Nordstrand product descriptions

[NKBassman]

CT: that is *exactly* what it is. Unfortunately, their sorry attempt at humor fails miserably. It reminds me of Will Farrell...the harder he tries to be funny, the more pathetic (and less funny) it gets.

So I totally agree with @NKBassman on this. That copy is a waste of brain tissue. You won’t find that kind of juvenile nonsense at Jason Lollar’s website. I have Lollars on all of my Fender basses, and I’m a happy camper.

I've yet to try Lollar. Or Fralin for that matter.
Curtis Novak makes a great product, though I find his website product descriptions too far gone in the other direction (lack of information).

EDIT: I guess lack of information is actually the same problem as I have with Nordstrand. Only Novak just writes next-to nothing at all. Which is almost preferable in this case.

 

[SactoBass]

I've yet to try Lollar. Or Fralin for that matter.
Curtis Novak makes a great product, though I find his website product descriptions too far gone in the other direction (lack of information).

Having said what I said, I will readily admit that Nord must certainly make good stuff based on comments from TB’ers over the years. In fact, I asked Santa (my wife in this case) to bring me a Nordenbacker neck pickup for my Ric 4003S! (although I will admit, if Lollar made such a product, I would have chosen that, but alas, Jason does not provide such a product AFAIK, and the Nord gets rave reviews, so I’m cool with the Nord).

 

[diegom]

I can only add that, when contacted via email, they are extremely helpful. Tell them the sound you want and they will direct you to the appropriate choices.

The ad copy is silly. The product and the service speaks volumes..

Diego

 

[Charlzm]

As a potential customer I recently went to the website, read a few pickup descriptions, and realized I had no idea what any of them were really saying.
So I left.

That is of course your prerogative, but instead of reading "description", try clicking on the other headers for other, more useful info, like "tone" and "magnet types".

As a Nordstrand user, I can also tell you they are very responsive to email inquiries.

But there are plenty of other manufacturers out there and, if Nordstrand rubs you the wrong way, by all means, look elsewhere for your tools to total tone nirvana.

 

[TigerInATrance]

Well, I have to say that I really love it. I'll start with the fact that the closest I can get to understanding tone speak is to say that "warm" sometimes has a vague correlation to good bass/low mid content and "woolly" occasionally speaks to an unruly abundance of warm. Words that try to describe a sound are only relevant to the person who is relating the information. The "serious" pickup makers' descriptions are no more descriptive than Nordstrand, they are only less creative, lacking whimsy.

That said, as a musician and an artist, I am not in the business of serious. I am in the business of whimsy, folly, and capricious fantasy where mental hedonism reigns supreme and "straightforward" or "down to business" is where all interesting, creative things go to die.

The reality is that a company can write whatever they want about how a pickup sounds and when I hear the pickup I might agree with what they've said or I might just try to convince myself that what I hear is what they said. It's going to be one of the two, so I tell you here with all sincerity...

I'd by and far rather try to hear a shaded, twilight ooze that is bubblethumpwhip articulate...

 

[NKBassman]

Nice to see some opinions from the other side of the fence.
All I'm asking for is a little bit of balance. I'd be fine with a bit of zany nonsense, if they followed it up with something at least attempting to be useful.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

This irks me. I was just on the Nordstrand website today and saw a new product... '51 Precision style split-coil pickups in Jazz shells! Cool!

Then I went to the product page to get more information, and trying to read the product description makes me go crosseyed. It's like marketing department smoked anything and everything that would burn and then busted out the thesaurus. Where they couldn't find a word, they're now simply making up nonsense. This isn't the first time they've done this, and I've noticed this descriptive trend escalating over the last few product releases (see Zen Blades), but this one absolutely takes the cake.

Excerpt:


Now, don't take my complaining as a knock against the company or their product. I have Nordy pickups in my Jazz and P basses and really like them. In my opinion, Nordstrand are (perhaps arguably) one of the most high profile and reputable bass pickup manufactures out there today, and continue to push the state of the art with new interesting products that far exceed "niche" market applications.

And they are of course free to run their business and describe their products however they see fit. But, in my opinion, this is absolutely terrible product marketing.

Am I crazy? Over reacting? Is 35 too young for a "get off my lawn" moment? Maybe it just disagrees with my practical sensibilities and preference for technical information. Maybe I just expect a little more professionalism and/or straight-forwardishness from such a renowned and respected pickup builder. I don't know... at the end of the day, big deal right?... it definitely won't stop me from buying their stuff because I already know it's top quality. But for anyone visiting that page for the first time and trying to read that nonsense hoping to get some feel for what the product actually offers, might not take the company seriously.

Thoughts?

***!!! I just reread it again & I have No idea what this pick up does or suppose to do or be! HUGE FAIL! Iblame it on legalizing canncbis! in california,drummers & millinenials!! even if I wanted whatever this is I wouldn't know it was available from this jargon filled BS!! Ilike Nordstrand too, but now I have to take a second and rethink anything they manufacture!! I don't think I can trust a company that "published" such garbage! ITS HORRIBLE!!! avoid like the plague!

 

[gorneyg]

I emailed them. They emailed back with useful information.

 

[Wes275]

This irks me. I was just on the Nordstrand website today and saw a new product... '51 Precision style split-coil pickups in Jazz shells! Cool!

Then I went to the product page to get more information, and trying to read the product description makes me go crosseyed. It's like marketing department smoked anything and everything that would burn and then busted out the thesaurus. Where they couldn't find a word, they're now simply making up nonsense. This isn't the first time they've done this, and I've noticed this descriptive trend escalating over the last few product releases (see Zen Blades), but this one absolutely takes the cake.

