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Thunderbird Club

#210,141
bobyoung53 said:
I've always liked 4 in a line headstocks although I like the Ric headstocks (really like the reverse tuners) and Gibson 2 by 2 headstocks.
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Head-stock designs are a touchy subject for me. To me... so many do not align aesthetically with the gestalt of an instrument. (the overall visual coheisive "look") Most players are oblivious to this and I totally get it - they see a hs only as a function of resolving the strings for tuning.

Add to that subjective 'taste' ... and that's why there are so many different varieties of hs shapes. To which I say - to each their own, and rock whatever you like. :bassist:
 
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#210,143
bobyoung53 said:
I've always liked 4 in a line headstocks although I like the Ric headstocks (really like the reverse tuners) and Gibson 2 by 2 headstocks. I like the headstock on that too.

Here's one more Spoonful tune I've always really liked:

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I had that LP. They were sorta folk, sorta country, sorta pop... it's what made them popular and they did what they did really well.
 
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#210,144
JIO said:
Head-stock designs are a touchy subject for me. To me... so many do not align aesthetically with the gestalt of an instrument. (the overall visual coheisive "look") Most players are oblivious to this and I totally get it - they see a hs only as a function of resolving the strings for tuning.

Add to that subjective 'taste' ... and that's why there are so many different varieties of hs shapes. To which I say - to each their own, and rock whatever you like. :bassist:
Click to expand...

The headstock is a much a part of an instrument as the rest of it to me as far the the gestalt of the aesthetics. I like more narrow ones usually.
 
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#210,145
For clarification - this is a '65 Guild Jet-Star bass with the a-sym crest 2X2 hs and Darkstar pu...
upload_2022-6-8_22-3-21.jpeg
 
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#210,147
JIO said:
For clarification - this is a '65 Guild Jet-Star bass with the a-sym crest 2X2 hs and Darkstar pu...
View attachment 4715589
Click to expand...


It's the wide upper part that I don't like. I bet that thing sounds good though, I could have bought a Starfire with D'Armond pickups on it when I got my first EB-3 about ten years ago, I wasn't real familiar with it so I passed, I kind of wish I had gotten it now though, those things sound good.
 
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#210,148
bobyoung53 said:
The headstock is a much a part of an instrument as the rest of it to me as far the the gestalt of the aesthetics. I like more narrow ones usually.
Click to expand...

Exactly - but that's where subjective personal taste comes in. We all have our 'preferences'. Luckily living in "the free world", we have unlimited consumer choices.
 
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#210,149
bobyoung53 said:
I wore out their first three albums when I was a kid. I had the Daydream album first. I think they all started out as Folkies in Greenwich Village during the early 60's.
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'64 ... I forgot to include "jug-band"

 
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#210,153
wolfkeller said:
How do they differ from the stock ones?
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Lulls are Reproductions of '64 Gibson pickups, they're quite a bit clearer than the stock Gibson TB Plus type, tho I think string choice has some bearing on that as well. My 06 Studio sounds quite good with the stock Gibson and SIT Power Steels, I'd never change the pups in that bass. I do think for your goals EMG would be well worth investigating.

bobyoung53 said:
They're brighter and are supposed to be exact copies of the 60's pickups., check out @TBird1958's videos.

This is from 2008, not sure if those are Lulls or not

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Those are actually stock '76 pickups in that bass - well it was a '77. The amp is also a big part of the equation, that GK
and the 8x10"s were very articulate and as we all know a pick is the ignition switch for a Thunderbird pickup. I needed/wanted that tone, a bit clanky and angry piano to drive songs like that. That was a really good/lucky video shoot that night, we played that song ( a long time fave of mine!) hard and hit it just right. The venue has since burned to the ground.
 
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#210,154
bobyoung53 said:
It doesn't sound old school to me, I get that same sound out of my SVT with a pick.
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Y
TBird1958 said:
Lulls are Reproductions of '64 Gibson pickups, they're quite a bit clearer than the stock Gibson TB Plus type, tho I think string choice has some bearing on that as well. My 06 Studio sounds quite good with the stock Gibson and SIT Power Steels, I'd never change the pups in that bass. I do think for your goals EMG would be well worth investigating.




Those are actually stock '76 pickups in that bass - well it was a '77. The amp is also a big part of the equation, that GK
and the 8x10"s were very articulate and as we all know a pick is the ignition switch for a Thunderbird pickup. I needed/wanted that tone, a bit clanky and angry piano to drive songs like that. That was a really good/lucky video shoot that night, we played that song ( a long time fave of mine!) hard and hit it just right. The venue has since burned to the ground.
Click to expand...
It's sounded great. Your right on far as the gibson pickups. For some reason this bass has always sounded dark and muffled. The tone is disconnected and the strings are rotos. I run svt 4s into 810s with a sansamp for drive. I've always felt something was wrong.
 
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#210,156
TBird1958 said:
Lulls are Reproductions of '64 Gibson pickups, they're quite a bit clearer than the stock Gibson TB Plus type, tho I think string choice has some bearing on that as well. My 06 Studio sounds quite good with the stock Gibson and SIT Power Steels, I'd never change the pups in that bass. I do think for your goals EMG would be well worth investigating.




Those are actually stock '76 pickups in that bass - well it was a '77. The amp is also a big part of the equation, that GK
and the 8x10"s were very articulate and as we all know a pick is the ignition switch for a Thunderbird pickup. I needed/wanted that tone, a bit clanky and angry piano to drive songs like that. That was a really good/lucky video shoot that night, we played that song ( a long time fave of mine!) hard and hit it just right. The venue has since burned to the ground.
Click to expand...

...just that :bassist:
 
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#210,160
Chucky Stiletti said:
not a real dislike for the Tele style P hs….just prefer this type and sticker/logo, possibly because it’s the first one i saw.

View attachment 4715596
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Totally understandable - such is what creates an indelible impression. I love the CBS 'bold' typeface (aesthetically) myself :thumbsup:. I personally was attracted to the orig '51 P-bass hs shape (later referred to as Tele) in the '70s when I played a new '70s hum-bucker/neck-hugger version in a guitar story. Didn't like the thick neck profile (compared to my '63 T-bird II) - so I passed on buying it.
 
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