Hi guys,

haven't been in here for quite some time.
Out of curiosity, and because of a VERY reasonably price point, a got a Warr raptor of ebay recently that sits nicely near my grand stick.
Now I own two instruments that I'm able to play at a beginners level

As I got the raptor - setup was beyond bad. Pretty much unplayable.
I reworked it and took it to a luthier for the final setups that I wasn't able to do myself.
Right now it works quite decent, although there are still some things where I would appreciate your educated insights.

- compared to my stick, the height of the saddle is still a little high - therefore I need a little bit more "power" to fret notes properly. The difference is not big, comparable to the difference between a guitar and a stick, but noticeable. Should I file the saddle down to a level that is comparable to the stick? So that there is almost no relief between the string and the first fret? Or is this the way it should be on a Warr (the saddle does not seem to be the original one, by the way)

- I really like the sound of almost all strings of the raptor. Frankly, even more than I thought I would. Its a completely different animal as the stick - but good in its own world. What I don't like too much is the sound of the bass strings - especially the lowest/thickest string. This one is very fat/bassy sounding, but, in my opinion even too fat, so it sounds rather muddy/lifeless, especially compared to the stick (equipped with a stickup - so obviously it's an unfair comparison to make). The strings are new (Chapman strings, DMR, heavy gauge), and the setup is quite ok right now. I could imagine that it has to do with the pickup height (lower pickup, less bass) but changing that too much will affect the string to string volume, that is fine as it is right now. Maybe a less bassy sounding string could work? Maybe bringing down the saddle a bit could increase the "click" part of the sound compared to the bassy part? Any other ideas?

- tuning: I would like to be able to switch between the stick and the warr seemlessly. Therefore I tried to tune both to the same tuning. Unfortunately I am getting confused by the first inlay (I would have sworn that I don't look at the inlays while playing before I tried, but obviously I was wrong ). So I tuned the warr right now a half step lower, so the notes at the first inlay (fret two on the stick, and fret three on the warr) match. Is this the way to go? Or should I ad another inlay at the second fret of the raptor two trick my mind?

Your help is really appreciated!
By the way: I tried to contact Warr directly, but they didn't answer my phone call, my voice mail and my email ....? Although I have been in contact with them, some time back, successfully?
Somehow, at least the "no replay to emails" sounds familiar to me ...
So, I thought a forum question might be the best way to go.
Shipping it to warr directly for a perfect setup is not an option, as I'm located in europe.

Best, Andreas

Did I hear correctly that you are using stick strings on your Warr? That could be the problem for your lowest strings, at least. You need to use the LaBella strings directly from Warr. Make a purchase and send him a corresponding note to call or email you. That's how I usually get the man's attention. He will usually give you a bit of his time when you manage to connect.

The other problem could be the raptor, the oldest Warr model. As you said, it could also have hardware which is unoriginal. Action should be low. Don't file anything before you try the Warr strings.

K

I have La Bella strings on my bass guitar. They are great! As different beasts (Stick and Warr), products don't mix and match. Don Schiff said on the NS that he thought the strings looked ridiculous, being so thin so he switched to bass guitar strings. The bass guitar strings didn't work at all, so he switched it back.

Hi K and sagehalo,

thanx for your replies!

I put Stick strings on it - as the gauges seem to match and these were the only ones I allready got. I do agree that strings can make a major difference soundwise, so setting it up with another set of strings is obviously a good idea.
The bad part is, that shipping to europe of one pack of warr strings is 30$
But I'll figure something out

Hardware wise it seems to be quite original - besides the saddle. The saddle was even raised quite obviously (there is something that seems to be part of a pickguard glued under it, to raise it) - and, as it was set up to uncrossed by the orignial owner (by himself) - the saddle was turned and unfortunately filed allready. It seems to me as he wanted to convert it into a "regular" guitar ....

So my first question to warr was if the saddle dimensions are still the same and if he could provide a new saddle for my raptor.

