Thunderbird Club

[Miles_ONeal]

I was supposed in 1989 but spent a week in the Yuma County Adult Correctional Facility instead….. story for another time!

Hopefully another time SOON!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Hopefully another time SOON!

Meanwhile,. you are extremely overdue. Get cracking!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

That's great. The first part. FWIW, which is nothing, I have never had to downtune in my life. Maybe I should have but never played in bands or songs from rock to church where it was called for. Whatever called for means. I never even heard of it for basses until talkbass.

Jamming with Michael, I used to need to downtune. But some of the music at my previous church was what drove me to downtune my basses and add a BEAD bass. It still comes in handy at the new one.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

You have a Shame room?

We have a Room of Requirement, so if necessary, yes!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Maybe use the Pitch Fork to drop a semi-tone and then only have to drop the E two semi-tones instead of three. I worry about the E getting too floppy and buzzing. I really don't want to have to do a setup from scratch...I might play with the CP that has EBCF.

I forgot to say that all my basses tuned DGCF (including the CP) sound great. I occasionally have to drop another half step when practicing with something in another key, and it works fine. I'm not sure anything past that would.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

If your EBCF set is a 105-50, then all the strings will be fine tuned 1/2 step flat, and the E will be ok 1/2 step (Eb) and 1 1/2 steps (Db) flat.

I do this with a 105-50 set of EBCF’s on one of my P-basses for RSR, and that bass has good low action. The other basses I have set up for this tuning have 110-50 rounds, which works great, and I seem the think that a 105 flat is close to a 110 round (generally) in feel and tension.

I have used drop tuning since I began playing so it really doesn’t call for “mental gymnastics”, for me anyway.

However I never learned to play in any formal way, and I don’t know how to read charts, and “jamming in A minor” or whatever someone may call out, is sort of terrifying. I consider it a huge weakness as a player that I can’t just sit in a play songs with new people. I just have to take time, learn our songs as they are being written, or learn covers by tab and by ear, and, essentially play by memory. I have a handle on major, minor, and minor blues scales, so that helps, but… I really wish I could find a way to get over that hurdle but I don’t know how.

I think the key here is the 105. I use 105-45 and all is well. The fattest string is the one that can gets floppy the easiest. I wish EB had a fatter 5 string set as the low string on my IV set up for BEAD is a bit floppy. I had it tuned for ADGC but it was just too much.

I got better at those things by jamming with a friend who just wanted to have fun playing stuff he liked and learn new stuff. If you know some scales and how they translate to fingering, it's just a matter of ear training - which comes with practice. I play along to songs by myself, as well. If you can like (or even can deal with) the Grateful dead, their stuff can be great to jam and learn with. Phil is all over the fretboard, doing all kinds of stuff, but you don't have to play what he plays. He didn't play things the same way twice, and Dead music isn't about faithful reproduction. Not by a long shot.

 

[Count Bassie]

Exactly why I just went for BEAD. Much easier.

Maybe I'll do that. I've been using a hip shot lever to get to low d, but maybe the BEAD tuning is a better way to go. I think I'll try that later on today.
Of course, having another bird for the different tunings might be more fun...

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Maybe I'll do that. I've been using a hip shot lever to get to low d, but maybe the BEAD tuning is a better way to go. I think I'll try that later on today.
Of course, having another bird for the different tunings might be more fun...

Or CFA#D# ! Whatever works.
You will need another nut or to do surgery on the one you have.
Ahem!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I'm amazed no one has bought this "rare Epiphone" yet: Epiphone Thunderbird Electric Bass Guitar w/Soft Case | eBay . Pretty good deal on a Greco!

 

[Count Bassie]

Or CFA#D# ! Whatever works.
You will need another nut or to do surgery on the one you have.
Ahem!

I'll try not to bust one.

 

[Engle]

Good question. I use it for All Along the Watch Tower to drop a semi-tone across all strings. But that isn't played on the E string. Everything sounds correct.

My C4 Synth has very good tracking, but it's not great from low E up to A. I wouldn't try it on an E string tuned down to D.

 

[GBassNorth]

Our drummer has too much time on his hands. I told him I’m taller, don’t play a 7ender, and would break eardrums if he put me on a mic.

View attachment 7212816

You need to work on that logo, it’s a bit Fenderish in the bass department.

Wayne’s World hadn’t been released yet

Aha! That was the Chrysler Valiant Galant here. The Valiant Lancer was the smaller companion model.
We had Colt’s but they were smaller and in older and newer generations, not that era.

