Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

I'm just going by reality - many guitar manufacturers use their own 'numerical' system that doesn't coincide with actual numbers of product. So from those two numbers, it is only clear one was made before or after the other. I have to believe your II was brown-burst originally, as the majority were in '64. "Custom Colours" that year were few and far between. (I don't have specific #'s)

Seems total 716 IIs ever made (give or take a few). I've never seen a breakdown like withe the 70s reissue. (Total of 322 IVs made.) Might be shocking to know how many actually survive.

Mine is Production Number: 199118
Your guitar was made at the
Kalamazoo Plant, MI Factory
in 1964

 

[JIO]

Seems total 716 IIs ever made (give or take a few). I've never seen a breakdown like withe the 70s reissue. (Total of 322 IVs made.) Might be shocking to know how many actually survive.

Mine is Production Number: 199118
Your guitar was made at the
Kalamazoo Plant, MI Factory
in 1964

Yes, I'm certain many were parted-out with an un-repaired hs-break. In the early '70s when I bought my '63 II, I saw a couple others in my home town (Omaha Nebr) that had marginally repaired hs. I bidded on a black '64 II with a Fender neck grafted on on eBay many years ago - seller said Jaco 'played it' (it was from Florida, so I guess it was possible...) ... so yah, who knows how many '64's (II's or IV's) are still "in service".

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Interested in hearing how chromes sound on it. Will you be keeping them on it?

Not a fan of the top one. But the bottom one looks cool. Something in a blue would be really cool.

for now yeah, they're brand new and sound nice and bright, curiously they used Chromes to setup the 68 when they shipped it as well...they either get great deal on them or are popular when folks request setups....again it's one of those where the setup is so flawless I'll prolly replace them when one breaks....

 

[JIO]

I somehow aggregated the discs/impingement. I’m not having surgery this young and I refuse to let the pain management quacks inject me with their crap that doesn’t work anyway. It’ll pass.

I never had surgery until the last few years. (just pre-Covid and just after they opened up the hospitals during) Had both hips replaced w/hi-tech materials (titanium/ceramic) that has allowed me to continue to ride my bicycle (60K+ rides) and walk and stand w/o pain. I've had lower back surgery to relieve chronic 'discomfort' after suffering a herniated disc from a life-time of physical work... do you not take your car in for repair when things wear out? Current technology is high - no excuse not to do what needs to be done. Both hip-surgeries - I walked out later the same day.

My father was an active guy his whole life but fell off a ladder working on our house & broke his hip. This was many years ago and back then surgery success was 'iffy'. His last days were spent hobbling around with a walking cane. No excuse to do anything like this now.

 

[JIO]

Hope you've had an MRI to make sure things are stable. I get one every couple of years due to foraminal narrowing (50-80%) on C3-C5. No pain, just these funky electric shocks every so often down my right side and some lost control of my little finger when I over do it.

I had an MRI for my back but I've had the 'shock' test done on both hands. My left wrist was bad and I had the carpal-tunnel surgery done which is still not 100% to be honest. My right wrist is pending - I'm a fighter... it won't stop me from playing bass.

Chucky credited pic of me and 'brother from another mother' Jeff in the Mission SF - cast still on my left wrist shortly after the (inaugural) T-bird GTG 3 yrs ago (!)

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

I'm just going by reality - many guitar manufacturers use their own 'numerical' system that doesn't coincide with actual numbers of product. So from those two numbers, it is only clear one was made before or after the other. I have to believe your II was brown-burst originally, as the majority were in '64. "Custom Colours" that year were few and far between. (I don't have specific #'s)

so you think the checking is from the original pain? intentionally part of the relic process? or is the relic job old as well?……you’re gonna have to check it out in person…….don’t you have some cabs and spkrs to try out?…..

 

[Stealth57]

I had an MRI for my back but I've had the 'shock' test done on both hands. My left wrist was bad and I had the carpal-tunnel surgery done which is still not 100% to be honest. My right wrist is pending - Im a fighter... it won't stop me from playing bass.

Chucky credited pic of me and 'brother from another mother' Jeff in the Mission SF - cast still on my left wrist shortly after the (inaugural) T-bird GTG 3 yrs ago (!)
View attachment 5448651

Did you keep the cast with all the GTG1 signatures?

