Thunderbird Club

[Chucky Stiletti]

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

yeah one of the two…can’t recall, wasn’t there thank God…

 

[PaleAngel_90]

and they would be inc

I took typing class, great way to meet girls. I was neither jock nor goo(stoner). I played lacrosse back when sticks were wood, best excuse I ever had to beat someone with a stick. My twin brother was a super jock football, wrestling and lacrosse. I had lots of older friends in HS both in the stoner camp and jock camp so I was pretty protected in HS. I never really fit in with either social circle, I was a long hair that didn't smoke pot and I really could care less about most sports.

I didn't suffered much in the way of violence in Highschool, all I had to do was give any of the jocks a slow one-over look and a menacing grin with a slow lick of my lips, either they popped a stiffy and got embarrassed but got interested or they fled like a bat out of hell, lol.

 

[godofthunder59]

I mostly kid about Jazz Bass tone. It’s just the popular sound some players think they’re supposed to get from them that I don’t care for. But it’s their music and their tone so who am I to judge. I also don’t care for JBass ergos, especially sitting. P basses are more comfortable for me. I’ll just stop complaining and go play my Thunderbirds.

Seems 90% of Jazz Bass players cite Jaco's tone, the thing is they leave the Acoustic 360 out of the equation and that amp is a big part of his tone.

 

[PaleAngel_90]

Prince & the Golden Pretzel Revolution

God, that bass of his was nightmare fuel made reality... Do you know the one I'm talking about?

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Seems 90% of Jazz Bass players cite Jaco's tone, the thing is they leave the Acoustic 360 out of the equation and that amp is a big part of his tone.

WORD…

 

[ac100X]

Exactly - is that your Baldwin Jazz Bass? Mine was missing the mute-bar, positioned under the scratch-plate. On some they were positioned on the scratch-plate. I should just make one of aluminum and polish it to look like chrome - it would be easy enough. You don't see many with the screw-down mute top section - most players removed it and ~poof~ gone forever! I was able to buy a new bridge cover from the UK and even scored the two small knurled bolts & inserts (NOS) like on this example.

Here's a lefty Vista Sonic with a complete mute positioned on the scratch-plate which was extended lower. Top part is a C-shaped bar with felt on the lower flat section. Two screws held it down over the strings. The fact that it wasn't on-off/adjustable while playing is why most were removed and lost. The original mute on Rics were like that - either on or off, no 'on the fly' adjustment. I have a thin piece of foam under the cover - mutes it just enough but lets the notes ring. (as much as flats ring!)
View attachment 4850977

Yea, it's mine.

 

[PhR75]

This has Jaco's amp sound very prominent in the mix:

 

[Syd Rayne]

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".

My Dad wouldn't let me take Art classes in high school, although I did manage one in junior high. His reasoning was that only "Sissies" took art classes. A shame, because I showed a lot of promise back then. Pastel portraiture. Comic books. It was like a candle that was snuffed out. Although he did say several times that he'd be proud of a political cartoonist - the kind who caricaturize presidents and other figures. Guess he didn't realize that you have to take art classes to get that good. He would make me read the daily ones at breakfast during my high school years. I just never got into it the way he wished. Oddly enough, he was the one who taught me at an early age how to "draw". Cars. Planes. Etc. He also got me into building model kits - which I think he later regretted - because I took that to higher levels.

The one thing I can thank him for, is making me take orchestra/band in 7th grade. I stayed with it (trombone) until 11th grade, even passing an audition for the SoCal Junior Philharmonic. Problem was, it was around 9th grade, and I wasn't driving at that age. So he had to drive me to L.A. for rehearsals. That got old real quick. I missed 3 of them, and was sacked. He wasn't even sorry. When I changed schools for 12th grade, there were no openings in any music class. About a year later my trombone in the closet disappeared. Dad pawned it. You know, he never even attended any of the shows the school(s) put on for the parents. That was a bummer.

As for Mom, she was a bit more supportive (at least of the long hair), but when I took up bass, and started playing in "garage bands", it was seen as a distraction from when I should be thinking about proper careers. I remember when I turned 31 or 32, she said I should give up the dream. Because if you haven't made it by then, you won't be making it. Thanks Mom. I wasn't playing much after that - but I've never stopped dreaming the life. Someday I hope to actually live the dream. Unfortunately, Mom and Dad are gone now, so I won't be able to prove them wrong. (Hey, at least my instruments aren't in danger of disappearing now).

 

[MCF]

who says CA can’t be like WA?…
View attachment 4849653
​

I remember having a computer class in the 8th grade at a school that was almost next to Univ. of Louisville, and they were able to tie into their computer. We did basic "programing" which consisted in asking the computer questions which had to be asked very, very basically or it wouldn't understand. It would spit out a basic answer. Then I would have completely agreed with your Dad. By the time you went through all that you could have found or worked the answer yourself. I know it was geared for eighth grade, but even then I thought this has to be the dumbest thing I've ever done. Who would waste time fooling with this?

It was well over decade before I touched a PC and that was completely different thing compared to what we were doing.

