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Thunderbird Club

#285,862
dagrev said:
It's a 1981. Other than some light checking on the body (to be expected), and two dings, one by the previous owner, it's about as mint as you could hope for considering it's been used at least some. The neck, which is beautifully figured, is a little unlike anything I recall playing. Kind of in between a P and a J, but more P characteristics I'd say. I had not played one since the early 80s and didn't know what to expect. It has the G&L flavor, but warmer and sweeter. And better sounding IMO. One of those basses you would not ever get tired of hearing. I would not have chosen the "Root beer" color as Miles puts it, but the painted basses of those years were not Mahogany, AFAIK. Like any bass, strings make a difference. Some can make is sound like "a bass," and a few others really make it thick and punchy. The "OMG stitch" setting is amazing. I tend to use it with a pick for songs I want to use a pick on but don't want to lose any bottom of thickness. I hardly ever use the single coil setting.
View attachment 5404070
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Beautiful!
Your posts about that bass always rekindle my G&L GAS. I had a new 2005 Tribute about 15 years ago but just couldn’t get along with the overly hot preamp. In passive mode it was heaven, in active it was hell. Not hell in a bad sense, but more of a beast to try and tame to keep from clipping my amps. In active mode it was impossible to switch back and forth between that and another (passive) bass without resetting the gain on the amp. No such problem with any of my other active basses. Then again it might have just been an overly hot pickup fluke.
I saw a nice looking used G&L at the Nashville Guitar Center. Didn’t plug it in but it was very tempting. It’s not posted on the used gear website for some reason.
 
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#285,864
JIO said:
No need to wait - :bassist:

Saundersbird - assembled 8yrs ago
View attachment 5403866
...better pic of the etched neck-plate
View attachment 5403863
Hipshot converted my late '80s vintage small-plate clover E tuner w/their Drop-D mechanism - sadly they no long off this service.
View attachment 5403907
Under the hood : Fender/Kubicki 9v pre - looks like a Fenderbird, sounds like a Kubicki Factor (which is killer)
View attachment 5403865
Re-scalloped and chambered to lighten it under leopard-tort cover -
View attachment 5403908
Beaster Sunday at Winters' Tavern 2023 - The Sean Conneries - Kirstin expecting her 2nd daughter Iya - I managed 9 bands there today starting at noon - a bit more cloudy and chilly compared to a perfect day one year ago.
View attachment 5403889
1st up outside today (when there was a little sun) at noon was a solo performance by a 20yr old Angelo - cool/dark vocals over electronica-flavored tracks... think Martin Rev/Alan Vega (Suicide)... pretty gutsy young man. I dug it. His mom was his "roadie". :)
View attachment 5403897
Next up (inside at 1:00) was a "dad band" - that is, dad on bass and his two young sons on guitar & drums. (The Eddies) A great way to start Easter Sunday! This should make every musician smile.
View attachment 5403898

The rest of the bands were all good in different ways - but the 1st two were my favorites.
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I haven't seen PA columns like that for a long time!
 
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#285,865
WillyW said:
So my new EB4 has elixir roundwounds and I do like them on fretted.

I'm not sure I like them $45 worth, but they are nice.... vs my usual $18 set...

The $18 set is whats on all my fretless, except a couple rics that have stock ric strings....

I hate liking new things.
Click to expand...
I think I may have asked this before, and you probably responded but I missed it - what strings are your favorite for fretless finger style applications? I’m trying to approach more of an upright sound on my Ampeg Scroll type single pickup bass. I’m also considering installing a Mudbucker at the neck to help get there as well. But for now I’d like to try some different strings first.
 
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#285,866
GBassNorth said:
I think I may have asked this before, and you probably responded but I missed it - what strings are your favorite for fretless finger style applications? I’m trying to approach more of an upright sound on my Ampeg Scroll type single pickup bass. I’m also considering installing a Mudbucker at the neck to help get there as well. But for now I’d like to try some different strings first.
Click to expand...

I almost quit fretless because the first one I had had flawounds on it and it sounded like ass..

once I got over caring what a wear part could potentially do with roundwounds (won't do much with proper vibrato), I use nickle roundwounds on fretless. fretless for me is more about the voicing of the sound more than anything else. fretless is like singing.

I don't use fretless on certain songs, or for certain styles.

If I had a gig and brought a fretless all the songs would be played on a fretless, if I brought a fretted all the songs would be played on fretted...

I don't really do fingerstyle anything unless I drop my pick...


IF I were going for an upright sound, I would use tapewounds, and see where that lands me before I go changing out pickups.

I'd still be playing tapes with a pick.

Check out Chris Brubeck for what I think is the pinnacle peak of upright sound.

music starts at around 15 minutes....

 
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#285,867
Something I never noticed before:
Screenshot_20240401_075730_DuckDuckGo.jpg
 
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#285,869
WillyW said:
I don't really do fingerstyle anything unless I drop my pick...


IF I were going for an upright sound, I would use tapewounds, and see where that lands me before I go changing out pickups.

I'd still be playing tapes with a pick.

Check out Chris Brubeck for what I think is the pinnacle peak of upright sound.
Click to expand...
Definitely gotta go with tapes. Then, probably action a good bit higher than you're used to. Then I'd try using the meaty part of my thumb or the side of my finger (kinda like upright players do). If using a pick, I'd probably go for the pick and thumb meat combo approach (not really sure how else to describe that).
 
