NJE

Well what a grand day! I have been to three London guitar shows and despite the drums and stoopid teenagers on guitars completely killing classic rock tunes on Ibanez guitars it was very pleasant and I would just about say the best i have been to. It was really great to see Overwater first and foremost, and the guys were really nice and chatty and really humoured me and my bad playing. Dave marks was great on the main stage, and IMHO far more entertaining than Sheehan, Hamm, and that bloke who played on the Ashdown stage. I apreciate and really respect what those guys can do, but to me it just wasnt nice to listen to. Best thing of all from the whole show was GAS CURED! well guitars anyway. After playing some exceptional basses I just discovered that despite them looking a million bucks (or roughly 2K) none of them really played any better than my warwick, and Chris May himself said to me that a first class set up was the key to his basses playing the way they did. I think for the first time the greenest grass is under my feet. HIGHLIGHTS FOR ME WERE: 1. Meeting Billy Sheehan and having a pict taken with the man himself. 2. Watching Stu Hamm and saying a quick hello. 3. Dave Marks on the main stage was brilliant, and i fell in love with his sei headless. Only shame was all that tossy guitar shredding nonsense apart from one guy I saw who must have been the only one that didnt smack on the distortion. 4. I PLAYED AN OVERWATER!! had a lovely chat with Chris May and chatted in depth about his lovely basses. Played a 2k progress 5s which was great and a perception. Both great instruments but happily I can say that they were not really any better playing wise than what I have. In fact found the spacing a bit big, great bases but not for me, GAS cured! 5. I played some lakland skyline basses too. Really didnt like the DJ5 or the JO 5, but the standard 5 string was great. Nice to see them being represented by the PRS people although the guy there knew bugger all. Again liked them but not worth the cash IMHO. 6. The Warwick stand was class. Loved it having ignored it in previous years, and played an awesome maple necked 5 string.

Hi, just going to add my pennies worth as I had a very similar situation to you and asked the very same questions about warwicks. As everyone has said on here it really is best to try as many as possible, but I did not and ended up still winning. I wanted a five string and having palyed fender or fender type instruments for ten years I automatically looked to Lakland, Musicman, Fender, Sadowsky and sandberg when I was looking. I own a musicman 4 and loved the stingray neck and low B, on the 5 string version, but after much looking I couldnt get one in my budget not even used. I looked elsewhere at G&L and nearly bought one after being told that they were every bit as good, if not better than a stingray 5. After some looking around on ebay i saw a warwick streamer Pro M 5string, single pickup discontinued model from the 90s. It looked gorgeous, flamed maple body gold hardware just stunning. I asked so much about the necks and the B strings and got the same replies as you are getting here, "big-ish necks" "sloppy b string" etc. i also got some brilliant advice from people so I went and bought it without trying it, crazy! The result? IT IS AMAZING. the neck is really comfortable and a lot smaller than some laklands and fender 5s I have tried. The B string growls so much and notes across the whole neck are clear as a bell (probably the bell brass frets) The one thing you may find is that the sound from a warwick is almost compressed in my opinion. It is ultra clean but I love that especially after my sloppy rocky musicman. My stingray doesnt get played anymore simple as that. The warwick build quality is in my opinion far better than any fender or musicman, it just oozes quality. Its light its comfortable thanks to the contours, It sound brilliant, the versatility of the hardware (the nut and bridge) is amazing it is just all round stunning and I am seriously considderring shifting the ray for another warwick. The best bit about the purchase was the price. £380 for mine, full warwick made in germany all the right hardware in mint condition with a case. For some stupid reason Warwicks are slumping slightly and they are going for stupid money secondhand. You may even get something amazing for less than your budget. I would say look for older models as a few other people have said. Some of the new corvettes I have played are horrendous in comparison, I played a double $$ the other day and hated it, fire wood compared to mine to be honest but at the end of the day everyones opinions are different. I took a risk with warwick and im never going back.

