Thunderbird Club

[JJR58]

Courtesy @JJR58

View attachment 7252788

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

And surer.

View attachment 7252776

well now that you put it that way...

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

If they made an all tube pre ABM configured head it would be killer. However, I will say that I notice the single tube doing tube stuff in the ABM more than any single tube pre I ever recall playing. You can't expect miracles out of one tube--but Ashdown figured out how to get the most out of it. Outstanding heads.

excellent point and 100% agree, the response of their tube implementation in the preamp definitely seems weighed more influentially than in other brands....

 

[JIO]

those 550s are n a class by themselves....although they both (EVO and Spyder) use the same A/B output card, the 550 pre is ALL tube and if I recall features no comp or octaver.... the tone however...,

Hey, that's my cool Spyder! Eternally grateful to you for repairing it Chucky! It's my mainstay live rig. And yes - it's all about the tone.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

fake noir......

real noir...my Nonno (with the guitar) in Sicily in the early 30's....

 

[MCF]

Over the past 9 years since I've released The Gibson Bass Book people have been sending me emails about their bass not being in the book.
But there is no way I would have been able to include every Gibson bass that the Custom Shop ever built. A handful of them happened to be in the collection that formed the backbone of the book. So I was able to make decent photographs and include those. But all the others were not included simply because I either did not know of their existance, or did not have good enough quality photographs to use for the lay-out.
I'm not sure if the specific TBII with sidewinder was even part of the collection when I photographed it in 2011. It sure was when Mark visited Frankfurt a few years later (see pic a few posts back).

Thanks Rob. Sorry I bugged you; I missed V's answer about it. I always thought the white one in the collection was a one-off. It would be nice if we could find out how many they actually did.

 

[GBassNorth]

I'm kicking myself for not getting into Tbirds sooner. Making up for lost time though!

Aren't we all!
If had spent less time listening to the nonsensical fallacies about Gibson products and specifically Thunderbirds I would have saved tens of thousands of dollars on basses and been happier with my sound sooner.

When I first started playing, the pro advice from bass players I knew and general consensus from TalkBass was - start with a passive Jazz and add a PJ if needed. I did that, acquired a number Jazz basses trying to find one I liked, but just never felt good about the sound. Then went the PJ route and it got better but just never utilized the bridge pup much. Logically I dumped the PJ plan and went with a plain Precision and that more or less scratched the itch for a bit but I still wanted more balls and a broader range of tones.

Decided to take a side journey down the active humbucker path with Alembics, Spectors, Warwicks and Stingrays and that was an improvement but something else was still lacking. Then I bought a Gold Anniversary Tbird and BANG! That was it, the exact sound I was after all along. By this time I was probably 30 bass purchases into the journey.

Since then almost all subsequent purchases have been Tbirds in every sound flavor imaginable. I have active birds, passive birds, PJ birds, single coil birds, single humbucker birds, dual humbuckers birds, triple humbucker birds, split coil birds, piezeo bridge birds, parallel and series birds, ukulele birds, short scale birds, standard scale, long scale, extra long scale, four and five string birds, fretless birds, fretted birds, fanned fret birds, semi hollow body birds, set neck, neck thru and bolt on birds. Maple, ash, poplar and mahogany body birds. Maple, mahogany, walnut, pao Ferro, and Wenge neck birds. And rosewood, ebony, maple, macassar ebony, wenge and blackteck fretboard birds. Pickups from Bartolini, Nordstrand, ChinaBuckers, Gibson Reissues, Epiphone 760ProBuckers, Dingwall, EMG, Greco, Sammick, Shadow piezeo, Burny pickups, TB+ pickups, and even Fender pickups. Along the Tbird journey I'm finding some body shapes and woods as well as neck shapes and woods and fretboard woods I like best, along with pickup types and placements I like best and control and layout designs that work best for me.

