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Fixing a Warwick Thumb w/Pics
- Thread starter HELLonWHEELS
- Start date
That's what I'm thinking... I put a note in my calendar to check back in a couple months, if the bass is still there they're going to be more willing to get it out of inventory.
yeah, that price is too high for that kind of wear and tear.
I might go 1200 tax included but honestly I'd have reservations. I'd go a grand though.
I might go 1200 tax included but honestly I'd have reservations. I'd go a grand though.
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
Tell them you have $1100 cash burning a hole in your pocket by the way is it this guy selling it?
I wouldn’t go that high. I bought the thumb nt6 used for $1500 which was a good price and it didn’t have any cracks or thumb gouges.
The crack should be do-able with glue and clamps. If you're lucky it won't be too visible.
I wouldnt worry about the thumb gouge. I've had an SS2 for about a month and it's already developing that. IMO that's just authentic player wear.
That said - offer $1000 settle for $1200.
I wouldnt worry about the thumb gouge. I've had an SS2 for about a month and it's already developing that. IMO that's just authentic player wear.
That said - offer $1000 settle for $1200.
The problem is that someone attempted to fix it already and did a bad job. I'd be worried that you're not going to be able to get all the existing glue out of the crack, so it's likely you're not going to be able to squeeze the crack completely closed. It'd be way better if no repair had been attempted. Should have been an easy fix, but somebody screwed it up and now it's likely to be really, really hard to make it right.
I don't really know Warwick values, but I would offer a price that rates that crack as unfixable. And then hope it never, ever gets dropped again, because the only thing holding that section of the bass on is the thin top over the control cavity, which of course already has a bunch of holes in it for the control pots.
Even if you can get the crack to close up for a proper glue repair, I would recommend you get an oversized metal cover plate made for the control cavity and secure it with some sturdy screws to help strengthen/reinforce that area.
When I first saw the bass I offered 1k cash and they rejected the offer. The people there obviously don't know anything about guitars and seem to think it's worth a lot more. Furthermore, I think they didn't understand the extent of the damage when they purchased the guitar and might have overpaid a bit.
Ovankol neck Warwicks just are not as desireable as the Wenge neck ones.
with the wear and tear i would not pay even close to what the PS wants.
they are either trying to hit a home run or paid too much for it.
thats gonna be there for a while.
with the wear and tear i would not pay even close to what the PS wants.
they are either trying to hit a home run or paid too much for it.
thats gonna be there for a while.
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
Have you contacted Warwick to ask how much for a new body? I would even ask what they thought about that damage?
It’s a neck through, so I would think new body is not an option. I have not reached out to Warwick.
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
- Aug 25, 2004
- 905
- 1,196
- 4,986
- Disclosures
- Builder: Martin Keith Guitars
The crack itself (which is definitely a crack, not a glue seam) would not be so bad on its own,
but the presence of old glue in there is problematic for future repair. Furthermore, the white color
of the glue suggests "Gorilla"-type glue (most other common glues dry to clear or yellow/brown),
which is very difficult to contend with once cured.
If I had to fix this inexpensively, I would mix up a small pot of epoxy with some fine bubinga dust and
fill in the remainder of the crack. It would show, but likely would be stable enough.
Otherwise, it would take patient and careful application of heat and dental picks to get the old glue out.
(I have spent far too much of my life doing that already.)
The thumb mark above the pickup is typical for those (my '96 Thumb has it too)...it's just a by-product of the fact
that those Warwicks basically don't have a finish on them...the oil-wax blend is not a finish, really...just a polish.
It builds no meaningful film and thus doesn't protect the wood against any kind of abrasive wear.
Warwick depended on the hardness of the wood itself to keep it looking OK.
(Good call, too...finishing is the bane of most guitar builders' existences, and a huge cost driver for production shops.
I honestly think that one reason Warwick was able to build their impressive market share was by developing a
marketable product without a sprayed finish. I could cut my production cost by about 30% per instrument if I did that.
That means they had that much more money for advertising, artist relations, etc. etc. Smart Germans.)
Please note that this is NOT any kind of knock on Warwick - it took some guts to make that leap in the marketplace,
and I still own and love my '96 Thumb 4, which is a bass I will absolutely never sell.
but the presence of old glue in there is problematic for future repair. Furthermore, the white color
of the glue suggests "Gorilla"-type glue (most other common glues dry to clear or yellow/brown),
which is very difficult to contend with once cured.
If I had to fix this inexpensively, I would mix up a small pot of epoxy with some fine bubinga dust and
fill in the remainder of the crack. It would show, but likely would be stable enough.
Otherwise, it would take patient and careful application of heat and dental picks to get the old glue out.
(I have spent far too much of my life doing that already.)
The thumb mark above the pickup is typical for those (my '96 Thumb has it too)...it's just a by-product of the fact
that those Warwicks basically don't have a finish on them...the oil-wax blend is not a finish, really...just a polish.
It builds no meaningful film and thus doesn't protect the wood against any kind of abrasive wear.
Warwick depended on the hardness of the wood itself to keep it looking OK.
(Good call, too...finishing is the bane of most guitar builders' existences, and a huge cost driver for production shops.
I honestly think that one reason Warwick was able to build their impressive market share was by developing a
marketable product without a sprayed finish. I could cut my production cost by about 30% per instrument if I did that.
That means they had that much more money for advertising, artist relations, etc. etc. Smart Germans.)
Please note that this is NOT any kind of knock on Warwick - it took some guts to make that leap in the marketplace,
and I still own and love my '96 Thumb 4, which is a bass I will absolutely never sell.