CookPassBabtridge

A gift! My word you are very lucky, that’s the bass equivalent of winning the lottery!

This kind of thing prompts a question I often ask in my mind - who is paying for this??

The new website certainly looks nicer but I’m not sure if it’s any easier to use - kind of annoying that I have to filter the search for specific brands rather than click a link to a specific area. As a default it’s just a super long page of everything they have in stock. Maybe an extra landing page or two with that functionality would help things a bit. 

Funny the difference a logo makes - I completely agree! Warwick are notorious for not selling necks separately but it may be different for the Sadowskys…also at the very least they could maybe sell some transfers as a cheaper DIY option? 

2 hours ago, WonkyOne said:

Well what a surprise this thread was to find!!

We supplied kit and crew to "Mick" over 2 months ago, supposed to be payment on the night, then said can we invoice, so did a 7 day invoice, then when that time came round he said he has to wait for venue to pay him, anyway many messages over many weeks of crap the venue were paying him yesterday and we would get paid straight away.....Since then radio silence

So myself and my crew are visiting their next show, next weekend and wont be leaving until fully paid along with the late payment charges!!

Good luck my friend, please report back and let us know how it goes!

That would make sense, I think there is something going on atm. With all my previous experiences being decent I last week didn’t get a reply to an email regarding a high value order (for which I’ve paid a chunky deposit) and is 3 months overdue its delivery date. Tried calling and I’m pretty sure the phone got picked up and put down immediately. Have since emailed again but am still none the wiser. 3 attempts to contact with no outcome ain’t great. 

I’m happy to chip in if something gets set up. Love Dan’s reviews.

On 16/04/2023 at 10:54, Doctor J said:

Metallica are, not Coldplay, they are the Simpsons. Every time you encounter something new, you just can't help but check it out, knowing it's going to be terrible, but are unable to break the mental link between the current dross and the genius early years.

This! Metallica’s first four albums are just perfect. Seasons 3-8 of the Simpsons are just perfect. Everything since then has just been a shadow of what came before. Both are great examples of something legendary truly losing its way. 

Holy necro-thread Batman!

3 hours ago, anzoid said:

I think I would want to see that one in person before buying even at that price as it looks a little on the tired side to me. Particularly would want to run my hand over the back of the headstock to see whether what looks like the joint coming apart is really the case. Otherwise - if you want a Warwick Thumb you want a Warwick Thumb and a Streamer isn't a Thumb, not even close. If it's a 2003 model then it's not a Pro Series but a "proper" German Warwick. 

I've recently sold on a Korean Pro Series Thumb bass that had an ovangkol body with a maple neck and wenge fretboard - the sound really isn't down to just the neck. You wouldn't have been able to tell it apart from my German-built Thumb with ovangkol neck and body and wenge fretboard.

 

And totally with @snorkie635 on the Marmite aspect. You've really got to play one to see if they work for you. I got my first Thumb bass after 15 years of playing a Hohner B2A "cricket bat" Steinberger style thing, so the reach on the Thumb was nothing too difficult, but a wide strap is a must. The Thumb I have now came from @CookPassBabtridge, bought it just over a year ago (I think...) and it's all I've played since (which has been amusing to those who know me because I had a reputation for "new week, new bass" for quite a while). Nothing else comes close and I've been slowly selling off everything else. GAS cured. 

Awesome to hear you’re still loving the Thumb, A! Have you seen the new Ltd editions that have a ‘flip flop’ finish not dissimilar to the peacock colour on your one? I like to think Warwick saw our pics and thought it looked so good they stole the idea haha.

Anyway, how do I pull this back on topic…oh yes, as others have said it’s defo a bass you should try before you buy. The 4 does sound different to the 5 because of the neck pickup placement. In the end it wasn’t quite the one for me but it was easily the most comfortable bass for slapping I’d ever laid my hands on. I did enquire how much a 4 string with the 5 string pickup placement would cost me at the custom shop a few years ago and even then the price was eye watering…dread to think what it would be now! 

22 minutes ago, horrorshowbass said:

This is pretty cool.

Ovangkol neck, not sure fingerboard.

 

https://reverb.com/item/67875793-warwick-lx-streamer-2003-purple-finish

Lovely colour. Not sure but the fingerboard could be wenge. 

For a bolt-on that looks decent I think. The bubinga body is nice as a lot of bolt-ons have ovangkol bodies and necks (similar tonal characteristics to bubinga but cheaper and not quite as pretty). Unless stated otherwise it is probably a GPS, there are a few Korean-made pro series on the used market but the ones I’ve seen tend to have gloss finishes. If you were saving up for a ‘better’ one you’d likely be looking at a neck thru which are pretty pricy these days and will sound a little different to the bolt on in the vid. 

I have a Jam Pedals Dynassor bass compressor and am very happy with it. If you want a very simple interface (which I do) it’s the way to go. Only downside is they’re based in Greece, so would have to factor in additional VAT etc. if ordering direct (I got mine pre B-word). Andertons stock them though and there are usually some on Reverb. 

Signed, not too far off the target now!

27 minutes ago, Rayman said:

Yep, I was looking at another Warwick, but there was just no way on earth I could afford one, so I went down the Reverend road instead. Reverend seem to be keeping their prices sensible for now. 

I’ve just looked them up, the Triad looks like an interesting proposition so I’m going to check it out further. Cheers for the tip! 

