Paulhauser

Calling Warwick experts / Thumb historians here 🙂 I have recently took possession of a mid-2010's Warwick Thumb NT6 which I quite like. It piqued my interest in the model and its history. I had a '91 Thumb NT5 before which I did not like, neither the ergonomics not the sound but this NT6 is surpassing my expectations in both departments and as strange a beast it is I like it a lot (honeymoon period maybe). As this one has EMG's in it not the typical MEC or Bartolini I went a bit of a window shopping trip to see what's out there for sale (used) Only NT, no bolt-on and masterbuilt / whatever it was called before. Not that I need another one but just....you know how it is 🙂 Mainly I was looking for the natural bubinga bodied ones and digging into the model's history I became aware that there are a couple of phases. Like the early ones had somewhat skinnier necks and mainly Barts in them, then MEC came in and also in the 2000's the neck became ovangkol and thicker, too. Also I read about the truss rod/nut issues that were popping up in the same time. So anyone in the know could verify these or point me out what to look for or avoid in terms of woods, time periods, pickups (Mec vs. Barts) Or simply elaborate on the models history a bit (or direct me to someplace where this already have been discussed. What I'd like to especially know: - how much is the difference between Barts and Mec soapbars - which period has the skinnier necks (in Ww terms, anyway) - anything to look for / avoid as if I will ever make a purchase it will be a distance purchase most likely so can't try or inspect (truss rod) Thanks in advance!

Thank you. Secretly I hoped it to be less but alas, no.

What is the string spacing at the bridge on these? I had a TRB-II6P which was a great sounding bass but IIRC the spacing was like 19mm plus they left an ample amount of wood on both edges of the fingerboard so that made it like a Jumbo could land on it. I had a bolt on TRB-II6 before but this was wider (and a lot heavier) My only other Ww so far was a '91 Thumb NT5 which was a disappointment both ergonomically and sound-wise. My recent Thumb 6NT is a pleasant surpriese in both ways. It does not seem to have asymmetrical neck carve though but has a very playable neck (which is thicker front to back that my other sixers but feels great) Keep us updated on the cleaning process as I'm curious....as I was looking at some older natural finished Thumbs and seen some excessive usage of the Ww wax which is not really my liking aesthetically.

I have recently did a trade with Vincent (Rollo). Trading high end basses remotely (ie. not in person) are always a bit risky and based on complete trust in each other. Communication and making sure both parties are happy and kept updated in the process is a key element of a flawless transaction. This was my first deal with Vincent and couldn't be happier with the way things went. Great communication, bombproof packagind and fast shipment - plus I got what was promised to get and in a condition it was described. I was a bit sad letting one of my basses go but I got another great one in which I'm happy about so in the end it has been great. I would deal with Vincent again without hesitation, great and trustworthy person! Have fun with you new bass!

@DiMarco how are you liking the Thumb? Any pics of it? I recently got my Thumb NT6, a fairly recent one and that piqued my interest in earlier NT6's.

Ohh cool. I'm looking at WW Thumb NT6s myself....

I have 4, 5 and 6 string basses so where do I stand? (also two guitars and a few cymbals, too 🙂 )

I see. Pity for that 1977, these are really great basses...

@Eldon Tyrell I'm seeing this and a Forte at Bassdirect. What are you getting? 😉 🙂

@Bunion and @Eldon Tyrell I always thought that these 1977 and 79's have clear coating on them, a satin, thin one but still it is not untreated wood or not oil finished. But I might have been mistaken as clearly the wax must have gone somewhere IN...or simply evaporated into air?

The only thing I'd comment on is the Cobalts have great feel and sound and they are now my preferred strings of choice (yes, pity about the no 6 string set...and would love a .125/.045 5er set, too. I know, they offer single strings, too but they are a PITA purchasing with the options I have)

James, which part of the neck have you problem with? Is it already too wide at the neck or it is fine for the first positions but tapers too much much towards the bridge making it wider as you go for the higher positions? For example the Spector Euro 5 that I use a lot has a tight spacing at the bridge (17mm) and the nut is not wide so the whole fretboard tapers not that much. Whereas my old Yamama TRB had much the same nut measure but the bridge spacing was wider (19mm iirc) so the whole board tapered big time, it became almost like a landing zone for military aircrafts 🙂

