Warwick setup questions

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Next week I intend to take my Warwick corvette standard 4 string to a tech , to get it setup to B-E-A-D .

The nut is Brass .  I think it’s best to let the tech put a new set of strings on it also . 
 

Is it advisable to  purchase a just a nut plastic nut ,and take that with  me? ( not sure if they can do the string adjustment otherwise )

Also ,will the setup be for thicker strings ( a 5 string set for example ,without the need for a G string )? 

 

I notice that the shop do D’adarrio strings which are great , but not Warwick strings . 

 

I do prefer lighter strings  .  Basically I’d like to keep a light feel with the low sound ! 
 

Thanking you in advance 
 

[warwickhunt]

If you have the adjustable brass nut, any self respecting luthier should be able to take a file to broaden the shoulders of the slots OR see if you can source just the B string stud for a 5 string and then simply utilise your existing E A D but move them up 1 string.  

 

Don't buy the plastic adjuster nut as they are cack, you'd do better to get the luthier/tech to simply file you a new blank nut (do you really need to adjust it?).

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Thanks for that @warwickhunt 

. I’ll take bass to him/ her without purchasing a new just a nut.  Not sure what a string stud is for a 5 string is though 😬

If I go lower than regular tuning , it goes floppy ,so it seems I do need to adjust it . 
 

When the bass is reset , would it be a pack of 4 strings or 5 strings ? 

 

[warwickhunt]

Does your bass have this brass nut?

 

 

Unless you buy specific BEAD strings, you can just buy 5 string set and bin the G... probably cheaper that way.  

[tauzero]

31 minutes ago, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

Thanks for that @warwickhunt 

. I’ll take bass to him/ her without purchasing a new just a nut.  Not sure what a string stud is for a 5 string is though 😬

 

Assuming it's a JAN I that you've got in there, one of these: https://shop.warwick.de/ersatzteile-fuer-instrumente/teile-fuer-e-baesse/saettel/warwick-parts-just-a-nut-replacement-nut-screw-wide-slot-b-string

 

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

This is the what I have 

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

This should make more sense 🤦‍♂️

[warwickhunt]

Yep that's easy.  As @tauzero has posted the pic and link; you simply buy one of those and put it where you present E string slot is, then move the E A D down one position.  

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

3 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

Yep that's easy.  As @tauzero has posted the pic and link; you simply buy one of those and put it where you present E string slot is, then move the E A D down one position.  

Okay … so , the remaining questions I have ; that means I purchase that , but would the E- A-D strings be a tight fit in the slots ? I assume that I purchase a 5 string set .

plus, does that mean that in theory , I shouldn’t have to take thie bass to a tech after all ? 

[warwickhunt]

All the slots that those grub screws go into are the same size.

 

re. a tech - you will need to set the bass up for the new tension, tuning, intonation but the one thing you've not considered is that you'll need a B string bridge saddle or the saddle you have widening BUT I'm aware that some B string thicknesses won't seat in the string ball end anchor but that might be solely down to your string choice.  

[tauzero]

You might even be able to use the existing JAN screws as it looks like you have a bit of clearance on them. You could easily check by seeing if the D string would fit into the G string slot and so on.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Oookay..,this could be more trouble ( and costly ) than it’s worth. 🤔

 

I forgot about the saddles of course ( which are Warwick’s own ) 🤦‍♂️

 

I just tried the experiment ( in a lazy way for now ) , of moving the strings ‘down’ a slot each( E string on A slot and so on ) . Surprisingly the E string seems fine on the A slot ! The A string on the D slot seems more problematic and kept sliding out and didn’t want to be there . On the pic , my finger was holding it on .

 

As for the Warwick website , the multi country tab is a pita as uk not listed.

i managed to find the English site eventually, but haven’t pressed any buy it now buttons as if I need a new saddle or 2 which might put me off of doing it at all..

[warwickhunt]

You might well get away with an appropriate width round file and simply broaden what you have.  

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

🤔maybe I could take pic of saddles etc and phone tech to see if they can file to fit ..

[itu]

About tension: if you just change a G to a B, the tension may be very much equal. I use D'Addario tension chart, and there you can see that a suitable B has similar tension than a G. 

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

1 hour ago, itu said:

About tension: if you just change a G to a B, the tension may be very much equal. I use D'Addario tension chart, and there you can see that a suitable B has similar tension than a G. 

Do you mean change E to B? 

[warwickhunt]

8 minutes ago, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

Do you mean change E to B? 

You are retaining the tension of the E A and D and losing the tension of the G BUT most B strings are of a similar tension to a G string; ergo the overall tension remains relatively similar.

[tauzero]

2 hours ago, RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE said:

I just tried the experiment ( in a lazy way for now ) , of moving the strings ‘down’ a slot each( E string on A slot and so on ) . Surprisingly the E string seems fine on the A slot ! The A string on the D slot seems more problematic and kept sliding out and didn’t want to be there . On the pic , my finger was holding it on .

 

Well, the fact it was being pulled across by the tuner wouldn't have helped - taking the A string off the tuner so you could get a straighter run would help, or even putting it onto the D tuner to get a true representation. And if you get a B string, by whatever means, before taking it anywhere, you could see if the B fits in the nut as well which would save you 25 euros plus postage.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Okay, I’ve taken strings out ( well done 👏) ,and had a look at the saddles etc. I also put strings in the relevant nut slots ( leaving the G and E strings off the bass).

From what I can see , it looks like I’d be able to have a 5 string set on there omitting the G . 
Putting the strings back on is a pita , so they are left off . 
 

I’ve left a message with a tech at my nearest shop ,asking if it’s possible for them to fit a 5 string set on the bass. I await their reply by phone .

The shop don’t do Warwick strings , but I’d assume that with the techs filing and endurance and experience they will be able to fit a set of dadarrios on there .