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#285,872
dagrev said:
It's a 1981. Other than some light checking on the body (to be expected), and two dings, one by the previous owner, it's about as mint as you could hope for considering it's been used at least some. The neck, which is beautifully figured, is a little unlike anything I recall playing. Kind of in between a P and a J, but more P characteristics I'd say. I had not played one since the early 80s and didn't know what to expect. It has the G&L flavor, but warmer and sweeter. And better sounding IMO. One of those basses you would not ever get tired of hearing. I would not have chosen the "Root beer" color as Miles puts it, but the painted basses of those years were not Mahogany, AFAIK. Like any bass, strings make a difference. Some can make is sound like "a bass," and a few others really make it thick and punchy. The "OMG stitch" setting is amazing. I tend to use it with a pick for songs I want to use a pick on but don't want to lose any bottom of thickness. I hardly ever use the single coil setting.
View attachment 5404070
Click to expand...

That's beauty - my friend Reid who is a G&L fanatic has a black early '80s L1000 and I've played it. I've read that some early necks had issues because of the way the wood was cut. Can't beat a G&L for being a bass that can do it all.

I drew this schematic of his many years ago - yours w/o asking :)


upload_2024-4-1_8-42-50.jpeg
 
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#285,876
If anyone would like to harass a scammer on Craigslist, reply to this link and waste his time. He keeps grabbing images off Reverb or other places and then puts them on Craigslist. If you contact him he gives you a BS story about only taking Zelle or PayPal Friends and Family. Also sends stock photos of where he supposedly lives. Unfortunately, Google Image search finds all the fraud instantly. Like he said he was at church in Folsom, but the photo was from inside a Catholic church in Moses Lake, WA.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]


Empress ParaEQ MKII Deluxe BLACK | Reverb
 
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#285,877
GBassNorth said:
Beautiful!
Your posts about that bass always rekindle my G&L GAS. I had a new 2005 Tribute about 15 years ago but just couldn’t get along with the overly hot preamp. In passive mode it was heaven, in active it was hell. Not hell in a bad sense, but more of a beast to try and tame to keep from clipping my amps. In active mode it was impossible to switch back and forth between that and another (passive) bass without resetting the gain on the amp. No such problem with any of my other active basses. Then again it might have just been an overly hot pickup fluke.
I saw a nice looking used G&L at the Nashville Guitar Center. Didn’t plug it in but it was very tempting. It’s not posted on the used gear website for some reason.
Click to expand...
are those 9 or 18 volt?
 
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#285,879
GBassNorth said:
Beautiful!
Your posts about that bass always rekindle my G&L GAS. I had a new 2005 Tribute about 15 years ago but just couldn’t get along with the overly hot preamp. In passive mode it was heaven, in active it was hell. Not hell in a bad sense, but more of a beast to try and tame to keep from clipping my amps. In active mode it was impossible to switch back and forth between that and another (passive) bass without resetting the gain on the amp. No such problem with any of my other active basses. Then again it might have just been an overly hot pickup fluke.
I saw a nice looking used G&L at the Nashville Guitar Center. Didn’t plug it in but it was very tempting. It’s not posted on the used gear website for some reason.
Click to expand...

I have a totally different take on my L2000 powered Tele/P-bass. I find the G&L 9v system the easiest to work with in any setting. Unlike a Kubicki - going from passive to active boost only adds a touch of gain whereas the Kubicki jumps dramatically, so much so that his own instruction manual warns not to be in passive at volume and mid-stroke switch to active boost as it could harm your speakers. I like all the sounds a Factor makes both active & passive - but that boost is not subtle. I can hear a Kubicki before seeing it - it has a very distinctive tone. Conversely, the L2000 is more neutral which I think is why people like them. It doesn't have an overriding character and can be easily contoured/shaped by the straight-ahead controls to fit any need. In general there's not a bad setting on my L2000 system and it records wonderfully. It's considered the Swiss Army Knife of basses for that reason. It made sense it was Leo Fenders final design - it was his best in many ways.

I mostly use/play passive basses but have a few active basses w/different pre's (Audere, John East, EMGX, Kubicki & G&L) and always enjoy playing one of them and being treated to the evenness, clarity and presence they provide. I have played them live but not often since I only bring one bass and a battery could fail mid set. Just one less thing to worry about.

The J neck you gifted me (thanks again!) is my most recent (Audere) active bass and I love playing it as it plays and sounds great.

upload_2024-4-1_10-11-2.jpeg
 
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#285,880
JIO said:
I have a totally different take on my L2000 powered Tele/P-bass. I find the G&L 9v system the easiest to work with in any setting. Unlike a Kubicki - going from passive to active boost only adds a touch of gain whereas the Kubicki jumps dramatically, so much so that his own instruction manual warns not to be in passive at volume and mid-stroke switch to active boost as it could harm your speakers. I like all the sounds a Factor makes both active & passive - but that boost is not subtle. I can hear a Kubicki before seeing it - it has a very distinctive tone. Conversely, the L2000 is more neutral which I think is why people like them. It doesn't have an overriding character and can be easily contoured/shaped by the straight-ahead controls to fit any need. In general there's not a bad setting on my L2000 system and it records wonderfully. It's considered the Swiss Army Knife of basses for that reason. It made sense it was Leo Fenders final design - it was his best in many ways.

I mostly use/play passive basses but have a few active basses w/different pre's (Audere, John East, EMGX, Kubicki & G&L) and always enjoy playing one of them and being treated to the evenness, clarity and presence they provide. I have played them live but not often since I only bring one bass and a battery could fail mid set. Just one less thing to worry about.

The J neck you gifted me (thanks again!) is my most recent (Audere) active bass and I love playing it as it plays and sounds great.

View attachment 5404332
Click to expand...
there was a time when onboard preamps seemed important……glad that’s over…
 
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