Thunderbird Club

[Miles_ONeal]

Related/unrelated.

I also wanted to learn guitar.
My brother was a better guitar player then I’ll ever be a bass player.
And he learned quickly.
It was second nature to him.

After years of practicing, it was bass that I knew was my thing.

But my brother……
Would pick up my bass and play stuff that I was like, how can you do that?!

I was ok on rhythm guitar. Not much on lead at all. Better on bass than either of those.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

My mom was a classically trained pianist.
She played jazz and classical music like nobody’s business till her arthritis got her.

My cousin here in S.C. is also an awesome guitar player.
He gave me back my brothers guitar recently that I gave him, after he was killed.

My cuz deserved that guitar more then I did
But he felt I should have it back.

Sorry for the sidetrack.

Dude. Sidetracks are our tracks.
Dad was an excellent pianist and pipe organist. Mom had great vocal chops until she got polyps on her vocal cords from heavy smoking. Of my sibs and I, one has a beautiful voice, one is even better than Dad on anything with keys, and I play bass. The other two mainly play the radio, CDs, etc. Neither of my kids has shown much musical talent, alas.

 

[GBassNorth]

Well there’s at least two of these Gibson Custom Shop 3 pickup birds in Cardinal Red. I paid a boatload less for mine fortunately.
https://reverb.com/item/92425034-gibson-thunderbird-custom-shop-91-cardinal-red

 

[GBassNorth]

Hey guys, does anyone remember what Gibson's last retail price for a thunderbird was? and is 2002 a good year for a Gibby T bird? I've got the thunderbird itch again and my local music shop has a 2002 that I played not in prefect condition but pretty good for how old it is, but I [may wrongly] feel that they want way too much money for it. They're asking $2500 which i feel is almost like buying a new one, was there something special about that run of t-birds that might explain what theyre asking for it? Granted, this shop will always drop the price when you actually decide to buy, but i feel since its at 2500 they might only drop to like 2200 or so, which is still a little much for a bass that isn't really that "vintage" yet.

That asking price is a bit high for that year, $2200 would be closer to the ballpark. It is a good year for the Tbird though.

If you’re not locked into that specific bird there’s usually something on Reverb or Guitar Center for significantly less than $2500. Like this relatively rare Tbird Studio edition…
https://reverb.com/item/91406966-2006-gibson-usa-thunderbird-studio-bass-ebony
These supposedly play very nicely and don’t come up for sale often.

Another very rare bird is the short scale Tbird. One is currently for sale at Guitar Center…
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

If you like the Non Reverse body style, the new ones can be had for under $1300 if you look real hard…
https://reverb.com/item/92293433-gibson-non-reverse-thunderbird-2021-present-inverness-green

Happy hunting, hope you find a gem!

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I started on piano, then switched to guitar, then when I got to college, there were a million guitarists. All of them were better than me. So I picked up bass guitar. It was like coming home. My fingers just kinda knew how it all worked in a way that they didn't on any other instrument. Funny how that works. And there are musicians who are far better than me who put my bass playing to shame. But they don't want to play bass, so I'm ok with it.

Tenor sax, guitar, then bass.
After Ed everyone played guitar!

Picked up a Bass when I heard Steve Harris

 

[RedVee]

Myself when I was 13 in 1975 didn't have a clue about bass, did not know anyone who played one or any teachers- not exactly a promoted instrument in the mid-70's. No ambassadors from that isle-

A lot of music in that day kept the bass low in the mix or lost in the bass drum- but one would still miss the bass if it weren't there- Kind of like the middle harmony of a three part vocal harmony. It's there but you don't really hear it-

What eventually got me interested in bass were various pop songs in the late-70's and finding that over time, most songs that I liked, had a bass line that caught my attention.

Like with this song by Ian Gomm from 1979-



Then by the mid-80's melodic bass lines were much more common. It was the fretless work by Guy Pratt with Icehouse and Dan K. Brown with the Fixx, and whoever it was who did the fretless work on Icehouses' "The Kingdom" that sealed the deal for me.

Also the cool counterpoint and lovely melodic outro by Mark Heyward-Chaplin on Thomas Dolby's "Airwaves"-

Funnily enough, the track is just “Kingdom” on the Aus release, but they added the “The” for the UK & US.
I can only see Stephen Morgan as the bassist on MofC… I can’t see a track by track personnel listing.

 

[JIO]

Watt with a young Nels Cline around the same time - the drummer in the white shirt, Michael Preussner was a member of the early '90s Nels Cline Trio with Bob Mair on bass, Nels's first power trio. I saw them here in SF at the Hotel Utah in '94 playing some of this (non Watt - song after Big Train) material. Nels & co would make the trip from SoCal to SF regularly back then - shows were sparsely attended and cheap (under $10 at some funky store-front in the Mission) We were on a first name basis back then, before Wilco and international fame. I still feel lucky to have been a witness of his "early days". He always was and still is a monster musician/guitarist. Next to Miles, I have more of Nels's recordings than any other musician, many out of print.

