Jump to content

NBD: Warwick Corvette $$5!


brikus

Recommended Posts

  • Members

So I went to Paris to find a LH bass, actually my first one, as I'm essentially a 6-stringer in need of a good sounding, versatile bass to record the bass lines for his own songs. And a 5-stringer if possible...

 

The store, specifically dedicated to lefties, had a US PB with custom pups, really nice, my kind of sound, but just that and therefore the 1700 euros were a bit steep...

 

They also had a Chinese-made semi-hollow Hagstrom. Great looking, very nicely built for a Chinese, 2 pickups and a 6-way rotative switch and A SHORT SCALE to fit my little paws !! :sm-drool: So when the guy in the store told me it was close to the Gibby SG bass (which I loved, but no longer available in lefty :( ) in character, I hurried to try it ! I really wanted to love it, but even if the sound was indeed quite in the spirit of what I want, it sorely lacked depth. It felt like taking a pic of the grand canyon: with it you can enjoy the beauty of the site, but you miss the strongest element to really enjoy the sight: the sheer immensity of the thing. I was disappointed, as I loved all the rest of it, and as it was affordable: 650 euros only...

 

Out of curiosity I tried an active 5-string Korean Schecter JB with Duncan pups, which the guy told me sounded differently from a JB. REALLY nice. Killer sound with lots of guts, and it did the pb thing surprisingly well, with a broad tonal palette. The neck was really thin, it played like a dream... I was about to buy it (1200 €, which, regarding the quality, were justified) when I noticed another 5-stringer in the 2nd hand corner: a black German-made Warwick Corvette $$5. Swamp ash body with open pore finish, ovangkol 4-part neck with wenge fretboard, 24 brass frets, black hardware. Not the fanciest look, but discreetly elegant. :cool03: Active electronics (volume, pup blend, highs and lows) with passive MEC humbuckers, each with its 3-way miniswitch (coils in series, in parallel, split pup).

 

I plugged it...and I was floored.:sm-drool: It didn't quite sound like a PB, but it was actually closer to the sound in my head, rather woody with some velvety highs, and a real depth!! And the electronics were top notch, allowing some nice variations. The neck was a bit less comfy than that of the Schecter tho, a bit thicker but still nice. As it was used it had a few dings on the back of the body, but nothing serious. The guy was asking 1000 € for it with the Warwick gig bag. Not the bargain of the decade, but still honest.

 

It was a dilemma choosing between these two. I went back and forth a bunch of times, benchmarked them against the PB, but still ended up going for the Warwick, as I liked its woody character better than that of the Schecter, which sounded more 'tubular', for lack of a better word. The electronics of the Warwick were also better, as the Schecter was hissing a bit much when boosting the highs.

 

So, end of the story, I walked out the store with a used Warwick Corvette $$5. That was an outcome I wasn't expecting, especially since I never bought a used instrument, but I know I have a great sounding bass, versatile, and 5-stringer on top of that. :thu:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I already replied to your original thread but Congratulations and Happy New Bass Day. Funny how things turn out, I would have never recommended Warwick in a million years. ;) I haven't played the $$ but Warwick makes nice gear. Play it in good health.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
I already replied to your original thread but Congratulations and Happy New Bass Day. Funny how things turn out' date=' I would have never recommended Warwick in a million years. ;) I haven't played the $$ but Warwick makes nice gear. Play it in good health.[/quote']

 

 

Thanks! :)

 

Yeah, I'm the 1st one amazed...I too wasn't considering Warwick, thinking (as uninformed as I was) they sounded "modern" and therefore not for me. But as you know the proof is in the pudding, and turned out it did the job of nailing the sound in my head better than a PB.

 

So, far from all I could expect, I happened to walk out the store with a Warwick, and even more unexpected, a used one at that...funny how things turn out sometimes indeed... :)

 

That being said, I'm thinking about taking it to a luthier to have it refinished and set up really well. For the paint I'm considering solid white with matching headstock and a gloss finish, to really erase the few dings here and there, or, because it'd be a pity to hide the nice grain of the swamp ash body, a nice translucent dark red... :idk:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I don't know that I'd have it refinished but you could consider just having the body refinished. The bolt-on neck should facilitate that. If you want to maintain the wood grain maybe consider a transparent white like this Music Man (BTW, I flipped the image to make it left handed):

 

 

fetch?filedataid=119363

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
I walked out the store with a used Warwick Corvette $$5. That was an outcome I wasn't expecting...

