Thunderbird Club

[MCF]

Hmmm, 1960s Japanese basses at $200 each asking. Funky placement on the covers.

View attachment 5373519 View attachment 5373520

The one on the right looks familiar…

 

[MCF]

Those must've been stored in a closet for 50+ years because those orange case liners look way too clean for those basses to be that old. Even the basses look pretty clean in the small photos.

I have a '71 Gibson HSC with a similar orange lining and even as careful as I am with my basses my case lining looks very worn. I will add it was played and hauled around a lot.

Those can’t be original cases. They are not cardboard.

 

[MCF]

my 75 iban-ez, with the set of strings on the invoice…

So shall we start calling you Jimmy?

 

[MCF]

My 68 National has its original case and Marshall can testify it looks like it was stored under a bed for 50+ years.

Yep.

 

[MCF]

The bodega around the corner from our practice space sells EBCF.

The GC close to me will sell you any slinkys you want, so long as there’re nickel rounds. The Da’s are either Chromes or XL’s. There is no such thing as a meaningful selection. They used to have all the Rotos and Dunlops.

 

[JJR58]

POLL TIME:

Got a top secret project going on. Kind of a Thunderbird II on steroids kinda vibe (it's going to have two pickups). What pickups should I get?

1. Gibson Repros
2. Lollar
3. Novak
4. Seymour Duncan Custom Shop
5. Something else I'm missing

All so very different.
What kinda tone you after?

 

[dagrev]

I gave the daughter-in-law a washboard and thimbles for Christmas or her birthday one year. She's a starchy classical oboe player, and I figured she just needed to let her inner hillbilly out to loosen up a bit. She got into it a lot and gave me a washtub, broomstick, and ball of twine the next year. I figure the boy can play a jug and we are all set.

Sounds like a good plan. Maybe even a reality TV show. Kind of a Hillbilly Partridge Family thing.
Proving you can take the boy out of the hills, but you can't take the hills out of the boy.

 

[RedVee]

I gave the daughter-in-law a washboard and thimbles for Christmas or her birthday one year. She's a starchy classical oboe player, and I figured she just needed to let her inner hillbilly out to loosen up a bit. She got into it a lot and gave me a washtub, broomstick, and ball of twine the next year. I figure the boy can play a jug and we are all set.

that sounds great! I was encouraging an ex member to build a lagerphone.

BTW in the world of Trivia: early Australian Country music (before that name was adopted) was known as “Hillbilly” music.
Even someone that I am aware of, Slim Dusty, was a Hillbilly artist in his early days, I’m guessing pre War probably.

This is a newish song but references some of the “old timers” and their songs. Plus a couple of “Bush Balladiers” or “Bush Poets”. Banjo, Henry etc.

Question for the Aussie TBites: Have you heard of Bones & Jones ? They're in Austin for SXSW and are playing next week at SXCL (South by Cirrus Logic, where Cirrus (my employer) brings in a band each day at lunch during the festival. Cool stuff despite having no birds - not even flightless waterfowl.
What's the Australian equivalent of Americana?
Sounds like possible Dylan influence as well.

Never heard of them. It says “alt rock n roll” when I looked them up.

I say Australiana.

 

[MCF]

Besides the obvious (bolt-on makes neck changes easy) the biggest differences are mainly related to the bolt-ons primarily being more entry level. They’re still good basses, just not as good as most of the rest. Except the custom runs- those seem pretty awesome. @MCF is a good guide for those. The standard BO nut is plastic and the pickups are (1) good but not great and (2) shorter and wider than most Thunderbird pickups so nothing else just drops in.
I got by fine with just my bolt-on for several years. Now it’s set up BEAD for when I want serious low end.

I have five Limited Edition Custom Shop EPI bolt on IV’s. They are excellent Thunderbirds. My Silverburst, TV Silver, and white ones have the Epi Les Paul guitar humbuckers. They are wonderful, full range pickups with a great bottom end. My Pelham Blue and red ones have beautiful metal flake finishes. They have the standard EPI pickups that are fine. All except the TV Silver one have 1.73 nuts. The TVS is a 1.5. The fretwork on all of them is first rate. Highly recommended.

 

[Rickplaysbass]

All so very different.
What kinda tone you after?

Something cool. Hopefully inspiring

 

[dagrev]

Twice when I've waffled on a purchase (an early 70s Strat ~15 years ago at a stupidly low price and more recently a white VP) and missed out, my wife has said, "You should have just bought it". When I mentioned @dukeorock 's Greco, she didn't bat an eye. "Did you buy it yet? Why not?" So when @WillyW 's redbird came back up, I just bought it. Her response was "Cool!" She's been really supportive. Roles are reversed on gardening, but I think she's finally getting comfortable with Just Buying What She Wants.

I missed a great opportunity to buy a really nice Martin Acoustic when at George Gruhn's of all places. They saig I could have it for $600 something. Not exactly known for deals. There were two of them and my Sandra kept opening the door to buy it. Even after leaving she mentioned it. Just wasn't sure how much I would play it. About a month later that model was literally selling/listed several places online for $1,200. Stuuuupid.

 

[MCF]

ok here we go…..
View attachment 5374000

So it’s Mr. now huh?

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Sorry, I should have told you my India travel secrets. It involves lots of drugs. Have fun my friend!

explains a lot……..

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

So it’s Mr. now huh?

haven’t gone by Dr. in years Marsh…

 

[MCF]

Heep!

Lotsa love for the late Mr. Gary Thain!
Dig the two ACC rigs behind him.

Such a great song. It and Easy Living are two of my favorite songs.

 

[GBassNorth]

Nice! What is that?

Ampeg? Or the Eastwood version?

Eastwood? I came very close to buying one of those something like 15 years ago. It sounded a lot like my EB-2, which means it sounded great. I didn't think about anything fretless at the time, so I didn't buy it. That was probably a mistake, but so it goes.

It’s a near mint Eastwood EUB fretless. Just wanted an inexpensive fretless to cover those few songs I play that sound better on one. The Eastwood was about the best sounding fretless thing I found under $1000 used (actually snagged this one for a bit over $500). Looks very cool, balances good, the fretboard plays very nicely with low action and EBCF strings. Just completed the setup and intonation and played along with some Kenny Wayne Sheppard, very nice sound. Could be a tad darker but that’s Cobalts, might try some of @WillyW favorite fretless flats (Pyramids?)

 

[dagrev]

So it’s Mr. now huh?

"Sir" by the time he gets back.

 

[dagrev]

haven’t gone by Dr. in years Marsh…

What was your dissertation on?
Never mind, I likely wouldn't even understand the terminology in the title. And please say it didn't have "paradigm" or "motif" in it! That was the rage for a couple decades.

 

[GBassNorth]

I have five Limited Edition Custom Shop EPI bolt on IV’s. They are excellent Thunderbirds. My Silverburst, TV Silver, and white ones have the Epi Les Paul guitar humbuckers. They are wonderful, full range pickups with a great bottom end. My Pelham Blue and red ones have beautiful metal flake finishes. They have the standard EPI pickups that are fine. All except the TV Silver one have 1.73 nuts. The TVS is a 1.5. The fretwork on all of them is first rate. Highly recommended.

Marshall, I was pretty impressed with the bottom end on those LP humbucker equipped birds of yours. Can you point me to a link for those pups? All I can find are the ones with the six exposed pole pieces, don’t want that look on my four string bass.

 

[MCF]

She did say the other day that as a music teacher she should know how to play a few easy Beatles tunes.

And some Creedence. And Neil of course.