First, a massive thanks for the nice comments, nicer pics on the way to the porn section soon. I have to say I think I have been lucky as some of the newer five string warwicks I have tried have had MASSIVE necks. But maybe I was just playing the 'wide' option necks available, or maybe they have changed neck profiles since mine was built. Mine is a dream to play, in fact its almost the same as my very slim Stingray 4 neck. I have to say that the sound is very different, it sounds almost compressed, but I love that, its really tight and I know it will just cut through when I get it cranked up with the band. I have to say its not been through a proper rig yet, only my practice amp and through the computer and it sounds really good especially the B just through those. As I said earlier on in the thread, I have played my share of warwicks in the past and to be honest seriously disliked them, to the point where I questioned why anyone would dream of buying one. Why I decided to take the risk after all the negative experience I have had really baffles me now, but it has worked out SO well, maybe it was just meant to be. The only other warwick I tried and liked (and if I remember nearly bought before buying an atk and saving some cash) was a Streamer LX bolt on which was way back in 2000. It was about 2 years old if I remember which puts it about the same age as this model, maybe there was something about these two bases. Apparently they were originally released together according to an old issue of Bassist magazine. MY POINT, FINALLY, is that I think especially now, you should try as many basses as possible. I was too resigned to the fact that I was always going to play fender type instruments with maple necks etc. If you see a Warwick, try it, like me you may never go back. The one thing I will say is that I do love used basses. both of mine are mint but the best part of ten years old and they are really broken in, you can just feel a certain something in the neck and they just have a lovely feel. I tried new Warwicks and Stingrays before buying my last two basses and really didn't like them, I ended up buying a used stingray and a used warwick.....go figure.

Well I looked through ebay and missed out on some cool basses. I finally went with something I never thought I would buy in a million years but i fell in love. It is stunning and I am really really happy with it. here is the link pictures at the bottom. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=18793"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=18793[/url] Thanks for all the wise words though.

I started a thread on my hunt/aquisition of a 5 string warwick. I would highly recomend anyone on this thread to go and check one out. I was never much of a lover of warwicks apart from one streamer LX I played about 10 years ago. I always thought I was a fender (or fender style bass) lover but I picked up a 5 string pro M for stupid money and I dont think i will ever look back. Just go and check them out, as someone said the market is slow for them but fashion will change as it always does. I remeber a period when I could hardly give away my fender. here is mine anyway just incase you didnt see my thread all for the grand total of £375 with hard case, please excuse crappy ebay pics. (sorry dont mean to hijak) [attachment=8536:2d2a_1.jpg] [attachment=8537:35c7_1.jpg]

Ok I havent managed to get my camera out and take some nice pictures yet but here are the ebay pictures to give you a very rough idea. It will have a nice clean soon and some sexy atmospheric photos but here are the crappy ones for now. Will post new ones in the Porn section and link from here. Here goes...... [attachment=8527:3b62_1.jpg] [attachment=8526:2d2a_1.jpg] [attachment=8528:35c7_1.jpg] I love it.

Pics will be up soon, possibly tonight. Someone told me about there being two lots of eq for bothe single coils but I dont think thats the case. I checked an old bassist magazine (there's showing my age a bit) and the review model was the same as mine. It has volume (push pull active passive) pickup blend, and stacked bass and treble as far as I can tell. The sound range is great on first impressions, will bust the amp out properly tonight. The body is unfinished satin maple (I believe) and it has dulled a bit being over ten years old. It still looks great but the chap i bought it off says a wax every two weeks? I am seriously thinking about getting it refinished though. I was wondering if it would be sacrilage to get it laquered and polished up to really make the grain pop out. Anyway will post some pictures tonight. I am so so happy with it, I have had two real bargains from ebay and lucked out, so my thinking now is never buy another bass from ebay without playing it, I cant be this lucky again. More to come.

Well I picked my new Warwick Streamer Pro-M 5 up tonight from a top chap on ebay. The verdict? I absolutely love it. It is in amazing condition, came with a strap a pot of new warwick wax and a trace elliot T-Bass hiscox hard case (bit random but it was free and its a great case). Cost me £375 and a £4 train ride. It plays like a dream I love the tone, and the neck is amazing, very shallow and not chunky at all. I think some black hardware will be on its way in the next couple of weeks but for now we just need to get to know each other. Personally I dont think the musicman will get a look in for a while. I just cant get over the growl and tight ass punch of the warwick, it amazing. I am a total convert......did someone say Stage II? ha ha. There will be picks up soon so I can share my happiness. Thank you so much guys for all the advice, couldnt have done it without you. Nathan

hello hello, Yes it was the warwick on ebay at £375, its the Pro-M streamer, and I just bought it. Had a good chat with the owner and it seems like a bargain, live dangerously I say. I took a risk ordering a stingray without playing and that turned out great so here is hoping it will be the same again. I am hoping to pick it up tomorrow so expect a review and pictures very soon, plus a possible mini build/modifying diary not far off. The hardware is gold and slightly tarnished (its about 10 years old) and im not a gold fan, so I am thinking about ordering some black stuff from warwick to go on the flamed natural body (if we fall in love that is). Thank you all ver very much again guys, would'nt have even considered buying if it wasnt for the advice I have had. Cheers Nathan

