Bass quandary

[TmcB]

I've got a bit of a prob brewing here;
I want to upgrade my bass gear but I'm unsure how I want to go about it.
I've realised that the bass I've been using for ages really has never been the tone I like; it turns out that 90% of the bass players whose tone I like are using Fender Jazz basses.

I was going to upgrade my bass' pickups to SD antiquities P and a dimarzio model J, but I've just stopped myself short.
I don't really want to change pickups and find that it still doesn't do what I'm wanting, and have to try and sell them when I could have used the money to go towards a new bass that does the job out of the box.

So I ended up with three options;

1) Buy pickups for the Warwick, save for a Mexi Jazz

Pro's Cheapest option, don't have to lose a familiar bass, get a jazz flavour, backup bass
Con's If tone is still not what I'm after, money is down the drain. Mexi Jazz isn't as consistent in quality as the American Standard and has lower resale if I choose to move it on

2) Sell Warwick, buy new American Jazz Bass

Pro's Chance to redefine sound, get a great bass that suits me and my tastes, no upgrades needed, colour/style that I want, apparent upswing in qc with 08/09 fender basses
bass
Con's Expensive, lose familiar bass, no backup bass

3) Sell Warwick, buy 2nd hand American Jazz, try to find cheap Mexi P Bass

Pro's Two basses, 2nd hand Jazz's are about $1500 so cheaper, Good quality basses
bass
Con's Luck of the draw for good 2nd hand basses may mean I wait for a while, relies on Warwick selling, a great deal might have to be purchased without trying.

Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[thehenderson]

It's a no brainer, sell your warwick bass man! Or give it away if no one will buy it! That shit is ugly, and if you want a jazz bass sound you need to get a jazz bass. Even a good quality squire jazz bass will get you there. Good on you for moving on from the warwick

[jimi]

Mexi Jazz isn't as consistent in quality as the American Standard

Just a quick 2c ... surely consistency in quality isnt an issue if you're gonna go play them until you find a mexi that plays well. Thats only an issue if you're buying sight unseen.

Resale makes sense, but then you pay less for it, and the loss is probably about the same percentage, so $1200 bought, sold for 75% of new at $900 is only $300 lost, $2000 bought, sold for 75% of new is $1500 so $500 lost ... yeah the american will sell for more , but you spend much more on it, so you're really losing less, and theres probably more people in the market for a sub $1k 2nd hand bass than a $1500 - $2k 2nd hand bass.

[TmcB]

Good point there Jimi.

I guess with my basses I don't care as much about resale as much as I care about quality.
I'd rather spend a little extra on bass that makes me stoked to play and will have no issues than one that'll sell easier later on.

Guitars and effects I tend to get a little silly with "investing", basses they are my bread and butter instruments so I want solid, great sounding and playing instruments before anything else; I tend to hang on to my bass gear for years whereas with gat it's more like weeks

[sgt mukuzi]

try a new battery in the wawick

[Capt. Black]

Quandary

Warwick

[ash]

THAT WAS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS.

[Jenesis]

MYSTERIOUS

[thehenderson]

Have you seen A Serious Man?

Embrace the mystery

[Capt. Black]

They just don't understand us...

[Michael]

I'm so confused

Big words

[TmcB]

Quandary

Arses, you're correct!

...and now back on topic

[TmcB]

try a new battery in the wawick

I have, don't vibe with it in passive mode either

[telefiend]

Guitars and effects I tend to get a little silly with "investing", basses they are my bread and butter instruments so I want solid, great sounding and playing instruments before anything else; I tend to hang on to my bass gear for years whereas with gat it's more like weeks

Definitely go for the American Jazz then. If you can find a second-hand one you like, all the better. As for the backup, what about a cheaper Squire P bass? How often would you need a backup anyhoo?

[snitchez]

my rules are. less than 550 for a non american fender. (tho it stung me in the back when i missed a jap p with badass bridge and a quarter pound pup.

less than 1100 for an american fender.

thats if your buying used.

i think i've mentioned to ya before.

Gut electronics of the warwick. replace some pups.

first choice would be fralin p and a nj4se bridge
second choiece would be a pj set from nordstrand
third would be a antiquity p from seymour duncan, and a model j bridge (dimarzio) or an antiquity jazz bridge

thats what i would do anyway.... warwicks are real solid builds.

what color is your warwick again? i'll see if i can find something to trade ya =p