love is a Stingray. Apart from the sound which I am not keen on, it basically looks and feels like a Fender so thats good enough for me.

So, am I going to like a Warwick Streamer? I was looking at the Jazzman as that has a bolt on neck (I hate through neck basses) and it looks pretty straight forward. One concern is the neck looks so long. It has 24 frets where as the Fender has 20.

What sort of sound will I get from it? I keep hearing about this Warwick growl but I prefer the smooth well balanced tone that you get from a Fender and certainly not the middle sparkly sound from the Stingray. Are they quite versatile tonally?

Before I think about spending some money in the future, just wondering what the general feeling is towards them. Thanks for any help. By the way, I will never sell my Fender Jazz or my Stingray. I just fancy making one of my dreams come true and getting a Warwick I fell in love with.

[Lfalex v1.1]

As a Jazz, Streamer (LX) , and Stingray (5) owner, I suppose I'm qualified to comment!

The Streamer is [i]arguably[/i] one of the better Warwick efforts on a number of fronts;
i) Ergonomics (Spector got it right. Warwick "borrowed" it)
ii) Number of available configurations, 4,5,6 bolt-on, neck-thru, P/J, J/J, Soapbars, J/MM, MM/MM (the DoubleBuck) JJ (Pro M)
Add to the mix good hardware and generally good build quality (all I've seen on here were knackered Truss-rods, and I think only 2 or 3)
Tonally, just choose one that suits- Trying before you buy, naturally!

The downsides?
They [i]can[/i] be heavy. Both my Streamer and Infinity are. Others are not, though.
They do polarize opinion a bit, but that's normally related to the aesthetics (and then seldom the Streamer!) and the neck dimensions of the 4 stringers- particularly the recent ones.
I guess I prefer the Wenge necks to the Ovangkol, but they're both quite stable.
Personally, I like the Jazzman. It's very versatile, as is the DoubleBuck Streamer.

As for the 24 fret thing, you soon get used to it. It's not that great a difference, especially as the first 20 frets on both basses are in the same place realtive to the bridge (All the basses you've mentioned are 34" scale) The extra 4 just eat into the body a bit more, requiring deeper cut-aways.

Do Stringrays and Jazzes even have the same number of frets? The 'Ray 5 has 22.
I have basses with 20,21,22,24 and 26. Swapping to and fro rarely causes me much grief. Only occasionally do I charge up the neck and run out of frets, expecting there to be more...

Hope this helps a bit.

[doctor_of_the_bass]

Best thing to do is find a music store near you that stocks Warwick - take your amp/rig down there and try a load out; if not, perhaps there are fellow Chatters near you that might be able to help. Don't forget that each and every bass is different; going to a dealer is definitely the best way forward in finding one that suits you and your needs.

ATB!

Nick

[lemmywinks]

You might need to adjust to a comfortable playing position, they hang differently to fenders and the necks tend to jut out a bit more. I have had 3 warwicks and two of them are keepers, the necks are an experience in themselves and are probably my favourite neck profile

Have a look on the warwick forums, the guys over there are very helpful

[Linus27]

Thanks for the help everyone, I do plan to pop down to Andertons and have a play of some soon.

Lfalex v1.1, thanks for the input, especially as you have a Jazz and a Stingray like me also. How does the Streamer compare tonally? Can it produce a smooth tone, similar to a Jazz or does it have a very distinct sound like a Stingray?

[largo]

If the bass you fell in love with had the ying yang inlays, it was a Streamer Stage II.
Absolutely beautifully built basses, and a great tone as well. Growly if you like, or would give the Fender'ish tone you like as well.
Bad news is, it's a thru-neck. I've owned 4 Stage II's over the year, and love the instrument. A completely different feel to Fender mind you, so you should really try them out. Played a few other Warwick styles as well, but definitely believe the Stage II is the best of the bunch.

[BigBadBass]

Im prob gonna sound like a total idiot but what's the difference between a stage I and a stage II?

[Captain Rumble]

[quote name='BigBadBass' post='636161' date='Oct 25 2009, 02:57 PM']Im prob gonna sound like a total idiot but what's the difference between a stage I and a stage II?[/quote]
And me what is the diference ?

[Chris2112]

[quote name='Captain Rumble' post='636203' date='Oct 25 2009, 03:42 PM']And me what is the diference ?[/quote]

Streamer Stage one - typically, maple neck and body, often with P/J pickups.

Stage two - Afzelia body and neck with wenge stringers in the neck. Also has the "yin yang" inlays. Typically with jazz bar shaped single coil pickups.

[gary mac]

What's to hate about a through neck?


