Gibson Nikki Sixx Blackbird

This one was made in the USA in 2001. I'm giving it a 10 for it's LACK of features. Big fat deep pickups turned all the way up . It sleeps in the most amazing case ever! Slick ebony fretboard with iron cross inlays

The tone is 100% bone crunching goodness; thick and rich. I play mainly rock covers so it works really well. I play straight into a Warwick tube amp. I play with the sound by trying different gauge strings and I think I prefer heavy gauge for a real depth. Its great on stage cause it looks wicked. It might be a little noisy for recording.

Setup is a tad high but I have never had it set up, otherwise it plays great. The fretboard is slippery, chunky and fast. The paint is dull and thin just how Nikki wanted it.

Sounds wicked live.
The harware fittings are excellent, tough and built to last a lifetime. Came with straplocks (joy).
I always take the Blackbird as my back-up because its tone dosen't work with every song.

Never had to contact Gibson

I have been playing off and on for 20 years. I own or have owned Rickenbackers 4001 & 4003, Fender P-bass, Peavey T-40, Fender Bassman 50 amp, Warwick amp and cabs, Roland amp. If it were lost or stolen I would probably buy another Thunderbird or Blackbird. I love the playability of the ebony fretboard and just the way the neck feels. It is not tonally versetile so its not the bass for every type of music.

The other reviews explain the features pretty well, so I'll leave that out and describe my impressions of the bass itself. It obviously has no features in the traditional sense, but it's got exactly what it was designed for, so I'll give it a 10.

For a few years now, I've had this insane goal to own one model of Thunderbird from each era that Gibson has made them. This has also devolved into an obsession with finding great quality Japanese copies as well. Of course, to make that goal a reality, I had to track down a Blackbird as well. I say that because I'd only played one once before, and wasn't too impressed. I've decided it was the store and their crappy setups. (Hey Manny's on 48th!) Anyway, my original intent was to get one and immediately paint and modify it to look like Nikki's original white 'bird. After hearing it I decided to leave it as is. If I can find another one for under $900, I'll probably get it for my original idea, but this one stays stock. I'll explain why below.

This is probably the ballsiest Thunderbird I've ever played. At this point, I own 15 of them and have played many more, so that's not an idle observation. Considering the layout, there's not any variety in sound to be found from the bass itself (I suppose you could use a volume pedal if you needed to). Of course, there's always the volume and tone pots on your amp... Your amp will have a huge impact on what you end up sounding like anyway. Once you plug it in, even a bass with a distinct sound can be made to sound completely generic if you try hard enough.

I've played in bands ranging from jangly 60's power pop and emo singer/songwriter type stuff to country/Americana styles to metal. I don't really think of my basses in terms of what music they sound like. I choose which bass to pick up depending on what bass sound I'm hearing in my head.

If I ever want something that will cut through any mix and have a nice, grindy tone, this is it. Very full, but with a menacing edge.

One more thing. There's always talk about which era Thunderbird has the 'real' Thunderbird sound. As far as looks go, I've always preferred the chrome/nickel hardware 'birds. But sound wise, every era Thunderbird sounds like the real deal to me. They each sound a little different, but they all share a common quality, which I guess is the thing I like about the Thunderbird sound, because I like them all.

Ah, this section seems to draw a few complaints here and elsewhere, where the Blackbird is concerned (There's a well known bass forum on the internet where even most of the Gibson fans call it the Crapbird...)

Well, sorry. You're all wrong.

Don't misunderstand me. I have a big problem with Gibson's less than stellar finishing when it comes to new regular model Thunderbirds. (I have a white 2001 that's literally embarrassing. The seams on the body have continued to bubble and separate since I bought it as NOS six months ago.)

Here's the thing though. The Blackbird looks exactly like Nikki's do. If you read any of his interviews when these were released, Nikki explains how he had his 'birds painted flat black and modded by his tech. These are how he wanted them. Now, I don't know if Gibson actually told their paint guys to do an even crappier job than they normally do when they were building these, but as an end result of its design, I think the Blackbird is close to perfect.

As far as hardware and build quality, these seem like the standard fare. I think the tuners are smaller than on the regular 'birds. (I prefer the huge old style tuners, so all the newer ones look the same to me. Sorry!) The inlays don't look like the highest quality I've ever seen, but I do like the Iron Cross look. I'm still tempted to get one and paint it Cardinal Red, for a Red Baron Bird.

