Nordstrand Audio Acinonyx Review!

Greetings! This is my review of the Nordstrand Acinonyx a.k.a. the Cat Bass! This bass is somehow only $799 at the moment. If you were to source out the parts for this thing - before you even build it- you'd be in $800+ range. Once you take into account the EXCELLENT construction from the overseas factory, and the fine tuning from the US shop in California, these basses are a HUGE value. The most polarizing thing is probably the switching control scheme. Some have said this is impractical and potentially a wear and tear issue. I've already recorded on several sessions with this bass, and i can say that being able to pick a tone exactly the same way, consistently, is awesome. These buttons work great, and there's no way in hell these are going to wear out any time soon. They feel really solid, and are based on the Urei 1176 Compressor switches, some of which are still in operation from decades ago without switch replacements. I think we're good :)
Here are the specs:
780mm scale (about 30.7”)
17mm spacing at bridge
1.4” wide nut
Alder body with Indian Rosewood fingerboard
Parchment and Tortoise pick guard options
2 propriety (of course - it’s what we do) single coil chrome cover pickups
4 push button pickup selector switches (including “all in” series mode)
4 tone selections including flat, traditional tone roll off, heavy tone roll of, and mid notch
Very light weight - averaging 6.5 pounds
2 way spoke wheel truss rod
Classic color options: Lake Placid Blue, Olympic White, Surf Green, Black
Compound radius for excellent playability
D’Addario Nickel Round Strings
Proprietary custom US Hipshot bridge
Proprietary custom licensed Hipshot oval tuning machines
All basses are inspected and set up in our Redlands, CA shop
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:03 - Signal Chain
1:15 - Both Pick-ups Parallel
2:12 - Neck Single Coil
3:05 - Bridge Single Coil
4:01 - All in mode/Both Pick-ups Series
4:55 - Pick Examples
6:00 - Build Quality and Features
8:32 - Controls
9:35 - Personal Impressions
13:56 - Bonus Soundclips
15:01 - Yes you can slap on it.
16:04 - Final Thoughts
Gear used in this video:
Nordstrand Acinonyx
nordstrandaudio.com/products/...
Trickfishamps:
www.trickfishamps.com/
Universal Audion Apollo x8:
www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...
3Leaf Audio Octavbre *this is the new generation! The one in the video is discontinued.
www.3leafaudio.com/shop/octabvre
Big Ear Pedals Black Betty
www.bigearpedals.com/product-...
PLX FX Droogen
www.plx-fx.com/product/drooge...
Collaboration Devices Compressor
www.collaborationdevices.com/...
MXR Thump
www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...
Want to contact me? Here's how!
IG:
/ hondofelder
Website:
hondofelder.com/
e-mail:
[e-mail]

[@mjb5997]

Watching the development and build ideas from the beginning were really neat. Carey used a lot of community feedback for getting this perfect. Really neat project.

[@LowEndLobster]

Dude! Your video quality, editing, b-roll, everything is TOP NOTCH! Really well done, man

[@LowEndLobster]

Also you have an excellent beard.

[@HondoFelder]

Haha! Thanks man! Really appreciate the kind words🤘🏽

[@JamesGiannoni]

Awesome! Such a comprehensive review.

[@bassnsax]

Wow! That bass sounds absolutely GORGEOUS!

[@lenniecondellone7834]

Thanks for the review! I'm so pumped about getting this, but there haven't been many so far!

[@StevenDoyleLuke]

Love the tones!

[@HondoFelder]

Much appreciated!

[@billytai1096]

One of the best reviews hands down. Happy to subscribe. Cheers.

[@HondoFelder]

thank you my friend! So glad you enjoy the videos.

[@TheFreebasslessons]

Great review, well done, such cool confident vibe you have.

[@HondoFelder]

Thanks so much! Means a ton to me. Love your stuff too! Been a long time fan haha🤘🏽

[@joelrichards4965]

Great review and nice playing, thank you!

