Thunderbird Club Pt 5

[epirokker]

I just realised I could be a member of this illustrious T-Bird Owners club. I had four or five T-birds over the last 20 years. I lost all but two in the floods and now I cant remember what I did with one of them. The white T-bird is the one I play at every gig unless its a tribute show. Even then its my main backup bass.

Absolutely LOVE that white puzzle piece finish! Yessss specs please!

 

[darren1970]

Also liking the puzzle piece T-bird

 

[TBird1958]

YOU LAND
Somehow I've missed adding you to the list, I'm a little embarassed - my apologies you are # 320
I'm reposting you and these wonderful Thunderbirds

Hello you guys!
This is my girls! haha!

TSUBASA GUITARS Custom-made Thunderbird type

Neck-through-design
AAA Flamed Maple body
Flamed Maple neck with Ekanga veneer stripes
Wenge fingerboard
Scale length: 34" (long scale) 24F
24 Jumbo Bronze (extra hard) frets (Width: 2,9mm/height: 1,3mm)
Active MEC pickups
MEC 3-way electronics
Warwick tuners
2-piece Warwick bridge
Opti-Grab Handle
Brass nut
Schaller strap locks

EPIPHONE Thunderbird Pro(Mod) with Swarovski crystals

Mods:
Warwick tuners
EMG BTS Control
Schaller strap locks
Opti-Grab Handle

 

[TBird1958]

And Welcome Hilton Marsh, #321 very cool 'Birds!
Tell us about them, please!

