Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

I knew you wanted it!

Seriously I really dig mine, you won't regret buying that beauty.

I did indeed. I'm sure I'll love it.

I've never played a NR. Did you have any trouble adjusting to the ergos? In some ways it doesn't seem all that different from a reverse, but then again...it is different. A reverse feels completely normal. Like they were made for me. A NR? I'll adjust. A Ric was the only think I never got used to playing.

 

[BklynKen]

I did indeed. I'm sure I'll love it.

I've never played a NR. Did you have any trouble adjusting to the ergos? In some ways it doesn't seem all that different from a reverse, but then again...it is different. I'll adjust. A Ric was the only think I never got used to playing.

Biggest difference you'll probably notice is the beefier neck.

 

[dagrev]

Biggest difference you'll probably notice is the beefier neck.

Good, that won't be a problem. It will feel like a Jazz compared to the '55 and the '64 Pbasses. The '64 is wide but shallow. Not my fav, but not a problem.

 

[GBassNorth]

I did indeed. I'm sure I'll love it.

I've never played a NR. Did you have any trouble adjusting to the ergos? In some ways it doesn't seem all that different from a reverse, but then again...it is different. I'll adjust. A Ric was the only think I never got used to playing.

The ergos on my NR are different than the reverse but not uncomfortable or awkward feeling, just different. It might just be me but first position on my NR feels a bit longer in reach than my regular birds. Might be because I’m normally playing seated and the lower body cutout that rests on my right thigh could potentially be further back towards the bridge, but I never measured to confirm it because it’s really not an issue.

I remain 2021 NR curious and still on the fence on getting one, but your honest playing opinion and direct comparison to one of your VP’s would really help me make up my mind.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Some of these professional enablers here (and you know who you are), finally got me to bite. It was exactly the color I was looking for. It's new from a shop that seems to have bought out a store that was a Gibson dealer/seller. I liked that they moved the pots to being inline. Owner is a Thunderbird fan and thought it looked weird the way Gibson had them.

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welcome to the dark side…

 

[GonePlaid]

Thanks. I certainly think so. I'm a sucker for that type finish.

Yeah, that's the finish, knob location, etc. that I would(like to be able to)go for.

 

[WillyW]

The ergos on my NR are different than the reverse but not uncomfortable or awkward feeling, just different. It might just be me but first position on my NR feels a bit longer in reach than my regular birds. Might be because I’m normally playing seated and the lower body cutout that rests on my right thigh could potentially be further back towards the bridge, but I never measured to confirm it because it’s really not an issue.

I remain 2021 NR curious and still on the fence on getting one, but your honest playing opinion and direct comparison to one of your VP’s would really help me make up my mind.

I don't feel much difference between the NR and reverse other than the fact I can route the strap over the body, which I do prefer on the reverse. (I do the same with explorers)

Overall I prefer the NR to a reverse.

swing by the howse and you can try both a fretted and fretless 21 NR

 

[dagrev]

welcome to the dark side…

Holy crap. What have I gotten into?

 

[TBird1958]

I did indeed. I'm sure I'll love it.

I've never played a NR. Did you have any trouble adjusting to the ergos? In some ways it doesn't seem all that different from a reverse, but then again...it is different. A reverse feels completely normal. Like they were made for me. A NR? I'll adjust. A Ric was the only think I never got used to playing.

It's really a nice playing bass, it's much more substantial than any of my other Birds, esp. the neck - No headstock flying off of this bass! Compared to my '64 it's almost a Draft Horse vs. a Thorougbred, but not in a bad way, anyway, I love the pickups, they are for me, far better than the Epi 760s or EY Guitars repros, lots of depth, bass and mids.

 

[dagrev]

I don't feel much difference between the NR and reverse other than the fact I can route the strap over the body, which I do prefer on the reverse. (I do the same with explorers)

Overall I prefer the NR to a reverse.

swing by the howse and you can try both a fretted and fretless 21 NR

Thanks, but I'm afraid you'll try to remove anything that remotely resembles a fret.

 

[dagrev]

It's really a nice playing bass, it's much more substantial than any of my other Birds, esp. the neck - No headstock flying off of this bass! Compared to my '64 it's almost a Draft Horse vs. a Thorougbred, but not in a bad way, anyway, I love the pickups, they are for me, far better than the Epi 760s or EY Guitars repros, lots of depth, bass and mids.

Thanks. All of that sounds fine to me.

 

[dagrev]

The ergos on my NR are different than the reverse but not uncomfortable or awkward feeling, just different. It might just be me but first position on my NR feels a bit longer in reach than my regular birds. Might be because I’m normally playing seated and the lower body cutout that rests on my right thigh could potentially be further back towards the bridge, but I never measured to confirm it because it’s really not an issue.

I remain 2021 NR curious and still on the fence on getting one, but your honest playing opinion and direct comparison to one of your VP’s would really help me make up my mind.

Come to think of it, the '64 Epi feels slightly longer in that respect. Not a problem, just noticeable it seems.

 

[bobyoung53]

I need to go to bed…

Fedex finally delivered on time, but the Wanderlust Green Epiphone Embassy I have had on order since 3/12/21 is junk.

I exploded the pics they sent me and I can see the scrape mark on the upper bout, and the very discolored fingerprints (almost rusty) on the claw and bridge. Scuffs on the edges of the bridge pickup.The plastic is still on the pickguard, but it looks like someone was using a hacksaw as a pick.

those things were kind of irritating, but I can remove the plastic on the pickguard, polish off the fingerprints, and scuffs, and buff out the finish scratch.