Someday soon I'll take all that knowledge and experience and build about four basses that I would consider Perfect Tbirds for me. A studio model, a stage model, a fretless and an active.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Aren't we all!If had spent less time listening to the nonsensical fallacies about Gibson products and specifically Thunderbirds I would have saved tens of thousands of dollars on basses and been happier with my sound sooner.

When I first started playing, the pro advice from bass player I knew and general consensus from TalkBass was - start with a passive Jazz and add a PJ if needed. I did that, acquired a number Jazz basses trying to find one I liked, but just never felt good about the sound. Then went the PJ route and it got better but just never utilized the bridge pup much. Logically I dumped the PJ plan and went with a plain Precision and that more or less scratched the itch for a bit but I still wanted more balls and a broader range of tones.

Decided to take a side journey down the active humbucker path with Alembics, Spectors, Warwicks and Stingrays and that was an improvement but something else was still lacking. Then I bought a Gold Anniversary Tbird and BANG! That was it, the exact sound I was after all along. By this time I was probably 30 bass purchases into the journey.

Since then almost all subsequent purchases have been Tbirds in every sound flavor imaginable. I have active birds, passive birds, PJ birds, single coil birds, single humbucker birds, dual humbuckers birds, triple humbucker birds, split coil birds, piezeo bridge birds, parallel and series birds, ukulele birds, short scale birds, standard scale, long scale, extra long scale, four and five string birds, fretless birds, fretted birds, fanned fret birds, semi hollow body birds, set neck, neck thru and bolt on birds. Maple, ash, poplar and mahogany body birds. Maple, mahogany, walnut, pao Ferro, and Wenge neck birds. And rosewood, ebony, maple, macassar ebony, wenge and blackteck fretboard birds. Pickups from Bartolini, Nordstrand, ChinaBuckers, Gibson Reissues, Epiphone 760ProBuckers, Dingwall, EMG, Greco, Sammick, Shadow piezeo, Burny pickups, TB+ pickups, and even Fender pickups. Along the Tbird journey I'm finding some body shapes and woods as well as neck shapes and woods and fretboard woods I like best, along with pickup types and placements I like best and control and layout designs that work best for me.

Someday soon I'll take all that knowledge and experience and build about four basses that I would consider Perfect Tbirds for me. A studio model, a stage model, a fretless and an active.

any Eppi reverses?

 

[Stealth57]

Beer day

 

[GBassNorth]

any Eppi reverses?

Yep, Eppi Reverse and NonReverse are both in the flock.
A first run 2017 ebony black VP, a Purple Sparkle 60's model with the newer ProBuckers, three Goths (ranging from a slightly modified cap job to modified Bart and Aggie spec to a drastically modified triple humbucker active bird), a magic year 2012 CP with the unique pup spacing, and even a mid 1990's Eppi Non Reverse PJ Tbird (which will probably be upgraded with Geezer Butler pickups).

 

[Thumper]

Aren't we all!
If had spent less time listening to the nonsensical fallacies about Gibson products and specifically Thunderbirds I would have saved tens of thousands of dollars on basses and been happier with my sound sooner.

When I first started playing, the pro advice from bass players I knew and general consensus from TalkBass was - start with a passive Jazz and add a PJ if needed. I did that, acquired a number Jazz basses trying to find one I liked, but just never felt good about the sound. Then went the PJ route and it got better but just never utilized the bridge pup much. Logically I dumped the PJ plan and went with a plain Precision and that more or less scratched the itch for a bit but I still wanted more balls and a broader range of tones.

Decided to take a side journey down the active humbucker path with Alembics, Spectors, Warwicks and Stingrays and that was an improvement but something else was still lacking. Then I bought a Gold Anniversary Tbird and BANG! That was it, the exact sound I was after all along. By this time I was probably 30 bass purchases into the journey.

