Thunderbird Club

[Engle]

I’ll be sending up two pgs and two tr covers soon. Irv did such amazing work for the Silverburst Epi, I want the same black pick guards with chrome decals for the TV Silver and Alpine White Epis.

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I’m debating whether to go black pgs with gold decals on the amazing Sparkling Pelham Blue and Sparkling Red Epis. Thoughts? The tr covers are both gold.
View attachment 5308619 Every time I play these Thunderbirds, I remember why I love the Epi Limited Edition Custom Shop Bases. Such great value. They play great and sound awesome!

But my Gibsons are just a little better overall.

Thanks Marshall!

I think black with gold Tbirds would look good on the red and blue.

 

[Engle]

Plus, there is the Basement of Bad Ideas and Blasphemy a bit north of downtown. Not that I have the same flock of birds to play with. I will make a point of hauling the Grexa reissue 360 down to V's place one of the days, just so it can disturb the neighbors. The 1968 original stays in the basement.

I have yet to visit the basement. I think we will be in your hood for a miniature show sometime soon.

 

[Engle]

What year was it?

And where did it go back to?

 

[GonePlaid]

And here you have the end result.
With the most excellent work from
@Engle and Luthier Merchantile.

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[JIO]

ENO……indeed!..

Great song. I liked Roxy because they were an eclectic mix of styles/personalities. It's like every member of the band tried hard to be different character - and Brian Ferry was one of the most eccentric singers of his time. A truly unique band. Much more popular in Europe than in the US when fresh - they gained more popularity here later.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Great song. I liked Roxy because they were an eclectic mix of styles/personalities. It's like every member of the band tried hard to be different character - and Brian Ferry was one of the most eccentric singers of his time. A truly unique band. Much more popular in Europe than in the US when fresh - they gained more popularity here later.

cult status in Britain…many credit them as the originators of New Wave…

 

[JIO]

Yeah, but not for a long time. I think it’s technically in Campbell. WAY back in the mid ‘80’s, the first good instrument I owned was a black Ibanez Roadstar II that I bought new. There was a luthier shop there, and I think I remember the guys name as Hideo Yamamoto. Anyway, I had him swap the original P-Bass style pup and add a J-bass pup in the bridge position, doing EMG’s P/J setup in it. Also probably swapped the bridge for a black Schaller style roller bridge. As a beginning bass player in my first band, I’ll tell you, when I got that bass back from a professional luthier with all the mods I asked for, and set up by a pro, I thought it was the best possible bass ever!

Until about 5 years later when I bought my 1970 Fender Jazz. I got the Jazz in 1992 at Black Market Music in SF, and it needed some work, as the block inlay at first fret location was slightly popped out. I seem to recall that the reason for that was truss rod anchor was twisted, thus causing the problem(?). I brought it back to Guitar Showcase and the same luthier fixed it all up for me, got it back as a stellar playing instrument! I still have this bass. It’s THE one I will never sell. I have a few others I’m not likely to ever sell either, but I have had this Jazz for 30 years now so… it’s my definite keeper.

I also have a ‘72 P-bass I got back in the ‘90’s, sold to a friend (guitar player I’m currently in one of my bands with) and he had it all this time. 6 years or so ago we started hanging out and I got it back from him. I’ll probably never sell that one either.


Edit: I won’t sell my ‘95 Gibson Thunderbird either, it’s my first ‘bird, and was bought at a obscene low price ($800) from a friend…

I bought my 1st '86 Kubicki Ex-Factor at Black Market Music/SF in the mid '90s. That place had guitars/basses/amps everywhere! I had my Factorbird fretless assembled/set-up in a shop in Campbell in the late '90s. Can't recall the name and Hideo Yamamoto doesn't ring a bell. (I would have remembered that name) At the time I had a gf who was from Campbell so that's how I probably knew about the shop as I lived in Burlingame then.

 

[JIO]

cult status in Britain…many credit them as the originators of New Wave…

For sure - I met a guy from the UK in the early '80s and he said Roxy was huge there. (when I was first starting to listen to them) People talk about the New York Dolls as being pace-setters but I think Roxy broke ground first or at least were much more interesting.

 

[JIO]

Wicked sound it out of that Bird! He plays a lot of what would usually be guitar parts.

Those folded Orange cabs on either side of the drummer were probably the bass cabs... crunchy!

 

[WillyW]

For what I use it for, the Micro POG is all I need.

I think if I would just simplify I would be fine with just my Boss OC-2 for bass.

I need to sit down with the POG 2 and see what it can truly do.

I want to do the two pice band thing to avoid dealing with people, but I also loathe dealing with electronicles.

 

[RedVee]

cult status in Britain…many credit them as the originators of New Wave…

Love is the Drug and it’s film clip broke them in Aus

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Love is the Drug and it’s film clip broke them in Aus

broke them?

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

For sure - I met a guy from the UK in the early '80s and he said Roxy was huge there. (when I was first starting to listen to them) People talk about the New York Dolls as being pace-setters but I think Roxy broke ground first or at least were much more interesting.

better musicians imho…..

 

[Miles_ONeal]

ENO……indeed!..

Flashback city

 

[Miles_ONeal]

broke them?

Their breakout

 

[JIO]

better musicians imho…..

word - head & shoulders better... way more sophisticated and interesting. (great bass playing on this one!) Next to Scott Walker, I think Brian Ferry is my second favorite male vocalist.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

word - head & shoulders better... way more sophisticated and interesting. (great bass playing on this one!) Next to Scott Walker, I think Brian Ferry is my second favorite male vocalist.

love that clip…..John Wetton and Manzanera with that cool NR…..

 

[RedVee]

broke them?

Yeah, broke them in our market / charts.
it was a hit but also the first time I’d heard of them (but I guess I was only young then)

 

[PhR75]

Love Roxy. The studio run from "Stranded" to "Siren" featured the talents of John Gustafson on bass and my favourite is "Siren". He did one tour with them eventually too in 1975 and was apparently the only bassist they asked to join asa full member after the early days.
The late 70's slick stuff is interesting too and was also very influential to the new romantic movement. Alan Spenner played a lot of bass for them on those albums such as on this classic:


The band was officially down to trio (Ferry, Manzanera, MacKay) at that time. The bassist miming (and dancing!) on that clip is Gary Tibbs who had an interesting leap from The Vibrators to Roxy Music. Also featuring are Andy Newmark on drums, Paul Carrack on keys and Neil Hubbard on guitar, none of which played on the studio recording

 

[PhR75]

One of the key players in Roxy was drummer Paul Thompson. Very sturdy with a great drive.

I also love Manzanera's solo stuff from the seventies. Lots of great men featured such as Robert Wyatt, Wetton, Bill and Ian McCormick, the Finn Brothers (he produced the early Split Enz), Godley & Creme and Eno for example. The "801 Live" is a brilliant album. Young Simon Phillips killing it on drums such as on this Eno classic: