Where's the love for Warwick?

xmrchi · December 2014

Hello all, so I have been doing a bit of trading recently as a way to get what I need sound wise without spending any money!

I traded this brilliant German made, swamp ash Warwick Corvette.
And its so good it has now replaced my old faithful status.

Looking online, there is a lot of respect for the German Warwicks especially as most of the new models are now made in Korea. But the resale is really poor on them and would certainly stop me from buying a new one, does anyone know why?
They used top quality woods and hardware, have pro players play them, the corvettes are no longer made in Germany, are a dedicated brand unlike all the other guitar manufacturers, and last for ever, so what's the deal? :-)
http://i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag268/mrmatthewharper/Mobile Uploads/20141205_234531_RichtoneHDR_zpsewnprxeg.jpg

monquixote · December 2014

Baffles me too.

I have a German Streamer $$ and it cost bugger all SH.

Bellycaster · December 2014

I knew someone in the late 80's who named his son "Warwick" after these Basses. I've noticed they are not as lauded these days, no idea why, they are beautiful Basses.

Paul_C · December 2014

personally I've never liked them

they sound ok, but most I've experienced have very chunky necks, and I don't like the shape of them at all

ThorpyFX · December 2014

My favourite bass style, I thought they were the PRS of the bass world.

xmrchi · December 2014

@thorpy6 maybe that would explain the resale value :-)

johnnyurq · December 2014

Oh I don't know I reckon the wee guy is alright.

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i474/johnnyurq/Silly/warwick-davis-dw-1-460x258_zps1d217823.jpg

Only joking the Warwick basses are very lovely things to play.

telestratjazz · December 2014

In 90's I've had terrible gas for W,and bought old Streamer,probably prototype,because there was no serial No,Spector headstock.Played nice,sounded very good.But,bridge was bad,while G string could not get far from the edge of fretboard,slipping G string annoyed me so much,I traded for Thumb 5 string BO.On Thumb neck badly warped,was heavy and really bad neck dive.Always had 78 Jazz with me,and realized stupid to have W while I prefer much more Jazz.

xmrchi · December 2014

@telestratjazz you had some bad luck there then, every one in have played has been a corker

monquixote · December 2014

Paul_C;436765" said:
personally I've never liked them

they sound ok, but most I've experienced have very chunky necks, and I don't like the shape of them at all

You've probably played older ones then. Mine has a massive neck but my mates modern one is skinny like a jazz bass.

John_P · December 2014

I used to have a streamer. I'd always fancied one and loved the looks and sound but it wasn't an easy bass to play - huge neck and awkward playing position with the neck too far to the left so it was a stretch. My Geddy Lee Jazz is way more comfortable. I still fancy getting a thumb at some point tho :-)

mart · December 2014

John_P said:

... I still fancy getting a thumb at some point tho :-)

Brave! The streamer is a much more ergonomic design than the thumb. I love my thumb, and got rid of the streamer I used to have, but I'll admit that the balance and playing position were much easier on the streamer.

mart · December 2014

monquixote said:
You've probably played older ones then. Mine has a massive neck but my mates modern one is skinny like a jazz bass.

The old ones were quite thin, and the bodies too back in the '80s. I think they went to thicker necks in the late '90s, but then went thin again about 2009/2010. The recent ones that I've tried also had a lovely rolled edge in the fingerboard.

ThePrettyDamned · December 2014

I remember thinking one model had a horn that looked a bit like a sex toy.

Glad I could contribute.

xmrchi · December 2014

ThePrettyDamned;437465" said:
I remember thinking one model had a horn that looked a bit like a sex toy.

Glad I could contribute.

@ThePrettyDamned The first thing I said to the missus when I took the Corvette out to show her was not fun you don't like the sound you can always sit on the upper horn... No lie

mart · December 2014

mrchi said:

ThePrettyDamned;437465" said:
I remember thinking one model had a horn that looked a bit like a sex toy.

Glad I could contribute.
@ThePrettyDamned The first thing I said to the missus when I took the Corvette out to show her was not fun you don't like the sound you can always sit on the upper horn... No lie

And if you thought the Corvette was phallic, you should have seen the Fortress:

http://medias.audiofanzine.com/images/normal/warwick-fortress-masterman-fretless-147148.jpg

xmrchi · December 2014

That's the bloody Germans for you!

Fuzzdog · December 2014

I had a Warwick yeaaaaars ago. Lovely neck, one of the few basses that really made me want to pick it up and play whenever I walked past the stand.

