Thunderbird Club

[GBassNorth]

Got my vote.

I’ll second the motion!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

That’s breathtaking! If you get a ‘57 or ‘59 I’m movin in with you!

I like the ‘57 model best in the C1 series, but only because it’s my birth year. I like the C2 model best for its racing heritage with ‘67 as my favorite year. I had two C3 models, a ‘71 and a ‘74 but my favorite year for the C3 would be ‘73 with the rubber nose and chrome tail look or the ‘69 for the high performance engine options. At the time of the C4 launch I really liked that model and almost bought one but I’m kinda glad I didn’t, I don’t think the look aged very well compared to previous models. The current offering is a super car by any standard except cost and has a definite Ferrari vibe, but I’d still take a ‘57 or ‘67 over it.

The current model is the first one in years I thought looked worthy of the name.

 

[GBassNorth]

I replied to your post with tongue planted firmly in cheek. George is one of the Club members here. But maybe he should start doing builds for us…

LOL - I could do that but to be honest I’m more of an inventor/tinkerer than a manufacturer. I like to hot rod and fine tune vs build.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I’ll second the motion!

 

[GBassNorth]

I thought as much but wasn’t sure if it would violate a soliciting rule here on the forums to ask GBNorth directly

LOL - and don’t forget Prosecutors will be be Solicited to the full extent of the law.

 

[JIO]

Yes. I had him do a Tiger Eye burst stain on the body and IIRC a Wolfgang stain on the neck. The goal was to make the flame pop but still stay in line with expected Tobbaco Burst norms of the Tbird world. As always, he hit the nail on the head.

Thought so - Pat is the man. He did amazing work on my last two custom basses -

 

[JIO]

Cool - a SoCal GTG! I’ll keep you posted. @JIO does come south occasionally for cycling events just south of Santa Barbara. I told him I’d meet him in Carpinteria for food and drinks when he’s in town, you’re welcome to join us. Better yet would be if he could make it another 30 minute drive from there to my house where we could all dig into some bass gear while we have food and drinks.

Beth & I are overdue for a Carpinteria visit. Maybe early in the new year after the holiday smoke clears. I also want to make the further south trip to Van Nuys to finally meet Pat in person. It'll just take figuring out a week that works.

 

[GBassNorth]

Thought so - Pat is the man. He did amazing work on my last two custom basses -

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@AlexMG
This (@JIO) is your guy for an innovative and immaculate built custom bass. He has so many great builds with so many cutting edge and player centric features built into his designs. Plus he’s a great guy to converse with on pretty much any topic.

 

[GBassNorth]

Beth & I are overdue for a Carpinteria visit. Maybe early in the new year after the holiday smoke clears. I also want to make the further south trip to Van Nuys to finally meet Pat in person. It'll just take figuring out a week that works.

Pat is about 20 minutes south of my house. If you time it right I might even have a bass body to drop off with him for finishing. Would be neat to treat him to lunch that day as a thanks for all the great work he’s done. He’s a bass player in a local band here and has a couple of nice amps and cabs in his shop. I’ve not heard his band play but he’s such a modest guy, I’d imagine he’s a very good player.

 

[Stealth57]

LOL

And for the record, there isn’t a single schmuck in this club, just tons of really cool players with really cool basses and really cool interests.

I try hard. I guess I need to try harder.

 

[Count Bassie]

They seem to be very polarizing amps, people either love them or hate them. A club out here has one as a house amp, the tone controls are not very intuitive and I had to start a thread here on how to use them. Once I learned how the thing impressed me but I would never buy one.

I think Markbass sounds like plastic. That's my from-the-gut impression. No sir, I don't like 'em.

 

[MCF]

Agree. Cherie (BG) and I (TSC's) as BL's are very happy campers right now in terms of volume.

And don’t forget the club owner.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Even without a Thunderbird, this is just about perfect.

 

[JJR58]

Good choice on Lollars. I’m maybe going to put a set in the Pelham Blue CS LE IV. At least that’s what I want to do.

I've put down my Fenders long enough to play my Lollar loaded TBird.
Man, i forgot how good they sound.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Even without a Thunderbird, this is just about perfect.

I just went down the rabbit hole. There are some incredible versions by other artists, including Rod Stewart (Small Faces & Keith Richards, later with Carlos Santana), Beyonce in the movie Cadillac records, Jeff Beck with Beth Hart (& TAL!!!), Dana Fuchs, Tedeschi/Trucks/Haynes at the White House (standing ovation by the pres & 1st lady), and more.

 

[GBassNorth]

I think Markbass sounds like plastic. That's my from-the-gut impression. No sir, I don't like 'em.

I’ve only ever played thru one Markbass and it was a 112 mini combo at guitar center. To my ears it sounded amazing for such a small box. Unfortunately, it was priced at what I’d classify as absurd for what it was (over $1000 for a 300watt 1x12). It’s twice the cost of a comparable Fender combo and a third more expensive than the comparable Ashdown combo. I’ve looked for some used ones since then as a neat travel rig but even those are priced stupid high.

 

[JIO]

And don’t forget the club owner.

For sure. I'm the volume-level nazi (like the soup nazi... I hope it's still ok to use that term playfully...) in my band - and when we play a night with two other bands, we're usually the only band where you can hear our singers words clearly. Some of the clubs we play have marginal PA systems, so as a rule we adjust our levels so the vocals are as loud as possible before the mic starts squealing, and then we all adjust our volume to sit under that. The better clubs with better systems and a dedicated sound person are cake. I always use ear protection, but the audience shouldn't need to.

 

[JIO]

I’ve only ever played thru one Markbass and it was a 112 mini combo at guitar center. To my ears it sounded amazing for such a small box. Unfortunately, it was priced at what I’d classify as absurd for what it was (over $1000 for a 300watt 1x12). It’s twice the cost of a comparable Fender combo and a third more expensive than the comparable Ashdown combo. I’ve looked for some used ones since then as a neat travel rig but even those are priced stupid high.

Yah, I only briefly played through one in a music store. It sounded ok but as you pointed out - too costly to get interested further.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Yah, I only briefly played through one in a music store. It sounded ok but as you pointed out - too costly to get interested further.

Yeah, I ruled them out on price, too. If I were making a good living at music, sure. But it's just a side thing for me.

 

[PaleAngel_90]

For sure! Pretty glad I found about them now but had I played one earlier in life I may have laid down the guitar and become a bassist. I bought a cheap bass to record with over a decade ago and sold it shortly after, thought I didn’t care for it, silly me. Needed a bass this year and ended up getting a G2 Simmons in my hands and I was hooked. The sound kicked off my quest for P basses, Jazz basses and a couple of boutique ones but in the end the Thunderbirds give me everything I’m looking for.
I ended up getting a second one here on the classifieds and love it even more due to the neck being slimmer —a better fit for my hands. It also sounds quite different from the Simmons model. It’s in the shop now getting the microphonic pickups retrofitted and there hasn’t been a single day I haven’t missed it.
In the meantime, I’m trying to learn more about them here and through others collections/experiences as they’re the only bass that really make me curious of all the makes and models. I wish there was an in depth book or resource about Thunderbirds exclusively. If you happen to know, please point me in the right direction! Thanks!

I've got an Epiphone Thunderbird IV best bass I've ever played, from the feel of it, how comfortable and light it is where weight is concerned.