Thunderbird Club

[Gaolee]

Except I don’t believe we have a brunette as cute as the one in your pic stopping in here.

We have Veronica. What more could we possibly need?

 

[Gaolee]

Just getting back into some fretless work after years of not playing one. I picked up an Eastwood fretless on the cheap and it plays and sounds very good, not the level of my old Pedulla Pentabuzz (which I stupidly sold) but at a fraction of the cost it’ll do.

That said, I’m considering installing a pickup up against the neck. Thought about a vintage Gibson sidewinder from an old 1960’s EB but not sure I want to spend that money on this bass. Also considered a Dimarizo One and a Thunderbird pickup. Any thoughts from the gang here? It’ll go in this, so chrome or black would work fine…
View attachment 5464295

Between the pickup choices and the location you have in mind, I would go with a Dimarzio Model One.

 

[Count Bassie]

Just getting back into some fretless work after years of not playing one. I picked up an Eastwood fretless on the cheap and it plays and sounds very good, not the level of my old Pedulla Pentabuzz (which I stupidly sold) but at a fraction of the cost it’ll do.

That said, I’m considering installing a pickup up against the neck. Thought about a vintage Gibson sidewinder from an old 1960’s EB but not sure I want to spend that money on this bass. Also considered a Dimarizo One and a Thunderbird pickup. Any thoughts from the gang here? It’ll go in this, so chrome or black would work fine…
View attachment 5464295

Cool. Well, with my modest experience, I'd drop a Model One in there. No accounting for taste, but I've never disliked those in any of the instances I've used one, and there are several, in different placements.

I'm getting into my fretless just lately, determined to be able to play a set with it. Gonna be a minute, but it'll come along. It'll change my approach, surely.
There's a Model One in my old Westone DIY'd fretless, love what it does.

 

[Gaolee]

i remember this bass in your response to my query about the bass in this video- this one has a pickup close to the neck- have no idea what make it is, but it reminds me of yours-



Speaking of fretless playing- for me it depends on what the song calls for-

Out of three songs I’m working on - two require a Fretless five, and one requires a fretted four string tuned to standard Drop D-

It looks like it might be an Epiphone Rivoli reissue, converted to fretless, but I can't tell. Maybe Guild or Gretsch made a similar bass guitar that was fretless from the factory.

 

[Engle]

Perfect is so different for each of us. And is the result of so many variables it can be overwhelming. Player technique, the bass, the pickups, the strings, the amp, the cab, pedals, and some even believe the cables that connect it all make a difference.

There is a guy in the GP these days with a lot of posts who keeps wanting to change things up because he isn’t happy with what he hears through a GK Legacy. I doubt he bothered to read the manual before deciding to move on.

If you have the time, tone chasing is a fun hobby. I’ve learned a lot through trial and error. But it can be expensive. And it takes time away from becoming a better player.

I had to stop myself from saying "If you can't get a tone you're happy with from that GK, you may not ever be happy"

 

[Engle]

Cool. Well, with my modest experience, I'd drop a Model One in there. No accounting for taste, but I've never disliked those in any of the instances I've used one, and there are several, in different placements.

I'm getting into my fretless just lately, determined to be able to play a set with it. Gonna be a minute, but it'll come along. It'll change my approach, surely.
There's a Model One in my old Westone DIY'd fretless, love what it does.

Is the Model one a sidewinder?

 

[Engle]

And then when you get all dialed in, your band mates show up and your tone is not what it was when played alone.

^^^^This! As much as I may dig a tone when I play a bass on its own, the sonic context changes everything.

 

[Count Bassie]

If you have the time, tone chasing is a fun hobby. I’ve learned a lot through trial and error. But it can be expensive. And it takes time away from becoming a better player.

Yeah, this right here. How much time I have wasted. But, learn now. Here I am, standing with my fretless, chasing pitch instead of *gear*.

 

[Count Bassie]

Is the Model one a sidewinder?

I don't think so. Hell I should go look now...

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

More for me, then. I'm OK with that.

 

[MCF]

The white one has ChinaBuckers in it, I have a spare set of Epiphone 760ProBuckers and a spare set of Gibson Tbird Reissues. I’ll try each set to see which sounds best in this bass. Recall, I still have a ‘66 NR that I’m building (at finishers right now) so whichever pups I don’t use in the BaCH will go in the ‘66 NR.

At the end of the day I’ll have four NR birds all fitted with the same strings and similar pickups for a nice little shootout.

2021 Gibson NR with the Gibson neck pickup closer to the neck than the vintage bird wired vol, vol, tone.
‘66 North NR with Gibson or Epiphone neck pup at 1966 spacing, wenge neck, wired vol/tone, vol/tone, master vol
White First Gen BaCH with neck ChinaBucker at 1966 spacing, wired vol, vol, tone
Blue Second Gen BaCH with the Gibson or Epiphone neck pickup at 1966 spacing, but wired vol, tone, three way switch.

Should be interesting to hear the pickup location differences, wiring differences, and the wood selection differences if any.

Sounds good.

 

[MCF]

More for me, then. I'm OK with that.

Since the BaCH, I think I’ve taken in the Gibson Studio, the White Epi Custom Shop, and the TV Silver Epi Custom Shp. All three are reverses.

 

[bylar13]

Not sure if this was mentioned already but there is a short scale t-bird in the TB classified's:

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/gibson-thunderbird-short-scale-1-of-400.1651982/

 

[MCF]

Not sure if this was mentioned already but there is a short scale t-bird in the TB classified's:

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/gibson-thunderbird-short-scale-1-of-400.1651982/

Hey Brian!

Yeah. Saw it and discussed it above. A very hard pass IMO.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

^^^^This! As much as I may dig a tone when I play a bass on its own, the sonic context changes everything.

perfect example of this......not a fan of his standalone tone but when the playback comes up.....

 

[Stealth57]

perfect example of this......not a fan of his standalone tone but when the playback comes up.....

Can't mistake that TOP sound.

 

[Stealth57]

For the Finnish folks around here, the new baby bull at our farm was named Ukko. Fits the Titan theme as his sire is named Atlas. Plus, the white streak on his forehead looks somewhat like a lightening bolt.

 

[Gaolee]

Is the Model one a sidewinder?

I don't know for sure what it is. I have one that I picked up to put at the neck of a bolt-on Thunderbird. As usual, I didn't get that done, but I still have the Model One around somewhere. I'll make a point of taking a look one of these days.

 

[Engle]

perfect example of this......not a fan of his standalone tone but when the playback comes up.....

So much fret buzz! But it disappears in the mix.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Since the BaCH, I think I’ve taken in the Gibson Studio, the White Epi Custom Shop, and the TV Silver Epi Custom Shp. All three are reverses.

yeah, exceptions make sense sometimes……TT..