I'm not being argumentative, just interested.



Never owned a Warwick but have lusted after some of them.

[Linus27]

[quote name='gary mac' post='636262' date='Oct 25 2009, 04:45 PM']What's to hate about a through neck?


I'm not being argumentative, just interested.



Never owned a Warwick but have lusted after some of them.[/quote]

Visually I think bolt on necks look nicer. However, I think its more of a deep down sub concious thing. I had an old Ibanez Musician bass once that was a thru-neck and the neck snapped off. Ever since that, I have always prefered a bolt on

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='Linus27' post='635994' date='Oct 25 2009, 11:15 AM']Thanks for the help everyone, I do plan to pop down to Andertons and have a play of some soon.

Lfalex v1.1, thanks for the input, especially as you have a Jazz and a Stingray like me also. How does the Streamer compare tonally? Can it produce a smooth tone, similar to a Jazz or does it have a very distinct sound like a Stingray?[/quote]

As a rule, yes. Mine (an LX 6) certainly can. It has a Maple body, Wenge Neck and Duncan Soapbars in it. Roll off the treble a smidge, move my plucking hand toward the neck a bit and favour the neck pick-up.
Do be aware that other variables really can alter the way a bass plays and sounds. The Warwicks all seem to ship with either Yellow Label (Nickel) or Black Label strings. Changing them can alter the tone and feel of an instrument quite dramatically.
My 2 Jazzes (07 Squier VMJ and 02 MIA S1 Jazz) are wearing DR FatBeams and Sunbeams respectively. The VMJ can sound positively vicious if you dig in. The change to Sunbeams on the MIA was astonishing. The extra output not least.
The 'Ray is fretless, so it's a bit of a different story...
Moving away from the Streamer, the Infinity is excellent, very versatile.

I agree that the design of some Warwicks can "throw" the first fret further away than a Jazz would, but the Streamer suffers less from this than the Thumb, Infinity, Corvette do.

The Wenge Fretboards are a good thing IMO. They do subtly influence the sound, but are tough and don't show dirt!
Ultimately, you've got to try them and see if they're for you.
DO [b]wear[/b] one standing up, rather than balancing it on one knee (!) That way, you'll be properly able to judge weight, balance and reach.
In terms of design, I'd rate the Streamer (and it's Spector realtives) as something of a "sleeper classic". No, it's not as iconic as a Jazz, Precision, Rick or 'Ray, but I reckon it slots in just beneath. There's a reason for that. It is a genuinely good design.

[Vasquez Rich]

I have a '93 Fortress, one of the first they brought into the UK (see my pic left), with a few extra little body scallops on etc.. it's been my favourite bass since the day I bought it. I do like the Streamers though and my back up is a (Korean) Spector NS2A from 1988... the Spectors and the Steamers are almost identical in body shape I have found.

The neck on mine is fat and made of un varnished Wenge, as is the fingerboard. To be honest I find it a little disconcerting now to play a bass without that open grained feel to the neck.

In short, yes, if I was in the market for another bass then Id be looking at a Steamer, I've always wanted a red high gloss finish one, neck through they are lovely basses.

Richard

Edited October 25, 2009 by Vasquez Rich

[Linus27]

Thanks again for all the info and advice. I have been looking at prices of Streamers and they are pretty expensive. However, the Corvette is very affordable, just a shame the Streamer looks so much nicer.

So whats the difference between a Warwick Streamer and a Spector? Is one better than the other.

[NancyJohnson]

I had a five-string streamer for a while. Honestly it was very nice and certainly a good step up from what I was playing at the time. It was however a bolt-on and it went through three necks before Warwick put a wenge one on, and after that (well for me at least) it was close to perfection. It was comfortable, great phat tone, nice B-string.

A few years after I got it, we had moved house and I sold the bass on to cover some building work (something that also happened to the Aerodyne that's in my avatar). Sad time. I don't know if I'd go back to be honest, the Lakland is great and I'm kind of falling in love with my Bongo. I'd echo the words of an earlier poster...it's a sleeping classic.
P

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='Linus27' post='636507' date='Oct 25 2009, 09:12 PM']So whats the difference between a Warwick Streamer and a Spector? Is one better than the other.[/quote]

Assuming you are comparing like with like (SSI v NS2)... depends who you ask.

Essentially they are just variations and one is not better than the other; just 'different'!