Since then almost all subsequent purchases have been Tbirds in every sound flavor imaginable. I have active birds, passive birds, PJ birds, single coil birds, single humbucker birds, dual humbuckers birds, triple humbucker birds, split coil birds, piezeo bridge birds, parallel and series birds, ukulele birds, short scale birds, standard scale, long scale, extra long scale, four and five string birds, fretless birds, fretted birds, fanned fret birds, semi hollow body birds, set neck, neck thru and bolt on birds. Maple, ash, poplar and mahogany body birds. Maple, mahogany, walnut, pao Ferro, and Wenge neck birds. And rosewood, ebony, maple, macassar ebony, wenge and blackteck fretboard birds. Pickups from Bartolini, Nordstrand, ChinaBuckers, Gibson Reissues, Epiphone 760ProBuckers, Dingwall, EMG, Greco, Sammick, Shadow piezeo, Burny pickups, TB+ pickups, and even Fender pickups. Along the Tbird journey I'm finding some body shapes and woods as well as neck shapes and woods and fretboard woods I like best, along with pickup types and placements I like best and control and layout designs that work best for me.

Someday soon I'll take all that knowledge and experience and build about four basses that I would consider Perfect Tbirds for me. A studio model, a stage model, a fretless and an active.

My 25 year journey is much the same. I never cared for my '66J or 2 NY Sadowskys. Found some success with Laklands and Roscoes. Tried unsuccessfully for happiness with Ps.

Bonded with a Dingwall (not with 3 others, but now with a second). But the sound in my head is Thunderbird. Tried and found some success with 5 alnico variations along with a DiCola bird and thought I was done.

Then I bought my 2014 bird just because I wanted 1 with Gibson on the headstock and surprisingly found "The One." I would gladly sell my 2 VPs, and my Jbird for another ceramic PUP Thunderbird so I could also have one at home (the 2014 living at practice).

Yes, maybe the origional Thunderbirds are the Holy Grail to most, but for me my 2014 is it. I could happily sell all my basses, and live happily ever after with 2 Dingwalls and 2 ceramic Thunderbirds.

 

[TBird1958]

Over the past 9 years since I've released The Gibson Bass Book people have been sending me emails about their bass not being in the book.
But there is no way I would have been able to include every Gibson bass that the Custom Shop ever built. A handful of them happened to be in the collection that formed the backbone of the book. So I was able to make decent photographs and include those. But all the others were not included simply because I either did not know of their existance, or did not have good enough quality photographs to use for the lay-out.
I'm not sure if the specific TBII with sidewinder was even part of the collection when I photographed it in 2011. It sure was when Mark visited Frankfurt a few years later (see pic a few posts back).

I'm sure that "86 was part of Ze Collection at the time, it was George Carlston's, he had to sell it, I recall it on ebay, not that I could have outbid a certain German for it.

 

[TBird1958]

Noir........

It doesn't get any better!

 

[Basvarken]

I'm sure that "86 was part of Ze Collection at the time, it was George Carlston's, he had to sell it, I recall it on ebay, not that I could have outbid a certain German for it.

Thank you Mark. I just took a look in my archive and we actually did shoot the bass. I have no idea what made me decide not to include it.
Maybe because I didn't know the story behind it?
1986 puts it roughly in the same era as the Francis Bucholz Korina Thunderbird, which also featured the sidewinder pickups. That one was from 1990.


Here are the un-edited pics of the TB-II (if you look closely you can see the nylon wires we used to hang them up on)

The 1990 Francis Bucholz TB-IV

 

[MCF]

Thank you Mark. I just took a look in my archive and we actually did shoot the bass. I have no idea what made me decide not to include it.
Maybe because I didn't know the story behind it?
1986 puts it roughly in the same era as the Francis Bucholz Korina Thunderbird, which also featured the sidewinder pickups. That one was from 1990.


Here are the un-edited pics of the TB-II (if you look closely you can see the nylon wires we used to hang them up on)

The 1990 Francis Bucholz TB-IV

Awesome Rob!

 

[TBird1958]

Thank you Mark. I just took a look in my archive and we actually did shoot the bass. I have no idea what made me decide not to include it.
Maybe because I didn't know the story behind it?
1986 puts it roughly in the same era as the Francis Bucholz Korina Thunderbird, which also featured the sidewinder pickups. That one was from 1990.


