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Thunderbird Club

#2,941
ThaCoast said:
For those with more than one bird, which one is your all time go to and possibly favourite one of the bunch. (if you can't narrow it down, say your top three and why they are in that order)
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Good question Andii!

For me the short answer is = the one I'm playing right now :)
To my ear each of mine have discernible differences caused by several things, pickups, construction, woods used. I have 3 '76s each couldn't be more different from it's sister simply because Gibson was inconsistent with it's pickups at that point, mine range from 7k to 13k, also one of mine has had it's headstock broken completely off, another was splintered but not completely broken (both have excellent repairs, no issues) the last is unbroken. Of the 3, I like the tone and playability of the splintered one best.
I sit down with my Lull, it's a beautifully made and playing bass, sometime I think I should just have it and none of the others.......
When I play the Greco TBII I get this angry, growl that destroys worlds and wants eat a Fender as a snack.........on and on it goes.
Their all my faves;)
 
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#2,942
TBird1958 said:
Good question Andii!

For me the short answer is = the one I'm playing right now :)
To my ear each of mine have discernible differences caused by several things, pickups, construction, woods used. I have 3 '76s each couldn't be more different from it's sister simply because Gibson was inconsistent with it's pickups at that point, mine range from 7k to 13k, also one of mine has had it's headstock broken completely off, another was splintered but not completely broken (both have excellent repairs, no issues) the last is unbroken. Of the 3, I like the tone and playability of the splintered one best.
Their all my faves;)
Click to expand...

Is it the refinished one in that awesome purple/pink tiger striped color the splintered one?
 
#2,944
ThaCoast said:
Is it the refinished one in that awesome purple/pink tiger striped color the splintered one?
Click to expand...

Andii, they're all re fins, 2 of them were were wrecks, missing pickups etc. the third was okay but I played it a lot and it's original black paint was pretty shot, so it went to Marty Bell. (that's the crazy tiger stripped one)

This is a '76, the unbroken one, refined in 7Up Green with all original parts - those covers are really hard to find! This was the first bass I'd ever tried to have restored/rebuilt, and I still think it's the best of them. The rear pup was very troublesome, it had a Bartolini in it when I bought it, went thru two Gibson pups to find a good one.
thunderbirds016.jpg


This is the splintered one, it's '77 as a player and tonally it's my fave of three, the pups are just magical on this one, it's been played hard, so much that the chrome plating is falling off. I bought this bass from Mike Lull, at that point it was in a natural finish and had an Allparts 3 point bridge, no covers etc. The Allparts bridge gave me nothing but trouble, it took a lot of work to get another chrome one from Gibson!
thunderbirds006.jpg


Broken completely off and re attached - this is a '77 as well. painted by Mart Bell.

wildthing_009.jpg
 
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#2,946
ThaCoast said:
For those with more than one bird, which one is your all time go to and possibly favourite one of the bunch. (if you can't narrow it down, say your top three and why they are in that order)
Click to expand...
The 2013 Classic IV with the Gibby p/u's is the favorite of the two. Lighter, slimmer neck, etc... That's my Number one, and I keep my Classic PRO IV tuned down a half step for the songs we do in E-Flat tuning.
 
#2,949
ThaCoast said:
For those with more than one bird, which one is your all time go to and possibly favourite one of the bunch. (if you can't narrow it down, say your top three and why they are in that order)
Click to expand...
Yeah, like Mark said, the one I am playing now is my favorite !
This one gets 50% of the work. A 2007 zebrawood with Lulls and tapes. It is the deepest sounding bass I have ever played, yet still has that punch.
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The Greco below left is the HOTTEST output pup, and has a killer neck profile. She's a punker. Think "fascination street" by the cure. The Bicent. natural below, I re-wired in parallel and now I love it. It is a big piano sound with GHS Brite flats. I love to play "killing in the name of" with it. I may bring either one of these to practice or a gig to augment my 2007.
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The Bicent. sunburst is a virgin closet queen. Don't even look at it.
Link Removed
 
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#2,951
In other T-bird related news. The drummer in my band has been talking about wanting to refinish a guitar. I mentioned that I planned to refinish the Goth Bird I recently picked up and he said he would like to do it. So we talked a bit and I'm going to deliver the body to him at our gig this weekend and he is going to refinish it in a heavy silver metal flake. :) :) :)

I have always wanted a sparkle bass.
 
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#2,952
gaffster787 said:
Yeah, like Mark said, the one I am playing now is my favorite !
This one gets 50% of the work. A 2007 zebrawood with Lulls and tapes. It is the deepest sounding bass I have ever played, yet still has that punch.
Link Removed
The Greco below left is the HOTTEST output pup, and has a killer neck profile. She's a punker. Think "fascination street" by the cure. The Bicent. natural below, I re-wired in parallel and now I love it. It is a big piano sound with GHS Brite flats. I love to play "killing in the name of" with it. I may bring either one of these to practice or a gig to augment my 2007.
Link Removed
Click to expand...
Those birds are lovely. Teh natural bicent would definately be my player if i had one.

gaffster787 said:
The Bicent. sunburst is a virgin closet queen. Don't even look at it.
Link Removed
Click to expand...

I peeked, like every good greek mythological hero. :P
 
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#2,955
gaffster787 said:
Yeah, like Mark said, the one I am playing now is my favorite !
This one gets 50% of the work. A 2007 zebrawood with Lulls and tapes. It is the deepest sounding bass I have ever played, yet still has that punch.
Link Removed
The Greco below left is the HOTTEST output pup, and has a killer neck profile. She's a punker. Think "fascination street" by the cure. The Bicent. natural below, I re-wired in parallel and now I love it. It is a big piano sound with GHS Brite flats. I love to play "killing in the name of" with it. I may bring either one of these to practice or a gig to augment my 2007.
Link Removed
The Bicent. sunburst is a virgin closet queen. Don't even look at it.
Link Removed
Click to expand...

Lovely. A couple of my mates have Greco Birds and the pickups are something else.
 
#2,956
Haji said:
I didn't realize that TB4's and Goths had different nut widths. That's very interesting. Could it be that the TB4 will become my favorite? Dang...now I am really dying waiting for next payday!
Click to expand...

My Goth and Burst have the same size neck. I think it's the newer model bolt-necks that have the thinner nut??
 
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