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Thunderbird Club

#29,321
The Jazz Bass is a larger piece of wood than a P', an the taper from nut to bridge seems, for me, excessive. What I like very much about my chopped up Hamer is the much more attenuated taper, nut to bridge. The strings seem almost parallel in their course, for all intents and purposes. The Blackbird is less so, but still within my right hand's happy zone.

I like the snarl you can get from a Jazz, but the taper mentioned above puts me off somewhat. Available bread will go to something more like the Bird or Hamer.

Well, the Bird, of course... (eyes dart left and right, sits down quickly).
 
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#29,322
ProgressiveDoom said:
I understand they are engineered for different tonal options and may or may not work with certain genres but I did not know that I would be unable to manipulate its tones to my needs, that I found out after I acquired one. I should have kept the Jazz and just routered the neck pickup cavity to pop in a Rickenbacker or Thunderbird pickup to fit my needs.View attachment 1120033
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Mods, for someone seeking their tone/feel happy place, should be executed without guilt or cowing to peer pressure.

This has been learned after years of same...
 
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#29,323
DerekW said:
$200 for a bass you like, can gig with, and has a case? That's hardly overpaying, imo.
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Who said I liked it? It has "issues", aside from shoddy fretwork and build tolerancea and annoying backlash in the tuners, it has a nearly stripped truss adjuster that is really stiff. So yeah, I got ripped off for $200, mainly because of the truss rod issues. It " looks" cool and the neck happens to be close enough to where I need it to be so I can use it for the time being, but I may not be saying the same thing after the summer.

There is slight hope that a gripper wrench can adjust the neck.

The truss rod thing really bothers me, it is one of my unresolved issues in life. I do regret buying it in a hurry where I forgot my tools as well so I couldn't check the truss rod nut.

$200 is a good price for a decent epiphone Thunderbird IV with no "issues". This one has an issue or 2, that is likely going to require a new neck.

However I was thinking, would it be possible to have a slot cut in the nut to enable the use of a flathead screwdriver to adjust the rod? Or is that damn metal too soft?

Shoddy build quality has the nut jammed against the wood. The goth on the other hand, is a joy to adjust. The neck on this is chunky, so maybe it won't move so much, but if it does, I'm kinda screwed. ....Craigslist
 
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#29,324
ProgressiveDoom said:
I understand they are engineered for different tonal options and may or may not work with certain genres but I did not know that I would be unable to manipulate its tones to my needs, that I found out after I acquired one. I should have kept the Jazz and just routered the neck pickup cavity to pop in a Rickenbacker or Thunderbird pickup to fit my needs.View attachment 1120033
Click to expand...
Yeah a passive J bass just doesn't do the P bass thing. But you can put in new pickups and a preamp if you really liked the bass and have lots of options that way. I've personally never had any issues using my J bass in any project. It doesn't have the grunt of a P bass but it does really well. I can normally adjust my amp and/pedals to get what I need and at that point I get the added benefit of the J bass growl.
 
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#29,325
As much as I love my Jazz, this thing rips, just tried it out.
Only problem is it needs some serious fret work.
SA wants 999 for it.
It was here a while back, was gone, and now it's back in the store.
Must have been returned I'm guessing cause of the frets.
Bad pic
image.jpeg
image.jpeg
of the bridge and how it's set up, but I don't trust it, too bad.
Sounds awesome though.
The Jazz has its place, but I'm finding more and more the Bird is a Jazz killer.
 
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#29,326
I love my J bass. I've had it for years and I've put a lot of work and money into it. That being said, it just sits there. I love the Tbird so much. It feels like home every time I pick it up. I really lucked out with this one. Fretwork is spot on, it weighs 8 pounds, and the neck is to die for.
 
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#29,327
JJR58 said:
As much as I love my Jazz, this thing rips, just tried it out.
Only problem is it needs some serious fret work.
SA wants 999 for it.
It was here a while back, was gone, and now it's back in the store.
Must have been returned I'm guessing cause of the frets.
Bad pic View attachment 1120173 View attachment 1120174 of the bridge and how it's set up, but I don't trust it, too bad.
Sounds awesome though.
The Jazz has its place, but I'm finding more and more the Bird is a Jazz killer.
Click to expand...


Somebody is really Thunderbird Horny :laugh:
 
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#29,329
willsellout said:
I love my J bass. I've had it for years and I've put a lot of work and money into it. That being said, it just sits there. I love the Tbird so much. It feels like home every time I pick it up. I really lucked out with this one. Fretwork is spot on, it weighs 8 pounds, and the neck is to die for.
Click to expand...


Just my .02 but I'd keep the Jazz, I was in a similar situation with my '73 Rick 4001, I let it go in a moment of weakness - I'll regret it forever.
 
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#29,335
TBird1958 said:
Just my .02 but I'd keep the Jazz, I was in a similar situation with my '73 Rick 4001, I let it go in a moment of weakness - I'll regret it forever.
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Oh yeah it's my baby. I still pick it up every once in a while. I'll never get rid of it. I've owned a ton of really expensive basses and the two I'm happiest with are my Mexican Fender J bass and my Epiphone Tbird. Go figure.
 
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#29,337
willsellout said:
I love my J bass. I've had it for years and I've put a lot of work and money into it. That being said, it just sits there. I love the Tbird so much. It feels like home every time I pick it up. I really lucked out with this one. Fretwork is spot on, it weighs 8 pounds, and the neck is to die for.
Click to expand...
The only thing I had to get used to was the neck due to it being narrower than a P or a J as I find with the 17mm string spacing I was fumbling a bit cause I dont use a pick but now I find that the string spacing allows me to cruise a little smoother being used to it by now. I was actually going to put a reverse(lefty) Squier P neck on if I couldnt get used to it, now I have a neck just laying there doing nothing.
 
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