Thunderbird Club

[RedVee]

So, at the risk of being OffTopic - I was chatting with Donnie @dagrev and we reckon it must be 40 years (early 80s) since we have driven a car with a “3 on the tree” column shift manual gearbox. Further, we reckon a column manual would be an effective car theft deterrent.

Any of you fine folk driving a column manual car? Or have sometime in the last few decades?

 

[KaraQ]

So, at the risk of being OffTopic - I was chatting with Donnie @dagrev and we reckon it must be 40 years (early 80s) since we have driven a car with a “3 on the tree” column shift manual gearbox. Further, we reckon a column manual would be an effective car theft deterrent.

Any of you fine folk driving a column manual car? Or have sometime in the last few decades?

I learned to drive manual on a "three on the tree" - an old Chev 6-cyl from the 70s, 2wd short bed, base model truck that my granddad bought (well used) from the AFG plant where he worked. Spent hours & hours in his back field with that truck, until I had it worked out.

Later, once upon a time, I had a '68 F100 for a while, that had that transmission. Another base-model, 2wd short bed truck. Difference was, the Ford had a 390 big-block V8 from the factory

 

[OllyW]

Congratulations on your new Thunderbird, let me know if you'd like me to add you to the club roster

Yes please.

 

[RedVee]

I learned to drive manual on a "three on the tree" - an old Chev 6-cyl from the 70s, 2wd short bed, base model truck that my granddad bought (well used) from the AFG plant where he worked. Spent hours & hours in his back field with that truck, until I had it worked out.

Later, once upon a time, I had a '68 F100 for a while, that had that transmission. Another base-model, 2wd short bed truck. Difference was, the Ford had a 390 big-block V8 from the factory

A 390 with 3 on the tree? Wow, I would never have thought that was a factory combination!

 

[GonePlaid]

I learned to drive manual on a "three on the tree" - an old Chev 6-cyl from the 70s, 2wd short bed, base model truck that my granddad bought (well used) from the AFG plant where he worked. Spent hours & hours in his back field with that truck, until I had it worked out.

Later, once upon a time, I had a '68 F100 for a while, that had that transmission. Another base-model, 2wd short bed truck. Difference was, the Ford had a 390 big-block V8 from the factory

My first van was a 69 Ford Econoline, 302, "3 onna tree". Later had a 78 Econoline with a 300-6 an 3 plus o/d on the floor. My next-that I owned-was a 79 COE Freightliner, C290/10 speed, followed by an 87 F/L longnose, C350/9 direct. And others that belonged to the various companies I drove for.

 

[RedVee]

Oh yeah, it's got to be, geofencing but usually VPN's solves that problem. I can't watch American TV out here with out it. If I post a video sometimes without my VPN on you guys can't see it.

yep, there is a bunch of stuff that I can’t view but at the same time there are a heap posted that I can view.
I figure it is a setting from the original poster / copyright owner.

Easy if you're me. Me "dancing" is something you never want to see. In fact, they don't even call it dancing when try. A man's gotta know his limitations. I will groove a little while playing bass, but that's it.

I was once told that when dancing I look like the gopher from Caddyshack…. I don’t think it was a compliment!

 

[GBassNorth]

So, at the risk of being OffTopic - I was chatting with Donnie @dagrev and we reckon it must be 40 years (early 80s) since we have driven a car with a “3 on the tree” column shift manual gearbox. Further, we reckon a column manual would be an effective car theft deterrent.

Any of you fine folk driving a column manual car? Or have sometime in the last few decades?

I didn’t own it, but while in high school I did drive my friend’s Chrysler Newport home from a party when he was too drunk to drive. It had a 383 and three on the tree. Certainly wouldn’t be my transmission of choice with an otherwise nice 383 engine, but then again, a Newport wouldn’t have been my car of choice for a 383 engine either.
I could be mistaken, but I think my sister had a column shift in her 1956 Ford F100 pickup truck. How she drove that truck I’ll never know, she was all of five feet tall.

 

[RedVee]

Dad moved onto automatics (column) by the late 60s so I didn’t drive any of his. But his elder brother left his HQ Belmont (161ci) 3 speed (base model, base engine, base transmission) with us after he bought Dads Torana off him, for us to sell for him. I drove it around a few times until my sisters boyfriend bought it. The clutch was dodgy so it wasn’t at its best.
Next I was working at the ATO (Aust Tax Office) and had to do some digging around for old records. So they gave me a couple of cars to use for a while while on that project. One was a Datsun Bluebird (4 on floor) and the other was a Ford Falcon with 3 on the tree. I got to get used to driving it and found it quite good. I could see why people wouldn’t bother with an automatic, as apart from hill starts the 3 speed was just about as easy to drive.

 

[PillO]

So, at the risk of being OffTopic - I was chatting with Donnie @dagrev and we reckon it must be 40 years (early 80s) since we have driven a car with a “3 on the tree” column shift manual gearbox. Further, we reckon a column manual would be an effective car theft deterrent.

Any of you fine folk driving a column manual car? Or have sometime in the last few decades?

Last time I saw 3 on the tree was in the early 80s. GM made a bunch of one model of car (Chevy Malibu I think) for export to Iraq all with 3 on the tree. The order was cancelled and the cars were sold off cheap.

