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Thunderbird Club

#251,801
GBassNorth said:
When I joined this club I had one Tbird shaped object. Soon it became two. Then a third and fourth. A few years ago I had enough birds to play a different one every day of the week. I’m now bumping up against having enough to play a different one every other day for a month. When I get to the point where I have one for every day of the month I’ll start to taper off. I guess my personal limit would be a different Tbird for every day of the year, I don’t think I’ll hit that limit anytime soon.
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I'm narrowing down my boids, when I'm done I'll have my 3 7enderboids (one is an exploder but close enuff), and one Gibstone, and one Epimoefoam

I like the NR's more than I thought I would. but I'll only have the headless and 21.

only one of the 5 will have frets... for now
 
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#251,803
Beer and an eight ball victory.

IMG_5645.jpeg
 
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#251,813
Chucky Stiletti said:
just trying to get you to like NRs…..seems like this is The NR Thunderbird Club these days…..:D:smug:
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They are somewhat more ergonomic, but I think because the shape is a bit more 'traditional'(?), B/Ls are less likely to have a problem with them-at least in my case. I don't think any big band leader I've ever worked for had the slightest clue that I was playing my 67 NR TBird, especially being a more traditional(?) color.
I do still occasionally kick myself in the arse for not also grabbing the blue NR that was next to it at Rudy's. I had the $$, just didn't feel a need for two(it was 1973.Who knew it'd be collectible?)
 
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#251,816
GonePlaid said:
Yeah, I've been pretty happy with mine as an alternative to the irreplaceable(at least to my finances)67NR.
View attachment 5101887
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With fully functioning VPs going for $400, you could maybe unload that old bass that only 1 of 2 pickups actually working and get you something of an upgrade. :bag::whistle:
 
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#251,818
dagrev said:
I had what I think was a '66 J decades ago. Someone had stripped the body and (poorly) made it a nasty shade of natural. I stripped it and finished it in black. I got it cheap and ended up trading it for either the '55 Pbass or '64 Thunderbird. It was a vintage shop and the guy gave me more than I paid and I only gave him $100-150 extra, IIRCC. He was excited to see it. Something about the fretboard seemed to catch his attention. Scalloped maybe--if that was even a thing then. Had lollipops, which are so cool. I was happy with the trade, but always wondered why he was so interested and happy to get it. Playing wise I came out ahead as I like my '55 and without question the '64. Monetary-wise, I almost certainly came out ahead if everything were sold today. This doesn't matter to me. I was happy then and now. I've got an old pic someplace I need to dig up.
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Early '66 J's (like mine) made from Jan thru June '66 are more rare/valuable by the numbers. (only so many made during this 6 months) They have dot/bound necks and lollypop tuners. In July '66, block/bound necks replaced the d&b fb and continued through the '70s. '66 was the 1st full year of CBS/Fender (CBS officially owned Fender in July '65) and they guitars and basses were essentially the same as a "pre-CBS" Fender, which are more valuable/sell for more $.

As far as a scalloped fb goes... that must have been a mod as Fender never had a bass with scalloped frets. They did have scalloped frets on a Strat, the 1990 Yngwie Malmsteen sig model. Interestingly, Fender/CBS introduced angled frets on their Marauder guitar in the mid '70s. Only a few prototypes were made and it never made it to production.

Later in the '80s, Fender made a headless bass prototype in collaboration with Staccato -
upload_2023-6-22_9-41-51.jpeg upload_2023-6-22_9-47-32.jpeg ... and another of their own design - upload_2023-6-22_9-46-59.jpeg Ned Steinberger and Phil Kubicki were already making their groundbreaking headless basses then.
 
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#251,820
GonePlaid said:
They are somewhat more ergonomic, but I think because the shape is a bit more 'traditional'(?), B/Ls are less likely to have a problem with them-at least in my case. I don't think any big band leader I've ever worked for had the slightest clue that I was playing my 67 NR TBird, especially being a more traditional(?) color.
I do still occasionally kick myself in the arse for not also grabbing the blue NR that was next to it at Rudy's. I had the $$, just didn't feel a need for two(it was 1973.Who knew it'd be collectible?)
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great point you bring up….it’s easy to tell someone to F Off when they tell you to play a Fender (or something more trad than a reverse for example) but when it’s the BL and he/she’s cutting your checks…..
 
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