Warwick Review: Thumb Bolt-On 5

History:

Purchase: After trying every bass under $1500 dollars that I could get my hands on, I eventually tried a Warwick Thumb. I had previously been opposed to Warwicks. I'm not sure what my prejudice was. Perhaps I thought that Warwicks would sound too modern, and artificial. After I played this bass, every other bass sounded weak. I got the bass for 1,400 after tax, from Chuck Levins.

What I Like About This Warwick Thumb Bolt-On 5: I love the warm buttery tone of this bass. It sounds warm and natural. Tone is Mid rich. Active Preamp lets you dial up more bass or treble for when you need it. I typically run it passive. The B string is tight and clear. I can actually play on the B string high up on the neck and it doesn't produce too many overtones to be useful. Neck is fast and responsive. The ablity to switch from active to passive is a great feature. The adjustable string spacing is a nice touch. The neck is wide enough to allow slapping, but it still takes a little getting used to. I previously played a 4 string Fender Jazz, and it didn't take long at all for me to become adjusted to the narrower spacing. The neck is thicker than many other basses. This is not a problem for me. I like a thick neck. It keeps my fingers properly rounded. Some players might not like this. The Bolt on neck does not get in the way. You can easily reach the 24th fret. Adjustable nut is a great feature. I had no problems with it at all.

What I Do NOT Like About The Warwick Thumb Bolt-On 5: The only complaint that I have about this bass is that it is very headstock heavy. Of course, if it was not it wouldn't sound as good. So, I move the rear strap button up about four inches and it now balances a lot better. An easy fix! Adjusting the intonation is difficult. The bridge gets in your way. The string saddle for the B string is narrow. Meaning that you can only use tapercore B strings. This narrows your choice of strings.

Warwick Thumb Bolt-On 5 Quality Rating: Solid as a rock! Nothing loose, no gaps, no spaces. Beautiful woods with no blemishes. This is a gorgeous bass.

Review Summary: Worth every penny I spent. Despite the Saddle and Intonation troubles, I still rate it a Five due to the great sound, construction, and playability. I had none of the negative experiences that the previous reviewer had.

Rating of this Warwick product: 5

This Warwick Thumb Bolt-On 5 Bass Guitars Review Submitted By: Chad Dukes

Review Date: 2002-09-29