Thunderbird Club

[JIO]

Let’s take a drive to see Geo.

View attachment 4919215

 

[BklynKen]

This looks fun.

 

[JIO]

I never knew Geezers back story with the Armstrong ! Geezer used John Birch a awful lot, my Jaydee Jim Lea bass is very similar to Geezers Birch and mine even has 70s John Birch pickup pickups.

Read it in a Black Sabbath story/historical overview in MOJO magazine years ago. The Brits do history well, so I suspect it's true.

 

[RedVee]

If you mean my Alembic Dragon Wing bass, that’s about $15,000 above the budget I set for this build. So it’s probably not gonna happen. Although I did find a Warwick Buzzard (Entwistle) tribute (nice name for knockoff) that is well within the budget.

I’m still leaning heavily towards an NR. Earlier this year I built the BlingBird reverse, so I kinda thought I’d try my hand at a NR this go round. After that, I’m done with buying Tbirds, I already have one of every type I’d want.

…..Well, maybe the new Rex Bird…. Ok, and I wouldn’t mind a vintage Reverse… and I guess a vintage NR to complete the picture, but that’s all! No, wait… there’s also a potential for something unique to pop up in the Mod Collection. Come to think of it, I also had in mind a complete fender right down to the tort guard and every last screw implanted into an Alder or Pine reverse body and finished in Fender Butterscotch Blonde.

Who am I kidding, I just want more birds!

yeah that the beast, tho I was struggling to remember who made it and was thinking Warwick. I must have merged the Dragon Wing and Buzzard together in my mind.
I was thinking that if you were building from scratch you could do ‘something like that’ and it could leave the house when you wanted the vibe but didn’t want to risk the original.

I’m good at thinking up projects for other people to do.

 

[JIO]

home woodshedding for Sundays 2 set show -

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Musicians Friend has some open box deals. Mostly Fender, Ibanez, etc., but there’s a red Epi SG bass and a burgundy NR Thunderbird. Not huge deals, but noticeably cheaper than list.

Sweetwater has demo deals on the Rex Brown & Gene Simmons models, and an Inverness Green NR.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

…plus, all the Slinky’s I’ve tried went from new to broken in to dead in very short order. The ones in the clip sound broken in to me, which with regular daily playing can happen in as little as a day or two IME. I do like them fresh, but unfortunately they go quick. Good thing they’re dirt cheap.

I quickly learned to love Slinkies for guitar. I learned to hate them even quicker - because ofhow quickly they broke.,

 

[Miles_ONeal]

See!!!, i knew it!
Was always in the screws.

Bunch of heretics. Hairy ticks. Whatever.

The tone is in the purple silks.

 

[dagrev]

Ok. Placed the new pickguard over the original and it looks to be a great fit. I think it looks better too.

1. Standard white
View attachment 4919262

2. Black n Gold
View attachment 4919263

What say you T’birders? Am I on the right path?

Normally I'm a sucker for the traditional white, but on the modern Gibsons with the black, I think the black and gold looks fantastic.

 

[KaraQ]

wow, talk about light weight cabs.....

 

[Ringhammer]

Ok. Placed the new pickguard over the original and it looks to be a great fit. I think it looks better too.

1. Standard white
View attachment 4919262

2. Black n Gold
View attachment 4919263

What say you T’birders? Am I on the right path?

Would that be on a Gibson (not Epi) T-Bird, possibly around a 97?
Or, better question(s), would that fit on my ‘97 Gibson and where did you get it?

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Aren’t EBCF 45-105?

View attachment 4919247

There are several sizes.

 

[WillyW]

Neck is complete, final shellac yesterday and 30 seconds of 1000 grit today.

I’ll work on the body tonight…

 

[Engle]

Always liked those basses and for the cost of admission - that one looks/sounds pretty decent. I like it being 24 fret also. Aside from the originals being very pricy these days, and also being boat-anchors, they are iconic basses.

The background story about Geezer Butler playing one; Black Sabbath was touring the US and his bass (not sure what brand - he played a lot of different basses over the years) was stollen, in Michigan (Detroit?) I seem to recall. He went to a local music store to buy a replacement and they didn't have a very good selection. They did have a Dan Armstrong Ampeg lucite bass, which he bought. He hated the way it sounded and how heavy it was and replaced it as soon as he could. It's possible these MIC knock-offs are better sounding basses. I'm tempted to buy one... like I need another bass. (but probably won't! )

View attachment 4919055 View attachment 4919056 View attachment 4919057 View attachment 4919059

I got Black Sabbath Vol4 when I was about 13. I assumed Geezer always played a Dan Armstrong for many years until I read how he ended up playing one in that picture. I can see why he wouldn’t like a short scale given how he digs in over the neck.

