Thunderbird Club

[hillerup]

I don't know, and maybe it's just me... But as great as he was, that solo did absolutely nothing for me, and more often than not I think he had a tendency to "overplay" his basslines....

When watching the video above, I stumbled across this video with the John Entwistle Band doing a cover of Shakin' All Over - What a horrible mess they made out of it...

Quoting myself here.... It seems I was in a bit of a hurry to post the above, and completely forgot to link to the video of The John Entwistle Band performing "Shakin' All Over":



Man does this version suck compared to the absolutely amazing version on The Who's "Live at Leeds"...

 

[hillerup]

On a F#%*in' Mosrite!

Never seen that before, or JAE with a Mosrite as well...

 

[Haji]

I think Entwhistle may have been a busy player because, unlike his bandmates, he was like watching a very busy bass playing tree rooted to one spot on the stage.

 

[kat888]

Watching Keith Moon playing is just hilarious.... Like watching Animal from The Muppet Show play.

What an amazing drummer he was, with a style all of his own.

A crying shame he passed away so soon - The Who was never quite the same without him.

Pete Townshend is on record saying the only thing which stopped Keith being sacked from The Who was his death.

 

[Dadagoboi]

Pete Townshend is on record saying the only thing which stopped Keith being sacked from The Who was his death.

...and the only reason The Who were going on tour in 2002 was because John was $2,000,000 in debt....he was also deaf in both ears. Again, per Townshend (in "Who I Am").

 

[Haji]

I'm not sure I really trust anything Pete has to say.

 

[Stevis]

Now, that is SO much better....!

Used to have a copy of the old compilation "Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bounce" with all the old hits, which I played extensively when I was young. Great songs and very inspiring basslines...

I immediately thought of the same album when the Who conversation started. It was the first and only album I ever had by them. I loved this track - mostly because of Pete's catchy guitar riffs.

 

[Count Bassie]

A band is a tough proposition.

 

[Dadagoboi]

A brand is a tough proposition.

Especially when a large component of the brand is violence.

 

[ThaCoast]

Damn this club moves fast without telling me xD

As i've recently completed my squier bass modification, i've been thinking if i were endorsed - who & what for?

Strings: D'addario - never gone wrong with tone & always on point, they just feel right & consistent.

Pedals & Picks: Dunlop/MXR - I already own two MXR pedals (10 band EQ & Bass D.I.+ will soon own the stereo Chorus) & i've found my perfect pleck as well; 0.88 Green tortex. I've always used dunlop picks over the years ranging from .96 - 1.14 nylon/max grip. I've also used Daddi picks but mostly 1.0 thick but they'd get rounded off quick & chip if they got too weak. Once i found the 88s at work & played, i was blown by the attack it gave & pronounced clarity. The tortex is rigid enough to dig in without being flimsy & keeps my groove steady!

Pickups: Seymour duncan (for the most part) - i've grown to love the sound it gives me (as well as some of my friends) for the music i play. I hated the look of the QP cause of the extra large poles but after hearing them in the music i write, it just fit perfectly. Other Duncan pickups work too such as the classic stack for jazz bass, vintage & hot for pbass pups. Not everything duncan has is usefull for me (not guitar wise - that's Dimarzio & some of their bass stuff isn't all that great). But it's just enough growl & bite to my basses through my rig.

Amp wise: Peavey & SWR hands down! I've never played through a better rig than my own & would love to collaborate with Peavey to build an updated version of the century bass head i own (adding a D.I output, giving more power around 300-450 Watts - maybe a louder one at 800watts) & for SWR (7ender) to remake the Goliath cabs. I could probably substitute with ashdown or Gallien Kruger, but might not be the same

As for basses: I've got it covered with building them myself no need for an outside brand that won't deliver what i want on the spot: i've got preference for everything & all my current & future basses are built for exactly what i like & what i need for certain tones, feels & playability. I love the pbass sound for sure since it is my go to tone for a lot of music, but i enjoy my fair share of in your face Gibson buckers.

How bout you guys? It doesn't have to be as long & elaborated as me but in ways of picks, strings, basses & amps, how did you find your signature tone?

 

[Count Bassie]

Especially when a large component of the brand is violence.

