One more hole for the preamp! would you?

joekickass

joekickass

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I must change the BEC-II of my Thumb 6 BO, it is way too weak, but I have problem to find a preamp with mid control in 3 knob....they usually need 4, would you put one more hole on your Warwick bass??
 
If done properly than absolutely. I don't have the know how, so I would use a pro, but I wouldn't hesitate to do a mod if I needed it...
 
I wouldn't - it'll severely damage the value of your bass if you ever decide to part with it.

Do you have any options for stacked controls?
 
Try calling companies and speak to their tech guys. I'm sure they can send you a stackable pot so you don't have to drill a hole.
 
I would only have it put by Warwick. No doubt a good luthier can do a perfect job as well...............but it's not a "real" Warwick anymore........That's just me. 8)
 
I put a Bartolini 3.4 A/P in my Thumb NT. It has three pots, but I didn't like how it came as a Volume/Volume stack - I wanted to retain the Thumb's Volume/Blend control; so I simply switched out the Bartolini volume stack pot for the MEC that came with the Thumb. The Mid is a pull switch that gives you two different midrange frequencies, and you can even swap out cap values if you want different frequencies affected.

You can also order MEC stacked/switching pots from Warwick. It seems that MEC are the only manufacturer that makes a pull switch, blend ,and volume control pot; no one else has even heard of such a thing! :shock:
 
Hi maddrakkett

Do you have both Bartolini pickups and preamp on your Thumb NT ? how do you like them ??

My Thumb 5 came with Bartolini passive pickup & BEC-2 band preamp, they are so great for POP songs but could not slap.....there is no Q or growl from the Bartolini

Joe
 
ThirdthumB said:
I would only have it put by Warwick. No doubt a good luthier can do a perfect job as well...............but it's not a "real" Warwick anymore........That's just me. 8)
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Have to disagree. It would still be a Warwick with that mod, and a more usable Warwick for the owner, which is the most important thing...
 
jay said:
It would still be a Warwick with that mod, and a more usable Warwick for the owner, which is the most important thing...
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It would be usable for the one who orders such a mod, but not for whoever may own the bass in future.
 
Shoewreck said:
jay said:
It would still be a Warwick with that mod, and a more usable Warwick for the owner, which is the most important thing...
Click to expand...
It would be usable for the one who orders such a mod, but not for whoever may own the bass in future.
Click to expand...

I worry more about what I need the bass to do, rather then the future owner...
 
joekickass said:
Hi maddrakkett

Do you have both Bartolini pickups and preamp on your Thumb NT ? how do you like them ??

My Thumb 5 came with Bartolini passive pickup & BEC-2 band preamp, they are so great for POP songs but could not slap.....there is no Q or growl from the Bartolini

Joe
Click to expand...

I have Bartolini dual inline coil pups which eliminate buzz from lighting, etc. I still get a nice growl and I think it sounds good with slapping. But I do think the MECs are louder and more aggressive. You have to then determine if you want a more "natural" sound of the Bartolini or the "enhanced" sound of the active MEC pups? Active MECs also require a battery at all times.

But if I turn the gain trimmer up on the Bartolini preamp and kick the preamp in with the volume knob switch, I can still get that aggressive enhanced sound with my Bart pups. Plus I now have two different frequency choices with my midrange knob. :)
 
jay said:
I worry more about what I need the bass to do, rather then the future owner...
Click to expand...

Me too. I'm seriously considering some mods that would completely ruin the resale value of a "genuine" WW, but would make it more suitable for my needs/tastes. But I don't plan selling it in future.
 
I would definantly put any extra hole to suit my needs... I've modded my bass so much already, I'm sure the re-sale value on it is super low now :P

As long as it suits your needs and makes your life easier... go for it!
 
Putting an extra hole in a bass wont devalue it.It's still a Warwick.I mean,why worry about the next owner?Drill away if it makes you happy.
 
I'd do it. As long as it's done by a professional who's good at his job, there shouldn't be a problem.
 
I could have it done, would never do it myself. I am not a good luthier :P My friend and I decided to have some fun with his old cheap guitar when he got his Gibson Les Paul, so we did some modifications, we even de-fretted it. His cheap guitar needs a new neck now.
...
 
Guys...are we talking about an off-the-rack Thumb here?

In all honesty, if you're simply swapping preamps to something high end (such as a Bart or Aguilar), then I really can't imagine it affecting the resale value too much, if at all.

In fact, my experience with these things would have me believe that in many cases, mods such as this are used as selling points.

If we were talking about some kind of vintage, rare, or collectable bass, then I might feel differently about this.
 
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