Thunderbird Club

[veebass]

'55 in '74...

Sold it to a guy from Sweden when I got my first T Bird in '77 for $400.

Love the white ones!
Shorts are cool too- I had a pair similar around the same time.

 

[bylar13]

Since we are talking amps used with Thunderbirds and online shops, I got this from Sweetwater for $200 less than retail as it was an open box. It was a super easy transaction and they called me a couple of time to make sure everything was good. This is the first new amp I have purchased since my Peavey MegaBass in 1988.

This amp, with the Lollar equipped Thunderbird, gets real close to the JAE Quadrophenia era tone. Really fun. It is sitting on top of the first bass amp I bought in 1985 a Peavey Combo 300.

Playing a gig on Saturday and get to use this amp and the t-bird for the first time, in front of an audience. Can't hardly wait!

 

[Christine]

LOL - Officially soding off now sir!
God I wish Gibby would come out with an exotic wood top offering on the TBird.
Actually, at this point, I just wish they'd come out with a darn TBird!

Only joking as you know, post them as many times as you like, they are always worth looking at. To me they are a reminder why I like Gibson in the first place but they do make me jealous, they are truly gorgeous

 

[JIO]

'55 in '74...

 

[Christine]

Except it's not book matched

Speaking as a furniture maker not a luthier but that looks like as perfect a book match as you're likely to get from sawn rippled Maple/Sycamore, are you seeing something I'm not or are you just taking the piss out of @GBassNorth? American humour can be lost on us straight laced Celts sometimes

 

[GBassNorth]

Speaking as a furniture maker not a luthier but that looks like as perfect a book match as you're likely to get from sawn rippled Maple/Sycamore, are you seeing something I'm not or are you just taking the piss out of @GBassNorth? American humour can be lost on us straight laced Celts sometimes

As a previous owner of a couple of vintage Les Pauls, one of which was book matched flame maple I just chalked it up to some light hearted ribbing. No blood, no foul. Carlo is a class act and we both have thick skin, all is good in Birdland.

 

[Christine]

As a previous owner of a couple of vintage Les Pauls, one of which was book matched flame maple I just chalked it up to some light hearted ribbing. No blood, no foul. Carlo is a class act and we both have thick skin, all is good in Birdland.

I'm not having a dig, I just don't understand the comment, the bookmatcing looks perfect so it must be a poke at you; which is fine, I can live with that

 

[kat888]

I'm not having a dig, I just don't understand the comment, the bookmatcing looks perfect so it must be a poke at you; which is fine, I can live with that

A lot of people living with a lot of things at the moment. Next thing you know, someone will break out the industrial-sized Marmite and we'll all be rolling around in it...

 

[Christine]

A lot of people living with a lot of things at the moment. Next thing you know, someone will break out the industrial-sized Marmite and we'll all be rolling around in it...

Now there's a thought I shall carry with me for the rest of my days

 

[Klondike]

First thing I gotta say is wow you guys sure know how to move this thread! I didnt check in ine day and the thread had mived eight pages!

Now i have never really been a fanboy of the SG style, the last year or so it is warming up to me with some of the other color swatches besidrs the red cherry i believe @GBassNorth you also have one of the yellow burst?? I do like how that looks. And this Maple is completely blowing my mind! inthink I'm going to be a convert, she's ansolutly georgous.

I suspect the highly figured maple on that Hamm back is thin veneer. Unlike the massive slab Gibson used on this bass...

There's enough flame maple in the Gibby cap to veneer 30 basses.
And a frontal shot to show the flame...

Certainly not the cheap and easy photo flame or veneer approach here. Just goes to show that when Gibson wants to do it right they can hit it out of the ballpark.

 

[Dadagoboi]

Speaking as a furniture maker not a luthier but that looks like as perfect a book match as you're likely to get from sawn rippled Maple/Sycamore, are you seeing something I'm not or are you just taking the piss out of @GBassNorth? American humour can be lost on us straight laced Celts sometimes

I'd have to hunt down GBass's pic again but you're probably right. There's too many seemingly perfect '59 LPs in my head.

 

[Klondike]

I'd have to hunt down GBass's pic again but you're probably right. There's too many seemingly perfect '59 LPs in my head.

Look at the post anove yours, that pic os there.

 

[kat888]

First thing I gotta say is wow you guys sure know how to move this thread! I didnt check in ine day and the thread had mived eight pages!

Now i have never really been a fanboy of the SG style, the last year or so it is warming up to me with some of the other color swatches besidrs the red cherry i believe @GBassNorth you also have one of the yellow burst?? I do like how that looks. And this Maple is completely blowing my mind! inthink I'm going to be a convert, she's ansolutly georgous.

