Our own stories..!

FunkyMan

FunkyMan

Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Messages
429
Reaction score
4
..we all have a sad, funny, heavy, stressful history about how was the purchase of our basses! If you just were to the store to buy it, if you asked for a loan, if you drive for hours and hours until the owner house on the other side of the country etc...

My stories:

-Streamer Jazzman: Since my ibanez was no longer enough, I decided to buy a Warwick, the bass of my dreams. Started work hard to collect enough money to buy a corvette 5 $$ i saw on eBay (my first idea), But then I saw that the same seller publishes a beautiful streamer jazzman and some time i had already seen P-nut and Dirk lance playing a streamer, this was the one I wanted, but WHAT?? it cost $ 700 more than the Vette. OMG What can I do? My money is not enough.. At the end I could not resist, on my head beat: "streamer streamer streamer" I had to ask my boss a loan. Well, Money in hand, Click on "Buy it now" :D . I was in Venezuela at that time, and suddenly the planets lined up, I had a cousin in Miami and his father would travel to his home in the same week of purchase, PERFECT. But my uncle had to go back and the bass had not arrived yet oohh sh%t I was calling him every minute, just missing a couple of hours to go to the airport and suddenly PUUMM the bass came! Thanks God! Then he call to confirm. And i asked arrived well? how it is? he said: I do not know, is a huge box which reads: War ... Warw ... eeeehhh Warwick! :lol: The day he came from the trip, I was very nervous, hours were spent slowly, in the evening I went to his house, and I see a beautiful bag in the table.. yes.. inside there was my warwick!

Thumb NT 6: This was less complicated. One day i get up in the morning, and my brother tells me: "Hey, yesterday I went to the local where sells used things, and saw a Warwick 6 strings. WHAT?? Which model? he says: I dont know, but i know that is very beautyfull and have two huge Pups! Have no doubt, I went to see it immediately. When i go, I see with abundance of dirty and rusty strings, a Fabulous,Glorious and powerful THUMB 6 strings 1999 NT! My credit card starts crying, because she knew i was going to buy it without thinking. This purchase was not accepted by my parents because I left without a penny, but heeyy, we are young, and if you have opportunities like these you should not miss. Bad english sorry! what about you?
 
Well, when I first saw my Corvette at the music store. I sat there playing it unplugged for half an hour, then the room with all the amps was free, and I stayed for 3 more hours. They were closing, and I begged them for 5 more minutes with the thing, it was SO awesome! (And still is!)
They let me sit for half an hour because one of the employees were buying a guitar from there himself, so we just jammed :)
 
My proline... I saw her at the music store and was imedditly taken by its looks... very professional and durable looking. I played it unplugged and decided i did not like it.

Later that month I was looking into a warwick custom shop, and although I told my self I didnt like the playability of the corvette, I wanted to test the electronics. I plugged it in, and decided from the first note that I wanted to buy her. The sound... was heavenly. Clear, natural and woody. I put a 400 dollar deposit on it, and made the 500$ extra needed within three weeks to buy her. Nov. 7th, 2006, she became my flagship bass and dream.

Within a week I found the neck to be extremly comfortable, and also found my self addicted to the tight string spacing and the sound of jazz pickups.
 
My Double Buck: It was the summer of '06, i had my first job caddying, and i thought i want a Thumb BO, so i saved up had a birthday etc. i see that i have enough for the $$ and decide to give it a try, i noticed the THICK sound of the Pickups, and how comfortable the neck was along with how light the body was compared to the BO, i immediately decided i was going to order it. I wait the time for it, come home from work early and im waiting in my house with some friends and hours go by, im starting to get frustrated, my dad comes home and is like "ya know your bass is leaning up on the side of the house right?", i burst out of the house and claim my sexy new Warwick.
 
my $$: it was coming up to my 18th birthday and my parents were like anythign you want? they were wanting to get something that would last, make an impact something that i'd aprechiate and keep for years to come (yeh they are quite the sentimental types) anyway i said i wanted a warwick. I'd been playing a rock bass streamer for ages and wanted an upgrade to the real thing. But they were unable to afford on so i got my family and friends to chip in + £300 of my own money i had in an ancient savings account. The day after my birthday i treked to london's bass center and sat playing basses all day long and voila i ordered my fretless $$. 2 weeks later went an picked it up just in time to do a demo recording for uni :D

My Streamer stage 1: Saw it on the forum and it wasn't selling and after a few price drops the guy said he'd wait for money so i, in my state of gas for the bass asked him to hold it for me. I'd got a 96 corvette over the summer and basically put it up for sale on the forum. Took a while to sell it but i finally sold it and made up the rest from my student loan (who needs food when you get your dream bass!).