 

 

Congrats on the Corvette Double Buck 5! €1000 is slightly below the typical price of an $$5 model in average condition, so, you certainly got a fair deal.

 

I've always liked the Warwick Corvette model. Some bass players look at the Corvette and go "yuck!" and say it looks "weird." But, none of those people actually have played one and experienced the robust construction and comfort that the Corvette series provides. It just happens to be that this "weird" body shape, which looks like it might have been something that escaped Salvador Dali's laboratory, is actually an ergonomic engineering marvel.

 

The neck on a Corvette 4 or Corvette 5 seems a bit thick on first feel, but, it is tapered just right to provide comfort for playing non-stop for extended periods of time -- something that a thinner neck won't provide. In fact, that ovangkol neck is one of the strongest necks available on a bass. Wenge fingerboard -- due to its toughness, that is a popular wood used for flooring, so, I doubt you'll wear that fingerboard out in the next 100 years.

 

Are the dents large and on the front, back, or edge of the body, or on the neck? More than 3mm deep? Exposed swamp ash? If not on the front or edge of the body, I would probably forget about them. If the dents aren't too deep, they can be steamed out. Otherwise, epoxy can permanently fill a missing chunk or crater, but, you'll have to go with an opaque finish where the dents have been filled.

 

 

 

uqdo0snfuyw1zah9v35u.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
I don't know that I'd have it refinished but you could consider just having the body refinished. The bolt-on neck should facilitate that. If you want to maintain the wood grain maybe consider a transparent white like this Music Man (BTW, I flipped the image to make it left handed):

 

 

fetch?filedataid=119363

 

Hey, thanks for your work on the pic. :thu:

 

Well, I had the idea of refinishing just the body (and headstock cap, to match) anyway...I love the natural colour of the ovangkol neck and definitely don't want to touch it. :love:

 

Regarding your idea of going for translucent white, it sounds nice in theory, but in practice, I've never been fan of trans white. It has a "not enough paint" kind of side to my eyes... :idk: If I go for white, that's gonna be solid white with a gloss finish, and would look like this:

 

GPS1485_28PA_ASH_FR_01_15.jpg

 

Mine's hardware is actually black. And also picture this one with a matching white headstock.

 

But trans red is pretty sweet too:

 

corvfront.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

 

Congrats on the Corvette Double Buck 5! €1000 is slightly below the typical price of an $$5 model in average condition, so, you certainly got a fair deal.

 

I've always liked the Warwick Corvette model. Some bass players look at the Corvette and go "yuck!" and say it looks "weird." But, none of those people actually have played one and experienced the robust construction and comfort that the Corvette series provides. It just happens to be that this "weird" body shape, which looks like it might have been something that escaped Salvador Dali's laboratory, is actually an ergonomic engineering marvel.

 

The neck on a Corvette 4 or Corvette 5 seems a bit thick on first feel, but, it is tapered just right to provide comfort for playing non-stop for extended periods of time -- something that a thinner neck won't provide. In fact, that ovangkol neck is one of the strongest necks available on a bass. Wenge fingerboard -- due to its toughness, that is a popular wood used for flooring, so, I doubt you'll wear that fingerboard out in the next 100 years.

 

Are the dents large and on the front, back, or edge of the body, or on the neck? More than 3mm deep? Exposed swamp ash? If not on the front or edge of the body, I would probably forget about them. If the dents aren't too deep, they can be steamed out. Otherwise, epoxy can permanently fill a missing chunk or crater, but, you'll have to go with an opaque finish where the dents have been filled.

 

 

 

Thanks for all this info! :thu: Price-wise, I check on their website and a new one, same finish, 5 strings, goes for nearly 2000 €. That being said, mine is a few years old, still. It looks just like the one on your pic, except it's LH of course.

