Thumb NT? Yea/Nay

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KenMan

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I own a Warwick Corvette and 3 MM basses. Warwick and MM make the stuff I prefer. I have an opportunity to purchase a new 4-string Thumb NT for a very good price. But, I would have to sell at least two of my other basses to fund the purchase. That is were it gets rough. I have a German Corvette bubinga, MM Sterling HS natural, MM StingRay SLO Black Magic Crystal and a Classic Stingray in surf green. All basses are in 100% factory fresh condition.

What would I sell?
Bubing Corvette made in Germany
Sterling - probably the easiest one to replace but I've had it a lot longer so its got sentimental attachments
StingRay SLO - I haven't seen a picture of one anywhere and I haven't heard of any others. It is black magic crystal, rosewood and white pearloid. It's a stunner.
Classic Stingray - Mine is one of the first production GC specials with waxed neck. There were approximately 20 made. Now they only come with glossy necks.

I love all basses and for all intents and purposes, the Corvette and StingRays are irreplaceable.

Is this just a bad case of GAS? Putting aside the dollar fluctuations, what should a new NT Thumb normally retail for? Was >$4,000 the price before recently? It is my opinion that it is a great bass but the current retail makes it seem overpriced to me. I can get it for less that $2,000 from the guy who sold me the Corvette. I might consider parting ways with two of my basses to purchase it if it's really a $4,000 + bass.

I know this is the Warwick forum but it seems that people here are pretty balanced in their opinions. I'm leaning towards passing on the deal since I really like what I have. And don't shoot me, even though I love the Thumb NT, I don't see it as a major step up from my Corvette. The Corvette is really great and iit sounds wonderful paired with my MB Walkabout Scout. What would some of you do? If I pass I can always get an NT Thumb. But not at the offered price.
 
From what you say it seems clear that you'd regret parting with any of your basses. I've got a Thumb NT, and love it, but it doesn't sound like it's the right call for you at the moment Ken. $2,000 is a good price for a new NT, but there are plenty of young second hand ones available for less than that. So if you pass on this deal, and later find yourself regretting it, then just look for a second hand one. The other thought that crosses my mind is that, as you're seeing with the Thumb, now is a good time to buy. But conversely, it's not a good time to sell. So if you're going to have to sell some basses to get the Thumb, then you're going to be giving them away for less than you might otherwise be able to get for them. I think that'll be something else that you'll kick yourself for later.

So, in short, despite me being a Thumb-lover, I find myself thinking you should pass on it. How's that for unbiassed advice ;-)
 
You telling me what I know to be true and logical.

Thanks,

Ken
 
You're welcome - it's my pleasure. I specialize in listening to people, and then telling back to them what they've just told me ;-)
 
It's one of those deals that I'd probably regret later. That's not to say that the Thumb wouldn't be great. I would love one! I guess when you like what you have you shouldn't be looking. It seems like there is always greener grass. If I could go back I might have purchased the Thumb instead in lieu of one of my Stingrays. But it would have been a very tough decision.

I live in Dallas. Fortunately, or unfortunately, a guy in Dallas has a large stock of Warwicks for sale, cheap. They are not only cheap, they are factory fresh and legitimate German models (He purchased DBG's inventory). To top that off, one of the sales managers at GC used to work with one of the sales managers at Ernie Ball. This means the north Dallas GC gets a lot of MM basses that other places don't ever see. I saw 7 brand new Deluxe StingRay Classics hanging on the wall a couple of months ago. People who lived out of state were ordering them from that store.

That's a lot of GAS temptation in one area for Warwick and MM fans.
 
Forget the logical! :)

Trade in that corvette and sterling and pickup the Thumb NT, it's a whole different beast.
 
if your going to sell something that you will regret later don't do it.try to raise the money some other way or you could just wait thumb nt go on sale often and sometimes for real good prices.if the thumb is extra nice and you have never seen a bass like it that could change everything.my thumb is plain jane nothing special to look at.see if the guy selling will let you do a layaway type thing to buy the bass.
 
My approach was always to have only ONE but great bass instead of more and of lower quality.
I am not saying you should do the same, I just did it that way, for me it is more logical. It is always ONE bass that takes all the gigs, and there is no need to keep the others in the closet because they are nice.

I play warwick since 95, and I had a Corvette Proline at that time. Not bad at all. Many years later, when I had money to buy a thumb NT, and took it to my band I was like "♣♣♣♣!!!! so this is how a 3000 EUR bass feels like !!!!"
For me every EUR was there, and the bass was in another class. A class you cannot access with less money. I've had the same feeling with the Streamer Stage II.

I also played Stingray 5 - and a very good one for 5 years.

For me, and only me - the Thumb NT or Streamer Stage II, or even Streamer LX or thumb BO is way better soundwise than the Music Man... And it is not only subjective matters, I am talking objective - better definition, better articulation, less or no dead notes, more sustain, clearer sound.

So my advice? Get the thumb NT, don't think too much - it is in a different class than what you have. You have two Opels, and you are thinking if you want to sell them to buy a BMW.

Welll... YEAH!!!!

