Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

Anyone here use GHS Pressurewound strings? I just tried them for the first time on my Carvin because I've been trying to dial out some annoying tone that I guess is inherent to its single coils. The Pressurewounds are doing a nice job, with about the same EQ as my Thunderbird. Other strings I've tried, like the SIT Power Wound and GHS Balanced Nickels, I've had to roll off a lot of highs and/or tone. The Pressurewounds still have plenty of punch. Curious to hear these in the band mix. Maybe this week.

Yes. I have generally had them on a couple basses, but currently on a Fender P/J. They will go back to the Regenerate (modern '55) soon.

I really like them and used them for years. They are made of Alloy 52, which seems to have some nice mids SS and NPS don't seem to have. (Other Alloy 52 strings are GHS Progressives [not in production], Roto UltraMags, Infelds and a couple others.) They used to be my first string on a bass to see if they worked, or determine if the bass needed something in one direction or another. To me, they are one of those strings that could work in just about any application. Most compromises don't work well (D'A ground wounds), but that one does. They can be bright (but not Roto bright), and can be warm and thumpy, and have really nice punch. IME, they could be a serious contender for "If you could only have one string for all basses" string. And they seem to hold their brightness very well. I'm glad they seem to be working for you.

 

[dagrev]

What doesn't please you about the tone and what do you want from it that it's not currently giving you? I've never heard those pickups in person.

Through my Ampeg head and cab any bass with the neck pickup too close to the neck can sound "unthick." (The '06 Thunderbird and '55 Pbass, the former has been addressed and fixed.) A lot of bass, but something missing in the low mids. Lowering the bass on the head and boosting the mids doesn't fix it. Even lowered the neck pickup to see if that wold help. It's either somewhat boomy and indistinct, or too thin if much bass/boom is removed. And I love huge bass, but it has to be full and not just have lows and top-end clank. My issue is only in a big room. At home it sounds fantastic. As good as any bass I have in fact. In big rooms/live settings things sound very different, and that is the case with the NR. That said, the Ashdown did help and I'm hoping I can more more progress. I just have to find the right ingredients without spending much money.

 

[dagrev]

I caught a driverless Semi Truck driving down the highway…looks safe! Ha!
View attachment 5494577

We've had driverless vehicles for years. Mostly since smart phones became popular. Go figure. Scary sitting at a red light and watch the number of people staring at their adult pacifier while going through the intersection. Just yesterday a dude started coming over in our lane and I looked over, and sure enough he not in the car on in phone world watching a video or video calling. I use the phone while driving some (mostly through Sync system). But I can drive to go get something to eat without having to use the phone and certainly not hold onto it the whole time. So far I've never had a president call with a pressing question, so my calls can wait till I can answer.

 

[JJR58]

Through my Ampeg head and cab any bass with the neck pickup too close to the neck can sound "unthick." (The '06 Thunderbird and '55 Pbass, the former has been addressed and fixed.) A lot of bass, but something missing in the low mids. Lowering the bass on the head and boosting the mids doesn't fix it. Even lowered the neck pickup to see if that wold help. It's either somewhat boomy and indistinct, or too thin if much bass/boom is removed. And I love huge bass, but it has to be full and not just have lows and top-end clank. My issue is only in a big room. At home it sounds fantastic. As good as any bass I have in fact. In big rooms/live settings things sound very different, and that is the case with the NR. That said, the Ashdown did help and I'm hoping I can more more progress. I just have to find the right ingredients without spending much money.

Sounds like the job for a semi-para eq.

 

[GonePlaid]

We've had driverless vehicles for years. Mostly since smart phones became popular. Go figure. Scary sitting at a red light and watch the number of people staring at their adult pacifier while going through the intersection. Just yesterday a dude started coming over in our lane and I looked over, and sure enough he not in the car on in phone world watching a video or video calling. I use the phone while driving some (mostly through Sync system). But I can drive to go get something to eat without having to use the phone and certainly not hold onto it the whole time. So far I've never had a president call with a pressing question, so my calls can wait till I can answer.

