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Thunderbird Club

I originally used my W&W strap with Thunderbirds that hadn't yet had (or wasn't going to have) the forward strap button relocated to the neck heel/plate.

With the straplocks, I had to have one for each :bored:

Now, it primarily gets used on my Soundgears....

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....and I've got an SBL strap for use with the Thunderbirds......

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:)




I'm a bit of the opposite, I've been (trying :meh: ) to learn to play better/more properly with finger-style.
Dunno if it's because of impending old-ness, but if I play for too long with a pick (either 1.14mm plastic or 3mm-ish felt), my thumb cramps a bit, and my hand goes a bit numb.
Sometimes.
Carpal tunnel issues don't help......

:unsure:

I have the W & W's on two Fenders with strap locks, I have a wide cotton strap on the T bird I have here and the Ric I have here, actually I have 4 wide cotton straps I didn't realize I had that many, 4".
I'm primarily a fingerstyle player and have been for years even though I also play guitar but have always liked hand muting with a pick, I think it's because the Ventures were Gods to me when i was a kid. :laugh: During the pandemic with no gigs I started using the pick more and more and the more I use one the better I like it, there are so many more sounds you can get with them. I will probably always be better with my fingers although, I have about 50 years more experience with them.
 
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hell of a nice guy too! really dug him with TOP (not quite Rocco but….)..

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You have faith that the Almighty will make sure everything works as it should. What happens to your faith if an amp dies or a string breaks? ;)
:laugh: Nothing. Confirms the view that all humans are "fallen" and that often shows up in the weaknesses of what they create.;) Or that in my far less than perfect state I brought the wrong amp or strings. :smug:
 
Speaking of all this Beatles stuff.
(Which I’ll always love them)
I read in some book waaaaay back that one recording technique used on Paul.
Was to place a speaker wired accordingly to act as a microphone.
How true this is?, I still haven’t been able to find where I read it.
I read that also Jeff. Not sure which book as I have a few, but thinking maybe Here, There and Everywhere by Geoff Emerick - their engineer. Possibly in Beatles Gear or Beatles Encyclopaedia.
I don’t remember why they did it either. But it was a band request. It sounds like a Lennon request to me. I can imagine “you’re so clever, turn my speaker into a microphone”. But that’s just my imagination.
 
Not all bass straps are created equal. I had a buddy always complaining about dive on his Jazz bass. As he was showing me the bass one day I noticed his strap was basically a woven nylon car seat belt style strap. There isn’t a strap out there that could be much more slippery that that. New leather strap, problem solved.

I’ve also tried grippy suede straps on some of my basses and hate the feel and the fact that it grips my shirt so well that it untucks my shirt tail and bunches up the shirt fabric on my shoulder - hate that, I no longer use them because of it.

I’ve also used the thin belt with a wide fleece lined shoulder pad style strap and found the shoulder pad stayed in place but the strap slid thru the pad and created neck dive.

My favorite is a Levy’s brand 3” wide padded leather strap with padded edges to keep the strap from digging into my neck…
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My main strap is a Levy's like your's, but mine has a tooled pattern on the top. Great strap. Once it's been worn enough it forms to your shoulder and doesn't move much, but doesn't grip as suede does.
 
I read that also Jeff. Not sure which book as I have a few, but thinking maybe Here, There and Everywhere by Geoff Emerick - their engineer. Possibly in Beatles Gear or Beatles Encyclopaedia.
I don’t remember why they did it either. But it was a band request. It sounds like a Lennon request to me. I can imagine “you’re so clever, turn my speaker into a microphone”. But that’s just my imagination.


Yup, it's Emerick's book. He said something like they were looking for a more solid bass sound. I think he said they only did it once. I had posted this about an hour or two ago, you know 30 or 40 pages back so I put it back in. :laugh:
 
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Finally got the strap loks installed. The strap was originally bought for an ESP LTD F knock off that was red with all black hardware. Sold it when I found the T-bird. There was no comparison but not sure the strap colors go well with the tobacco burst.

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They go with the shirt though
 
I think it's the old "you must be the worst guitar player because you got handed the bass guitar". For every "real bassists don't use a pick" wiseguys (they are usually guitarists for some reason...) I drop names like Anthony Jackson, Steve Swallow, Chris Squire, Andy West (Dixie Dregs), Helmut Hattler (Kraan) or indeed Carol Kaye and say "you'd better tell them too".
And some cat named Leon...
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