Lfalex v1.1

Could've been worse. His name could've been Smith. 😉

These look interesting... But The difficulty of getting your favourite brand/type of string in double ball-ache format would put me off. Particularly if you've got the multi-scale 6-er. Been there, seen the movie, got the T shirt with a Status. Even if it's got string clamping screws at the top, it's still a real pain. A pity, because DBE strings can feel really nice in terms of tone, feel and consistency.

Just cheat and bend the G string up that last semi-tone!

If you're referring to the phenolic fretboard with regard to the delamination issue, my Vigier and Yamaha have been fine. My Status' fretboard, on the other hand, was disintegrating before my very eyes. Just keep the fretboard dry and clean and wipe off any sweat. Use a microfibre cloth, but no chemicals or polishes.. As for the modern tone, it can be tamed with the passive tone control on the bridge pickup. String choice can help with this, too, but I guess flats would be a bridge too far!

As an owner of 3, but now 2 Warwicks plus a Vigier Passion 5 s3... Get the Vigier. Especially if it's an s2. More Warwicks will be along later if necessary. In my experience in the studio, the Vigier is much more controllable in the mix and is a doddle to play for extended periods. The same is true for live work. It naturally cuts though better. Not to do the Warwicks down, but they're less consistent from one bass to the next, and the weight/ neck profiles might be an issue for s some. The Warwicks can sound mighty impressive in isolation, but less balanced than the Vigier. My Vigier is really smooth sounding but with bags of headroom if needed (18v EQ) and sounds less impressive until it gets into a mix/band setting. Hope that helps, and good luck!

That's quite lovely. Whilst I like the brushed metal pickup covers, I don't think they'd like me! Corrosion ahoy! Re; The spec sheet.. "Rechargeable lithium battery" Is that in place of the usual 9v or is it something different? I presume it's removable for charging? And does it power both the side LEDs and the EQ? So many questions!

Hmm, vaguely interesting. More seriously, is it Warwick (Germany) doing the building, or their Asian counterpart? This further brings into question the reason for the change. If they can produce the Metro at the same quality at a lower cost, will that saving be passed on to the consumer or contribute to Sadowsky's profits. I can't see how German production costs can significantly undercut the Japanese operation. More questions than answers, there, I'm afraid! Not sure if it's good news or not!

Second hand? Who knows what might turn up? (Edit- beat me to it, Russ!)

I've never not liked most Warwicks I've played. I've only owned German-made ones, and only sold the Streamer LX6 because I had to. My Fortress MM5 is a formidable Stingray alternative, and the Infinity SN4 is superb. Pros; Build quality, reliability, availability of parts and spares. Woody, growly sound, more so from the natural finished ones. TheWenge necks are lovely once played-in Plenty of choice at reasonable prices on the second-hand market. Cons; The Just-a-nut 2 is very fragile. It's been superceded by the 3. Nothing wrong with the JAN 1. The "barrel" Jack sockets aren't the best design ever, but can be replaced. They can be HEAVY! *other heavy basses are available. Some designs are a bit... Idiosyncratic. Thumbs jump off of my lap if I'm seated! Natural wood (unfinished) needs waxing and supposedly might dry out and crack. I've never seen it, though! Some confusion in the range since production has moved to Asian locations. You can easily tell if it's German-made from the woods, quality and finish. Some MEC pickups are funny shapes and can't easily be replaced by other manufacturers' units. The MEC EQs are functional enough, but not brilliant. The headstock design is blobby! My favorites? Dolphins, any of the Infinitys, neck-thru Streamers and Thumbs. The Jazzman pick-up configuration and J/TJ layout. That MEC twin jazz pickup!!

