Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

I'm absolutely sure that my IQ is significantly lower than it would have been if I hadn't played football and rugby and done a lot of other things like that. All the stitches I ever got are in the noggin. My skull is plenty thick, so that's a bonus. It's probably why I finally took up drums. The sinking IQ meant it was a no-brainer.

No rugby for me, but plenty of other questionable things. As a result, I blame my present stupidity squarely on my past stupidity. I wouldn't have been this stupid were it not for the antecedent stupidity. It's such a vicious cycle.

 

[bobyoung53]

I had a few Pre CBS’s in my day.
Wish I knew then what I know now, as the saying goes.

I don't think I've ever even played one, I did play a '65 transition Jazz that did not impress me at all though. I owned an approx '68 CAR nitro P bass with a '66 J neck on it for about 20 years, I naturally relic'd it. I sold it in 1995 and that was not a plus at that time, only got 500 bucks for it. Nitro feathers when it wears, CAR is a composed of three layers, red, gold and then a white base, you could see each layer where I rested my arm. Most relics to me look fake after actually wearing a bass out like that.

 

[BklynKen]

I can see the wood under the headstock

Don't worry; it won't rust. And now it's got character.

 

[dagrev]

He got that distortion from cranking 200 watt tube West amps with the Jazz with EB0 pickup:

He switched to the P bass for the Closer to Home album, he's monster and one of my favorite bassists of all time. THAT BONG RATTLING SOUND.
Crank it up!

Mine too. He was my second influence in playing bass, behind Leon W. Don't know how many times I played along (poorly) to Caught In the Act after much listening before picking up and having a bass. My playing reflects sadly on my influences.

 

[dagrev]

But the one on Facebook is in Kentucky!

I can't hear you. You're breaking up. Where is that temporary block button when you need it?

 

[dagrev]

I had a few Pre CBS’s in my day.
Wish I knew then what I know now, as the saying goes.

I pretty sure I had an early 60s Jazz once. I noticed when I traded it at the vintage place, the owner was really happy to get it. I doubled my money after refinishing what was a mess. It went toward either the '64 Thunderbird or the '55 Pbass. Back then shapes mattered more than dates and age to most.

 

[Stealth57]

I can't hear you. You're breaking up. Where is that temporary block button when you need it?

Buy the bass...

 

[bobyoung53]

Mine too. He was my second influence in playing bass, behind Leon W. Don't know how many times I played along (poorly) to Caught In the Act after much listening before picking up and having a bass. My playing reflects sadly on my influences.

McCartney was my main guy and the reason I play bass today. I was ten when they broke and just loved the bass in 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' which was their first American hit. I played trumpet, baritone horn, guitar and then finally got my hands on a bass in about 1967 when I was 14.

 

[MCF]

("White Rabbit") I always thought that Jack played with a pick at least part of the time but recently read an interview with him and he said he always played with fingers, also the first three JA albums were done with a '65 Jazz bass with an extra split P pickup right up against the neck.
Years ago I got a pick sound out of a fretless P bass through an SVT, used dead half rounds and set the mid switch to the 3 khz position and turned it up a little, I think I also used the ultra lo position, people swore I was playing with a pick

I’ve always played it with fingers. But then, I play most everything with them.

 

[MCF]

I was brutal with basses when I was a kid, I've gotten much better. My first bass was a 1970 P bought brand new, sold it two years later and then saw it for sale a few weeks later as a Pre CBS (it was so beat) Surprising that Pre CBS Fenders were even sought after in 1972.

When I started playing in ‘70, the Pre-CBS preference was already a thing, at least out here.

 

[PhR75]

You know he used a Jazz on his first two or three albums with an EB0 pickup right? So that righteous BIG sound he got on the Red album was like a long scale EB0.

View attachment 4646484

It's funny how the mudbucker just looks right on a Fender Bass in about every position. Alphonso Johnson had a mudbucker as a bridge pickup on his P-bass and a Jazz pickup near the neck (like a reversed Doug Rauch Jazz Bass). Boz Burrell had a Jazz with a neck mudbucker in '72 King Crimson, John McVie, Rick Laird's P Bass had an EB in the neck position, the aforementioned double thumbin' pioneer Dougie Rauch etc... I wonder if these mods made Fender to come up with their own version for the '72 Telecaster?

 

[MCF]

The ceiling in the Basement Of Bad Ideas is not quite 7 feet. Everyone who has ever played there has left a ding in the ceiling. It's a rite of passage. Since I live upstairs, every headstock I own has met the ceiling at least once. The doghouse has a constellation of ceiling dents above where it lives on its stand, and the top of the scroll has corresponding dings. It is an occupational hazard in the basement.