 

The front still looks fine, the dents are essentially on the back (quite a few...most likely a belt buckle syndrom...) and also a bit on the side. The depth is about 1-2 mm, but some area few centimeters long, tho. I'll have a talk with that luthier and see what he thinks.

 

I fully agree with you regarding the ergonomy of the instrument. I've played it once for about 1.5 hour and no sign of fatigue of any kind. Very comfy indeed.

 

Now, just a question about the strap (I should have tried to negotiate one when buying it...didn't think of it... :o ): the button gorges seem very shallow...do they require a certain kind of strap?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Now' date=' just a question about the strap (I should have tried to negotiate one when buying it...didn't think of it... :o ): the button gorges seem very shallow...do they require a certain kind of strap? [/quote']

 

 

 

That's a Schaller strap lock.

 

360389000001000-00-500x500.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
OK thanks...then I might be missing the strap...should have been sold with the bass' date=' right? :idk:[/quote']

Probably not. Chances are, the previous owner traded it in with the strap buttons on it but without a strap. My bass had strap locks on it when I bought it but no strap. You should be able to find replacements though since Schaller is a well known brand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Probably not. Chances are, the previous owner traded it in with the strap buttons on it but without a strap. My bass had strap locks on it when I bought it but no strap. You should be able to find replacements though since Schaller is a well known brand.

 

Actually Warwick has its own strap lock system. But it might be something they introduced more recently, and these might be Schallers...don't know. :idk:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Actually Warwick has its own strap lock system. But it might be something they introduced more recently' date=' and these might be Schallers...don't know. :idk:[/quote']

I went with *BLEEP*'s determination that they were Schallers. Warwicks look like this:

 

fetch?filedataid=119381

 

Thomann.de sells them fairly cheaply: https://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_ssecurity_lock_set_bk.htm?ref=search_rslt_warwick+strap+locks_262454_3.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Actually Warwick has its own strap lock system. But it might be something they introduced more recently' date=' and these might be Schallers...don't know. :idk:[/quote']

 

 

 

If your Warwick is 6 or more years old, it may have the original Warwick locking system, which was not as good as what they have nowadays -- the Warwick S-Secure system.

 

As far as I know, the Warwick S-Secure system is nothing more than Schallers dressed up in Warwick-branded clothes. In any case, you can't (as far as I know) buy the U-channel locks for the strap ends by themselves. You'll have to buy the whole kit, which consists of the two U-channel lock adapters for both ends of the strap and the two proprietary strap buttons.

 

In fact, you might as well buy new strap locking hardware anyway. The latest and greatest will protect your investment from hitting the floor.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
The front still looks fine' date=' the dents are essentially on the back (quite a few...most likely a belt buckle syndrom...) and also a bit on the side. The depth is about 1-2 mm, but some area few centimeters long, tho. I'll have a talk with that luthier and see what he thinks. [/quote']

 

 

For most wood species, 1mm~2mm scratches and dents *without missing wood* can be steamed out with a high level of success. However, you will have to refinish the wood surface, which leads back to the idea of just filling in those imperfections with epoxy (less expensive than somewhat-time-consuming steaming work) if you go with an opaque finish on the back of the body.

 

I noticed earlier that you mentioned "matching headstock." I will advise against that, because it will be a lot more expensive than you realise to do all that refinishing work on the headstock and on the neck. Besides, Warwicks very rarely have anything besides a satin black headstock.

 

As for finishes, if you really want to update the body's finish, I'd think about something like a hybrid cherry red + the existing satin black, where the existing black finish is sanded back until the top grain is natural, but the pores still contain some black. The cherry red goes on thin, allowing some of the black to bleed through. As for the back, after the repair work, if possible, I'd leave it solid black and blend in the cherry red starting on the edges of the body. If this won't work, you can go with the Warwick dark red satin both front and back like a new Warwick, except maybe a touch darker if you wish. Or, you could simply go cheap and fix+refinish just the back of the body, then maybe do a buff job on the front and edges to give the original finish a bit of extra shine over and above what the factory did.