Thanks for the compliment about my Spector, all glory goes to Stuart and crew, I'm just the caretaker 🙂 As for spacing, I've been there, done that and enough time, basses and experiences passed that I understood my needs and preferences. Sure, I can adapt to almost anything (and my gigging Spector has 19mm but I play that with a pick so that's another story) but in this day and age where we bassists are blessed with an abundance of product to choose from or even have one made and tailored to our own needs one doesn't need to make compromises as long as finances and availability allow. I just feel at home a lot more with tighter spacing, that also goes to my 5'ers, too (17mm)

While I use a BEAD tuned 4 string Spector for my main gig and record with my 5 string Spector NS-5XL so basically all my 'professional' work does not use sixers I have a special place in my heart for them as I love the extended range and actually also the aesthetics of them, too. But they have to be sleek and compact otherwise they won't stay. I liked my Yahama TRB6II and TRB6PII but the necks were too wide and so were the bodies. So anything over 17mm spacing is a no for me (but still I wanna have a Yammie Patitucci at some point even if I know it won't fit) So all things considered I currently have these three six string basses, I have them for quite a long time now so they are keepers. Spector US Forte Ibanez Prestige SR3006 and 5006 (with a heavily customized Spector in the middle)

Cool! Nowadays I'm using either HiBeams / Fatbeams or EB Slinky Cobalts (these are great!). They all sound awesome on my Spectors (and others, too)

Well, it surely is not a bright thing to mess with the Missus especially when shown the yellow card so I get it 🙂 (Fortunately - for me at least- I have enough space in our office room thus no objections so far....)

Well I don't know you, I only read what's down in your signature 😄 I wrote this elsewhere in this forum but I think some of the best basses that ever came out of the Czech workshop are these two, the 1977 and the 1979. I don't play 4 string basses. Or rather, my main gigging bass is a Euro 435 tuned to BEAD but that is another kind of 4 string. And I use my other 5 string Spectors (pictured above in this thread) for recording and gigging as I seem to have to have the low B. So in a way I don't have a practical reason to own two 4 stringers that I only play for fun, but I happen to have lots of fun playing the along with some of my fav songs and that is fair enough of a reason to own them (being privileged as no monetary nor space issues could go between us)

Ohh come on you know you are gonna regret THAT.

Nice score, quite a bit of figuring on that one. Seems like you weren't drunk when making this purchase (= very cear minded and clever decision 🙂 ) As for my '79 I have no plans putting up for sale soon, but even if I did me being in the EU a purchase from me would be a hassle now post-Brexit.

Yes they did, it is called Euro 4 LE1977 and it is a wonderful bass, happen to have one. edit: And the new Ian Hill Signature is also a single P https://www.spectorbass.com/product/euro4-ian-hill/

Actually there about are 450-460 pcs of NS-5XL's produced between Stuart Spector started the 35" 5 string NS-5 line and his retirement so there aren't too many to choose from. Of course there are Forte5's and the bolt-on fivers but strictly speaking on the NS-5XL, that's the number. Needless to say that the NS-5XL continues to be built after SS sold the company but still in very small numbers, I think now they are around the 500+ mark overall.

That's a tricky question as these don't come up for sale used very often. I can't seem to find any used NS-5XL in the EU right now and after quick check none in the UK, too. There was a beauiful violet NS-5XL for sale here a few months ago with some info on the pricing

I think that it’s more of an issue of having a honeymoon really. Maybe you are spending all your available time with your new bass because it is new not necessarily because it has six strings - although that might be the key reason 🙂 Six string basses are great by the way, I do enjoy having a run on mine occasionally

These two posts summed up pretty much what I have been observing. I hold Roger in high regards, had and used a few of his basses (both Metro and NYC) and a RV5 Metro in white is still on my list but really... I am following all of this with a sunken heart. It all could and should have been going differently.

Yes, I think this is one of the main reasons apart from maybe customization at some basses, where the customer requests something specific like the neck profile. First I was a bit surprised to be honest, I sort of expected these being exactly the same (and I had another NS-5XL which again was also non-identical) but now I see this as every one of these being a bit different, like having their own personality as opposed to uniformly manufactured mass produced instrument (which I also happen to like for different reasons) Since replies are always better with pics, here is one with the two in question being on the left.