Thunderbird Club

[Stealth57]

In the early 80s, a traffic engineering firm[1] I worked for use a program called Transyt 7. It could analyze data for up to fifty signalized intersections in almost any arrangement and spit out suggestions for timing and coordinating the signals based on how you wanted to optimize flow.[2] Pretty complex. Our biggest run took 30 seconds on a CDC Cyber 74 (one of the better supercomputers at the time), 30 minutes on a DEC VAX 11/750 (a great minicomputer), and 30 hours on the just released IBM Personal Computer. I admit to being a bit underwhelmed with the PC (never mind that DOS 1.0 was a farce).

I'd love to know how quick that run would be on a Thunderbird, but I don't have a copy of the input data, or a FORTRAN compiler for a Thunderbird of any stripe.

[1][ JHK, once a part of Peat-Marwick, later bought by PRC Voorhees who was bought by someone else, IIRC
[2] One gets the impression most cities don't bother to run such programs.

You’d likely end up in an infinite do-loop. It’d just print out BUY IT, BUY IT, …

 

[RedVee]

I forgot drafting. Some schools had vocational tech and offered things like auto, moderate welding, carpentry, etc. I still remember metal shop teaching saying something like, "Look guys, you don't have to go to college to have good job with good pay." (Poor area where he knew college was not going to happen or be a waste for most.) He was right and you didn't start adult life in debt!

i don’t know if this is the same thing or not but in years 7 & 8 they gave us a taster, 1 term or 1 year (can’t remember), if various subjects. We would then need to pick a couple of them for years 9 & 10.
Anyway one of them was called Tech Drawing. Big desks, large paper (with grids?) special grade pencils. I actually wasn’t too bad and did ok if a little bit messier than optimal.
I should have gone on with it though I’m not 100% sure it lasted. I think it was one of those subjects that had been taught forever but were phased out during my time at high school, like Latin.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I decided to get some of my own music out of my system. I've been recording ideas and stuff at home for the past two years and with the help of my friends collaborating I'm finally getting them released. Doing it under an alias like Copeland did his Klark Kent thing for example. It takes the pressure off since I hate the spotlight. So it's not really me, let's just say I manage the guy, OK?
Here's the first song.

Nice!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I like thunderbird bases, we should start a club….

Quit trying to change the subject.

 

[JIO]

The only bass I've seen with its own towel hanger .

I think it was designed for the bass-player in "The Golden Pretzels" ...

 

[JIO]

If you are calling San Mateo south bay, you are definitely from the City.

... ok, Peninsula...

 

[JIO]

Quit trying to change the subject.

good one

 

[Ringhammer]

Jeez! I was on carriers offa the 'Nam in 66-67.

I was living my first year of life.

 

[Gaolee]

I was going to take it in high school, but I was already in the sights of the bullies among the jocks, and they made it clear "only faggots take typing, and you know what happens to faggots around here".

I took typing. The jocks didn't ever bother me much. Some of 'em tried. But oh well.

 

[Gaolee]

Nitpick: The VAX was a DEC minicomputer. The 360 was an IBM mainframe. Worlds apart in philosophy, cost, etc.

360 is a bass amp. What is this IBM?

 

[TBird1958]

just after the 12th fret shot............... I cannot put this bass down, except for rehearsal - I don't want my bandmates bumping into it's precious headstock!

 

[GBassNorth]

Just a quick string update.

I’m always on the quest for good sounding and good feeling strings for my basses and have pretty much come to realize that no one string is great on all basses. I do make a real effort to try lots of string options on a given bass until I find what works best. Along the way there’s successes and failures. I’m chalking this one up as an epic failure.

A week or so ago I installed a set of GHS Precision Flats on my 21 NR. They replaced the stock round wounds that came on the bass. Observations…

1) Nice purple silk at the tuner end, horrid sloppy non silk overwrap at the ball end that extended over the saddles (I hate that, more a function of the three point bridge though).
2) String length was generous to a fault - the E string ended up wrapping around the tuner post well beyond the silk and taper, and into the full size portion of the string, which began to bind on the tuner nut (I’ve snapped tuners off before when this happens, so I was sweating bullets while bringing it to pitch).
3) Tension was high but fairly typical of most flats. Fretting wasn’t a problem, certainly not floppy.
4) Smoothness was typical of a flat, easy and quiet slides, no tacky feel, no sharp edges, no significant gaps in the wrap.
5) Sound couldn’t have been more lackluster. Note definition was destroyed. Everything was total bottom end with a weird top end ring if the tone knob was anything less than half way up. With the tone knob maxed on high the bottom end became thin and it was all upper mids.
6) IMHO This string is a dismal match for the darker pickups of a Modern Tbird or new NR. They literally sucked the character and life out of the bass. Might be better suited for the brighter more aggressive pickups of a VP or maybe a Bicentennial but not this bird, probably not a Goth fit, maybe not an Eppi IV or CP fit either.

Today I removed the Precision Flats and installed EBCFs on the 21 NR - Soooooo Much better sounding. Again, the wraps are in the saddles, I’m thinking I might need to put a claw on this puppy like Greco does. I’ll do a EBCF review in a couple of weeks, until then, I’m just gonna be thrilled with how nice the 21 NR sounds (with the right strings).

 

[PhR75]

Dig it - strong voice your singer has. Are you using a POG? (octave effect)

Thanks! No POG, it's a 12-string Waterstone bass in stereo. The guitars went through MXR Dynacomp. Synth is Yamaha CS-5 mono synth.
All straight to the desk (or "DAW" as it is said now), I didn't know about IR technology when I did the backing track.

 

[JIO]

Thanks! No POG, it's a 12-string Waterstone bass in stereo. The guitars went through MXR Dynacomp. Synth is Yamaha CS-5 mono synth.
All straight to the desk (or "DAW" as it is said now), I didn't know about IR technology when I did the backing track.

cool

 

[JIO]

just after the 12th fret shot............... I cannot put this bass down, except for rehearsal - I don't want my bandmates bumping into it's precious headstock!

You really need to play that bass in your band, otherwise you'll never get to hear it the way it's supposed to sound.

 

[PaleAngel_90]

I was going to take it in high school, but I was already in the sights of the bullies among the jocks, and they made it clear "only faggots take typing, and you know what happens to faggots around here".

I'm sure they felt great when the 90's and the 00's came around... If they lived long enough to see that, that is...

 

[PaleAngel_90]

I think it was designed for the bass-player in "The Golden Pretzels" ...

Or for Prince, he was that weird.

 

[PillO]

Again, the wraps are in the saddles, I’m thinking I might need to put a claw on this puppy like Greco does.

Or switch the bridge out to a Babicz or Hipshot...

I’ll do a EBCF review in a couple of weeks,

I’m just gonna be thrilled with how nice the 21 NR sounds

The NRs sound absolutely fantastic. Love mine.

 

[MCF]

Based on your recommendation I tried to buy one but got sold out from under me.

They’re becoming harder to find.

 

[godofthunder59]

Smoke sucks!

But I do love that Gibby!

Just out of curiosity, what’s the distance from the 12th fret to the centerline of the pickup on your vintage Tbird II?
I suspect it’s not the same as either pup location on the vintage IV.

Also, I just noticed that pickup spacing on the vintage NR IV is different than the standard vintage IV. Is there a noticeable difference in sound between the two? I suspect @godofthunder59 knows the answer to that if no one else does.

Pickup spacing is definitely different! The neck pickup is moved forwards about 3/4" of a inch on the 2021 NRs. I moved the neck pickup back to the 60s position on my Inverness Green '21 NR. This location definitely gives the bass more authority than my unmolested sparkling burgundy '21 NR.