TBird1958 #1
Godof Thunder59 #2
Funkster#3
Gibenbackerbass #4
Sidd Laroy #5
Jazzbo58 #6
Tender Prey #7
Showdown #8
The Mojo Hobo #9
Doctorpunch #10
Stiles72 #11
Brenner182 #12
Baird6869 #13
Poorbassist15 #14
PWV #15
Mr Typhus #16
Tracii #17
Aditya #18
amimbari #19
knifedge #20
Nitrofix #21
Atoz #22
bassphreak #23
Seydlitz #24
bassclef112 #25
bassplayer8953 #26
D.M.N. #27
Edhunter #28
kruno maestro #29
Tombowlus #30
Kalik #31
winterburn69 #32
Walter Vega 33
Carlos 840 #34
Shadowtippy #35
Saltymonkey #36
lel95 #37
gaffster787 #38
mc2ny #39
Low Sound Love #40
BrianKrashpad #41
Deep Six #42
BenEd #43
Bassmachine2112 #44
ponkoponk #45
Heatheroo #46
darkside 88 #47
GCool#48
TedhHernstorm #49
Darbo #50
uncletupelo #51
Vaider #52
Rip Topaz #53
bmb73 #54
Badfish #55
Afireinside #56
Redstrand #57
reptyls #58
dabido #59
96tbird #60
whilke #61
JIO #63
thebrain #64
Rob Martinez #65
bazzandeson #66
PhR #67
Dr.Eagle #68
lowend1 #69 Mopar or no car!
Basvarken #70
s mcsleazy #71
Burruss #72
Matty H #73
moonshinegtrs #74
bass lord mutha #75
jumbodbassman #76
davidprice #77
A-Step-Towards #78
birdman14 #79
Quadzilla #80
jbalou02 #81
johnk 10 #82
electrocoyote #83
ih8law #84
muzukman7 #85
3rdcurve #86
rdwil191 #87
BluesBear #88
JAF #89
Swin #90
TBirdie #91
bassplayerbob #92
trevorguns #93
Clammy #94
jammi_fool #95
Molochnik #96
Rocker47 #97
Shark1 #98
BlueTalon #99
Fab Superlative #100
Doragon #5150
ThumpsAlot #102
Doelle #103
AllyDetours #104
Southway #105
mav #106
tw63 #107
Casperrobo #108
Killa #109
roffe #110
SOB H.R.MC #111
icks #112
thepunisher #113
PatQ #114
Venom of God #115
Jirishman #116
Midas #117
GibsonBassCAZ #118
snowblinder #119
Tilli #120
3l3phantstomp #121
Thrust Meatnozl #122
gaudenti #123
Birdbrain #124
CBTB #125
greghol #126
DV6 #127
marlond #128
DWest1981 #129
Shinji #130
jaibeau #131
Warrioralex #132
jonesn4bass #133
Rono7003 #134
hillerup #135
Dadagoboi #136
MRDOOM #137
secretsound5 #138
trevorguns #139
J Sinister #140
Capitian Bob #141
guitarded #142
Fullback32 #143
Johnny78 #144
jelenko #145
Jools4001 #146
Porkbun #147
Lucas G #148
NOT #149
JtheB #150
Andii Syckz #151
sj bass #152
FrankenIbanez70 #153
Nosgoth #154
Artyom76 #155
D Bopp #156
CDRhom #157
Mark4 #158
thepest #159
TheCush #160
Pure eVal #161
iamthebassman #162
juankidiaz #163
Wilbur88 #164
WillMuderface #165
Evsm73 #166
JB66#167
brettsto #168
TheProphet #169
mikeowen17 #170
Pharaohamps #171
dial666 #172
faivy #173
HAVOK #174
Astroburn #175
aLLard #176
MissionTbird #177
Thebassman2011 #178
DaM13N # 179
LanOsb133 #180
Lowner #181
Frankiebass59 #182
Justice #183
tiger rich #184
spunkadizzle #185
quadrogong #186
Wolf C Red #187
guitarded #188
ledzep5296 #189
aussiebasshero #190
trackskinz#191
guns N rosesguy #192
Jamyi #193
Thunderbird90 #194
Cobra314 #195
Ric5 #196
ApocalypseDream #197
Gougedeye #198
okc-zee #199
NOLA Bass #200
AdamR #201
bassmaniac72 #202
pudge #203
BWileyTally #204
poomwah #205
chibfarm2001 #206
thisSNsucks #207
mr.mow #208
4005 #209
seansv #210
BassDoc51 #211
ben0099 #212
Trooper1911 #213
mordor #214
brotondo #215
HIaWATTha #216
Zerstorte Zelle #217
MrNecroVol #218
Freddy-G #219
Regininblood #220
ejaggers #221
gregoire1 #222
thundereagle #223
Geezer79 #224
cubanbass #225
Silverwolf1 #226
Mikaelbass #227
BruceBass3901 #228
Chris V #229
Mikaelbass #230
JayBassD #231
JMPeat #232
Phildogger #233
beebassdude #234
MrGotBass #235
2nd Wind #236
butter_fingers #237
Chumbly #238
roycroft 88 #239
finlover #240
recycled rocker #241
wolfmancharlie #242
balton4 #243
GregBummer #244
penguineman #245
TheOnlyJuan #246
nubs #247
Gringo Starr #248
PhR #249
georgestrings #250
cajunbass1985 #251
Wagz #252
armedmonkey #253
RedNeckBBQ #254
faviobarrio #255
PhantomApex #256
cmassa #257
vbass_2000 #258
MrMcHaggis #259
Linchpin72 #260
whitee96 #261
edpal #262
Ibanez Bassist #263
21petro #264
CiceroProfundo #265
Willncarolina #266
theweirdoid #267
Gaolee #268
TheLarch #269
Castagnier #270
diskovolos #271
fordkisskrazy #272
woodski #273
chipter #274
Unclejackrock #275
Bass173 #276
tbird99 #277
tore00 #278
lepreconbass13 #279
Junk420 #280
Tx Basser #281
epirokker #282
sugarsand #283
thebbconspiracy #284
Dionioann #285
LumberjackTBird #286
MikeyB5 #287
Thunders #288
anonparrot #289
darren1970 #290
Egbert89 #291
seBASStien #292
Figas #293
Vikerlane #294
ps10black #295
eldo #296
GGirl #297
FenderLove #298
quite_angry #299
hover #300
bdkthunder #301
MoSlevin #302
Gbass75 #303
rocknroll mouse #304
hillerup #305
GBassNorth #306
KPJ #307
fjadams #308
Nino D #309
Ecko #310
Peepaleep #311
DethByDoom #312
wvbass #313
rockscott #314
CDHawkins #315
scourge #316
Astreaux #317
pedrodelawasp #318
66Atlas #319
YOU LAND #320
Hilton Marsh #321

 

[Hilton Marsh]

The white puzzle piece t-bird is a hybrid. After I lost all my birds in the Qld floods (Jan 2011) my local luther offered to rebuild one from the ruins of the others. You cant leave your bass collection floating in thick muddy river water for five days then let them bake in the hot weather for four weeks. I would have rescued all my basses but the army would not let us back into our suburb. If my memory serves me correct the neck was cut off my Nikki Sixx model and bolted to the body off either my sunburst Greco or my chocolate brown 1999 Gibbo. The pickups were wound by local pups guru Chris Kinman (Kinman Pickups) and the tone pot is a varitone.

 

[Rip Topaz]

This one is going back on the bench in the coming weeks. It has been sitting out of commission since I built it, I got distracted with another project and never finished setting her up.

This is a cocobolo top on a black Limba core, 3-piece flamed maple neck-thru. Birdseye maple fretboard. Seymour Duncan SSB4 pickups, red fiber optic side dots. Hipshot D bridge (first production piece!!)
This is my quiet masterpiece, the one that waits patiently for me to return.