Well some of you may have seen the other thread I started asking for info on warwicks. Unfortunately the G&L I was after on evil-bay went to someone else thanks to crappy windows deciding to have a strop (cant wait to get back to my mac). The musicman route is an option still but I am thinking it is a big amount of money to spend on an experiment having never really played a 5 string before. I was also thinking I need something with a different sound to the musicman, so now I am looking at a really nice used warwick streamer. Never expected to be GAS'ing over warwick but here I am. With regard to the ROSCOE BECK if anyone is interested there is one going secondhand from an american store, (sorry maybe I wasn't clear on that). Its bass emporium in texas I believe, they ship here for not a huge amount and its going used for I think £600. I would buy it but it is a bit out of my league and a bit too much 5 string for me at this stage. Maybe someone on here will go for it. Anyway thanks for all the comments, I think there will be a purchase in the next few days. Watch this space!

Thank you all! great great help. Luke if I am ever in your neck of the woods would love to come and try some 'german wood' (that sounds so funny) and would love to see a vigier in the flesh. Also the band sounds bloody good, like it. I think I am going to make a descision on the warwick some time today, It is not a huge investment for a bass of this quality so I am tempted to get it without playing it (slightly risky I know) At the end of the day it is a warwick so it will never be THAT bad worse case scenario. If its growly and can cut through a mix as well as everyone is saying it sounds perfect for what I am after. I fancy something a little less.....how shall I say it tactfully, Muddy/Rocky sounding, as much as I LOVE my stingray and will never part with it. It just might be nice to have another option sonically as I was going to get something close to a musicman but thought why go for similar instruments, try something new. Will let you know what happens, and If I do get my hands on the big W then expect a full on critique. Cheers again with all your help and comments, MASSIVE help.

Hello all, Again I have to say a big thanks for the time people are taking to give me some great info. I should have been clearer, I am looking at a streamer pro-m 5. Its the dicontinued model with the single humbucker at the bridge. The info I have is that it is all wenge laminate neck and a flame maple body. I am liking what I am hearing and if the neck is jazzy then thats great. I want something different and everything people have said about the tone and the sound sounds just what I am after. Well I am going to think about it over night and I may be a convert by the morning. Big thanks so far. Nathan

I am really not having a huge amount of luck looking for a five string. I just got beaten to a G&L on the bay because windows decided to have a fit. I have another thread going enquiring about laklands, musicman etc but wanted to know about these german bad boys im seing around. Anyway, I have been slightly turned on by a Streamer 5 and was just wondering what the 5 string warwicks are like having only played a 4. Are the B-strings any good and what are the necks like on them? are they beefy affairs or quite slick. It is a bolt on and wenge neck so just interested to know what they are like. Looking to try one on tuesday but thought I would get a heads up first. What are peoples thoughts on Warwicks in general? Im looking for something different from my musicman. I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks. Cheers Nathan.

[quote name='Doc B' post='190355' date='May 2 2008, 10:53 AM']Shouldn't Quincy Jones get at least some of the credit for that?[/quote] I am ashamed to say I had no idea who played on the records I just have a compilation CD someone made for me. I know Guy Pratt did some bass for him.

