Thunderbird Club

[RedVee]

Looking forward to experimenting with it.

It even has an fx loop!

View attachment 4913106

I look forward to your report. I recall others praising them and I got a bit interested in them but I guess a possum* ran past and I forgot all about them.

*We don’t have squirrels.

 

[godofthunder59]

Well, you could post a photo of it and say "look at this imitation D.A. bass! It's such a blatant copy, it even sounds like a real one!"

Therein the problem lies, it sounds better than a original.

 

[GonePlaid]

There in the problem lies, it sounds better than a original.

 

[KaraQ]

I look forward to your report. I recall others praising them and I got a bit interested in them but I guess a possum* ran past and I forgot all about them.

*We don’t have squirrels.

Same here, I just happened to hit up their website again a few days ago, and saw they had them for $40 off ($59.99 instead of $99.99), figured I really couldn't pass that up

It shipped quick, and only took a few days (showed up today, 5 days ahead of schedule) to get here.



So far, it's pretty cool. Nice sound, at least with my 5-string sr885le, and at 1/2+ volume it'll push my Peavey 215D at volumes plenty loud enough for my living room



Edit:
I checked my email, apparently I ordered it on 12/20, it shipped on 12/20, and I got it today 12/24.
Pretty good imo, especially considering the longer shipping times that are normal this time of year

 

[GonePlaid]

Same here, I just happened to hit up their website again a few days ago, and saw they had them for $40 off ($59.99 instead of $99.99), figured I really couldn't pass that up

It shipped quick, and only took a few days (showed up today, 5 days ahead of schedule) to get here.



So far, it's pretty cool. Nice sound, at least with my 5-string sr885le, and at 1/2+ volume it'll push my Peavey 215D at volumes plenty loud enough for my living room

I listened to a demo. Pretty cool.

 

[rocknrolo]

Tell us more about what you’re looking for.
Gibson or Epiphone or Other?
Active or passive?
Vintage or modern?
Beater, fixer upper, clean or pristine?
Burst or painted?
Four string or five?
Collectible or regular?
Will you be Gigging with it or mostly played at home?
Under $400 or under $800 or under $1200 or under $2000 or sky’s the limit?
Reverse or non reverse?

With answers to those, I’m sure we can find some good leads for you. This entire club is full of enablers (myself included).

Edit: just saw your latest post after I posted mine. Any color Gibson narrows it down and is very helpful. Those typically start around $1200 and up for a clean no issues one. There’s some smokin hot deals on some NRs right now. If you can find a 2015 for under $1800 they’re a hot deal too. If I see anything out there I’ll post and ping you.

My ideal would be a Gibson Thunder I’ve Reverse. Color doesn’t matter too much just live the shape and feel of the body. Not to into the non reverses or the epiphones. Price 1000 to not more than 1500 if possible and I am totally ok with used as I will be gigging with it.

 

[KaraQ]

I listened to a demo. Pretty cool.

It seems pretty solid too, the housing is aluminium?, and the knobs & switch seem at least decent quality.

 

[PaleAngel_90]

Anytime, why don't you just buy a Rickenbacker? Grecos a lot cheaper in Spain?

Because I can buy a Greco cheaper than a Rickenbacker, I don't have 2'5K + lying around, you know? Last I checked Rick's were Expensive, Greco's are cheaper, with similar quality from what I've heard... Why pay 2-3 K € when I can get something similar for a fraction of it? I don't care about legacy brands, just quality end product.

 

[PaleAngel_90]

Well the Gibson thunderbird I was looking to buy fell through. That is two for two. Definitely let me know if anyone has a good lead on one?

Look for a seller with good balance of reviews, PM them and ask for detailed pictures, look for flaws or possible damages, if the T-Bird is in good condition offer to buy it, right then. Don't wait, auctions or biddings are (in my opinion usually a waste of time, high chance that you'll be outbid)

 

[PaleAngel_90]

Holiday/birthday gifts for me, courtesy of $$ my dad sent me

View attachment 4913085

I thought for a moment that the red box was a Discman, but no, it's not.



I like shopping for my own presents, almost 100% guaranteed to get something I want or need

 

[GonePlaid]

Because I can buy a Greco cheaper than a Rickenbacker, I don't have 2'5K + lying around, you know? Last I checked Rick's were Expensive, Greco's are cheaper, with similar quality from what I've heard... Why pay 2-3 K € when I can get something similar for a fraction of it? I don't care about legacy brands, just quality end product.

If you bought a Greco copy of an Italian made bass gee-tar, would it be Greco-Roman?

