Thunderbird Club

[Count Bassie]

I just use the tuner in my SansAmp board. Tune with harmonics, done.
I'm probably a little warped ears-wise, but I just don't want to think that much. I tend to get knotted up when I overthink. Keeping my head as empty as possible sounds crazy, but then I have room to think...

Haven't been noticeably out of tune yet.

I am reminded to go find a tuning fork in A440. I like using those...

 

[GonePlaid]

View attachment 5228984

The original was made by a company called the Electronic Dream Plant in UK late '70s.

Here's a half (*ss) improvisation I did with some overdubbing. The stereodelay is the only effect used. It's long so don't feel guilty of skipping it.

Spacey(not Kevin).

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Twosey Tues….

 

[TBird1958]

Gibson Thunderbird Pickup - New, Old Stock Vintage Bass Pickup (1970s - Chrome) | Reverb


Gibson Thunderbird Pickup - New, Old Stock Vintage (1970s - Chrome) | Reverb


For a mere $2190 you could have a set of NOS Thunderbird pickups.

Might be cool, but…

…for the same amount, set of Lollars, and a set of Novaks, and a set of Duncan’s, and a set of Gibson re-issues, and probably some money to spare.

Did the original or 70’s Thunderbirds use three point mounting for the pickups?

I like '76 pickups a lot, to me they sound best when you can give them some volume, get the amp working a bit.
Were I looking for pickups today, I have to say that I'd buy the Gibson 2021 NR type, they sound great and are at a good price.

 

[Stealth57]

I think it's a "sammon".

I'd expect that from Willy.

 

[Stealth57]

I came for the looks and the sound, and I stayed for both.

That's what she said to you?

 

[Stealth57]

Octave harmonics are not normally that far from the open. I usually compare the harmonic and 12th fret. Keep in mind you should press down as much as you would when playing and make the neck is supported so the action is the same as when you're playing.

I do...given my lack of talent, the difference between the 12th fret and harmonic is not going to be noticeable.

 

[TBird1958]

3 screw goodness on my '77.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

3 screw goodness on my '77.

like minds….

 

[JIO]

After a few days with it, I’m thinking about neck alone, neck + middle, middle alone, neck + middle + bridge, bridge + middle, and bridge alone. The combination not included is neck + bridge. The middle and bridge pickups are roughly the same distance from the bridge as the pickups on. Jazz. The pickups are not identical and this G3 is set neck vs bolt on, but there is potential. I’d want to get a new pick guard to make that change so that I could return it to nearly stock.

The Bass IV can do N+B, (or any combination) but my 3-pu '63 Burns of London Vista Sonic doesn't offer that combination either, and also doesn't offer M alone.

Wild Dog (reverse wired to be M+B) / Treble (B) / Bass (M+B) / Contra Bass ( N)

 

[KaraQ]

......... Trust your ears.

This is a bad idea for me, at least for fine detail....I'm lucky to be able to hear the difference in a semi-tone sometimes

Intonation is commonly a compromise - I've only ever had one bass (out of lots) that I could set the bridge saddle from the 12th fret note/harmonic and every note on the fingerboard was bang in tune. I add 2 or 3 more fretted notes to my checklist and adjust until all 5 (or 6) checks look close enough on my strobe and clip on - I'll check the 15th/17th fretted notes and the 7th fret. On both my tuners (Peterson Strobostomp 2/TC Electronic clip on) I've found I've a little wiggle room back and forth with the saddle once it's "in tune" and it'll still be in tune - so I concluded that to mean "in tune" is a wider parameter than I expected so I use the other notes/frets to get it finely tuned. And I definitely hear the difference from all my instruments since I started doing it this way - much more detailed checking - which was only in the last year.
There is also the possibility that the slotting of the fingerboard was not as precise as it could have been, that will also have an effect on intonation. Fret job could do too - but you'd likely see that, if the frets look squiffy!

Maybe? obviously, probably the easiest bass to set intonation on that I've owned is my multi-scale Ibanez.
All the way up to 24th on all five strings, easy-peasy

 

[JJR58]

like minds….
View attachment 5229210

Indeed!

 

[GonePlaid]

This is a bad idea for me, at least for fine detail....I'm lucky to be able to hear the difference in a semi-tone sometimes




Maybe? obviously, probably the easiest bass to set intonation on that I've owned is my multi-scale Ibanez.
All the way up to 24th on all five strings, easy-peasy

Intonation? Hear? Wuzzat?

 

[Engle]

View attachment 5228984

The original was made by a company called the Electronic Dream Plant in UK late '70s.

Here's a half (*ss) improvisation I did with some overdubbing. The stereodelay is the only effect used. It's long so don't feel guilty of skipping it.

That's good fun! It would be great for a planetarium show

 

[kyral210]

Twosey Tues….
View attachment 5229186

I love that transparent pick guard! Where did you get it from?

 

[JIO]

For those Tbird fans that might be Dingwall curious, here’s a great clip of a phenomenal player running a DRoc through its paces…

The #4 position is cool (series & parallel voiced together) I should have spent more time at our GTG playing yours. Is yours this model?

 

[Stealth57]

Goodbye, Tubey Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still, I'm gonna miss you

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Goodbye, Tubey Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still, I'm gonna miss you

View attachment 5229376

 

[TBird1958]

The fellow on the far right..........Watch out for that guy!

He's a shifty devil!

 

[Bassmike62]

Imagine a world w/o LZ... luckily we don't have to.

Closest I saw to threading in that universe is the movie Yesterday.
Some scenes are absolutely surreal, like the one when the main character meets a totally different John Lennon than the one from his reality.
Gem of a movie.