If Warwick didn't exist..........what bass would you play ??

[Augie]

I recon without wicks i might go something headless like a Status, heard a cusotm5 recently and it sang with a similar tone to my jazzman, clear and bright. Other than that i probably would go something like the Marcus miller jazz, or a local custom......actually all of those are on my dream list anyway.
I try and keep the mindset of not buying wicks, just buying basses i am impressed with.....just happens that the last few that have blown me away have been wicks. Actually after having three wicks, few other basses really meet the standards in my head of what a bass should be. I have bought a couple "good for the price basses" (a cort and a Korean Spector) but they were not amazing basses, just useful and affordable.

 

[Pantry]

Either a WAL or a Dingwal bass.

 

[joukov]

Pedulla MVP would be my choice of weapon without the Fortress.

 

[One Bad Monkey]

I was playing Warwick since 1996 when I was still fairly new to the electric bass, so didn't know exactly what I wanted. I've had numerous instruments over the years (EBMM, Conklin, Fender, Lakland) and have always considered Warwick "my" sound.

However, if there was no "sound of wood," I'd probably be playing a Ken Smith at this point. I like the look, and the one time I played a 6 string bolt-on, was impressed by the playability and tonal qualities.

 

[Nightmaresandconclusions]

Wow thats a hard one, Iv been playing for 20 years and it kinda went like this. crap bass, crap bass, crap bass, Warwick Thumb 5 BO "15 years ago" so its kinda all i know. I think if warwick was not available id be looking to spend serious cash on a Fodera or some other serious bass company.

I would never own a fender, musicman, or yamaha......Yawn!

 

[Bass Lady]

Can't think about it! Won't think about it! :roll:

 

[lvca]

If warwick is not an option and I have the money I wil probably play some other growly basses, like Ken Smith, Mtd or Warrior

 

[TechJunky]

My first choice would a Devon JMM5. Played one with a beautiful quilted maple top and wenge neck, and despite feeling like it weighed as much as the space shuttle, was one of the best feeling and sounded basses I've ever experienced! Next choices after that would a a Roscoe, Dingwall, Or Stambaugh.

 

[beany2510]

a good question, but if they didnt exist i have no idea, for me in my first playing life warwick was an aspirational product, the only bass i wanted but couldnt justify. im just glad they do exist now in my second playing life, i was able to afford and justify owning one, and my goodness i'm glad i do.......

 

[Tom Thump]

It wouldn't matter much to me. I'd play anything, that felt and sounded right to me. I have some of those. The Stingray 20'th Annie is the favourite 5 string. A N.Y. Sadowski UV is my best P-bass. Also, for my Fenders, my best J-bass is a Squier JV. My go-to a Contemporary JV. The same role as the Fortress of my Warwicks, where the Thumb is champ.
Should I, however, choose one bass only, it would be a customized standard Unicorn Artist. Build for me, I'd been more the fool, if it didn't suit me. Definitely my best short scale and, I may be flamed for saying, it's my best bass overall.
... and I'd like to try out a Star bass.
... and a...

 

[golem]

`

I would just build my own if there were no warwicks.

Cool. Thaz eggzacklee what Stu Spector hadda do 40 yrs ago ....


Also cuz at the time he couln'tve afforded a Wick even if he'd
had some kinda time travel machine :-\

 

[DiMarco]

Coming to think of it, there was a time when Warwick did exist but I wasn't able to afford any from the start so the path to Warwick was pretty long for me.

Played Fernandes, Fender (J) Jazz FL, Ibanez SDGR (which sounded awful), Chris Larkin Bassix, Alembic model 1 (which was too large for me!), Washburn Bantam, Fender (J) Marcus Miller signature and several Rickenbacker 4003's along the way.

Of these basses (besides the Ric which I still play ofc) the japanese Fenders stood out. The fretless sadly ended up with a fingerboard that was worn out and the Marcus Miller sig would start to make weird crackling noises whenever I touched it. All my friends could play it but not me (electric current must be coming from my fingertips or something?). The MM sig sounds really good though and if it weren't for this problem I'd still own it.

 

[ChrisK]

The first time I managed to play a Warwick it just felt right... Like I was doing smth wrong all this time..
If I didn't have that option... hmmm... probably Mayones / Modulus.
Ken Smith would be the growl solution but IMHO they ain't that versatile for my genres.

 

[da-vonk]

prob geetard ... cause tbh when I left my band 10 (?) yearz ago and I actually never wanted to join a band again (!?) I first decided to seriously try to learn to play on da geetard ... before that I alwayz been mostly da lead singer who occasionaly played a little geetard or bass (even less) when necessary... da Infinette had got a prominent place in my living room these dayz and it was her beauty and kewlness that eventually persuaded me to switch ... 8:

 

[Mr.Demeter]

This is a pretty difficult question to answer for me. I've been a fan of 'the sound of wood' for such a long time that it actually kind of shaped my taste regarding how a bass should sound.
So if there weren't any warwicks, I have no idea what kind of bass I would play. Meaning that maybe I wouldn't have gone after a specific sound. I like the classic jazz bass tones, the pbass tones, the mm humbuckers, I like them all - maybe I would have chosen a more traditional bass sound path, who knows?
Or maybe I would have chosen a bass that had a similarly organic shape, sleek and curvy.
Anyhoo, I'm glad that it's the thumb breaking my back instead of another bass

 

[beany2510]

having given this some thought, and reading some of the other posts, i would be heading to carvin, for the sb4000.

 

[BassFingers]

As a matter of following suite with most everybody else here in America I would probably go with a Fender or Ibanez to start out, then get tired of their sound and break away from the masses and switch over to either Yamaha TRB6PII, or a Stambaugh. Which in my case, luckily Warwick is around so I don't need the Yammy or Stammy.

 

[Duvan Boyd]

If Warwick didn't exist... What bass would you play??

Cheesus... Just the idea of thinking of a world without Warwick made me cry.

But well, I think that I'd play a Ken Smith or some Colombian luthier bass. (No specific woods because I've learned all I know about woods thanks to Warwick).

 

[warwickend warrior]

Oh YES!!!! I saw Charlie Moreno playing through that "orange rig" (which I believe belongs to you Mala). That young man has some talent, OHhh dear. He's a talent!!! /pat

Though his first album "so lonely" was recorded it with a streamer jazzman, his conversations to be endorser of warwick did not come to good port with the distributor of spain. later he had his own signature bass for windmill and after his abandon of this brand, started using elrick basses. Now he is using vigier arpege basses.
[video=youtube;4Z1zoVq-FwY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z1zoVq-FwY[/video]
[video=youtube;5vQ4XrkEOUo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vQ4XrkEOUo[/video]
He was my bass teacher so long ago.

 

[Orion]

I just got my first Warwick, but just to be thorough I played on some Musicmans(men?:|). They weren't bad. I haven't had a chance to play one but I kind of like the style of the Gibson Thunderbirds, wouldn't mind giving that a shot either.