Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Naughty Warwick


BadBassDude

Recommended Posts

HI.  I'm up here in sunny Yorkshire with my bad donkey but naughty Warwick thumb NT5.  Naughty I hear you ask?  Shenaningans with the truss rod (lots of tension on careful adjustment but absolutely no movement to correct a forward bow). 

Can anyone recommend a Luthier / magician who can be trusted to fix the blighter?

 

Thanks in advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys.  It's a 2000 model.  I've tried the counter clockwise and clockwise adjustments, gradually (1/4 turn at a go) over time, to no avail.

If I remove the strings, neck returns to straight as an arrow.  Strings back on and the forward bow returns (obviously I suppose).  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A year 2000 model should be the non removable righty tighty lefty loosey type truss rod. 

It will be a dual action rod, so as the neck goes straight when not under string tension, I am wondering if it is doing anything at all.

Without strings, is there a point when the adjuster spins without any resistance? There can be a point where the nut on the truss rod moves between pulling and pushing. It may be a stiff thread and you are at this point.

Its a fretboard off job to replace though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The tech nerds at Warwick have suggested a fret board off, open rod surgery approach.  I have admitted defeat and I am ready to send the useless wooden ornament to the bass hospital.  But i don't like my chances of getting it to Warwick and back again in a post Brexit world.  Looking for a competent doc nearer to home.  

Anyone?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, verb said:

I think someone on here sent their Warwick neck to Manton Custom Guitars for a truss rod replacement, but a can't find the thread. 

There’s a little plastic cover on the headstock; it’s under there. 😄

  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Matt P said:

paging @Andyjr1515 ! who seems to be the go-to guy for this kind of repair.

 

Matt

While I have done a number of trussrod replacements, generally they are with basses where the conversation of 'But there is always a risk...it might end in a broken fretboard or visible joint marks on the re-glue and finish' has been had and acknowledged and it's worth the gamble.  A Thumb NT is a completely different kettle of fish!  ;)           But I am very flattered, @Matt P  :D  Thanks

@Manton Customs as mentioned by @verb sounds a good option to me...so, calling @Manton Customs :)

  

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a Warwick that needed the same treatment. On mine the neck was twisted and the rod was messed up. So I ordered a new TR and passed the job to a luthier in Stevenage.  It's that long ago I can't recall his name but @TheGreek knows him. 
So, when Mick gets here, he'll no doubt have rude things to say about Warwicks, but he does have his uses.  :P

The cost of having the work done, not including the rod which I ordered from Warwick, was £100. So I guess it might be £120 now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, martthebass said:

If you’re in South Yorkshire (I’m in Rotherham) I usually take my patients to Jon Shuker in Hope Valley. Not the quickest if he’s busy but reasonable £ and you’ll get a good job.

Yes - Jon is excellent.

Edited by Andyjr1515
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, BadBassDude said:

Thanks for the feedback everyone. 

Warwick were indicating (not quoting yet) a large bill.  I'll look up Jon Shuker; thanks.  

I'll be back (!) to let let you know how I got on.

Thanks again all.

 

No worries BBD.  Just warning you though, if you get the tour of Jon's basses and wood pile you could end up with a bigger bill than you expected :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another Warwick owner here with truss rod problems. I was actually going to put this up for sale but in a pre sale setup the tech noticed a lot of bow which seems to be an issue which he's not got time to sort. If anyone could point me in the direction of anyone who may be able to see if there's an issue that would be great. 

 

Edited by funkyjimbob
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had 3 Warwicks that were in the date range 2000 to 2008 which had truss rod issues. Interestingly these are generally the Warwicks with the chunky profile ovangkol necks. To me it always felt like the truss rod wasn't strong enough for the 'amount' of wood in these necks and they were very susceptible to changes in weather/humidity etc. In fact with one of them (a Corvette standard ash) the truss rod actually snapped when I tried to turn it after having  sprayed rust remover into the rod hole (thinking it might have been seized). I also had been in touch with HPW at Warwick and was quoted somewhere in the region of £800 for a neck repair. In the end I resorted to stripping down the bass and selling all the parts individually (minus the neck) and think I made around £300 in total, which I thought wasn't the end of the world, given it was just a standard Corvette.

Does sound like a trip to Jon Shuker might be worth it?

As a rule of thumb (no pun intended) I tend to now steer clear of buying used Warwick from say 2000 to 2013 to avoid the chunky profile necks and possible truss issues.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, bassment73 said:

I had 3 Warwicks that were in the date range 2000 to 2008 which had truss rod issues. Interestingly these are generally the Warwicks with the chunky profile ovangkol necks. To me it always felt like the truss rod wasn't strong enough for the 'amount' of wood in these necks and they were very susceptible to changes in weather/humidity etc. In fact with one of them (a Corvette standard ash) the truss rod actually snapped when I tried to turn it after having  sprayed rust remover into the rod hole (thinking it might have been seized). I also had been in touch with HPW at Warwick and was quoted somewhere in the region of £800 for a neck repair. In the end I resorted to stripping down the bass and selling all the parts individually (minus the neck) and think I made around £300 in total, which I thought wasn't the end of the world, given it was just a standard Corvette.

Does sound like a trip to Jon Shuker might be worth it?

As a rule of thumb (no pun intended) I tend to now steer clear of buying used Warwick from say 2000 to 2013 to avoid the chunky profile necks and possible truss issues.

Yes - I believe that the truss rods are too weak for the 'strength' of the neck.  Photo here of HPW demonstrating the neck strength.

I'm sure a number of people try to adjust while these is still tension on the neck too which doesn't help.   If adjusting yourself I find it sensible to remove the strings and leave the neck to settle straight before attempting any truss rod tweaks.

warwickownerstandingonneck.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 25/04/2021 at 21:07, BadBassDude said:

Thanks guys.  It's a 2000 model.  I've tried the counter clockwise and clockwise adjustments, gradually (1/4 turn at a go) over time, to no avail.

If I remove the strings, neck returns to straight as an arrow.  Strings back on and the forward bow returns (obviously I suppose).  

 

Any progress BigBassDude?

Your 2000 Warwick will have the slim/weak/black truss rod.

Sadly, This is a known problem with Warwick basses  - my view is there is a disproportionately higher number of this type of failures with Warwick than against other brands.  

Of course, the removable / non removable rods ties in with the non volute / volute necks.  Volute was added to the neck to fix the common historic neck break problem and to give more strength at the nut.

I've had 5 Warwicks over the years with truss problems.  

4 of which I knew about before actually buying the bass.  I know of some others too that I've swerved buying for various reasons.  There was a Ltd Ed Blonde Thumb doing the rounds with a truss rod issue a few years ago - last I saw it was eventually parted out.  Plenty of stories online of Warwicks with duff truss rods too.

The reasons these can become a problem are:

Weak Truss Rod- Bad Design.

The rod is a softer metal than the nut - so overtightening strips the rod not the nut - Bad Design.

User Error - because of the two points above its easy to stuff things up when attempting a tweak, added to some people who must try with sheer brute force, using any old allen key / screwdriver / whatever to try and make adjustments.

That said - its not impossible to fix - amateur job on one of mine here - decided on an amateur job purely on cost, say £400 value on a Corvette so not much point in sinking in cracking on for a similar amount again for a pro job.

 Though a NT thumb would worth more.

FB_IMG_1620385353442.jpeg

FB_IMG_1620385373312.jpeg

FB_IMG_1620385382198.jpeg

FB_IMG_1620385365959.jpeg

Edited by bagsieblue
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...