[LennyP]

I have an '87 Warwick Streamer neckthrough which is definitely one of my favourites and would not think of selling it - very slim neck, light cherry body wings, PJ pups - great on a 2 hour gig. However, I had a Streamer Jazzman 4 for a few years and while very versatile, I found it to be a bit compressed in the lows and had too chunky a neck for me, so traded it on. I am a great Fender fan also, specifically P basses. From personal experience, I have made the mistake of buying a bass and expecting it to sound like a Fender. Warwicks are different in a great way IMHO and now I just enjoy the difference and use each bass for the occasion that most suits it.

Great advice above - Go and try them. Like Fenders, some appeal and some don't. Althought the Stage II is arguably the cream of the crop.

Good luck in the search!

[LukeFRC]

I have an old stage one. Fantastic.

It's not a fender, its not trying to sound like a fender and it doesn't really. What it does do is sound like a good warwick streamer. If I want to sound like James Jamerson I pick up the P bass.....

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='638664' date='Oct 28 2009, 12:13 AM']It's not a fender, its not trying to sound like a fender and it doesn't really. What it does do is sound like a good warwick streamer. If I want to sound like James Jamerson I pick up the P bass.....[/quote]

Similarly I've got an old Thumb bass, sounds great - just like a Thumb bass! But I've also got a Jazz strung with flats which I use for that thumpy old "trad" bass guitar noise when I need it.

To the thread starter: If you're a Fender die-hard you might find Warwicks a bit strange in terms of ergonomics, but (for me anyway) that just takes a bit of getting used to. As for the sound, while it won't sound like a Fender you will like the sound. Whether you can use the sound is another matter, but you won't dislike it.

[spacecowboy]

I think the main thing here is to never compare two basses that you own or are going to own.

I have a 26 Fret 5 string Warwick Thumb Neck Through, a 24 fret 4 string Streamer Stage II Neck Through, and a 20 fret Jazz Bass, all feel different, sound different, play different and i use them for very different things.

Warwicks i have found can be very cut and dry, out of the 7 i have owned i have only kept two, both are pre '90 and therefore have a very slim neck profile, very Jazz like, i personally found it very hard to get comfortable on the newer neck profiles the only reason being is they're so wide, *D Profile* compared to your Jazzes *C Profile*

I agree with the guys above who reccommend you try them out before sealing a deal, you can get fantastic prices for some of the newer Warwicks second hand £300 - £400 can easilly bag you a nice Corvette, and i once bought a mint condition Streamer LX for £500. So keep your eyes peeled as its always a buyers market for these basses.

[Linus27]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='638671' date='Oct 28 2009, 12:20 AM']Similarly I've got an old Thumb bass, sounds great - just like a Thumb bass! But I've also got a Jazz strung with flats which I use for that thumpy old "trad" bass guitar noise when I need it.

To the thread starter: If you're a Fender die-hard you might find Warwicks a bit strange in terms of ergonomics, but (for me anyway) that just takes a bit of getting used to. As for the sound, while it won't sound like a Fender you will like the sound. Whether you can use the sound is another matter, but you won't dislike it.[/quote]

I think this is my biggest concern, the ergonomics. I love the feel of Fender and Musicman basses. Warwicks to me look drop dead gorgeous but look to have all the things I hate about a bass. Long necks, lots of frets, slim bodies, pointy horns etc. However, until I try one and hang it around my neck, then I will never know so I think the sooner the better. As for the sound they make, I'm not so concerned about this. I know they are going to sound good. I might try and go this Friday and have a play of a few.

[Brave Sir Robin]

A Streamer sounds the ticket. Probably the WW that is the easiest on the eye, and also comfortable. If you try a Thumb, try them with a strap.

[RussFM]

Don't discount the Spector Rebop if you're looking at a bolt-on Streamer shape.

I'm a Fender player, have been for years, but kept coming back to the Spector NS2 shape (even tried a Rock Bass Steamer but that didn't cut it). Can't afford a Euro or proper Streamer because I'll never sell my Fender, but the Spector Legend did the job nicely, and I played my first gig with it this week. So much smaller and lighter than what I'm used to, but I actually enjoyed the gig more, because I could move around more easily, and I actually had a better tone too!

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Brave Sir Robin' post='639202' date='Oct 28 2009, 04:19 PM']If you try a Thumb, try them with a strap.[/quote]

Yeah it does sit weird, the top horn's not really long enough, your fretting hand naturally sits about two inches further up the neck.

They balance fine though, probably because they weigh a ton.

[xilddx]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='639419' date='Oct 28 2009, 08:20 PM']They balance fine though, probably because they weigh a ton.[/quote]

Oh not again

[size=7][color="#FF0000"][font="Arial Black"]WARWICKS DO NOT WEIGH A TON!! GIDDIT??[/font][/color][/size]