I do a lot of my verbal communication while driving. The flip phone is on the charger and on the seat next to me as I talk to 'the van'. Although holding it was no BFD to me since for 23 years, once I hit 9th, 10th, or 13th gear(whichever was 'top'), I had the CB mic in my right hand.

 

[GonePlaid]

From another thread/forum/whatever:
Invalid Link Removed

 

[Jakeman]

Looks like I might be leaving the flock, and possibly time for these birds to fly. Arm surgery necessitating short scale. Sad day.

(2001 in black, ebony board, Seymour Duncans, Hipshot. 2012 NR, Lollars, Hipshot.)

 

[BklynKen]

Yes. I have generally had them on a couple basses, but currently on a Fender P/J. They will go back to the Regenerate (modern '55) soon.

I really like them and used them for years. They are made of Alloy 52, which seems to have some nice mids SS and NPS don't seem to have. (Other Alloy 52 strings are GHS Progressives [not in production], Roto UltraMags, Infelds and a couple others.) They used to be my first string on a bass to see if they worked, or determine if the bass needed something in one direction or another. To me, they are one of those strings that could work in just about any application. Most compromises don't work well (D'A ground wounds), but that one does. They can be bright (but not Roto bright), and can be warm and thumpy, and have really nice punch. IME, they could be a serious contender for "If you could only have one string for all basses" string. And they seem to hold their brightness very well. I'm glad they seem to be working for you.

And the black silks have a funny camouflage situation going on with the black headstock. I wonder why the E string has a long winding length than the other three.

 

[dagrev]

Sounds like the job for a semi-para eq.

They are great. No doubt nothing a Peavey Mk III or IV couldn't handle. I know a stupid guy who got rid of his.....

 

[Rickplaysbass]

Through my Ampeg head and cab any bass with the neck pickup too close to the neck can sound "unthick." (The '06 Thunderbird and '55 Pbass, the former has been addressed and fixed.) A lot of bass, but something missing in the low mids. Lowering the bass on the head and boosting the mids doesn't fix it. Even lowered the neck pickup to see if that wold help. It's either somewhat boomy and indistinct, or too thin if much bass/boom is removed. And I love huge bass, but it has to be full and not just have lows and top-end clank. My issue is only in a big room. At home it sounds fantastic. As good as any bass I have in fact. In big rooms/live settings things sound very different, and that is the case with the NR. That said, the Ashdown did help and I'm hoping I can more more progress. I just have to find the right ingredients without spending much money.

I feel you on the thin but flubby neck pickup. I almost always need just a bit of bridge from whatever I'm playing to bring back that BUMP and POW. I find that somewhere between 200Hz-500Hz is where I end up needing that hump eq wise. Sometimes bumping those frequencies combined with whatever lows are being accentuated can get a little muddy. By itself it sounds fantastic, but with a band it becomes blobby and undefined. Felt, but not articulatorily heard. That's when the HPF comes in handy.

Much like when mixing live music and records for bands, I've learned that what I like my bass to sound like by itself does not translate to playing with a band. With a band I need a more "honky" "middy" not as full bodied tone than when I'm by myself. Don't get me wrong, it's still a bass, just with different accentuation points. By itself gimme a Sadowsky pre and watch me roll that 40Hz shelve up and love the bass. Then a bit of top. And a big Smiley EQ will be formed. Then the band comes in and I sound like BOOM BOOM DOOM BOO DOO and it's all blegh. Especially in big rooms where the low waves have so much more space to develop I'll find my self cutting low and boosting mids in such a way that sounds unpleasant solo, but somehow just fits sonically with a group.

I get it man, it's a tough cookie sometimes.

 

[Rickplaysbass]

They are great. No doubt nothing a Peavey Mk III or IV couldn't handle. I know a stupid guy who got rid of his.....

My first proper amp was a Peavey Mark III. I'd love to find one again. It had a High and Low Shelve and a graphic EQ in it as well as a high and low input.

