Warwick Thumb Bass - 6-String Bolt-on Broad Neck - Bass Practice Diary - 19th May 2020

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Warwick Thumb Bass - 6-String Bolt-on Broad Neck - Bass Practice Diary - 19th May 2020
This week I was servicing my 6-string Warwick Thumb bass when I realised that I've never featured it in a Bass Practice Diary video. Recently I did a video in which I renovated my first childhood bass. But this Warwick Thumb bass has even more significance to me. It was my first 6-string bass, and I've played this bass more than any other instrument in my life. This is probably a slightly self indulgent Bass Practice Diary video, but I thought this might be interesting for my fellow Warwick bass enthusiasts.
A couple of times each year I take this bass out and service it. I change the strings, polish the frets, oil the fretboard with lemon oil and treat the natural oil finish with surface finishing wax. That's what I was doing this week when I realised that I've never featured this bass before in one of my Bass Practice Diary videos. You'll only recognise this bass if you've followed some of my old, old videos from before I started my practice diary.
How I Came to Own It
I've owned this bass since I was 19 years old and it was my first 6-string bass. I was at music college at the time and I had a teacher that played 6-string bass. At that time I was still playing mostly 4-string. I owned a cheap 5-string bass, but it wasn't good and I rarely played it. My main basses were a fretless Mexican Fender Jazz Bass and a Gibson USA Les Paul Bass, both of which I'd picked up second hand.
It was a good time for buying second hand. I couldn't afford a good new bass and at that time. And you could pick up second hand instruments for a fraction of their value new. These days, I look at the high prices of second hand instruments and I wonder why anybody buys them.
My dream bass in my late teens was a Warwick. I'd never played one up to that point. But they were very popular at that time among pro and semi-pro bassists. So I heard them a lot in the live music venues that I regularly visited. They had a very distinctive tone, and that tone, to me represented what a modern electric bass should sound like.
So I dreamed of buying a Warwick bass and, inspired by my teacher, dreamed of playing a 6-string bass. So, for months I scoured the internet for a second hand 6-string Warwick bass that I could potentially afford, assuming I sold all my other basses.
My Warwick Thumb Bass
It's a difficult instrument to play. The neck is massive, both deep and wide. It has a 34 inch scale, which is standard on Warwick basses and it has 20mm spacing between the strings, which makes it a broad neck model. Over the years, I've seen many bass players try and play this bass and fail. This bass was built for tone not playability. It's heavy and it doesn't balance very well on the strap. It balances well on your lap when you sit down and play it which makes it a good bass for recording, but gigging is hard work.
The best way to get it to balance is to put weights on the strap, which adds to the weight of an already very heavy bass. I would always have a very stiff and aching shoulder the morning after any gig. It's remarkable really that I used this as my number one bass for 10 years. I thought for a long time that this would be my number one bass for my entire career. It was so much a part of my sound and my playing style. But eventually, practical considerations took over, and using a bass that is as heavy and as distinctive sounding as this one is just not practical in many situations.
The bass is made from solid Ovankol, which is a heavy tone wood, similar in it's tonal characteristics to Rosewood. The fretboard is made from Wenge. The pickups are MEC Soap-bar and the active circuitry features Bass and Treble controls and an active/passive push/pull control on the volume knob.
It's a bass that really needs to be your number one. It's hard to play, so if you're going to master it, you need to spend lots of time with it. If you stop playing it regularly, it's very hard to pick it up again which is why you don't see me playing it very much any more.

[@pragyanbarua3830]

The most beautiful 6 string bass❤

[@Halfpastseven]

Awesome story! Warwicks are great basses been playing them for over 10 years as well.

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Thank you! Yeah, I love them.

[@bassimprovjams3772]

Same man! Got my first thumb NT5 in 08 and just got my 2nd one in December and it showed up a day before my Birthday 🙏

[@thumb_bass_guy]

Awesome video. I have a Thumb BO 6 2021. I love it and enjoy watching this video from time to time. This video really captures the beauty of this bass.

[@liammusik]

Warwick Sounds sooo particularly. 👍👍👍🎸😍

[@jenricgonzales]

My goodness. This is my dream rig! A fretless version of this broadneck Thumb 6 would be absolute perfection for me. Wish I could afford one though.

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

I'm glad I bought mine when I did. I'd never be able to afford a new one now. 👍🎶

[@GothTracker]

Great, honest review on the Thumb BO6, Johnny! I used to own the NT6, but the weight is too much for me to handle. The Thumb 6, whether a BO, or NT, is no doubt the ultimate jazz machine, for solid, fluid scale work and legato run. Keep rockin' with yours!

