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 . 
 

 

[thewaronmath]

Only saw this thread now so sorry if it's too late

I play a Corvette standard in drop A.. the above advice is correct around filing the nut

If that feels drastic, especially with brass, then just use a taperwound low string

D'addario do a .135t gauge that sounds stable in a 4-string.. I use the NYXL and you can buy the string on its' own

Any taperwound string around 130 or higher will do and the rest of the strings will fit no problem without mods