# Educate me on Warwick



## Murmel (Feb 24, 2012)

So today I went to my local dealer and found some random Warwick hanging. I picked it up, and I immediately fell in love with it.

I don't know the model, but it was made in Germany, had a 1 piece neck and fretboard of some dark wood with large, open grains.
P pickup in the neck and Jazz in the bridge. It was also a 4-string.

Now, I'm not looking for the exact model (it's MIG, I probably can't afford it anyway), what I want to know is; is there a huge gap quality and playability-wise between lower/middle end 'wicks and the MIG ones?

I've been playing bass for like 5 years, still haven't found one that I TRULY clicked with, except this one.

I tried playing Teen Town by Jaco on it, I have never played it so well ever as I did then. Hell, it felt like I was the new Jaco


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## vampiregenocide (Feb 24, 2012)

The higher end warwicks are obviously way better than the lower end 'rockbass' models. You really notice the jump in quality without even plugging them in. That being said, they have a few mid-range models that are made in Korea and these are pretty high quality and play great.


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## Murmel (Feb 24, 2012)

Yeah I'm talking more about the middle range MIK Warwicks. Not interested in the really low-end. Probably should've mentioned that 

I didn't even plug this one in, but it just oozed quality.

Edit: Looking around for Warwick prices I noticed that the MIK ones are pretty pricey too. The $$ series seems to get some praise though. Or perhaps that's just the MIG $$ series?

Edit2: I just realised that the MIC $$ series are also in the Rockbass series, I suck at reading


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## vampiregenocide (Feb 24, 2012)

Haha well the Korean ones are pretty good to be honest. I've not had enough time with them to make any solid comparisons, but I was impressed by the one I played. Tone wise it was perfect for me.


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## Bevo (Feb 24, 2012)

Last year I wanted a new bass and nothing really stood out. For me the best way to find out was to rent a bunch and that really opened my eyes to the quality and tone once you live with it for a week.

Around that time I stopped by a shop to look around and found a bit different Warwick, a Dolphin. This one has different woods in it and was pretty frigging cool!
It was brand new and regular $3,000 but had been sitting around for over a year so they were blowing it out at $1,200..I grabbed that sucker up!

I find they have a different feel, tone and method of construction that make them better to me, kinda like a fine german car.

http://www.basscentral.com/warwick/dolphins.shtml


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## iron blast (Feb 24, 2012)

I am so jealous I want a dolphin so bad


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## Murmel (Feb 25, 2012)

Upon further investigation, I've concluded that it must've been a Fortress One I played.







If I got it right, these are not made anymore, right? So the one hanging there must be used. I did actually notice some chips in the finish while I was playing it. At first I thought it just was because it had been hanging in the shop, but now it seems more reasonable that it's actual wear.

What do these go for used, aproximately? If anyone knows.

Edit: Some quick googling tells me these don't go for more than 400-600£ used?


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## GenghisCoyne (Feb 25, 2012)

Buy it


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## Murmel (Feb 25, 2012)

I don't know what they listed it for at the shop, I'm gonna go in and ask monday. Probably can't afford it anyway because I'm kinda broke, but it's been hanging there for a few weeks so it might stay for a while.

My own bass feels like total ass after playing the 'wick, kinda sucks


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## WolleK (Feb 25, 2012)

then buy them used on german ebay....


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## vampiregenocide (Feb 25, 2012)

Murmel said:


> I don't know what they listed it for at the shop, I'm gonna go in and ask monday. Probably can't afford it anyway because I'm kinda broke, but it's been hanging there for a few weeks so it might stay for a while.
> 
> My own bass feels like total ass after playing the 'wick, kinda sucks



Maybe do a part-exchange so it doesn't hurt your wallet so much?


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## Murmel (Feb 25, 2012)

WolleK said:


> then buy them used on german ebay....


Totally easy to buy something that doesn't even exist on Ebay atm.



vampiregenocide said:


> Maybe do a part-exchange so it doesn't hurt your wallet so much?


Depending on how much they want for it (and I will fucking haggle if they say like £1k) I'll probably ask them if they can put it away for me for a month or so, 'till I have the money.
There are MIG Corvette's that go for about £400 used here, so I feel like it shouldn't be much pricier than that.

