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Thunderbird Club

#317,901
Thumper said:
I just assumed any 2015 owner would respond....thanks for your input. Mine will cop a Jazz bass vibe, but I've never liked the Jazz thing.
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You and me both. I do not own a J bass. The ergos and I do not get along. For whatever reason. I use my Foundation for my “J bass.” That and the ‘15 are close enough in my world. I’m fortunate to have decent amps with a variety of tone options. And FWIW, I’m no Jaco. Or Geddy.
 
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#317,902
Gaolee said:
I had a groupie once. She was about 90 years old, but what can a bass player expect? I'll take it! The rest of the band gave me a pile of grief about that for about three months.
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Ha. I’m a certified Nikki fanboy. I suppose you can call me a groupie. I’ve met and talked to her a few times. She’s 50. I’m 67. We’re both happily married. I sure hope she doesn’t get grief over my adoration of her.
 
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#317,903
Amazing what you see at a golf course on a river.

IMG_1926.jpeg
 
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#317,904
MCF said:
No. I went in last weekend. It was cold below six inches. Covering it would get me a few weeks at the beginning and at the end which is Labor Day. I’m too lazy to mess with covering it.

I’m going to start “opening” mine this weekend. But it may be raining and cold so I may have to wait. I’m having a stabilizer issue; I may need to do a drain and refill. We’ll see. Jeez. The price of chemicals……I dropped 5 Benjamins last Sunday at the local shop…

We need a redeck and plaster. If we decide to keep the place (the Medicare hit may well make us decide to keep it) that will happen next year or the year after that. It was built in ‘97 and has served us remarkably well. But nothing lasts forever. Except Thunderbirds.

Our son and daughter are feeling guilty about not recognizing our Fortieth Anniversary last June. They asked if there was anything we needed. I suggested they could look at one of the new robot pool skimmer/sweepers. So…..maybe?

I can not imagine not having a pool.
View attachment 7211055
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See, if you lived in Seattle it would be difficult to imagine life with a pool! :)
 
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#317,906
Gaolee said:
You need a 360. You have experienced one now, so you know. I got lucky when mine popped up about 15 years ago. The amp I probably shouldn't have let go was a 320/408 stack that is bigger than a 360 stack but has a lighter weight cabinet and is a bit more versatile. A bit. I got some kind of special edition Ric in trade for that amp, which I promptly sold and turned into a Thunderbird and cash. So it worked out OK.
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Yeah. You are totally right. I have first dibs on yours, right?

The rest of the story for me was 1974. I wanted a 360 rig. I had a ‘63 Fender 50 Bassman and a 212 cab with a bum speaker. it could not cover the gyms and cafeterias at the junior high schools, high schools, and church halls we played. And we played pretty much all the time. Most every weekend. I wanted a 360 rig. I was a high school sophomore. With no money. I could get an ACC rig in l.A. for about $800.00 IIRC. The store did not want the Fender stuff in trade. $800 was way too much money in those days. I was crushed.

So. The local music store had a new Kasino 200 and 215 cab. They offered me $200 credit for the trade and wanted $340.00 for the balance. My parents loaned me $300. So that is what I got. Hind sight is best site. But that Kasino was loud, and took me through a lot of gigs until I sold it in ‘83 for graduate school funds.

Looking back, I am so thankful that my parents were so supportive. They drew a line, which was understandable. My mom was a typical middle class housewife. My Dad worked his ass off to make sure we had a nice house, ate well, were happy, and saved money to get three kids through college. They supported us in our dreams as best they could. I do not know how most families can do it today.
 
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#317,907
TBird1958 said:
See, if you lived in Seattle it would be difficult to imagine life with a pool! :)
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You’re right. I grew up a swimmer in SoCal. Gave it up and switched to running when a guy named Kiki Vanderwigh in a Junior Olympics race crushed me and six other twelve year olds in a backstroke race. Dude beat the rest of us by 25 meters in a 100 meter race. And that was his worst stroke. Of course that guy went on to be a HOF basketball player, coach, and GM. But to his credit, he was a pretty nice kid to know back in the day.
 
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#317,914
MCF said:
No. I went in last weekend. It was cold below six inches. Covering it would get me a few weeks at the beginning and at the end which is Labor Day. I’m too lazy to mess with covering it.