If I keep the saddle that is allready on it, it would need to be re-filed anyways as it got filed "in the wrong direction" (don't know how to explain that in english properly - but the strings does not rest on the part of the saddle that faces the frets, but on the side that faces the head, as this side is lower).
I lowerd the string height at the bridge a little more today and that improved the sound of the bass string by quite a bit - although its nearer to the pickup right now?
But it right now got a nice "click" sound before the fattnes kicks in

K: How low is the action on your warr on the first and second fret?
On mine I can fit a credit card between the string an the fret easely ... that has to be too high?!

Best, Andreas

If Im not mistaken, the bridge saddles on Warrs are Wilkinson saddles. It should be easy to replace.

My strings are low enough to tap, but high enough to pluck, slap and play with a pick as well. Hard to say what will fit under the strings at specific points on the fretboard... I usually set it up how it feels good with no absolute measurement to use as a reference for the next time I need to do it. If I did that, I might find myself questioning whether or not it's "right" if it didn't match the precise specifications.

I can tell you that string should not be muddy. You need to get your strings from Warr, or at least buy some tapered-core strings. You will never get the clarity and brightness that thing can produce without tapered or exposed-core strings. The saddle was made for those specific strings, and the bulk of the extra windings of the stick string is not allowing the string to settle into the saddle. As a result, the string sits higher and the tone gets sucked out.

Do not file it, or you will have to replace the saddle once you get the proper strings.

Hope this helps.

Kev

Hi Andreas,

I doubt the problem is the strings, which as you know from looking at the heavy gauge bass string on your SE set, has a tapered winding at the bridge end. It's a great string, very supple. When you play your Stick, you are hearing the string in action. It's very balanced with the rest of the set.

You wrote about the distance between the string and the fret at the first fret being high, which would be much more affected by the nut, not the saddle (which is at the other end of the string). I'm sorry if I misread you. On the Stick, this isn't an issue because the nut is adjustable, as you know, but I imagine you will need to file or replace the nut to get the setup you want, ultimately.

You shouldn't have to "waste" a fret, they should all be very playable...

Playability would also be affected a lot by the truss adjustment. Does the instrument have a bow in it? That's what I would focus my energy on determining first. If the nut's too high, a bow would just make everything worse.

Good luck.

Yes, you'll need a good bit of luck if you start messing around with the nut. I should think if you look at the LaBella Strings vs the D'Addario strings (or whatever they are) used for the Stick you will instantly see a profound difference. The core is exposed on the Warr strings; not so on the Stick strings unless there has been some major departure in the past few months since I last saw them. Only the core rests on the saddle for the Warr.

I think ordering a $50 set of stick strings vs. a $50 set of Warr strings is a no-brainer... unless you have really good experiences using big, fat stick strings on your Warr guitar, which you obviously do not. Better start with the strings before you start fucking around with the nut.

If a new set of strings don't provide instant results, THEN start fucking around with your setup, because once you get lost in your setup, ending up with variables you cannot bring back to what you have now, you'll pay someone else a whole shitload more than $50 to get it where you want it.

When you have problems with your Stick, go to the Stick ambassador. But taking advice from a guy who held a Warr less than an hour of his life is unwise, I would think, especially when his concept of resolution is to sell how bitchen the Stick's adjustable nut is. As an owner of both instruments, you already know the differences between the two, and because you bought a Warr having previously owned a Stick (or vice versa), you must have wanted something different. There is a way to optimize the Stick just as there is a way to optimize the Warr just as there is a way to optimize a bass guitar.

Start with the strings, dude. Your frets are fine. All your other strings sound good, it's just that big, fat one that needs some tweaking. Don't start messing with your relief no matter what the Stick genius says. Not until you do first things first. Don't put the ox before the cart.

Do you have dual trusses on the raptor?

K

Stick strings are tapered core strings, at least the low bass heavy gauge string is...

look:

They are not exposed core strings, which is what LaBella makes for Warr. You need the sets from Warr, which are tapered for the higher register and exposed for the bottom.

Do not take advice for your Warr guitar from a Stick salesman.

K