Thunderbird Club

[GBassNorth]

Agree, the palm was awesome. Sync at home and work and it just worked.

I hung on to that for a long time. Work forced a blackberry upon me. It was clunky, and I hated having a phone number owned by the company, I kept a cell also so I had my number. Only the boss and the trading desk called me on the blueberry.

From there I got a windows phone and it was the best user experience I have had. Being a windows user, it all just seemlessly worked together without having to do anything special or downloading extra software.

When windows phone ended I moved to android and it just isn't as good. Always a hack to make thing work the way I am used to doing.

I won't do Mac and iphone as I refuse to pay the apple tax.

What’s the Apple tax? I guess I’m already paying it.

 

[PhR75]

Just out of curiosity, how many here change their bass tone during a gig?

Depends on a gig and what bass I use. I usually don't switch basses during the gig except for a different type (12-string or fretless). I mainly change the tone with the playing style (fingers, pick, muting etc.) but also change the pickup configuration when I feel like it or if the song needs it.
At the current theater musical I work in I use mostly one bass, a modded P with a Telecaster neck with two reverse P's in approx. 60's T-Bird positions (plus a freless for one song). I switch between the neck pickup and both pickups. It's also 80% with a pick. Just one artist's songs (Leevi and The Leavings) but with a large spectrum ranging from 60's style orchestral pop to rockabilly to disco to rock to schlager. The original versions were mostly played with a pick and either with a P or a Jazz.

 

[MCF]

Morning. Been playing a lot with the non-reverse recently and decided I really like it too (I was a bit "lost" with it for a while). With the good strap (Levy's) it doesn't even dive. Where do those stories emerge. Oh, sorry, it dives like crazy of course...
View attachment 4643609

It has a belly cut too, not big but comfy.
View attachment 4643610

I just re-stringed it with Pro Steels (got to use the bright strings since these basses are muddy, right?) and will do a comparison with the Epi VP soon as it sports the same set.

Excellent! Spent all week with mine playing it exclusively four to five hours a day. It’s an incredible Thunderbird.

 

[Stealth57]

Looking for a little help on a Sunn Concert Bass head (mid-70s). I went to turn it on this morning and the power switch broke in half. Without the upper half, I can't power it on. Before I dig in, I wanted to see if anyone has pulled the power switch on one before and if it can be done from the front or if it requires the unit be pulled from the case. Thank in advance for any suggestions.

 

[MCF]

Very, very rare! Maybe one digit is off and it's a 1964 NR.

I guess Gibson would do anything he wanted? Or it’s a misidentified’65 to ‘68?

 

[MCF]

My vague recollection from Silicon Valley was that all the guys developing Palm applications dropped the platform to move to WinCE. I may be wrong; it was a long time ago.

I believe you’re correct. I had a WinCE device for awhile. Underpowered piece of garbage.

 

[MCF]

The room on stage for a 2nd bass made me wonder, what stand do you guys use to stand your Tbirds? I have 2 that are both fixed bottom (no swivel) stands and as a result, only one side of the bass is supported at the bottom. Are you telling me I need to get a new stand to keep the Tbird off the floor??

Yep.

 

[BklynKen]

What’s the Apple tax? I guess I’m already paying it.

It's like the Gibson tax. Paying a bit more for quality stuff that lasts longer.

 

[MCF]

When I first started using a portable automated organizer it was a Palm Pilot (get your mind out of the gutter) it was actually pretty good at what it did and very intuitive to use. Then when the BlackBerry came out I upgraded to that. Horribly clunky piece of technology, not intuitive at all but relatively secure and allowed me to combine both the phone and organizer into one device. Years later I finally decided to try an iPhone. So much better on every level, super intuitive, quick easy access to every feature. Still use one to this day. I hear Android is better at some things and Apple is better at others but I still don’t see anything out there that can flat out replace my iPhone the way it replaced my blackberry or the way the blackberry replaced my palm pilot or the way that replaced my Franklin Planner.

iPhone for the win!

 

[MCF]

Well, I guess as we all know by know by know, the world has lost a very special musician and another icon of alternative rock.



