=The Warwick Thumb Club=

Nachobassman said:
Both? 😁

Great, thanks.
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Ack, there's a bit of a delay - An earthing problem developed after a short time and I couldn't see anything wrong I could fix personally, so I'm giving it back to the luthier to fix properly on warranty.
 
evilgus said:
Ack, there's a bit of a delay - An earthing problem developed after a short time and I couldn't see anything wrong I could fix personally, so I'm giving it back to the luthier to fix properly on warranty.
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Oh, Man, I hate it when plans go out the window! I got a call from my luthier today and he finally figured out what was going wrong with the buzzing and weird noises - Basically, the new EMG pickup is the opposite phase to the MEC pups, which we did figure out, but you can't just reverse the black and red wires on the EMG, as that forces 9V through the rest of the earth circuit and makes nearly everything seem microphonic. Unfortunately, that means the EMG pup is useless for this purpose, so I'll need to get my hands on a real MEC Active J pickup, but the darn things are soooo expensive to buy new from the Warwick shop, plus ship to Sydney.

Don't suppose anyone has a spare MEC J they'd like to part with? I think it's the 60201 model - Long 4-string or short 5-string.

Cheers,

EG
 
It’s probably easier and cheaper finding an EMG J set to match the neck pickup you already have. Used ones pop up occasionally.
 
Ok, so I finally have the Triple-pickup Thumb bass back and it's working well! I'll do some recordings soon and post them up!

Lesson learnt - Don't try and mix different brands of pickups, especially active ones!

EG
 
showdown said:
It’s probably easier and cheaper finding an EMG J set to match the neck pickup you already have. Used ones pop up occasionally.
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Thanks. I did consider that, but the market for used pickups is really not great "Down Under" (due to lower population) and we have to pay heaps more for U.S parts, due to freight and the poor exchange rate.
 
evilgus said:
Thanks. I did consider that, but the market for used pickups is really not great "Down Under" (due to lower population) and we have to pay heaps more for U.S parts, due to freight and the poor exchange rate.
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I live in Norway so I can very much relate to all of that :) But congrats on the fix!
 
IMG_0243s.jpg


Trying an old EMG J set in my blonde Thumb. I like them, they have more lower mids than the MECs, which is good for this bright sounding bass. The output's a bit higher as well.
 
Hey folks,

Here's a quick run-through of the different tones I can get from my Triple-MEC pickup Thumb BO 5. I might be biased after spending so much to get it sorted out, but I think it sounds pretty great, plus is incredibly versatile!



Cheers,

EG
 
So… there’s a 1990 Thumb NT5 for sale and I might get the funds to buy it. Trouble is, it has a stock red laquer finish and I really wanted one with an oil/wax finish. Stripping the finish off could be an option, it will be a lot of work, but will the value of the bass be ruined?
 
showdown said:
So… there’s a 1990 Thumb NT5 for sale and I might get the funds to buy it. Trouble is, it has a stock red laquer finish and I really wanted one with an oil/wax finish. Stripping the finish off could be an option, it will be a lot of work, but will the value of the bass be ruined?
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I wouldn't stript it, it could diminish the value. What's wrong with the red lacquer? You can always roughn the neck with 0000 steel wool (or a cleaning pad) if it's too sticky.
 
BrusselsBass said:
I wouldn't stript it, it could diminish the value. What's wrong with the red lacquer? You can always roughn the neck with 0000 steel wool (or a cleaning pad) if it's too sticky.
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There's nothing wrong with the lacquer per se, it's just that I'd rather want a natural wood bass instead of a bright red one :) Finding a reasonably priced NT5 here in Norway is pretty difficult as it is, so that's why I'm considering this one.
 
showdown said:
There's nothing wrong with the lacquer per se, it's just that I'd rather want a natural wood bass instead of a bright red one :) Finding a reasonably priced NT5 here in Norway is pretty difficult as it is, so that's why I'm considering this one.
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I'd say go for the refinish. It's fun and for me, was a total success.

I did an '04 Thumb NT (it was waxed originally, but someone had used the wrong finish over the years and it looked, bad...brown cola color)...and the results were great. Back to that glorious Bubinga red. Eventually sold it...and it did not affect the price at all (it was disclosed). Probably helped the sale, as it looked like it did from the factory, sans the worn hardware.

@Florin was kind enough to give me some tips and tell me to go for it. Went through all the stages of sanding, being overly OCD about not taking any wood off, or as little as humanly possible. I used 1 full can of official Warwick surface finisher. Heated it up in a mug on the coffee machine. Applied it hot and fast (and a bit messy, no need to be perfect, just total/even coverage, using the whole can of wax). Let sit, buff off the next day. Bam. Stunningly beautiful. Went a bit heavy on the wax at first. Took 4-5 waxings over 6 months or so before it looked/felt absolutely perfect.

One thing to keep in mind with any stained finish, is that you'll possibly wind up sanding off a bit more wood to get all of it off. I refinished a '98 FNA to wax (the burnt amber orange ones) and I wasn't able to comfortably get all the stain out of the flame maple. Felt I was sanding too much and stopped. It still looked great and didn't hurt that sale either. It is unique, in that it has some orange flame on top....so if you see one floating around, that's it.

If you do go for it....feel free to keep us updated along the way.
 
showdown said:
Luckily I don’t have to strip any finishes after all :) I found another NT5, it has the natural oil/wax finish and it was a tiny bit less expensive too, so I went with that one instead. I should get it in a little week or so, but the waiting is killing me…
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No picture, no bass 🤘 :cool:
 
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