Because this was originally supposed to cost some ridiculous amount, I'm giving it an 8. As an $800 dollar bass though, it 'aint bad. In those old interviews I mentioned, Nikki mentioned that he thought of his bass as a tool. I guess that would be rather than the pampered exotic guitars that some guys use. As an approximation of that tool of his trade, these get a 10.

The Blackbird's crappy flat black paint and lack of frills, that some have complained about, become an asset in this category. The more you beat on these things, the cooler they'll look. The neck seems slightly more substantial than the other 'birds I have, but that could be my imagination. It's still a Thunderbird, so I wouldn't recommend abusing the neck any time soon (snapped headstocks aren't just a problem on the older ones).

The straplock placement is better on these, so you don't have to move them before you take it to your first rehearsal.

As far as setups go, I think how often they're needed depends on where you live and how well you take care of the bass. I haven't had to tweak mine in the six months I've had it, so no problems here.

Backups are always a good idea. You might not need one, but it's pretty much a guarantee you will on the one gig where you don't bring it.

I bought this used, so the warranty isn't in force. I register all my Gibsons though, even the used ones. They always send back an email telling me the warranty is registered, but I'm sure I'd be SOL if I ever tried to make a claim on a used one. The customer service dept. is hit and miss. I've emailed them with various questions over the years, and sometimes they answer with great, helpful stuff. Then sometimes, they answer with crap that indicates they never even read the whole question.

I've been playing for 25 years. Not very well, mind you... As I stated, I chose a Blackbird to add to my Thunderbird collection, but I've come to respect it on its own merits. It's a great bass. I'd not only replace it, I plan on buying one more to modify.

The Blackbird holds its own with every other Thunderbird I own. The look might be a bit much for some, but I really like it. (O.K. I can't stand the pickguard. I'd love a black one with a white bird. Other than that, it's great.)

The prices for these things have gone through the roof with the dealers and on eBay lately. Everybody made fun of them when MF was blowing them out for $700, but the smart ones were the people who bought a couple when they did. I've seen mint ones go for over $1200 more than once.

To be fair, I wouldn't recommend one as your only bass. What it does, it does well, but not much more. Also, I'm an old man to any of you who might want to sound like fIeLdY, so I can't say how this could stand being tuned down to C or anything (though you could go B-E-A-D). That being said, any of you looking for a Thunderbird in a slightly different package would probably be pretty happy with a Blackbird.

Alright, this bass is one of the last Blackbirds made it was made in '01. It has the flat black finish, clear pickgaurd, all black hardware, Grover tuners , opitgrab handle ,yadda, yadda, yadda. The coolest feature about this bass is its LACK of controls. Volume pots are dumb, you only use them to turn a bass down, and an on/off switch is a much better, mor practical solution in my opinion. As for tone controls are comletely worthless, if you want a bass with no highs get a P bass. Actve electronics suck, batteries are for toys and effects pedals. This bass gets the hell out of the way and lets you play.

Sound is the reason you would buy this bass, other than the fact that it looks slick as hell. The tone is similar to any Gibson thunderbird after '87, just a tad crunchier. This bass is made for rock, so get a pick and wail out. I do a sort of Killswitch Engage, Pantera , Poison the Well sort of thing. Hardcore meets metal, good stuff. The Sixx goes into an Ampeg Billy Sheehan preamp, to a Sunn 1200s, and finally into an Ampeg 8x10e classic. The sound is massive and, if it fell into evil hands could destroy the world. Would i recommend this to a jazzer, a reggae bassist, a country guy. Probably not, this bass is as rock specific a bass as they come, as with any bass try it out a few times before you buy it.

The store i bought if from kept it set up very well. I switched to pickstyle playing soon after i bought this bass, so i decided to go with a higher action for tones sake. However if set up to your personal style this bass can be slapped , fingered, tapped, picked anything. The neck is smooth, and the string spacing is narrow, good for pickstyle and fingerstyle, but slappers and people with big hands may not like this feature. The sides of the frets needed to be files down a bit, bu nothing major . All in all, good construction.

I have had this bass for 2 weeks and i havent had any complaints yet. It seems solid enough to beat on for many years to come. I am not going to leave a numerical rating on this due to the fact that i havent owned it long enough to put it through its paces.