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Thank you. Yes, it's an incredible sounding instrument, but it's heavy!👍🎶

[@erradate6425]

beautiful bass, and the jazz parts are great

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Thank you! 👍🎶

[@Tony21TT]

Great instrument indeed....👍

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Thanks Tony!

[@arrell]

Lucky you've got the rig to carry that thing!

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Definitely! 🎶

[@julianpaulus6245]

Just bought my 1st 6string dam u making me appreciate my bass more

[@AleksP1987]

My Thumb BO4 was made in 2001 , has the same wood and a thick neck. I like old Thumbs with thick necks - they sound much better than the newer revisions of the model with thin necks!

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Yeah, I think the older ones have more of a distinctive character.

[@albertyap7369]

I have a Yamaha 1st generation 6 string bass, the TRB 6P that I bought back in 1991. The string space is similar to your Warwick Thumb Bass. My Yamaha tone is a little less crispy compared to Warwick. However, the Yamaha has a very strong and growling low B. I kinda like Warwick tone, which I played for a while in the early 2000s, and sold after a year (filled with regret though). Would love to own again a piece of Warwick, especially the NT6 fretless model with Bubinga body and comes with natural oil finish 🎸

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Awesome, I know those 90's Yamaha TRB6P basses are great basses and much sought after.

[@butacos1388]

Beautiful sound! Awesome video! I am Warwick streamer user. This is hello from Japan

[@sababahsan]

A tone that can't be replaced. Great clarity in playing too Johnny! I had 4 thumb basses, 1 which was a 2004 model. Somehow sold off and could not replace it ever. Tried all the newer versions but they are different. Would you attribute it to the ovankol and bubinga bodies? Would really love to know your thoughts. I am desperately trying to get my old sound back.

[@JackCarver10]

I love my 2017 Thumb BO 5, recently interchanged the Tedur nut with a new brass nut, it sounds even better now. But I also boost the high mids and treble with a Darkglass B7K ultra and change the attack a bit, makes it sound real gnarly. I have a Little mark III, too! It sounds so good. Firing it into an Ampeg SVT-410 made in USA....

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Nice, I bet it sounds awesome! 👍🎶

[@JackCarver10]

@@JohnnyCoxMusic It does, no doubt about it. Now it's a matter of the sound of my fingers to make it sing, still got a lot to learn.

[@JackCarver10]

@@JohnnyCoxMusic I have to add, my 5 string has a pretty narrow string spacing and it's quite hard to learn how to slap on that slick beast. As you mentioned earlier the neck is pretty thin, it's Ovangkol like yours. By the way, can you recommend a nice broad strap for that heavy chonk of wood?

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

@@JackCarver10 Yeah, I use these straps called "Comfort Strapp" with two p's. I really like them. Here is the website comfortstrapp.com/product-description/

[@Khazandar]

It really sucks that Warwick don't offer broadneck options on their Pro series. :/

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Yeah, I wish they did.

[@ontiretsemagome9154]

How is it Ike slapping on a 6 string bass ? I am thinking of getting one when I master my 5 strings. Is the string spacing great for slap ?

[@J-Cardozo]

New thumb bass seems to have slimmer neck

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Yes. The newer ones do have slimmer necks.

[@soliderfromtf2]

Wow that neck is thick. I saw insane death machine play with a broad neck and because of how big his hands are the neck didn't look that thick but in your hands it is massive

[@PEACEinYESHUA-oj7vc1pk7w]

Johnny you’re an amazing bass player and you make playing bass guitar look so effortless and easy when it truly is not especially if like me you have incredibly small hands. The Warwick neck is too chunky for me now because of the disability I have developed. They are incredibly unique instruments and the woods they use are stunningly beautiful! I have a Corvette Standard fretless 5 string one of the older ones. It weighs an absolute ton! The sound with the fingerboard and the pickups combined is incredible. Again as I mentioned to you the neck has developed a very severe forward bow. Plus it’s falling apart. At the moment only the strings are holding the machine heads, the top nut and bridge saddles in place. It needs an expert to have a good look at it especially the neck. It’s really bizarre. I am very careful with my guitars and look after them. It’s very old though. One thing I always struggled with was the bridge claws and getting a low B string that was narrow enough to slot into the claw. I always used Rotosound roundwound strings on it. They are amazing basses.

