new wick corvette owner and a question

[IAmTheDood]

HI there .. I just got a new to me '03 passive vette used for $600. All in all it's in good shape .. but I need to tweak the setup a bit .. this is the first bass I've bought that has all of the height adjustment options like warwicks have with the nut and the bridge .. I just can't find a good clean setup. It's a little high right now compared to my other two basses pictured below, I set both of them up myself .. a Fender Aerodyne and MusicMan Sterling HH.. yet when I play over the neck pickup the strings still clank as they are bouncing off the higher frets .. when I play over the bridge pickup they are fine .. I havn't adjusted the truss rod .. the relief seemed fine to me .. Also I am now getting a little bit of fret buzz around the 3rd fret when playing ..

I am a finger player, who tends to play light yet i push down on the strings more than pluck them which gets me that fret clanking sound .. When I pluck the strings harder is when they'll clank off the higher frets .. I like a super low action where I can slide quite well and not press down on the fretboard hard ..

any ideas on what i could try?

below are all of my current rigs by the way.



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[Callum]

mmm fret buzz around the 3rd fret sounds like the nut needs raised a little.

if you check out the tips and tricks section seth has a whole load of posts about setting up a warwick, florin also has a few i think.

I've found when tweaking warwicks is if you lower the bidge so the strings touch the fretboard, adjust the sadles so all the strings follow the contour of the FB, then raise the bridge to the hight you prefer....to stop the strings clanking either have a higher setup, or adjust your technique....tighter strings could work as well i guess.

 

[Martin Such]

nice collection!
not sure if I can help you with the setup, as I'm quite new to Warwick too...
so a little off-topic... what do you think about that Kustom Groove amp you've got?
I own a 2x10 version and sound-wise, I love it! It's pretty heavy, though... and your 1200w, 3x10 version is heavier still.
I think it's a shame they stopped making them - amazing amps! I consider this 3-band switchable EQ to be one of the best EQ's ever.

 

[Florin]

Welcome to the forum man!
It seems to me that you probably have too much release. Check your release, between 12 and 1 fret, and be sure it is around 1 mm, maybe less. Then redo the action.
I hope it helps/ Flo

 

[IAmTheDood]

nice collection!
not sure if I can help you with the setup, as I'm quite new to Warwick too...
so a little off-topic... what do you think about that Kustom Groove amp you've got?
I own a 2x10 version and sound-wise, I love it! It's pretty heavy, though... and your 1200w, 3x10 version is heavier still.
I think it's a shame they stopped making them - amazing amps! I consider this 3-band switchable EQ to be one of the best EQ's ever.

The sound on that Kustom is great! I got it last year from musician's friend when they were closing them out for $500. My only problem with it is that it's 150 lbs .. taking it up and down stairs is a hassle so I save it for the time's that I need it. I also have a Ram 1500 without a bed cover so it's a pain to take it out if it rains, as well as loading it in the back of the truck.

The other two rigs I got there I can fit in my back seat so I don't have to worry about the rain hehe.

 

[IAmTheDood]

Welcome to the forum man!
It seems to me that you probably have too much release. Check your release, between 12 and 1 fret, and be sure it is around 1 mm, maybe less. Then redo the action.
I hope it helps/ Flo

Flo,

I don't understand release? Do you mean relief?

 

[ThirdthumB]

Welcome to the forum man!
It seems to me that you probably have too much release. Check your release, between 12 and 1 fret, and be sure it is around 1 mm, maybe less. Then redo the action.
I hope it helps/ Flo

Flo,

I don't understand release? Do you mean relief?

It must be relief............ANyway, welcome to the forum too man. Ahhhhhhh, the Aerodyne Jazz Bass. I always considered it a sexy bass. It's also the only (?) Fender with a basswood body ?? What's the sound like ?? Sorry, it's off topic.............

 

[Florin]

Welcome to the forum man!
It seems to me that you probably have too much release. Check your release, between 12 and 1 fret, and be sure it is around 1 mm, maybe less. Then redo the action.
I hope it helps/ Flo

Flo,

I don't understand release? Do you mean relief?

Sorry, I was on compression mode last night Relief yes

 

[IAmTheDood]

Welcome to the forum man!
It seems to me that you probably have too much release. Check your release, between 12 and 1 fret, and be sure it is around 1 mm, maybe less. Then redo the action.
I hope it helps/ Flo

Flo,

I don't understand release? Do you mean relief?

It must be relief............ANyway, welcome to the forum too man. Ahhhhhhh, the Aerodyne Jazz Bass. I always considered it a sexy bass. It's also the only (?) Fender with a basswood body ?? What's the sound like ?? Sorry, it's off topic.............

The aerodyne I love, it was my first real "good" bass, I've had it for about a year .. you can get a wide tone out of it with both the P and the J pickups .. I use Elixir strings and it sounded nice and mellow and bluesy ..

Now I got the MusicMan which gives me the punch, and the 'Wick which gives me the low growl so I got my basses covered

 

[catworm]

...and the 'Wick which gives me the low growl so I got my basses covered

oooo pun pun pun pun pun

8)

Welcome to the forum man

 

[saxonbass]

Welcome to the forum... I've got a "bit of a thing" about the Fender Aerodyne bass... I saw one in a shop in Liverpool, practically being given away... I wish I'd just bought the damned thing!

 

[sjw1971]

I am a finger player, who tends to play light yet i push down on the strings more than pluck them which gets me that fret clanking sound. When I pluck the strings harder is when they'll clank off the higher frets. I like a super low action where I can slide quite well and not press down on the fretboard hard ...

Welcome...

FYI - learn to use that bridge p/u with your 'vette and you'll be rewarded with tons of growl. I also would tend to mix more bridge pickup into your blend - 75% or more - initially. This will give you more presence and clarity. By yourself, you'll sound thin, but in a full mix you'll cut like a knife through butter. Unless this isn't the tone you're after.

Don't be afraid to cut your treble a little bit. Your treble EQ is centered around 2.5K hz, which also happens to be the neighborhood that your nasty fret clicking resides in. Cutting your treble a little bit will alleviate it to a degree. Don't cut too much though, as Warwick uses a very wide Q and your presence will disappear in the mix. You can compensate for the cut treble by dialing a little 4K hz back into your sound with your amp EQ if possible.

I also recommend heavier strings if you'll be playing on the neck pickup, as they'll be less likely to flop around.

Warwicks are a different animal than Fenders or EBMMs. A lot more high end output. Just keep playing it and you'll start to get the feel in time. Then you'll want another, and another...