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Thunderbird Club

#327,982
JIO said:
Most US pronunciations I hear have been kil-lom (like mom)-eh-ters :). In bicycle-speak, a "century" (ride) is 100k/62 miles and conversely a double century ride is 200k/124 miles. (removing fractional tails). A 40k individual time trial (ITT) is 25 miles. (24.8m) Like my Honda VFR Interceptor that is 782cc and branded as 800cc... "rounding off"
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Around here a century is 100 miles. I know that’s true in some other parts of the US, too. My understanding has always been that it’s 100 miles or km, depending on which is the standard distance measure in your country.
 
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#327,986
GBassNorth said:
Thunderbird treasure hunt
Reverb…
https://reverb.com/item/91611651-gibson-thunderbird-2014-walnut
Rare finish, great shape and an anniversary year collectible at a reasonable price for what it is.

MusicGoRound
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Killer deal on a beautiful rare bass that looks to be in excellent condition.

Guitar Center
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Can’t believe it’s still for sale, not a bad price at all for a very rare short scale bird

eBay
www.ebay.com

Greco Thunderbird Electric Bass Vintage 1980s Made in Japan with Gig Bag USED | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Greco Thunderbird Electric Bass Vintage 1980s Made in Japan with Gig Bag USED at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
A reversed reverse Greco in nice shape, very uncommon, love it or hate it looks
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That’s a good price for the blue Epi, but it apparently is local only. I paid $500 six years ago for mine with the very nice older Epi case, plus shipping and tax. It seemed expensive at the time but it is like new and a great Thunderbird.

Yeah. Someone please buy the shortie.
 
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#327,987
IMG_7152.jpeg


2017 Indonesian (?) 760’s comin’ out….

Putting in the ones (2024?/Chinese) from the broken blue sparkle ‘64.

No other changes being made, same strings, same settings on the rig at the rehearsal space when I get it back there. Set to get the best possible sound (to me) as I can get out of the VP. It’s about as authentic of an A/B I’ll be able to do (as long as I recall what it sounded like on Friday).
 
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#327,988
Miles_ONeal said:
Around here a century is 100 miles. I know that’s true in some other parts of the US, too. My understanding has always been that it’s 100 miles or km, depending on which is the standard distance measure in your country.
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Yes, I should have included that difference - metric century and miles century. Here in CA I've done both but double centuries were not 200miles - more like 120miles.
 
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#327,993
Ringhammer said:
View attachment 7337396

2017 Indonesian (?) 760’s comin’ out….

Putting in the ones (2024?/Chinese) from the broken blue sparkle ‘64.

No other changes being made, same strings, same settings on the rig at the rehearsal space when I get it back there. Set to get the best possible sound (to me) as I can get out of the VP. It’s about as authentic of an A/B I’ll be able to do (as long as I recall what it sounded like on Friday).
Click to expand...
If it comes out anything like mine you’ll find the newer VP pickups a tad warmer but still equally able to get that 2017 grit grind and growl when needed. Overall I like the new pups better, but I may be biased since I lean towards a darker deeper tone setting on most of my basses.
 
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#327,996
After dithering between EBCFs, LaBellas, and dAddario flats for this build (having experience with those brands on other instruments) , I finally dropped the hammer on a set of EBCF 2813's for the build.

I was a little concerned that they may chew up the fretless rosewood board more than the smoother LaBellas, as they are noticeably rougher on my fingers, but online reading seems to show that's not an issue.

Also sourced my CTS pots, pickup support foam, black nickel jack, and various screws.

I already have most of a sheet of 3-ply black guard material for the guard, rod cover, and back cover, though I'm toying with doing a painted wood back cover instead.

A couple other tricks up my sleeve yet:

I've read that front-jack 'Birds had a tendency towards jack rip-out due to the thinness of the wood from the rout. So I'm planning to make a cavity-sized plate from 1mm thick copper, and mount controls and jack thru that. It'll function as a ground plane, and work as the biggest possible fender washer to spread any loads. It'll also add about 4 ounces of weight low to the tail, but that may work out as a plus.

Designing a custom "Nightbird" logo based on the family 'spirit animal,' which I'll use on the guard... if it looks good enough. I'm not much of a graphic artist even with computer tools.

But now, yard work beckons. :confused:

Question for the group, did Gibson tend toward springs, or foam, for pickup support on 'Birds? I don't see a lot of info online.

My DC Tribute uses foam. One recent photo here on the club thread shows springs.
 
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