Mykesbass · December 2014

Warwick does seem to be an unusual case in that they were very popular and have now fallen away badly. There are plenty of great brands out there across guitar and bass that have appalling resale value - Godin, and Cort are two good examples, but they never had the popularity of Warwick in the first place. It is also not as though as in the case of Fender in the 70's they went off the boil so badly either. So yes, a real mystery.

littlegreenman · December 2014

Plenty of Warwick love at Chez Green

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/v/t1.0-9/995158_10200651572703968_1762780068_n.jpg?oh=27e88fbd58cb1f3a102a55e934ca4665&oe=553FC0E7&__gda__=1425670314_9d54265e7eac74b4a9d6b6ff9bd8faaa

mrn1989 · December 2014

There is love here too, only had it 3 months and its fantastic...fkin heavy though

http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y382/mikeoranage/10712935_10152786469494540_2125256198966348837_n_zps7ca71506.jpg

bassbora · December 2014

Yes its true there is not much Warwick love around these days. Funny how things are fashionable one day and out the next. But I thought I would chip in on the Warwick love. I regularly gig 3 Warwicks and have been doing since the mid 90's. I bought an '89 Thumb NT 5 string around '97 and it has been my main bass ever since. I loved it so much I had to get a 6 string version of the same vintage but fretless. Both have a very flat and fast neck (the old profile that changed later). Fantastic instruments and even some people think they are a one tone pony I could not disagree more. It responds so well with any change in both your right and left hand technique (specially right hand) and can give an amazing range of tone.

I bought a 5 string FNA Jazzman to be my main gigging bass just in case anything would happen to my 5 string Thumb. Great bass but it does not feel on par with the Thumbs

xmrchi · December 2014

Hopefully like most fashions they will be popular again, to be fair it happend with Gibson and Fender, just a shame Warwick took a lot of the models to Korea, its not that i'm a snob, i'm not a fan of any instruments made in the east, I know they're very good, but they're built there for a reason which is money, and I would much rather buy from the originators of a design not a subsiduary.

Jeremiah · December 2014

Haven't they stopped making them in Korea now? AFAIK it's either Germany for the high end models or China for everything else.

xmrchi · December 2014

@Jeremiah that's a shame!

strtdv · December 2014

You might be right, Thomann was blowing out the Pro series (the Korean ones) a month ago.

Bass guitars fall in and out of fashion much more than electric guitars, so it means you can pick up some real quality kit for very cheap.

The older Warwicks (pre ~2007 or 2009 I think) have chunky necks, the newer ones have slim necks, and the much older ones (~1991ish) have very slim necks. The new ones have a custom shop "broadneck" option which gives you 20mm string spacing vs the standard 17-18mm, this used to be a factory option but sadly now will cost you a small fortune.

I picked up my 2004 Thumb 5 Bolt On (German made and hardly a mark on it) for £500. It was over £2200 new, and the new Thumb 5 Bolt Ons (which have bubinga rather than ovangkol for the body) are near £2500.

I like chunky neck profiles as I tuck my thumb behind the neck anyway, but it is a little on the heavy side (10lbs)

Build quality and sound is unbelievable though

I find the low output pickups quite odd though, a P Bass has more output than a Thumb, but perhaps thats why they sound so "woody".

mart · December 2014

mrchi said:

... I would much rather buy from the originators of a design not a subsiduary.

Best not buy a Warwick Streamer then.

Anyway, here's the most recent photo I have of my bass collection, although I've sold the $$ since this was taken.

(Er, no I can't remember why the mandobird snuck in there; maybe because it has basically 4-strings, tuned EADG, albeit backwards?

)

xmrchi · December 2014

@mart holy fucksocks!! now thats a collection and a half!!!! I respect you love for Warwick mine will never leave me!

LooseMoose · December 2014

Warwick basses just don't fit the fatter gentleman. Sadly that would be me, so there are 'issues' around that.

mart · December 2014

mrchi said:

@mart holy fucksocks!! now thats a collection and a half!!!! I respect you love for Warwick mine will never leave me!

Lol! It looks a bit over the top given how little I play, but my son has effectively taken possession of the red P and the White corvette, so the only one I could sell is the Nobby. And then I'd be down to one solid, one hollow, and one acoustic, which is probably perfect for me.

xmrchi · December 2014

Na keep em all!

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Where's the love for Warwick?

Comments