Thunderbird Club

[godofthunder59]

From John Entwistle Gear: 1971-1974 | John Entwistle Bass Gear | Whotabs

"Once I realized the Thunderbird was the bass I was going to be playing for a few years, I panicked because they stopped making them. I went to Link Removed [156 West 48th St., New York, NY 10036], and told them to buy up the whole stock, so consequently I got ten two-pickup Thunderbirds. Some of them had harmonic, microphonic pickups, so I couldn’t use them, and with the rest, I just couldn’t get the action as low as I wanted. So I used the pickups and hardware and bought some blonde Fender Precision necks and had some old style Thunderbird bodies built for the Fender necks to fit, and I’ve been using them on stage more than the Thunderbirds. I use them for recording as well. Blonde Precision necks are my favorites; those and Rickenbackers. Thunderbird necks tend to be too thin down at the bottom. I get my fingers all tangled up when I go to the first fret."

From the Ox's mouth! I still have this issue . Thanks for posting this !

 

[godofthunder59]

Love your action shots! But dang it, you aren't helping my bass addiction a bit!
I told my wife I could make it an entire year without buying any basses or gear. That date is up in December and I'm so GASsing for a surf green NR Fenderbird with a reverse Tele headstock, lollipop tuners, three pickups and three vol/tone stack pots with chrome hardware and a parchment pickguard. Where's Cataldo when you need him?

 

[godofthunder59]

My first "Fenderbird" is on the right built in 1981, to the left the more recent Cataldo JAEBIRD .

 

[godofthunder59]

There is a way around this. Just order parts a bit at a time. What came in that package dear? Oh just some bass parts. Nothing makes my wife's eyes glaze over faster .

 

[Larry V]

The Bach Bird has been shipped!

Wont be here til Tuesday

There, there, Thomas... it'll be Tuesday soon enough.

Congrats on the future NBD!

 

[Gaolee]

There is a way around this. Just order parts a bit at a time. What came in that package dear? Oh just some bass parts. Nothing makes my wife's eyes glaze over faster .

That happened yesterday. A package showed up, and it was the body for the P-Bird project. She asked what it was, and I told her it was a guitar body for a project I had in mind. Eye glaze ensued. If it had been a whole guitar, it would have been a very different reaction. Now that the idea has been planted that I might be assembling something, it's OK, since that's just one of the things that keeps me in the basement and out of trouble.

 

[Klondike]

'Copy that.
Thanks.
Yes, I do have a Gibby LP OSB Goldtop.
View media item 3117as well as quite a few other basses & guitars & ...

You know the drill, no pic no more basses in the closet. Whould love to see what else ya got in there. Even of they aren't t-birds.

 

[kat888]

Him indoors has been unimpressed with the recent trickle of chrome parts. 'If you wanted one with chrome why didn't you buy it like that?'

 

[RedVee]

View attachment 978036 My first "Fenderbird" is on the right built in 1981, to the left the more recent Cataldo JAEBIRD .

Ok, for the one on the left seems full Thunderbird except for the neck. I guess it is an option to get a maple fretboard. Anything more to it ?

(The one on the right could have a Split P (split pea?) under the pickup cover, or not.)

 

[Gaolee]

Him indoors has been unimpressed with the recent trickle of chrome parts. 'If you wanted one with chrome why didn't you buy it like that?'

It's a spouse thing, I guess.

 

[Gaolee]

Ok, for the one on the left seems full Thunderbird except for the neck. I guess it is an option to get a maple fretboard. Anything more to it ?

(The one on the right could have a Split P (split pea?) under the pickup cover, or not.)

It looks like either a Dimarzio Model One or something else that's similar to a mudbucker only with a plastic cover. I have never seen a cream Dimarzio One or mudbucker, so I don't know what that is.

 

[godofthunder59]

It is a Dimarzio Model G, same size as a standard guitar humbucker. Pretty hot output 14k.

 

[godofthunder59]

Ok, for the one on the left seems full Thunderbird except for the neck. I guess it is an option to get a maple fretboard. Anything more to it ?

(The one on the right could have a Split P (split pea?) under the pickup cover, or not.)

The one on the left is a replica (by Cataldo basses ) of Entwistle's Fenderbirds built by Peter Cook .

 

[Stevis]

View attachment 978036 My first "Fenderbird" is on the right built in 1981, to the left the more recent Cataldo JAEBIRD .

I don't know how much it affects tone but I think the maple fingerboard gives the black (Cataldo?) bird a cool vibe.

 

[Stevis]

Dialing my own sound. There is software that allows you to adjust about a dozen parameters of that pedal, including a whole mess of things you can set the knob to control, from ratio to volume and a lot of other stuff. What I think I'm looking for is a limiter and a good bit of sustain, which may be antithetical to each other. I'm using Nathan East's Toneprint right now but it's a little more squashed than I want because it's lacking a little in presence.

I have not played around with creating Toneprints. As you have noted, most of TC E's posted download options are not by rock bass players. Please keep us posted with your "rock lab" experiments.

 

[godofthunder59]

Genuine question. What is the appeal of the Fenderbird? It's just a Tbird with a Fender neck, right? Or is there more to it?

I find my Cataldo JAEBIRD (the closest thing I have to Entwistle's ) to have more presence and clarity than one of my 60's birds, I attribute it to the maple neck and thicker body.

 

[Dadagoboi]

Ok, for the one on the left seems full Thunderbird except for the neck. I guess it is an option to get a maple fretboard. Anything more to it ?

One of the original FenderBirds as built by Peter Cook

One of my replicas

The bodies are more compact than a 60s Thunderbird and fit in a standard Fender sized case.
[/QUOTE]

 

[Klondike]

One of the original FenderBirds as built by Peter Cook

One of my replicas

The bodies are more compact than a 60s Thunderbird and fit in a standard Fender sized case.

[/QUOTE]
Carlo, I am absolutly in love with your work! One day my brother, one day...

 

[Klondike]

And I hope photo bucket kicks one!

 

[RedVee]

I find my Cataldo JAEBIRD (the closest thing I have to Entwistle's ) to have more presence and clarity than one of my 60's birds, I attribute it to the maple neck and thicker body.

Ok, I think I'm getting it. So a single pup version could be a cooler way to get a P bass equivalent I guess.