thumb NT5 v vette bubinga NT5

Stroud

Stroud

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has anyone played both the thumb NT5 and the corvette bubinga NT5 (i know seth has :wink: ) ?

how do they compare?

how does the vettes 2 band eq stack up against the thumbs 3 band?

can the vette sound thumbish? :D

ermmm (thinkinf of more questions) :wink:

is it as gorgeous as it looks in the pics? :D

and is it muddy at all?
 
You may want to have a look at my "$$ NT" post. I compare it to a NT Thumb once or twice...
 
There a few very important difference on these two instruments:

  • Corvette $$ NT: Maple neck vs. Thumb NT: Ovangkol neck
    Corvette $$ NT: 2-band EQ vs. Thumb NT: 3-band EQ
    Corvette $$ NT: 2 passive humbuckers vs. Thumb NT: 2 active J pickups.

These few but very important different make these instrument sound a little different. I'd say that the Vette $$ NT is a very powerful instrument with many sound capabilities that allows it to perform well in various styles of music. This is true with the Thumb NT too. Both basses are unique in their category. What I would strongly suggest is that your try them both and see which one suits you best in terms of sound and playability. There's an instrument for each one of us.
 
+1 They must be Very different beasts. One thing is clear, the vete cannot sound thumbish at all IMHO. Also the vice versa.
 
odominguez said:
Both basses are unique in their category. What I would strongly suggest is that your try them both and see which one suits you best in terms of sound and playability. There's an instrument for each one of us.
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Since I don't suffer too much from GAS (category 2), I guess I will be trying that as soon as I can get a hold of a Corvette NT...............I am ohhhh sooo curious..........(I am expecting less boomy bottom from the Corvette, but I could be way off.........)

:D
 
Florin said:
+1 They must be Very different beasts. One thing is clear, the vete cannot sound thumbish at all IMHO. Also the vice versa.
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lol i guessed they would sound nothing similar as (as the legend goes :wink: ) nothing can sound like a thumb but i suppose what i meant is this; is the vette $$ a good bass to the same extent that the thumb is a good bass...if you get my meaning

and is the bubinga vette NT5 ever muddy? beause that was one of the few things people wernt so keen on the BO$$ for
 
I agree that they are different, but disagree that it doesn't sound similar to a Thumb.

By the way, the $$ NT is most definitely NOT muddy...
 
Stroud said:
Florin said:
+1 They must be Very different beasts. One thing is clear, the vete cannot sound thumbish at all IMHO. Also the vice versa.
Click to expand...

lol i guessed they would sound nothing similar as (as the legend goes :wink: ) nothing can sound like a thumb but i suppose what i meant is this; is the vette $$ a good bass to the same extent that the thumb is a good bass...if you get my meaning

and is the bubinga vette NT5 ever muddy? beause that was one of the few things people wernt so keen on the BO$$ for
Click to expand...

I played these two basses you're talking about within an hour of each other through the same amp. The Vette NT can pull off a sound very very similar to a Thumb but that isn't its forte, so to speak. The Vette NT has far more versatility than the Thumb NT in that it can do many sounds well, the Thumb - not so many. (For the record, my favourite production bass of all times is the Thumb BO 5.)
The Thumb NT5 was quite a bit smoother to play than the Vette NT but the Thumb was an '02 with a few thousand miles on it and the Vette still had wet ink on the customs declaration so there's bound to be playability differences. Of the two, I'd say the Vette is far more versatile and maybe could fit into more musical situations than the Thumb. The Thumb though... absolute classic and in its own league as far as I'm concerned :D ~M~
 
Before I get flamed for saying the Thumb isn't versatile... You got Ryan from Mudvayne. You got Jack Bruce. Two sounds that couldn't be more different if they tried - made with the same type of bass. My opinion is that the Thumb would be for players that have a real good idea of what their sound should be and they know how to get it. The Vette NT has SOOOOOOO many sounds in it that a player could find their sound in there and a few dozen other sounds they might never have thought of. And I second the idea that it is most definitely NOT muddy. With the EMP's on it, it was one of the sharpest sounding, most defined basses I've played. :D ~M~
 
I agree with avionsix543 pretty much across the board. I've only owned my $$ NT (Bubinga) for a couple days, but have found that running the Jazzman configuration (SC/H in parallel) sounds A LOT like the Thumbs I've owned over the years. But there's certainly a lot more "toying" with all the options. Having the ability to coil-tap each pickup in 3-ways opens up MANY possibilities...
 
So,

this means I gotta get 'em both.............. :D One thing that indeed surprised me was the clarity of the Corvette on Seth's demo, which you still can admire at www.bassplayer.tv :D
 
EVOLVEBASS said:
I agree that they are different, but disagree that it doesn't sound similar to a Thumb.

By the way, the $$ NT is most definitely NOT muddy...
Click to expand...

I would say that the ash version might still be muddy... the bubinga one should be much tighter

I don't think the $$NT will ever get the real essence of the Thumb's tone... it will have a different growl tone because of the neck wood and the Passive Humbucker will always sound different to two active J's

That said, I'm sure it could probably do a good rendition of the thumb, but like they say, if you want a thumb sound - get a thumb, thats the only way.
 
Maybe so. I haven't played an ash one yet. My '04 Ltd has an ash body but it's a different bass altogether - not a fair comparison to the NT $$. ~M~
 
I'm not sure why it upsets the Thumb guys that comparisons are being made. Of course it doesn't sound EXACTLY like a Thumb. It's just a comparison. Personally I'd be pretty disappointed if it did, I want humbucker tone and not single-coil tone for a reason.
 
Okay, cool. I wasn't referring to your comments specifically (or specific to this thread) by the way. And I'm certainly not attempting to mislead anyone. Those who try out the $$ NT (bubinga) will understand why comparisons are being made.
 
EVOLVEBASS said:
Okay, cool. I wasn't referring to your comments specifically (or specific to this thread) by the way. And I'm certainly not attempting to mislead anyone. Those who try out the $$ NT (bubinga) will understand why comparisons are being made.
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We compare in order to communicate for our fellow bass players. Nothing anyone says is objective.......................well..................except when we say Warwick rules.................cuz that's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the friggin' truth. :twisted:
 
im not especially refering to this forum when i say this although it does happen sometimes...i find it really weird when people get annoyed when you ask a comparrison between two instruments, especially when one of them is a cult classic (like the thumb certainly is). i often hear things like "you can't compare that to that". in my opinion if they're that different then making a comparrison should be ten times easier...you'll be comparing everything and pointing out a million differences :wink:

on a totally different subject... *brain wave* my mums been asking if theres anything id like to do on my birthday and the most imaginative thing i've come up with is a few hours at the local snooker hall :wink: i've just thought i could take a "pilgrimidge" to salford and get all the warwick basses checked out :D hell yeah now thats a propper way to spend a birthday :D
 
Thats sounds like a nice birthday mate,but your mum could make it a great birthday if you actually got to take a Warwick home with you. :wink:
 
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