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Thunderbird Club

#278,662
Gaolee said:
My upright has a Full Circle pickup. I have tried all kinds of different signal chains to get the right amplified sound. None are quite right, but good enough for me. When it's amplified, it's going to be loud and getting the perfect sound is less of an issue. The one thing that's a must for me is going wireless. That way the bass can spin and be a dance partner without the kind of cord hilarity that might amuse an audience for a moment but that would end a show and cost a lot of repair time and money.

Feedback is an issue. What I have done is put a tennis ball between the tail piece and the top of the bass. That isn't a perfect solution, but it prevents enough feedback that it isn't much of an issue.

After all that, the band I was playing upright with just fizzled. There seems to be a lot of that going on around here these days. The good thing is that the Thunderbird is getting a bit more exercise.
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I have too much arthritis pain in my right thumb to play upright for more than a few minutes. Good thing I play electric bass!

Another data point for Chuck: I have a David Gage Realist on my 1/2 size. It sounds good. Got it non-working for free, and found there was an open in the molded jack where they have a couple of resistors built in for impedance matching. It seems to be a weak point, as I've read it's common for those pickups to die after a couple of years.
 
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#278,663
GBassNorth said:
I thought this was a Club for Thunderbirds… when did it become a Club for Baby Seals?:roflmao:

ok, I admit, it’s a morbid totally tasteless joke, but somebody had to say it. Along the same line as…
I believe in clubs for men as well as clubs for women, but only after kindness fails. :D
Click to expand...

as long as there are no penguins involved
 
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#278,669
Engle said:
I have too much arthritis pain in my right thumb to play upright for more than a few minutes. Good thing I play electric bass!

Another data point for Chuck: I have a David Gage Realist on my 1/2 size. It sounds good. Got it non-working for free, and found there was an open in the molded jack where they have a couple of resistors built in for impedance matching. It seems to be a weak point, as I've read it's common for those pickups to die after a couple of years.
Click to expand...
you play with your right thumb? anchor?
 
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#278,670
Hi gang,

I'm going to get a Thunderbird as my second bass - happy to buy vintage or boutique (I'd prefer it say Gibson on the headstock though!). I'm curious about the different sounds from the different pickup configurations.

Does the single pickup bird sound anything like a two pickup in the neck position? Or does it have its own, unique sound? If so, what is that sound?

How about the two pickup bird? When would you use the bridge pickup solo, neck solo or both together? Or do you blend? I have read that these are a lot more versatile than people give them credit for, though my local shop has none to try. I'm buying based on just always wanting one!

I know that rounds are standard on these, but does anyone use flats? Do they work or too muddy?

Any real world difference between the rosewood and ebony fingerboard variants? It seems that rosewood is more traditional, but there was an ebony period in the nineties?

Thanks!
 
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#278,671
Chucky Stiletti said:
was thinking more along the lines of a Polytone…..
meanwhile my daughter sends me this…talk about 0 respect….
View attachment 5345110
Click to expand...
You're not alone brother....















1.jpeg
 
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#278,672
RedVee said:
Yeah, it is a Monitor lizard and its largest living relative is the Komodo Dragon in Indonesia. They are no joke but like most things, leave it alone and give it space and it will leave you alone.
They can move along pretty well and I’ve seen one go up a tree at a great rate.
They would be top of the food chain here not having the large cats like Africa and Asia, or Wolves and bears like NA (and many other places).

They reckon there is an extinct Goanna that used it get to over 6metres! Which is big crocodile size.
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I can start looking for a nice place for you here. Just say the word.:laugh:
 
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#278,674
_tedd said:
Hi gang,

I'm going to get a Thunderbird as my second bass - happy to buy vintage or boutique (I'd prefer it say Gibson on the headstock though!). I'm curious about the different sounds from the different pickup configurations.

Does the single pickup bird sound anything like a two pickup in the neck position? Or does it have its own, unique sound? If so, what is that sound?

How about the two pickup bird? When would you use the bridge pickup solo, neck solo or both together? Or do you blend? I have read that these are a lot more versatile than people give them credit for, though my local shop has none to try. I'm buying based on just always wanting one!

I know that rounds are standard on these, but does anyone use flats? Do they work or too muddy?

Any real world difference between the rosewood and ebony fingerboard variants? It seems that rosewood is more traditional, but there was an ebony period in the nineties?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I have no single pickup Thunderbirds, so I can't help there. But often use just the neck on any of them, from vintage '64 to '21 Gibson non-Reverse. I very rarely ever use just the bridge pickup. I like having two pickups just for versatility. If you have two, you can use one. If you have one....