 

[GonePlaid]

Quadruple-tracked T-bird (or related) basses. Got the idea when I thought how thick a synthesizer sounds when you add more oscillators playing the same pitch.
Not that it's very usable in a song but then again, why not? If there's a part written for that sound etc.
View attachment 5448470

 

[JIO]

Being in a band gets you all the chic's... Zöe originally from Austria (center) is a fellow bass-player who plays with a few different bands here in SF and shared the stage last Sat night with us & B-day BG Cherie.

 

[JIO]

Did you keep the cast with all the GTG1 signatures?

ah.., no... ... it was the 1st cast I ever had and as much as I appreciated all who signed it - I frankly discarded it as soon as I could.

 

[ectoflanger]

If Bowie were a punk

Actually was a bit of one on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars- if you listen to this track- “Hang on to Yourself” you’ll see some proto-punk elements-

 

[DJ Bebop]

ah.., no... ... it was the 1st cast I ever had and as much as I appreciated all who signed it - I frankly discarded it as soon as I could.

Probably didn't smell so good anyway.

 

[JIO]

Actually was a bit of one on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars- if you listen to this track- “Hang on to Yourself” you’ll see some proto-punk elements-

 

[JIO]

Probably didn't smell so good anyway.

for sure... 86-ville

 

[ectoflanger]

To ostinato or not ostinato, a question I’ve asked myself regarding current compositions- on the one hand you could be accused being lazy for doing so (so I’m lazy); or ADD (I’m ADD) for not.

It’s a Catch 21 (don’t quite rate a 22, but at least I’m legal!}.

But I found a couple of good examples which may or may not inspire my T-Bird family, both by Jean Luc Ponty compositions, the first of which features both Allan Holdsworth and the venerable Ralphe Armstrong-

 

[DJ Bebop]

Hope you've had an MRI to make sure things are stable. I get one every couple of years due to foraminal narrowing (50-80%) on C3-C5. No pain, just these funky electric shocks every so often down my right side and some lost control of my little finger when I over do it.

I had an MRI for my back but I've had the 'shock' test done on both hands. My left wrist was bad and I had the carpal-tunnel surgery done which is still not 100% to be honest. My right wrist is pending - Im a fighter... it won't stop me from playing bass.

Chucky credited pic of me and 'brother from another mother' Jeff in the Mission SF - cast still on my left wrist shortly after the (inaugural) T-bird GTG 3 yrs ago (!)
View attachment 5448651

I've had both wrists, carpal tunnel.
Left elbow, ulnar nerve decompression.
Neck, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

Still rockin’ in the free world, so far.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Quadruple-tracked T-bird (or related) basses. Got the idea when I thought how thick a synthesizer sounds when you add more oscillators playing the same pitch.
Not that it's very usable in a song but then again, why not? If there's a part written for that sound etc.
View attachment 5448470

sounds good! classic it’s called heterodyning….all about the slightest detuning to create a third beat note that adds heft….the older the synth the better because the analog oscillators although compensated still drifted with temperature unintentionally adding rich intermodulation (IM) artifacts…. that’s why old analog synths like Oberheims anything from Sequential (and others) sounded so incredibly good….ZZ Top used these techniques to augment the guitar sound….used to love mucking around in the E-my studio with old (25 year old gear 30 years ago) Audity synths doing stuff like that for hours…..

 

[JIO]

View attachment 5448669 View attachment 5448670

I've had both wrists, carpal tunnel.
Left elbow, ulnar nerve decompression.
Neck, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

Still rockin’ in the free world, so far.

yes - it'll take more than this to take me down

 

[JIO]

so you think the checking is from the original pain? intentionally part of the relic process? or is the relic job old as well?……you’re gonna have to check it out in person…….don’t you have some cabs and spkrs to try out?…..
View attachment 5448657View attachment 5448656View attachment 5448655

I definitely want to check your new bass out and want to spend some time going over my Ashdown/EICH rig... just let me know when it is conducive to your schedule.

The checking on your bass was part of the 'relic'd' re-fin which could be 'old' but probably from the last 10-15 yrs. "Relic'ing/distressing" is a fairly recent development. Fender (as a major player) developed it through their FCS in the early '90s for Keith Richards as the story goes... perhaps individuals were doing it before then.

 

[Gaolee]

So tone comes from the setup? I guess I can buy that for the most part.

Nah, the purple tone silks. Don't let anyone fool you.