I have to say the whole thread is brilliant but these two messages had me crying with laughter. Thank you you have made my sunday start of with a bang........."some dead hippy" genius! [quote name='BigBeefChief' post='190862' date='May 2 2008, 09:12 PM']Are you saying the unbiased journalist and the musicians they pay (who are unknown outside of the bas playing community) of Bass Player magazine would attach a disproportionate amount of praise on an instrument just because [color="#FF0000"]some dead hippy once played a couple of notes on tiny percentage of the parts which now constitute said bass?[/color] I'm fed up with you conspiracy theorists.[/quote] [quote name='finnbass' post='190909' date='May 2 2008, 10:27 PM']Sounds like Trigger's broom [/quote]

Thank you all. I am still mulling things over. I would LOVE to try them all but may have to just punt for one in the end. I have tried the tribute l2500 and they are good, just wondering if the american ones differ. (I assume they use same dimensions). If the stingray has the narrower string spacing I think thats got to be a fore-runner. I'm watching a few basses on evil-bay and there is a potential musicman in a well respected american store. The G&L is only £450 on ebay day to go, no bids. STILL lots to considder. Funny you mention the Roscoe beck, it caught my eye in the sale thread and there is one at a good price in the same store as the musicman. I love active but the beck is rather beautiful though..... oh man I thought I had it down to 4 basses and another option comes along.

been going through some michael jackson, particularly thriller and beat it. I dont care what people say about him, he was a genius......evil genius maybe but still genius. He had some great bass parts and bass players.

thanks for the comments. I am looking at a few basses and one in the line up is an L2500 as well as the stingray. at the moment the G&L is coming out cheaper so wondering which to go for? the slim neck is what i like but wondering if I will learn to love a slightly bigger neck to save on some cash. I do love the versatility of the G&L's we shall see what happens. the musicman ends before the G&L so if it goes to hight I might just have to go G&L. Thanks again

wow this is probably one of the first posts I probably have a little experience on. I have a stingray 2-band EQ (I prefer it to the 3 band but both good). I always wanted a musicman, right from the start and when I was looking there was the stingray and sterling (this is pre bongo). I really liked the neck profile of the sterling and I would say it is a little faster (closer to a jazz bass profile) than the stingray (more of a P-bass neck). I also found it had a little more bark and grunt than a stingray but maybe it was just that one at the time, the sterling was maple neck, stingray was rosewood. The BIG issue for me was the size of both basses. I am quite big 6ft 1" (that one inch makes the difference to me) and Im not exactly stick thin and the sterling just looked tiny on me and a little silly. It sounds mad that size should be the deciding thing for me but you have to be comfortable. My point I suppose is that they are both great and if you try them side by side there are really only subtle differences IMHO. From what I know the Bongo is a very different beast and a lot more flexible but that is just based on others opinion. Sterling's seem to be going for a little more secondhand at the moment and Stingrays are slow sellers at the moment so it may be the time to bag yourself one before the fashion swings back around. I have sold and swapped plenty of bases but my stingray is never going anywhere if that helps......probably not.

hello, I have fallen for 5 strings recently and am looking around at the possibilities. Now I am not a small chap so something in the fender vein would be good, eg Lakland, MusicMan, G&L, and of course fender. I absolutely love the stingray 5 neck and find it one of the best low B's around but what are the others like? Is the G&L neck any bigger, than the stingray, and what are the lakland 5 necks like? is the DJ5 neck slimmer than the standard Lakland? Any comments or info would be great please.

Hello all, Im thinking about getting a stingray 5 from basscentral. Its about $1000 so what should I be expecting to pay in shipping and taxes? am I right in thinking the grand total would be around £650 - £700 I'm really happy some of you have successfully been down this route, makes me feel a lot better about it. Also How long was delivery? Thanks Nathan

You have probably already seen it but at long long last MusicMan have finally put up a brand new site with the brand new STERLING 5. Great site finally giving the instruments the web space they deserve. check it out: [url="http://www.music-man.com/instruments/"]http://www.music-man.com/instruments/[/url] Who wants a STERLING 5?

Well paid a visit to the music shop in Cardiff on saturday and tried out some Markbass heads. I tried the litlle mark 250 and the SA450. I also tried an ebs gorm combo to get an idea of the sound. I have to say I had my reservation about Markbass for some reason but I really really liked the sounds and the two funky VLE VPF controls were quite snazzy. EBS was good but didnt really give a good idea as the shop was noisy. Thanks for the input for heads, I have heard good things about the genzbenz stuff, trying it may be an issue though. I called Overwater on friday and the Iamp 300 is out of the running. All sold out and none in until July. I spoke to Laurence I think and he was so nice and helpful. He also offered me and EXTREMELY good deal on an Iamp 500, but it was still just a bit too much for me, but Top Top guy. So result is I am thinking about going for Markbass at the moment and am going to look around for a good deal.