 

Of course you'll need to talk this over with the luthier. I would personally go with something that offers a nice upgraded finish/look at a reasonable price and stick with the open pore surface look.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

 

For most wood species, 1mm~2mm scratches and dents *without missing wood* can be steamed out with a high level of success. However, you will have to refinish the wood surface, which leads back to the idea of just filling in those imperfections with epoxy (less expensive than somewhat-time-consuming steaming work) if you go with an opaque finish on the back of the body.

 

I noticed earlier that you mentioned "matching headstock." I will advise against that, because it will be a lot more expensive than you realise to do all that refinishing work on the headstock and on the neck. Besides, Warwicks very rarely have anything besides a satin black headstock.

 

As for finishes, if you really want to update the body's finish, I'd think about something like a hybrid cherry red + the existing satin black, where the existing black finish is sanded back until the top grain is natural, but the pores still contain some black. The cherry red goes on thin, allowing some of the black to bleed through. As for the back, after the repair work, if possible, I'd leave it solid black and blend in the cherry red starting on the edges of the body. If this won't work, you can go with the Warwick dark red satin both front and back like a new Warwick, except maybe a touch darker if you wish. Or, you could simply go cheap and fix+refinish just the back of the body, then maybe do a buff job on the front and edges to give the original finish a bit of extra shine over and above what the factory did.

 

Of course you'll need to talk this over with the luthier. I would personally go with something that offers a nice upgraded finish/look at a reasonable price and stick with the open pore surface look.

 

 

Well, I kinda guessed going for a trans red would leave in place the black that's inside the pores... I may like it because of the added contrast in the wood grain...or not, I honestly don't know... :idk: However, I'm not sure at all I want to keep the open pore look: even if I went for a translucent color, I guess I'd go for a gloss finish.

 

Regarding the matching headstock, I don't want to do anything to the neck, or even the back of the headstock. It looks just fine as it is, the ovangkol (they went back to full wenge necks later) is lovely and I want to leave it like that. I was just thinking of that black cap they put on the top side of the headstock. If I went for solid white for the body, I guess it wouldn't be much of a problem to paint that cap white as well... :idk:

 

Or another idea I had yesterday, because the model's name is Corvette, is to go for a 2-tone solid finish, red and white, with a chrome line between the 2 colours, like on the side of this C1 Vette:

 

2347341.jpg

 

I'd go for a plain or pearly white in the middle part, giving it an ogival shape (but symmetric) to remind a bit of the shape of the white on the above pic, and finish the outer part in metallic red. And that pattern could be matched on the headstock cap... I think it'd look pretty sweet and distinctive... :love:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

 

 

If your Warwick is 6 or more years old, it may have the original Warwick locking system, which was not as good as what they have nowadays -- the Warwick S-Secure system.

 

As far as I know, the Warwick S-Secure system is nothing more than Schallers dressed up in Warwick-branded clothes. In any case, you can't (as far as I know) buy the U-channel locks for the strap ends by themselves. You'll have to buy the whole kit, which consists of the two U-channel lock adapters for both ends of the strap and the two proprietary strap buttons.

 

In fact, you might as well buy new strap locking hardware anyway. The latest and greatest will protect your investment from hitting the floor.

 

 

 

Yes, I'm afraid I may have to buy a complete strap locking system, if they don't have the missing part left at the store... I'm gonna call them anyway, but given it's pretty far from where I live, the easiest way to go for the guy would be to tell me he doesn't have them, even if he does, instead of sending them to me by the post.

 

But if I have to buy it, my concern is about the threading of the screws: I'm afraid it can vary from maker to maker, and if that's the case, that my new ones may thus lack "grip" in the wood and therefore not be stable... If I could be sure all makers use the same threading pace for their screws, that'd solve the issue...but I can't tell... :idk: Do you have any idea on the matter?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
. . . But if I have to buy it' date=' my concern is about the threading of the screws: I'm afraid it can vary from maker to maker, and if that's the case, that my new ones may thus lack "grip" in the wood and therefore not be stable... If I could be sure all makers use the same threading pace for their screws, that'd solve the issue...but I can't tell... :idk: Do you have any idea on the matter?[/quote']