The 96 corvette: basically an ebay buy due to needing a fretted bass again (2 year i'd been fret free) basically the singer/guitarist writer wanted slap in some songs so i need the frets and my fretless didn't cut it. Then i sold it to help pay for my SS1...
 
WARNING: This is gonna be long (I have 6 Warwicks, so...)

My first Warwick was inspired by a vacation cruise I took in 2006. After a one-week cruise, my wife and I spent the weekend in California. While there, I visited the GC in Lawndale and saw a used Infinity for $900! It was in great shape, only missing one of the pots. But I didn't know the value of these and didn't really have the money, so I moved on. The thing is, for the next 4-months, I couldn't get "the one that got away" out of my mind. I had a disappointing Dean Edge fretless that I just couldn't play. Then one day, some money came my way and I was thinking how much a good fretless would fit my church's music. That's when the Infinity I let go inspired me to not make the same mistake twice. I knew of a local GC that stocked a couple Corvette Std. fretless basses and I went home that day
with my first W! And I discovered that a quality fretless makes all the difference in my ability to actually learn to play fretless. :)

Then the next month, I tried a 4-string $$ at another local GC that felt so "right" to the touch and sounded so good, I fell in love with it and bought it - but I really wanted a 5er. The next day, I find a 5-string, same color, in yet another GC. I told the salesman that I had already bought a 4-string from another store and he told me that if I returned it, he would sell me his 5 for almost as cheap as I bought the 4 for. So I had to race across town, get the 4 bagged up, race even further out to the other GC, make up a story that my wife said I had to return it because we didn't have the money, the salesman understood and nicely took it back, then I raced all the way back across the valley to pick up my 5 and take it home to play! The things I'll do to get the Warwick I really want...! Very Happy

2 months later, I walk into the newly relocated GC that I bought my $$ from, and I see this Corvette Std. fretless with the most incredible and exotic tigerstripe grain fingerboard. Even the bubinga body was so perfectly uniform, it looked like a one-piece! Even though I already had a Corvette Std. fretless, this one kept me up all night debating if I should buy it. Due to lack of sleep, I ended up calling in sick to work so I could get back to GC as soon as their doors opened and buy the bass before someone else did! Man I'm addicted...

The next story comes 3 months later, when I bought my Thumb NT off eBay. The Thumb NT became my dream bass and I could never afford one until it hit me to take the risk and get a used one off eBay. I used eSnipe to bid while I was away from my computer, but after I had won, it seemed to take forever to ship to me. It really wasn't that long, but I was going on vacation and I thought I was going to miss the delivery, but it finally arrived one day before I was to leave! I stayed up that night getting as much playing time in, then I had to say goodbye for a week. Sad It was a fun vacation and I got to play some Thumb basses at a couple different Guitar Centers in southern California, then I topped it off with my tour of Dana B. Goods, but I could not get the anticipation of coming home to my new (to me) Thumb NT off my mind. Now that's the kind of vacation to have - one that's fun AND full of anticipation when it's over! Very Happy

The Thumb Dirty Blonde was a nice priced find at my local Bass Place specialty shop. It had been de-fretted by renowned luthier Richard Beck and the fretless tone this thing has is just incredible - the best fretless I've ever played!

Then came the Streamer Std. with the gorgeous swirly bubinga top. The strange thing about that one is I bought from a dealer in Denver using eBay. But I had actually gotten to see the bass in person 3 months earlier, when I was touring the Dana B. Goods warehouse! I had really taken to that particular bass at the time, but I had understood it was having the neck replaced for a customer. Guess it wasn't owned but was going to a dealer in Denver, enroute to my house! :D

Which brings me to today. I know I said I don't have the money to buy another bass, and I also have been talking about having GAS for a Streamer Stage I. I have also got hospital bills coming my way. But my stories tell of a fool-rush-in obsessed Warwick fan who can't say no when the right one comes along! So lo and behold, eBay has done it to me again: I do my usual search for an SSI and what should appear, but this 18volt high polish blue AAA flame beauty:






Of course I eSniped and won this beauty for $1600.00, maxing out one of my credit cards, and in a few days, my dream Streamer will be added to the collection! Actually, I had originally wanted an all-blonde Steamer, but after seeing this blue finish, my desire changed to what I think is a bass that's even more satisfying!