:-)
 
Hi there,

I also own a Thumb NT, I traded mine for a Mayones 6 string and never regretted it.

Before I owned a Japanese Fender Jazz (upgraded with Bartolinis and a J-Retro) a KSD Jazzbass, an Ibanez Soundgear SR800 and many other basses. many of them at a time. But is like Florin said: It was always the Fender to do the gigs. The others just hung at the wall and were nice to look at.

However. at some stage I found the Jazzbass was too limited. I sold it, though I loved it, and sold all other stuff (except for my six string) as well and got a (sorry to say that in a Warwick forum. ;-)) Status Kingbass. The best bass I owned up to that point, but the neck is a bit wide ... and I always wanted to get back to that Jazzbass-feeling. Then I traded my six-string and got the Thumb NT. Though I knew the six was virtually new (an expensive) and the was Thumb from 88 ...

Know what? It is a killer. It has everything I loved on all other basses. The body shape is great, the neck is the fastest I know, the wood is lovely and it is not just a great slap machine but you can easily dial in any tone you like, from Jaco to Jameson to Miller.

Give it a try, you will not regret it! I though I would regret giving away the Mayones and the Jazzbass, and originally did not want to buy another bass after having invested into the Status, but the Thumb was just too tempting. If you like Jazzbasses and Musicman, the Thumb it is like coming home after a long journey. It is like all the best from those instruments but without their disadvantages and limitations. Only reason I am still owning two other basses is that the used bass prices are that low in the moment, that I would not get a reasonable price.

Hope that helps! Cheers!
 
Florin said:
So my advice? Get the thumb NT, don't think too much - it is in a different class than what you have. You have two Opels, and you are thinking if you want to sell them to buy a BMW.

Welll... YEAH!!!!

:-)
Click to expand...

HAHA, very well said and I agree 100%
 
If you have to ask what other people think,then you're not 100% certain & therefore shouldnt do anything,unless you've spent some time with the Thumb,& have decided that you simply cant live without being able to play it at a moments notice.Some folks get caught up with the legend that is the Thumb,people really rave about it.But at the same time,some of those same folks soon realize it doesnt handle quite as good as they expected.Just be sure about this coz this has the potential of turning into an excersize of losing hundreds of dollars if things dont work out.
Good luck mate.
 
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Florin said:
My approach was always to have only ONE but great bass instead of more and of lower quality.
I am not saying you should do the same, I just did it that way, for me it is more logical. It is always ONE bass that takes all the gigs, and there is no need to keep the others in the closet because they are nice.

.....
Click to expand...

Florin, you always have such insightful things to say! Even when I disagree with you it's great to hear your thoughts, especially because I know they come from a vast amount of experience.

You've said before how your priority has been to have one very good bass, as good as you can afford. Does that mean you don't take a back-up bass out on the road with you? Has that ever been a problem, or has the Warwick reliability meant you never needed it? And don't you feel the need for different basses for different songs/styles? It seems to me that your X-bass was designed to give as much variety in sound as possible. But before you had that bass, didn't you ever feel that your one bass wasn't always the best for every song you played?

With my questions I'm afraid you might think I'm trying to criticize or undermine you. Please believe me that I'm not, I'm just really keen to learn more from you. Thanks!
 
Hi Mart,

Thanks for the questions buddy, and thanks for the nice words.

Sometimes I had a backup bass with me, but most of the time not. Warwick was always very reliable to me, and also my technical stuff :-) So with proper checking I almost never had problems... Of course if something happened there was a bass somewhere, but it never happened in 20 years of playing bass to have this kind of problem during a show. And not only with Warwick.

About my XBASS - I have, and always had a different Idea about what versatility is. To me a bass that has a pleasant sound to my ears, and it has the right mids, so it cuts through the mix - is a versatile bass that I can use on any style.

Even if I played a couple of covers, I was never in a cover band, so replicating other's sound was never a priority to me. I focused more on having my own sound, or at least a sound I loved.

My XBASS can replicate many sounds it is very sofisticated from this kind of view. However, I never use the piezo, I use the tone controls full opened, and I shape the sound from my technique, and the pan pot. So I guess I have 3 basic sounds.
- Neck pickup only - this was 90% of the time
- A blend between neck and center position - for a sofeter sound
- Both pickups mixed equal - sometimes.

So... I do that with any other bass.
The point is that I didn't made my X Bass to be able to replicate many sounds... (even if it can) My goal is to make the bass to have MY sound with minimal tweaks from the amp. So it's basic voicing is what I needed.

Take care :-)

Flo
 
Thanks for the answers Flo. That makes a lot of sense. But I'll make sure my wife doesn't read it, otherwise she'll make me sell some basses :-D
 
I would say I'm like you. I attach to things.

I just gave the first bass I ever owned to my brother in law. (Shecter custom 4) It was a good first bass for me. But, with the basses I now own I knew I'd never play it again. I am sure I will regret giving it away. But, I would rather have it be played then stuck in my closet. Knowing myself, I know I'll wish I still owned my first bass.

