Thunderbird Club

[MCF]

I dunno. The Dead Kennedys version is pretty great.

Therm’s fighting words Will. Although I love me some DK’s too.

 

[MCF]

I'm old enough to remember when the Bobby Fuller Four version was a hit and all others pale in comparison to me.

Me too. And we played that version back in the day. But the Clash version is my favorite.

 

[bobyoung53]

Me too. And we played that version back in the day. But the Clash version is my favorite.

BF4 rules!

 

[Syd Rayne]

My Dad had a still has a temper. He’s 91. But I don’t recall ever being spanked. Sent to my room, etc. but no physical contact. It was more mental. He could go for a whole day without talking to any of us. I know know it was untreated depression.

I think I'd prefer being ignored than being whipped. But that's neither hearing nor there.

 

[PillO]

When All in the Family came out - I felt like it was Dad and Mom. So very similar.

I won't deny that he beat me for a good reason. It just could have been less bloodthirsty. Mom always said he was beat by his father, and so it instilled this evil in him, which he then took out on me. Mom, being the Edith Bunker, mostly stayed out of the way. One day I managed to push her missile launch button - and she flung an empty saucepan at me. I made my Dexterity save, and dodged a blow to the head! I couldn't believe it!

One morning before school, I just wanted a bowl of cold cereal. Dad made oatmeal with lots of raisins in it. No cinnamon - just a big box of raisins. I was not fancying it. I made some comment, which drew his wrath. Pulled me out of the chair and whipped my behind with his belt. Dammit... on a school day... and I rode my bike to school.

I decided I'd had enough discipline, and upon leaving for school, I went the opposite direction. Rage quit. To Hollywood. My pal rode with me as wingman, but only part way, and he went back home. He did manage to talk some sense into me about preparations, etc. I got to Hollywood... checked out the comic book stores... and then got hungry. I had my meager lunch money - which would not buy you anything out in the real world. And like my pal said "Where will you sleep?" the reality of it all hit me. I was a runaway kid on the streets of Hollywood. So, tail between my legs, I headed all the way back home... and it was almost dusk.

School had called home to report me as truant. I forgot that would happen. So, I got whipped for that, and sent to bed without dinner. Suckiest day ever.

All I wanted was a Pepsi, but she says "No. No. You're on drugs." Sounds like this was your childhood.

 

[JIO]

HawkBucker?

You know it Jeff!

 

[MCF]

I dunno:


Drinking beer in the hot sun
I fought the law and
I won

Best sarcastic version ever.

I will argue that while great, Paul’s bass line is wonderful. Headphones needed. Live and studio versions.

 

[GBassNorth]

I had a frustrating buy funny life lesson today…

Last night I restrung the Gibby NR with Fender 7150 nickel rounds which are apparently quite a bit different in tension than the SIT power wounds I had on it before. So I put some back bow in the neck and let it sit over night to settle in before I did a full action adjustment this morning. Got everything right where I like it (about 2/32” clearance on an open E at the 12th fret) intonation perfect, witness points all complete - but noticed when I dig in on the E string I get this odd high pitched “PING” sound. Figured no problem, I probably just have the metal can pickups too high and the string is hitting them. So I lowered the pups.

Still had the ping. So I figured, hmm maybe the action is a tad too low, so I raised the action to 3/32”. Still had the PING. I thought, we’ll maybe a high fret, so I ran down the length of the fretboard on the E string to check for a high fret and got the darn ping on every single fret, even the last one! No way that its a high fret! Well, maybe it’s a twisted string that isn’t vibrating flat, so I loosened up the E string and slid my fingers down the length of the string, sure enough, the ball end did rotate about half a turn, so maybe it was a twisted string. That must have solved it. Nope! Ping still there.

