...worried about the fingerboard and body wood on my order

[OK Horray]

I ordered a custom afzelia Corvette fretless from Warwick about a month ago, and now I'm a bit worried that I did not specify the cuts of fingerboard ebony and body afzelia more specifically.

When I placed the order, I was basing my choice of afzelia on the uniform looking cuts used in the Dolphin SN and Streamer SII shown on the Warwick website ( and ). I was also basing my choice of fretless on the impression that Warwick used solid black ebony for their fingerboards (so it would match my black hardware).

Since I placed my order, I've been hanging around in the forums and have seen fretless basses with lighter tiger-stripe ebony fingerboards (like ) and a Streamer in the CS gallery with a cut of afzelia that has a really prominent, dark grain (). I didn't really have those cuts of wood in mind when I ordered my bass, and now I'm worried that I may get something that I wasn't expecting.

Should I contact someone to clarify what I'm after, or should I just trust the experience of the Custom Shop to choose what they think will look best?

 

[Casey]

I would leave it up to the custom shop guys... they know best
You'll definantly get an awesome bass

 

[ThirdthumB]

You can always mail them to specify more clearly...............

But I wouldn't be surprised if you're too late. I mean, the first thing they do is choose the wood right ?? I've had a similar issue when ordering my Thumb NT (standard)......................What Pommele will I get ?? Time will tell....................At least the bass WILL be beautiful................maybe not just what you had expected.................... 8)

 

[avionix543]

Just trust 'em. The grain and colours on mine weren't at all what I expected and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. You won't be disappointed! ~M~

 

[odominguez]

When I was telling the custom shop to what I wanted for my bass, I never really said anything about the kind of ebony I wanted, I was expecting a higher grain tigerstripe thing, but it didn't happen, I got solid black. Truth is you never know what you're gonna get, mostly for fretless basses we try to use solid grain fingerboards, but you might find a few with a very distinc grain, I personally like it very much though.

 

[Stroud]

At least the bass WILL be beautiful................maybe not just what you had expected.................... 8)

when was the last time that warwick made a bass that wasn't just beautiful. warwick is one of the most consistant brands i've ever seen. the luthiers really seem to take pride in their work

 

[saxonbass]

I wanted solid black ebony on my $$ at first... now I'd go for any amount of figuring on tigerstripe ebony... it just looks amazing! I would trust the Warwick guys if I was going for a CS bass... I've seen some amazing pics on this forum!

 

[Grgzilla]

I think Ian's CS Streamer is a prime example of what you can expect when you buy a CS Warwick.

 

[Vinnie]

Sorry to steal the thread a little but anyway.... Is it possible to request a more figured fingerboard from the custom shop?

 

[odominguez]

Sorry to steal the thread a little but anyway.... Is it possible to request a more figured fingerboard from the custom shop?

You can tell this to your dealer and they might put it in the order under "special comments" which is a section we mostly use for when people want very specific things, like let's say someone wants a name inlay, so put on the specs that they want the nameplate inlay and under comments we add what it should say. But this doesn't guarantee you'll get exactly as you are imagining it.

 

[avionix543]

[/color]. But this doesn't guarantee you'll get exactly as you are imagining it.[/color]

And I don't think it should. We're dealing with natural materials afterall and each piece will be unique regardless of intention. Even if the CS guys found a piece of wood that looked just right, after shaping and finishing it may not have the same grain pattern and after waxing, it may not show the same colour. I think that most people who order a CS have done their homework and probably own other Warwicks, so they should have a good idea of the range of qualities that any particular wood might exhibit. The ovangkol body on mine is by far the lightest tinted ovangkol Ive ever seen. Looks like a light walnut almost. I had envisioned the darker, reddish ovangkol but that's not what I got. The more I look at it though, the more that piece of ovangkol fits in with the overall theme of the bass, visually. Warwicks aren't just a collection of nice splinters glued together, they're individuals with their own distinct personalities. ~M~

 

[Casey]

[/color]. But this doesn't guarantee you'll get exactly as you are imagining it.[/color]

And I don't think it should. We're dealing with natural materials afterall and each piece will be unique regardless of intention. Even if the CS guys found a piece of wood that looked just right, after shaping and finishing it may not have the same grain pattern and after waxing, it may not show the same colour. I think that most people who order a CS have done their homework and probably own other Warwicks, so they should have a good idea of the range of qualities that any particular wood might exhibit. The ovangkol body on mine is by far the lightest tinted ovangkol Ive ever seen. Looks like a light walnut almost. I had envisioned the darker, reddish ovangkol but that's not what I got. The more I look at it though, the more that piece of ovangkol fits in with the overall theme of the bass, visually. Warwicks aren't just a collection of nice splinters glued together, they're individuals with their own distinct personalities. ~M~

+1

 

[ThirdthumB]

I think Ian's CS Streamer is a prime example of what you can expect when you buy a CS Warwick.