[@HondoFelder]

Thank YOU for watching! 🙏🏽 😄

[@noeespinosa1929]

Love the review man! This gets me even more pumped while I wait for my CAT Bass to ship. I picked up on a white one with tortoise. Great mix of using this bass in a Hip Hop setting + some fuzzed rock tones. I’m a pedal junky too so this helped tremendously! BiG UpS ! You have a new subscriber 🤟🏼

[@HondoFelder]

Awesome! So glad you dug it, and thanks for watching!

[@samlelowitch]

Really great video. Nice job!

[@HondoFelder]

Much appreciated!!🤘🏽

[@andyronayne7947]

Came here from your comment in the Premier Guitar review. Your production values are incredible. Love the video review. Love the bass. Loved the playing and have now subscribed. Fabulous review.Well done mate!

[@HondoFelder]

Oh man, thank you so much for the kind words! Been having a crap week and this definitely helped lift my spirits a bit. Thanks again!

[@MAXDECAY]

Sounds so good

[@ChanceC5]

Great review. The bass sounds great. The Trickfish amp sounds really good. This was really good.

[@HondoFelder]

Thank you! Really appreciate the kind words.

[@oldejack]

great sounding bass!

[@HondoFelder]

Hopefully I can get one of yours on here one day! 🤘🏽🙏🏽

[@joejohnson9659]

Really good Review!

[@HondoFelder]

Thank you! Glad you dug it.

[@SuperSuperGareth]

Such good quality video, and you like all the stuff I like :) , won't be long before the algorithm gets a hold of this channel!

[@HondoFelder]

Thanks for watching brotha!

[@LaurenceMollerup]

A really engaging and well done review, thanks for this!

[@HondoFelder]

You are very welcome! So glad you dug it!

[@gordonbennett7931]

@@HondoFelder I concur, great demo/review. I'm torn between this and a Serek short scale bass (maybe the Grand). I can you have also reviewed a Serek Lincoln. How do you find the two compare in terms of build quality, playability and sound considering both seem great basses?

[@HondoFelder]

@@gordonbennett7931 (I apologize in advance for how long this response is...) I just so happen to own two Serek short scales along with the Lincoln. I also played the Grand at NAMM , so i know how that one plays, but I believe they made some tonal changes since i played it, and the NAMM floor sucks for sound testing, so i can't really speak to how (sick) it sounds now, but playability wise, it was smooth as butter and the build quality was every bit as good as what i expect from Sereks...which is immaculate lol. The TL:DR is the Acinonyx and Sereks are great in their own lanes, but very different, and ALL worth the money in my opinion. Now, my reasoning: With the Acinonyx, you get a bass with a pre-defined feature set, woods, and looks, that feels like a top quality mass produced bass. With the Sereks, you can really make them your own with wood choice, pick-up choice, number of strings, electronics, etc. so there really isn't one "Serek sound" to even make a fair comparison. Also, the Sereks feel custom. There's something about them that makes them feel right at home out of the box, and they have an "expensive" vibe about them that's hard to quantify. We're talking about that last 10% type of stuff. If you really like the sound of the Acinonyx, you can't go wrong buying one. If you want to make something a little more your own in the tone, features, or looks departments, i HIGHLY recommend looking at Serek stuff. To me, the Acinonyx is one of the best values you can get with a "stock" bass, and Sereks are that same level of value in the custom world. I really hope this helps! Feel free to hit me up with any other questions.

[@gordonbennett7931]

@@HondoFelder Hey, thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed and insightful response :) You must really like Serek basses if you own three! Which is your favourite? I don't currently own a short scale bass so would be making the switch from long scale 34'' (for comfort reasons) and don't think I could go wrong with either the Acinonyx or a Serek. At the moment I'm leaning towards a Serek as the extra money isn't an issue and there are more options for custom design as you say. The Grand does look and sound great and it's good to hear your comments regarding the playability and build quality. Of course, the same applies to the Acinonyx which leads me back to where I started... in two minds haha :)

[@HondoFelder]

@@gordonbennett7931 ha! Yea it's a tough choice! I'd let the tone be the deciding factor. If the tone of the Acinonyx is EXACTLY what you like, I'd say just grab that. If not, I'd vote for having some custom fun with a serek. Jake (the owner/founder) is a great dude to work with. I am torn between the midwestern 2 and the Lincoln as my favorite body shapes. For short scale, I'd definitely go with the MW2 🤘🏽

[@mtbass3413]

Wow! What an amazing instrument and brilliantly demonstrated. I love it. Thank you Hondo 😎👍 P.S....shattered spine?!?...dude 🙀

[@mattbridges8908]

Wow, you're super good at youtube and bass. I'm subscribing.

