Battle of ze new Birds

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

Inquisitive character I am, I took with me to last night's rehearsal:

- 2000 Blackbird Nikki Sixx Signature (BB),
- 2006 Ltd Edition Gothic TB IV (GB), both pictured here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v615/uwehornung/DCP_2415.jpg

- 2007 GoW Zebra Wood TB IV (ZB)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v615/uwehornung/DCP_2192.jpg

and finally

- 2008 Nikki Sixx Signature Model (NS).

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

Conceptually, we're talking about one and the same bass here with small differences between each: The BB has stripped down electronics (just a kill switch) which in theory should provide a more direct sound (my BB also has the Hipshot supertone bridge installed), the GB for whatever reason doesn't have a nine-ply maho/walnut neck, but a single piece (solely) maho one (were they experimenting with cost saving and then painted the prototypes black to sell them as a Goth Ltd Ed?!), the ZB has zebra wood wings and a rosewood board (all others have ebony) and the NS flamed maple wings plus semi-stripped down electronics (vol, tone, kill switch). The GB claimed to have "new design" TB Plus pups, the ZB and the NS probably have those too as they came later.

Due to the BB's and NS' inherent restrictions, I played them all with both pups full on, all had fresh, but not new roundwound strings (DR Black Beauties on the BB, Dean Markley Signature Nickels on the ZB and stock Gibson factory strings on the GB and NS).

BB: Still the leanest and most piano-rrrrrrrrringing of them all (even though DR Black Beauties are far from being Rotosound "biters"). Strong treble and higher mids, less fundamentals than the others. Very lively.

GB:Loudest one of them all, bass, mids and treble, everything is there, no frequency range overshadowing the others. Very lively.

ZB: Pronounced mids of a shade you don't hear in the others, fusion music comes to mind. Treble doesn't sparkle, but is there. Deader sounding than the maho winged siblings. I wonder how much the rosewood rather than ebony board has to do with the sound or is it just down to the zebra wood which has a reputation of being more a "looker" than a "tone wood"?

NS: Surprise, surprise. I had expected the maple wings to enhance clarity and attack. They don't. Much the opposite: This bass sounds deeper than the other three by a stretch. Treble and mids are there if you dial down the bass on the amp (though not as lively as BB and GB), but with full bass dialed in, this bass has no piano ring to speak of, even thuds a little.

Which made me wonder as Nikki Sixx always raves about the piano ring sound of TBirds in interviews (not that I hear much of it on Crüe CDs, on the new one he certainly sounds dark). So I actually assumed the optigrab position, inserted my pinkie in that strange contraption and picked in that narrow space between bridge and bridge pup (the only place you can still reach in optigrab pos  - and I have long fingers). Voilà, the piano rrring appeared from nowhere, yet the bass still had sufficient bass ooomph. The other TBs of this test sounded brittle if played like that, especially the BB. It's something I already noticed on the recent Epi Blackbird which didn't deliver more rrring than a regular Epi Bird, but definitely more raunch'n'ooomph (at the loss of some clarity).

So is this all just a coincidence with my particular specimen or did Gibson in fact boost bass frequencies (how?) a little to accomodate Herr Sixx's playing style on his signature instrument?

Uwe

BTW: That optigrab pos is uncomfortable as hell for me. I generally rest my hand on the upper part of the three point and pick between the two pups, but closer to the neck one.

Very nice assessment, Uwe. I reckon you deserve all your basses cuz you're so good at describing their individual characteristics.