They kinda know who I am, so I don't think it should be a problem. I bought a strat for £1k from them a month ago, so they better be nice


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## Beta (Feb 25, 2012)

I can't speak for what it's like over there, but in the US Warwicks have an absolutely horrible resale value (I bought a used Thumb Bolt-On that was only a couple of years old when I got it for ~$1000). I'd imagine that they're even more common in Europe, so the resale value should be horrible over there, too- which means you shouldn't pay more than the price range you listed. 

Those basses haven't been made since 1999. The downside is it's a 13 year old bass. The upside is that probably means it has a wenge neck, and, trust me, you don't want a Warwick with an ovangkol neck.


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## Murmel (Feb 25, 2012)

^
Yup, it has the wenge neck, beautiful piece of wood. I liked the raw feeling it had with the large grains too. I think it had like a bad fret or two in the high register, but considering the (potential) price I can get it for, it's worth it.
Kinda funny how the MIG Corvette's resale value here is almost the same as more expensive Rockbass resale value.

What's so bad with the ovangkol necks? Not stable enough or something?


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## vampiregenocide (Feb 25, 2012)

I have heard that a lot of Warwicks with ovangkol necks can have issues and need to be seen to. They bend and come out of place.


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## Murmel (Feb 25, 2012)

Btw, that thing I thought was a ding by the pickup might just be a groove or something made from factory. Because it has the exact same groove in the picture I posted earlier, by the neck pickup.
Kinda weird thumb-groove but hey, whatever floats their boat


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## Beta (Feb 25, 2012)

vampiregenocide said:


> I have heard that a lot of Warwicks with ovangkol necks can have issues and need to be seen to. They bend and come out of place.



Yeah, mine twisted on the B string side, right at the first fret.

Ovangkol has similar tonal characteristics to Wenge, but isn't as rigid or stable- or as rare.


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Feb 25, 2012)

I've got a Warwick Thumb 6 Bolt On, awesome bass. But it isn't designed very well and the Adjust-A-Nut II is hopeless. The tiny adjustment screws strip out the threads in the nut and I had to make shims for it.

Old Warwicks are great, a friend of mine has a small collection and they're really nice instruments, despite his neglect and lack of maintenance. They have a great sound, which makes up for their other failures.

I don't hear good things about the Warwick Black Label strings though, which they ship with new.


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## GenghisCoyne (Feb 25, 2012)

If everyone would have said "theyre garbage dont buy it" would it change the fact that you played it and loved it?


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## Murmel (Feb 25, 2012)

^
No it wouldn't, I didn't even know what the general consencous (spelling ) on that model was. Apparently the older Warwicks are pretty beastly basses, and I can't wait to go there monday and ask for a price.
Why I was first asking about lower end Warwicks was because I didn't think the MIG ones had such terrible resale value. Every place I check, the Fortress's go for super cheap. Which is a good thing.

It's the best playing bass I've ever laid hands on, nothing changes that.


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## Bevo (Feb 25, 2012)

The first thing to do is call them and find out how much, trying to buy it or whatever without knowing the cost is kinda useless don't you think?

If its been there a while and its a good price drop some cash on it to keep it for a couple months then sell some gear or your body to get the rest.. Your giving up way to early!!


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## Murmel (Feb 25, 2012)

What? I never said I've given up. Quite the opposite, I'm going there monday to see what they want for it. If it's a good price, I'm most definitely getting my hands on it, one way or another.


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## Bevo (Feb 25, 2012)

Good man!!
Don't let that one get away on you!!


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## Rap Hat (Feb 25, 2012)

Warwicks are awesome! Oddly polarizing, I've seen a few people get froth-at-the-mouth angry when they're brought up (I have no idea why?) but my thumb4 was near perfect. Had a pretty unique "growl" that I haven't been able to recreate with other basses, and it held up perfectly for the 4 or 5 years I toured with it. I'll be buying one again soon, and thanks to the terrible resale values I won't have to pay $2600 or whatever they want for a new one!

So yeah, my vote goes for "GET IT!"


