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Thunderbird Club

#224,881
The VP, might play it at rehearsal Sunday. Glorious Autumn day here in Seattle, the weatherman reminded me that it hasn't rained here in any appreciable way since late June. Happy Thursday!

jJXkvcx.jpg
 
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#224,882
Chucky Stiletti said:
as if there’s an option for it to not be a keeper as a 38th anniversary present…lol c’mon G…
if on top it’s a badass bass….Double Whammy!!! you now see the attraction of the NR…;):thumbsup:
Congrats all the way around and ENJOY….
Click to expand...
LOL - I hadn’t thought of that! Had this bird been a dog I’d have been in a real pickle. Kinda hard to return a gift without insulting the giver. Guess I dodged a bullet!:D

It does have me second guessing what to do with the BaCH. Keep it and mod it to sound as good as the 21 NR or off it and focus on getting the most out of the 21. Hmmmm.:thumbsdown: First world problems.
 
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#224,884
GBassNorth said:
Well, the verdict is in…
The 21 NR is a keeper! Full review below…

Played very well with everything I could throw at it - swing, classic rock, smooth jazz, French cafe, country, big band, Irish folk, Middle East, waltz, grunge, blues, pop, funk, and even polka.

The weight on this one is a light 8 pounds but the weight is all in the body, ZERO neck dive on a strap and incredibly well balanced when sitting (much better than any Fender I own). The stock strings are ok but I think the pups are calling for a bold flat (non cobalt, have that already, maybe GHS Precision flats or La Bella Deep Talkin Flats). The voice of this bass is currently very much in line with the modern Tbird sound, it’s not Eppi VP aggressive but not quite as laid back as my 2013 Gibby anniversary bass either, about halfway between the two but leaning more towards the Gibby.

Quality control was spot on with this one. I’ve gone over it with a sharp eye and can’t find a flaw anywhere, except a smidge of clear coat on the side of the nut. Action is typical of most of my birds, about 5/64ths at the 12th fret on the open E with just a cursory set up. Once I get the final strings on it I’ll finalize the set up, so it may drop a bit lower. I did raise the neck pup up a bit to increase volume. The tone knob on this bird has a tad more action in it than my other birds, I’m setting between 3 and 5 most of the time vs 0 and 3. That means I have a bit more bottom end on tap if I need it and still plenty of top end left. I’m not overly sensitive to different neck sizes, this one is comfortable and does feel a bit rounder and fuller than most of my other birds.

So where does it sit in my Tbird line up - sound wise - a hair below the 1977 Greco, and tied with the Acaica/BlingBird/Capped Goth for second place. The Greco IV would be next followed by all the others. From a playability standpoint - the Acaica is on top but this NR is a very close second with the excellent balance and quick fretboard.

Would I mod anything - I’d consider dropping a VP pup in either the neck or bridge position to add even more flexibility to the sound options. I’d also consider a nickel bridge cover to hide the 3 point and a claw to give it a bit more vintage look, but none of those are truly necessary, just personalizing if I decide to do them.

Overall I’m beyond very pleased with my anniversary gift! This is as good a bass as any modern Gibby Tbird, maybe better than most.
Click to expand...
Sounds great!
 
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#224,886
GBassNorth said:
LOL - I hadn’t thought of that! Had this bird been a dog I’d have been in a real pickle. Kinda hard to return a gift without insulting the giver. Guess I dodged a bullet!:D

It does have me second guessing what to do with the BaCH. Keep it and mod it to sound as good as the 21 NR or off it and focus on getting the most out of the 21. Hmmmm.:thumbsdown: First world problems.
Click to expand...

bird .... dog .... pickle .... person .... woman .... man .... camera .... TV ....

 
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#224,889
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#224,890
Stealth57 said:
Apparently, they decided that high voltage benches were too much even for Bangalore. The box is gone as well as the bench on that side of the tree.

View attachment 4843244 View attachment 4843245
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The scary part is the Romex electric wire is still there (and partially held in place by a couple of drywall screws). I think I’d be inclined to carry a pocket sized Fluke energized wire detector with me just to be safe.

On the bright side, a snap shot of that tree and wire mess would make a neat jigsaw puzzle!
 
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#224,893
JIO said:
Yep! A big QMS fan! We got her in March 2019 from the Monterey SPAC - early Covid period. We knew one of the vets there so were the 1st to look at her early that Saturday morning. Anyone seeing/meeting her first would have accepted her. (we were lucky!) She was 6yrs old from the Central Valley/Fresno area and already had her name, which we love.

They took this pic when we got her and included it in their newsletter. Mona looks so confused! She was a scrawny 6lbs when we got her and is now 8lbs.
View attachment 4843021
She looks big when fluffed-up (the Pomeranian side) - but is very nicely proportioned under her double-layer of fur.
View attachment 4843022
Mona is very compliant when it comes to bath-time.
View attachment 4843023
Mona and her shadow on the Santa Cruz beach.
View attachment 4843026
Click to expand...
I think she's plotting your death in the one where she's looking at you in the kitchen sink. Better sleep with one eye open, lol.
 
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#224,895
GBassNorth said:
Well, the verdict is in…
The 21 NR is a keeper! Full review below…

Played very well with everything I could throw at it - swing, classic rock, smooth jazz, French cafe, country, big band, Irish folk, Middle East, waltz, grunge, blues, pop, funk, and even polka.

The weight on this one is a light 8 pounds but the weight is all in the body, ZERO neck dive on a strap and incredibly well balanced when sitting (much better than any Fender I own). The stock strings are ok but I think the pups are calling for a bold flat (non cobalt, have that already, maybe GHS Precision flats or La Bella Deep Talkin Flats). The voice of this bass is currently very much in line with the modern Tbird sound, it’s not Eppi VP aggressive but not quite as laid back as my 2013 Gibby anniversary bass either, about halfway between the two but leaning more towards the Gibby.

Quality control was spot on with this one. I’ve gone over it with a sharp eye and can’t find a flaw anywhere, except a smidge of clear coat on the side of the nut. Action is typical of most of my birds, about 5/64ths at the 12th fret on the open E with just a cursory set up. Once I get the final strings on it I’ll finalize the set up, so it may drop a bit lower. I did raise the neck pup up a bit to increase volume. The tone knob on this bird has a tad more action in it than my other birds, I’m setting between 3 and 5 most of the time vs 0 and 3. That means I have a bit more bottom end on tap if I need it and still plenty of top end left. I’m not overly sensitive to different neck sizes, this one is comfortable and does feel a bit rounder and fuller than most of my other birds.

So where does it sit in my Tbird line up - sound wise - a hair below the 1977 Greco, and tied with the Acaica/BlingBird/Capped Goth for second place. The Greco IV would be next followed by all the others. From a playability standpoint - the Acaica is on top but this NR is a very close second with the excellent balance and quick fretboard.

Would I mod anything - I’d consider dropping a VP pup in either the neck or bridge position to add even more flexibility to the sound options. I’d also consider a nickel bridge cover to hide the 3 point and a claw to give it a bit more vintage look, but none of those are truly necessary, just personalizing if I decide to do them.

Overall I’m beyond very pleased with my anniversary gift! This is as good a bass as any modern Gibby Tbird, maybe better than most.
Click to expand...
Nice review, George. Two flats I thought sounded the the best for my tastes (which I don't think stray too far from your's), would be Pyramid Golds in the top spot and in second place La Bellas. GHSs just didn't get past the OK level. The two best rounds are SIT Power Steels and GHS regular Boomers. Both sound equally good, just a little different.
 
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#224,900
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