Thunderbird Club

[MCF]

Finished a model............

The real deal.

The history fanatic in me made me research. JW was an interesting guy.

JACK FLAMMER Obituary | Orange County Register

Flammer, Jack W. Sr., passed away early Tuesday, February 27, 2012 at the Friendship House, Solvang, California. Born in Los Angeles, California, May 26, 1923 to Clarence and Marie Flammer, Jack lived a full and complete life. Jack grew up…

www.ocregister.com

 

[MCF]

Has anyone here tried out the Harley Benton TB-70?
At 189+ shipping, it could be a candidate for modding with EY guitar pickups and rings.
It ships active, ugh.
The pickup spacing “looks” close, but it is a 34” scale.
Mahogany, set neck: the ingredients are there.
The reverse headstock looks pretty good too.

Harley Benton TB-70VS Deluxe Series

Electric Bass Body: Okoume, Set-in Mahogany neck, Fingerboard: Blackwood, Dot fingerboard inlays, Neck profile: D, 20 Frets, Scale: 864 mm, Nut width: 38 mm, Pickups: 2 Roswell GB4 mini humbuckers with active electronics, 1 Volume controller with...

www.thomannmusic.com

View attachment 7212553
View attachment 7212556

Not a fan of the lower bout. YMMV.

 

[GBassNorth]

Has anyone here tried out the Harley Benton TB-70?
At 189+ shipping, it could be a candidate for modding with EY guitar pickups and rings.
It ships active, ugh.
The pickup spacing “looks” close, but it is a 34” scale.
Mahogany, set neck: the ingredients are there.
The reverse headstock looks pretty good too.

Harley Benton TB-70VS Deluxe Series

Electric Bass Body: Okoume, Set-in Mahogany neck, Fingerboard: Blackwood, Dot fingerboard inlays, Neck profile: D, 20 Frets, Scale: 864 mm, Nut width: 38 mm, Pickups: 2 Roswell GB4 mini humbuckers with active electronics, 1 Volume controller with...

www.thomannmusic.com

View attachment 7212553
View attachment 7212556

 

[Engle]

Finished a model............

The real deal.

Nice work!

 

[Engle]

Has anyone here tried out the Harley Benton TB-70?
At 189+ shipping, it could be a candidate for modding with EY guitar pickups and rings.
It ships active, ugh.
The pickup spacing “looks” close, but it is a 34” scale.
Mahogany, set neck: the ingredients are there.
The reverse headstock looks pretty good too.

Harley Benton TB-70VS Deluxe Series

Electric Bass Body: Okoume, Set-in Mahogany neck, Fingerboard: Blackwood, Dot fingerboard inlays, Neck profile: D, 20 Frets, Scale: 864 mm, Nut width: 38 mm, Pickups: 2 Roswell GB4 mini humbuckers with active electronics, 1 Volume controller with...

www.thomannmusic.com

View attachment 7212553
View attachment 7212556

How did that 8 string image come about?

 

[TBird1958]

The history fanatic in me made me research. JW was an interesting guy.

JACK FLAMMER Obituary | Orange County Register

Flammer, Jack W. Sr., passed away early Tuesday, February 27, 2012 at the Friendship House, Solvang, California. Born in Los Angeles, California, May 26, 1923 to Clarence and Marie Flammer, Jack lived a full and complete life. Jack grew up…

www.ocregister.com

Yeah, I found that as well, quoted parts of it for a post on an FB group and a Model RR forum that I wrote a construction article about the model .

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Well my VP moved from NM to AZ by end on day yesterday.
It’s now in Keene, ca just south of Bako, 200 miles south of me.
With any luck, it’ll be here Tomorrow.

How did that 8 string image come about?

8string?

 

[Engle]

Well my VP moved from NM to AZ by end on day yesterday.
It’s now in Keene, ca just south of Bako, 200 miles south of me.
With any luck, it’ll be here Tomorrow.

8string?

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I know someone here wants one.

View attachment 7212250

Not me, said the little red Greco!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Crazy. It took less time for the Bicentennial I bought from Chris to get to me from Alberta.

How long was that? Mine’s been over a week still in Canada.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

In another vid, another guy does a really bad shielding job on one, doesn’t electrically link the pickup cavities to the control cavity.
Or the control back plate, but shows that it’s a “Mings” preamp crappy noisy, and those Rosewell pickups would have to go!

Replace pickups, tuners, controls it could be pretty good, apparently it’s pretty light: it’s laid out in another vid that it’s NOT mahogany, rather Okoume wood construction.

And of course all of them mention that it’s neck dive prone. Duh.

Still for about 1/2 the price for an e1 and 2/3 the price after updates? I’m thinking hmmm.

Could look killer in a red metal flake refin,,,,
Hmm,,, could shave that wart on the lower horn.

 

[dagrev]

To me, Chomes are all thud n clang with no hi mids in the body of the note. Low mids in spades.

Our ears are related. It's been years, but I don't recall low mids. Just lows and highs. But that's been a number of rigs and cabs ago. Fender flats are very similar, but seem to have more mids and maybe not as bright as Chromes.

 

[dagrev]

Bako just had thunder and lightning, very very frightening, for about twenty minutes. And a ton of rain in that short spurt.

Is that uncommon there? The thunder and lightning part.

 

[JJR58]

Sunday with Poppy.

 

[dagrev]

Finished a model............

The real deal.

Impressive!

 

[dagrev]

Not a fan of the lower bout. YMMV.

Agree. Just looks wrong and makes my eyes hurt. But that's just me.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Agree. Just looks wrong and makes my eyes hurt. But that's just me.

Not just you. I like the ease of reach but that horn desperately needs reshaping and resizing.

 

[dagrev]

Used the SIT Flats today. Initial impression. Good strings. I would say good lows, some mids, good highs. Something in the mids (punch), seemed to be lacking--with that bass anyway. Might thicken up over time. Bright with a pick, even with warm heads (Apeg all tube and Ashdown ABM), especially when I began a song. That bass can be picky about strings and I'm unsure if they will stay, but likely will. But I'm me, so who knows. They will for a few more uses. Run through with the Ampeg and ABM for service. Liked both. Couldn't say which I preferred, both sounded good. Afterwards one lady in her 70s came up and said I needed to play that bass every week because she could really hear it. I can't tell what she was hearing through FOH. But there were several songs that were bass heavy and good bass songs.

 

[dagrev]

Not just you. I like the ease of reach but that horn desperately needs reshaping and resizing.

Yes, if I got one that would happen.

 

[MCF]

Agree. Just looks wrong and makes my eyes hurt. But that's just me.

And me. I have the same issue with the D-ROC, and other sorta Thunderbirds.

But I like the dark neck. And that guy, albeit misguided about Thunderbirds, is a good player and is getting decent tone in that vid. Were the body not so funky, it could make a decent enough modding platform.