[@sinrockcompany7487]

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[@c.e.m7535]

Thank you so much for your video. If possible, could you please tell me what brand & size of bass strings you were using in this video? And/or do you have a favorite brand of strings? Thanks friend!

[@wuwliwonka]

Wow Mr. Cox, thanks for posting this video! What's the deal with rounds and fretless fretboards? I know I have swirl marks on my fretboard but I find roundwounds simply sound and feel better. How concerned should one be about marking the fretboard? Worst case scenario, can it be fixed if required?

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

I've never worried about using rounds on fretless. It is possible to get the fretboard refinished, but I've never felt the need. 👍🎶

[@LeoNovel]

♥️

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

👍🎶

[@aussiecoastie72]

How do you find the neck? Do you find you have to adjust the truss rod often? Nice video

[@Bongo_G_La_Costa]

What kind of DR strings do you use?🤔🤷🏾‍♂️🙂

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

I've used all kinds of different strings over the years. I don't remember what I had on at the time of shooting. I think they could have been nickel Lo-Riders. Last time I set up the bass it was with DR strings, so I do tend to use them on this bass. 👍🎶

[@PEACE-nu4wj]

My Bass is a Warwick Corvette Standard 5 String fretless. I have had it for many years. However the neck has taken a severe forward bow rendering it totally unplayable!. The intonation is good, but it's a serious bow, I am unsure why this has happened. I don't feel confident to mess around with the truss rod. the bow is so severe I have loosened the strings for now. The bridge needs renewing as 2 of the saddles fell off when I recently changed the strings! It needs a full evaluation from an expert. The shape of the neck before the bow happened was too difficult for my little fingers. It's a "D" shaped neck, I have develoed a severe disability with severe muscle wasting, especially on my hands between the thumb and index finger making it virtually impossible to play this type of bass, the sheer weight of it I mean it's solid and beautifully made. However I am in a wheelchair because of a progressive neurological disease. Worse than that, I started to find the neck too chunky and slow, and I was going into painful cramps when playing both chords and octaves up and down the neck. I feel very sad about this, because it's been an incredible bass to use over the years, old faithful! It has a beautiful and very unique tone, and I tended if I am honest just to DI it straight in, really to cut noise on stage. It was a great bass with a punchy versatile tonal range. Beautiful ebony fingerboard-mine doesn't have lines, I am buying a new bass tomorrow, God willing, one of the Marcus Miller fretless 5 string bass guitars, it does have lines. I am still fretting (no pun intended) on whether to go for my favourite the bright blue bass with the big fat humbucker pickups, which you weren't so keen on, or one of the 5 string fretless Jazz basses, which probably would be more sensible for my poor little hands to cope with. But my Warwick has became part of the furniture for now sadly. Maybe you can offer some expert advice about the neck. It's not a typical bow in the middle of the neck. it's the whole neck pulling forward from the nut end. so the string height gets dramatically higher all the way up the neck, the saddles are as low as they will go. The whole thing needs an overhaul, gosh even the top nut fell off, when I was changing the strings, and the machine heads I will need pincers to tighten the washers lol HELP 😭It's got extra light strings on it but still the action got higher and higher after switching to the lightest strings on the market, scary!

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Hi Tracy. Really sorry to hear about the problems you're having with your hand. It sounds like your Warwick needs some expert attention, I would take it to a professional for a setup. It might just be as simple as tightening the truss rod, but if the bowing is as bad as you say, then it can't hurt to get a pro to do it. I wouldn't worry about the nut falling off, it's an annoying habit that Warwicks of a certain generation have. My Thumb bass in the video has had this happen on a few occasions. I've replaced the nut a couple of times, but you don't need to. The strings will hold the nut in place. As for the Marcus Miller basses, you know I like the V7's more than the M7's, but the M7's are still good. Both very different from a Warwick Corvette, but I guess that's what you want.

