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NAMM standout - McGrath basses

Just to toss a grenade in the crowd and run. This bass could be the new T40 everyone is Jonesing for!:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
It's passive, weird electronics, tons of tonal options, vaguely Fender shaped, USA made. and heavy. Come on man!
I've been jonesing for a lightweight T-40 and I guess you're right that his might scratch some of that itch (didn't even think of that). The McGrath i snagged is 3lbs lighter than my old T-40 :oops:
 
The Peach one is pretty hot.

Do these come with a case or bag or anything?
Just a soft case for now, I pack them nice and safe. I'm working with gator to get a custom version of the icon case made, obviously that will have to be reflected in the price though.
 
The Peach one is pretty hot
...and is nice and light...and furthermore has a reversed P pickup....

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I'm in Denver friend, it's DRY. I run a whole house humidifier and everything still shrinks.
Oh man, is it dry year round for you? I can't do dry, that's why my body is miserable in winter lol. At least with the humidity here in the summer, my body can be miserable a different way.

The only instrument I have that somehow doesn't have any fret sprout is my Sire v7. My Reverend, my Fenders, my Gibson all have it to some extent lol.
 
I'm not a fan of the SVT, and the player's style is way too aggressive for my taste, which probably plays a huge role in all of this, but the McGrath basses are the only ones I actually liked in this video:


Thank you!
Josh is a monster player, his nickname is Thunder Fingers so seeing him play the Thunderhorse made me laugh, double thunder!
 
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I'm not a fan of the SVT, and the player's style is way too aggressive for my taste, which probably plays a huge role in all of this, but the McGrath basses are the only ones I actually liked in this video:


Probably because they played during the most melodic part….. put them in one of those chugging riffs and they’re probably just like the others
 
How are you still liking the Thunderhorse? Mine is still a few days out. Excited for it.
Work has been in the way since I got back from NAMM unfortunately. I've been noodling on whether I want to drop a Trickfish pre into it (I primarily gig active basses) and what setup I would go for.

I'm still loving the big + deep thunderbird and P, and the neck profile.

It's going on the bench this weekend to dress the fret ends. Once I get rid of the pokeys I'll really get to spend time with it.
 
Noodling on the idea of Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass and a 5 way Strat style selector. Would require modifying the pickguard for the selector.

Alternatively volume, rotary selector knob, mids, stacked bass and treble

:bassist:
If you mess up the pickguard and need another just let me know, I'm excited about this!

I could also send you a pickguard with just the pickups cut out if you want a clean starting point. I've left a lot of free space for electronics inside. I have made active basses with rear battery compartment, I haven't done one with the battery inside the pickguard but there should be room.
 
I’m not much of a pickup blend guy so I’d honestly do fine with a pickup selector. Maybe I’ll add one and drop a preamp in this one someday.

When I get it home I’d be happy to provide some thoughts/samples on in between blended sounds though. Impossible to hear anything subtle at NAMM so I only tried full volume pickup combos.

I might even change the three volumes to push/pull pots as pickup selectors 🤔
If a pickup with its volume off still loads the circuit when parallel connected with the other two, then push/pull pots should provide full isolation of pickup(s) not in use while still retaining the ability to blend. Sounds like a good idea.
https://www.mcgrathguitars.com/black-thunder-horse-bass.html#/
 
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Thunderhorse is on the bench today to tidy up the fret ends, take the plastic off the pickguard, and figure out what strings to throw on it. Might start with DR Pure Blues which I’ve been enjoying on my Stingray Special 5. Going to take this to rehearsal tomorrow for a casual side project where I don’t need my 5 string.

A few glamour shots. I like the countersunk neck screw ferrules. The gold paint with the wood grain visible looks great when light hits it. There’s a silver undercoat you can see in the neck pocket. The logo is routed and inset into the headstock.

Mine is Thunderhorse #7

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