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Thunderbird Club

#26,701
JELLIS78 said:
I'm looking at buying a used Blackbird but unfortunately won't be able to play it before I purchase. I have a black cherry Nikki Sixx sig and wondered if anyone can tell me if the pickups were significantly different on the BB. Thanks
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I think the pickups are different in the BB than in the new Sixx sig. The BB pickups were supposedly hotter than regular TB Plus, but that could have been hype as well. Both pickups are either on or off on the BB with no adjust-ability to blend them. Not a bad thing really cause it sounds great IMO. The one I currently own has been modified so that each pickup can be used individually. This gives me more versatile sounds but I wouldn't modify a mint version of the bass since they seem to get higher prices in good condition.

The black cherry bass will sound different than the Blackbird based on the woods used as well. The BB is all mahogany with no walnut stringers in the neck like a Bird would normally have.

I don't see why someone shouldn't own one of each ;) :thumbsup:
 
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#26,702
GBassNorth said:
A more informative question might be - do you currently play Fender basses?

I have plenty of Fenders but my Gibson, Alembic, Warwick and Spector basses are about all that's being played these days. Over the years I've kind of drifted away from the generic sound of my Fender basses and towards the thickness and authority of Humbucker equipped basses.

Funny thing is, I never even went down the single coil strat path on my guitars, I've been a strictly Gibson humbucker guitar guy from day one. I think the only reason I splashed around in the Fender bass pool for a while was because nearly everyone else was in it, just seemed like the logical thing to do. Not so in the guitar world where Gibson has a much larger following in rock circles.
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I agree. I own plenty, but mainly gig Gibson Basses for exactly the same reason as you.
I think I would use my Fender basses more if the band had a second guitarist and my role was a bit different.
I used a P Bass for years in a band with two guitarists- one LP and one Strat.
Current band - one Strat (singer also uses a Tele on a few songs). Gibson Bass works best to my ears currently.
 
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#26,704
Nocturnal said:
I think the pickups are different in the BB than in the new Sixx sig. The BB pickups were supposedly hotter than regular TB Plus, but that could have been hype as well. Both pickups are either on or off on the BB with no adjust-ability to blend them. Not a bad thing really cause it sounds great IMO. The one I currently own has been modified so that each pickup can be used individually. This gives me more versatile sounds but I wouldn't modify a mint version of the bass since they seem to get higher prices in good condition.

The black cherry bass will sound different than the Blackbird based on the woods used as well. The BB is all mahogany with no walnut stringers in the neck like a Bird would normally have.

I don't see why someone shouldn't own one of each ;) :thumbsup:
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My sentiments exactly... :thumbsup:
 
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#26,706
Nocturnal said:
I think the pickups are different in the BB than in the new Sixx sig. The BB pickups were supposedly hotter than regular TB Plus, but that could have been hype as well. Both pickups are either on or off on the BB with no adjust-ability to blend them. Not a bad thing really cause it sounds great IMO. The one I currently own has been modified so that each pickup can be used individually. This gives me more versatile sounds but I wouldn't modify a mint version of the bass since they seem to get higher prices in good condition.

The black cherry bass will sound different than the Blackbird based on the woods used as well. The BB is all mahogany with no walnut stringers in the neck like a Bird would normally have.

I don't see why someone shouldn't own one of each ;) :thumbsup:
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Thanks Nocturnal, that's the sort of encouragement I needed... just made an offer so let's see what happens.
 
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#26,711
kat888 said:
I was only interested in single coil pickups for years - Ric 4001/4005/330/360s, P90s, Teles, Strats. People change.
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I still like them all; although, I have never had a Ric bass. I should start out by stressing that I suck at guitar in much the same way that I suck at bass. BUT . . . I can suck across the tonal palette of a Jag, Strat and Tele, along with a Ric 620 and a Les Paul with P90s. It is also fun to experiment by pairing them with different amps (e.g., through 6v6 or EL84). I find that the single coils fit my Lo Fi surf, garage and punk musical tastes.

