So this arrived today...

[tvickey]

So, the Warwick LX5 Streamer with black hardware arrived today.   However, I'm not so impressed with the sound of this low-B string.  Have a look at the bridge photo... could the problem be the tapered low-B that Warwick gives you?  The low-B just sounds incredibly disappointing. 

This fretboard is Wenge...  I have some Ernie Balls here that I could put on... or D'Addario tapewounds.  Think either of those will help?

[OliverBlackman]

I’ve never had an issue with a weak B on a Warwick, what are you comparing it to?

[tvickey]

14 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

I’ve never had an issue with a weak B on a Warwick, what are you comparing it to?

My other 5-string LX5 which has an ebony fretboard...  but the ebony one was purchased used, so I never heard it with one of these tapered Warwick low-B strings on there. 

Edited January 31, 2020 by tvickey

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

First I would check the pickup height - in case it needs raising under the B string

Then I'd take the B string off & put it back on again - in case it somehow got twisted when it was put on.

If there's no change I'd try it with a different string - if you have a bass that has a 'strong' B, I'd suggest borrowing that bass's string.

[tvickey]

8 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

First I would check the pickup height - in case it needs raising under the B string

Then I'd take the B string off & put it back on again - in case it somehow got twisted when it was put on.

If there's no change I'd try it with a different string - if you have a bass that has a 'strong' B, I'd suggest borrowing that bass's string.

Thanks a lot, all really excellent suggestions.  Would you happen to have a recommended pickup height?  The bridge pick-up is currently ~2.5 mm below the string and the neck pick-up is sitting at ~3.5 mm.

Edited January 31, 2020 by tvickey

[Doctor J]

E to G are D’Addarios and the B is a different brand? Never a great idea. Personally, I think tapered strings make for better low strings. The tapered B you get in a set of Dean Markley SR2000s is mighty.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

17 minutes ago, tvickey said:

Thanks a lot, all really excellent suggestions.  Would you happen to have a recommended pickup height?

It can depend on the strings & the pickups. In my experience, in addition to sounding louder, a pickup closer to the string should give a tighter and more focussed tone - unless the magnet is strong enough to dampen the movement, but string to string balance and bridge/neck pickup balance should also be a consideration when adjusting the heights.

[FDC484950]

Is it seated properly in the tailpiece and have you pressed the string down just past the saddle to ensure a proper break angle? I can’t see that on the B - looks like it just rides over the saddle. I’ve moved away from Black Labels as they seem to very sensitive to twisting on the low B and have had a dead string in almost every other set. I stick with Ernie Ball Slinky (.130 non taper wound B sounds just great) and DR Lo-Riders (like night and day on a jazz V strung through the bridge - Black Labels sounded terrible).

Edited January 31, 2020 by FDC484950
Typo

[bubinga5]

The B string. THE most important string to get right when installing/stringing up.

[tvickey]

7 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

E to G are D’Addarios and the B is a different brand? Never a great idea. Personally, I think tapered strings make for better low strings. The tapered B you get in a set of Dean Markley SR2000s is mighty.

No, sorry if I wasn't clear.  The strings are the same brand.  They're just whatever Warwick puts on Team Built GPS Streamers at the factory.  I was saying that I have a few different brands in-hand which I could consider putting on the bass instead (and I would change them all simultaneously... i.e., completely remove the Warwick strings).

[Doctor J]

Ah ok, I wasn’t aware Warwick coloured the ball ends.

[bubinga5]

You can get a duff B string by not winding it properly. Its that easy for a B string to sound rubbish.

[tvickey]

Okay, so after seeing quite a few of your comments I unwound and completely unseated the low-B, and it was indeed twisted around by quite a bit.  Sounds better to me now, although it's late and the neighbors have most certainly gone to sleep... so I better give it another go tomorrow. 

Thanks for your quick comments and advice!  All very helpful and much appreciated!

[tvickey]

2 hours ago, Doctor J said:

The tapered B you get in a set of Dean Markley SR2000s is mighty.

Have you used these on a Warwick?  I saw some reviews online that reported there are issues with using these strings on basses with two-piece bridges due to the core not lining up on the saddle very well.

[tvickey]

11 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Ah ok, I wasn’t aware Warwick coloured the ball ends.

Doctor J, you make an excellent point.  I'm now drinking my coffee and I realize that something is not right.

It dawned on me that the color scheme for the ball ends on the normal 4-string set matches the D'Addario coloring scheme.  However, the low-B in a D'Addario 5-string set would have a purple ball end and not a brass one as is pictured above.  

According to the specs and the Warwick website, this bass is supposed to come with Black Label strings:

http://www.warwick.de/en/Warwick---Products--Instruments--Pro-Serie---Teambuilt--Pro-Serie---Teambuilt--Streamer--Streamer-LX--5-string--Features.html

But what in the hell is on this bass?  Did someone send me a 5-string bass with a mixed set of strings?  Do Black Label strings now have colored ball ends and I'm just being paranoid?  Thoughts?  

