new bass gas for nonrick.....

[woodyng]

any bassists here ever play a warwick dolphin sn? i am fairly drooling,but have no experience with ANY warwick. the deal breaker for me would be if it had a baseball bat neck.....there are evidently a lot of dolphin model variations,but this one has chambered body wings,a set-neck,2 pickups and a very appealingly simple layout. also anyone try the bolt-on variety of dolphin? i love the body shape,this has been the only warwick bass that i would like to try out.......

[ajish4]

I hear you Woody, but I don't know anything about them either.

I've heard that, in general, Warwick basses are heavy and have thick necks. BUT if the things I read about RICS on other sites are any indication, this info can be
as wrong as the day is long.

Never played one but the Warwick Infinity has caught my eye.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... finity.jpg

BUT, with a MSRP of $7K plus....it ain't happening!

I'm also confused, like I am about Fender Jazz basses, with all the models they have. I've also been very curious about the Spector Euro as well.
With finances being what they are currently, all I can do is look.

[cassius987]

I hate Warwick Dolphins for sound and feel. But most other Warwicks I've played are wonderful. For instance the Corvette... incredible, and the new ones in 5-string are amazing and very cheap for the quality at less than $1K. The tone gives the modern 4003 a run for its money, although not quite! Still, if I were not going to play a Ric, I'd either be playing an EBMM Bongo or a Warwick Corvette--whatever that tells you.

[cheyenne]

Here's a review on the 5 string for what its worth.

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... +SN+5/10/1

[FretlessOnly]

Woody: I've never played a Dolphin, but I can tell you that mt FL Warwick Corvette Standard is fantastic. I'd say the neck on that feels and really is considerably smaller than my 4003FL (a 2008). At the first "fret", the 4003 is just about 2" wide, and the Corvette comes in at a little over 1.5" The Corvette's is also a bit slimmer. I've never played a fretted Corvette, but my FL growls even more than my 4003FL.

[antipodean]

I have had two Warwicks (nether a Dolphin, sadly) and have no complaints whatsoever about neck profile, though this may vary from model to model. However the very flat fingerboard radius was quite challenging at first.

[FretlessOnly]

Yes, very Gibson, the flat fingerboard. But, for some strange reason, I really took to my Warwick right off the bat. It's so damn playable and growly. Fights back fair, if you will.

[woodyng]

thanks,all! the dolphin in question is a chambered one,so it's semi-hollow like the infinity tony linked (gorgeous bass btw). from the reviews posted here, it is a light weight bass,all of which i find intriguing. josh,there are neck throo,bolt-on,and set neck dolphins,which did you play? and what was it you didn't like? i don't recall a lot of love for the mec pickups,but the pickups in the model i was looking at seem to be standard size,like a jazz and a mm type,so that could be replaced. i do wonder if given the general popularity of warwick basses,if the dolphin is just a little too "out there" style-wise for most,but i've always admired it's body shape-i also really like nonreverse t-birds..... the set neck bass is on ebay,and while trying to find more info,i found a different model at bass emporium that's a solid body/bolt-on neck with 2 jazz bass pickups,in .....white. it's pretty stunning,but i prefer the idea of the setneck/semihollow...anyhoo,it's more than likely to be unfulfilled gas for me,but i am drawn to them.....

[woodyng]

tony-yeah i know,rickenbacker basses are just unplayable according to some sources,amazing isn't it?

[cheyenne]

Just a heads up Woody, the Dolphin at Bass Emporium has been there for quite a while. I dont know why, the price seems OK to me., but then again I dont know much about Warwicks resale value.

[woodyng]

scott,i thought that price seemed "ok" too,but the chambered/setneck one was very little more,which seemed like a bargain,given the construction/quality. most of the negatives i have heard about warwick basses in general have been "too heavy" and "fat fat necks". the harmony central reviews you linked were very encouraging,but neither one mentioned much about the neck size. buying a bass without being able to play it is a bit scarey,altho i did do just that when i got my cii,thanks to advice from folks on this here site.....and i love it......

[cassius987]

josh,there are neck throo,bolt-on,and set neck dolphins,which did you play? and what was it you didn't like?

It was neck-through IIRC. A friend's friend owned and it and gave me the "privilege" of messing around with it for a half hour while they bartered other gear a few rooms over. As Warwicks go I thought the tone was completely wrong, it just lacked the lively growl/burp of other Warwicks (btw I'm not surprised that John thinks his Corvette is more "growly" than his 4003FL--in fact the 4003FL is probably the most ungrowly fretless!). I have no idea what kind of wood it was made out of or what sort of pickups were in place (it was a Jazz and a Soapbar). The Jazz pickup seemed especially ungood sounding... It was not as much that it sounded terrible but that, for being the most hyped Warwick out there, it was certainly disappointing.

On the other hand I have played lots of Corvettes, Thumbs, Double $$s, and other Warwick "flagship models", and thought they sounded nearly as good as a Ric (and better if you like that growl). Playability wise they are all top-notch if you can keep away from that U-shaped neck some have (most Corvettes I have played do not, and are a breeze).

[atomic_punk]

I played a friend's Fortress 5 string quite a few times and really liked it. It was an original one before they discontinued it. Still looking for one of my own.

[woodyng]

after checking warwicks website,and learning the 4 string sn dolphin weighs in at over 9 pounds,(while the website said the design was to reduce body weight !? ) , i am now no longer gassin'....bring on the laredos ....josh it sounds like your experience may substantiate the "not so great sounding pickups" comments i have heard from other sources....thanks again!