deaver Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I'd never played a Warwick until this afternoon when a brief family excursion for tea and cake managed to take in this [url="http://www.oasismusic.co.uk/acatalog/Warwick_Bass_Guitars.html"]Warwick[/url] I liked it so much I almost had it off them there and then. However I'm by nature a cautious soul so erred on the side of research instead as I find the Warwick world much confusing. First off I'd have to say that this felt and looked like £500 worth of bass guitar but is there better value in the Warwick market at this sort of price? Any advice welcome at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I remember buying one of those new for £360. That's pretty over priced. Halve it and take a little bit more off, that's what you should be able to get them for on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth1982 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 (edited) The price of warwicks has fallen so much over the last year or so. I sold my immaculate 5 string passive bubinga Corvette for 480 earlier this year. The bass you played is a streamer, the kind of entry model of proper warwicks (they also do a budget 'rockbass' range). The streamer is a lovely instrument no doubt, but like I said, the secondhand prices at the mo are stupidly silly. Have a look on ebay completed listings and I'm sure you'll see what I mean. I reckon a used streamer like this would struggle to fetch 300 at the moment, so it's overpriced if you ask me....not that it's not a as good as some 500 pound plus basses, because it most certainly is! I need to buy another Warwick cos I miss mine. Edited August 11, 2011 by gareth1982 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Streamer Standards like that go for around £200, don't pay more than that. They were the precursor to the Rockbass range, notice the similar shape (no contours), body wood, passive pup(s), front mounted jack, one piece bridge... Think of it as a Warwick neck on a Rockbass body. I had the single pickup version, nice necks but not one of the nicer low end Warwicks, my Corvette totally blew it away. Budget £400 and try to pick up a Fortress or Corvette. Keep an eye on eBay and you might get lucky with one of the higher end models too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Get a Streamer or a Thumb. There are various Streamers that can be had for decent prices, mainly LX models but with a few Jazzman models in there too. I paid £590 for a bolt on Thumb two years ago, it was a 1999 model in mint condition; they are fantastic deals. I would avoid the Corvettes personally because I don't like the shape or the pickup placement. The best Warwick IMO is the Thumb, thats what Warwick is all about. I'd avoid any of the $$ models or any model which uses a lot of ash wood, like the ash bodied Corvette Standards. They just don't sound quite 'Warwick' to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I'll sell you a minty 2001 Streamer Stage I for £900 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Four words. [b] Second Hand On Here[/b] No, really. There are some lovely, proper, German Warwicks for silly money in the For Sale section. I know they're grossly unfashionable, but they're generally solid, well-made basses. Try out; Streamers/Jazzmen/$$ Corvettes/FNAs/$$ Fortresses Thumbs Dolphins Infinities Might want to avoid; Strykers (!) Buzzards Vampyres (too pointy!) Katanas (too blobby) Dark lord/ Taranis / odd tuning variants Anything that once had frets but now hasn't Fortunately, the second category are in the minority around here. Try some out and see. I own a Streamer LX6, Fortress MM5 and Infinity SN4. All are excellent basses and wildly different from each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaver Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 [quote name='Dubs' post='1336954' date='Aug 11 2011, 08:21 PM']I'll sell you a minty 2001 Streamer Stage I for £900 [/quote] Well, having had a quick look around I think it would have to be a Streamer as I'm not that keen on the other body shapes. Would be looking at sub £500 though and I haven't really got the cash at the moment (always happy to receive cheeky offers). As always thanks for all the comments - if I could find a Streamer Standard like the one I played today for £200 I'd be very happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan2112 Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 I'm really amazed at how low the resale value of Warwick's are.....very very well built instruments! Though their shapes can be a bit.... phallic? Anyone know why their resale value is so low? As others have said....I think £500 could get you a higher end Warwick that the streamer you have mentioned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 [quote name='dan2112' post='1337222' date='Aug 12 2011, 05:16 AM']I'm really amazed at how low the resale value of Warwick's are.....very very well built instruments! Though their shapes can be a bit.... phallic? Anyone know why their resale value is so low? As others have said....I think £500 could get you a higher end Warwick that the streamer you have mentioned![/quote] Well the Streamer the OP was looking at was their cheaper model, hence all the missing features and Rockbass styling. They rightfully go for around £200 as they weren't that expensive new. Corvettes are an interesting one, the retail of the German Standard (now discontinued) was recently about £1k IIRC, whereas when i bought mine in 2002 the actual selling price was £600 for the Standard Active in Ash. Their used price of around £400 seems fair considering that. I guess there's just not that many people willing to pay the "correct" prices for the higher end Warwicks these days. I guess instead of selling them we should all just buy another while they're still cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaver Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 [quote name='lemmywinks' post='1337275' date='Aug 12 2011, 09:24 AM']I guess there's just not that many people willing to pay the "correct" prices for the higher end Warwicks these days. I guess instead of selling them we should all just buy another while they're still cheap![/quote] Rest assured the mere fact that I'm considering buying one should see second-hand prices double while I'm trying to get the cash together. Thanks again for all the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc2009 Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 [quote name='deaver' post='1337409' date='Aug 12 2011, 11:20 AM']Rest assured the mere fact that I'm considering buying one should see second-hand prices double while I'm trying to get the cash together. Thanks again for all the info.