Honestly, I think you're overthinking it. In my experience, strap button screws are more similar than different and you shouldn't have anything to worry about. I bought my Schecter guitar used and it had a loose strap button on the upper horn. I partially filled in the hole and bought a similar but longer screw from a hardware store. It's stainless steel rather than black but it doesn't show anyway so it doesn't matter to me. I did some noodling around and produced an image of the current version of the Warwick strap lock (on the left) next to the Schaller (on the right). Both are resized to be the same size:

 

fetch?filedataid=119411

 

Notice that you don't see much if any difference in the screws (or much of anything else) except that the Schaller version has longer ones. If you're really concerned, you can probably just reuse the old screws. That way they're sure to fit the thread grooves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Honestly, I think you're overthinking it. In my experience, strap button screws are more similar than different and you shouldn't have anything to worry about. I bought my Schecter guitar used and it had a loose strap button on the upper horn. I partially filled in the hole and bought a similar but longer screw from a hardware store. It's stainless steel rather than black but it doesn't show anyway so it doesn't matter to me. I did some noodling around and produced an image of the current version of the Warwick strap lock (on the left) next to the Schaller (on the right). Both are resized to be the same size:

 

fetch?filedataid=119411

 

Notice that you don't see much if any difference in the screws (or much of anything else) except that the Schaller version has longer ones. If you're really concerned, you can probably just reuse the old screws. That way they're sure to fit the thread grooves.

 

Thanks for your post. And I wonder how come I didn't think of just reusing the current screws to be sure they fit and stay in place just fine... :facepalm: Thanks for the reminder anyway! :thu: It's true I can take the lower bit apart and replace it with the one from the new strap locking system I buy - and keep the original screw.

 

I think that's the way to go...because, on the pic you posted above, it's true the Schaller screw is longer, but you can also notice it has a tighter threading than the Warwick one.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I honestly don't see a difference in the threads and screws are only made in a limited number of ways. Strap button screws aren't wood screws anyway, they're closer to sheet metal screws. You can see the difference here (the wood screw is on the left):

 

fetch?filedataid=119428

 

Anyway, if you use the old screws you'll be fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Anyway, if you use the old screws you'll be fine.

 

And I guess that's what I'm going to do. Safest option.

 

Another question, regarding strings this time: what's the difference between roundwounds and flatwounds in terms of sound?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Flat wounds generally have more fundamental and less overtones than rounds. More of a "traditional" sound. Flats...think Paul MacCartney' date=' Rounds...think John Entwistle.[/quote']

 

OK thanks for the info. :thu:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Hey, thanks for your work on the pic. :thu:

 

Well, I had the idea of refinishing just the body (and headstock cap, to match) anyway...I love the natural colour of the ovangkol neck and definitely don't want to touch it. :love:

 

Regarding your idea of going for translucent white, it sounds nice in theory, but in practice, I've never been fan of trans white. It has a "not enough paint" kind of side to my eyes... :idk: If I go for white, that's gonna be solid white with a gloss finish, and would look like this:

 

GPS1485_28PA_ASH_FR_01_15.jpg

 

Mine's hardware is actually black. And also picture this one with a matching white headstock.

 

But trans red is pretty sweet too:

 

corvfront.jpg

 

 

 

Both finishes look great, but if you're really set on having a matching headstock, I'd recommend the gloss white. I don't think the trans red would look quite as cool.

 

Congrats on the Corvette! Those are really nice basses. They record well too. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
. . . Another question' date=' regarding strings this time: what's the difference between roundwounds and flatwounds in terms of sound?[/quote']

Lug already explained the difference better than I could. Some folks say flatwounds sound "dull" because they have less pronounced harmonics but personally I don't mind the sound. d'Addario Half Rounds are a good option with some of the best characteristics of both: http://www.daddario.com/DADProductFa...a-4cbd37519994. I have Ernie Ball flatwounds on my bass because A) I like the feel of flats and B) I found them on clearance sale and I like bargains.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Flatwounds - Think James Jamerson / classic Motown. "Bernadette" bass tone with few overtones.

 

[video=youtube;h-_sDdS-7Ug]

 

 

Roundwounds - Think Chris Squire of Yes. "Roundabout" bass tone with tons of overtones.

 

[video=youtube;-Tdu4uKSZ3M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tdu4uKSZ3M

 

 

I like the sound of both, so I have different basses strung with each type.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...