The Lucite tone is pretty good, but it is heavy beast.

 

[Engle]

Neck is complete, final shellac yesterday and 30 seconds of 1000 grit today.

I’ll work on the body tonight…

View attachment 4919333 View attachment 4919334

Sweet! Looks great!

 

[Stealth57]

Neck is complete, final shellac yesterday and 30 seconds of 1000 grit today.

I’ll work on the body tonight…

View attachment 4919333 View attachment 4919334

I see dead frets

 

[WillyW]

It seems our Thunderbird brother Scott has been busy with a new bass, just found this earlier today!
Pretty cool bass!

Always liked those basses and for the cost of admission - that one looks/sounds pretty decent. I like it being 24 fret also. Aside from the originals being very pricy these days, and also being boat-anchors, they are iconic basses.

The background story about Geezer Butler playing one; Black Sabbath was touring the US and his bass (not sure what brand - he played a lot of different basses over the years) was stollen, in Michigan (Detroit?) I seem to recall. He went to a local music store to buy a replacement and they didn't have a very good selection. They did have a Dan Armstrong Ampeg lucite bass, which he bought. He hated the way it sounded and how heavy it was and replaced it as soon as he could. It's possible these MIC knock-offs are better sounding basses. I'm tempted to buy one... like I need another bass. (but probably won't! )

View attachment 4919055 View attachment 4919056 View attachment 4919057 View attachment 4919059

They made a brown 'smoke' RI in 1998 which has the slide-in pu - pretty cool. I just saw this and noticed they up-graded the classic Dano bridge with brass saddles...
View attachment 4919094
...I did the same thing in my '68 Coral (Dano) Deluxe Bass -
View attachment 4919096

Geezer used the John Birch basses until "Never Say Die" album in 1978 on which he used a lot Glenn Hughes' old Rickenbacker 4001FG.They swapped basses, Glenn got a Thunderbird from Geezer if the interview from Bass Player mag is correct. What model etc.? Somebody could invite Glenn to this group...
Anyway, he still used the John Birch bass for the tour (the striped SG -style in a pic JIO posted) until he got this JayDee bass:

I also like that the Sabs were a very colorful bunch of blokes in the seventies. Geezer's fashion sense especially was very eccentric. As is his bass playing.

I never knew Geezers back story with the Armstrong ! Geezer used John Birch a awful lot, my Jaydee Jim Lea bass is very similar to Geezers Birch and mine even has 70s John Birch pickup pickups.

View attachment 4919340
I got Black Sabbath Vol4 when I was about 13. I assumed Geezer always played a Dan Armstrong for many years until I read how he ended up playing one in that picture. I can see why he wouldn’t like a short scale given how he digs in over the neck.

The Lucite tone is pretty good, but it is heavy beast.

$2 shaging 99? There goes the moratorium on spending… I need one.. who makes it? Where do I get it?

I got to hold a Geezer style Armstrong in GC Hollywood when I had no munny… before the price insanity.

I also got to play a Thunders/Kramer owned black lucite dc, but the owner wouldn’t even give me a price… and I was willing to spend… only 2 black lucite ever made…

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Ok. Placed the new pickguard over the original and it looks to be a great fit. I think it looks better too.

1. Standard white
View attachment 4919262

2. Black n Gold
View attachment 4919263

What say you T’birders? Am I on the right path?

As much as I like it with the white PG, I’m a sucker for color consistency on a Thunderbird, and I love, love, love the black & gold (as an Irishman, do not confuse that with the black and tan).

 

[WillyW]

I see dead frets

 

[JIO]

View attachment 4919340
I got Black Sabbath Vol4 when I was about 13. I assumed Geezer always played a Dan Armstrong for many years until I read how he ended up playing one in that picture. I can see why he wouldn’t like a short scale given how he digs in over the neck.

The Lucite tone is pretty good, but it is heavy beast.

Well, that's far from a vintage DA pu set-up to begin with - including a much better bridge.