So, having said that, you sound pretty attached to the basses you own. I think you should really sit down with the Thumb and try it out for a few sessions. (I'm making the assumption you haven't done that yet.) Find out if it's worth selling the other basses....Or, saving up for.

I think I'm like most people. I want to own a Thumb by it's reputation alone. I have yet to find a store that has one for me to try out. More than likely I will end up buying one without trying it out first. I love the look and the sound I have heard from it. But, I'd never sell any of my basses just to own a Thumb since I've never been able to touch one.

I am a firm believer that basses "speak" to you. For example, I really wanted a Tobias Growler. I finally found a shop that had one and tried it out. I'll never touch that bass again. I just didn't feel it. I had the same experience with a lot of Fenders and Gibsons. Contrary to that, I own a Tobias Classic. When I first touched it....I knew I had to own it. Everything just felt right and it sounds awesome! It will take an act of God to make me ever sell it. :)

From my thinking, have the person let you "get to know" the Thumb. I think that'll make the decision for you.

Best of luck,

John
 
Florin said:
My approach was always to have only ONE but great bass instead of more and of lower quality.
I am not saying you should do the same, I just did it that way, for me it is more logical. It is always ONE bass that takes all the gigs, and there is no need to keep the others in the closet because they are nice.

I play warwick since 95, and I had a Corvette Proline at that time. Not bad at all. Many years later, when I had money to buy a thumb NT, and took it to my band I was like "♣♣♣♣!!!! so this is how a 3000 EUR bass feels like !!!!"
For me every EUR was there, and the bass was in another class. A class you cannot access with less money. I've had the same feeling with the Streamer Stage II.

I also played Stingray 5 - and a very good one for 5 years.

For me, and only me - the Thumb NT or Streamer Stage II, or even Streamer LX or thumb BO is way better soundwise than the Music Man... And it is not only subjective matters, I am talking objective - better definition, better articulation, less or no dead notes, more sustain, clearer sound.

So my advice? Get the thumb NT, don't think too much - it is in a different class than what you have. You have two Opels, and you are thinking if you want to sell them to buy a BMW.

Welll... YEAH!!!!

:-)
Click to expand...

Florin,

They would crucify you for those comments on the the Ernie Ball Forum. ;-)
 
You are completely right. That's the terrible thing about GAS. Logic doesn't always drive our moves. I am perfectly happy with my four basses. And I honestly like both brands the same. IMO, you can't go wrong with either company. Using Florin's terms it's just that I have 3 of the "opal" and only one of the "bmw." Although, I personally think my "opals" as such are in the same league as my "bmw." It's funny, on the other company's forum they would switch Florin's analogy.

Here's the frustration, the only logical reason I can think of to obtain the Thumb is the price. I had a Thumb BO in the past and really liked it. I know I would like the NT version. But I don't have the cash and so to fund the NT I would have to let a few other go. All are keepers.

I tried to work out another type of trade with the individual. I have a new fully loaded MacBook Pro. He wants a computer. But he passed because he says he needs money since he is unemployed. I understand and won't bug him with trades anymore. I have pretty much decided to leave well enough alone. I can always change my mind later and perhaps he will still have the NT (I don't think he has moved much of the 125 bass inventory); but I know it would be impossible to replace the two StinRays and the Corvette at t later date. And if I was able I would be loosing money.
 
I couldn't live with just one. I have a shirt that says love one woman, love many basses. And it even has four basses (like me) pictured. Even though I'm gassing for the Thumb having variety helps me minimize GAS.
 
KenMan said:
I couldn't live with just one. I have a shirt that says love one woman, love many basses. And it even has four basses (like me) pictured. Even though I'm gassing for the Thumb having variety helps me minimize GAS.
Click to expand...

That's hilarious! I have that shirt too. I actually got it for my wife........Cause she has to deal with my addiction. (And, she doesn't like it. With understandable reason. She supports the hobby. Just not my "need" for multiple basses.)
I'm the same way. My goal is to own six basses and give them equal love. I love the idea of being able to pick up different looking/sounding basses. I wish I could be like the people who are just happy with one. It's a character flaw on my part. ;)

I own: SSII, Tobias Classic with zebrano top
I want:Thumb, Albemic Spider, Stu Hamm Urge, Thumb Flamin Blonde

KenMan,

I know exactly what you're saying. That's actually how I ended up with my SSII. It wasn't a "need" in life. But, I picked up a new SSII for 1900.00. I knew I would never get that lucky again price wise. I am now under "contract" with the wife saying no more basses for a year. LOL!
I can't personally justify paying full price for any of these basses. (I'm a self taught player who has been playing for a year and a half. I don't have a band to practice with and I really don't need this scale of professional equipment. I just have a passion to be the best player I can be.) So, now really is the time to purchase these basses. The market prices are low.
That's what make me want to get a Thumb after "contract" time. ;) The prices are more reasonable in my opinion.

John
 
I understand going with one main bass, especially if you only play original music; but I like having different 'flavors' too, which is even more important if you also play covers. I have 2 brighter basses (the LX and the Wal) and 2 warmer basses (the $$'s). I'm not saying you should do the same, but it works for me... 8:
 
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