Like this:
View attachment 7212822

and then after Mitsubishi replaced Chrysler here:
View attachment 7212823
With the funny second high range gear stick instead of a 5 speed gearbox. This ^ is the one I pictured when you mentioned buying a Colt.

That Mitsubishi in the second pic is what we called the Plymouth Horizon here in the states. It was kind of Chryslers take on the very popular at the time VW Rabbit. My parents bought their Horizon after they tried my Rabbit GTI, similar form and function but no contest in the performance department. That GTI was a fun (and practical) little car to have.

I'm amazed no one has bought this "rare Epiphone" yet: Epiphone Thunderbird Electric Bass Guitar w/Soft Case | eBay . Pretty good deal on a Greco!

Shocked as well. It’s the lowest price you’ll see on a Greco, if I didn’t already have two I’d buy it.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

...

Shocked as well. It’s the lowest price you’ll see on a Greco, if I didn’t already have two I’d buy it.

Exactly.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I'm amazed no one has bought this "rare Epiphone" yet: Epiphone Thunderbird Electric Bass Guitar w/Soft Case | eBay . Pretty good deal on a Greco!

Looked at it, thought it looked more like a Tokai? That thumb rest between the pickups threw me a bit too. Mainly was put off the the three point, wanted one with the 2point with tailpiece.
Bought my 2019 Epi VP instead, with case for 566. Felt that was a screaming deal.

**of course FedEx is still jerking me around on it: now 7 days since it left VA. It’s in Stockton since yesterday. Delayed for “weather” uhhhh, nope they won’t let me pick it up?

 

[Gaolee]

What a treat today to have Poppy come in from Philly, hang with Jeff, and all three bands had Gibson basses.

That SWR Bass 350 is super weird. I wouldn't be surprised if this one is faulty in one way or another. The Blend knob limiter defeat (pulling it out) made zero difference. Fortunately I know its limitation and just cranking everything with my 800RB pre pedal into the effects return (both amp and pedal) was loud enough and got me a good enough tone. I love the TB+.

Are you using the 2001 pickups? I have noticed that my 2001 makes a bit more noise than other TB+ pickups. I think that slight bump in noise is part of whatever it is that makes those pickups magical.

 

[Gaolee]

I have a question on detuning. I have an offer to join a second band that does originals. All the bass lines are Db, Ab, Db, Gb. Is that normal with the E detuned more than the other strings? Makes using the Pitch Fork pedal impossible.

I have been playing Eb and D with the Hipshot X-tender flipped so the bass is drop D. It changes the fingering a little, but it makes going back and forth between tunings much easier. For what it is worth. Probably not much. I think the strings are 110-50, but I don't remember now.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Looked at it, thought it looked more like a Tokai? That thumb rest between the pickups threw me a bit too. Mainly was put off the the three point, wanted one with the 2point with tailpiece.
Bought my 2019 Epi VP instead, with case for 566. Felt that was a screaming deal.

**of course FedEx is still jerking me around on it: now 7 days since it left VA. It’s in Stockton since yesterday. Delayed for “weather” uhhhh, nope they won’t let me pick it up?
View attachment 7213469

I don't really know the Tokais. What made you think that rather than Greco?
I saw were someone else put a thumbrest there on a VP because of how the VPs come with sharp screw heads. No clue about this one.
That was an excellent deal on the VP! I don't think I paid too much more for mine, but they were a bit cheaper then than today. Either way, I was happy. Now that it has Thunderbuckers, I'm even happier.
Yeah, the weather's nice, driver went to the beach?
Mine has been "in transit" for at least a week. CP's chatbot is useless, and there are too many useless hoops to jump through to speak to a human. No indication whether it's cleared - or even hit - customs, still just "in transit" and "Due Wednesday, April 30". I'm hoping that's this year. The USPS tracking isn't quite perfect but is definitely more useful.

 

[BklynKen]

I'm amazed no one has bought this "rare Epiphone" yet: Epiphone Thunderbird Electric Bass Guitar w/Soft Case | eBay . Pretty good deal on a Greco!

What's that thing between the pickups? All I could think of was thumb rest, but that would be a really weird-looking thumb rest.

 

[BklynKen]

Are you using the 2001 pickups? I have noticed that my 2001 makes a bit more noise than other TB+ pickups. I think that slight bump in noise is part of whatever it is that makes those pickups magical.

I am. Also recorded with them. They're way quieter since the surgery, with no loss in tone.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

What's that thing between the pickups? All I could think of was thumb rest, but that would be a really weird-looking thumb rest.

Someone elsewhere mentioned installing a thumbrest there to avoid hitting sharp screws (on a VP). Maybe the pickups needs more foam under it so they did this instead to avoid pressing on the pickup.