I agree with @Sartori that the Strat has surprised me with quality of its clean tones (almost the chime or "jangle" that you would ordinarily think of with Ric 330s). Conversely, the Ric 620 gives a nice aggressive and raw sound (as does the LP with P90s). I have Joe Barden rails in the Tele and that can do a bit of everything.

I like my various Fender basses too, as I like my T-bird. As @GBassNorth suggests, you can go through phases and focus on one or the other. But it is nice to have them to come back to, when I am feeling a bit "P" or "J" (and that is not a reference to the Myers-Briggs personality inventory:roflmao:).

I have two rationalizations for my modest collection. First, I would like to follow @Gaolee's lead and have a home studio one day, where my chums can fly in and choose between the various guitars and amps. The second is that I see them all as "functional art". They are all iconic makes/models and symbolize a part of rock history (even though none of mine are vintage).
 
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#26,712
kat888 said:
Them's **fighting** words!

And as I've always said, why bring work home with you?
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I don't believe in priests who 'know what's good for you'...I don't buy crap that if I open the case I void the warranty. I don't buy computers that are overpriced in the amount of power and storage they have compared to other companies' offerings. I don't need to think I'm one of the chosen.

This isn't the first time this subject has come up. And it's always the apple people who bring it up and keep it going.
 
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#26,716
Hmmm, if I have to reboot a Linux server I consider myself to have failed. 'Wintel' sysadmins seem to spend most of their working day either rebooting servers, or negotiating outage windows (hah) in which to reboot servers.

At my old job, as part of the outsourcing process we had to migrate everything off Linux and onto Windows - all part of 'cost cutting' measures. Regional offices went from having a single Linux server to half a dozen Windows servers ... per site. They went from 2 people managing 500-odd servers to around a dozen staff (with what 3000 servers?) and apparently [despite throwing more and more staff and money at it] it's still a mess, but I'm sure creative accounting makes it look like they saved a fortune.
 
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#26,717
hillerup said:
Someone's been smokin' something...

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

He even says it's sold in the first paragraph... :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:
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I wonder if his high pricing for the Epiphone is driven by the need to recover the cost of the Ritter gig bag.:thumbsdown:
With as much as Ritter charges for their basses I wouldn't be surprised if the one of their gig bags costs in excess of $500.:greedy:
Of course that begs the question, who buys a Ritter gig bag to put an Eppi bass in?o_O
 
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#26,718
Dadagoboi said:
True, they're designed for people who have no technical skills and no desire to learn any, think Apple knows best and are willing to pay more for less.
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Most of the time I'll gladly pay more money for less complexity and ease of use on my end as long as I don't have any desire to modify or control the inner workings of said item. And since I really don't ponder the benefits of ever becoming a computer programmer it's very fitting that I would throw a few extra bucks on the table to have a computer on my desk that I don't need to know how to program every time there's a bit of a conflict between software, hardware and peripherals. I like my computers to be no more complex to operate than my flat screen LCD TV.

My bass amp (both the onboard pre and the rack mount or head unit) on the other hand is quite the opposite. If I can tweak it seven ways from hell to get a better sound, I'll do it.
 
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#26,719
GBassNorth said:
Most of the time I'll gladly pay more money for less complexity and ease of use on my end as long as I don't have any desire to modify or control the inner workings of said item. And since I really don't ponder the benefits of ever becoming a computer programmer it's very fitting that I would throw a few extra bucks on the table to have a computer on my desk that I don't need to know how to program every time there's a bit of a conflict between software, hardware and peripherals. I like my computers to be no more complex to operate than my flat screen LCD TV.

My bass amp (both the onboard pre and the rack mount or head unit) on the other hand is quite the opposite. If I can tweak it seven ways from hell to get a better sound, I'll do it.
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I don't do any programming nor do I wish to but I do swap drives and upgrade memory if necessary. Which is only a little more difficult than changing a light bulb. I've never had a problem with peripherals or software that I couldn't fix and I have zero computer tech experience. Just the ability to read instructions and use the internet to find solutions.

By 'tweaking' you mean turning knobs?
 
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