So I recorded this song in a tribute to Taylor Hawkins and wrote some very specific lyrics

Alone in that hotel room
You were so far away from home
Away from your wife's loving arms
She couldn't follow where you roamed

A mute on that iconic laughter
It will no longer sound anymore
No longer a choice in the matter
Death was knocking on your door

Drummer for Alanis
Meeting your bro from another mom
Taking William's place behind the kit
Proving the world you were the bomb

A jagged little pill, there's nothing left to lose
Wasting light and one by one
Driving 180 on the sonic highways
Until the final Everlong

Gone too soon, we'll miss you
27 years of rock n roll gone in a flash
Gone too soon, We'll miss you
27 years of Rock N Roll gone in a flash
Gone too soon, we'll miss you
But I guess it was your time to go

Chevy Metal, the Coat tail riders
You played so many stage
All that drumming kept you young
You never looked your age

All those festivals
Meeting your heroes along the way
Singing Freddie's songs with Queen
That was such a memorable day

Gone too soon, we'll miss you
27 years of rock n roll gone in a flash
Gone too soon, We'll miss you
27 years of Rock N Roll gone in a flash
Gone too soon, we'll miss you
But I guess it was your time to go

Say hello to heaven

You came up with that in less than a week, recorded it and shared it? Pretty amazing Blazer!

 

[Engle]

Looking for a little help on a Sunn Concert Bass head (mid-70s). I went to turn it on this morning and the power switch broke in half. Without the upper half, I can't power it on. Before I dig in, I wanted to see if anyone has pulled the power switch on one before and if it can be done from the front or if it requires the unit be pulled from the case. Thank in advance for any suggestions.

Paging @Chucky Stiletti

 

[PillO]

It was a biker bar setting, so mostly classic rock and some blues.

Biker bar meaning Tour D'France or Hell's Angels?

 

[PillO]

What’s the Apple tax? I guess I’m already paying it.

Urban Dictionary: Apple Tax

 

[GBassNorth]

Biker bar meaning Tour D'France or Hell's Angels?

LOL - Biker, not Bicycle bar. The bar was in Iron Horsemen territory, so if any Hell’s Angels colors were shown I’d be gettin out the back door real fast. By and large no serious issues while I was playing there, just an occasional drunk or girl related dust up, always promptly handled by the bouncers.

Urban Dictionary: Apple Tax

Got it. So that’s the premium price I pay for the pleasure of owning a superior product. Kinda like a Gibson tax or a Porsche tax I guess.

Bought my first iPhone in 2011 IIRC and replaced it in 2021 with the latest model at the time of purchase. I’m sure I paid a couple hundred dollar Apple tax each time. In the big scheme of things a $400 premium spread over a ten year period seems like a bargain. In the same amount of time I’m sure I’ve spent lots more than that on just bass guitar strings.

 

[Blazer]

You came up with that in less than a week, recorded it and shared it? Pretty amazing Blazer!

Thanks, I came up with it in a day, what you're listening to is around five hours of work.

I put a capo onto my guitar, played that riff and went "Sounds like "Everlong" I should work with this." fired up the PC which has my recording software and spend the day writing that song.

I had a very sore throat after doing the vocals but hey, if I'm going to do a Foo Fighters kind of song, I can't pussyfoot it, I need to go full on.

Oh as for the bass I used.

Made it myself and recorded it using the Fender fifties Bassman plug in with a good dollop of overdrive and echo.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Looking for a little help on a Sunn Concert Bass head (mid-70s). I went to turn it on this morning and the power switch broke in half. Without the upper half, I can't power it on. Before I dig in, I wanted to see if anyone has pulled the power switch on one before and if it can be done from the front or if it requires the unit be pulled from the case. Thank in advance for any suggestions.

if it's this switch, may be bolted to chassis internally....

Sunn Amp Switch OLD Style Cloth Face Power | eBay

 

[dagrev]

I guess Gibson would do anything he wanted? Or it’s a misidentified’65 to ‘68?

I wondered about that as well. They might have made a strat if he wanted one. But seems odd a guitarist would special order such a bass. I suspect mislabeled, but with Gibson anything is possible. But equally odd no one ever noticed it. But then again, this is the Thunderbird Geek reservoir. They didn't know that everything Thunderbird related should be run past this thread first.

 

[dagrev]

Biker bar meaning Tour D'France or Hell's Angels?

Would be a slight difference. (Having grown up next door to real bikers and worked with them in construction.)

 

[dagrev]

Urban Dictionary: Apple Tax

I have a MacBook Pro and iPad, but my Samsung phone does just fine and have no intention of changing horses.

 

[Stealth57]

if it's this switch, may be bolted to chassis internally....
View attachment 4644462

Sunn Amp Switch OLD Style Cloth Face Power | eBay

Slightly different, it clips in. Had to pull out the tray to get to the clips on the back. Will try super glue but should try to find the bezel/rocker. They are separate from the actual switch.