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## drmosh (Feb 25, 2012)

dude: http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gu...8650-warwick-rock-bass-fortress-4-string.html


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## Murmel (Feb 26, 2012)

^
That's a Rockbass = it's a new, low end Chinese model.

Do not want.


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## drmosh (Feb 26, 2012)

Murmel said:


> ^
> That's a Rockbass = it's a new, low end Chinese model.
> 
> Do not want.



fair enough, I didn't check it too closely


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## Powermetalbass (Feb 26, 2012)

Med end wicks are pretty good. probably wanna stay away from anything that says Rockbass.


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## Murmel (Feb 27, 2012)

Went in there today.

They want about $700 for it, which is reasonable, it's pretty much what they sell for in Europe, according to my research.
I reserved it until I get the money.

It was also a 94, not a 96.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 27, 2012)

I wouldn't touch a Korean made Warwick considering how many used German made ones come up, and for next to nothing (relatively speaking). I see Corvette Standards, Thumb BOs, and others for ~$1000, often less. 

I've owned two Corvette Standards a fretted 5-string and a fretless 4-string. The 5-string had the Ovankol neck, and the 4-string had the older Wenge. I never had any issues with the Ovankol, but I've seen numerous reports of folks having problems. 

With Warwicks I've found that:
1) The pickups and preamps (MEC) are pretty mediocre. It's not surprise that most signature basses have either custom pickups or a different brand of preamp. Dare I say it's the "Ibanez" of the bass world. 
2) Always go used. It's amazing how poor the resale value on Warwicks are given how popular the brand has been in the past.
3) Hardware, specifically the over thought out Adjust-A-Nut, can be a pain in the ass. I had to replace enough of them for folks that I eventually just started offering reversible GraphTech installations. Great idea, not so great in practice. 
4) The neck shapes of bolt-on models compared to neck-thru is night and day. The neck-thru models tend to have flat, almost boxy neck shapes, where as the bolt-ons have nice rounded profiles. 
5) They dent and scratch VERY easily. By nature of the super thin oil/wax finishes used, if you bump it on something, not even too hard, it'll leave a sizable dent in the wood itself. Once that starts happening it's not an easy fix. 

On the plus side, the quality of build is definitely there. The two I owned were wonderfully crafted and sounded awesome (after a pickup swap). I would never pay new prices on them though.

As far as Rockbass goes, don't even bother. Really. At that price range there are some MUCH better import basses, and even some non-import on the used market close in price. The shapes aren't that ergonomic that I'd sacrifice quality just for the outline.


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Feb 27, 2012)

Great post, Max. That's exactly my findings and complaints with Warwick. If you want a modern bass (i.e. NOT Fender or Gibson) then it's hard to go wrong with a good old Warwick. If you can dig the look, as they are rather bland and oddly shaped.

I used to have a lot of friends which played bass (moved away) and they all aspired to play Warwicks. They all called it Wen Gay, as if it was some magical wood created on the 1st day, before God rested and made Penge. 

Anyway, I had to have a Warwick and my 6 thumb is probably the most important part of my musical equipment. It's on everything I do, whereas everything else has a definite niche. I bought it for a nice price from a bass teacher at a reputable institution who got RSI and tendonitis from playing it too much, so be careful with 6 string basses!!!


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 27, 2012)

I will say the Wenge that Warwick used in the past was of superb quality, much better than a lot of stuff you see these days (*cough* Roter *cough*), as it had been part of a huge stock pile from the 60's and 70's. Unfortunately a fire at Warwicks primary facility in the late 90's or early 00's forced them to switch to Ovankol and keep what Wenge they did have for fretboards and customs. Though, you'd think by now they would have been able to replenish their stocks. 

On another note, it seems like Warwick/Framus isn't doing too well. I don't see nearly as many new Warwicks as I used to and they've pretty much gutted both their line of amps (which were pretty solid) and German made bass line. Their website is acting up, and not very up to date, etc. Perhaps this economy is hitting them rather hard? I've also noticed a far smaller presence in Magazines or new endorsees.


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Feb 27, 2012)

Good info's Max, interesting to hear.

As a continuation of your thoughts on the Warwick disappearing act...

