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warwick thread


budget bassist

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I had been looking for a modern and agressive sounding 5-string for some time and I've always had a thing for that Spector / Warwick Streamer look and for Warwick in general. I had been watching this Streamer LX5 on a Dutch escrow site already over a year ago but the asking price was about 800-900 euros back then and I couldn't really afford it, and didn't want it badly enough. One month ago, that same seller relisted the bass at a mere 500 euros! I immediately gave him a call and I happened to be the first! I asked him to ship it to me because I was unable to go pick it up myself, and it arrived about three weeks ago. It was unplayable, the action at the 12th fret was almost half an inch! Overall it was in good condition though, and after a quick setup (a few twists of the truss rod and lowering the bridge a little) it was perfect.

It's a 2003 ovangkol baseball bat era model, but being 6' 6" tall and having pretty big hands I'm having no trouble wielding it and getting my hands around the neck. I love it, and have already gigged with it. It suits me and the style of music my band plays perfectly. It's supertight, has really agressive high mids and treble, and the B string is the tightest (and loudest!) of all 4 fivestrings I own. It even surpasses my Stingray 5 with ease! Because of the tightness and the high mid emphasis, it takes a bit of overdrive really well without getting muddy. I play it through an Ampeg SVP PRO with some added dirt and the Warwick almost appears like it was made for that tone! My Ellio Martina Forza has too much subharmonics and notes on the B-string come out muddy and almost undefinable when you don't play absolutely clean.

I love the looks of the Streamer too, and I even don't mind the gold hardware (which I generally don't like). Somehow it's fitting, it looks really good with the transparent Nirvana Black lacquer finish.











The only thing I don't understand is why these basses have to be so expensive new. A new German made Streamer LX5 will cost you 3000 euros here! Don't get me wrong, this is a terrific bass, but for 3000 euros you can get a whole lot more from many great luthiers. Exotic wood tops, neck through body, you name it. But at the price I paid, this is an amazing instrument and I couldn't be happier! :)

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Warwick offer thru-neck and exotic tops too, some of the examples in the custom shop gallery are jaw dropping. More to the point they offer superb build quality, fit and finishing. They are expensive, but you get german build quality. Ive yet to see a warwick thats anything less than beautifully put together

BIG props for their customer service too. Im not the original owner of my bass but when i emailed them with a few queries regarding maintenance i had a comprehensive response within 24hrs. Couldnt have asked for more from them :)

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I agree the build quality is top notch and so is their customer support. But still, at 3000 euros, you can get a lot more than a basic bolt-on Streamer from many other companies. I'm aware Warwick can build you anything you ask for, but the pricing level is mindboggling. If I were to buy a brand new bass, as much as I like Warwick, they would not be on my list of options because what I would look for in a bass would simply get too expensive there whereas many amazing luthiers could build me the same at a price I can afford.

I paid 500 for my Streamer, which I think is an absolute steal. But anything over say 1750 for a fairly basic instrument like this would seem overly expensive to me.

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  • 4 weeks later...

a few clips of my lovely 1990 Streamer Stage I (modded with black hardware, Nordstand Big singles, and a Aguilar OBP3 pre-amp) :-)

Grooving with funk backing track: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usEsOeyl9Tw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usEsOeyl9Tw[/url]
Melodic bass improvisation: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq4UlgwoA8Y"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq4UlgwoA8Y[/url]


Will try and post some nice pic's of her soon!

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I thought I'd contributed to this thread but hadn't..

So here's my '01 Streamer LX5 which I ordered brand new in the January of that year.

[IMG]http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy70/VTypeV4/WarwickSun.jpg[/IMG]

A truly great bit of kit that does the trick everytime. :D

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[quote name='Warwick_Official' timestamp='1352308436' post='1861443']
Beautiful Streamer VTtypeV4! Single coil J's on a Streamer are hard to beat...thanks for sharing!
[/quote]

I've had lots of basses over the years including Fender, Status, Yamaha, Aria etc but nothing does what these do. I wouldn't change it for all the tea in china.

I also had one of the early Rockbass Streamers (03/04 maybe?) which was great but should've had the 5-string. I sold it to my friend as she was intersted in learning bass a number of years back. She still has it to this day and loves it.

I'd love to A/B it against a Streamer Stage II as I do think mine is a particularly good one. I've played a number of Warwick basses and do still think mine is the dogs doo-dahs. Even after all these years! :D

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