Excerpt:


Now, don't take my complaining as a knock against the company or their product. I have Nordy pickups in my Jazz and P basses and really like them. In my opinion, Nordstrand are (perhaps arguably) one of the most high profile and reputable bass pickup manufactures out there today, and continue to push the state of the art with new interesting products that far exceed "niche" market applications.

And they are of course free to run their business and describe their products however they see fit. But, in my opinion, this is absolutely terrible product marketing.

Am I crazy? Over reacting? Is 35 too young for a "get off my lawn" moment? Maybe it just disagrees with my practical sensibilities and preference for technical information. Maybe I just expect a little more professionalism and/or straight-forwardishness from such a renowned and respected pickup builder. I don't know... at the end of the day, big deal right?... it definitely won't stop me from buying their stuff because I already know it's top quality. But for anyone visiting that page for the first time and trying to read that nonsense hoping to get some feel for what the product actually offers, might not take the company seriously.

Thoughts?

I'm with you. I've looked into nordys for my first pickup upgrade. But i dont know what the heck im getting by reading those. Venturing out and trying to make an educated guess with those descriptions makes me want to shy away from them.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

It literally reads

You'd have blown my mind if that was "figuratively reads", since all reading is literal

if you can get in touch with Adrian Smith, he is very helpful!

So he's touring with Iron Maiden & still holds down a job at Nordstrand?

 

[NKBassman]

***!!! I just reread it again & I have No idea what this pick up does or suppose to do or be! HUGE FAIL! Iblame it on legalizing canncbis! in california,drummers & millinenials!! even if I wanted whatever this is I wouldn't know it was available from this jargon filled BS!! Ilike Nordstrand too, but now I have to take a second and rethink anything they manufacture!! I don't think I can trust a company that "published" such garbage! ITS HORRIBLE!!! avoid like the plague!

Turning people off from buying their stuff wasn't at all intention here. Just venting and expressing my frustration.
I hope you don't rethink too hard. From what I've tried their products really are top notch.

I emailed them. They emailed back with useful information.

Same. On multiple occasions over the years. Always great customer support.
Just wish it wasn't necessary to try and get what I consider pretty basic product information.

 

[chadhargis]

I am a long time Nordstrand customer. Love the pickups.

When selecting a pickup for a custom build, I contacted Carey and he asked me some questions and recommended a pickup that wasn't even in production yet.

Great quality and great customer service. Worth the price!

 

[SactoBass]

I'd be fine with a bit of zany nonsense

 

[SactoBass]

"It will blipelbwhooshbwampPOPsmack!"

Well, I don't know about you guys, but whenever I shop for bass pickups, I'm always looking for one that will blipelbwhooshPOPsmack (without the bwamp). Ya know? I mean, I like lots of blipelb, a fair amount of whoosh, good POP, and plenty of smack. But I never really cared for bwamp. Others folks' preferences may differ, of course.

 

[nutdog]

I love nordy but...bubblethumpwhip?

smoked anything and everything that would burn and then busted out the thesaurus.

This sounds strangely familiar.

 

[tleebassist11]

I’ve never liked how Nordstrand pickups sound at all...
These descriptions of his just make me dislike them even more he doesn’t even take it serious!

 

[NKBassman]

"It will blipelbwhooshbwampPOPsmack!"

Well, I don't know about you guys, but whenever I shop for bass pickups, I'm always looking for one that will blipelbwhooshPOPsmack (without the bwamp). Ya know? I mean, I like lots of blipelb, a fair amount of whoosh, good POP, and plenty of smack. But I never really cared for bwamp. Others folks' preferences may differ, of course.

bwamp is good for metal tones.

 

[SoniaMara]

Dear TBers,
This thread shows the dichotomy of our shoppers. We appreciate both sides of this argument. Those that get it... a spoof, a play on the arbitrary words that describe tone, a commentary to those that don't even read the copy.

Then there are those that want something more straight forward in their initial visit to the product page.

When we decided to play with the copy, we knew there may be some backlash. While this isn't the first time we have gotten negative comments on the copy, it has been pretty infrequent, most likely because most of the tonal information is there in the product page as well as sound samples when we have them.

Plus an email to [email protected] or [email protected] is sometimes just what you need to make a decision, regardless of how the copy is written. As described in many of the responses, an email to our shop is a goldmine of information that we could never distill into copy. It is specific to you and your instrument.

While what we put on our website is an in-house decision and a reflection of our DNA, we always take into consideration what our patrons want. Rest assured though, the thought and care we put into our product makes our electronics serious, for serious musicians.
--S

 

[nutdog]

Dear TBers,
This thread shows the dichotomy of our shoppers. We appreciate both sides of this argument. Those that get it... a spoof, a play on the arbitrary words that describe tone, a commentary to those that don't even read the copy.

Then there are those that want something more straight forward in their initial visit to the product page.

When we decided to play with the copy, we knew there may be some backlash. While this isn't the first time we have gotten negative comments on the copy, it has been pretty infrequent, most likely because most of the tonal information is there in the product page as well as sound samples when we have them.

Plus an email to [email protected] or [email protected] is sometimes just what you need to make a decision, regardless of how the copy is written. As described in many of the responses, an email to our shop is a goldmine of information that we could never distill into copy. It is specific to you and your instrument.

While what we put on our website is an in-house decision and a reflection of our DNA, we always take into consideration what our patrons want. Rest assured though, the thought and care we put into our product makes our electronics serious, for serious musicians.
--S

 

[SactoBass]

bwamp is good for metal tones.

Ah!!! That I didn't know! Talkbass is awesome! I learn so much!