• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Thunderbird Club

#211,021
KaraQ said:
.......
(maybe, VP & CP are Indonesia, Pro 4 & 5 were China? :unsure: )

edit: for some reason, I'm thinking the Pro 4/5 stopped production in 2013? Same year the CP started? :cautious:
Click to expand...

I went prowling through Reverb & eBay current & past listings, and it looks like the Pro IV was made from '09 to at least 2019.
In both 2010 & 2011, it looks like some were made in China, some in Indonesia.

The Pro V though, started the same year, 2009, but the newest I found was 2011. There aren't very many to verify (lots of Pro IVs, comparatively), but from the ones I could find, all were made in China, except for 2011, whuch was made in Indonesia.





*random semi-useless info of the day......
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gaolee, GBassNorth, Nocturnal and 2 others
#211,025
dagrev said:
Everyone knows I'm a VP fanboy...but it's for good reason. This side of several thousands of pesos (dollars are questionable at this point), VPs are as close to a '60s Thunderbird as you can get. The weakness in my opinion is that they can lack some of the bigness or bottom of the '60s. But amps have knobs and strings with a lot of lows do the trick for me. Boomers are great, Rotos, Dean Markley Blue Steels, EB Cobalt flats also sound really good for my purposes of big, fat and punchy with some clarity but not clank.

If I could not have my '64 and could have only one bass, it would be a VP.
View attachment 4724013
Click to expand...

If I had one of your birds, it'd be the 70's all white :) Curious how does it sound vs the 60's & the VP? I've heard it's wired different than other birds.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JJR58, TBird1958, GBassNorth and 3 others
#211,027
PillO said:
The other option is "OK, I'll dance, however I only do modern interpretive dance"... You will be a spectacle (if you are doing it right). That may or may not help.

Modern interpretive dance is also a great way to embarrass teenage children.
Click to expand...
The dance version of playing the wrong notes and calling it jazz?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miles_ONeal, Count Bassie, Gaolee and 2 others
#211,028
Gaolee said:
I came very close to buying one of those about ten years ago. It was cheap and in good shape. I didn't do it. What a fool!
Click to expand...

dagrev said:
That's just cool looking. Even if it didn't work I'd display it.
Click to expand...

I went to bed early last night and I’m 5 pages behind…


This amp is the reason I’m so snarky about tonewoods, fretboard material, pickup placement, and the myriad of other stupidity players spew.

everything plugged into it sounds otherworldly
 
  • Like
Reactions: Count Bassie, Gaolee, GBassNorth and 3 others
#211,030
KaraQ said:
That's what it has currently (my Classic Pro).
Both of the new ones are no-load.
I want to try the 500k, but I'm afraid it may be too short, so I got the 250k as well, which has a longer post & shaft. Apparently, these are the only options for no-load tone pots....:meh:
Click to expand...
What is a no load pot? Audio taper? I had the same issue when I changed to CTS on a double humbucker Cheapo bass. I had to use a Forstner bit in the swimming pool to get enough of the threads above the top surface so I could tighten the nut.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Count Bassie, JJR58, GBassNorth and 2 others
#211,031
Stealth57 said:
What is a no load pot? Audio taper? I had the same issue when I changed to CTS on a double humbucker Cheapo bass. I had to use a Forstner bit in the swimming pool to get enough of the threads above the top surface so I could tighten the nut.
Click to expand...


No-load tone pots, when in the "10" position, are bypassed/removed from the circuit. So you effectively have the pickups (and vol pots) wired straight to the output jack.
Works like a regular tone pot the rest of the time.

As I understand it, the only real functional difference between the 500k & the 250K is the change to no-load is more dramatic/noticeable with the 250K.



:)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miles_ONeal, Count Bassie, JJR58 and 4 others
#211,033
GonePlaid said:
Is it as large as my NR?
View attachment 4723814 View attachment 4723816
Click to expand...

I think they are pretty close in size. Either way, too big.

El Diablo Rojo said:
Weird. My Jack Cassady and my Hagstrom Swede Bass have more. I was expecting it to be bad but it's negligible.
Click to expand...

