Thunderbird Club

[GBassNorth]

We’re all over the map on strings. I love EBCFs on mine, but haven’t touched a Goth.

EBCFs sound phenomenally good on a Goth as long as you’re after a deep dark tone. I’ll have one equipped that way at the GTG.

 

[Engle]

I ran my Marshall 2031 at our car show gig yesterday. It was worth the extra weight! Paired nicely with the VP.

 

[Stealth57]

I ran my Marshall 2031 at our car show gig yesterday. It was worth the extra weight! Paired nicely with the VP.View attachment 5112272

Nice capris Irv.

 

[Engle]

Discount if you two at the same time?

Two for one shipping

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Time to refin a BaCH II!

Just do it!

exactly….

 

[Mvf]

Congratulations!

Thanks!

 

[Mvf]

Congrats. I’m 62 in Jan and hoping to pack it in sometime in 2024

Sounds like a plan.

 

[bobyoung53]

I picked this as the summary; there’s more out there. As the article points out, the cathode stripping concept came from a different arena (in the Radiotron handbook, mainly referring to high wattage transmitter tubes). I learned a ton from Radiotron, BTW- highly recommended for anyone wanting to in depth in tubes).

The article claims (it’s very plausible) that Leo added it (at least in part) to keep costs down because it let him get by with cheaper electrolytics. And of course the others followed Leo. Today’s caps tend to be higher quality (so long as you buy good brands from reputable sources).

I’ve added standby switches to amps, and those I built always had them. Were I building today, I wouldn’t add one. I know lots of guitar/bass players who never bothered with standby switches. They didn’t seem to need tubes faster than anyone else.

The one place I might use a standby would be an amp pushing its limits, especially a high powered amp. That would mainly be to keep inrush current down.

All that said, I don’t see that standby can hurt anything if used as directed. It will cut energy usage a tad and help extend the life of the passives - and the tubes if they stay on during breaks, etc. vs being turned off.

I got lazy years ago and used to just leave the standby in the off position on an SVT head I owned and the power tubes seemed to get old faster so I went back to using it.

 

[bobyoung53]

hogwash…..what he doesn’t mention is that if you flick the standby switch on (off standby) prematurely (before the electron cloud fully forms around the cathode) the suddenly impressed HV on the plates will yank chunks of the electron rich thoriated tungsten lining off the cathode most definitely shortening tube life……you think experienced amp companies like Fender, Ampeg, Marshall would erode their margins with an expensive unnecessary switch?….

Exactly, anytime I see a tube amp without a standby switch I think 'cheap' and it's usually only on low powered amps. My 15 watt Reverberocket doesn't have one.

 

[bobyoung53]

Well, from 50 into 53 I felt mostly the same as the rest of my adult life, but 53 was where I really realized I’m getting older. About to be 57, so not the same as you but my work has always been pretty physical and now stuff (hands mostly) is just hurting more and longer. Plus the energy to keep doing the physical part of the work is getting harder to find.

I'm 70, I fight it, exercise, keep the fingers moving etc.

 

[bobyoung53]

How interesting. My wife contacted Craig and after seeing an ad for the white '76. (She knew I always wanted a white Thunderbird.) Told him she wanted to buy it for a Christmas present for me but had a limit she wanted to spend. He thought that was so nice he gave more on the price than he ever intended, he said.

He was helpful in discussions after the purchase with respect to it being stamped "Second" and there are supposedly no white '76 Thunderbirds. Geddy bought a Pelham Blue Thunderbird he and I talked about. Said it was his personal bass. I suppose Geddy could pay any crazy price he asked. Wasn't the case with me!
View attachment 5111639

Nice, did Geddy play through your antique amps?

 

[bobyoung53]

Not sure all that exercise really is worth it. My experience is it wears out your parts faster. So far, elbow, shoulder, abdominal, heart, knee surgeries and a torn meniscus and hosed other shoulder that haven’t had surgery…yet. Might have been better to be a couch potato.

Easy does it with the exercise, build up slowly to it. In the long run it's worth it, makes your bones stronger and helps with muscle degeneration makes your cardiovascular system stronger, etc. Sermon over.

 

[bobyoung53]

I thought it was this until I listened.