Now the Dolphin HAS to remain a dream out of reach, or I'll have nothing left to wish for! :lol:
 
flipper_gv said:
you won't be able to resist a nice priced dolphin :twisted:
Click to expand...

Well, you're probably right, but my credit card is finally tapped out, so I have no choice after this purchase!
 
maddrakkett said:
Which brings me to today. I know I said I don't have the money to buy another bass, and I also have been talking about having GAS for a Streamer Stage I. I have also got hospital bills coming my way. But my stories tell of a fool-rush-in obsessed Warwick fan who can't say no when the right one comes along!
Click to expand...

Ha ha ha!!!! :D No you didn't!! With what you've been through Damn the torpedoes! Go for it! :D
 
maddrakkett said:
flipper_gv said:
you won't be able to resist a nice priced dolphin :twisted:
Click to expand...

Well, you're probably right, but my credit card is finally tapped out, so I have no choice after this purchase!
Click to expand...

.....until next month
 
After looking for a lefty five-stringer for some months, I finally ordered a Warwick Vampyre after falling in love with how Warwicks played. I had saved up money and drooling for a time, before I took the step.

The wait was first: 5 months, then 7 months, before I ended up at 11 painfull months. It was worth the wait, but I could just as well had ended up cancelling due to the constant delay. I hope I don`t have to experience that again.
 
My first Warwick was a Vette $$ 5 BO. I knew I wanted a Warwick but I was aiming for an active Vette STD-5. Then I saw the $$ and tried it first. I tried it for 5 minutes before I paid and left the shop. It's now sold.

I bought the SS1 from a guy in Swizerland. I only saw a few photos of the bass before I transferred the money onto his account. The bass came a week later. It's been my main axe since then. Funky Maple!!! I've named it "The Beauty"

I bought the Thumb NT-6 in Late November 2007. However the ebony board had two smaller cracks in it and the seller took the bass back to have it repaired. It just came back after around 4 months of waiting. It's in brand new condition, new ebony board, new LEDs, total makeover of the body and neck new frets..... etc. I*ve named it "The Bitch"
 
flipper_gv said:
you won't be able to resist a nice priced dolphin :twisted:
Click to expand...

Speaking of... No, I didn't buy a Dolphin too, but I did find a beautiful 1991 Dolphin on eBay UK from Oxfordshire with worldwide shipping, starting bid $700 GBP (around $1300 USD) or buy it now for $1000 GBP (around $2000 USD) and there's only a day left, no bids. See it here:





Would have been a nice "catch" (get it - Dolphin... :roll: ), but I really have more use for the SSI and I like keeping the Dolphin as the elegant benchmark Warwick that's always just out of reach. 8)
 
maddrakkett said:
flipper_gv said:
you won't be able to resist a nice priced dolphin :twisted:
Click to expand...

Speaking of... No, I didn't buy a Dolphin too, but I did find a beautiful 1991 Dolphin on eBay UK from Oxfordshire with worldwide shipping, starting bid $700 GBP (around $1300 USD) or buy it now for $1000 GBP (around $2000 USD) and there's only a day left, no bids. See it here:





Would have been a nice "catch" (get it - Dolphin... :roll: ), but I really have more use for the SSI and I like keeping the Dolphin as the elegant benchmark Warwick that's always just out of reach. 8)
Click to expand...

Congrats on the new bass Madrakkett!
hey wasn't this Dolphin (or still is) on the for sale section here in the forum?
 
Well, I was still playing a Tobias growler, when a friend of mine said he went to the dreaded local music store where I live. I lamented about them and told him how I thought they sucked, but nonetheless, he told me he picked up a used Thumb 4 BO. I took a look at them on the web, and thought...hey, that's pretty nice. When I went to said music store, I saw the bass, but it looked different from all of the ones like it I had researched. It was a different wood(which I later found out was bubinga) and had all chrome hardware. I had them take it out of the case, played it for what seemed like hours, and decided I just had to get it. Of course, I couldn't afford it, so I went the layaway route. Boy am I ever glad I did. I put the Tobias down and haven't played it since. I've had my thumb for about 5 or 6 years now, and it's been with me through about 4 bands and side gigs. It's had a few incidents in this band, which I'll recap quickly.

First, right before my first show with this band, their old bass player came to get his rig. He moved my bass underneath their mini-fridge...which happened to be open, resulting in it draining throughout my case, and all over my bass. Luckily, the only damage done was that it left two small lines between the pickups where the screws are, and one down by the bridge. On another night, my idiot ex-singer decided he was gonna get drunk, and play everyone's stuff. He cranked my knobs so much, they haven't been the same since. I need a new volume pot, and probably an input jack, but that's for another thread. Regardless, that bass has, and still is, my go to, and has never let me down.

