Thunderbird Club

[Miles_ONeal]

I still spin this album. I won a vinyl copy (long gone) from an Augusta, GA radio station when I was a teenager. It was one of my first albums and the first live album I owned.

 

[TBird1958]

awesome! what’s the venue called?

We're at Jules Maes, which is in Georgetown, so north of the Museum of Flight and on the opposite side. There's just so many cool places in Seattle,
maybe next time we do a GTG here

 

[Miles_ONeal]

We have a show on Friday this week, local for a change too! Oldest bar in Seattle and we are extremely happy to become part of its history

The Bluie gets to go to a show!

Backup

We will debut two new songs as well - I love this stuff as it's a bit off the beaten path!

How old is it?
I didn't play at it, but Sharon and I ate at the oldest pub in Ireland. Well, one of several that calls itself that!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

awesome! what’s the venue called?

The Honest to God, For Real Oldest (Seriously, We mean It!) Bar in Seattle (Even if it's Not Technically in Seattle)[1]

[1] But is it the grungiest? That's what really matters. I mean, this is Seattle! More or less.

 

[JIO]

Or
View attachment 7042520

Whatever blows your skirt up...

 

[JIO]

@JIO
This came up in my random shuffle today while I was playing bass, thought of your band right away, interesting Tango type take on a heavy Bondesque tune…

cool - and dance-oriented... could work for either band. It's like a Bond house-jam.

 

[MCF]

There's quite a bit to it as it turns out..
Briefly.
From '63-mid '65 The original "Reverse" shape, multi laminated neck and the original, highly sought after pickup design.

Late '65-'69 The "Non Reverse" design, single piece body, set-neck and original design pickups.

1976-'79 Gibson re-issues the "Reverse" shape from the '60s with a slight change in the body shape, a new "3 Point" bridge and a
new pickup design. It was based on the G-3 pickup designed by Bill Lawrence, these varied wildly in terms of output and sound quality.
Gibson did retain the original multi laminate construction for these basses, production ceased after 1979 and other than a small number of Custom Shop
Birds in 1986, none were produced again until 1988 when they were reissued by Henry J.

1988 saw Thunderbirds reissued and redesigned, the "Reverse" body shape and multi laminate construction of the original were retained, the headstock was made much smaller. Black hardware was used, and a multiplicity of pickup designs ( at least 6!) were used through the '90s and into the '00 with no clear cutoff dates. Sometime after 2000 another running change was added neck pitch.

2006 saw the release of the "Studio" Thunderbird, this is a slab body, set neck bass with a contemporary bridge replacing the 3 Point, a smaller headstock and no raised center block or multi laminate. These were only made for about 3 years.

Gibson reissued the Non Reverse in 2013, like the '60s version they are set neck but these feature the 3 Point bridge, contemporary pickups and the neck has a volute.

2015 The "Reverse" is issued with a factory installed "Babciz" bridge, De Cola pickups, extra switching and coil tapping options, only produced for one year, these are highly regarded modern Thunderbirds.

In 2021 Gibson again reissued the "Non reverse" Thunderbird, new "Reissue" pickups, Hipshot tuners, chrome hardware no neck volute, slab body, set neck.

To finish the thought:

In the Spring of 2022, Gibson released the reverse Gene Simmons G2 Thunderbird. It had a 1.6 nut width set neck, black chrome hardware, a Hipshot bridge, Hipshot tuners, and “modern” ceramic Tbird pickups

A few months later in 2022, Gibson released the Rex Brown Signature Thunderbird. This reverse had a slightly slimmer set neck, “Rexbucker” pickups (which are said to be untapped Alnico DeColas), a push pull active/passive circuit, gold hardware, Hipshot bridge and tuners with a drop D extender.

The iconic neck through reverse Thunderbird is currently unavailable. It reverted back to the ceramic TBird plus pickups for 2016, but the Babicz bridge continued until around 2018. The most recent of the through neck reverses had the three point. It isn’t clear when Gibson did the most recent run, but they began to show as discontinued on Gibson’s website around 2021-2022. It will hopefully be back soon. And come in a variety of colors with 1960’s style bridges. At least one can dream.

Other Gibson Thunderbirds have come and gone through the years, including a Studio model that was available in IV and V string versions in the mid 00’s. They had “skinny” headstocks and set necks on a contoured slab body and standard style high mass bridges.

