Thunderbird Club

[ThaCoast]

Do any of y'all name your basses? If so, is there a theme to the names, or how do you decide? Hopefully a method that doesn't require burning a venue down, a la Lucille...

Most, if not all, my Guitars & Basses have a name. Either they already have a theme going in, or i find a name after hours (translate to days/weeks) of playing em & what fits the instrument persay:

Guitars:
- Chainsaw; Mosrite Ventures Model II "slab" body Johnny Ramone Tribute.
- Scream Queen; Chibson silverburst Les Paul custom (which i modified/upgraded parts to match Joey Jordison's same LP during his time in Murderdolls)
- Arteased; Prince tribute Telecaster made from 2 piece spalted maple, Duncan Strat Neck & bridge pickups (the bridge pickup is in fact a duncan RWRP SSL6, the neck pickup is the SSL2).
- Lotus; a prototype of mine, designed by my ex girlfriend (long story). It's kinda fender meteora inspired, but to her specs.
-Muryō; currently in build phase, but an eventual triple pickup Jazzmaster of mine. Muryō, as far as google translate goes, means Free in Japanese.

Basses:
- Brat; 70's pbass, tribute to Dee Dee Ramone w/red guard.
- Sheena; first parts pbass i put together, named after the Ramones song Sheena is a Punk Rocker
- SuperNova; First long term build of mine, short scale bass with a 60's ibanez baseball bat neck. Named because of the exploding Moon design.
- So Be It; built a bass VI, had loads of ups & downs with trying to get it finished, So Be It became its name in nature of "it'll be done when it'll be.)

Some I haven't named as of yet (there's a lot; Ripper, Grabber, Ric Copy, Thunderbird, & plethra of guitars still). Time will come for those.

My middle name...

View attachment 5321258

Man that DarkStar? Fenderbird of yours would be my main one for sure. Must be a monster sound that can really blend nicely in a mix

 

[MCF]

Just spotted it here new for AU$2,999!!!
I guess “street” price will be less but I’m glad I took the leap to my used Gibson at AU$1200

Epiphone Rex Brown Thunderbird, Ebony

No way is it worth anywhere close to that. Insane pricing. And you all are a heck of a lot closer then where they are made than those here are.

 

[JIO]

(big Giojira/Godzilla fan)(

Some I haven't named as of yet (there's a lot; Ripper, Grabber, Ric Copy, Thunderbird, & plethra of guitars still). Time will come for those.

Man that DarkStar? Fenderbird of yours would be my main one for sure. Must be a monster sound that can really blend nicely in a mix

I love the Darkstar sound - those in Gojira are Novak's, but the less expensive (by 1/2) Guild RI's sound just as good. (just for narrow spacing) So yes - a great sounding "monster - big Gojira/Godzilla fan" bass tone/sound. I brought it to our T-bird GTG last year so everyone there got a chance to play/hear it. Here's it recorded -

 

[dagrev]

Took an hour to clear customs as only 5 agents working. Good new is all our luggage was waiting and so was Uber.

So you made it through with all the contraband. Excellent!

 

[MCF]

was looking for this pic…..the real ‘66 proto…needless to say the NHTSA nixed the rumble seat right off the bat….
View attachment 5321349

They’re no fun. When my brother was designing the original Volvo S80, he had to compromise everywhere. This was his original design:

This is the compromise.

Way too much bumper.

 

[MCF]

Tbird pickguards are all different. You can never assume one will fit

Thank god we have you to make replacements for us !

 

[dagrev]

Do any of y'all name your basses? If so, is there a theme to the names, or how do you decide? Hopefully a method that doesn't require burning a venue down, a la Lucille...

Not usually, but three do. One is a bass my wife wanted me to get after my Pbass was stollen as a replacement. It's the black '05 (a era most don't seem to care for--but it has LaBella Low Tensions and sounds fantastic). It's called the Sandra bass. The '64 Thunderbird was called that, so it's the original Sandra bass by virtue of it being her birth year. The '64 Pbass is at times called the Alabama bass since I got it from Teddy Gentry of Alabama.

 

[ThaCoast]

I love the Darkstar sound - those in Gojira are Novak's, but the less expensive (by 1/2) Guild RI's sound just as good. (just for narrow spacing) So yes - a great sounding "monster " bass tone/sound. I brought it to our T-bird GTG last year so everyone there got a chance to play/hear it. Here's it recorded -

This is really good! dig the whole surf/spy vibe of the music overall

 

[dagrev]

And if they lie, tell them you’ll be contacting the DA’s office. But knowing them, they won’t change the misleading ad.

