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Which Warwick


PhatMasterFunk
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I am looking to get a new bass and Warwick seems to be the brand I want. Can't seem to find a shop with all three so that I could play each one. These guitars are over £1000 do I need to make the right choice. Could someone please tell me wha the differences are in the guitars. I play in an alt hip hop band which uses rock, reggae, funk and I use finger style n slap as well. I would be very grateful for any advice please.

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well personally I wouldn't get a thumb unless it was a fretless...Makes the most amasing fretless sound in my opinion, but fretted, I dunno, not my sorta thing I guess. My initial thoughts though considering what sorta music you'll be playing would be a streamer, if I'm correct in thinking that they have slightly wider string spacing, better for any slap you'll be doing. I could be wrong though :S Also streamers are the best balanced of the 3, although of course you can always move the strap pin to sort that out.

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I've tried all three models.

Corvette is decent if only for its lower price, a solid bass.
Streamers are really well balanced, wonderful basses with a great tone
Thumbs are the ultimate in the "Warwick sound" that I hear in my head, growly growly, however they have a few negatives such as weight (despite having such a small body the wood is incredibly dense) and balance issues (likes to be parallel with the floor)

Thumbs are better than Streamers for slap IMO.

My personal preference is for Thumbs, however Streamers are a close second. I'd say Streamers are slightly more versatile given the wide range of electronics available for them.

I'd definitely recommend second hand as their resale value seems to be really low at the moment (for instance, I've bought two different Streamer Jazzman 5ers for £500 in the past and my Thumb was £600)

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A $$ will sound massive and the active circuitry adds massive boost and cut. I have Corvettes because I don't like the Streamer shape.

Agree going seconhand is the best route if you want to save cash but getting exactly what you want new may be a more viable option. I bought my Corvette STD fretless new and don't for a second regret it.

Also bear in mind that older models will have different neck profiles whereas the new ones are fairly standard. They are also more like the Geddy Lee Jazz than the baseball bats of a couple of years ago. I like both neck profiles however, and the standard jazz-like nut width is perfect for me.

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I can't stand the recent club necks...The newest style of neck is far nicer to play on in my opinion! Wish I'd known a few years back that old warwicks had different profiles, I'd have gotten one of them instead of my LTD :) If you want to play fretless then you really can't go wrong with a thumb...They are the ultimate fretless in my opinion, not just the ultimate warwick fretless! They aren't kidding when they say "The sound of wood" haha.

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Another vote for a Steamer, and if I had a choice I'd go for a Stage 2, just because I think they're little bit brighter and cleaner than the Stage 1 tonewise, and it would have to be a 5 stringer for hip hop IMO. I love playing along to a bit of Jazzmatazz, Guru, Gangstar etc, and you'll definately need the B.

Streamer Stage 2 or 1, either will hit the spot.

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[quote name='LukeFRC' post='927651' date='Aug 17 2010, 03:31 PM']second hand neck through model if you can, I have a streamer stage one.

other wise the streamer $$ seem to get good press

recommend playing anything before buying though![/quote]
Why a neck through? Is the bolt on a problem? Cheers.

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These threads are typically a "recommend you favourite bass" affair, so I'll throw my hat in and say a nice Thumb BO. I had a 1999 BO thumb with a beautiful wenge neck, bagged here for £600. Used, they are very reasonable basses! As has been said, the Thumb for me is [i]the[/i] Warwick sound; growling and burpy mids with a great small bodied shape, making it excellent for use in cramped studios as well as on stage!

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I agree 2nd hand is the 'only' way to go, I assume that's where you were headed as the new prices on any of the NT basses will be WAY higher than £1000.

Thumb bass (BO or NT) is a bit of a Marmite bass; distinct tonal slant and not my cup of tea due to the position of the first fret when the bass is strapped on at a sensible height.

Streamer (BO NT Jazzman $$ etc) my personal favourite shape is the SSI/SSII/Spector (though Corvette is close); more tonal variation, which might help if you play various musical styles, balance is generally excellent.

Corvette (nearly always BO but there are NT available); Loads of different permutations of pups and good balance. Not everyone's cup of tea visually (who said 'horn') but a huge range to choose from.

Dolphin/Infinity etc you are starting to talk big money (as you are with the SSII) and definitely try before you buy.

Loads of passed threads on BC and there was a recent one which had a lot of positive views of the various basses.