Typo... I meant band! Same thing though...

 

[Klondike]

Click your avatar at the top of the page, then preferences (the wheel thing). Then go to the dark side.

Jon Campagna, 20...one take

Found it, thanks Carlo!
Sorry Dark Side is the Wrong Side for me.

 

[D.M.N.]

I quite like Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, especially the fake stereo version of Magic Bus and the alternate version of I'm a Boy

 

[godofthunder59]

provided backline , deprived of my Hiwatts .

 

[kat888]

@Andii Syckz - signature tone? My 'signature tone' has always been heavily overdriven, starting in the 80s when I was derided/patronised by other players/sound engineers and what have you -- 'don't you know you're not supposed to play so hard/bass is not supposed to be distorted etc etc' -- and now there are people using multiple OD and distortion pedals trying to capture that overdriven valve sound. And funnily enough I tripped over a piece on a website the other day citing my style of playing and tone as an 'inspiration', so: me 1 - 0 patronising arseholes.

A nice thunderous bass plugged into a valve amplifier and 212s is my direct route to bass valhalla.

 

[hillerup]

...and the only reason The Who were going on tour in 2002 was because John was $2,000,000 in debt....he was also deaf in both ears. Again, per Townshend (in "Who I Am").

I'm not sure I really trust anything Pete has to say.

I seem to recall reading somewhere, that it is Pete who is "stone deaf" ....

 

[PillO]

I seem to recall reading somewhere, that it is Pete who is "stone deaf" ....

I thought it was Lemmy who is stone dead forever.

 

[Korladis]

Damn this club moves fast without telling me xD

As i've recently completed my squier bass modification, i've been thinking if i were endorsed - who & what for?

Strings: D'addario - never gone wrong with tone & always on point, they just feel right & consistent.

Pedals & Picks: Dunlop/MXR - I already own two MXR pedals (10 band EQ & Bass D.I.+ will soon own the stereo Chorus) & i've found my perfect pleck as well; 0.88 Green tortex. I've always used dunlop picks over the years ranging from .96 - 1.14 nylon/max grip. I've also used Daddi picks but mostly 1.0 thick but they'd get rounded off quick & chip if they got too weak. Once i found the 88s at work & played, i was blown by the attack it gave & pronounced clarity. The tortex is rigid enough to dig in without being flimsy & keeps my groove steady!

Pickups: Seymour duncan (for the most part) - i've grown to love the sound it gives me (as well as some of my friends) for the music i play. I hated the look of the QP cause of the extra large poles but after hearing them in the music i write, it just fit perfectly. Other Duncan pickups work too such as the classic stack for jazz bass, vintage & hot for pbass pups. Not everything duncan has is usefull for me (not guitar wise - that's Dimarzio & some of their bass stuff isn't all that great). But it's just enough growl & bite to my basses through my rig.

Amp wise: Peavey & SWR hands down! I've never played through a better rig than my own & would love to collaborate with Peavey to build an updated version of the century bass head i own (adding a D.I output, giving more power around 300-450 Watts - maybe a louder one at 800watts) & for SWR (7ender) to remake the Goliath cabs. I could probably substitute with ashdown or Gallien Kruger, but might not be the same

As for basses: I've got it covered with building them myself no need for an outside brand that won't deliver what i want on the spot: i've got preference for everything & all my current & future basses are built for exactly what i like & what i need for certain tones, feels & playability. I love the pbass sound for sure since it is my go to tone for a lot of music, but i enjoy my fair share of in your face Gibson buckers.

How bout you guys? It doesn't have to be as long & elaborated as me but in ways of picks, strings, basses & amps, how did you find your signature tone?

I love D'Addario strings. I also use Dunlop picks, but of the lavender 1.5mm thickness. Anything less is too thin for me.
I like Duncan pickups on guitar, but not really on bass. SWR amps are basically the opposite of what I go for.

Strings: D'Addario XLs. 170s usually for EADG. For BEAD I use the gauges 130, 100, 80, 60. I like them because they're bright, but not too bright, and they seem to last quite a long time, and still sound pretty good even when they're dead. I've tried many other strings, but I keep going back to these. They're home for me.