 

[JJR58]

Looks like I might be leaving the flock, and possibly time for these birds to fly. Arm surgery necessitating short scale. Sad day.

(2001 in black, ebony board, Seymour Duncans, Hipshot. 2012 NR, Lollars, Hipshot.)

View attachment 5494869
View attachment 5494870

Sorry to hear about the arm surgery.
Hope you heal fast without much trouble.
Wish I could take that black one.
But completely out of the running for me.

 

[JJR58]

They are great. No doubt nothing a Peavey Mk III or IV couldn't handle. I know a stupid guy who got rid of his.....

Ashly PQX 571 would suit you just fine.
I have the 2 channel version.

 

[dagrev]

I do a lot of my verbal communication while driving. The flip phone is on the charger and on the seat next to me as I talk to 'the van'. Although holding it was no BFD to me since for 23 years, once I hit 9th, 10th, or 13th gear(whichever was 'top'), I had the CB mic in my right hand.

But you no doubt had good driving skills to begin with. A horrifying number of people today don't. They learned to "pass the test" but not drive. A month a go we were getting on an expressway and our lane was primary and the other was the secondary and would merge with us. A young lady slightly behind us ran her lane out and was irate that I didn't merge with her. My wife thought she was going to hit us. She had this incredulous look when she passed and there was no way I could tell her she was the one to yield (per also the sign she didn't look at or understand). How you could be in a merging lane and now grasp how that works is baffling to me.

 

[JIO]

From another thread/forum/whatever:
Invalid Link Removed

I saw her leading her own band a few years ago

 

[dagrev]

From another thread/forum/whatever:
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Have that feeling when listening to a lot of players.

 

[SubHuman]

Looks like I might be leaving the flock, and possibly time for these birds to fly. Arm surgery necessitating short scale. Sad day.

(2001 in black, ebony board, Seymour Duncans, Hipshot. 2012 NR, Lollars, Hipshot.)

View attachment 5494869
View attachment 5494870

Nice basses! Sorry to hear about Arm Surgery. Good vibes coming your way! I play Long scale and Short scale basses but due to back surgery I favor my SS but still play my Birds too. Hope you have fast recovery time!

 

[dagrev]

Looks like I might be leaving the flock, and possibly time for these birds to fly. Arm surgery necessitating short scale. Sad day.

(2001 in black, ebony board, Seymour Duncans, Hipshot. 2012 NR, Lollars, Hipshot.)

View attachment 5494869
View attachment 5494870

Sorry to hear about the arm issues. Hope that goes well and you can find basses that keep you playing.

 

[dagrev]

And the black silks have a funny camouflage situation going on with the black headstock. I wonder why the E string has a long winding length than the other three.

View attachment 5494891

I don't know, but it's common on every set I have had AFAIK.

 

[dagrev]

I feel you on the thin but flubby neck pickup. I almost always need just a bit of bridge from whatever I'm playing to bring back that BUMP and POW. I find that somewhere between 200Hz-500Hz is where I end up needing that hump eq wise. Sometimes bumping those frequencies combined with whatever lows are being accentuated can get a little muddy. By itself it sounds fantastic, but with a band it becomes blobby and undefined. Felt, but not articulatorily heard. That's when the HPF comes in handy.

Much like when mixing live music and records for bands, I've learned that what I like my bass to sound like by itself does not translate to playing with a band. With a band I need a more "honky" "middy" not as full bodied tone than when I'm by myself. Don't get me wrong, it's still a bass, just with different accentuation points. By itself gimme a Sadowsky pre and watch me roll that 40Hz shelve up and love the bass. Then a bit of top. And a big Smiley EQ will be formed. Then the band comes in and I sound like BOOM BOOM DOOM BOO DOO and it's all blegh. Especially in big rooms where the low waves have so much more space to develop I'll find my self cutting low and boosting mids in such a way that sounds unpleasant solo, but somehow just fits sonically with a group.

I get it man, it's a tough cookie sometimes.

Well said. I can relate.