My Cassady dives like crazy. I might need to add a Supertone and some Hipshot tuners to maybe help balance it.

stlrocker said:
any idea what this is? unidentified tbird shaped object that i was just outbid on. it is a medium scale, set neck. lots of the details dont match any of the known ones im familiar with.

looks like a 3 piece mohogany body. no routing around the headstock edge, different pickups, control cavity shape.

i really like medium scale basses, and it looked nice so i bid on it but was beat out at the last second.



i-img1200x900-1655266251expgsn28.jpg

i-img1200x900-1655266251civsxp28.jpg

i-img1200x900-16552662513n43eg28.jpg

i-img1200x900-16552662519eplhc28.jpg

i-img1200x900-1655266251gdqbs328.jpg

i-img1200x900-1655266251dim1ze28.jpg

i-img1200x900-1655266251tgwsy828.jpg

i-img1200x900-1655266251pcfglc28.jpg
Click to expand...

I don't see anything that gives away the maker. Sorry you missed out on it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Count Bassie, JJR58, GBassNorth and 2 others
#211,035
ThaCoast said:
If I had one of your birds, it'd be the 70's all white :) Curious how does it sound vs the 60's & the VP? I've heard it's wired different than other birds.
Click to expand...
The '76 has "Sidewinders" where the coils are sideways instead of what we think of as vertical (apologies if you knew this). They are more tame than the '64 (or the '64 Epi Embassy). Not quite as big or punchy, but still sounds like a Thunderbird. Much more so than the modern Gibsons which are on any recent or current Gibson if you want the original sound. In part, this is due to having the pickups in the original (correct) locations. I've had TIs and Fender flats, which all sounded really good, but a few months ago I but some Roto 66s on it and that's the ticket for me. They at a little punch that is toned down a bit from the '64. Some do not like them at all because they are more polite sounding. If going for angry piano I can see that a little, but there's no reason at all why they can't do it. Maybe this would be the best way to say it: They sound like the 60s version but with the vol and tone set about 5 on each. That may give you the best idea.

As for the VPs: The VPs are brighter than either the '64 Thunderbird or the '64 Epi and the '76, all of those have a bigger sound to them. Whereas the VPs tend to lack a little on the bigness end and the '76 has more depth, but less natural aggressiveness. Meaning the VPs tend to be a little closer to the '60s than the '76 generally speaking. This is also due to the pickups being pretty close to being in the correct or original positions. Something Gibson seems to be unwilling to do to make the perfect modern Thunderbird (reverse or non-reverse).

Bigness: '60s have it. The 76 is kind of close, the VP lacks this a little.

Something special in the mids: 60s have it. The 76 toned down, the VPs have something pretty close to the original, but not exactly.

Highs: None of the above are crazy bright (using warm Ampeg tube heads), but the VPs are likely the brightest naturally, possibly because of the less present lows, maybe.

I hope that helps a little.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RedVee, Miles_ONeal, Count Bassie and 7 others
#211,037
WillyW said:
I went to bed early last night and I’m 5 pages behind…


This amp is the reason I’m so snarky about tonewoods, fretboard material, pickup placement, and the myriad of other stupidity players spew.

everything plugged into it sounds otherworldly
Click to expand...
Maybe that's because of the kind of wood the case made from. Or maybe the tolex! I've never heard anyone say different tolex affects tone. You could be the first in this one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miles_ONeal, Count Bassie, Gaolee and 4 others
#211,038
Nocturnal said:
I think they are pretty close in size. Either way, too big.
Click to expand...
Ahem
Nocturnal said:
My Cassady dives like crazy. I might need to add a Supertone and some Hipshot tuners to maybe help balance it.
Click to expand...
I put a supertone on mine. I did it to have standard bridges across everything. But it did improve the headstock heaviness. I am still considering adding ultra-lite tuners.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JJR58, GBassNorth, Chucky Stiletti and 3 others
#211,039
dagrev said:
Maybe that's because of the kind of wood the case made from. Or maybe the tolex! I've never heard anyone say different tolex affects tone. You could be the first in this one.
Click to expand...
Sure, let's open a new front in the tone wars. Black tolex gives a darker tone. White tolex is the brightest (as long as you keep it clean). Red tolex is warm, blue tolex cold. Brown tolex is muddy and green tolex has an organic tone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RedVee, Miles_ONeal, Count Bassie and 6 others
#211,040
IMG_20220426_084551_007.jpg
PillO said:
Ahem

I put a supertone on mine. I did it to have standard bridges across everything. But it did improve the headstock heaviness. I am still considering adding ultra-lite tuners.
Click to expand...
I put a Supertone on mine as well and it did help. I can live with the amount of dive it has now but tuners may be on the horizon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: icefly, Miles_ONeal, dieselman and 7 others

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back