Warwick Thumb Bass

The Warwick Thumb Bass

Certainly the Thumb is one of the most well-known Warwick basses. Even casual listeners can recognize that midrange growl that makes this bass so popular. Despite the smaller body, bubinga is a dense wood making the bass heavier than expected. In addition, the use of bubinga in the neck and the short top horn make these instruments prone to "neck-dive". This dreaded affliction can be hard on your left shoulder after a long night of playing, but is easily cured with a wide padded strap. Nonetheless, some folks find these too uncomfortable to play.

Warwick Thumb Bass
Bubinga body
Wenge neck & fretboard with bubinga stringers
Neck-through model
34" scale
hand-rubbed oil finish
MEC 9-volt 3-band preamp
MEC JJ pickups
All hardware is black
Weight roughly 9 pounds
Condition: excellent
Made in West Germany, 1994
Accessories: gigbag, neck wrench, wax

I spent a long time finding a Thumb bass that I really liked having owned several over the years. There seems to be a wide variation in the neck profile on Thumb basses in particular. Many folks liken the neck on these instruments to baseball bats, and while this is true of many it is not true of all. My suggestion is that if you are interested in this model you choose based on how comfortable the neck is to your hands and that you try it out by standing up to play and using your widest strap.