1990 Boire Warwick Dolphin Pro I Bass

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Scott French

This is a no-compromise early Warwick Dolphin Pro I with all the best features. Being a 1990 it's still in the Warwick "handmade" era. It has the coveted Boire Rosewood body instead of the later Ovangkol. Bartolini J+MM Pickups and 2-Band Pre-amp instead of later MEC. Satin Chrome (also called titanium or platinum) hardware including Schaller strap locks. 7-piece Wenge/Zebrano neck WITHOUT the volute like the later Dolphins. No modifications, missing pieces, or weird custom features. If you had to come up with a definition for the perfect early Dolphin, this would be it.

The only downside is it has been fairly well loved. A decent amount of wear overall, especially on the body and hardware finish. Frets look fine, but not new. It's a 28 year old bass, but it has a beautiful glow after many years of being played and oiled.

Just to give a little context on how uncommon these basses are, I recently contacted Warwick and was told that the total production for 4 and 5-string Dolphin Pro I basses is less than 500 over the entire 30 year production run. If you look around most of these are the later ovankal versions when the production numbers picked up (and now the custom shop versions). These beautiful early Boire models are very rare to find.

Thanks for reading this journal entry! Feel free to reach out via email or join the discussion on Instagram.