Thunderbird Club

[MCF]

Technically no, just a trim ring around the neck pup is all that’s required.



^Pretty much this^
Above all else it has to sound good, once past that it has to feel good (weight, ergonomics, fret ends, neck size…) then a very distant third is how it looks.

I will admit that in the looks department I do have a couple of NoGo lines that I’ve drawn, where regardless of sound and feel I ain’t buyin it, namely Lakland basses. I’ve played a few that sounded and felt very nice, but I just can’t get past that butt ugly bridge. Their only bass that remotely looks nice with that bridge is the semi hollow body, the rest don’t inspire me in any way shape or form to even pick one up. And Antigua finishes that have aged to baby poop green don’t really appeal to me either. But that’s about the only exceptions.

For me it’s the “modern” G&L headstock.

 

[Roger W]

One mans 'blech' is another mans 'ummm' ...but at least we both agree on how it plays!

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Yeah, totally aware my likes and dislikes are unique to me and I'm surprised when other people share some of my tastes. Where it's been bad in the past is when I turn my nose up at stuff other people like just because they like it; I was a real late bloomer in finding David Bowie about 5 years before he passed away.

 

[WillyW]

 

[GBassNorth]

 

[TBird1958]

Beautiful job on the neck change. What strings did you settle on? Does the reverse tuners give you a tighter E string?

Chris, I went with a new set of the D Addario that you had on it, they sounded really good! It’s got a great tone, I’m just going to do a little work on the head stock, adding a little bird water slide decal and it will be done!

 

[Instagator]

My vote goes for Dakota Red, with a black guard (or even white pearloid). I've painted the back of my 79 Les Paul standard in dakota red (body front is my darker version of tobacco burst). Fiesta to me is too pale, & candy apple though great, is too much to get right. Dakota is my prefered fender shade of red xD

Dakota Red? I would agree.

 

[JIO]

I’m not particularly a huge Jazz bass fan, but put a nice Fender bridge cover on that baby and I’d rock it. One of the better looking jazz basses I’ve seen.

It's a vintage 1966 body with an early '66 dot&bound neck that Dan Ransom built to '62 specs. Neck finished by Pat & body by Marty Bell. Authentic custom lollypop tuners (before Gotoh offered them), Fender PV'74 pu's, a (no longer available) Santillian ToneStyler dial-able cap rating, push-pull series/parallel harness, and a Spitfire tort pg.

a beautiful slab of Brazilian rosewood also...

 

[Engle]

I’m going to be a bit more adamant. Since I’ve never met any of you all in person, it’s possible that, like some fish species, some of you have eyes that extend out of your heads on stalks and you can look back at yourself while playing bass. I’m mostly blind in one eye and wear glasses so even if my eyes could extend out of my head, they’d bump up against my lenses. Yeah, it’s nice if a bass looks cool in the rack/stand, but I really care about feel, including balance and weight, followed by sound followed by looks. I’ve sold basses and guitars that looked cool as hell, but felt bad (2 Gibson Explorers and SGs come to mind) and kept a white (blech) Jazz with a bound fretboard (double blech) because of its great neck and sound.

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I have normal eyeballs that don't extend out on stalks .

But I do play gigs and most of the time I see photos and video of me playing my basses soon afterward.

The second bass I bought 4+ decades ago was an EBO, and I still have it. I'm really used to the way it sits on a strap and that has carried on in my other choices.
Gibson style basses with the strap button on the back of the heel feel good to me.

I also have a P and J shaped objects, that are also tarted up so they don't look "run of the mill".

 

[GBassNorth]

It's a vintage 1966 body with an early '66 dot&bound neck that Dan Ransom built to '62 specs. Neck finished by Pat & body by Marty Bell. Authentic custom lollypop tuners (before Gotoh offered them), Fender PV'74 pu's, a (no longer available) Santillian ToneStyler dial-able cap rating, push-pull series/parallel harness, and a Spitfire tort pg.

View attachment 5233314
a beautiful slab of Brazilian rosewood also...
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That’s all the right stuff!

 

[MCF]

This is the only time in my life I wish I lived in Florida. A great price for a great Berg NV212T cab.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/bergantino-nv212t.1627379/

 

[MCF]

I’ve always wondered if the keyboard player is you.

 

[JJR58]

So which is closest to whatever is in the Greco birds?

IMO, Sidewinders.

 

[WillyW]

I’ve always wondered if the keyboard player is you.

“I’m not homeless”!

 

[The EDP]

IMO, Sidewinders.

Are those the sort on the Bicentennials and the other '77-'79 'Birds? I get confused as I've also seen, on occasion, the EB0 type p'up (the mudbucker) referred to as a sidewinder - is that right, are they the same as those on the '76-'79 'Birds?

 

[JIO]

That’s all the right stuff!

BGB - Bond Girl Bass

 

[JIO]

Are those the sort on the Bicentennials and the other '77-'79 'Birds? I get confused as I've also seen, on occasion, the EB0 type p'up (the mudbucker) referred to as a sidewinder - is that right, are they the same as those on the '76-'79 'Birds?

More or less the same - neck-hugging location makes it a mud-bucker.

 

[Stealth57]

BGB - Bond Girl Bass

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I tried to make it out the door with it at Winter’s but my legs failed me.

 

[Engle]

Are those the sort on the Bicentennials and the other '77-'79 'Birds? I get confused as I've also seen, on occasion, the EB0 type p'up (the mudbucker) referred to as a sidewinder - is that right, are they the same as those on the '76-'79 'Birds?

Sidewinder refers to the orientation of the coils. This the 60's EB pickup:

The 70's Tbird sidewinder has coils oriented this way, but it's a different pickup.

 

[Stealth57]

For you '64 IV types, is the neck set or through?

 

[The EDP]

Sidewinder refers to the orientation of the coils. This the 60's EB pickup:
View attachment 5233463

The 70's Tbird sidewinder has coils oriented this way, but it's a different pickup.

Aha! Thank you, do they sound very different, the two types of sidewinders? Or does the orientation effectively make them sound similar?
If they do indeed sound quite different are the '70s ones popular amongst the club - or do folk prefer the repro 60s one on the current NRs?