Warwick quality?

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Krabster

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I've had a couple of problems with my 'wicks, and I've heard some rumblings about modern Warwick quality being at a lower level than the older ones. I have a 2003 Thumb BO 6, a 1995 Thumb BO 6, and a 2007 Corvette $$. In the past I had a Corvette Proline (which I miss). The BO 6 needed a fret level and re-crown to correct some unevenness in the fingerboard. The guy who worked on it said that he could get it to be playable with a reasonably low action by dressing the frets, but that otherwise it would need to have the fingerboard planed and refretted. It plays fine now, but the truss rod is also nearly bottomed out.

My $$ had a broken truss rod. I should get the neck back this week, with a new truss rod in it. The repairman mentioned that the original truss rod was pretty tiny, and that he would rather replace it with the larger size rod that he usually uses. His pricing was reasonable, so I had him go ahead. As far as why the truss rod was broken, I don't know. I've bought these basses used, and this one could have been abused before I got it. But I don't understand why such a thin rod (I'm guessing it's maybe 3/16" in diameter, about 4.75 mm) would be used in the first place.

I really like the sound of my Warwicks, and I like the way they feel, other than the weight of the Thumbs. The '95 Neck-thru feels so rock solid compared to the BO. Is it better to stick with the older ones, or are the newer ones really up to snuff?
 
I've had nothing but problems with the older ones, and was problems-free with the newer ones. Go figure.

The Balance of the Universe is respected, go and find inner peace bla-bla...

More seriously, buy what you want. Just take the required precautions before buying (especially "vintage" basses). Apart from that...

I think older ones and newer ones are equally good. OK, the first have WENGEH. vroum
 
I have an '03 Proline that I bought new that has had no problems (that I didn't cause) and I know finally own an '02 Corvette fretless that looks as though it has never been used so I guess I will see how it holds up over time. I'm sure there's plenty of people on here with far more extensive knowledge besides that though so lets see what they have to say.
 
both mine got no issues are and are decently low action. but i played other basses which has a super low action. i tweaked what i can but end up max out the bridge adjustment.

beside that it works good over the years and handle well on the roads as well.
 
Repairmen always seem to have this knowitall attitude and 'explain' what is wrong with your instrument only from their own (sometimes limited) point of view.

Stiffer, well shaped sturdy necks don't need incredibly thick rods to keep them from collapsing. A Ric 4001 had two rods and nearly always neck problems... Your trussrod breaking was bad luck but afaik this has nothing to do with design or build quality.

For the uneven fretboard I don't know what's up with that. What type of wood is the fretboard?
Btw sanding / crowning a 1995 fretboard in 2011 is not an odd thing...
 
We were in a constant evolution since we opened the Warwick COmpany.
SOme may prefer the older warwicks, especially the very early 100% handmade basses, because of a more "vintage " feel. But most of them had/ have issues...

Every year we find solutions for known issues, and we invest in new and better technologies. So the best Warwicks are the ones built today.
 
Hi Guys,

This thread was closed by mistake, like accidentally pushing a wrong button. It was never our intention to close it, sorry for that :-)
 
Florin said:
We were in a constant evolution since we opened the Warwick COmpany.
SOme may prefer the older warwicks, especially the very early 100% handmade basses, because of a more "vintage " feel. But most of them had/ have issues...

Every year we find solutions for known issues, and we invest in new and better technologies. So the best Warwicks are the ones built today.
Click to expand...
Amen :-)
 
My limited input from experience:
NT Thumb 5 dating from 1988 probably (no serial number): owned since 1995 and never had to adjust the neck. It's perfect and so solid. Has only been exposed to western Europe climate though.
94 Fortress 5 (bought new): persistent neck problems (too straight, I have had to use heavy strings to get enough curve)
And finally: a friend reversed a jeep over his 89 NT Thumb (wearing only a soft gig bag) and the neck was fine
 
Florin said:
We were in a constant evolution since we opened the Warwick COmpany.
SOme may prefer the older warwicks, especially the very early 100% handmade basses, because of a more "vintage " feel. But most of them had/ have issues...

Every year we find solutions for known issues, and we invest in new and better technologies. So the best Warwicks are the ones built today.
Click to expand...

Great words, boss.
 
Most TalkBass members have a rabid love for older anything... as soon as a new model gets released, they're automatically worse than the old stuff.

Every problem I've had with a Warwick was the result of my own clumsiness and idiocy. The only knock against 'quality' I could offer is that I think the Wenge necks were best - and that's it. Everything else I complain about comes from design decisions which simply don't mirror what I think... that has nothing to do with quality.

Personally, my favourite Warwicks are voluted Wenge necked ones... small window of time, but they have the best of both worlds - that great neck wood with modern, consistant construction.
 
Everybody can have a Warwick with Wenge neck, for a small upcharge, via Custom Shop. Sure you will not find them on the 2nd hand market, but you cannot blame Warwick for that :-)
 
Florin said:
Everybody can have a Warwick with Wenge neck, for a small upcharge, via Custom Shop. Sure you will not find them on the 2nd hand market, but you cannot blame Warwick for that :-)
Click to expand...

Oddly, I found both of my Wenge-necked 'Wicks ('97 Fortress MM and '98 Thumb B.O.) in the past few months. I wasn't even looking specifically for Wenge, I just happened upon them and they were good deals.

My Fortress did have an issue with the neck, but I think a previous owner had over-tightened the bolts and caused the fingerboard to begin to separate at the body joint. Not a quality issue- more like an idiot-owner issue. Mike Lull was able to fix it nicely for me.
 
I have had both NT & BO Warwicks from each "era" of production and in my opinion there has been nothing but improvements in the basses over the years. There are some differences in the different years of production, but are older ones better? Not for my money.

I believe that most (probably 90%) of the problems people have with basses/guitars are due to user error. Most people won't admit it, or simply don't know they messed it up. Sure there are lemons out there, but they are few and far between.
 
Florin said:
Everybody can have a Warwick with Wenge neck, for a small upcharge, via Custom Shop. Sure you will not find them on the 2nd hand market, but you cannot blame Warwick for that :-)
Click to expand...

I did not realize that. Hmmm... food for thought...

And thanks, Florin.
 
Sometimes there are imperfection on a bass that are not immediately noticeable. Only after a couple of days, or weeks, of playing, then something starts to bug you. It could be the edge of the fingerboard, sometime it's the way a bridge is mount, or the angle/depth of the strap pin...

It's the amount of time that a luthier spent on the instrument that matters to me. The longer he spent to make that bass, the more likely he is able to iron out those small things.

And that's the difference between a boutique handmade instrument and a high-end production bass, IMHO. Older Warwick, had that handmade vibe, to me at least.
 
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