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Thunderbird Club

#257,382
TBird1958 said:
Frank's new Joe Bonamassa Sig Firebird, have to say, this is a freakin' cool guitar! I love the single pickup, different headstock (from standard Epi), banjo tuners, and unique burst masking. If I could only play it!

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Super cool and looks great!
 
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#257,386
Chucky Stiletti said:
although I believe that may be the original (before the II that was designed specifically as a direct drop in for FSOs) Leo Quan Badass, the II was indeed available then as my 79 Gretsch had/has one from the factory….
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I thought the II didn't come out until later, but obviously it was available by 79. People would route a cavity to fit the Badass I on Fenders and Rics in the 70's.
(I may be wrong, I often am:D)
 
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#257,387
Engle said:
Ya he is pretty loveable! And now I hear his voice when I read his posts:laugh:

Re the Rick Turner - if it is an Alembic prototype, it must have had a different bridge. Those Badass IIs weren't available in the 70's.
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Store owner Dave told me it was an Alembic Employee (IIRC Rick Turner) build from the very early 1970’s.

I took that as - It’s not an Alembic bass, but instead a personal build by an Alembic employee of the early 1970’s probably using their wood and shop. If it was built by Rick Turner, it seems a bit odd considering his speciality at the time was winding low impedance pups for Ron Wickersham at Alembic, so why use the Bartolini pickup, and why not have any Alembic type amplification. And as you’ve noted the bridge on it wasn’t available until much later also. I’d need a lot more provenance on that bass before paying anything north of $2000 for it. It was an interesting bass though, one of two that had me doing gear sale gyrations in my head to possibly make room for it. The other was the early 1960’s EBO.
 
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#257,396
GBassNorth said:
Store owner Dave told me it was an Alembic Employee (IIRC Rick Turner) build from the very early 1970’s.

I took that as - It’s not an Alembic bass, but instead a personal build by an Alembic employee of the early 1970’s probably using their wood and shop. If it was built by Rick Turner, it seems a bit odd considering his speciality at the time was winding low impedance pups for Ron Wickersham at Alembic, so why use the Bartolini pickup, and why not have any Alembic type amplification. And as you’ve noted the bridge on it wasn’t available until much later also. I’d need a lot more provenance on that bass before paying anything north of $2000 for it. It was an interesting bass though, one of two that had me doing gear sale gyrations in my head to possibly make room for it. The other was the early 1960’s EBO.
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That EBO is sweet, but have to say I prefer the neck on my 68 EBO. It's carved more like a 60's Tbird.
The Les Paul Tribute neck is similar to that earlier EBO.
 
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