 

[Stealth57]

Here’s a new one for George. Balloria, baklava where the phyllo dough is replaced with kadayif noodles.

 

[MCF]

Yep. It doesn’t get much better than that.

 

[MCF]

That asking price is a bit high for that year, $2200 would be closer to the ballpark. It is a good year for the Tbird though.

If you’re not locked into that specific bird there’s usually something on Reverb or Guitar Center for significantly less than $2500. Like this relatively rare Tbird Studio edition…
https://reverb.com/item/91406966-2006-gibson-usa-thunderbird-studio-bass-ebony
These supposedly play very nicely and don’t come up for sale often.

Another very rare bird is the short scale Tbird. One is currently for sale at Guitar Center…
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

If you like the Non Reverse body style, the new ones can be had for under $1300 if you look real hard…
https://reverb.com/item/92293433-gibson-non-reverse-thunderbird-2021-present-inverness-green

Happy hunting, hope you find a gem!

I can’t believe that shortie is still up. I expected our friend who was looking for one the other day would snag it. The pickups in the Studios sound great. Of course the recent NR’s are so ubiquitous they can be had very reasonably.

 

[dagrev]

My mom was a classically trained pianist.
She played jazz and classical music like nobody’s business till her arthritis got her.

My cousin here in S.C. is also an awesome guitar player.
He gave me back my brothers guitar recently that I gave him, after he was killed.

My cuz deserved that guitar more then I did
But he felt I should have it back.

Sorry for the sidetrack.

Sidetrack? Here?

Good to hear everyone's trip to bass.

 

[MCF]

Here’s a new one for George. Balloria, baklava where the phyllo dough is replaced with kadayif noodles.

View attachment 7335752

So three of this stuff? I hope you took your workout sruff.

 

[Gaolee]

My mom was a classically trained pianist.
She played jazz and classical music like nobody’s business till her arthritis got her.

My cousin here in S.C. is also an awesome guitar player.
He gave me back my brothers guitar recently that I gave him, after he was killed.

My cuz deserved that guitar more then I did
But he felt I should have it back.

Sorry for the sidetrack.

That is a poignant story. Sidetrack? Not hardly.

 

[Gaolee]

Hey guys, does anyone remember what Gibson's last retail price for a thunderbird was? and is 2002 a good year for a Gibby T bird? I've got the thunderbird itch again and my local music shop has a 2002 that I played not in prefect condition but pretty good for how old it is, but I [may wrongly] feel that they want way too much money for it. They're asking $2500 which i feel is almost like buying a new one, was there something special about that run of t-birds that might explain what theyre asking for it? Granted, this shop will always drop the price when you actually decide to buy, but i feel since its at 2500 they might only drop to like 2200 or so, which is still a little much for a bass that isn't really that "vintage" yet.

Gibson got something really right with the pickups in 2001. A 2002 might have the same pickups. That is my thinking but it does not alter the price for a Thunderbird. If it is a color or natural, it might be worth a little more. Burst is the usual finish. Prices have gone way up lately, but that still seems a bit high. Make them an offer and see what they do if it feels good and sounds good. If it is meant to be, that one will choose you.

 

[GBassNorth]

Here’s a new one for George. Balloria, baklava where the phyllo dough is replaced with kadayif noodles.

View attachment 7335752

I’m drooling now.
If you ever decide to adopt, or just need a live in Guitar Tech give me a call, I’ll be there in a heartbeat!

 

[Stealth57]

A different take on military museums.

 

[Stealth57]

I’m drooling now.
If you ever decide to adopt, or just need a live in Guitar Tech give me a call, I’ll be there in a heartbeat!

Then don’t look at the Um Ali.

 

[GonePlaid]

3.7kg and it’s pretty well balanced.
32” scale is nice.

Interesting. Kg instead of pounds, but inches instead of mm.

 

[Albert Ross]

I admire all you multi-instrumentalists! I can only play bass. I do own 2 guitars. An old Gibson Melody Maker and a slightly newer Harmony Monterey. I can't really play either of them lol. I use the acoustic way more than the electric; usually just to figure out chords to songs I'm trying to learn

 

[GBassNorth]

Interesting. Kg instead of pounds, but inches instead of mm.

LOL - could be worse, he could have said it weighs about half a stone and is about .004 Furlongs in length with a sweet purplish green with brown edge sound to it. And don’t forget it plays like butter.
Hey, I’m just glad there are so many folks in the club that truly love their basses and love playing them. Free expression, no matter how confusing is always interesting.
BTW - where’s that pepperoni pick guard pic, cracks me up every time I see it.