Gathering my thoughts on NAMM as I pack up for the airport. I played 200? 300? basses and guitars. Who knows. My hips and back say it had to be at least that many.
The standout new builder for me was McGrath. I spent more time at their booth than any other by the end of the show, going back four times over 3 days and playing every bass they brought. I talked to the owner and solo builder Cormac for easily two hours combined and also talked to his Dad who was there to support him and taking notes from everyone playing the basses and from industry people on how to grow their new brand. Very cool to see the birth of a new US builder with their first NAMM booth.
On to the bass. They had a few models. A 5 string P that was reserved very early in the show. A few Ps and then the model in collaboration with the bass channel - the Thunderhorse. A Thunderbird in the neck (very close to the neck), a P (some have a reverse P), a J in the bridge. I had to try this thing.
The controls are V/V/V/Tone. I had to laugh when that was first said.
On to the surprise - the Thunderbird + P combo blew me away. Surprisingly defined. No mud at all. I expected to want that bridge pickup on but honestly most of my playing time I left it off.
Build materials and hardware were top notch on all of them. USA Hipshot tuners and bridge.
And my favorite part - the balance and weight. When I sat down with the bass on my lap, it balanced perfectly horizontally. When I reached for the first fret it felt like my medium scale. Everything was “scooted” a bit in a way that was extremely comfortable for me.
I want to give honest reviews so the one knock I’ll give them is the fret work needs some fine tuning. Some pokey fret ends on a few models that Cormac mentioned he was dialing in as the basses adjusted to their lives on the trade show circuit. Playability and setup were excellent minus the fret finishing.
So last day of the show, after I kept coming back to the gold model that was just too cool with the thin nitro finish that left the wood grain visible, Cormac and I decided it just had to come home with me.
I wasn’t expecting to fly a bass home from NAMM.
Bass Channel has an in depth review of the tones of the Thunderhorse model:
If you look these up on Reverb don’t be scared by the pricing, Cormac set a high price so they wouldn’t sell out of their inventory before NAMM.
The standout new builder for me was McGrath. I spent more time at their booth than any other by the end of the show, going back four times over 3 days and playing every bass they brought. I talked to the owner and solo builder Cormac for easily two hours combined and also talked to his Dad who was there to support him and taking notes from everyone playing the basses and from industry people on how to grow their new brand. Very cool to see the birth of a new US builder with their first NAMM booth.
On to the bass. They had a few models. A 5 string P that was reserved very early in the show. A few Ps and then the model in collaboration with the bass channel - the Thunderhorse. A Thunderbird in the neck (very close to the neck), a P (some have a reverse P), a J in the bridge. I had to try this thing.
The controls are V/V/V/Tone. I had to laugh when that was first said.
On to the surprise - the Thunderbird + P combo blew me away. Surprisingly defined. No mud at all. I expected to want that bridge pickup on but honestly most of my playing time I left it off.
Build materials and hardware were top notch on all of them. USA Hipshot tuners and bridge.
And my favorite part - the balance and weight. When I sat down with the bass on my lap, it balanced perfectly horizontally. When I reached for the first fret it felt like my medium scale. Everything was “scooted” a bit in a way that was extremely comfortable for me.
I want to give honest reviews so the one knock I’ll give them is the fret work needs some fine tuning. Some pokey fret ends on a few models that Cormac mentioned he was dialing in as the basses adjusted to their lives on the trade show circuit. Playability and setup were excellent minus the fret finishing.
So last day of the show, after I kept coming back to the gold model that was just too cool with the thin nitro finish that left the wood grain visible, Cormac and I decided it just had to come home with me.
I wasn’t expecting to fly a bass home from NAMM.
Golden Bass
This is the Thunderhorse, a collaboration with the bass channel has lead to this beast of a bass. The bass features three pickups all EMG. The neck has a thunderbird pickup for lowend and warmth. In...
www.mcgrathguitars.com
Bass Channel has an in depth review of the tones of the Thunderhorse model:
If you look these up on Reverb don’t be scared by the pricing, Cormac set a high price so they wouldn’t sell out of their inventory before NAMM.
Last edited:
