Just played a Tacoma Thunderchief Fretless!

[MattZilla]

- hands down, the loudest acoustic bass I've ever heard. Nicely balanced while solo as well. Really curious how it would sit with a few gently strummed Taylors or Martin HDs.

- among the better fretlesses I've played. Plenty of fundamental with just enough mwah.

- flawless construction.


Fender bought the prints, jigs, timber cache, and personnel. They really should've kept that thing in production, even if that meant temporarily putting a Guild or Gretch headstock on it.


I kinda want to buy it to use for starting a prog-grass band.

 

[Sid the Kid]

Fretless ABGs really feel alive when you are playing them. I bet the Thunderchief is a glorious belly rumbler!

 

[HubbardsFate]

"Prog-grass"??

 

[Eilif]

- hands down, the loudest acoustic bass I've ever heard. Nicely balanced while solo as well. Really curious how it would sit with a few gently strummed Taylors or Martin HDs.

- among the better fretlesses I've played. Plenty of fundamental with just enough mwah.

- flawless construction.


Fender bought the prints, jigs, timber cache, and personnel. They really should've kept that thing in production, even if that meant temporarily putting a Guild or Gretch headstock on it.


I kinda want to buy it to use for starting a prog-grass band.

Except for the "Prog-Grass Band" thing I agree with everything in this post.

 

[MattZilla]

Except for the "Prog-Grass Band" thing I agree with everything in this post.

Kinda like a lot of bass guitars that are great at doing their thing (Warwick, Ric, Ibanez SR, Ken Smith)...

I struggle to figure out more than one genre where a P bass with the right strings wouldn't just work better.

...or, in this case, even one already existing genre.


Still a great instrument that'd be cool to have sitting next to the couch.

 

[mikeoso]

Thunderchief is a top shelf abg. I dont go bare-necked (see what I did there??), but you cant easily top the Tacoma for tone and power. I jam every week with two or three Martins, and have no trouble being heard in the circle. Onstage or in performance, you'll need to amp it. For best acoustic-like sound you want a very clean signal. Tapewound strings really bring out the acoustic tone. Using more side of finger, or even thumb, will get you more power.

Enjoy! You can put that youngster on your arm and take her to meet mama!

 

[scuzzy]

Going acoustic, fretless really is key for me. That and tapes. A totally unique sound that is amazing in an acoustic mix. Always wanted a thunder chief.

 

[mikeswals]

My previous guitarist and singer worked at Tacoma when I met them.
Always wanted one because of them, but everytime I see one for sale locally it has some sort of crack in it.

 

[dmt]

An acoustic fretless is a good sound, kinda like a mini-upright. Enjoy!

I shoulda gotten me one of them Tacoma Thunderchiefs back when they were still being made. I had been slowly (periodically) looking into ABGs and the name kept coming up and I was thinking about it and then, before I pulled the trigger, it was all shut down. Part of it was, I wasn’t looking at the time of the closing up of Tacoma — I only found out about it around a year or so later. Then, a friend at a shop showed me a fretless acoustic that I dug and bought, and later I came across a fretted acoustic that wasn’t too expensive that I liked and...well, I’m all ABGed up.

Oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ No mighty Tacoma Thunderchief for me

 

[trevcda]

Have any of you guys come across a hard case for a Thunderchief? I bought one years ago, but without a real case, I have had to limit its use in the wild.

 

[Basically Bob]

I played and gigged a 1977, Guild B50 for several years. The only ABG I found that came close to it, in terms of tone and volume, was a Thunderchief.

 

[MoeTown1986]

Love my thunderchief! Long story short, a fan of my band GAVE me one for free because it sat in his living room collecting dust for years. Mine is strung with TI’s. Love the warm, wooly tone it has.

 

[dalkowski]

This thread makes me wish my big Guild B-30 was fretless...

 

[mikeoso]

Have any of you guys come across a hard case for a Thunderchief? I bought one years ago, but without a real case, I have had to limit its use in the wild.

There are Tacoma cases out there for sale occasionally....also a few other brands that fit...some of the Deans, e.g. Get good measurements and go hunting.

 

[mikeoso]

This thread makes me wish my big Guild B-30 was fretless...

They did make a few fretless ones. Very rare though.

 

[mikeoso]

My previous guitarist and singer worked at Tacoma when I met them.
Always wanted one because of them, but everytime I see one for sale locally it has some sort of crack in it.

Mine has a couple repaired cracks. A good tech can fix them for fairly short money.

 

[bholder]

Thunderchief is a top shelf abg. I dont go bare-necked (see what I did there??), but you cant easily top the Tacoma for tone and power.

Wellll.... (you knew I had to jump in and say this)... Easy enough, just not cheap.
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(The TC is still one of the best affordable contenders, of course.)

 

[zubrycky]

GAS!

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

Spector shop in Woodstock bought a used Thunderchief and took it apart measuring it. Then designed their new Timbre from that knowledge. And while it is contract built in China, it is top notch quality. You might look into them.

And for the price one could afford to have a fretted one converted to fretless reasonably. Mine sound amazing and play like a much more expensive AEB.

 

[StringsNKeys]

I actually was able to A/B (both fretted) Tacoma Thunderchief and Spector Timbre. They both sounded amazing (and comparable to my ear) acoustically. The Baggs preamp on the Thunderchief was absolutely incredible and gave the 'Chief the win in my book. That said, for what I needed & the price I grabbed the Timbre and haven't regretted the decision.