[@bassocanario]

Got here from Janek's Twitch stream; nice to put a face and a sound to your screen name from there...Thanks for this review; the bass looks and sounds good!👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽✌🏾

[@HondoFelder]

Welcome sir! Hope you dig the channel 🤘🏽

[@bassocanario]

@@HondoFelder subscribed🤗

[@ninovalenti96]

This bass sounds so freaking cool!!!!

[@HondoFelder]

NINO! thanks for the comment brotha! Hope all is well! I need to get a valenti on here one day 🤘🏽😎🤘🏽

[@Bibblebabbler]

Great review. Get mine on Friday. Nice touch with the pedals,I think this bass excels thru pedals.

[@HondoFelder]

100% agreed! This is all complete guessing, but it's such a big tonal range I bet the pedals have more to work with, and thusly (lol) sound cooler.

[@Bibblebabbler]

@@HondoFelder I wish Juan Alderete was healthy enough to do a full review on this bass. Hopefully soon.

[@Bibblebabbler]

All I can say is holy sh/t this bass blew me away. Played it all day yesterday and the tones are amazing and the playability on this 800 dollar instrument is great. I can spread out so far on this little thing with out moving hand position,really is like a race car. For the people who called this a toy In other reviews,they need there head examined....

[@HondoFelder]

@@Bibblebabbler Right!? I saw that review and debated addressing it directly, but decided against it. I'm trying not to be a jerk lol. So glad you like the bass man! I really hope people pick up on how good of an instrument and a deal this is. This a pro grade stuff. I dont have some insane music career, but if this was my only bass, I'd be doing just fine on almost any gig. If this is a toy, then so is every other bass on the planet lol. 🤘🏽

[@Bibblebabbler]

@@HondoFelder I did then Deleted it. Better to not get in an online battle with a guy with a lobster claw. Lol

[@mattrudybass]

That is a killer bass. I may need to get it for the classic EB sound.

[@HondoFelder]

Highly recommend!

[@yuhi_7720]

Yes yes I love this, but I fell into a relationship with the last demo you made because wow wow and another wow, I’m in love with that melody. You should make a song with it, it’s magical (do it otherwise I’ll do it damn hahahaha love it man)

[@newmanana]

I’ve passed up a couple Goya Panthers on eBay because of the crazy prices. I owned a similar kind of short scale hagstrom back in the day and always regret selling it. This bass looks like it mixes old school sensibilities with modern craftsmanship....at a decent price. Thanks for the review!

[@HondoFelder]

I think you hit the nail on the head with that description 👌🏽

[@MrTDembinski]

Nice

[@mlchaelphelps1158]

Good interview, I see this on a lot of interviews, when demonstrating pickups the interviewer makes the demonstration in the Same position. When demonstrating the bridge pickup, it should be played between the bridge and back pickup, both pickups, between back and front pickup, front pickup, between front pickup and neck for more accurate sound,playing in the same position for each pickup is not as accurate. It's just an observation, not trying to start a war, I'm getting ready to purchase one myself.

[@HondoFelder]

Thanks for the feedback, and interesting point! I’d actually argue the opposite. Moving your hand while you’re playing introduces a second variable which isn’t really the intention of the demonstration. Switching pickups and finger positions doesn’t just tell you how the pickup is different, ti tells you how switching the pickup AND the fingers moving sounds different. Given that not everyone moves their hands the same, i chose to try to stay consistent for the most middle of the road sounds. That said, normally I’d absolute move my hands the way you stated though! 🤘🏽

[@reyesfreudenthalpablo8457]

ba dee ba doooooo!

[@gsharpslayer3287]

I know, what’s up with weak roll offs, we need moog roll offs. I like this bass

[@HondoFelder]

Yess! Moog roll offs!😈