Ok, so on to my second 'Wick.
About two weeks ago, I got married to the woman I've been with for about 6 years. We had a nice, small wedding, but still paid for a ton of stuff, so we've been a bit strapped for money. I had already planned a quiet weekend away at a bed and breakfast in PA. I had to go to the post office, and she went to drop the kids off. While I was waiting for her, I walked down to the same dreaded music store, just to get a little playing time in before being away from my gear for 3 days. I walk in, head right to the Warwicks, and what do I see? The Dirty Blonde. I was hooked immediately, and of course had the guy take it out of the case to play. They've got the crappiest amps there, and nothing that compares to my rig. Anyway, I plugged in, closed my eyes, and just played away. When I opened my eyes, my wife was standing in front of me and said "So, you gonna get that?"

Of course, I knew we couldn't afford it, but she said, "We'll work it out". So we went away for the weekend, and I said I'd think it over. Well...we got back on Sunday, picked up the kids, and went right back to the store to get it. We also bought the kids acoustic guitars, and I've started teaching them all how to play. I took my bass to band practice and watched 4 non-bass players drool over it. I can't wait to play it at a show.

Well, I guess that's that. I'm a happy Warwick player!
 
i love reading the stories here.

i will post mine after my current ordeal with the buzzard is over.

my stories arent really as good as all of yours though :)
 
IncX said:
i love reading the stories here.

i will post mine after my current ordeal with the buzzard is over.

my stories arent really as good as all of yours though :)
Click to expand...

I don't know about that, any story that has to do with a Warwick is a good read for me! :D Will look forward to reading yours when you are able to tell it. 8)
 
I see that there is a hole in which all fall (I thought that this happens only to me) We have purchased basses at inappropriate times, and we drew money where we haven't! Its funny, sometimes we say: "I am crazy, why I did this?" But we should never repent... Nice stories!! My parents say: about 4000 $ in two pieces of wood? hehe They never know what it feels like.. 8)
 
FunkyMan said:
...My parents say: about 4000 $ in two pieces of wood? hehe They never know what it feels like.. 8)
Click to expand...

And then there's the Ritter Royal Flora Aurum, priced at $100,000. All the gear I've bought over the last 30 years combined doesn't even come close to the price of that one bass! :shock:

Even the more basic Ritter Royals, and Alembic basses, and others that start at $15,000! - which is still way more than all my current gear of 6 Warwick basses and an SWR Mo' Bass rig!

Of course I would never trade my 6 Warwicks, not even for the Ritter Royal Flora Aurum! :twisted:
 
`

I had not found Warwicks to deliver the soud I was after, but cuz they are known to be top shelf basses, and cuz my tastes change and develop, I would check back with Warwicks from time to time. But also over time my tastes became more dfined and less changing. IOW, I still don't get anything useful from a box stock Corvette Standard.

My 1st Wick was a 5-string Streamer Std. Great mellow humbugger tone, and if it had been a 4-string I might still be playing it. At the time I was kinda new to 5-strings, and the spacing proved to be something I wasn't comfortable playing.

But I'd still check different models as they turned up used and affordable. I happened on a Bubinga Corvette FL4 with Batrtolinies and an active ssytem, but not with stacked tone knobs like a Pro-Line. Somebody's modded Standard, I supposed. Sounded great, very different form the usual, and was very affordable, prolly cuz it was modded. Great bass. Still have it.

The local GC had a custom order that the buyer did not pick up, so they marked it down. It's an ash $$ Corvette FL4 and the only thing "custom" about it is the brass nut and flatwound strings. I bought it to replace my Bubinga FL4 but they are very different from each other and both excellent, so I kept both.

My fretted $$ Corvette was acquired as a partner and practice mule for my FL Corvettes. It wasn't on clearance, nor used, but when GC had the "20% any one item" sale, thaz when I pounced :-)

Then I got my FNA JazzMan fretted 5, which a friend was selling and it sounded great [and looked great]. But it turned out to be too much neck for my hands and will not be remaining with me. If nobody buys it, I might shave the neck and keep playing it. It does sound sooooo cooool. But I would also replace the J-PU wiht the "big slug" style from the Taranis. It would be more MusicMan-like, thus more Golem-esque.

So, at this point I don't really self-identify as a Wick Freak. I happen to have these 3 Corvettes, and they are a great bunch of basses, so I am very glad Warwick is in the bass-making biz.

`
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top