Warwick Thumb Bolt-on Electric Bass Guitar

I have owned three other Warwick basses in the past, a German made Fortress 5, a Corvette RB5 $$ and a German 4 string Thumb N/T. Even though these basses are made from some of the finest materials available they each had something about them that eventually caused me to sell them. The Fortress had a weak B string. This bass balanced well and had a super neck. It was too bad the Low B felt and sounded wimpy. I could not get used to the feel of the body and pickup arrangement on the Corvette $$. I strap my basses on fairly high up. The exaggerated upper horn angle on the Corvette meant I was constantly banging my chin into it every time I looked down. Plus the Thumb N/T, which sounded great, had so much neck dive that even with a top of the line Levys strap it was just too uncomfortable for me to play for any length of time. Also having 26 frets, the spacing felt awkward and unnatural. Close to giving up on Warwicks for good, loving that famous Growl made me give the Streamer LX5 Bolt On a try. I am glad that I did.

First off the Streamer has no vices. Although on the small side the body is fairly conventional in design being similar in shape to the Spector NS-2. Along with the 34 inch scale 24 fret bolt-on neck the Streamer LX 5 is slightly over 9 pounds, well balanced and feels good strapped on. This particular bass came with the optional low profile Flat Neck. That along with being only 45mm wide at the nut make for a very comfortable and fast playing 5 string bass. I was lucky for this used bass to have come equipped with active MEC JJ pickups and the optional 18 volt Bartolini 3 band preamp. This combination gives the bass a very wide range of tonal possibilities. The Bartolini preamp system is still available as an option from Warwick so if you are ordering your Streamer new you should definitely consider one. In my honest opinion it is a real improvement over the stock 2 band, 9 volt preamp that came on my other two German made Warwick basses. My Streamer LX5, being an early model, also came with the original brass Just A Nut. This older style nut, together with the Warwick two piece bridge system, helps to make the Streamer a breeze to set up. Also, to my ears, the brass nut helps to give that piano wire like tone and sustain that Warwicks are known for. The newer synthetic Just A Nut 3 is fine as well but if you prefer the original brass nut it is still available through Warwick. After getting it set up the most pleasing thing was finding that the B string is clean and tight. It really rings true and does not feel like a limp rubber band which can be a problem with many 34 in. scale 5 string basses. This is a real plus for players like me who do not feel 100% comfortable with a 35 in. scale bass.

Overall I give the Streamer LX5 a 4 out of 5 rating. It is not a perfect bass but it does have many truly fine features. Made from exotic tone woods, having versatile electronics along with a comfortable and pleasing to the eye design it is a keeper. Although not cheap the Streamer LX5 is a bargain compared with its Stage I and II Neck-Through cousins. It is a terrific guitar that can more than hold its own with any other bass in the Warwick lineup. Of the 4 Warwick basses I have tried to date, the Streamer LX5 Bolt On has been my favorite.

Exotic woods don't in themselves make a guitar outstanding, but Warwick has managed to combine outstanding punch, pure, unadulterated tone and unfettered pickup response to produce a bass that feels and plays as unique as it looks. Chose it over a neck-through as it produces a more serious, quicker punch. I own three Warwkicks (in addition to the Thumb: an FNA Jazzman and a Corvette $$) and all are unique in tonal output. The Thumb happened to be with me in a studio last week when the engineer asked me to punch in a slap solo to a song I'd already recorded with the $$. As I'd yet to record with the recently-purchased Thumb, I was reticent to have its "maiden voyage" be a recorded slap solo - much less change basses mid-song - but ... ONE TAKE. Unbelievable. The feel, the purity of tone, every nuance (included trills) captured better than I could have hoped. I actually felt as if it bettered my playing. The Thumb is an incredible bass, and now my Number One over the other Warwicks, as well as my Fenders and Ibanez's.

well to start off the warwick is a bass of its own.the woods that are used are like what you get from a high end or hand built bass guitar in other words thay have a sound of there own....

What a beautiful bass. I am having a hard time getting the tone I like. I have a Fortress 5 string that I like the tone better. I am not giving up yet, there has to be the right string-preamp setting combo out there for me.