I did notice the E string outer wrap (no silks on the Fender strings) was resting in the saddle, I hate that, a known issue with the 3 point. So just to see if that was the problem, I adjusted the saddle all the way forward so none of the outer wrap was touching the saddle and I brought it back up to pitch. Obviously I couldn’t keep it that way because of intonation issues but at least I could test it to see if that was the problem. Dig in, and PING! Dang, this is getting frustrating.

Well, the 3 point bridge is sitting about as low on the body as it can get, maybe it’s vibrating and touching the body somehow. So I raised the bridge up off the body. Still, PING! It’s clearly a metallic ping sound but only when I dig in, otherwise not there at all. And it was virtually the same sound regardless of the tone knob setting. Did a pickup go microphonic? Is there a wire under the pickup thats rattling in an odd way, By now I’m ready to throw in the towel.

Just for sanity’s sake I hung the NR bass up and grabbed the BlingBird off the rack. Dug in on it and I’ll be darned, the exact same PING sound. Now wait a minute, I grabbed the VP, same damn sound. I thought no way the Anniversary bird will do that with the plastic pickup covers, but sure enough it did too. Ok this is getting ridiculous!

I finally did what I should have initially done. Watched my right hand very closely and slowly dug into the E string on the NR. And there it was! What a fool I felt like. After hours of chasing my tail trying to correct something on my bass I realized, my index fingernail had grown just long enough that apparently only when digging in and only on the E string it was at just the right angle to contact the E string. Clipped the stupid nail, problem solved. Felt like an idiot.

Lesson learned - don’t automatically assume something is wrong with your gear when you don’t get the tone you want, there just might be something wrong with the player!

 

[PillO]

You should. We’re all vey nice.

It isn't the people in the cult that worry me, it is the Kool-aid.

 

[Syd Rayne]

All I wanted was a Pepsi, but she says "No. No. You're on drugs." Sounds like this was your childhood.

Well.... not really. This fellow's got a lot of uncontrolled angst. Screams a lot. Plus he's obviously a punk homeboy. I was a mild-mannered 60's kid. Regular haircuts. JC Penney clothes. Straight as an arrow. In the school orchestra. Picture a young Brian Wilson. So, honestly, there was little provocation because of image or rebellious behavior. Dad just got off on corporal punishment.

It may have been just a little wide-eyed insolence on my part. Mostly under my breath.

 

[bobyoung53]

My Dad had a still has a temper. He’s 91. But I don’t recall ever being spanked. Sent to my room, etc. but no physical contact. It was more mental. He could go for a whole day without talking to any of us. I know know it was untreated depression.

Same with my father, he was depressed since I can remember.

 

[Hondapunk]

Mother and Daughter
Meepy and Sunny Marie

 

[Stealth57]

I had a frustrating buy funny life lesson today…

Last night I restrung the Gibby NR with Fender 7150 nickel rounds which are apparently quite a bit different in tension than the SIT power wounds I had on it before. So I put some back bow in the neck and let it sit over night to settle in before I did a full action adjustment this morning. Got everything right where I like it (about 2/32” clearance on an open E at the 12th fret) intonation perfect, witness points all complete - but noticed when I dig in on the E string I get this odd high pitched “PING” sound. Figured no problem, I probably just have the metal can pickups too high and the string is hitting them. So I lowered the pups.

Still had the ping. So I figured, hmm maybe the action is a tad too low, so I raised the action to 3/32”. Still had the PING. I thought, we’ll maybe a high fret, so I ran down the length of the fretboard on the E string to check for a high fret and got the darn ping on every single fret, even the last one! No way that its a high fret! Well, maybe it’s a twisted string that isn’t vibrating flat, so I loosened up the E string and slid my fingers down the length of the string, sure enough, the ball end did rotate about half a turn, so maybe it was a twisted string. That must have solved it. Nope! Ping still there.

I did notice the E string outer wrap (no silks on the Fender strings) was resting in the saddle, I hate that, a known issue with the 3 point. So just to see if that was the problem, I adjusted the saddle all the way forward so none of the outer wrap was touching the saddle and I brought it back up to pitch. Obviously I couldn’t keep it that way because of intonation issues but at least I could test it to see if that was the problem. Dig in, and PING! Dang, this is getting frustrating.