I went to the Bass Gallery, Camden, central London a few weeks ago. It's an inspiring shop, mostly dealing in hand made custom instruments, rare amps and it's a great store just to walk around. They only sell bass equipment and have a repair shop and luthier in the basement making their custom Sei basses.

I hadn't visited in a while, as usually you HAVE to buy something, it's a tough place to visit. But this time (January 2012) it was all production instruments (Ibanez and Fender, pretty much every new model from these ranges) and only a handful of what we would call "interesting" instruments (old or special). It used to be a Warwick tour de force...

The times, they are a changin'.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 27, 2012)

Ryan-ZenGtr- said:


> Good info's Max, interesting to hear.
> 
> As a continuation of your thoughts on the Warwick disappearing act...
> 
> ...



Cheaper basses are getting better. It used to be all the production stuff was pretty mediocre, and typically Fender copies/mods. If you wanted a nice, modern bass with exotic woods, full featured preamps, etc. you needed to shell out $1500+ at least. 

The boutique bass world is alive and well, it's just not there in retail anymore. It's cheaper/easier for luthiers to just deal direct these days when it comes to $3000+ custom/exotic basses. Why give a dealer 20% or more when they're not pushing your gear, letting you be undercut by the "big brands", when you could move close to the same number of instruments directly. 

I think it's retail that's doing it, especially at specialty shops. I remember when Bass Central (located in Central Florida, another bass only shop) pretty much only had high end, first world made basses. The fact they sell lower end Fender, KSD, Hofner, etc. is something I wouldn't of imagined a number of years ago.


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## Bevo (Feb 27, 2012)

Max, I have the MEC pick ups on my Dolphin and I really think they sound amazing, I know its all personel preference and I get that.
Just thinking about your PU swap got you a better tone kinda gets me excited, if it sounds good now yet crap to others how amazing can it sound?
Can you let me know what you have been swapping too?

Murmel, are you going for it?
If that price is inline with what is available then you have nothing to lose!


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## AxeHappy (Feb 27, 2012)

Bassist in my band (Powermetalbass) had a Warwick. 

All I can say about it (It wasn't a rock bass, couldn't give you exact details) is:
HUGE neck and crazy heavy. Honestly just based off that bass I would never spend the money. 


But then again I'm a douchebag guitarist who plays the smallest necked lightest bass I can find!


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## Murmel (Feb 28, 2012)

^
The fat neck is one of my favourite features on it.

@Bevo; Yeah, I'm going for it. Gonna have the cash march 1st.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 28, 2012)

Bevo said:


> Max, I have the MEC pick ups on my Dolphin and I really think they sound amazing, I know its all personel preference and I get that.
> Just thinking about your PU swap got you a better tone kinda gets me excited, if it sounds good now yet crap to others how amazing can it sound?
> Can you let me know what you have been swapping too?
> 
> ...



I installed some Nordstrand NJ4s in the fretless 4-string, and a pair of Bartolini 59J model pickups in the fretted 5-string. The improvements were night and day. They were less "honky" or "boomy" and reacted much more dynamically. 

Both basses were already passive, but I had toyed with the idea of installing a Sadowsky 2-band boost only preamp in the 4-string. 

Like I said, the MECs aren't awful, they just aren't that great considering the potential most Warwicks have to sound amazing.


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## Bevo (Feb 28, 2012)

Max, how do you feel about the active MEC?
I don't find them to be boomy in anyway so thats good.

If it aint broke and sounds good don't fix it eh!


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 28, 2012)

Bevo said:


> Max, how do you feel about the active MEC?



Not a huge fan personally. Not to say they're "bad", just not my thing. 

Worth noting is I've fallen out of love with active electronics in most basses.


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## Bevo (Feb 29, 2012)

Max, why would you lose the love of actives?
Sorry just trying to understand the differences, I know guitar but not so much on bass.

I am tempted to stop by a local high end bass shop to try out some of those PU's but don't want to give myself GAS..


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## Murmel (Mar 1, 2012)

I'm afraid I'll have to wait until the end of March for this one. Other things need to be prioritized, like getting my hair cut (haven't cut it in 2 months, I usually cut it once a month ). I'm also GAS'ing hard for a couple of pieces of clothing. Garment Acquisition Syndrome..? 

Fuck, I want the 'wick so bad.


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