14 hours ago, Misdee said:

To be fair , Warwick are a special case. For a long time now they have been trying make their basses more valuable by increasing the prices. Their reasoning is that if they charge the same as Fodera or Wal ect then that will confer equal status on the instruments they produce. 

 

 

Warwick prices in particular have gone crazy. I swear a couple of years ago you could buy a Bubinga GPS Corvette for £900, they’re now around £1800 - literally doubled. Surely they (and others) are at risk of pricing themselves out of the market. Or maybe the economics of selling fewer basses for more money is slightly better for them. Having said that I thought the whole point of the investment in that large factory of theirs was to increase output. All very confusing. 

Warwick are a good example of this situation for me. In my opinion their Teambuilt GPS models used to represent good value for money, but new their prices are pretty eye watering now. They were also notorious for not holding their value second hand but are now often advertised used for more than they cost new a few years ago. I went to view a particular limited edition second hand model 2/3 years ago with an asking price of £1k. I’ve seen an identical one advertised here for £1800. 

I've just watched episode 4 and am enjoying it, but as others have said it's very cheesy and the original songs aren't great (I doubt any band would get signed off the back of those 😜)

It reminds me a bit of Almost Famous, and I'm enjoying all of the 70s visuals as someone who wasn't around then.

On 05/04/2021 at 16:57, MOSCOWBASS said:

My experience with BF big baby t and Big Baby 2 compared to my GR 210 and 112 is that the bottom end is bigger on the BF's. I don't have my BF's any more to do a side by side comparison, but I was always fighting a bit of boom with the BF's. That's why I bought a pair of BF one10s, and they were much better for me, although had to boost top a bit to compensate for lack of tweeters. At the end of the day I was left looking for more volume on occasions, I was pushing the one10s as far as I could without breakup. 

I bought the GR at210 to add to the BF one10s, but the GR 210 was much louder than the 2 one10s and didn't pair too well. So the one10s went and I got the GR at112h instead. I think the BB2 was more FRFR than the GR cabs....although I've still to gig the GRs, only played in the house so far. I like the tighter sound from the GRs. I would be interested to try the GR at110s that are now out....had they been out when I bought the at112, I may have gone for a pair of these instead, to go with the at210.

On 01/09/2021 at 10:07, MOSCOWBASS said:

I had a BB2 and sold it for 2x BFone10s. I found the one10s broke up a bit soon for my liking. I now have an AT210 and an AT112. The AT112 is same as the combo and sounds good. I haven't pushed it as far as the BB2, but it gives more clean power than the BF10s. I like the sound if the AT cabs more than the BFs. Time will tell how the Carbon cabs stand up to wear and tear, but mine are carefully carried in my own car, not thrown in the back of a van.

@ukbassboy you have come to the right place, I recall these helpful posts from MOSCOWBASS a short while back that may help. 

I went to Exeter Uni (admittedly 15 years ago!) and there was a good local music scene. That may well have changed now but the Cavern and Lemon Grove were decent venues and often guaranteed a decent crowd because of the student population.

I love how a selling point in the title is the orange drop capacitor…they cost about 2 quid 😂

17 hours ago, jrixn1 said:

 

The cost of insurance is always going to be more than the expected value of loss/damage - the difference is how insurers make money.  The shops could be getting a special deal like you say, but I also wonder (and this is just a guess) if they just send them uninsured because of the volume that they're trading.  If they are turning over £1,000,000 of basses, it's going to be cheaper to write off £5,000 of lost basses versus paying £10,000 of insurance.

 

It's different if you're an individual and only buying a couple of basses per year - i.e. if you are the unlucky 1 in 100 person whose bass goes missing and can't afford to take a £700 hit because you needed that money this month to fix your broken car etc.

Yeah I think you could be right, retailers may be willing to ‘write off’ any damages given the volume of instruments they sell. Perhaps they consider it in their overall pricing and annual turnover. 

1 hour ago, Waddo Soqable said:

So despite being say, double boxed and secured in the manner a manufacturer might despatch it, they won't insure it? 

How about if a bass is for instance sent "neck off"  effectively disassembled, it's then "musical instrument parts" , and their collective value is surely what it is.. ? 

In my experience, nope they still won’t insure it. If sending in a hard case just isn’t a possibility then my suggestion would be to pack the instrument within an inch of its life (decent soft case, plenty of bubble wrap/newspaper so it can’t move around much), and a very sturdy box. That way even if it does take a battering by a careless courier it should arrive in one piece.

I have often wondered how the manufacturers and shops are covered when sending their stuff through the post though. I guess they must have some kind of special arrangement/contract with their courier of choice that covers them, because of the volume of items they send and the amount of business they bring. 

10 hours ago, ReeV0 said:

So I haven't really found a viable option yet either here or in the link mention previously, for posting a £700 bass (in a soft case & cardboard box) within the UK, fully insured. Pretty crazy

I’ve researched this extensively and yes, unfortunately you’re not going to find anyone who will insure a bass in a soft case. So if you do use a courier you’ll have to invest in a hard case so you’re covered, or take your chances without insuring it. For the latter option, if you paid more for 24hr delivery there’s theoretically less chance of it getting bashed up because there’s a shorter amount of potential time for it to be chucked around a depot etc. 

As someone else mentioned, Overland Express. They were the only viable option I could find for shipping a £2k bass recently. Their insurance covers guitars but it needs to be in a hard case.