I played it live once before doing more work on it, thinning the neck. Nitro finish.

 

[TBird1958]

WoW! Beautiful wood - Impressive craftsmanship too!

 

[Rip Topaz]

WoW! Beautiful wood - Impressive craftsmanship too!

Thanks. This was my 9th build (my third bird). The bridge is slightly off center and needed filled and redrilled. I got lucky and the bridge covers my booboo.
I love this bass, but I rarely play birds anymore because of my back problems.
This one is cool though. No neck dive, and not as heavy as it looks. Around 9 pounds.
Here's my other two bird builds:

 

[TBird1958]

Spectacular! The lower one is really something special, what kind of wood?

 

[Rip Topaz]

Spectacular! The lower one is really something special, what kind of wood?

The blonde one is Flamed Myrtle. Very nice wood to work with, carves like butter. The myrtle is on an African Mahogany core. The neck is a Carvin neck through blank. Last neck before I started doing my own fretwork.
The blue one is (obviously) quilted maple, on an African Mahogany core. Fretless, with a fantastic ziricote fingerboard.

 

[YOU LAND]

YOU LAND
Somehow I've missed adding you to the list, I'm a little embarassed - my apologies you are # 320
I'm reposting you and these wonderful Thunderbirds

Thank you for adding me finally

__________________
Thunderbird Club #320

Official Website http://you-land.net/
Twitter http://twitter.com/YOU_official
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.YOU

 

[pedrodelawasp]

My Tokai is here, pictures later tonight.

First impressions:

Very bright sounding acoustically, fairly fat neck not dissimilar to my P-bass actually. Expected neck dive on a strap, but a broader, suede one will no doubt help - will try that before relocating the button from the shoulder to the Gibson position.

Nice, solid and weighty bridge, close geared tuners with a smooth and steady feel to them.

Pups shaped like those on the epi's, so make handy thumb rests. My hand naturally falls towards the bridge pup, unlike on my old jazz where the neck was always the most comfortable, default position - will be experimenting with strap length, so this may change over time.

Construction and finish are very good to my eye. Quite a lot of fret buzz on the E-string at present, a set up and some new strings will probably sort that.

More later

 

[jaxstarke]

Any other finger players have this problem? I'm slowly rounding out the sharp edge near both pups.

 

[DethByDoom]

Any other finger players have this problem? I'm slowly rounding out the sharp edge near both pups.

Hey man, people pay good money for road worn basses. Let it get a bit more worn and some scratches and sell it for 2x what it's worth.

I'd never buy an antiqued bass but those initially frustrating chips, scratches, and wear spots do truly make a bass your own. I come to love them.

 

[pedrodelawasp]

Here's mine, to justify my number:

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With my P-Bass

Link Removed

Link Removed

With the pickguard removed - no route for wiring, but a mysterious number 47... have made a template for a custom guard if I decide to go ahead and make one to replace the white.

Got a chance to plug in for a while tonight - the pickups are loud and growly and very responsive to picking position. A nice retro thump from finger style at the neck, great attack with a pick. Can't wait to get it in the studio and crank it!

 

[jaxstarke]

Hey man, people pay good money for road worn basses. Let it get a bit more worn and some scratches and sell it for 2x what it's worth.

I'd never buy an antiqued bass but those initially frustrating chips, scratches, and wear spots do truly make a bass your own. I come to love them.

I'm not too worried about it really. I knew it was going to happen eventually just not so soon. I do play every day but it's only 2 months old. Was kinda hoping to delay the inevitable a little while longer. Oh well. Actually was wondering if it's just the cheap finish they put on the Goth's or is it a common occurrence?

 

[NOLA Bass]

I'm not too worried about it really. I knew it was going to happen eventually just not so soon. I do play every day but it's only 2 months old. Was kinda hoping to delay the inevitable a little while longer. Oh well. Actually was wondering if it's just the cheap finish they put on the Goth's or is it a common occurrence?

It is probably something to do with that matte finish on the goth. I have a white Mike Lull I've had for at least 6 months with no wear showing yet.

Regardless, don't sweat it. Real world/natural relicing is cool!

 

[TBird1958]

The Tokai looks great, thank you for sharing it with us

 

[Nino D]

Is the ESP considered a Thunderbird?

 

[Egbert89]

Any other finger players have this problem? I'm slowly rounding out the sharp edge near both pups.

I've got some wear on my neck pup cause of the playing, the pups started out matte with an gold Epiphone logo, the gold is gone from the logo and cause of the positioning of my thumb, the neck pup is shiny and polished above the E string haha
Those marks come with using your bass