Another aside. For decades, Mesa included a transferable 5 year transferable warranty on every amp. For a number of reasons that Andy explained over in the Mesa Club, they had to end it around 2020. The five years extends to the original purchaser only now. As of three weeks ago, GC and MF still said in the listing copy that the amps had a 5 year transferable warranty. I expect that Gibson is now aware and their lawyers are on it. Big time. GC and MF, as a Gibson, Epi, and Mesa dealer are not in a very good position right now. In my opinion, GC and MF should be avoided. Please take your business to more reputable retailers.

Good to know.

 

[dagrev]

Well, that works when I can get by the Hollywood or West L.A. stores. But the four closest to me never have anything worth pulling off the rack. And haven’t for about ten years now.

I never recall the GC here ever having a bass I wanted to get off the wall to play.

 

[RedVee]

No way is it worth anywhere close to that. Insane pricing. And you all are a heck of a lot closer then where they are made than those here are.

“Australia Tax”
Is the slang term we made up for it. They try to excuse prices due to our low population base but even still there is a premium applied “it appears”.
It’s not as if they need to convert them to RHD, 210v or something. Literally the same product as the rest of the world, just goes into a different container and ship.

 

[RedVee]

Not usually, but three do. One is a bass my wife wanted me to get after my Pbass was stollen as a replacement. It's the black '05 (an era most don't seem to care for--but it has LaBella Low Tensions and sounds fantastic). It's called the Sandra bass. The '64 Thunderbird was called that, so it's the original Sandra bass by virtue of it being her birth year. The '64 Pbass is at times called the Alabama bass since I got it from Teddy Gentry of Alabama.

How about The 64 Embassy?

 

[dagrev]

And I ask. What kid wanting to play bass even knows who Rex Brown is? They need to do a Nikki Monninger signature Thunderbird with the Giraffe bird logo. In burst, white and red. I guarantee it would outsell anything with Rex Brown’s name on it. Or that Kiss guy’s name on it for that matter. Gibson’s problem is they’re run by guys my age who have no freaking clue.

Completely agree on the Nikki Bird. I had to look Rex Brown up..... Not a household name in my circles or squares.

 

[dagrev]

I love the Darkstar sound - those in Gojira are Novak's, but the less expensive (by 1/2) Guild RI's sound just as good. (just for narrow spacing) So yes - a great sounding "monster " bass tone/sound. I brought it to our T-bird GTG last year so everyone there got a chance to play/hear it. Here's it recorded -

Cool stuff!

 

[dagrev]

How about The 64 Embassy?

At times I call it the Nerd Bird. Not original to me. I saw it someplace years ago as someone was talking about them.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

If I had a dollar for every blatantly wrong description GC posted that I’ve seen, I could buy another Gibson. GC and MF are awful. Ignorant false advertising. It may or may not be deliberate. Please do not trust them. The entry Epi is a nice gateway Thunderbird and I highly recommend it if you want to get acquainted at a reasonable price point. But those are not Gibson Tbird+ pickups. They’re nice humbuckers, but not as full and clear as the Gibsons.

If you want one, please buy here instead. You will be much happier should anything be wrong with what you receive. And note the description, it does not say Tbird+ pickups like the misleading GC ad does. Epiphone Thunderbird E1 Bass Guitar - Vintage Sunburst

As an aside, I’ve been asked by the local DA’s office a few times over the years to join their civil enforcement division. The job would be going after frauds like GC. But the pay sucks. Otherwise I’d love to do that kind of work.

The politicos handle funding. The politicos choose not to spend much on fighting fraud. Hmmm.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

There is an even better one IMO.

I know, and you’re not alone. Hence the emphasis and big smirk.

 

[Mvf]

I love the Darkstar sound - those in Gojira are Novak's, but the less expensive (by 1/2) Guild RI's sound just as good. (just for narrow spacing) So yes - a great sounding "monster " bass tone/sound. I brought it to our T-bird GTG last year so everyone there got a chance to play/hear it. Here's it recorded -

Your bass tone was actually the first to catch my ear when listening to the album. Love it.

 

[Mvf]

Completely agree on the Nikki Bird. I had to look Rex Brown up..... Not a household name in my circles or squares.

Same here, had to look him up too…

 

[Miles_ONeal]

And I ask. What kid wanting to play bass even knows who Rex Brown is? They need to do a Nikki Monninger signature Thunderbird with the Giraffe bird logo. In burst, white and red. I guarantee it would outsell anything with Rex Brown’s name on it. Or that Kiss guy’s name on it for that matter. Gibson’s problem is they’re run by guys my age who have no freaking clue.

Gibson tends to sell high dollar products. Being run by older guys, they make the typical old guy mistake of thinking only older people have money. And while the economy tends that way, it’s not as true in certain markets - especially music. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.