I have had flats on my '76 (Fender and TI both sound great), and have GHS Precision Flats on my Epi VP (now 60s Bass), and it's fantastic. Don't discount the Epi. If you want more of a vintage sound, new Gibsons won't do it--not as well. I've got a '64 Gibson (the gold standard), an '64 Epi Embassy (same pickups and placement as the Thunderbird), '76 Gibson, '06 Gibson, '21 Gibson NR, and two Epi Vintage Pros. The last two sound closer to the '64 than anything I have by a fair amount. So, it depends on if you prefer the more modern Gibson sound or vintage. It's a personal preference. I personally find the modern Gibsons sound great at home, but get muddy and lack something in a large room and live setting. So just playing one at home isn't going to sound like a gig.

The recent Epis are really well made and sound fantastic, in part because the pickups are in nearly the correct/vintage positions. For me anyway. Play as many as possible to see for yourself. But don't over look the Epi. It's the closest in tone to the originals of anything Gibson/Epi has put out since the '60s. I'm not the slightest bit embarrassed to take my new Epis out. They did a great job. If there is a complaint, they can be a tad shy on the lows. But amps have a knob for that. I confess I am heavily predisposed to the sound of the old '60s originals. That's the best bass sound I've ever had and I'm stuck believing that's the best bass sound I've ever had.
 
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#278,677
dagrev said:
I have no single pickup Thunderbirds, so I can't help there. But often use just the neck on any of them, from vintage '64 to '21 Gibson non-Reverse. I very rarely ever use just the bridge pickup. I like having two pickups just for versatility. If you have two, you can use one. If you have one....

I have had flats on my '76 (Fender and TI both sound great), and have GHS Precision Flats on my Epi VP (now 60s Bass), and it's fantastic. Don't discount the Epi. If you want more of a vintage sound, new Gibsons won't do it--not as well. I've got a '64 Gibson (the gold standard), an '64 Epi Embassy (same pickups and placement as the Thunderbird), '76 Gibson, '06 Gibson, '21 Gibson NR, and two Epi Vintage Pros. The last two sound closer to the '64 than anything I have by a fair amount. So, it depends on if you prefer the more modern Gibson sound or vintage. It's a personal preference. I personally find the modern Gibsons sound great at home, but get muddy and lack something in a large room and live setting. So just playing one at home isn't going to sound like a gig.

The recent Epis are really well made and sound fantastic, in part because the pickups are in nearly the correct/vintage positions. For me anyway. Play as many as possible to see for yourself. But don't over look the Epi. It's the closest in tone to the originals of anything Gibson/Epi has put out since the '60s. I'm not the slightest bit embarrassed to take my new Epis out. They did a great job. If there is a complaint, they can be a tad shy on the lows. But amps have a knob for that. I confess I am heavily predisposed to the sound of the old '60s originals. That's the best bass sound I've ever had and I'm stuck believing that's the best bass sound I've ever had.
Click to expand...
Don't forget you can look for an Epi Classic Pro if you want the modern Gibson sound for a fraction of the price...if you can find one.
 
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#278,678
dagrev said:
I have no single pickup Thunderbirds, so I can't help there. But often use just the neck on any of them, from vintage '64 to '21 Gibson non-Reverse. I very rarely ever use just the bridge pickup. I like having two pickups just for versatility. If you have two, you can use one. If you have one....

I have had flats on my '76 (Fender and TI both sound great), and have GHS Precision Flats on my Epi VP (now 60s Bass), and it's fantastic. Don't discount the Epi. If you want more of a vintage sound, new Gibsons won't do it--not as well. I've got a '64 Gibson (the gold standard), an '64 Epi Embassy (same pickups and placement as the Thunderbird), '76 Gibson, '06 Gibson, '21 Gibson NR, and two Epi Vintage Pros. The last two sound closer to the '64 than anything I have by a fair amount. So, it depends on if you prefer the more modern Gibson sound or vintage. It's a personal preference. I personally find the modern Gibsons sound great at home, but get muddy and lack something in a large room and live setting. So just playing one at home isn't going to sound like a gig.

The recent Epis are really well made and sound fantastic, in part because the pickups are in nearly the correct/vintage positions. For me anyway. Play as many as possible to see for yourself. But don't over look the Epi. It's the closest in tone to the originals of anything Gibson/Epi has put out since the '60s. I'm not the slightest bit embarrassed to take my new Epis out. They did a great job. If there is a complaint, they can be a tad shy on the lows. But amps have a knob for that. I confess I am heavily predisposed to the sound of the old '60s originals. That's the best bass sound I've ever had and I'm stuck believing that's the best bass sound I've ever had.
Click to expand...
Just to add to this, Gibson sells the Vintage (Alnico 5) reproduction pickups, so you could put those in a modern Gibson.
 
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