Thunderbird Club

[D.M.N.]

sure, it plays to spec (serviced it myself about a year ago) but this has recently become available ….…
real question is; do i really need another amp…
View attachment 4626260View attachment 4626261

I’m sure @D.M.N. would attest to that rig.

I can indeed attest, Sunns always get my seal of approval! 'Specially a nicely kept one like that. Guessing late '68/'69, as it has the later face panel, numbered knobs, but early grill and skinny font logo. Cab has the later logo, but without the registration mark.

 

[TBird1958]

Brilliant, sir! I will need to get my hands on one to try it out. I think her bass is perfect for that band, but the band I'll be in in the near future is more of an indie thing and less on the rock (possibly). But I really loved the music and sound of her bass and would love to be in a situation like that.

Appreciate you spelling out the differences for me. There are so many variations out there, don't even know where to start. But a local acquaintance plays T-birds, I may reach out to pick his brain.

I'm in Seattle and have a couple of Birds as well.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Anyone here play "White Rabbit"? How close to the original do you play it? I've been working on it this week; the basic part is simple enough but there are some subtleties. At one point I thought Casady had made a mistake, but after many relistenings, I can't tell if it's a mistake or just a quick difference because it felt right at the moment. Whether I ever play it with a band as recorded or not, I want to be able to.
And the Thunderbird VP can nail the tone. So that's it's One Trick. It can nail the tone. 8^)

sumthin’ kinda like this?….
https://youtube.com/shorts/O_Dx8aUTQ90?feature=share

 

[PillO]

You're welcome. Some people think (wrongly) that Thunderbirds are just for rock and more aggressive sounds. This is not true at all. (But we aren't really supposed to talk about this.) I even use mine in a church setting, so they can do Alice Cooper to Church and everything in between.

Or a more catchy way of putting it:
Covers everything from "Bringing in the Sheep" to "Killing All the Sheep"

 

[GonePlaid]

my bud Roger wants 400 for this one…pairs beautifully with this (rarish) enclosure….hmmm..
View attachment 4626227

Obviously defective-it's downside up.

 

[PhR75]

A silverface Sunn Coliseum Bass or Coliseum 880 has been an amp I have lusted for a long long time but a same era Concert Bass would do also. I have never played one but I blame Entwistle and "Quadrophenia". If there's any in Finland I believe the number is very low. Acoustic 370, Peavey, Lab Series even but never seen the Sunn.
I believe these are very popular among the so called stoner rock bands (a "genre" or style I'm not particularly interested in), especially for guitars?

 

[GBassNorth]

noob alert.

I have had 0 interest in a T-bird bass. The closest I've come is that I own a Reverend Thundergun with a reverse headstock. But it's not a T-bird.

I saw a video linked in a thread on another site:
Elle Macho - "Bombs" - Lake Fever Sessions - YouTube

And as I watched and then heard the bass (and the singing and the song) I started to think I *might* need a T-bird in my life? Those of you who own them, though this sound in the video has some sort of OD or distortion on it, is that pretty true to form for a T-bird's sound?

And then I saw another video by the same band and was so taken by an image, that I screen capped it, and made it my wallpaper on my computer. Which also led me to ask myself, "Do I need a T-bird now?"

View attachment 4626400

I mean, how badass is that??

Do you need a Tbird? Short answer is, Yes.

They are exceptionally versatile basses and sound wise fit in just about any setting. They even come in different flavors with Epiphone Goth Tbirds at the darker smoother end of the spectrum and Epiphone VP Tbirds at the brighter more gritty end, with Epiphone CP and Modern Gibson Tbirds in about the middle. The one in the video obviously has some minor signal chain processing going on, but certainly not difficult to duplicate.

For someone looking to get into the Tbird world and not sure where to start I’d recommend a used Epiphone VP for around $600. It’s a monster of a bass and possibly the best sub $1000 bass deal on the market today. Quality on this model is very high and they’re fairly easy to find on Reverb or in the TB classifieds. A used Eppi CP is also a great first bird choice, but they’re much harder to find on the used market and no longer made.

Imo, yes.
Interesting placement for her front strap button too......

I was noticing that as well. I’ve seen strap button placements all over the place on different birds, but never one there. I would think it would really make the bass face want to flop forward, but who knows.

I'm in Seattle and have a couple of Birds as well.

LOL - Always so modest. It’s probably easier to list the types of birds you don’t have in your awesome collection.

 

[MCF]

I'm in Seattle and have a couple of Birds as well.

@lildrgn. You may want to PM @TBird1958 and ask if you can check out her Thunderbirds. She has a variety of different pickups, years and makes in the “couple” (at least a dozen or more) in the collection.

 

[dagrev]

you mean aside from being tube?

That explains it. I assumed the S was a different version or series of their beloved tube heads.

 

[dagrev]

They were ubiquitous in the seventies. Thee are a couple US sellers on Reverb, but that’s pretty much it.

In the lat 70s early 80s they were a lot of what was in stores for rentals. I even rented a combo. I don't remember disliking it so it must have been alright. Seemed well made.

 

[GonePlaid]

In the lat 70s early 80s they were a lot of what was in stores for rentals. I even rented a combo. I don't remember disliking it so it must have been alright. Seemed well made.