Thunderbird...
View attachment 4849677

Early adopter here. I had a Kaypro CPM based computer that I primarily used for word processing in law school. With a dot matrix printer no less. I messed around with some basic programming on it but it was pretty lame. I was able to get it to provide a decent calendar/to do list function. It died around 1988. We bought a Compaq Windows 95 machine in ‘94. From there we had various Gateway, Dell and hp PCs and laptops. I repaired a couple of them, upgraded memory and built a computer that ran early Linux. Never took a class. Our last home PC was an HP media center machine with Windows 7. I ripped CDs, converted vinyl to digital, did a lot of video stuff, etc. I gave up when it died in 2014 and, except what our jobs provide my wife and I, we’re all IOS now. I spend my spare time playing Thunderbirds.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Baldwin is only a name change from when they bought Burns.
View attachment 4850952

yeah same here, built an Altair and purchased a TRS-80 shortly after…. my dad bought an IBM XT not knowing the future was in the PC…. no one knew back then and if you told me Motorola was going to discontinue the 6800/0 series and pull out of the uP arena altogether I would have not believed you…northern CA was very Motorola centric back then because of Apple…most graphics and audio ran on those processors….

 

[PaleAngel_90]

This has Jaco's amp sound very prominent in the mix:

Farty amp?

 

[WillyW]

Does that actually work? Looks kinda suspicious if you ask me...

stained the white dots back just fine too.

 

[dagrev]

As best I can tell, the new NR pickups sound very similar to the current black plastic Tbird+ pickups in modern thunderbirds, just in a metal housing. Finding a set of TB+ pups and putting them in cans might be cheaper and easier than finding a set of 21NR pups. Unless of course Gibson should decide to treat the bass community the same way they treat their guitar community, by offering after market pup purchases.

As an alternative, I constantly hear from our Queen and others that Lull pups are the best, but they aren’t cheap. If you have a bass in mind that only needs one pup it certainly drives the upgrade cost down to more reasonable levels.

I agree, and it's more noticeable in a live setting than home. Obviously not exactly alike, but definitely more alike than different, and certainly more alike than any other Thunderbird pickups I have. So if one loves the '21 NRs, TB+ can certainly get you awfully close.

 

[dagrev]

I will at some point, but my new bandmates are a bit exuberant during rehearsal and they don't realize how expensive or fragile that bass is, so for now it stays upstairs ( Not like I don't have a bass or two to play).
I have been meaning to post a shot of the finished basement, Frank did a great job! It's a bit "sharp" right now now, but its really a nice room to make music and model trains in - potential GTG site ( and sleeping area for Jeff ) too!

Looks great!

 

[dagrev]

I get what V’s saying, loads of clumsy folks out there…add alcohol….

Definitely true. That's why I got the first VP. Was hoping to put something together with some guys I know an hopefully get a few gigs, and we know there are some special people at some gigs! Health issues for the drummer and Covid put that on hold. Covid may be not so much an issue, but his health issues still are. Hoping he can get those resolved. Anyway, the basses I've got I will play, but there are many places I won't take some of them. If nothing else, you have to keep an eye on things constantly even in places you wouldn't think you'd have to worry about. So, yes, very good point. And some don't even need alcohol....

 

[MCF]

When my wife was in college (before I went back), I noticed all the weird classes she needed to take for her "physical distribution and transportation" degree, I said that most people would be better off to go work at a company at a reduced rate and learn a skill the way a company wants it, and once that was achieved (months not years), they would receive full pay. They would figure out whether they liked that job or not (but making money), the company would be paying someone to actually accomplish a task even at a reduced rate while they trained and they would get a trained employee the way they needed, the potential employee would not be paying (getting massive debt), to go to school to learn things they didn't need but would actually be getting paid to learn a skill they would use at their job, if they chose to stick with it. If not, they learned some things and were getting paid in the process.

Even in her case most of the classes were simply filler to justify a four year degree and a four year expense. Only a fraction of what she took classes for had anything to do with the degree or a potential job. It could've literally been a one or two year degree at best.

Uh, well, topic for a different forum. I expect a few thousand colleges would disagree.

 

[dagrev]

Uh, well, topic for a different forum. I expect a few thousand colleges would disagree.

Very true. I would tend to disagree with with things that would impact my business model, reduce market share and income as well! More true of some degrees than others.

 

[bobyoung53]

Does she use Bobby Pins?

I've never seen her with any but they call them ganchos out here, so I'm off the hook on that one.

 

[MCF]

Peavey T-40? Posting incorrect pictures? Is that what we're doing?

Uh, not a T-40. Obviously. Cool bass. Sliding pickup? I would definitely rock that.

 

[dagrev]

Uh, not a T-40. Obviously. Cool bass. Sliding pickup? I would definitely rock that.

Those Ovations were cool IMO. Heavy from what I remember but cool. Pickup didn't move. But would have been a good idea like the Grabber or Ripper, whichever one did that. Ross Valory is the player that comes to mind that played one for a while.