Blackbird Mk II in store

[uwe]

I had a call from my guitar store, they have received the reddish stripey maple-winged new Nikki Sixx Sig model for me. Won't be able to pick it up before next (not: this) weekend though as I'm on a short (one week!) vacation starting this Saturday.

Will post pics and player's (subjective) impressions when I have it. It is supposed to look great.

Uwe

[Chris P.]

Cool! That must be a hard holiday...
I saw it at the Messe and I like the reddish wood.

[EvilLordJuju]

Yep, quite keen to hear your thoughs Uwe

[ramone57]

nice, Uwe!  enjoy your holiday.  I'll bet your secretly thrilled it's only for one week.

[uwe]

Well, I've picked it up, not much time currently to check it out fully, pics will follow, but what I can say is:

- From a distance and with less than glaring lighting, it looks almost flat black/dark brown. Only up close, does the black striped dark cherry fin really reveal itself. It is well applied, thin (you feel the pores of the maho through it) and does look chic in an understated, non-garish way.

- I'm a naive person. That is why I hoped that two knobs and a toggle would indicate: front pup and rear pup vol plus quick switch for each of them or both of them together to me. After all, even the Epi has a two way switch for front and rear pup individually (but not together).What it has turned out to be: Vol for both pups, tone for both pups and a kill switch which to me is the most useless combination. imaginable. So yes, you can only hear that bass with both pups on full ... sigh ... Herr Sixx ... Did it really have to be this way?!

- Herr Sixx also likes four keys only: E, G, A and B, hence you see his flashy red x inlays only at the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 12th fret. No ninth fret marking, eat your hearts out you D flat players or learn to count!

- Has Gibson introduced a new stamp concept? The old serial number and "Made in USA" as always, but a new addition under the "Made in USA": "2008" it says
As if we didn't know from the serial no already ...

- Sound? Similar to the Zebrabird I would say, little less midish. The maple wings make for a more focused, but also less slightly lively sound than maho wings would, but I haven't done a side by side comparison yet.

- Overall, the bass with its not cheap looking mirror guard looks great and worthy as does the stunning red faux snakeskin case ("pure eighties porn" the guys in the guitar shop quipped. Of course Gibson wouldn't be Gibson if they hadn't messed up esthetic perfection via a glaringly white plastic nut where black or red plastic would have been perfect. Or would graphite be asking too much? Ah, btw: Black hardware and it doth look nice! First person that mentions "chrome" in this thread will be unceremoniously evicted from this forum and sentenced to 10 years of hard labor in the Fender one.

Uwe

[Dave W]

Yes, you were naive to think it would have normal controls.

Would Nikki have had it any other way?

[Lightyear]

You could always rewire it - right?

And while it's a the shop you could junk the drab, Neandethal, dated black hardware for something decent, oh, say, nickel or perhaps chrome ?

[TBird1958]

From the pix I've seen of it I'd think chrome really would make it a stunning bass visually. Just my predictable .02 on the hardware tho. Your review of kinda cools my ambitions for one Uwe, I mighta fallen off the fence and dealt with the financial splinters on one these............Now I'm likely hopping off in the other direction and shopping for some new girly clothes instead. 

[Darrol]

I am still up in the air on whether I go with the new Nikki sig or the Shavo sig.

[Nocturnal]

You haven't talked me out of buying one of these yet. Sounds like a minor mod to the electronics and all is well with the world. Oh yeah, and getting a graphite nut put on. I did that to my Bird when I was converting it to Stealth mode and it looks so much better than the white nut did.

[Chris P.]

Pics please!

Uwe, knowing you, I guess you won't mind having it rewired to Vol, Vol and selector switch?

I still think about replacing the tone pot of my SG RI for a switch.

And I'm still busy with my kill-switch-only Buzzard.

[Bernardduur]

oe, oe, pics please............

Nothing to get my day going then Tbirds.

[uwe]

You can see how dark the cherry is (and how the red cross inlays flash in comparison), this was taken on a sunny summer day on a table on our balcony:



Mr Blue Sky (=mirror image) and you may also marvel at Herr Sixx's - less is more - handlettering technique (NIKKI 541?  ):



Both pics in better quality here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v615/uwehornung/100_1110.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v615/uwehornung/100_1112.jpg

Compared to this Nikki Sixx Signature model (it is not called Blackbird anymore I think, wouldn't really make sense either given the color), the original Blackbird looks like a drab, heroin-addicted goth street hooker with too much eye shadow.

It's certainly a beautiful TBird - the idiosyncratic wiring should not put anybody off (I don't think I will undo it on mine, I have enough TBirds with separately working pups).

I jammed with it on Sunday together with my son (inter alia to the chord structures of 38 Special's Caught up in you and Thin Lizzy's Sun goes down which he really liked; this is the same kid that only listened to Korn and Marilyn Manson a year ago, declaring anything else "too melodic", and now raves to me about the "sweet tone" of a Custom Shop 1958 Les Paul he had on loan!) and I liked its good natured evenness. It sounds warmer and fatter than a Blackbird does, yet retains clarity at all times, excellent fret job too and - surprise, surprise - so far not one workmanship glitch in sight. Recommended.

Uwe

[Barklessdog]

Looks very nice Uwe. Very rich looking with that dark cherry.

So is the finish the same as the faded series?

[uwe]

Naw, glossier, deeper, thicker, but sans pore filler. Looks and feels really good if you like wood in your hands.