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[quote name='BottomEndian' post='927715' date='Aug 17 2010, 04:33 PM']If anyone can explain to me the differences between the Streamer LX, Stage I and Stage II (and any other Streamer variants), I'll be forever grateful. Is it just pups/electronics?[/quote]

LX is bolt-on. Stage I is neck-thru clearly visible from the front nearly always has PJ pups. Stage II is neck-thru and has a cleverly hidden neck (i.e. from front it looks like a BO) and has JJ pups. You are now forever in my debt. :)

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[quote name='warwickhunt' post='927754' date='Aug 17 2010, 05:10 PM']LX is bolt-on. Stage I is neck-thru clearly visible from the front nearly always has PJ pups. Stage II is neck-thru and has a cleverly hidden neck (i.e. from front it looks like a BO) and has JJ pups. You are now forever in my debt. :)[/quote]

To add the LX BO 4 string generally has PJ pups (same as NT) whereas the LX and NT 5 strings have JJ/Soapbar pups; SSII will have JJ whether it is a 4 or 5 string... more debt! :rolleyes:

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[quote name='warwickhunt' post='927754' date='Aug 17 2010, 05:10 PM']LX is bolt-on. Stage I is neck-thru clearly visible from the front nearly always has PJ pups. Stage II is neck-thru and has a cleverly hidden neck (i.e. from front it looks like a BO) and has JJ pups. You are now forever in my debt. :rolleyes:[/quote]
[quote name='warwickhunt' post='927765' date='Aug 17 2010, 05:19 PM']To add the LX BO 4 string generally has PJ pups (same as NT) whereas the LX and NT 5 strings have JJ/Soapbar pups; SSII will have JJ whether it is a 4 or 5 string... more debt! :lol:[/quote]
The debt grows... but the confusion diminishes. Thanks for the info, you Warwick legend you. It's quite obvious now it's been pointed out! It's one of those "can't see the wood for the trees" things.

Really like the look of the Stage II. Very clever. Very expensive. :)

(I did "look after" that P/J for you for about 4 months... does that settle my debt retrospectively? :o )

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I've just bought a Streamer Jazzman 5 and I must say I'm really impressed with it. The only downside for me is the neck profile but I suppose going from a USA Jazz 4 to a Warwick 5 it's not something I wouldn't notice haha. I also find it a bit heavy in comparison to my Fender but I can live with that.

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[quote name='BottomEndian' post='927774' date='Aug 17 2010, 05:25 PM']The debt grows... but the confusion diminishes. Thanks for the info, you Warwick legend you. It's quite obvious now it's been pointed out! It's one of those "can't see the wood for the trees" things.

Really like the look of the Stage II. Very clever. Very expensive. :)

(I did "look after" that P/J for you for about 4 months... does that settle my debt retrospectively? :lol: )[/quote]

Debt settled then mate! :o

Just remember that Streamer/Corvette basically refers to the outline shape but there are a multitude of different pup config (PJ / JJ / ££ / JJJ / MM / soapbar) and manufacture (80's basses can have EMG, Bart, SD or virtually any mainstream 80's manufacturer but later basses are generally MEC), preamp (again generally MEC with 2 or 3 band EQ, sometimes if it is early it may [u]not[/u] be MEC) and though there are some different models of Warwick that have been set neck, the 2 options are basically BO or NT (with revealled/concealled construction). I think that just about covers it! :rolleyes:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Phat Master,

I have a Corvette $$ natural oil. It's a 2007 model, all original, never gigged, no imperfections whatsoever. Huge fat sound from the two enormous double buckers. Have been thinking about selling for a while but not got around to posting yet. I will be advertising it (when I get my finger out) for circa £500 if you are interested.

LemonCello

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[quote name='warwickhunt' post='927700' date='Aug 17 2010, 04:12 PM']I agree 2nd hand is the 'only' way to go, I assume that's where you were headed as the new prices on any of the NT basses will be WAY higher than £1000.

Thumb bass (BO or NT) is a bit of a Marmite bass; distinct tonal slant and not my cup of tea due to the position of the first fret when the bass is strapped on at a sensible height.

Streamer (BO NT Jazzman $$ etc) my personal favourite shape is the SSI/SSII/Spector (though Corvette is close); more tonal variation, which might help if you play various musical styles, balance is generally excellent.

Corvette (nearly always BO but there are NT available); Loads of different permutations of pups and good balance. Not everyone's cup of tea visually (who said 'horn') but a huge range to choose from.

Dolphin/Infinity etc you are starting to talk big money (as you are with the SSII) and definitely try before you buy.

Loads of passed threads on BC and there was a recent one which had a lot of positive views of the various basses.[/quote]
:) Got to agree with the man who's recommending[b] the Dolphin [/b]- not only do you get a huge range of sounds [b](each of which is "the perfect sound" till you adjust it and again find "the perfect sound") [/b]but as there are fewer about they are a bit different from the run of the mill. You might have problems finding one secondhand but what a find if you do!!! :rolleyes:

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