Havent had to deal with them.

I have been playing for 12 years at least. As a classically trained musician this bass suits my needs very well. I have owned Kinals, Spectors, Fenders, Ibanezes, Musicman, Carvins, Epiphones, even a Fodera or two. All of them very cool basses, but just not made for me or my style. This bass feels like home, it feels like an extension of my body, and after only two weeks, thats pretty good. If it were lost i would buy another in an instant, if it were stolen, id kill the little sh!t that took it, take back the bass, rob him then but another and have two of em!

Nikki Sixx Blackbird by Gibson. No tone, no volume controls; just an on/off toggle switch. Gibson passive humbuckers.Flat blck finish. Optigrab handle (I play finger style mostly, so I don't use this feature). Awesome hardshell case.

Great deep sound for metal-punk-alternative. Forget that it does not have any tone control. The one tone it does have really blasts! Tweak it if you will through your effects pedal and amp. I like this four string, stripped down monster! Call me a caveman, I guess.

Action a tad high, but good overall. Frets seem good, very little to no buzzing at all. Finish poor, just like I like it. Paying only $700 I dont need a great finish. In fact, I want to get another Blackbird and refinish it with flat, gray primer, like an old hot rod.

Strap locks included! This bass is a rock. Don't know too much about the supposed weak neck problems. I've dropped it a couple of times right on the neck and head and nothing has happened. I will let you know if it does have a problem in the future.

Limited lifetime warranty. Haven't had to use their support yet.

Only bass I own. I can't seem to ever want to play anything else. Sold my p-bass right after I got this ole girl. I chose it because Nikki Sixx endorsed it. I wasn't let down. A great bass. Wouldn't pay over $1000 for it though. Heck, I wouldn't pay over $1000 for any bass.

This Nikki Sixx Blackbird has a very simple configuration, which I like because I like things simple. It has a Goth flat black finish with Iron Cross Inlays on the fretboard. I think it is an Ebony fretboard. It has two passive pickups with a on/off toggle switch. I love the clear pickguard with the blackbird on it.

Don't forget the 'Opti-Grab'. I think that the 'Opti-grab' is the best invention for the Thunderbird style basses.

I think that it sounds perfect for rock. Because it does not have volume or tone knobs, it is kind of limited. But like I said that is perfect because I like my basses simple. Either it's on or it's off. I think that it has a great rock sound. I love the balls to the wall sound. I think that it sounds great through my '68 Ampeg Fliptop.

I like the flat black finish. The action is a bit high, but that is how Nikki likes it, I guess. I think that the pickguard is cool. I love the Thunderbird shape. The case is awesome, not to mention huge. I love the 'Opti-Grab'. I don't think that I could use the bass without it.

I think that the bass is very reliable. That is if you have straplocks. If you don't, the bass will fall on the ground and break. I could depend on it to do a live show, although I always recommend having at least one backup bass.

I called Gibson once about my '56 Les Paul Junior, and they were very helpful.

I would give this bass a 10 overall because it is a great bass. Not to mention that Nikki Sixx is one of the best and coolest bass players out there. I think that this bass is great for $550.00. I think that Gibson makes great basses.

2002 Gibson Nikki Sixx Blackbird (Signature Thunderbird)
Mahogany and walnut 3 piece Thunderbird body
Flat black finish
20 fret mahogany neck-thru-body with Ebony fretboard
Steel Iron Cross inlays
2 passive humbucker pickups with one On/Off toggle switch
No volume or tone knobs
3 piece oldschool Gibson bass bridge
Grover tuners
All black hardware
Clear pickguard with Nikki Sixx logo
Clear truss rod cover
Bass came with long black hardshell case with combination lock

Simple but efficient,the bass looks dark and mean. The inlays are awesome and add to the image of the bass. I only wish there were two volumes as opposed to an off/on toggle,but I will have the bass modded with that soon. Right now I use a volume pedal.

I use the bass with an Alembic F-1X preamp, Carvin DCM1500 power amp and a Peavey 412TVX 4x12 bass cab. The only effects I use are chorus and the occasional distortion. This bass is super quiet and the fattest sounding bass Ive played. Ive owned and played P-Basses, Jazz basses, Rickenbacker, Ibanez and Yamaha and this thing blows them all away. Its not the most versatile sounding bass, but the one sound it gets is phenominal!!! Bass is meant to be fat and punchy and this thing does the trick. It has that fat sound that cuts through the mix and kicks you in the chest. Good for any type of music. I play bass in a metal band and its perfect. I get compliments on my tone everytime I play. People also love the inlay...talk about cool. My only complaint once again is the on/off toggle instead of two volumes but its not the end of the world. I cant wait to use this baby in the studio.

