Just won an auction for my first Warwick! Now I need some advice on cleaning her up

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Been kicking tires for a few months now. Finally pulled the trigger on a Bolt-on Thumb 4. I figured it would be a great way to go into the Warwick line. The fact that I got it for $800 really helps. Later on, I'll probably get a Infinity SN (love the Zebrano), or a NT.

Now it is a little beat up, some scratches and the ever popular thumb print by the neck pickup. Are they are tricks to getting those marks out, particularly the thumb print? If I can't, it's no biggie. This will be a player's bass and she will see many hours of playing time regardless of looks. The guy didn't even have the beeswax, so no telling how long since it's been waxed.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

-Trey
 
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Nice one Trey,well done.
Take the strings (& the bridge/tail piece if you're confident putting it back together)off & give the entire bass a good sanding.If it's only light scratches,a scotchbrite pad(kitchen scouring pad)will do the trick,or some fine grade sand paper or wet & dry & concentrate on areas like above the pickup,where that thumb print is.If it's quite deep into the wood,it might not be possible to remove it entirely.
Clean & condition the fingerboard with some lemon oil & a clean cloth & buff it dry.Give the frets a polish while you're at it.If they're very oxidized,a little brasso will clean them up,but be careful not to scratch the fingerboard with your buffing.
When you're done with all this,apply a thin coat of wax,let it dry for 5 minutes or so,then buff it off.If the wood's very dry,you can repeat this a couple more times.Repeat the waxing every week until the wood shines & looks like it's re-hydrated.
Now re-string her up,take a couple pics & post em here for us to see your handy work.
Good luck mate.
 
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What he said. I bought a closet classic BO Thumbtwo years ago. I was on GC when the guy traded it in on a new Geddy. GC only had it in their inventory 30 minutes. Everthing eas as new. It didn't look used. But it had never been waxed and the wood has expanded at different rates. The neck has a protrusion down the back which was also pesent on the back and the top of the headstock. The body had a few ridges on it too.

I all metal hardware but left the pickup alone. I taped them for protection. I then wet sanded with 400 grit with the grain. I think I used some before waxing but I can't say for sure. A couple suggestions: Some dage may be too deep to complete remove. Don't sand the top too much or you'll wind up with space between the neck and the top. Take your timeand plan exactly what you will do before breaking out the sandpaper.
 
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Ok, Ill give the scotchbrite a try first. Question: will sanding alter the coloration in any way? I always assumed the oil gave the thumb it's color. I already ordered a new can of Warwick beeswax. One more Q: this is my first bass (I've borrowed up until now, I'm actually a recent convert to bass after 15 years as a guitarist), and the band I'm in plays standard E, which string guage should I shoot for (4string), if guage can effect tonal characteristics, what are they from medium to heavy?

Thanks for the great advice! I'll definitely be posting before/after pics

-Trey
 
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Oh, is there somewhere to download the manual? I'd like to read up on the bridge and just-a-nut, I believe this one is one of the earlier ones. The Thumb is a 2001.
 
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Ok, I'm not too comfortable with taking off the hardware. Could I lightly sand the spots that are marked/scuffed, or should I pass over the whole thing. Will it effect the color of the bass? I'm thinking 1000 grit sandpaper.
 
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ok, I can only give a link to the completed auction (I'm on my iPhone), but there's a pic there. The seller didn't seem to know much about Warwicks. Tried to sell it as bubinga/wenge at first, saying the previous owner told her it was custom shop. However, it does look like the fingerboard is ebony and not wenge so there could be some truth to that.
 
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Congrats on the Thumb! I recommend Scotchbrite for cleanup, it wont damage the pickups or the bridge if you decide not to take them off(however, it may remove paint from the pickup screws.) I would do a thorough lite sanding of the whole body for consistancy, this will help remove any small scratches or gunk build up. The sanding will affect the color initially (will look dull), but once you wax that baby up you will regain the color and shine (if not more so than before.) Have fun!
 
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Thanks Hall!

Did you get to look at the pic? Is ebony a custom shop option?
 

lasteffect

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Hey, I saw that on ebay! I was thinking about buying it myself, but found a sweet fretless 5er Bo w/ a wenge neck instead.

I hope it sounds nice.
 
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Thanks Hall!

Did you get to look at the pic? Is ebony a custom shop option?

Hmmm, I took a look at the completed listing, and I can't say for sure whether it's a custom from the pic. As far as custom options go, almost any variation in wood is an option. One unique attribute that leads me to believe it could be a custom is that the body is bubinga, whereas the thumb bolt-ons that I have seen have ovangkol bodies. A custom bass should come with paperwork indicating as such and/or have a special stamp on the back of the headstock. Either way, that's a great score, enjoy!
 
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Looks like you figured it out, eh? I saw your other thread, that's a pretty sweet Limited edition. Do you have the bass yet? Does it have a number stamped on the headstock like XXX/150?
 
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I didn't get it yet, but I'll let you know. Man what luck! Something grabbed my attention and told me to buy it even though I'd made up my mind on a NT. I was starting to get a bit of buyers remorse before I even got the thing. Now that this has come to light, I don't think I'll ever get rid of it, because just like my old '78 Les Paul custom, it kinda feels like it picked ME lol
 
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Can anyone give me advice on removing the pups and hardware?

Or, if I don't, when sanding between pups etc, I would have to go sideways to the grain...should I not do that?
 
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When you receive the bass,have a close look at how it's been put together,& you'll see exactly how to take it apart,& what tools to use.It's all pretty much just common sense.
 
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I hear ya , and I'm pretty good with that kind of stuff usually, but I'm not up for a game of trial and error with my new bass.

However, after all the input I think I have a good idea of what my plan is...

I'll take off the strings, bridge and tailpiece (is there anything I need to know about putting the bridge back on? Adjustment, etc?) tape up the pots and pickups real well, then give it a light overall sanding with the scotchbrite (I'll keep a 600 grit piece of sandpaper in case that thumbprint gets tricky), then wipe it off, wax it once or twice depending on how dried out it may be, reattach hardware and strings, take pics and post em :)
 
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