 

[Ringhammer]

Easy does it with the exercise, build up slowly to it. In the long run it's worth it, makes your bones stronger and helps with muscle degeneration makes your cardiovascular system stronger, etc. Sermon over.

Given a large part of my days are spent on my feet and often lots of ladder work, it’s hard to actually make time or energy to do ritual exercise. But I have always, for years, literally since I was in my 20’s, used stairs when working, not elevator. I consider it a bit of a gym workout while getting paid. For instance, one location I work at anywhere from one day to three days a week is a 3story building where I am usually all over the place. I must climb those starts over 20 times a day.

I do believe when the time comes that I can retire or semi-retire, that’s when exercise will become part of my daily routine. While I can be a couch potato at the end of a long workday, not so much on the weekends. I always get antsy. And given I have rehearsal 3 weekday nights a week, I don’t get much couch time during the week either.

 

[dagrev]

been in contact with a bassist in Sac who needs SVT advice/perhaps repair who may come to the GTG….says he owns a 66 burst II and a black 76….we’ll see..

Oh my! He has some Thunderbirdness going on.

 

[bobyoung53]

Given a large part of my days are spent on my feet and often lots of ladder work, it’s hard to actually make time or energy to do ritual exercise. But I have always, for years, literally since I was in my 20’s, used stairs when working, not elevator. I consider it a bit of a gym workout while getting paid. For instance, one location I work at anywhere from one day to three days a week is a 3story building where I am usually all over the place. I must climb those starts over 20 times a day.

I do believe when the time comes that I can retire or semi-retire, that’s when exercise will become part of my daily routine. While I can be a couch potato at the end of a long workday, not so much on the weekends. I always get antsy. And given I have rehearsal 3 weekday nights a week, I don’t get much couch time during the week either.

Oh yeah same here, I believe in easy does it, I don't climb stairs unless I have go either. I never make work harder than it already is. I started after
I retired.

 

[dagrev]

Found the ad write up for the '76.
1976 GIBSON Thunderbird IV "Bicentennial" Bass in Polaris White !!

One of the hardest Basses to find today is a nice clean '76 Thunderbird IV Bass in one of the Custom Colors, this one being "Polaris White" & in fabulous original shape, of the 4 color options in 1976, the White ones are impossible to find in any condition!

She's showing just a little fading to its beautiful Eggshell color, 2 killer sounding pickups, its serial # is stamped & is 6 digits making it one of the earliest from this series, it pre-dates the normal decals that all of these had that year under the finish, also stamped "Second" meaning it may have had a flaw in the woodgrain & so she was painted a solid color, super straight & 100% original having only 1 tiny stress crackle in the paintwork where a volute would be, it is only in the finish & not into the wood under this area, I guarantee this, no repairs have been made since it is purely superficial, still having a great patina, I black lighted it to be sure it was original finish. It is dead original. It took us 10 years to find this one...it'll be another 10 years finding another...if you're lucky, she's truly exceptionally clean having no mods or repairs ever, she has her original black hard case included.
----------

Built in: 1976 or 23 January 2002 (serial: 277) Manufactured in Nashville or Memphis. [Clearly not a 2002].
--
This result is a match only if the serial number is stamped on headstock Made In USA on headstock
Your guitar was made at the Kalamazoo Or Nashville Plant, USA in 1976
Production Number: ...277

Now has Roto 66s and sounds great. TI flats sounded really good as well at one time. I really ought to consider a fret job as these have little left.

 

[PhR75]

RE: Talk Talk: It's My Life

Here's a version with only bass, drums, guitar and vocals (and a distant keys). Works perfectly without "the gloss".
Not performed live, the uploader has synced it with an old mimed TV performance.

 

[Engle]

I got lazy years ago and used to just leave the standby in the off position on an SVT head I owned and the power tubes seemed to get old faster so I went back to using it.

My Marshall has "Mains" and "HT" which must be High Tension. Same thing, but you turn on the Mains, let it warm up, and the apply the High Tension.
I was thinking about selling it, but now that I played a gig with it, I'm going to use it as much as possible!

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

My Marshall has "Mains" and "HT" which must be High Tension. Same thing, but you turn on the Mains, let it warm up, and the apply the High Tension.
I was thinking about selling it, but now that I played a gig with it, I'm going to use it as much as possible!

that’s a great sounding amp…