The bass looked astounding right out of the box. The finish was sharp and the neck was setup perfect. The bass was even in tune! The treble pickup was a tad high, but I easily adjusted that in minutes. There were no fret problems and no fretnoise either. Tuners were tight and the bridge looks incredibly sturdy. Everything looked professional,but then again its expected from a bass with a $2000+ retail.

I play constantly with my band Madelines Illness and this bass shows no sign of falling apart. Its built like a tank and looks like it will last. I never play without a backup, but if I had to, I wouldnt worry about this Blackbird. The straplocks hold up nicely and everything. I play hard...really hard and liek Timex it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Totally dependable,I highly recommend this bass to anyone.

Lifetime warranty. Never had to deal with Gibson because Ive never had a problem with any of their fine instruments.

Ive played bass for 6 years and gigged professionally for 3. Ive owned too much gear to mention including Ampeg, Fender, 8 strings, Rickenbacker, Dean, Kramer, Gibson, Ibanez...you name it. This is a great bass at a great price. I was lucky enough to get this one on closeout and wouldnt trade it for the world. If it were stolen Id kill the motherf*cker who took it and save up $1500 for a Thunderbird. This bass is great!

This bass is pretty much a stripped down Thunderbird. It has a flat black finish, w/ dual thunderbird pickups. There is no volume control or pickup swtiching. Just an on off toggle switch. It is comprised of 3 piece mohogany and a neck-thru body. It has grover tuners and 34&1/2 inch scale. The bass is very long and might seem akward to those play jazz basses or p basses. If you are a little guy you might have to stretch to get those first few frets. It came with a very nice hardshell case that is fucking huge, due to the shape of the bass. It also came with staplocks and a tool. The bass is a signature model endorsed by Nikki Sixx, so I guess Gibson is trying to corner the market on old 80's metal heads or something. It has Iron Cross Inlays on the fretboard, very metal if you ask me. Still looks like a T-bird though, which is very cool.

The sound on this bass is perfect for the style of music I play, balls to the wall rock and punk. I have played it through a GK 700RB and SWR 8x8 cab, which does not do the bass any justice. If you own this bass buy a tube amp, which I did recently. It will bring out the warm bottom and mids the pickups have to offer. I am now playing it out of a Mesa Boogie Buster bass 2x10 combo hooked up to the SWR 8x8, sounds better and more punchy than an svt setup, in my opinion. The bass is very responsive on lows and mids. It does not do highs real well. So if you are the next bootys collins or are into funk, this is not your bass.
You wont have any problem being heard, or noticed with this bass. I think It fills the void that your typical fender just can't do.

Set up from gibson was pretty decent. I would not say it was so great becasue the action was a little high for this bass. Everything else about the bass was flawless, so maybe I am just being a musician.

Gibsons are known for their reliability and quality, on their high end instruments anyway. I am not worried about breaking this bass should it get a little mistreated. I will say this however, there is an inherent weakness in the headstock on this bass so watch out. I dont intend to use the bass as a bayonet or a bat so I am not too worried.

Don't know. I hear it's mediocre with Gibson, I am not sure though.

I love this bass. It is not as heavy as those other reviewers say it is. The neck is smooth and playable. The Sound is low and deep, as a bass should be. What more could you want. It is stylish as all hell too. That is why I wanted it. The thing looks really fucking cool. I'd like to switch between pickups but you know, the sound it puts out is pretty awesome. From my 3 years of playing bass and 10 years of playing guitar, I'd say that this is easily one the best instruments I have owned. If someone stole it from me, I'd hunt them down and pull out their finger nails one by one, very slowly.
If you own this bass or any other instrument, by a high wattage tube head/combo. You can find some great deals on older boogie equipment, which sound just as good as an SVT, in my opinion. I will spare you the rest of my rant.

