Thunderbird Club Pt.7

[TBird1958]

Aye, very good. I was hoping for a response or two from people with a sense of humour.

Meanwhile, anyone know what that T-bird that Mr Sixx is playing in the Youtube vids from the Moscow Peace Festival is? May be on Wild Side or GGG, don't recall now. Looks an ivory kind of colour with some manner of P-bass pickup config.

Nikki is playing one of his Spector Thunderbirds in the Moscow Peace Festival video, it predates him working with Gibson.
As for new basses and getting them in the house I can only say that being up front about it is the best thing. As long as a purchase makes financial sense for you/your family I don't see a problem.........
Of course I'm single and buy a lot of women's clothes and HO scale electric trains aside from being a Drag Queen/Bassist so I *may not* be the best source of advice here

 

[tomshepp]

I'd appreciate your opinions on which work best for TBirds.
Feel like I need them specially for the neck strap location.
Thanks!

 

[BklynKen]

Of course I'm single and buy a lot of women's clothes and HO scale electric trains aside from being a Drag Queen/Bassist so I *may not* be the best source of advice here

Hah, plus if you were in his situation you could share clothes, saving on costs, making buying a new bass a non-issue.

 

[shark1]

Mike, isn't there one other fellow here on Talkbass that has a Jackson Thunderbird?
They don't get much note here, but I really like mine, and feel fortunate to have one, less than 60 made

 

[HengistPod]

Thanks ... looks a bit wierd with the P split pickup, interesting to know what it is.

Those Jacksons are fine looking beasts. There aren't many headstock shapes that fit the overall design and shape, but I do believe the pointy Jackson one doesn't look out of place.

 

[jbalou02]

Just picked this up last Friday. It's my first 5 string, and first Gibson bass, and I'm pretty in love with it right now. I know some say it's not a real Thunderbird, since it has a set neck and slightly different body design, but Gibson saw fit to label it a Thunderbird, so that's good enough for me.

Congrats! Love that red finish. I absolutely love my black Studio V. It took a bit of getting used to, no inlay and wider neck...but I just joined a group where I HAVE to use it as my primary. I don't mind having my Studio IV as a backup for a change!

 

[Showdown]

I expected better quality, and some kind of neck/headstock support for that kind of money - exactly as said. I have a $40 Rondo that fills that criteria, and IMO neck/headstock support should be on anything hard or soft in that price range. I've cooled down, as the gamble was mine...but I warn anyone else of the same mistake. I've a MONO and Reunion Blues gig bags (plus a couple others) that can take a LOT of abuse - especially the Reunion Blues. I have hard cases for most of my basses. I find it easier to load my compact car with a bass in a gig bag. I always carry my own basses.

Anybody want a new Ritter gig bag shipped for $100

The Mono and Reunion Blues both cost more than twice what you paid for that one, and are really semi-rigid cases that differ from standard soft gig bags. Seems a little unrealistic to expect the Ritter to compare.

I'm not familiar with the $40 Rondo you are talking about, but the Rondo SX gig bag I had didn't have any padding at all.

 

[SlingBass4]

I'm not familiar with the $40 Rondo you are talking about, but the Rondo SX gig bag I had didn't have any padding at all.

Mine looks just like this, though it says nothing of the neck/headstock support in *this* ad. It may have been $30 and not $40 (cobwebs, you know). I'll email them to confirm. Well made, plus good features, and cheap

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[Showdown]

Mine looks just like this, though it says nothing of the neck/headstock support in *this* ad. It may have been $30 and not $40 (cobwebs, you know). I'll email them to confirm. Well made, plus good features, and cheap

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Does your Thunderbird fit? I read a review of the Reunion Blues that said the reviewer's Thunderbird fit in one.

 

[BklynKen]

Does your Thunderbird fit? I read a review of the Reunion Blues that said the reviewer's Thunderbird fit in one.

I emailed Reunion Blues recently and they said none of their bags would fit the Thunderbird.

 

[dorknowitzki]

is a tbird shaped spector allowed here? here's my new bass, just got it last tuesday. sorry for the blurred photo. have to take better ones.

oh it fits a mono bag, ive read somewhere here in TB that the epiphone versions also fits in the mono bag but theres some kind of strain in the headstock. i dont know if that damages your bass in the long run

 

[BklynKen]

That's really cool!

A friend of mine worked for Spector during the Kramer years. I think he built them.

 

[stiles72]

Problem is all my basses are black, so sneaking a red or white one into the upstairs room isn't going to be an easy job. Do any readers have any advice on explaining such things to a potentially irate other half? My usual story is "oh, that's been there for ages, you must've just not noticed!". .

Man up - bring it in the house, and if she gives you a hassel - just ask her how many pairs of shoes, boots, purses, etc... she has in her closet. I've used that line with more than one GF and it has shut them up right away.

