Thunderbird Club

[Gaolee]

Played a great show at one of our usual spots yesterday. Lots of fun. I really wasn't happy with the amp, though. This is the place that had the SWR Bass 350 head into a huge cab (810?). Now it's a Fender Rumble 100 combo. I ran into its effect loop as usual, but the sound was just terrible. Kinda flabby. I guess it's the speaker I didn't like.

Saturday I got photobombed by a shark while trying to get a photo of something from surface. What a ham.

View attachment 7263736

I discovered that sharks can be comedians. Who knew? Plus they can roll their eyes at you.

 

[Engle]

It would be pretty wild to get Ripper pickups in Thunderbird covers.

Rippers have sidewinders. I don't know how different they are from Tbird sidewinders.

 

[Gaolee]

So is that how you’ll look next time we see you in person?

He was channeling his inner Lemmy.

 

[Engle]

Happy Canada Day to our hoser friends in the Great White North, eh!

Thanks man! I've never seen so many Canadian flags out there

 

[Gaolee]

Anyone hungry?....
View attachment 7263929

I am always hungry.

 

[Engle]

Ripper mock up

Cool! Are those sized to go in a Ripper cover?

 

[TBird1958]

II Tuesday.............

Me and my II were on local TV again last night as KING 5 replayed our piece.

 

[Gaolee]

isn't that just what the Bicentennial sidewinder humbuckers are?

You probably know better than the rest of us what pickups are related back and forth. I'm really curious about Bicentennial sidewinders.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I am always hungry.

"That's my secret, Cap. I'm always hungry."

 

[Engle]

I’m going to be doing this bass duet with my daughter for a Celebration of Life:

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I’m going to be doing this bass duet with my daughter for a Celebration of Life:
View attachment 7264469

So cool!

Once upon a time that wouldn't have phased me. I'd have to practice a bit to sight read again. Are you playing electric or is that your acoustic pedalboard?

 

[GBassNorth]

It’s II Tuesday Three times over!
Just got my 1991 Gibson Custom Shop three pickup Tbird and she’s drop dead gorgeous! In really good shape, Cardinal Red with Gold hardware (an after market black pickguard and an aftermarket Babicz bridge, otherwise all stock)…

Action lower than any bass I own, a lovely ebony board and very little rake in the neck. Interesting control layout for a three pickup bass - vol, vol, tone, tone, three way switch. The neck pup has dedicated volume and tone knobs. The middle and bridge pups share the other volume and tone knobs. The three way switch is set up as neck only, middle and bridge, bridge only. It has tons of useable tones in every setting but I was surprised by the relatively subtle tone impact the tone knobs have on the bass. They work fine but just not the drastic span of tone that I get from my other Gibson Tbird tone knobs.
All in all, this rare bird (Gibby only made about 4 of them) was a great find at a great price and looks and sounds great as well.

 

[godofthunder59]

Which whodunits are you currently enjoying?
We've watched pretty much all the Agatha Christies and Lord Peters, Father Brown, Sister Boniface, the first one or two of some things that didn't grab us, and the first season of Ludwig. Not a one involves a bass player, much less a Thunderbird.

That Cassady is gorgeous! I had to talk myself out of one that color a little while back (I was holding out for a purple sparkle bird).

We watch a ton of stuff on Britbox, Life on Mars is a stand out, great sounding track including The Strawbs! We're Big Doc Martin fans very dry cutting British humor.
I bought a JC when they first came out but foolishly sold it around 2008, been wanting another ever since. This one had been kicking around the House of Guitars for a few years so I decided to bring it home

 

[Miles_ONeal]

It’s II Tuesday Three times over!
Just got my 1993 Gibson Custom Shop three pickup Tbird and she’s drop dead gorgeous! In really good shape, Cardinal Red with Gold hardware (an after market black pickguard and an aftermarket Babicz bridge, otherwise all stock)…
View attachment 7264472
View attachment 7264473
Action lower than any bass I own, a lovely ebony board and very little rake in the neck. Interesting control layout for a three pickup bass - vol, vol, tone, tone, three way switch. The neck pup has dedicated volume and tone knobs. The middle and bridge pups share the other volume and tone knobs. The three way switch is set up as neck only, middle and bridge, bridge only. It has tons of useable tones in every setting but I was surprised by the relatively subtle tone impact the tone knobs have on the bass. They work fine but just not the drastic span of tone that I get from my other Gibson Tbird tone knobs.
All in all, this rare bird (Gibby only made about 4 of them) was a great find at a great price and looks and sounds great as well.

Drop dead sexy gorgeous! That's my dream bass right there.
What year?
What pickups?
What are the pot & cap values?

 

[TBird1958]

It’s II Tuesday Three times over!
Just got my 1993 Gibson Custom Shop three pickup Tbird and she’s drop dead gorgeous! In really good shape, Cardinal Red with Gold hardware (an after market black pickguard and an aftermarket Babicz bridge, otherwise all stock)…
View attachment 7264472
View attachment 7264473
Action lower than any bass I own, a lovely ebony board and very little rake in the neck. Interesting control layout for a three pickup bass - vol, vol, tone, tone, three way switch. The neck pup has dedicated volume and tone knobs. The middle and bridge pups share the other volume and tone knobs. The three way switch is set up as neck only, middle and bridge, bridge only. It has tons of useable tones in every setting but I was surprised by the relatively subtle tone impact the tone knobs have on the bass. They work fine but just not the drastic span of tone that I get from my other Gibson Tbird tone knobs.
All in all, this rare bird (Gibby only made about 4 of them) was a great find at a great price and looks and sounds great as well.