2001 made in USA Mahogany neck thru mahogany body, 21 frets, ebony board, 2 Gibson passive humbuckers, no vol or tone just an on/off switch, satin black (Gothic) finish, iron cross fret markers, Grover tuners, typical 3 point Gibson bass bridge, oh and most importantly the "OptiGrab". This is a bent metal loop that is attatched at an angle behind the bridge. It's Nikki Sixx's little secret for anchoring your pinky while picking. I am a finger player so it does nothing for me but it works for him and this is his signature bass. The layout of this bass is weird.
Basically it's a Thunderbird but it has no volume, tone or pickup selection/blending ability. Granted most of the time you get your sound and volume and your playing does the rest but it is strange not having any on bass adjustment. The neck is comfortable. Not too wide and not too thin. It feels sturdy like it will last a while. The basic design is cool but the lack of control kinda sucks.

The sound is cool. I like a fat punchy just about to break up sound and this bass is capable of it. Unplugged it has a nice piano like ring which carries over when plugged up. I am not a big fan of active electronics. I own a few basses with them but have mixed feelings. This bass is capable of one sound from it. Playing styles will alter tone and obviously setting amps different will. I know where I like my amps at and plugging in any bass will sound good but each will have their own character. I wish that this had pickup switching or blending. I like both pickups on most of the time but I do like the warmth and slight fartiness of just the neck pickup on for certain songs.

The set up was decent. A little high for my taste and the intonation was slightly out. I set up all my guitars and that is the first thing I do when I get something new, make it my own. I am VERY dissapointed in the finishing quality. This bass lists at $2600. The fretboard has an losy finsh near the body that looks like black spraypainted maple??!?!!?, along with a divot in the wood at the last fret. The frets themselves are a little rough and not well done at all. Maybe if this was a Korean bass that lists for $400 but they want $2600 for this. Unacceptable for this money. Overall the finish is not great. There are bits of rough spots where someone either sprayed to long or did not clean the sawdust before painting. Again, on a $400 bass you may see this but not on a $2600 one. Come on Gibson! Stop living off your name from the past and pay attention to your quality.

This bass looks like it will last a while. The finsh sucks enough that I won't go crazy if I put a scratch in it. The neck finish does feel like it will be easy to wear off. It is an awfull finish. I think this bass would be much nicer in a deep gloss black or even a metalic black. Why does Gibson paint all their guitars in this flat black? The Gothic series in my opinion sucks. My first guitar was a Gibson Sonex that had a flat black (pre-Gothic) finish that I ended up painting and it looked much nicer. This bass did come with Shaller strap locks ( a big plus) so that's cool. I have not gigged with it yet but I always gig with 2 basses because things happen.

I haven't dealt with them yet. I may take this finish work up with them and see where I get.

I have been playing for many years. I own a lot of stuff. My basses include a Yamaha BB2000, a BB3000, a Kramer/Spector NS-2, 2 Fender Jazz (1 fretless), 1 Fender P bass, an ESP 5 string, a Carvin 5 string, A Fender MB-5, and a Fodera Emperor Elite (my Stradavarius). My amps consist or 2 separate systems with a crossover. One an Ampeg SVT II and the other Trace Elliott AH350. I run both with the Trace taking the low frequencies though a 15 in cab and the Ampeg running the higher ones through a 4-10 with tweeter. I attenuate the tweeter so it is just slightly on adding a little britness without the click click.
What attracted me to this bass was the price.I bought this bass new through mail order for a great price $875 with case. The list is $2670 so I got for less than a third of list. If I had paid more I would be totally pissed. Musicians Friend sells these for $1750, twice as much as I paid. This bass with it flaws is NOT worth that. For the price I paid I guess I can live with the problems but this is not a second this is first quality. People pay $2000 for these?!?!?!?! Beware those of you paying more.
I can see myself refinishing this bass in the future to a better color and finish. I am also going to change the electronics to better suit me. Possibly a concentric nob with volume and pickup blend in place of the on/off switch.
The sound and the playabilty (with a little work) work and that is what ultimately matters but there a lots of other bass makers who offer a superior product for the same or less money. My recently purchased Carvin was the same money I paid for this Gibson and it BLOWS IT AWAY in quality. Smarten up Gibson. I know a lot of bass players and I have owned a lot of basses. Gibsons are not usually played by bassists. Make your products nicer and take some tips and criticism from people who know. The Thunderbird is a classic shape and has a distinctive sound. Honor it by making them nice.