I wasn’t even going to fret about it.

Then I went to set it up with the stock strings.

action way too high, with the bridge bottomed out.

pickups lowered as far as they can go, and they are WAY too high.

I could cut the saddles to lower the action, BUT with the pickups bottomed out, the strings would be on the pickups.

my other embassy is pretty much perfect and it was purchased as a Demo model.

I had it out of the box less than an hour and a half. It’s already boxed up and ready to return, pretty shaging disgusted right now…

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I bought one of those a few years ago and it came with the truss rod so tight the strings were right against the neck. I never got it straightened out although I did get it better, not sure if it was because of the truss rod or not but the fretwork seemed terrible with a lot of low and high spots. I plan on bringing it to a luthier to see if it can be salvaged when I get back, it sounded savage.


With one of my sloppy PAF flannel mutes

 

[bobyoung53]

NICE!!

Yes, that thing sounds great. The whole band did.

 

[bobyoung53]

I like two pickup basses and when I use both pickups I run them full. Especially with T-Birds. I love the sound of both on except if the pickups are too wide apart (like on Ric 4005 or Modern Player Tele) 'though that might work for certain styles too like palm muted picked 60's style or Bass VI.
Ric 4003 is the only one I back the neck pickup a bit (the bass doesn't have the cap).

What else was discussed? The fav jazz bass sound? Hmmm, Hugh Hopper had a great sound and Richard Sinclair too. I love Jaco's sound especially when it has plenty of 361/361 in the mix. Paul Harwood of Mahogany Rush had a great Jazz tone, John Wetton's hard hitting Jazz tone on UK albums is great, Pekka Pohjola on his "Urban Tango" album. Too many to mention. Billy Cox!

The best Canadian band? Max Webster of course. My friend is finishing a Max Webster book, should be out by June. I've seen bits and it looks fab.

Wetton played a P bass, I've never seen him with a jazz, not saying he didn't though. I saw UK at the Paradise Theatre in Boston sometime in (edit) 1978, GREAT band.


He had this when I saw them first P bass I'd ever seen without a pickguard.

 

[bobyoung53]

It's very light and I like playing it, but it would bring in some serious cash. It was one of those years where the PUs were spaced differently (bridge PU closer to the bridge). I just have plenty of other things that sound better. But it did put the SIT powersteels on it and it's never sounded that good before.

Try some Rotos, they sound great with them (almost everything does actually ), they're nice basses to palm mute too. I think most 70's Jazzes had that pickup spacing, even my TF which is a recreation of Tony's 70's fretless P bass has 70's J spacing on the J pickup. It's a hallmark of 70's J basses.

 

[bobyoung53]

Some of these professional enablers here (and you know who you are), finally got me to bite. It was exactly the color I was looking for. It's new from a shop that seems to have bought out a store that was a Gibson dealer/seller. I liked that they moved the pots to being inline. Owner is a Thunderbird fan and thought it looked weird the way Gibson had them.

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Taken in a hotel in Mass last summer.

 

[bobyoung53]

It's really a nice playing bass, it's much more substantial than any of my other Birds, esp. the neck - No headstock flying off of this bass! Compared to my '64 it's almost a Draft Horse vs. a Thorougbred, but not in a bad way, anyway, I love the pickups, they are for me, far better than the Epi 760s or EY Guitars repros, lots of depth, bass and mids.

I love the neck, it is thicker than Reverse T-Birds but with the 12" radius and having been pleked, it's probably my easiest and fasting playing neck of any bass I have here and it has a lot of huevos.

 

[PhR75]

Wetton played a P bass, I've never seen him with a jazz, not saying he didn't though. I saw UK at the Paradise Theatre in Boston sometime in 1977, GREAT band.


He had this when I saw them first P bass I'd ever seen without a pickguard.


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He had a black early '70s Jazz Bass, just like Geddy's but with a black pickguard. It started to show up in King Crimson photos in the summer '74 shows as a back up to that white '61 Precision and was later usually on a stand when he played with Uriah Heep.
He still preferred the P-bass on stage (until he switched to Ibanez RS-800 for the last UK tour) but most or maybe all UK studio tracks were recorded with the Jazz. He also used it on the Jack-Knife session from '78 and also on both Uriah Heep albums he played on.

I've never seen live footage of him playing it but he used it on a couple of UK promo videos.

I'm sure you saw UK in 1978 since that's the year they first gigged. And need I say I envy you a lot. Allan Holdsworth. Bill Bruford. Eddie Jobson. John Wetton. Phew.

 

[bobyoung53]

He had a black early '70s Jazz Bass, just like Geddy's but with a black pickguard. It started to show up in King Crimson photos in the summer '74 shows as a back up to that white '61 Precision and was later usually on a stand when he played with Uriah Heep.
He still preferred the P-bass on stage (until he switched to Ibanez RS-800 for the last UK tour) but most or maybe all UK studio tracks were recorded with the Jazz. He also used it on the Jack-Knife session from '78 and also on both Uriah Heep albums he played on.

I've never seen live footage of him playing it but he used it on a couple of UK promo videos.
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I'm sure you saw UK in 1978 since that's the year they first gigged. And need I say I envy you a lot. Allan Holdsworth. Bill Bruford. Eddie Jobson. John Wetton. Phew.

I never realized he played a Jazz on the UK albums. Yes, they were unbelievable. The years all blend together after a while............