 

[cmassa]

Playing 6 hours over two nights after not playing at all for more than 3 years was a real test for me, I managed, but not without paying a price, my body is sore and both hands ached quite a lot on Saturday morning, a couple doses of Advil really helped, same thing today too, being 64 is a Bitch.

72 here. I use Voltaren. Patch and/or gel. Take a trip to mexico, much more affordable at mex pharmacy.

 

[dagrev]

You may have to adjust the volume on this a little.

Thanks for the review and glad they are a big improvement. Money well spent since the bass sounds like it plays nicely and just needed some sonic assistance. Hopefully you will enjoy grabbing that one more often not that is sounds better.

 

[Count Bassie]

Here's a washed out sounding demo from about 1977, I liked the song but this demo sounds terrible, it was done in a good studio too, it may be a 100th generation cassette or something. I wish I still had that bass, an either 1967 or 68 CAR P bass with an early rosewood fretless neck that I destroyed with rotosounds.

I have to chime in, that's a cool time, good sounds, good bass playing. Not really such bad degradation, and I like what tape does anyway. (Say what you must, tape is unreplaceable as a recording and listening medium).

 

[Count Bassie]

You may have to adjust the volume on this a little.

That's a good sound. Nice playing too, I've always liked that tune.

 

[dagrev]

Was it A-11?

Seriously? It's the new and improved version of A-1 Steak sauce.

(I have no clue either unless it refers to a selection on a juke box or the like. If not that, I'm sticking with steak sauce.)

 

[Count Bassie]

So, at the risk of being OffTopic - I was chatting with Donnie @dagrev and we reckon it must be 40 years (early 80s) since we have driven a car with a “3 on the tree” column shift manual gearbox. Further, we reckon a column manual would be an effective car theft deterrent.

Any of you fine folk driving a column manual car? Or have sometime in the last few decades?

I had a Ford F-100, a '67, with three on the tree. It was old and started falling apart so I let it go... Now I see it as a mistake. But I liked that old tank.

 

[dagrev]

Always wanted to play/hear a 2 P-pu Fender.

I did that to a mid-70s Pbass I had long ago. I like Precisions so I thought why not add another set in the J position. I don't remember much about that bass other than I didn't have it but for a year or two, so it must not have turned any cranks for me at the time. Then in 1bout 1983 Fender started doing that (and more) with the Elite Basses.

 

[heatheroo1]

I didn’t own it, but while in high school I did drive my friend’s Chrysler Newport home from a party when he was too drunk to drive. It had a 383 and three on the tree. Certainly wouldn’t be my transmission of choice with an otherwise nice 383 engine, but then again, a Newport wouldn’t have been my car of choice for a 383 engine either.
I could be mistaken, but I think my sister had a column shift in her 1956 Ford F100 pickup truck. How she drove that truck I’ll never know, she was all of five feet tall.

I learned to drive manual transmissions in HS on my brothers pickup with 3 on the tree. I had a job in college delivering furniture for a reupolsturing place. They had a Ford van that no one could drive because it had a 3 on the tree manual trans so, naturally, I got that. The synchros were shot on it, so it couldn't be downshifted while in motion. You had to plan your attack when climbing a hill...get up a good head of speed.....go as far as possible then drift over to the shoulder, stop, downshift to 1st and start over. Good times......

 

[Ringhammer]

Always wanted to play/hear a 2 P-pu Fender.

I have this combo on a bunch of my p-basses. In fact I only have 3 p-basses that are still standard single pickup.

This is a ‘74 that someone had cut a j pickup in and then someone else had filled in. The neck came on a later (lighter) Fender body, and he sent the original body, unfinished, primered, with the filled j-pickup, along with the sale. I put a ‘69 P-bass neck on the other body, and re-united this original body and neck, routed in the 2nd P and had refinished in Olympic White by MJT. Currently has a standard Lollar in the stock position and a Lollar “high wind” in the bridge position.

This one, even though it’s one of my heavier ones, gets a lot of use. It’s tuned to D-standard with DR DDT’s 55-115, and handles this combination of low tuning and big string perfectly, with good low action and and virtually no fret buzz.

I really find I like the double P setup, kind of a “better than a Jazz” Jazz sound. And a bonus, it puts a pickup to anchor my thumb on in the perfect (for me) spot to hit the strings.

I’d love to get a Thunderbird with the double-reverse P setup, I’d just be afraid once I heard it, all my regular double P Precision basses would never get played again.

 

[GonePlaid]

72 here. I use Voltaren. Patch and/or gel. Take a trip to mexico, much more affordable at mex pharmacy.

Walmart* has their own version(same stuff)at a lower price.

*assuming they haven't all closed in yer area

 

[JJR58]

100% better than what was there before, in the video it has some Ken Smith 45-105 Rock Master Stainless rounds on it that are easily a year old, I'm thinking I may go ahead and put some SIT Powersteels on it. The pickups are much fuller sounding than the EY Guitars ones and I like that, they don't quite have what a Lull has going on, but they're pretty nice.

They sound huge!
But i agree on your comparison to the EY's and Lulls.