Well...................I do believe that one should definitely not expect to get a Bubinga Pommele wood like on Ian's bass. His Pommele is truly exceptional, and Ian is very lucky to have such a specimen. An average Pommele specimen looks less spectacular. You could get something like that, but definitely don't count on it............... :roll:

 

[odominguez]

I think Ian's CS Streamer is a prime example of what you can expect when you buy a CS Warwick.

Well...................I do believe that one should definitely not expect to get a Bubinga Pommele wood like on Ian's bass. His Pommele is truly exceptional, and Ian is very lucky to have such a specimen. An average Pommele specimen looks less spectacular. You could get something like that, but definitely don't count on it............... :roll:

Actually you should wait for nothing less than that. We have just come across a new batch of Bubinga Pommele that is truly amazing.

 

[maddrakkett]

I think Ian's CS Streamer is a prime example of what you can expect when you buy a CS Warwick.

Well...................I do believe that one should definitely not expect to get a Bubinga Pommele wood like on Ian's bass. His Pommele is truly exceptional, and Ian is very lucky to have such a specimen. An average Pommele specimen looks less spectacular. You could get something like that, but definitely don't count on it............... :roll:

Actually you should wait for nothing less than that. We have just come across a new batch of Bubinga Pommele that is truly amazing.

That's great to hear, as I am changing my mind and thinking of going for a Bubinga Pommele body and Wenge neck CS Thumb 4-string, NT with the two displaced bridge pickups like the 5-strings have... Oh, the GAS!

 

[ThirdthumB]

I think Ian's CS Streamer is a prime example of what you can expect when you buy a CS Warwick.

Well...................I do believe that one should definitely not expect to get a Bubinga Pommele wood like on Ian's bass. His Pommele is truly exceptional, and Ian is very lucky to have such a specimen. An average Pommele specimen looks less spectacular. You could get something like that, but definitely don't count on it............... :roll:

Actually you should wait for nothing less than that. We have just come across a new batch of Bubinga Pommele that is truly amazing.

Actually, I recall you mentioned this like two months ago. I was waiting for my Thumb NT back then. I ordered a 2007 bass, so I figured I might get some exotic Pommele. It turned out to be a 2004 with a "modest" Pommele, which I don't mind at all, because it gives the Thumb more of a workingman's bass look, instead of a boutique bass look.........
In any case, it may be true that statistically you may be correct, Oliver, that one can expect Pommele like on Ian's bass, but nevertheless I still think it's a bit tricky to tell people that they can expect something like that......................Just my opinion of course. :roll:

 

[Grgzilla]

I think what Oliver is saying is that you can well expect to get high grades of wood from the CS due to the new batches of woods they currently have in stock.In other words,Ian's bass is an indication of what you should expect if you order a CS bass NOW!Not 3 years ago.I know you dont like being challenged mate but facts are facts. :wink:

 

[ThirdthumB]

I think what Oliver is saying is that you can well expect to get high grades of wood from the CS due to the new batches of woods they currently have in stock.In other words,Ian's bass is an indication of what you should expect if you order a CS bass NOW!Not 3 years ago.I know you dont like being challenged mate but facts are facts. :wink:

The only fact is that the new batch of Pommele looks fabulous. This doesn't mean that 100% of the blanks look that good. We don't know how long the supply of that batch of Pommele lasts. Maybe a new batch will arrive in 6 months that looks less fabulous. Maybe Warwick still have an old batch of Pommele laying around somewhere, just like they still had an old 2004 Thumb 5 NT in stock (mine). Warwick can guarantee a certain level of build quality and after sales service, but I still think it is tricky to tell people that they can expect Pommele like that on Ian's bass...............I am a control freak; if 99% of the Pommele blanks that Warwick have is fabulous and 1% is average, I wouldn't tell people to expect the fabulous piece: there will always be the 1% who will not receive the fabulous piece. And really, I don't feel challenged thump, we are humans, and our opinions are as diverse as Bubinga figuring.............. :wink:

 

[Grgzilla]

This is why I said,"what you can expect",meaning,in the majority of cases.Nothing in life is certain mate.

 

[ThirdthumB]

This is why I said,"what you can expect",meaning,in the majority of cases.Nothing in life is certain mate.

Let's buy a bunch of CS basses with Bubinga Pommele to see what we get and continue our discussion...............I'm gettin' ya thump. 8)