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Thunderbird Club

#2,022
TBird1958 said:
When I think back to my first getting Bass ( that was 1974, 40 years ago!) my mother took me to the local Mom n' Pop music store to choose - There were all the usual suspects, a few real Fenders and Gibsons ( my parents weren't going to spring for those!) and quite a few Japanese copies of those two brands. I chose an EB-0 copy because even then I just knew I wasn't a "Fender" person, no slight intended. All these years later I have tried to own a Fender on at least 3 separate occasions (once it was just because I thought I "had" to just to be considered a "serious" bassist) and every time I ended up selling them off, so anymore, I can walk past them in the music store like they're not even there, I'm resistant to their charms! Gibson's when I can find them are quite difficult to resist, last year I had a G-3 reissue to review for a couple months, fantastic bass!
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I have a '75 RI Jazz that I never play. It was my first real bass. Now I have two Gibsons that I rotate playing (A 'Bird and a G3 Reissue that is outstanding).
 
#2,024
mistergoats said:
I have a '75 RI Jazz that I never play. It was my first real bass. Now I have two Gibsons that I rotate playing (A 'Bird and a G3 Reissue that is outstanding).
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TBird1958 said:
The G-3 reissue is a great bass!
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I could never wrap my head around the Gripper/Grabber basses. They look wide & flat, to me. Part of why I like the T-bird is the unique, yet classic, styling. They also play really nicely and the acoustic sound is nice & warm. I would move the neck pick-up down a little bit, though.
 
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#2,025
That G-3 sounded so good...............I detuned it a half step for about 3 weeks and played nothing but The Smithereens on it - It was Ear Cream!
 
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#2,026
awilkie84 said:
I could never wrap my head around the Gripper/Grabber basses. They look wide & flat, to me. Part of why I like the T-bird is the unique, yet classic, styling. They also play really nicely and the acoustic sound is nice & warm. I would move the neck pick-up down a little bit, though.
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The Thunderbird is everything I've ever wanted in a bass. On paper, and acoustically, that G3 (Grabber) is comparatively like plunking away on a washtub bass when put up against a 'Bird. They are two totally different animals. Once it's plugged in though, those pickups are crazy mid-rangey and slice through the mix, and they have a totally vintage-ish sound to them. The 'Bird is huge and boom-y, and sometimes even a tad muddy unless you mess with the EQ a bit. The G3 is a rock'n'roll razor. No trouble at all hearing it through the guitarsenal in our band (ES-335 > '67 Marshall Plexi > Marshall 412 with Greenbacks and a LP Gold Gold Top > Marshall JCM2000 > Marshal 1960).

The 'Bird is still my main bass.
 
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#2,036
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#2,037
Being a noob at the time, I remember how pissed I was when a short time after I got my new '89 in Classic White that it sweat stained where my right arm crossed the body- I'm loaded with toxins! Now the whole bass is yellow, and a bit beat, couldn't love it more.
 
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#2,040
Gibson did them last year, there are a couple owners among us, also Tokai, which would likely benifit from some upgrades.
 

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