[@PEACE-nu4wj]

@@JohnnyCoxMusic Thank you so much Johnny for your kindness and wise words. I plan to take it to an expert. I haven't seen this happen so severely. The fact the intonation is more or less perfect seems good up the neck on every note on each string. Yes funny you mentioned the top nut lol, yes it's fallen off several times! It was glued in place, at the moment it's just the strings holding it in place. I will have to order a new bridge because the saddles are a nightmare!" and of course when I went to change the strings a few of them fell off! I mean it's laughable!!! I think it's fixable, as a whole, but it needs a bit of work. I seem to have had a recurrent issue with the machine heads coming loose-several years back I had to replace them, and back then I had to have them shipped over from Germany. This time though they just need the washers tightened so I need to get some tools anyway. The strings are basically holding even the machine heads together. LOL 😂I did a lot of thinking about the new bass. I was immediately drawn to the M7 with it's killer humbuckers and stunning transparent blue finish. However going by the honest reviews particularly your's it made me think. Also because of the problems I am having with my hands. I strongly was drawn to a beautiful antique white V7 5 string fretless because of the sound and play-ability, the width of the neck seems more sensible for me. I like the fact it has lines, my Warwick none, I haven't played bass in several years and I am working on recording my music as a singer songwriter, I am playing acoustic guitar, which is my first instrument. So I need a bass that I can use right away, that sounds good, and is in tune, especially when I am playing up the neck as I so often do, without the lines and especially for recording it would be a nightmare. So I am being sensible in my older age, LOL. Thank you so much for your reply and expert opinion. I am glad I have purchased the V7. I look forward to my new arrival on Wednesday! 😜😝

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

@@PEACE-nu4wj Thanks Tracy, I hope you love the V7.

[@PEACE-nu4wj]

@@JohnnyCoxMusic Yes! Thanks Johnny! It arrived on Thursday. I just sat and admired it for ages when I took it out the box! I mean it's got the WOW factor! With the antique white and the fretless board. I mean the ebony fingerboard is striking with the beautiful shiny lacquer. I am amazed at the set up! It's ridiculously good! It needs a teeny weeny tweek here and there but as it is it's playable with a beautiful near enough perfect action. I like my action super low, so this is great. The intonation is spot on. I am so glad I went for a fretless with line markings. I haven't played much for several years, and especially as I want to record some demos. It's got a beautiful tonal range. I am not used to playing a Jazz style bass, and I am still trying to figure out the EQ I am playing through my Focusrite audio interface and I am using both Pro Tools and Reason. I don't own a bass amp. When I was last playing live in church every week, a DI was taken from the amp itself. It belonged to the church I was attending. But yes the sound is incredible! One thing theres a HUGE leap in volume and tone brightness when switching to active mode. At first it took me a while to get a good level through the interface. When in passive it's much easier, but in active you need to turn that thing right down or it's clipping into the red on the scarlet 2i2. The neck plays really well, However it comes with flatwound strings I am afraid I don't like flatwounds because they don't offer me the tonal range that roundwounds do. I am a tad worried what will happen to my brand new glossy finger board when I change them LOL. Although the bass has lines, initially I struggled to hit a right note because I am so used to my Warwick without any lines. What threw me is the dots on the side of the neck are between where the frets would have been instead of on them. So it took me ages to start to get used to this. Initially I was going to have the dots removed and new ones put in, but it seems a shame to spoil such a stunningly beautiful guitar. So I am keeping it as it is. I am not sure what gauge of strings are on it, I am guessing the G is a 45. I am tempted to go lighter with roundwounds then it will definitely need set up . I love this bass!!!!Although I have to admit I am struggling with the sheer weight of it and initially was going to send it back and order the other bass. The weight is causing the strap to cut into my shoulder and neck causing a lot of pain. So I will need a padded guitar strap. I am severely disabled now, so it takes me using two hands to even lift it off it's stand, and even at that I can barely manage LOL! I wish I knew a bit more about the blue fretless you reviewed and weren't so keen on. I really am still very tempted to save up and buy it. I wonder is it much lighter? What does the neck feel like in terms of width etc.... All in all I think I have made a good choice for now, incredible bass for less than half what I paid for my Warwick.I am in love! 😍😝💖

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

@@PEACE-nu4wj Hi Tracy. I'm glad you like the bass. The M7's aren't particularly light basses either I'm afraid. Have you heard of the Sandberg SL basses? SL stands for something like "super light". I've never played one, but they are supposed to be good and very light. The preamp on the V7 is powerful, especially when you start boosting the different frequencies. You can probably match the level of active vs passive by taking the levels on each control, (bass, mid and treble), down to just a bit below the notch in the middle of the control. Also, I put round wounds on all my fretless basses. I wouldn't worry about marking the fretboard.

[@portgasd.bassii8952]

I clicked cz I thought the bass was cheap

[@JohnnyCoxMusic]

Lol! Unfortunately not.

[@alexandermeldianov3197]

How did you manage to buy such bass at 19yo? You sold your kidney or something?