Warwick Thumb BO or MM Stingray 5 ?

R

Ran

Joined
Aug 4, 2006
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Hey nice to meet u guys , im from Japan and im new to the warwick forum , this is my 1st post :) :oops: Plz refer to my title.....this question already bother me for quite a long time......still thinking of which 1 to buy....i luv both.....but 2 only can choose 1 :lol: i need some recommendation from you guys......thank you very much!!!!
 
Hi and a big welcome!!! If you come to the Warwick forum and ask if You should buy a Warwick or a MusicMan the answere is ver easy - Buy a Fender (sorry, that was a joke). No, buy yourself a Warwick or two and life will get easy, you will have a bass with so much more sound potential.

So 1) buy a Warwick bass
2) play it a lot
3) enjoy!

Cheers / mats
 
I have never played a bass that has a wider tonal pallet than a Warwick. Also being a technical person, I have never in my life seen a better engineered product. From the electronics, to the bridge with its adjustable string spacing, the adjustable nut height, the neck stabilization/truss rod system. You will also never ever find the level of technical support that you get from this forum and from Warwick.

Besides - They just look cool :lol:

If you ever have a chance to try the two side by side you will take the Warwick and never look back.
 
MM are good basses, but are very limited!! a Stingray is always going to sound like a stingray. warwick basses can cover all the tone bases!!! did a gig today with the BBC, had several sound engineers comment on how nice the bass sounds. had it growling like a tiger for a jaco tone, and then soloed the front pickup for a jameson tone. all for one gig, just with a twist of the pickup pan!!!
Thumb BO is a beast. you can make it sound like a musicman, but the MM will never sound like a warwick. do ya get what i mean???
the only thing that put people off warwicks is second hand resale value! American basses (fender MM etc) generally hold value over time, but second hand warwicks are up and down on prices! found a 91 Stage I in my local music shop for £400!!!! madness!! mind you warwicks are getting more popular, marketing in america is aimed directly at the metal and rock scene. 10 years ago this wasn't the case. very much the opposite. but all of music has generally gone "metal". check the new fender range, "big block" my arse!!!!!

Sorry for the Rant, still pumped from the gig!!!

JUST BUY A WARWICK MY FRIEND!!! YOU WON'T LOOK BACK!!!
 
what about a nice 'vette or streamer in the $$ version? :D
 
Choose the Bolt-On. I was in this same place before I got my first Warwick, which was a Thumb BO Custom 6 strings. One of my friend had recently purchased a MM and for some reason I felt like there was something missing, it was definitely a comfortable instrument and the sound was good, but it lacked prescence, and when I got the Thumb BO, I never looked back.
 
Sorry guys but there is no way a BO Thumb can sound like a MM5 anymore than an MM5 can sound like a BO Thumb. You can't even get the MM4 Ray sound out of the MM5 (Pup switching etc!!!). Each bass, Thumb BO or MM 5 has its pros and cons - best advice, go to a shop, play both options to death and make yur decision based on that.
 
Martthebass said:
Sorry guys but there is no way a BO Thumb can sound like a MM5 anymore than an MM5 can sound like a BO Thumb. You can't even get the MM4 Ray sound out of the MM5 (Pup switching etc!!!). Each bass, Thumb BO or MM 5 has its pros and cons - best advice, go to a shop, play both options to death and make yur decision based on that.
Click to expand...

I would have to agree to try them both side by side. If you go to the ernieball forum I'm sure they will all say get the MM...
 
The Thumb BO with humbuckers sounds just like MM. Every bass does sound different, and the tone is just want individuals percieves. But i am sure the tone of humbuckers will sound like humbuckers, and jazz pu will sound like jazz pu's. if we are talking about "general tones" then it doesn't matter what bass it is, it comes down to the pickups. plus its really a case of 2 pickups verses 1. how limited do you want to be to a tone.
warwick sound better in my opinion than MM, and I own both!!! the MM i use for "dodgy gigs", where i'm more concerned on security than tone. if my MM gets nicked then so what, I'll get another one. but no two warwicks sound exactly the same. so i don't wanna lose my beast.
 