I’m going to start “opening” mine this weekend. But it may be raining and cold so I may have to wait. I’m having a stabilizer issue; I may need to do a drain and refill. We’ll see. Jeez. The price of chemicals……I dropped 5 Benjamins last Sunday at the local shop…

We need a redeck and plaster. If we decide to keep the place (the Medicare hit may well make us decide to keep it) that will happen next year or the year after that. It was built in ‘97 and has served us remarkably well. But nothing lasts forever. Except Thunderbirds.

Our son and daughter are feeling guilty about not recognizing our Fortieth Anniversary last June. They asked if there was anything we needed. I suggested they could look at one of the new robot pool skimmer/sweepers. So…..maybe?

I can not imagine not having a pool.
View attachment 7211055
Click to expand...
I cannot imagine having a pool in Seattle. The climate is a little different. Funny how that works.
 
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#317,915
MCF said:
Yeah. You are totally right. I have first dibs on yours, right?

The rest of the story for me was 1974. I wanted a 360 rig. I had a ‘63 Fender 50 Bassman and a 212 cab with a bum speaker. it could not cover the gyms and cafeterias at the junior high schools, high schools, and church halls we played. And we played pretty much all the time. Most every weekend. I wanted a 360 rig. I was a high school sophomore. With no money. I could get an ACC rig in l.A. for about $800.00 IIRC. The store did not want the Fender stuff in trade. $800 was way too much money in those days. I was crushed.

So. The local music store had a new Kasino 200 and 215 cab. They offered me $200 credit for the trade and wanted $340.00 for the balance. My parents loaned me $300. So that is what I got. Hind sight is best site. But that Kasino was loud, and took me through a lot of gigs until I sold it in ‘83 for graduate school funds.

Looking back, I am so thankful that my parents were so supportive. They drew a line, which was understandable. My mom was a typical middle class housewife. My Dad worked his ass off to make sure we had a nice house, ate well, were happy, and saved money to get three kids through college. They supported us in our dreams as best they could. I do not know how most families can do it today.
Click to expand...
If my 360 ever goes anywhere, your house is where it will go. I might even deliver it. It's the practice amp from hell right now, although I use the Grexa reissue for shows off and on. Both sure are fun to play through.
 
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#317,916
Chucky Stiletti said:
believe it or not, that car was supposed to have a rotary motor that GM reneged on last minute forcing AM to shoehorn one of their sixes....underdog merger between Nash and Hudson UBER cool.....60's AMC performance cars are in their own category.....
View attachment 7211028
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I’ve said it before but no harm in saying again.

We had the AMC’s in local assembly from knocked down packs from the early 60’s through to around 76/77.

They were all sold under the Rambler brand name in Australia, and all in RHD. They were assembled by AMI (Australian Motor Industries) alongside Triumph sedans and Toyotas, and used the same quality carpet and seat vinyl as the upmarket Triumph as the Ramblers were more expensive than the equivalent Big 3 models.

Models I remember seeing around were the American, the Rebel, Matador, and a lot of Hornets (only 6 cylinder and 4dr sedan). In coupes we got some Javelins and 24 x AMX. The last ‘new’ model that came through was the MatadorX coupe. We got no Pacers, and only one Gremlin as a test to see how it would go. An American collector came and bought that and shipped it home. So if you ever see a RHD Rambler Gremlin at a car show it is most likely that one.

Both Rambler and Triumph were gone locally by about 78, AMI could fill the factory just with Toyota, who then bought them out.
 
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#317,920
RedVee said:
I’ve said it before but no harm in saying again.

We had the AMC’s in local assembly from knocked down packs from the early 60’s through to around 76/77.

They were all sold under the Rambler brand name in Australia, and all in RHD. They were assembled by AMI (Australian Motor Industries) alongside Triumph sedans and Toyotas, and used the same quality carpet and seat vinyl as the upmarket Triumph as the Ramblers were more expensive than the equivalent Big 3 models.

Models I remember seeing around were the American, the Rebel, Matador, and a lot of Hornets (only 6 cylinder and 4dr sedan). In coupes the got some Javelins and 24 x AMX. The last ‘new’ model that came through was the MatadorX coupe. We got no Pacers, and only one Gremlin as a test to see how it would go. An American collector came and bought that and shipped it home. So if you ever see a RHD Rambler Gremlin at a car show it is most likely that one.

Both Rambler and Triumph were gone locally by about 78, AMI could fill the factory just with Toyota, who then bought them out.
Click to expand...
I saw a Rambler two door sedan yesterday evening. I don't remember the last one before that. It sounded like it had a healthy and happy V8 looking for a place to go fast. Going fast isn't exactly the thing you think of when you think of a Rambler sedan, but there it was and there you are.
 
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