 

[BklynKen]

I can't think of dead spots I've encountered as strings age, but I'm interested in the Fusion winding since it's offered on the David E., er, Power Wounds.

Its just grammar. Nothing more than a human construct.



I'll fix my error next time.

According to SIT, the Fusion ones are brighter in the lows and miss, which appeals to me. We'll see.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I never knew why. It’s a really good record.

Yeah. Several of us here have referenced it recently. Hard to overlook good music in Thunderbird Club.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

What you did is actually the British way of doing it. It looks stupid to us, but is actually more logical to me since it's the actual end of the sentence, not the actual end...and one more grammatical mark.

Right. There are places for punctuation inside quotes but it should not be a universal concept.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Got to use the Greco for the first time this evening. About 45 minutes worth of Christmas carols. We ran the gamut from O Holy Night to Away in a Manger to Go Tell it on the Mountain. Mellow to a bit rocking with a phaser to punchy with distortion, and it sounded brilliant on all. My left hand slightly prefers the necks on my CP and VP, but it’s still a killer bass. My other basses told me their names right away. This one hasn’t so far.
I played through two stacked Rumble 100s chained together. Twice the wattage isn’t twice the volume, but the stacked cabs move a lot of air. I had to turn the volume down quite a bit to not overwhelm the mix - just an acoustic guitar, a mandolin, and vocals.

 

[MCF]

Sometime in early 2023 I'm told.

Thanks!

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Turns out, the new cap & a new fuse holder, makes the Acoustic 150b work. Mostly?

View attachment 4913089




It still has what I assume is an issue......the volume never really turns off. On either channel.


Unless that's normal for 50 year old Acoustics? (seems unlikely)



Pots are a bit scratchy, and the "bright" switches don't seem to do anything, so I get to have more fun figuring that out

something wonky with your PCB or signal interconnect grounding….play an open E note and while it rings ground the “hot” side of the pot in question (with alligator clips for example) and see what happens…

 

[Gaolee]

Tell us more about what you’re looking for.
Gibson or Epiphone or Other?
Active or passive?
Vintage or modern?
Beater, fixer upper, clean or pristine?
Burst or painted?
Four string or five?
Collectible or regular?
Will you be Gigging with it or mostly played at home?
Under $400 or under $800 or under $1200 or under $2000 or sky’s the limit?
Reverse or non reverse?

With answers to those, I’m sure we can find some good leads for you. This entire club is full of enablers (myself included).

Edit: just saw your latest post after I posted mine. Any color Gibson narrows it down and is very helpful. Those typically start around $1200 and up for a clean no issues one. There’s some smokin hot deals on some NRs right now. If you can find a 2015 for under $1800 they’re a hot deal too. If I see anything out there I’ll post and ping you.

There is a 2015 on Reverb for about that price now.

 

[Gaolee]

Turns out, the new cap & a new fuse holder, makes the Acoustic 150b work. Mostly?

View attachment 4913089




It still has what I assume is an issue......the volume never really turns off. On either channel.


Unless that's normal for 50 year old Acoustics? (seems unlikely)



Pots are a bit scratchy, and the "bright" switches don't seem to do anything, so I get to have more fun figuring that out

Not normal. Sixty cycle hum is inevitable, but the volume works.

 

[GBassNorth]

My ideal would be a Gibson Thunder I’ve Reverse. Color doesn’t matter too much just live the shape and feel of the body. Not to into the non reverses or the epiphones. Price 1000 to not more than 1500 if possible and I am totally ok with used as I will be gigging with it.

Here’s my top 5 picks for the day…

A Studio Tbird, relatively rare, built a bit different from non Studio models, very nice sounding, might be a bit heavier than most Tbirds…
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A 2014 anniversary Tbird, only year with the 12th fret anniversary flag…
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Good price on a pre 2000 model…
Gibson USA Thunderbird IV 1996 Vintage Sunburst (S/N:94016567) (12/19) | Reverb

Not a Gibson by name but virtually the same at half the price, Epiphone CP models have Gibson pickups and sound exactly like their more expensive cousins. Visually almost identical to the Gibson as well. Of the five basses listed this would be my second choice
Epiphone Thunderbird Sunburst | Reverb

Also not a Gibson, Greco basses are getting harder to find at reasonable prices, many in the club hold these in higher regard than most modern Gibson Tbirds. Quite possibly the perfect gigging Tbird bass, absolutely a monster bass. Of the five basses I’ve listed here this would be hands down my first choice…
Greco TB-700 TB-70 1990 Black BK Thunderbird IV Electric Bass Fujigen MIJ w/ Gator Bag | Reverb