Great score, George!
So cool, I love it!

 

[Thumper]

Did you get that from Reverb? If so, it’s the one I almost got. I made him a pretty low offer, he declined and I countered with a more reasonable offer. He did not reply for almost a day, and during that time, I swooped a 2014 cherry off of FB marketplace.

I liked the color of the one that was on reverb (now yours?) a lot better, as it seemed a lot darker (comparing pics). Then no sooner than I completed the deal for mine, he got back to me and said to resend the offer an he would accept. Bah! Too late. I’m happy with my 2014, and I changed it to my liking with chrome hardware and genuine Gibson vintage re-issue pickups from a 2021 NR.

View attachment 7264369

Since this pic it now has chrome USA Hipshot ultralight mini clovers.

I'll say it again, she's beautiful! As you already know my Cherry "14 is my favorite of all time, so much so that I can easily overlook some of the neck bass side finish flaws. I really don't want to play anything else.!

 

[GBassNorth]

Drop dead sexy gorgeous! That's my dream bass right there.
What year?
What pickups?
What are the pot & cap values?

1991 was the year for these. I haven’t done a ton of research because there’s so little info out there on these. But based on info from @Basvarken Gibson made about 4 of them in ‘91 as a special Custom Shop run. Mine was first purchased on March 3, 1992 according to the case candy that came with the bass. I’ve seen pictures posted of one black one with what looks like black plastic cover TB+ style pickups, one White one with chrome Metal Can pups and a Red one with gold metal can pups that I suspect was the same one I now own but prior to a pick guard change.

No idea what pickups Gibson was using in 1991 or if they did anything special with these pickups. To my ear they sound a tad hotter than TB+ pickups and have a very balanced range from high to low, no obvious or major humps in the sound curve like the newer tin can Gibby and Eppi pup offerings. I’ll have to look into the pot and cap values when I get more time.

The pickup placement is quite different from my BlingBird and actually much closer to the beautiful @JJR58 three pup bass (with that awesome sidewinder in the center position). So in neck solo this one is very reminiscent of any post 60’s Tbird, the center position on the switch delivers a bit of scoop cancellation between the mid and bridge pickups and the bridge position on the switch solos the bridge pickup which seems a bit crisper and brighter than my other Gibby TB+ or Reissue pickup equipped Tbirds but still very pleasant and not harsh or shrill in any way.

There may have been as little as three of these built by Gibson, here’s the only ones I’ve seen…

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I'll say it again, she's beautiful! As you already know my Cherry "14 is my favorite of all time, so much so that I can easily overlook some of the neck bass side finish flaws. I really don't want to play anything else.!
View attachment 7264507

Feel free to send me your other Thunderbirds. More space for you, less worry for your insurance company.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

1991 was the year for these. I haven’t done a ton of research because there’s so little info out there on these. But based on info from @Basvarken Gibson made about 4 of them in ‘91 as a special Custom Shop run. Mine was first purchased in 1993 according to the case candy that came with the bass. I’ve seen pictures posted of one black one with what looks like black plastic cover TB+ style pickups, one White one with chrome Metal Can pups and a Red one with gold metal can pups that I suspect was the same one I now own but prior to a pick guard change.

No idea what pickups Gibson was using in 1991 or if they did anything special with these pickups. To my ear they sound a tad hotter than TB+ pickups and have a very balanced range from high to low, no obvious or major humps in the sound curve like the newer tin can Gibby and Eppi pup offerings. I’ll have to look into the pot and cap values when I get more time.

The pickup placement is quite different from my BlingBird and actually much closer to the beautiful @JJR58 three pup bass (with that awesome sidewinder in the center position). So in neck solo this one is very reminiscent of any post 60’s Tbird, the center position on the switch delivers a bit of scoop cancellation between the mid and bridge pickups and the bridge position on the switch solos the bridge pickup which seems a bit crisper and brighter than my other Gibby TB+ or Reissue pickup equipped Tbirds but still very pleasant and not harsh or shrill in any way.

There may have been as little as three of these built by Gibson, here’s the only ones I’ve seen…
View attachment 7264524View attachment 7264525View attachment 7264526

I'm not normally that big on black Thunderbirds, but if Uwe ever wanted to sell that 3fer, I'd be all over it. Any of them, really (but red most of all).

 

[bylar13]

Did you get that from Reverb? If so, it’s the one I almost got. I made him a pretty low offer, he declined and I countered with a more reasonable offer. He did not reply for almost a day, and during that time, I swooped a 2014 cherry off of FB marketplace.

I liked the color of the one that was on reverb (now yours?) a lot better, as it seemed a lot darker (comparing pics). Then no sooner than I completed the deal for mine, he got back to me and said to resend the offer an he would accept. Bah! Too late. I’m happy with my 2014, and I changed it to my liking with chrome hardware and genuine Gibson vintage re-issue pickups from a 2021 NR.

View attachment 7264369

Since this pic it now has chrome USA Hipshot ultralight mini clovers.

Mine.