The only store in Miami in ~80 that carried Traynor sold them at list. Everything else at other stores had discounts. I really wanted a YBA-100 or 200 and I think they had a 2x12 cab. That's a long time ago to try to remember.

 

[MCF]

In the lat 70s early 80s they were a lot of what was in stores for rentals. I even rented a combo. I don't remember disliking it so it must have been alright. Seemed well made.

As I’ve probably said before, the best music store in Sant Barbara was a dealer and rented them out. We rented them when we needed more than what we had (I didn’t need to after I gout my big Kasino rig). We liked them.

 

[Count Bassie]

The only store in Miami in ~80 that carried Traynor sold them at list. Everything else at other stores had discounts. I really wanted a YBA-100 or 200 and I think they had a 2x12 cab. That's a long time ago to try to remember.

Ace Music?

 

[GonePlaid]

Ace Music?

Carroll's on bird Road at 112th avenue. Ace said they couldn't get them. They had pretty much everything else, though. I got my Kasino at a little shop in North Miami(Sound Station). They didn't last very long.
The original Ace on 7th ave. is now a church.

 

[MCF]

Carroll's on bird Road at 112th avenue. Ace said they couldn't get them. They had pretty much everything else, though. I got my Kasino at a little shop in North Miami(Sound Station). They didn't last very long.
The original Ace on 7th ave. is now a church.

Back in the day, music stores were like Disneyland to us. So were stereo stores. Sometimes my buddy and I would drive the 50 miles to Santa Barbara after school just to dream.

 

[Stealth57]

Back in the day, music stores were like Disneyland to us. So we’re stereo stores. Sometimes my buddy and I would drive the 50 miles to Santa Barbara after school just to dream.

My favorite hangouts were Music Unlimited and Pacific Stereo. I think I pissed off too many sales people asking them to match prices from Sam Ash and other catalogs.

 

[dagrev]

Back in the day, music stores were like Disneyland to us. So we’re stereo stores. Sometimes my buddy and I would drive the 50 miles to Santa Barbara after school just to dream.

What's a music store?

I've said before how much I miss the days of hanging out in your favorite shops. You knew the owners and they knew you. They were places musicians met up and talked in addition to buying and selling items. They were kind of like Talkbass but in person. We do have about four non-big box stores--none of which are on my side of town.

We had one again for a few years not far from the house. It was a nice place to go hangout and support, till it was killed by the economy about 2010. That and the dad died and I'm not entirely sure the two sons (who were great guys), knew how to downsize without closing. May not have been a way. They also made expensive repo banjos that were much in demand. This was how the dad became well known and opened a store. They even made necks for Gibson and other parts. Cool place to visit. On a wall in the back I bet they had about 40 or more banjo necks to chose from. GC isn't exactly like that.

 

[MCF]

My favorite hangouts were Music Unlimited and Pacific Stereo. I think I pissed off too many sales people asking them to match prices from Sam Ash and other catalogs.

Pacific Stereo in Santa Maria was a good store. I bought my first receiver, and turntable (a BSR) there. I bought speakers from the Lafayette dealer in Santa Maria because the magazines (Stereo Review and the like) rated them better than the entry level speakers PAC Stereo sold. I was 12. Lots of lawn mowing jobs. I use the speakers to this day in my office. I still have the receiver, a Pioneer 424, but it needs some of Chucky’s TLC. I have no idea how many thousands of hours I got out of that receiver. I upgraded the turntable pretty quickly to a BIC. Pac Stereo also sold concert tickets for the Bay Area and SoCal venues. Good times.

 

[Stealth57]

Pacific Stereo in Santa Maria was a good store. I bought my first receiver, and turntable (a BSR) there. I bought speakers from the Lafayette dealer in Santa Maria because the magazines (Stereo Review and the like) rated them better than the entry level speakers PAC Stereo sold. I was 12. Lots of lawn mowing jobs. I use the speakers to this day in my office. I still have the receiver, a Pioneer 424, but it needs some of Chucky’s TLC. I have no idea how many thousands of hours I got out of that receiver. I upgraded the turntable pretty quickly to a BIC. Pac Stereo also sold concert tickets for the Bay Area and SoCal venues. Good times.

Pioneer 737, BIC direct drive turn table, Wollensak tape deck, and Infinity Transmission Line Columns. I was 16 as I had to save a bit longer...Still have everything except the Pioneer. Sold it for an Onkyo 7+2 just a few years ago.

 

[Engle]

In the lat 70s early 80s they were a lot of what was in stores for rentals. I even rented a combo. I don't remember disliking it so it must have been alright. Seemed well made.

From a Canadian perspective, having used a lot of Traynor gear over the years: Traynor gear is well made and sturdy.
It does the job, but most of it just sounds ok.

I have seen an old powered PA mixer run in light rain for hours at less than 1.6 ohms when it should have been at 4 minimum.
Sound quality? Meh, even when new.
That said, newer Yorkville Elite PA stuff is great. Nicer sounding than equivalent Mackie products, but not QSC.

For bass amps, the only stand-outs I’ve come across (before the current tube offering) were the Monoblock and the Bassmaster 800.