The best thing to do is try them both and see which will best fit your needs. See my signature for what I use now, but I have previously owned a Thumb BO broad neck and SR5 at the same time. Loved the sound of the broad neck with the soapbars in it, but will never sound like a MM, and a MM will always sound like a MM. I did't find the coil switching of the SR5 to be very usefull and always prefered the sound of my SR4 to the SR5. The Thumb had a brilliant sound which cut very, very well. Unfortunately the broad neck was not comfortable for me. The normal Thumb BO is known for being neck heavy but the broard neck was horrible. I guess I see my Streamer Jazzman as being a great middle ground between the two. I certainly think it is more versatile than both the Thumb and SR5.
 
badboyjohnzy said:
The Thumb BO with humbuckers sounds just like MM. Every bass does sound different, and the tone is just want individuals percieves. But i am sure the tone of humbuckers will sound like humbuckers, and jazz pu will sound like jazz pu's. if we are talking about "general tones" then it doesn't matter what bass it is, it comes down to the pickups. plus its really a case of 2 pickups verses 1. how limited do you want to be to a tone.
warwick sound better in my opinion than MM, and I own both!!! the MM i use for "dodgy gigs", where i'm more concerned on security than tone. if my MM gets nicked then so what, I'll get another one. but no two warwicks sound exactly the same. so i don't wanna lose my beast.
Click to expand...

BBJ - c'mon humbuckers like humbuckers? Even the Alnico pups in the SR4 sound different from the ceramics in the Sterling. I also own Warwick and MM - they sound different, I prefer the Warwick for growly rock and the Sterling for when I need a more clean/vintage type sound for 60's/70's stuff. I'd be a bit p***ed off if the Sterling went AWOL seeing as it cost double the 'vette! I think we'll have to agree to disagree :wink:
 
Well, I have the opportunity to sell basses and can state that even if you have two basses with the same PU's and electronics but different woods in the body, the neck and the fretboard, they definitly sound different / mats
 
ok, well. About 3 months ago I was in the same situation. Sort of. I was either going to get a Corvette std 4 or a MM stingray 4. Here was m situation.

Born and raised as a bass player on Fenders. First bass was a Americano STD Pbass. Love the thing. Since I am assuming this is not your first bass, you probably have a fender bass. Doesn't everyone? Or you at least had one as has everyone. Not to knock fender or MM but, they feel quite the same, as in sounds though, nothing alike. The MM had great sound and its a very very fine instrument. BUT!! when i sat down with the vette it opens up your mind. The fretboard just has this feel and the wood gives it that sound. On my P, still to this day, I am mostly a 12 fret player 1 - 12. On the vette I now own I can play all over and loose nothing. Thanks to the warwick growl and other wick qualities. I can honestly say that you WILL NOT be dissapointed. A buddy of mine had a MM and after he played my vette he went out and got a streamer, his MM strings are now a beautiful orange rust color LOL.

Buy a Warwick. nuff' said.


PS: Warwick, where is my check?
 
I've got to agree with Gonzo 100% on this one.

I've played a couple of MM's. Nice basses, and yes the Sting Ray feels a lot like my P-Bass, although the sound is quite different.

Go to the music store, plug in a Thumb Bass and play it for 15 or 20 minutes. I mean really play it. Then pick up the Music Man of your choice and play it. If you are like me, the choice will become clear very quickly.
 
Between the bass players there is a disput - at least, here in Romania - between 2 brands:

Music Man and Warwick

These are the two most disputed brands.

I never played a MM, but I owned a Warwick $$ and now I am on my way to buy a Warwick Thumb BO. Warwicks are just amazing basses! The "Sound of wood" is not just a slogan, it's just the reality. I had a Streamer Rockbass and, comparing it with my $$, I discovered what a huge importance has the wood.

The MM remembers to the Fenders and it gives the feeling of being part of the same family.

Go for the Thumb!
 
I still say play them both side by side for 15 or 20 mins each. Get to know how thay feel and sound. I did and went with the W but you may like the MM...
 
:D I have one last comment on this. Buy both, then there will be no argument. I did, I am poor but happy.
 
You should play each and draw your own conclusion. That said, a Stingray 5 used to be my main bass until I bought a Thumb 5. I have since sold the Stingray and acquired a Streamer Stage II 5-string and a Corvette Standard 6-string.
 
Warwick and Music Man are pretty much the only mass-producers that I like, and of the few different Music Man models, the Stingray 4 is the only one that I get into. If you have to have five strings (it's perfectly understandable if you do) I'd go with the Thumb. Preferrably neck-through if you can swing it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top