Picks: As mentioned, Dunlop 1.5mm, scored across one side with a knife for better grip. I don't like the feeling of pick flex, so I use ones that hardly flex at all.

Pedals: No one particular company. With my pedalboard, I have pedals from Boss, Korg, EHX, Dunwich, and Morley. Currently running TU-3 -> Miku Stomp -> Ravish Sitar -> Gnarly Dunwich Muff -> Dual Bass Wah -> Holy Grail Reverb. The Miku is essentially just for noise. I use the Sitar pedal occasionally when I'm playing with a really twangy sound, to create a different sort of atmosphere, and fill up a bit more sonic space. I usually use it in conjunction with the reverb. The Dunwich is a custom muff build. Can't post it on here, either, because the artwork is NSFW. I basically only use it for parts where the sound needs to get extra heavy, or, on a different setting, in conjunction with wah (basically the difference is a mid switch that goes between more and less mids; the latter works better with wah because wah adds in so much midrange). The wah I use frequently, often for making fills stand out more. I also use it in conjunction with fuzz in a way that has often been mistaken for a flanger by listeners. The reverb I use often at the end of songs, when I'm producing feedback, or whatever situation calls for reverb and it wouldn't make the sound too muddy. It's especially nice when using e-bow.

Pickups: I have Thunderbuckers in the T-bird, but aside from that, all my basses have Rickenbacker pickups. Of the Rickenbacker pickups, the most important one to my sound is the high gain bridge pickup, which I usually use by itself. Some people like the older, weaker ones, because they're brighter, but I prefer the newer, higher output ones as they sound nastier. With the T-bird, I wired the bass in series to get a similar, throaty sound, since the pickup positions are different. Note that series wiring can present some issues with noise when using Thunderbuckers. My tech was able to solve this, though.

Amp: Mesa/Boogie D-180 (precursor to the Bass 400). I get most of my overdrive from here. Currently loaded with Sovteks in the power section. Basically it has this incredibly aggressive grind that works really well in a dense rock/metal mix. I turn the mids all the way up for maximum gank.

Cabs: Occasionally I'll use an Ampeg 1x15, but most of the time I'm running through a Sunn 2000S 2x15 cab loaded with Faital 15PR400s. It's enormous, but its only the same depth as a typical guitar 4x12, so it actually doesn't take up nearly as much room on stage as one would think. It makes packing with the guitar cabs easier, too, and presents a sort of uniform backline. More importantly, it sounds colossal, yet not the least bit muddy. Especially with the neo drivers, its lows are very authoritative, but quite clear. I use the Faitals because they're said to approximate the sound of the stock drivers, vintage JBLs, but handles a lot more power and a lot more low end, which is important given that I'm in two loud doom metal bands and tune down to BEAD.

Basses: Besides the Epiphone, I have a heavily modded Peavey and two Rickenbackers. The Peavey was my first bass and started life as a P-bass copy. Since then it has been a mod and sticker platform. Currently it sports a Rickenbacker high-gain pickup (of the bridge type), a BadassII bridge, and a volume knob from the USSR. The Rickenbackers are my main basses. My restored and custom-refinished 4001 is my EADG bass, and sadly doesn't get as much action as it deserves these days. The 4003S is my main stage and recording bass with my doom bands. Most of the time with the Rickenbackers, I'm only using the bridge pickup, though I use the neck pickup for quiet parts and e-bow. And, of course, there's the Thunderbird. It's sort of the secondary stage bass with the doom metal bands. Might become the main one for one of them where a less nasty tone is required due to only having one guitarist. Currently waiting on custom pickguard, control plate, and TRC from Ertmer music. I have it wired series/parallel with a push/pull bridge volume pot, and the tone knob has been replaced with a rotary pickup switch. Because I don't like tone knobs, I do like pickup switches, and rotary switches are just plain cool.

 

[Mike A]

provided backline , deprived of my Hiwatts .

Dammit, Scott, that's one cool gig and you guys are killing it! Sounds fantastic, man, really.

 

[Mike A]

On a different note... I played the 50th Anniversary 'Bird a lot this week and used it on two very different gigs the last two nights. It's killer... and has since been drilled for a new strap pin location. Keeper.