[/quote] I wish mine would sell for more, I've been told it's a silly price to let it go for but I do very much want a slightly different one. I advise taking a look at corvette and streamer $$s! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 [quote name='deaver' post='1336976' date='Aug 11 2011, 08:36 PM']Well, having had a quick look around I think it would have to be a Streamer as I'm not that keen on the other body shapes. Would be looking at sub £500 though and I haven't really got the cash at the moment (always happy to receive cheeky offers). As always thanks for all the comments - if I could find a Streamer Standard like the one I played today for £200 I'd be very happy.[/quote] i'm thinking of selling my bartolini-ed single-pickup streamer std... pm me you're interested - i think it's in your budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan2112 Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 [quote name='lemmywinks' post='1337275' date='Aug 12 2011, 09:24 AM']Well the Streamer the OP was looking at was their cheaper model, hence all the missing features and Rockbass styling. They rightfully go for around £200 as they weren't that expensive new. Corvettes are an interesting one, the retail of the German Standard (now discontinued) was recently about £1k IIRC, whereas when i bought mine in 2002 the actual selling price was £600 for the Standard Active in Ash. Their used price of around £400 seems fair considering that. I guess there's just not that many people willing to pay the "correct" prices for the higher end Warwicks these days. I guess instead of selling them we should all just buy another while they're still cheap![/quote] I remember paying £350 for an ash corvette that had been sitting in a music shop in Swansea for about a year or so (new old stock I guess?) As you said about the £1k price tage of the corvette's....I'm sure they shot up over night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_bass Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 I thought second hand Warwick prices were on the up again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dc2009 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 [quote name='joe_bass' post='1338355' date='Aug 13 2011, 01:30 AM']I thought second hand Warwick prices were on the up again?[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pasha Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1313091299' post='1336973'] Four words. [b]Second Hand On Here[/b] No, really. There are some lovely, proper, German Warwicks for silly money in the For Sale section. I know they're grossly unfashionable, but they're generally solid, well-made basses. Try out; Streamers/Jazzmen/$$ Corvettes/FNAs/$$ Fortresses Thumbs Dolphins Infinities Might want to avoid; Strykers (!) Buzzards Vampyres (too pointy!) Katanas (too blobby) Dark lord/ Taranis / odd tuning variants Anything that once had frets but now hasn't Fortunately, the second category are in the minority around here. Try some out and see. I own a Streamer LX6, Fortress MM5 and Infinity SN4. All are excellent basses and wildly different from each other. [/quote] [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1313091299' post='1336973'] Four words. [b]Second Hand On Here[/b] No, really. There are some lovely, proper, German Warwicks for silly money in the For Sale section. I know they're grossly unfashionable, but they're generally solid, well-made basses. Try out; Streamers/Jazzmen/$$ Corvettes/FNAs/$$ Fortresses Thumbs Dolphins Infinities Might want to avoid; Strykers (!) Buzzards Vampyres (too pointy!) Katanas (too blobby) Dark lord/ Taranis / odd tuning variants Anything that once had frets but now hasn't Fortunately, the second category are in the minority around here. Try some out and see. I own a Streamer LX6, Fortress MM5 and Infinity SN4. All are excellent basses and wildly different from each other. [/quote] I just bought Warwick Corvette Taranis (4 string) bearely used, i love the sound and the action (my friend has Corvette Std (5 string) and the sound of Taranis is very close to Std Could you comment on (why would you recommend to avoid "Taranis" (thank you) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) I sold my Dolphin for a ridiculously low price to a fella in Oz as there was no interest when I advertised it in the UK... two years later I acquired a Corvette here on BC in pretty beaten up condition which I took to my local luthier to put it right. It's probably not worth a lot in the greater scheme of things but it now plays real nice and is ergonomically well put together.. Brand new they do seem overpriced, considering that for the same money you can get a custom made model from many well known luthiers and get some exclusivity thrown in for free. As many have said, secondhand prices are currently ridiculously low - a shrewd man would buy several and tuck them away till prices get back to where they were a few years ago. Take the value/cost factor out of the equation and you'll see that they are still good basses, even though they might not currently be fashionable (remember when Wals went through a similar phase in the late 90s?). I'd certainly advise somebody to consider one at the right price... Edited February 7, 2014 by TheGreek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaver Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 I do love a thread resurrection. Funnily enough I did buy a Std Streamer in the end, as usual I ended up selling it and immediately regretted it. I reckon in 6 months time I'll be ready for another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Prices are still rock bottom. Since about 2009 Warwick have started building really high quality instruments again, with lovely slim necks. They have now returned to wenge and brass bridges, would love to give a 2013/2014 model a try. I was sold on vintage Warwicks and ownig a few mid-naughties basses convinced me older was better. But then I bought my 2010 Dolphin and was blown away But yeah, new prices, crazy. A new Dolphin rrp is around £4500, crazy money for a factory built bass, as superb as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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