There was a short Scale model in 2011 (a run of 400) with a studio style “skinny” headstock, flat body top like the Studio, and the three point bridge.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

To finish the thought:

In the Spring of 2022, Gibson released the reverse Gene Simmons G2 Thunderbird. It had a 1.6 nut width set neck, black chrome hardware, a Hipshot bridge, Hipshot tuners, and “modern” ceramic Tbird pickups

A few months later in 2022, Gibson released the Rex Brown Signature Thunderbird. This reverse had a slightly slimmer set neck, “Rexbucker” pickups (which are said to be untapped Alnico DeColas), a push pull active/passive circuit, gold hardware, Hipshot bridge and tuners with a drop D extender.

The iconic neck through reverse Thunderbird is currently unavailable. It reverted back to the ceramic TBird plus pickups for 2016, but the Babicz bridge continued until around 2018. The most recent of the through neck reverses had the three point. It isn’t clear when Gibson did the most recent run, but they began to show as discontinued on Gibson’s website around 2021-2022. It will hopefully be back soon. And come in a variety of colors with 1960’s style bridges. At least one can dream.

Other Gibson Thunderbirds have come and gone through the years, including a Studio model that was available in IV and V string versions in the mid 00’s. They had “skinny” headstocks and set necks on a contoured slab body and standard style high mass bridges.

There was a short Scale model in 2011 (a run of 400) with a studio style “skinny” headstock, flat body top like the Studio, and the three point bridge.

If you're going to go there, don't leave out the goth & Nikki Stixx models...

 

[Engle]

I think I got the lacquer checking process almost figured out. New black lacquer is basically the bottom 3rd of the peghead where the repair is, and I sprayed clear over the whole face.
I’m not sweating over the chips above the E-tuner. The idea was to hide the repair and keep the original logo.

Just did some final polishing.

 

[MCF]

If you're going to go there, don't leave out the goth & Nikki Stixx models...

Be my guest!

 

[MCF]

I think I got the lacquer checking process almost figured out. New black lacquer is basically the bottom 3rd of the peghead where the repair is, and I sprayed clear over the whole face.
I’m not sweating over the chips above the E-tuner. The idea was to hide the repair and keep the original logo.

Just did some final polishing.View attachment 7042694View attachment 7042695

Wow!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Be my guest!

I don't know then well enough. I hoped you did! Someone here does...

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

I think I got the lacquer checking process almost figured out. New black lacquer is basically the bottom 3rd of the peghead where the repair is, and I sprayed clear over the whole face.
I’m not sweating over the chips above the E-tuner. The idea was to hide the repair and keep the original logo.

Just did some final polishing.View attachment 7042694View attachment 7042695

that came out beautiful, one of my Gibson basses especially in blk…..congrats Irv…if you ever…….nah, I wouldn’t….

 

[RedVee]

 

[TBird1958]

that came out beautiful, one of my Gibson basses especially in blk…..congrats Irv…if you ever…….nah, I wouldn’t….

Road trip to Vancouver!

 

[MCF]

I don't know then well enough. I hoped you did! Someone here does...

I don’t know the Gibson Gothic. I understand it was a limited run of a black TBird, normal dot inlays and logo. Nothing notable as far as I recall. Epi was who added the inlays and the cross.

The Gibson Nikki Sixx Signature Blackbird was available beginning around 2000 until about 2003. It was notable for the cross inlays, the cross with Thunderbird logo, the absence of volume and tone circuits, a single kill switch, and the “Opti-Grab” (still trying to figure that one out). It was reissued in a limited run around 2009, 2010 in a beautiful satin red.

 

[dagrev]

I still spin this album. I won a vinyl copy (long gone) from an Augusta, GA radio station when I was a teenager. It was one of my first albums and the first live album I owned.

My cousin had that one.

 

[dagrev]

I think I got the lacquer checking process almost figured out. New black lacquer is basically the bottom 3rd of the peghead where the repair is, and I sprayed clear over the whole face.
I’m not sweating over the chips above the E-tuner. The idea was to hide the repair and keep the original logo.

Just did some final polishing.View attachment 7042694View attachment 7042695

Fantastic job, Irv!

 

[TBird1958]

The Nikki Sixx Mk.I is satin black with a clear PG and Iron Cross inlays, no knobs just a kill switch.

This is a Goth, note the factory black PG, this bass is from Uwe's collection.

Here's my Nikki Sixx Mk.II, it's a satin finish red stained flamed Maple, mirror finish Sig PG was stock, mine's chrome plated steel it had Lull pickups too..
There are some other Thunderbirds out there that aren't mentioned, as I said originally "Briefly".

 

[Engle]

that came out beautiful, one of my Gibson basses especially in blk…..congrats Irv…if you ever…….nah, I wouldn’t….

I'm sure glad I bought it when it came up. I'm getting some nice tones out of it and the neck is killer!
Somehow it has the right characteristics to cop an upright-ish tone, especially with some tube overdrive.