 

[Showdown]

I emailed Reunion Blues recently and they said none of their bags would fit the Thunderbird.

The review I read was on Musician's Friend web site, but it is down for maintenance right now. I'll look for it and post it later. I have no idea if it will fit, I'm just repeating what I read.

Edit: Here it is.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

This case exceed my expectations. I play a Gibson Thunderbird 5 String Bass and I always hated the heavy wood case that comes stock with it. I knew i wanted to get a case that goes beyond the normal gigbags, a case that has the comfort weight of a gigbag and reliability of a hardshell case. So i chose the RB Continental. Since my bass isnt the normal shape of a bass I was skepical whether it would fit the case at all, so i called up guitar center near me, and asked if they could see how my bass would fit, and it did fit perfectly.

It looks like its a Studio, so the headstock is small than on the standard Thunderbird. Maybe that is why it fit.

 

[HengistPod]

Are those Spectors any cheaper in the US than they are in Europe?

Invalid Link Removed

 

[SlingBass4]

The review I read was on Musician's Friend web site, but it is down for maintenance right now. I'll look for it and post it later. I have no idea if it will fit, I'm just repeating what I read.

As I posted earlier......it *can* fit, but way too snug for my wishes and want to carry it. A light hit on either end wouldn't probably hurt, but the wear on lacquer over time worried me. This is one of my Epi Classics sitting atop a Reunion Blues bag. For another bass (like a Fender or my parts basses) the bags can't be beat IMO & IME.

 

[Showdown]

As I posted earlier......it *can* fit, but way too snug for my wishes and want to carry it. A light hit on either end wouldn't probably hurt, but the wear on lacquer over time worried me. This is one of my Epi Classics sitting atop a Reunion Blues bag. For another bass (like a Fender or my parts basses) the bags can't be beat IMO & IME.

Looks like a nice case. I wish I could afford one. But it is still somewhere between a gig bag and a hard case. Comparing it to a straight gig bag is unfair to the gig bag, IMO.

To protect the neck on a Thunderbird that neck brace would need to be a lot closer to the headstock. That just leaves the neck in a vulnerable position, if you know where and how Thunderbird necks usually break.

 

[Rutger56]

I just ordered a hard case for my Epiphone classic. I'm a new bass player and don't gig yet, but I see a lot of posts about broken necks on these basses. So I'm a little concerned.

I'm assuming most are a result of the bass being dropped or some other type of impact rather than normal use.

 

[SlingBass4]

Looks like a nice case. I wish I could afford one. But it is still somewhere between a gig bag and a hard case. Comparing it to a straight gig bag is unfair to the gig bag, IMO.

To protect the neck on a Thunderbird that neck brace would need to be a lot closer to the headstock. That just leaves the neck in a vulnerable position, if you know where and how Thunderbird necks usually break.

Can one be unfair to a gig bag? Call it what you wish - it matters not to me.

Good eye on the placement of the neck/headstock support. It would be all wrong for a T-Bird. I'll use the Ritter bag, and install support to brace said areas. I suppose when you're the only bag manufacturer of a somewhat limited bass...you can put out whatever you wish at whatever price you wish and get away with it. Just IMO - NOT worth arguing about

It would be nice if a CONUS manufacturer (like MONO, SKB, Gator, or Reunion Blues) would help us out a little

 

[BirdThunder]

Lug one of your precious basses around something like the NYC Subway and tell me the MONO is too expensive. If they do in fact come through with a new Vertigo, I'll be first in line.

I CAN FEEL THIS PAIN! I commute from NJ to NY every weekends and I carry that Tbird HSC, Trust me you don't wanna drop it, you're gonna squash your toes and every toes nearby, plus you won't have a peaceful trip.

I just ordered a hard case for my Epiphone classic. I'm a new bass player and don't gig yet, but I see a lot of posts about broken necks on these basses. So I'm a little concerned.

I'm assuming most are a result of the bass being dropped or some other type of impact rather than normal use.

The tbird hsc is pretty solid, yet weighs a ton. Drop it and watch the floor and toes break. But don't drop it, it'll really make your butthole cringe.

Can one be unfair to a gig bag? Call it what you wish - it matters not to me.

Good eye on the placement of the neck/headstock support. It would be all wrong for a T-Bird. I'll use the Ritter bag, and install support to brace said areas. I suppose when you're the only bag manufacturer of a somewhat limited bass...you can put out whatever you wish at whatever price you wish and get away with it. Just IMO - NOT worth arguing about

It would be nice if a CONUS manufacturer (like MONO, SKB, Gator, or Reunion Blues) would help us out a little

I'm currently designing a rigid gig bag for a thunderbird but i'm a bit cash strapped, wanna start a kickstart campaign? I was designing it after the http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/skb-universal-electric-bass-soft-case.