In my quitting experiences, it's nearly always been the primary songwriter's out-of-control ego that's precipitated the collapse of the bands in question. i) They sacked the "lead" guitarist, who was a lovely, unassuming and really talented guy. He really could play. This caused a lot of ill-feeling so he was axed. I attended one disastrous rehearsal afterwards and resigned by e-mail with no gigs booked. Things got worse when the described behaviour resulted in the the drummer and new bassist going. ii) At a charity gig, our de facto band-leader was a complete derrière about us not being prominent enough on the flyers/posters. The drummer and I were appalled at how he ripped into the organisers despite us telling him not to. We conspired to leave in unison after the said charity gig. After the gig, we apologised for his behaviour to the organisers while he was there and quit there and then. The band folded and is no more. I've been fired a couple of times in favour of more "malleable" and younger bassists, and a couple of bands collapsed when members emigrated.. I'd try to resign without anything in the calendar and no other commitments. Every time.

I'd need Elixirs or they'd start corroding! 😂

Maybe the elves could wind faster?

Mine. A 1996 series III 5-string. Still as good as new! Those stainless frets seem to last forever! Still sporting the Kahler bridge, Benedetti single coils and the original Quasi parametric EQ.

Aesthetics aside for a moment, can you try it before you buy? If it's a slightly butchered but plays well and sounds good, maybe it's worth €500? The changes to the electronics might not be for the worse, but I'd probably change the jazz control knobs. As for the ramps... Maybe you'll like them. Maybe not. Lots of options there; Take them off and attempt to fill the holes Replace them with more sympathetic-looking items Leave them on, but at least use some darker screws! If you can check it out in person and it turns out to be good, maybe go for it. Otherwise, I think I'd pass.

On the series III, the two carbon rods (bars? - they look square in profile) run from the tail of the neck blank- so beneath the bridge - to beyond the nut, they near the surface just after the volute. They're visible (just) on my solid black finished instrument. On a translucent finish, they're very conspicuous. I'm not aware of the series II having any adjustment either. That's a full-on graphite through-neck. The series IV is bolt-on but still no adjustment AFAIK. I can't comment on the series I, though. One issue I don't understand is if any relief is introduced during manufacture, either by sanding a curve into the neck or by the rods not being straight themselves. Edit for- I purchased mine (partially) because it didn't have any truss rods to mess with, and they were one of the things I hadn't learned to adjust. (It's ok. I have now!) Also, it's the only bass that I own that doesn't undergo a subtle change in tone from having a "fat finger" clamped to the headstock.

Whilst the UK isn't as cold or variable as Canada, my Passion III hasn't shifted in 23 years.. I guess that bodes well.

It's no coincidence that there's a "soundhole" on the upper shoulder- it's where many such basses have their control electronics. Still, it saves the issue of regular acoustics protecting sound away from the player, and it may well help reduce feedback in amplified situations.

If it's got the Kahler bridge with the bolt-on saddle rails, the spacing is adjustable IIRC.. Certainly was a bargain, though!

Of course, I might be a little biased..

That's real nice. I played #196 a long time ago. It's just like yours, except for not having the pickup surrounds, plus it has chrome hardware. Cracking basses.

Loving "Birdhouse In Your Soul" - They Might Be Giants, there's more where that came from (Why Does the Sun Shine?) "Foxtrot" (Genesis) harbours some winners in terms of lyrics. "Get 'em out by Friday" and "Supper's Ready" The repeated rhyming of "heart" in the Marillion track actually scans properly because of Fish's pacing and delivery against the music. It's "Kayleigh", by the way..

I'll warrant that the balance is better than a regular Thumb NT6..

Re: the Modulus; The consistency might also be partly due to the Phenolic fretboard.. My Yamaha had one, as does my Vigier, so that's a Maple/Phenolic combo and a 10/90 & Phenolic combo. Both are great basses.

Tom Araya certainly has!

Just as well I don't gig... I'd have to sit down. Mine's not my back, it's my right Achilles' tendon. I can barely walk at the moment, and running is out of the question. Does this mean someone else would have to carry my gear? 🤣 Seriously, though, I hope your back improves, or at least that you find a work-around that lets you play comfortably.