Well, the 3 point bridge is sitting about as low on the body as it can get, maybe it’s vibrating and touching the body somehow. So I raised the bridge up off the body. Still, PING! It’s clearly a metallic ping sound but only when I dig in, otherwise not there at all. And it was virtually the same sound regardless of the tone knob setting. Did a pickup go microphonic? Is there a wire under the pickup thats rattling in an odd way, By now I’m ready to throw in the towel.

Just for sanity’s sake I hung the NR bass up and grabbed the BlingBird off the rack. Dug in on it and I’ll be darned, the exact same PING sound. Now wait a minute, I grabbed the VP, same damn sound. I thought no way the Anniversary bird will do that with the plastic pickup covers, but sure enough it did too. Ok this is getting ridiculous!

I finally did what I should have initially done. Watched my right hand very closely and slowly dug into the E string on the NR. And there it was! What a fool I felt like. After hours of chasing my tail trying to correct something on my bass I realized, my index fingernail had grown just long enough that apparently only when digging in and only on the E string it was at just the right angle to contact the E string. Clipped the stupid nail, problem solved. Felt like an idiot.

Lesson learned - don’t automatically assume something is wrong with your gear when you don’t get the tone you want, there just might be something wrong with the player!

Had that issue when I started playing, but was more the angle of my middle finger. Took quite awhile for me to figure it out. Sound was really horrendous.

 

[JIO]

Right!
Now!
Talking about bass guitars, especially Thunderbirds...

Well, urmh, I just couldn't...couldn't say no, you know...it was like it found me...it struck me...

View attachment 5015341
Can anyone please tell me what it is? The seller said it could be a Greco or a Fresher (never heard of this brand before).

Fresher is a Japanese brand with a name created to sorta' look and sound like "Fender." (mistaken brand recognition) They are decent basses that can look like a Fender or Gibson or Ric.

 

[JIO]

I have two kids of my own, and fortunately the rage discipline gene ended with my father. Only once did I spank my daughter when she did something bad - and I flashed back to when I was a kid - and I never did it again. They instead got a 'talking to' and/or privileges suspended.

It was a different time. Growing up in the '50s - spanking was not looked down on. My brother & I got our share - but nothing I would ever consider abuse, even now. We were unruly or whatever, and spanking was a deterant once being experienced. No scar's, physical or psychological. Societies advance... sometimes.

 

[PillO]

So I was at my local L&M this evening. They have one of the new Newport basses in stock. Curiosity got the better of me; I like a sidewinder at the neck and what looks like a Thunderbird pickup at the bridge.

It has an interesting sound. Not like anything else. Nice and deep at the neck, a bit crunchy at the bridge. I don't care for the controls - volume, blend, tone - I would rather have VVT. And I can't emphasize enough really ugly knobs.

 

[Nocturnal]

Fresher is a Japanese brand with a name created to sorta' look and sound like "Fender." (mistaken brand recognition) They are decent basses that can look like a Fender or Gibson or Ric.

From the pictures on the FB page, they came with a LOT of tone tweaking options!!

 

[JIO]

From the pictures on the FB page, they came with a LOT of tone tweaking options!!

The Japanese are very good at building quality instruments based on iconic guitars/basses, and sometimes surpassing the originals.

 

[Engle]

Props to that! At our age, I'd have trouble memorizing the bass parts to just ONE of those sets!

Would you actually be allowed to play that many tunes in a show....???? Gotta be like 2+ hours worth!

I did 4 sets on St Patrick's day. I was subbing so didn't have time to memorize it all.
IMO memorizing music is good for the brain, especially at our age.
And practice standing up! That's also good for you.

 

[Hondapunk]

The Japanese are very good at building quality instruments based on iconic guitars/basses, and sometimes surpassing the originals.

Not to mention MIJ Fenders