The SG body feels very compact, especially compared to a Bird and it's one of the quintessential hard/glam rock body shapes.

 

[Dadagoboi]

Look at the post anove yours, that pic os there.

Got it. Overall it's stunning!

To nitpick: match below the 3 point is off, mineral stain line above the pickups, and a hinky band between them .

I'm the kid who came home with a 98 and his father wanted to know why he didn't get 100...can't help myself. Mea culpa.

 

[Korladis]

The Spector's finish isn't as well leveled in the center of the body as this MIK $200 Hamer (foto flame) Slammer.

I like how it looks better.

Of late I'm just bringing a single 4x10 Goldline to a lot of our shows when we have good FOH and I've worked with the sound guy, the SBXs are upstairs and are my ridiculous practice rig.

Here's a shot of my settings, the only thing that changes from playing at home vs. band rehearsal/shows are the positions of the volume knob (left, it goes up a to maybe 10:00) and the woofer knob (right - to what's needed).
Treble @ 12:00
Hi Mid @ 11:00
Lo mid @ 2:00
Bass @ 10:30

For what my bands needs from me, this works really well. I prefer some note distinction so it's not overly bassy and travels out into the room. Of course everybody's different so, to each their own.

Very similar to the settings I used with my drummer's GK, though I dimed the volume and had the boost turned up really high as well.

There's quilt and there's quilt. The Spector catalogue shows a spectacular piece of 5A quilt on its page for this bass, customer's is maybe 2-3A IMO.

My made in Korea Washburn Stu Hamm has better quilt on its back side than the Spector's front considering it cost 1/5 the price.

See, that looks good. Maybe I just like quilt only on natural finishes.

Ummmm. You guys can order this bass at any time. Mine was reserved/confirmed 3 weeks ago with Sweetwater.

****ing sweet. Going to try one when they start showing up in stores.

I admit it, I did 'doctor' my TRC ... but only to remove the works 'TBird Pro IV', cos it is no longer and never will be again. Epiphones are good enough for Paul Weller, John Lennon, Sonic Smith, etc and I'm pleased as punch to have one of my very own.

My TRC doesn't say epiphone, but only because it doesn't say anything, as it's that custom metal one.

It's times like this that I need to be able to press "like" multiple times.
You might enjoy my "small headstock P Basses". I have a few with the big headstock as well.

All that chrome!

I much prefer the single coil, small 'Tele' head style of P...

Same. If I was going to put together a Warmoth, it would probably have a similar look to a Dusty Hill, with the reversed small headstock.

I'm not having a dig, I just don't understand the comment, the bookmatcing looks perfect so it must be a poke at you; which is fine, I can live with that

Bookmatching is one of those things that TB seems to care about a lot that I just really don't.

The SG body feels very compact, especially compared to a Bird and it's one of the quintessential hard/glam rock body shapes.

It's very popular in doom metal. Probably because of Tony Iommi.

 

[Christine]

Bookmatching is one of those things that TB seems to care about a lot that I just really don't.

I almost agree with you, I prefer painted guitars or sunburst over plainer woods but having been a furniture maker for most of my working life (and probably will be again soon on a very small scale once I leave work) I appreciate a nice job. I have one way or another spent a realistic 25 years bookmatching woods on an almost daily basis. I love the effect of it, much more than a single piece of wood. When used with some thought and sympathy the end result can look streets ahead of a single piece of wood although that isn't always the case.

 

[Gaolee]

A lot of people living with a lot of things at the moment. Next thing you know, someone will break out the industrial-sized Marmite and we'll all be rolling around in it...

That's just wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong! It should be jello.

 

[Gaolee]

Now i have never really been a fanboy of the SG style, the last year or so it is warming up to me...

I don't much care for SG shaped bass guitars. I would like an SG with six strings. Those look right, and having played one now and again, I can say that they generally feel pretty good, too. They are usually lightweight, compared to a Les Paul or ES335. I'm not sure why ES335s are heavy, but they often are in my experience. My EB-2 is fairly heavy as well.

 

[Korladis]

I don't much care for SG shaped bass guitars. I would like an SG with six strings. Those look right, and having played one now and again, I can say that they generally feel pretty good, too. They are usually lightweight, compared to a Les Paul or ES335. I'm not sure why ES335s are heavy, but they often are in my experience. My EB-2 is fairly heavy as well.

Don't they have a big block running down the middle?

 

[Gaolee]

Don't they have a big block running down the middle?

Yes, they do. That's part of the weight, for sure.