The Reverse is an Art Deco classic by a renowned designer, the Non Reverse is something engineers came up with out of desperation and to cut costs.
To me a non-neck-thru bass can as much be a TBird (or a Rickenbacker 4001/4003 for that matter) as a six-cylinder motorbike with a liquid-cooled non-V engine can be a Harley-Davidson, a non-denim pants a Levi's jeans or a front engine vehicle a Ferrari. You can stick a brand name to it, yes, but it defeats the essence.
And I find neck-thru or not a hell of a difference in the mid- to upper registers, sound-, sustain-, -feel and tonal development-wise.
The NR is an ugly duckling just like a Mosrite is an ugly duckling. It's ok, even commendable to like it out of compassion, but let's not get carried away and rank it along with a true TBird.