I think the basement in the house in the mountains is 7 1/2 or 8 feet. I have been told that is where my basses and amps will have to live when we move in full time. I will not be installing a ceiling fan down there.

 

[MCF]

He got that distortion from cranking 200 watt tube West amps with the Jazz with EB0 pickup:

He switched to the P bass for the Closer to Home album, he's monster and one of my favorite bassists of all time. THAT BONG RATTLING SOUND.
Crank it up!

For me it was Grand Funk Live. I have two vinyl copies. Both are worn out.

 

[bobyoung53]

It's funny how the mudbucker just looks right on a Fender Bass in about every position. Alphonso Johnson had a mudbucker as a bridge pickup on his P-bass and a Jazz pickup near the neck (like a reversed Doug Rauch Jazz Bass). Boz Burrell had a Jazz with a neck mudbucker in '72 King Crimson, John McVie, Rick Laird's P Bass had an EB in the neck position, the aforementioned double thumbin' pioneer Dougie Rauch etc... I wonder if these mods made Fender to come up with their own version for the '72 Telecaster?

I think so, Fender has always taken cues from players, just very late. I started seeing homemade P/J's way earlier than they offered them as a standard bass. I also remember seeing P's with early Tele/Precision single coil pickups also by the bridge. I traded a humbucker Tele bass for a 68 P in 1977 and it had an EB0 pickup next the the neck. The player had bought it new and added a rosewood fretless neck when they became available and the EB0 pickup. He wanted the pickup back so I gave it back to him.

 

[MCF]

My girlfriend plays with a pick exclusively.

 

[PhR75]

I think so, Fender has always taken cues from players, just very late. I started seeing homemade P/J's way earlier than they offered them as a standard bass. I also remember seeing P's with early Tele/Precision single coil pickups also by the bridge. I traded a humbucker Tele bass for a 68 P in 1977 and it had an EB0 pickup next the the neck. The player had bought it new and added a rosewood fretless neck when they became available and the EB0 pickup. He wanted the pickup back so I gave it back to him.

Yeah, one would have thought they would have had a fretless Jazz Bass available in the late '70s, preferably with a rosewood fingerboard.

About the P/J: what is the earliest P/J mod you have seen? Rob Grange of Ted Nugent's band (and Amboy Dukes) usually mentions his being the first but Dave Pegg also had a P with a Jazz bridge pickup in the early seventies and Willie Weeks had his blue P modded with a J pickup (was it already in place when he played with Joe Walsh in 1975 I have to check). Just to mention the two that I recalled now.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Can't believe I forgot Mel... who used a pick.
View attachment 4646473

hmmm…..

 

[bobyoung53]

Yeah, one would have thought they would have had a fretless Jazz Bass available in the late '70s, preferably with a rosewood fingerboard.

About the P/J: what is the earliest P/J mod you have seen? Rob Grange of Ted Nugent's band (and Amboy Dukes) usually mentions his being the first but Dave Pegg also had a P with a Jazz bridge pickup in the early seventies and Willie Weeks had his blue P modded with a J pickup (was it already in place when he played with Joe Walsh in 1975 I have to check). Just to mention the two that I recalled now.

The first P/J bass I ever saw was during the early 70's, a local player had it done. (actually a P/T, had a single coil Tele pickup at the bridge). I wouldn't be surprised to hear that they were doing that during the 60's too although back then players wanted more bottom usually not more treble and tended to put EB0 pickups near the neck but I did see several local players with P/J basses during the early 70's, I thought of doing it myself.
I have a TF fretless with an ebony neck, it's much better than rosewood, that's what they should have been using. I have RS66 Rotos on it and they haven't touched the neck. I ruined a rosewood Fender fretless neck years ago with the same strings. As far as fretless Jazzes, Fender is very slow to adapt for some reason. You would think they would have been using ebony for years so many people used to epoxy the necks for round wounds, Fender still doesn't offer an ebony fretless Jazz neck for some reason.

 

[BklynKen]

My girlfriend plays with a pick exclusively.
View attachment 4646730

If it's good enough for Nikki it's good enough for anyone.

 

[JJR58]

I pretty sure I had an early 60s Jazz once. I noticed when I traded it at the vintage place, the owner was really happy to get it. I doubled my money after refinishing what was a mess. It went toward either the '64 Thunderbird or the '55 Pbass. Back then shapes mattered more than dates and age to most.

I’ve had P’s and J’s that dated from
‘63-‘72. Back then 48th Street was da bomb. And some were in better shape then others, but overall they were fairly clean.