Here are the un-edited pics of the TB-II (if you look closely you can see the nylon wires we used to hang them up on)

The 1990 Francis Bucholz TB-IV

Two of the very coolest Thunderbirds ever!

 

[Stealth57]

Nap time

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Ay link(s) you can provide as to where to source these?

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Tocos :: Potentiometers :: Passive Components :: Electronic Parts :: Banzai Music GmbH

www.banzaimusic.com

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Note: these are 6mm Solid shafts only.
No split shafts available in this series. (RV24)

They are 6mm solid shafts: NOT 1/4" so: US speck knobs will need a sleeve.
Import set screw knobs will work.
Import push on knobs will also work, although a bit of a tight fit.

 

[Gaolee]

Thank you Mark. I just took a look in my archive and we actually did shoot the bass. I have no idea what made me decide not to include it.
Maybe because I didn't know the story behind it?
1986 puts it roughly in the same era as the Francis Bucholz Korina Thunderbird, which also featured the sidewinder pickups. That one was from 1990.


Here are the un-edited pics of the TB-II (if you look closely you can see the nylon wires we used to hang them up on)

The 1990 Francis Bucholz TB-IV

This makes me wonder if Gibson would build a custom shop Thunderbird at all these days. I'm sure it would be stupid expensive if they did, but just knowing they would for some absurd price would make me happy.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Aren't we all!
If had spent less time listening to the nonsensical fallacies about Gibson products and specifically Thunderbirds I would have saved tens of thousands of dollars on basses and been happier with my sound sooner.

When I first started playing, the pro advice from bass players I knew and general consensus from TalkBass was - start with a passive Jazz and add a PJ if needed. I did that, acquired a number Jazz basses trying to find one I liked, but just never felt good about the sound. Then went the PJ route and it got better but just never utilized the bridge pup much. Logically I dumped the PJ plan and went with a plain Precision and that more or less scratched the itch for a bit but I still wanted more balls and a broader range of tones.

Decided to take a side journey down the active humbucker path with Alembics, Spectors, Warwicks and Stingrays and that was an improvement but something else was still lacking. Then I bought a Gold Anniversary Tbird and BANG! That was it, the exact sound I was after all along. By this time I was probably 30 bass purchases into the journey.

Since then almost all subsequent purchases have been Tbirds in every sound flavor imaginable. I have active birds, passive birds, PJ birds, single coil birds, single humbucker birds, dual humbuckers birds, triple humbucker birds, split coil birds, piezeo bridge birds, parallel and series birds, ukulele birds, short scale birds, standard scale, long scale, extra long scale, four and five string birds, fretless birds, fretted birds, fanned fret birds, semi hollow body birds, set neck, neck thru and bolt on birds. Maple, ash, poplar and mahogany body birds. Maple, mahogany, walnut, pao Ferro, and Wenge neck birds. And rosewood, ebony, maple, macassar ebony, wenge and blackteck fretboard birds. Pickups from Bartolini, Nordstrand, ChinaBuckers, Gibson Reissues, Epiphone 760ProBuckers, Dingwall, EMG, Greco, Sammick, Shadow piezeo, Burny pickups, TB+ pickups, and even Fender pickups. Along the Tbird journey I'm finding some body shapes and woods as well as neck shapes and woods and fretboard woods I like best, along with pickup types and placements I like best and control and layout designs that work best for me.

Someday soon I'll take all that knowledge and experience and build about four basses that I would consider Perfect Tbirds for me. A studio model, a stage model, a fretless and an active.

Well now, after I get a few items sorted about my property; ( there is much uncertainty about the water supply being cut off in my community)

I'll be getting my CNC up and running.
The intended offerings will now include TBird inspired instruments.
Short and medium scale.
Will also offer premium woods.
Will make Neck through blanks W/ tiltback headstocks available in paddle head

I know @Dadagoboi already makes some FANTASTIC birds: but Sweet Treets (me) can dip my toes in that water