Nbd - ‘99 Thumb Nt 5

[Bliff Curton]

Thats what I was worried to hear.

TalkBass members said theres no worry in turning that trusrod as far as it needs to go in one try :-/
Thanks for being a voice of reason.

Once there was relief, I expected the buzz to go away, especially considering that members here have Thumbs with flat necks and that I set the string height to 2mm. 2.5mm on the B should be absolutely buzz-free, alas it still buzzes.

I emailed TC Gakki telling them the bass is currently unplayable.
Lets see what they say.
They did have a nice ‘04 SSII for sale...but I want wenge neck.
Maybe they’ll pay to have a luthier look at the Thumb.

 

[Hoggles]

So sorry to hear you're having issues with your new baby. I guess this is one of the huge risks buying from overseas, though the outcome may be the same, even if it was purchased from someone in the States. Hopefully they will compensate in some way.

Was this Reverb or eBay? I think both have a general protection for products that aren't what they are described as, even if it's sold "as is". I just don't know if something like buzz, playability issues, would fall under that specific
guarantee. Might at least be worth an email to customer service of Reverb/eBay, to ask about that.

Keep us posted.

 

[Narcdor]

I’d take it to a known good tech in your area before looking for refund or compensation. Ideally you want the bass to work out and it backs you up in the event you want said refund/compensation. A setup should not be an obstacle to getting such a nice and expensive instrument playing well.

On the truss rod I would take it slow as well, very stable necks won’t want to move so you’ve done the right thing.

 

[Bliff Curton]

Ive been playing with the bass all day.

The trusrod finally went “free” in its movement. I think it was just fighting a lot of movement from tranportation.
I’ve got it set up the same as my SR505BM and the buzz is 99% gone.
Much happier.
Now Im just trying to figure out a setup that sounds good - mostly playing with the pickup heights.

Are there any good Warwick techs in California, centered around San Fransisco?

 

[Bliff Curton]

It was from Reverb.

Pretty good price compared to other NT Wenge’s.
I cant find another one for less than $3600.
Same price for a Ovankol NT or a brand new GPS BO.

I agree, better to get this one in good playing condition than trying to find another ax.
Its just too good of an instrument. The woods, perfect. The hardware is on the way out, passive tone does not work, and bridge saddles are decayed.
With a few replacement parts and a good Pro setup, it should be better than anything in its price range.

Im so glad I got that buzz gone.

 

[Bliff Curton]

Im hoping that the bass that is 4x as much as an ibanez can have better action than the Ibanez

 

[Narcdor]

I’m not sure they have a passive tone, I thought they were active with EQ controls or straight up passive all other controls bypassed, I could be wrong though. Unless you mean the passive tone doesn’t work for you?

You’ll get it running smoothly in no time, just a little attention needed. I’ve always been a little irritated by the saddles too but easily fixed and pretty cheap when they do go. I find a gig bag is more wear than a hard case maybe because it rubs more? I dunno.

 

[Florin]

Hi @Bliff Curton ,

Edited your post, so now we all see the pictures inline
YOu need to copy the image address (ending in .jpg) then press the photo icon, and paste the link there, et voila!
Are you sure it has active pickups? If they are MEC with gold logo they are active.
This is an awesome bass, replace only the nut with the JAN III brass
et me know if you have more issues, buddy!
Flo

 

[Bliff Curton]

I got the neck to proper relief and the action setup to factory specs.
Plays soooo much better now.
The tone matches with Newstead’s tone on the Load album. Dark, growly, slightly overdriven midrange.
Anything on the D and G strings sounds like a wicked fretless bass.

Infortunately, she is waaay too heavy for my neck injury so Im going to have to let her go.
If anyone here is interested, PM me.
I payed $2,350.
If not, I’ll send her back to Japan.

 

[Hoggles]

Ohhhh nooooo. SO sorry to hear you can't keep it. Back issues are THE WORST. I speak from experience.

There is a very nice '97 NT 4 selling out of the States on Reverb. Just posted a few hours ago (one of my favorites with the bubble font on the truss cover AND a JAN 1). I think it's still there. $1700. It would be ever so slightly lighter but I imagine you're a 5'er player strictly.

Most of all...don't be a stranger. It's been fun having you here

 

[Bliff Curton]

WHy thank you very much.

Yes, Im a 5’er guy.
Though there is one 4 that I want eventually - Fender PBass Active Delux.
When it first came out it had the gold pickguard. I love the tones. P/J config, great neck, perfect sound.

You guys have been extremely helpful in findig the bass I want and getting it setup to factory spec.
It was nice to play it for a few days. I’ll cherish that memory.
Someday I may pick one up again just for recording.


Re: passive tone,
The treble pot is supposed to act as a passive tone control in passive mode. It had no effect.
The bass would be in great shape with just a few tweaks and new parts, but its not worth the nerve pain in my neck.
Im just glad I got to experience an NT Warwick.

I’ll keep y’alls updated on my search for my next bass.
Im heading to GC to try the Stringray NEckthrough. Should be the tine and playability Im looking for, but I worry that the 10pound 10 ounce weight may be too much as well.

 

[Narcdor]

Huh I wasn’t aware and warwicks had the treble EQ pot turn into a passive tone when passive, it’s a fairly recent trend unless the pre has been upgraded to a glock or similar.

Glad you got to experience it, nothing quite like a NT Warwick!

The newest stingrays are supposed to be lighter too and four strings does shave off some weight, best of luck in your search for be perfect bass.

 

[jester]

WHy thank you very much.

Yes, Im a 5’er guy.
Though there is one 4 that I want eventually - Fender PBass Active Delux.
When it first came out it had the gold pickguard. I love the tones. P/J config, great neck, perfect sound.

You guys have been extremely helpful in findig the bass I want and getting it setup to factory spec.
It was nice to play it for a few days. I’ll cherish that memory.
Someday I may pick one up again just for recording.


Re: passive tone,
The treble pot is supposed to act as a passive tone control in passive mode. It had no effect.
The bass would be in great shape with just a few tweaks and new parts, but its not worth the nerve pain in my neck.
Im just glad I got to experience an NT Warwick.

I’ll keep y’alls updated on my search for my next bass.
Im heading to GC to try the Stringray NEckthrough. Should be the tine and playability Im looking for, but I worry that the 10pound 10 ounce weight may be too much as well.

There's so many Warwicks out there that there has to be a light bass for you. My Corvette Proline is slightly over 8 pounds.

 

[PaulS]

If you can get like a dirty blonde limited, they are light as hell. There are several on Reverb right now

 

[Narcdor]

I’ve got an 8.8 pound Thumb NT 5 for sale in the classifieds, I swear I’m not making this up.

 

[Bliff Curton]

Omg, wow I had no idea Warwicks could be that light.
Yay!

 

[jester]

Omg, wow I had no idea Warwicks could be that light.
Yay!

Woods can vary wildly in density and therefore weight. Swamp Ash is notorious for that.