[FDC484950]

Black labels have brass ball ends. AFAIK Warwick has never used coloured ball ends. As suggested they look like D’addario.

[Silvia Bluejay]

The low B is also the only one that's tapered, as well as not matching the D'Addario colour scheme. It does look like it's a mixed set.

[FDC484950]

... and that low B looks identical to a Warwick Black label B (same colour ball end, same two steps up to the main string). Is this how it came from Warwick? How odd...

[Silvia Bluejay]

I doubt it came straight from Warwick like that. It looks more like something done by the distributor. Why would Warwick keep D'Addario strings in their factories, let alone put them on their new basses, when they have their own strings? Even just for the sake of publicity and good PR?

[tvickey]

5 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

I doubt it came straight from Warwick like that. It looks more like something done by the distributor. Why would Warwick keep D'Addario strings in their factories, let alone put them on their new basses, when they have their own strings? Even just for the sake of publicity and good PR?

Silvia Bluejay, I had these exact thoughts and followed that same train of logic myself. 

But now have a look at the Warwick factory 'mugshot' photo that came along with this Warwick!  I put the photo here with the certificate shown, and then a zoomed in photo of the 'mugshot'.  You can clearly see that it's the same mixed set of strings!  WTF?

I have my own theory on what happened here.  But first, let me add a few more clues which might be helpful in solving the puzzle.  Here's what we know:

o There appears to be a mixed set of strings on this bass (at least A, D and G look like D'Addario, probably E as well).

o The RockCare fretboard protector from Warwick was NOT included with this bass.  This seems very unusual, as I've always gotten one with other new Warwicks that I have purchased (and this is a GPS Streamer, so not all that cheap).  The protector is a thick plastic sheet that Warwick also sells separately for about 5 EUR.

o The strap-lock buttons came opened in a small plastic bag (photo attached), rather than in a new sealed plastic and cardboard package.  A bit odd, and again totally unlike what has come together with other 'new' Warwick basses purchased.

My theory is this: 

I put in an order for an LX5 GPS streamer in cream white but with black hardware (standard is chrome).  Someone, somewhere, had a cream white LX5 with the default chrome (a music shop?  a distributor?) which got returned to Warwick recently for whatever reason.  While that bass with chrome hardware was in the possession of someone else, at some point some / all of the strings were changed.  The strap buttons were removed from their original packaging and used on a strap.  The fretboard protector got tossed out / lost.

Warwick, perhaps being busy and wanting to move stock, swapped the chrome hardware on that 'returned' white LX5 bass with some that is black to fill my order.  They then took a new 'mugshot', packaged everything up, and sent it to me.  It's effectively a slightly used / floor-model bass.

That's what I think, but I do tend to be paranoid.

[Silvia Bluejay]

Actually your theory makes sense.

Next question - what to do about it? Can you send a non-threatening ( ) enquiry to Warwick to see if they can shed any light? What would bother me is that the low B is dodgy, both in sound and because it doesn't fit the bass properly. I'm sure that it would sound better if the whole speaking length was of the correct gauge, as opposed to the taper reaching past the saddle.

I would definitely contact Warwick before doing anything else.

Edited February 1, 2020 by Silvia Bluejay

[tvickey]

3 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Actually your theory makes sense.

Next question - what to do about it? Can you send a non-threatening ( ) enquiry to Warwick to see if they can shed any light? What would bother me is that the low B is dodgy, both in sound and because it doesn't fit the bass properly. I'm sure that it would sound better if the whole speaking length was of the correct gauge, as opposed to the taper reaching past the saddle.

I would definitely contact Warwick before doing anything else.

Right, so other than this issue with the mixed strings and the missing fretboard protector, I'm very happy with the bass.  It certainly looks brand new.  

I did send a couple of (polite) emails:

One message to Warwick simply asking if they ever paint the ball ends on any of their strings (but the community here seems to know the answer). 

The other message to Peach Guitars in Colchester, who ordered the bass for me.  I asked them to please have Warwick send me the fretboard protector and a new set of strings.  I've asked for a set of the EMP Warwick strings.  They are the higher-end and more expensive strings that come with the Master Built basses, but I'd say Warwick owes them to me now!

[Silvia Bluejay]

Excellent move. Do keep us posted, obviously.

[FDC484950]

Nothing wrong with Warwick B strings - they’re .135 and the taper is only stepped down, not at the core. The problem is they seem to be susceptible to twisting and I’ve had one or two dead strings in the sets I’ve bought. Id definitely be asking for a new set of strings as supplying a mixed set on a new bass isn’t really good enough - especially at Warwick prices

[Silvia Bluejay]

While I'm sure there's nothing wrong with Warwick strings in general, in this case a bit of the tapered section on the low B is actually part of the speaking length of the string, which can't be good for the sound or the stability of the string. In other words, the saddle is actually too big for the diameter of the string at the point where it touches it. I would not accept even a new string if it did the same as this one, and would insist they sent me one with a shorter tapered section.