Thunderbird Club

[MCF]

Finished getting ten basses in this house dialed back in to perfection. It took some work, but it feels good to have completed the maintenance while I had some down time.

The SBMM Ray 4 ended up getting a new battery and a slight TR tweak.

The LPB Precision only needed a bit of cleaning. The seven year old Chromes on it are nicely broken in. It’s a great bass.

I still need to restring the Aria acoustic guitar. But I’m feeling a bit strung out, so another day for that.

I also have a Squier Strat that needs attention, but not this weekend. And I still need to get the bridge saddles sorted on the Silvertone. The basses up at the mountain place will get some TLC later, probably in the fall.

Off topic Saturday. Something you might not see in Hebron, KY. That color might be better than Pelham Blue

View attachment 5133152

With matching tractor.

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No color is better than Pelham Blue.

 

[MCF]

Another treat that arrived yesterday. The Ducks - High Flyin’. A one off by the legendary Santa Cruz Mountains bar band. They were: Bob Mosley bass and vocs, Jeff Blackburn guitar and vocs, Johnny Caaviotto drums and vocs, and some guy named Neil on guitar, harmonica and vocs.

 

[Ringhammer]

what color is the body? pic maybe?

This one is “natural” and it has turned butterscotch color. I’ll dig it out in awhile and take a pic.

 

[GBassNorth]

I just saw this from SD - maybe it would work for your D-bird?

HyperSwitch™ | Seymour Duncan

Wow - that is some very cool kit right there. Makes me want to design and build a three pup bass around it. The DBird unfortunately utilizes three split P pickups so no coil splitting capability and therefore probably not a good match for the SD Switch. But three Tbird coil splittable pups would work fantastic with that switch, and I know where I can get some.

 

[GBassNorth]

I let mine hang free.
View attachment 5133077

LOL - The old silks on saddles muting technique.
I hate it when I get windings or silks on the saddles, but with tapes I’m not so sure it would make any difference.

 

[Stealth57]

LOL - The old silks on saddles muting technique.
I hate it when I get windings or silks on the saddles, but with tapes I’m not so sure it would make any difference.

The reason to get a Mod Bar for the three point bridge.

 

[GonePlaid]

So long as you intonate with the 7th fret….

Close enuff fer jazz.

 

[Engle]

I let mine hang free.
View attachment 5133077

I like to let ball ends decide on their own orientation.

 

[JIO]

Looks sketch - but has no detrimental effect on the tone/sound or tuning to pitch. Didn't want silk on the zero-fret as it would deaden the tone. It's a l-o-n-g bass and these were the longest strings I could find.

 

[MCF]

LOL - The old silks on saddles muting technique.
I hate it when I get windings or silks on the saddles, but with tapes I’m not so sure it would make any difference.

I doubt it matters. I’m just glad to have replaced and properly installed the strings. Stuck with the DA tapes as an experiment. They certainly are different. In a good way.

I still can’t believe the Thunderbird came strung like this. Butchered way too short and, well, like a guitar player did it.

Now all is right with the world again with new strings and installed correctly.

 

[KaraQ]

.........

No color is better than Pelham Blue.

I have to dis-agree on this point - this is obviously better

LOL - The old silks on saddles muting technique.
I hate it when I get windings or silks on the saddles, ........

I've never been able to hear any difference, but maybe that could be related to my preference of playing mostly with a pick?

 

[GonePlaid]

This is what they look like now after dialing in the intonation. The Peterson strob tuners are perfect for this task.
Intonation is dead on now.
View attachment 5133080

In truth, with all my basses-since I don't use open strings much-I find tuning the open just slightly flat gives me the rest of the string(s) in tune all the way to the octave. Good enuff. Especially going inandout of typical FL humididity affecting overall intonation.

 

[GonePlaid]

I have a red jag SS (- well technically it belongs to my daughter). Its actually very nice, except for the neck dive.
It needs lightweight tuners.

As she is a tall-ish young lady who plays upright, I'd think that thing would feel 'puny' to her.

 

[MCF]

I like to let ball ends decide on their own orientation.

As do I. Lining them up straight can work. But letting them be au natural insures proper intonation and avoids weird sounds that sometimes comes from a twisted string.

 

[Stealth57]

I like to let ball ends decide on their own orientation.

Would you expect anything less?

 

[MCF]

The reason to get a Mod Bar for the three point bridge.

Really haven’t felt the need to yet on the basses I have except maybe for the Goth. For some reason, that Thunderbird is a difficult problem child at times.

 

[GBassNorth]

There is a pickup hack thread for those basses showing how to add a magnet. I’d find it for you, but The TB search tool and I aren’t friends. The hack is said to work well.

I came close to getting one of those before 7ender came out with the MIM Mustang. I played one in each color through an Ampeg combo. They sounded decent with the P pickup only. This was at the Sam Ash store in Cerritos on Artesia. I went there for the specific purpose of buying one. The fretwork on all three was awful and soured me on getting one. They were cheap though, $229 IIRC.

How are the frets on yours? If they’re ok, I could be persuaded to take it off your hands…let me know and I’ll bring some extra cash to the GTG.

I’m familiar with the bridge pickup magnet hack but never bothered to try it. I bought this bass on line and was never really happy with it but always too busy to return it. I won’t sell a bass to a private party that has a functional design flaw or is not 100% so this one goes off to the GC glue factory with full disclosure.
That said, I do want to move some other very desirable Guitars and Basses that I just don’t play much anymore. You might be very interested in some of them, I’ll PM you.

 

[GBassNorth]

Off topic Saturday. Something you might not see in Hebron, KY. That color might be better than Pelham Blue

View attachment 5133152

With matching tractor.

View attachment 5133153

There’s some very upscale property in and around Hebron that would make that car and tractor look perfectly at home. The Peacock on the other hand, might not winter so well there.

 

[GBassNorth]

Looks sketch - but has no detrimental effect on the tone/sound or tuning to pitch. Didn't want silk on the zero-fret as it would deaden the tone. It's a l-o-n-g bass and these were the longest strings I could find.

View attachment 5133219 View attachment 5133222

Barbed wire at the D string zero fret, the perfect Punk Rock bass!

 

[GBassNorth]

I doubt it matters. I’m just glad to have replaced and properly installed the strings. Stuck with the DA tapes as an experiment. They certainly are different. In a good way.

I still can’t believe the Thunderbird came strung like this. Butchered way too short and, well, like a guitar player did it.

View attachment 5133215

Now all is right with the world again with new strings and installed correctly.

View attachment 5133229

All looks better now for sure!