Thunderbird Club

[Bassmike62]

Late to the party again, but saw a few posts on earlier pages mentionning Youtube as a practice tool. I also use it, on some mixes you can hear the bass better and you can slow down the tempo, which is useful.

I also use this little application, which uses MP3 files and allows for both pitch and tempo changes and also has (limited) EQ capabilities. You can also suppress the vocals, but almost always takes the bass out as well, for some reason. Been using this for probably close to 10 years, most bands I've played with are tuning a half step down. There are some latency issues when playing with pitch & tempo, but I still find it quite usable.

Here's the link
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[dagrev]

Live at Pompeii is sooooooo good.

Not PF. But for whatever reason, I like "Live in Gdańsk."

 

[BklynKen]

I have a set in my FrankenGoth along with an Aguilar OBP2 preamp. If I set the onboard preamp flat on both bass and treble I get exceptionally crisp clear piano like notes (and that’s with La Bella Black Tapes). Plenty of bass and treble and a nicely balanced midrange. Not nearly as Woolley as the TB+ pups, more hifi.

If I boost the bass the Tbird gets very dark very quick and it puts out an incredible amount of earth shaking lows, much more than my Greco even, but that’s probably more a function of the preamp than the pickups. If I boost the treble it gets brighter and louder but never harsh or unusable. I normally run the bass with a very slight bass boost and flat on the treble.

Interestingly, most all of my Tbirds overlap each other to a degree in tone, some darker, some brighter, some more mid focused but on most of them I can find a setting that will very closely duplicate the sound of one of the other birds. Not this one. I think the FrankenGoth goes lower, and higher than any of my other birds, and it’s an all around cleaner more defined hifi sound. How much of that is the pickups, and how much is the preamp I don’t know. Because of the clear ringing notes I do think it would be an excellent bass to use in conjunction with pedals or for recording and chord or harmonics work. It’s not the bass I reach for if I’m playing classic rock, but if I’m playing along with piano or acoustic guitar music it’s my go to bass.

Are these the T4CBC? Either way, I guess this is apples and oranges because you're running it active.

 

[TBird1958]

Will, working the frets....... at my house.

 

[Haji]

The video quality is quite dodgy... Sounds good though!

If we weren't already called Bite the Zombie, Quality is Quite Dodgy would be better name.

Thank you for the kudos!

 

[Haji]

Gary Garry Beers is on TB these days, and making his own basses. I think he is based around LA somewhere now.

I gotta see what he's doing! Several years ago Gruhn's Guitars here in Nashville got two of his tour used G&L basses. The paint was awesome. It was silver metal flake so big I think it'd have to be called metal chunk. Looked like a broken disco ball. They were super cool.

 

[Thumper]

As the year winds down, I'm just curious to know what your #1 bass is, and if it changed from last year. My #1 this year and last year is one I had the body and neck made and bought all the parts and had assembled:

 

[JIO]

I usually listen and follow the drummer whenever I decide to do fills* etc. with him. Of course he listens to me too, or at least I hope so.

*Needless to say I listen to him (and everybody in the band) when playing straight too.

Listening is underrated

 

[Haji]

As the year winds down, I'm just curious to know what your #1 bass is, and if it changed from last year. My #1 this year and last year is one I bought all the parts and had assembled:

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Both of my gig basses these days are Squier Contemporary Actives, one Precision and one Jazz. Previous to that it was my '88 Charvel 4B and my ETBIV. I sold the Epi a while back due to financial difficulties at the time (a major car repair), and the Charvel is becoming too valuable to play punk with.

 

[JIO]

As the year winds down, I'm just curious to know what your #1 bass is, and if it changed from last year. My #1 this year and last year is one I bought all the parts and had assembled:

View attachment 4904180

Got this bass (Grass Roots/ESP/Bass IV) this year (Feb) and it's become my most played since. It joins an elite club of basses and will be played live on Sunday afternoon J1 (my B-day) at Winters Tavern in Pacifica w/TSC's.

 

[Thumper]

Both of my gig basses these days are Squier Contemporary Actives, one Precision and one Jazz. Previous to that it was my '88 Charvel 4B and my ETBIV. I sold the Epi a while back due to financial difficulties at the time (a major car repair), and the Charvel is becoming too valuable to play punk with.

I was really asking about #1, not most played or most gigged. A photo is a plus

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

This!
I have a Greco II with flats that sounds phenomenal, but if I’m playing classic prog rock I turn to my Greco IV with boomers.

what classic prof rock do you play?

 

[GBassNorth]

Listening is underrated

There’s a lot of truth to the old saying, God gave you two ears and only one mouth so you’d listen twice as much as you talk.

 

[BklynKen]

As the year winds down, I'm just curious to know what your #1 bass is, and if it changed from last year. My #1 this year and last year is one I bought all the parts and had assembled:

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That's a good question. No, nothing's changed. 2013 Gibson Thunderbird. Same #1 for going on 10 years now. I love the hell out of this thing and would be fine just having this if I had to get rid of all but one.

 

[dagrev]

As the year winds down, I'm just curious to know what your #1 bass is, and if it changed from last year. My #1 this year and last year is one I bought all the parts and had assembled:

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My #1 for years. Nothing seems to be capable of dethroning it. Almost as old as I am.

 

[dagrev]

FYI: Strings and Beyond is having 20% off a number of manufactures. DR, GHS.... No affiliation, but have been a happy customer for a number of years.

 

[GBassNorth]

As the year winds down, I'm just curious to know what your #1 bass is, and if it changed from last year. My #1 this year and last year is one I bought all the parts and had assembled:

View attachment 4904180
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2022 was a good bass year for me. I finished the BlingBird, traded a Jazz for the Pink Sparkle NR, and was gifted a new Gibson NR by the wife. As with any new bass in the honeymoon phase they tend to be the ones I focus on for a while. The bass that’s right there with them in play time however, is my capped Korean Goth from many moons ago. So I suspect, when the dust settles and the honeymoon is over my two go to basses will be the capped Goth and the BlingBird.


If the question is more geared towards - if you had to off all your basses but one, which one would you keep? Very tough decision, but I’d probably have my Alembic Dragon Wing as my last man standing bass. It plays wonderfully and is pretty much irreplaceable at any reasonable cost…

 

[JJR58]

FYI: Strings and Beyond is having 20% off a number of manufactures. DR, GHS.... No affiliation, but have been a happy customer for a number of years.

They've been my new go for a few months now.

 

[GonePlaid]

As the year winds down, I'm just curious to know what your #1 bass is, and if it changed from last year. My #1 this year and last year is one I had the body and neck made and bought all the parts and had assembled:

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View attachment 4904210

This(has been my #1 since 1973):

 

[GBassNorth]

what classic prof rock do you play?

Pink Floyd and similar.