Thunderbird Club

[RedVee]

The year the draft ended (1973 I believe) the draft ended either July 1st or July 31st, can't recall which. Anyway I turned 18 August 2nd and my lottery number was 12. Just missed by the skin of my teeth (fortunately!).

I'm so glad I was too young for Vietnam. Australia drafted by birth dates and I think my day came up.

Interestingly we didn't conscript for WW1 - the Prime Minister that wanted to lost his job over trying that on - but we did for Vietnam. What a difference 50 years makes.

 

[wolfkeller]

Anyone hear live near cedar rapids Iowa or Savannah IL? Playing there this weekend, come say hi!

 

[MCF]

Flatbed truck, over 100, Gainesville, FL, July '74...'55 Precision.

Do you still own it? Awesome bass.

 

[MCF]

I'm so glad I was too young for Vietnam. Australia drafted by birth dates and I think my day came up.

Interestingly we didn't conscript for WW1 - the Prime Minister that wanted to lost his job over trying that on - but we did for Vietnam. What a difference 50 years makes.

Yes. But plenty of your forebearers signed up and were sacrificed at Gallipoli. Still one one the greatest travisties in military history. Australia came of age as a country after that and gained the respect of the free world.

 

[ProgressiveDoom]

My long winded, "junior psychologistic" (yes..., I get to make up words. I have a license) response, in full or in part, holds the key to what's going on with your band. Until this particular leg of the conversation, I've never seen you say anything but positive stuff about your band. It sounds like you're happy with the music you make together. It also sounds like you go out of your way to pull him into the fold. We've all heard that honesty is the best policy... and it truly is. The problem is... it seldom brings the desired response (AKA - people generally don't like it when your honest with them unless it shows them in a good light). Just doing the right thing & being honest with someone does not guarantee that you'll get the result you desire. If you're honest with someone, and they respond in an unfavorable or irrational manor... you are better off without them, whether you like that result or not. Only YOU can decide when it's time to risk it. The impression I get, as a guy sitting at his computer in Michigan, communicating electronically with a guy in Winnipeg, is that you'll find a way to deal with it & carry on, and that hopefully he'll get ahold of himself eventually... but remember... you only get to go around once. I spent a lot of years waiting for other people to make things happen. Then I spent a long time blaming those people for those things not happening. Then, one day it hit me. I had spent a lot of time waiting... but no time doing! I had the power to alter the course of my life and point it in any direction I wanted to, but I CHOSE to sit back, shove my thumb in my a$$, and wait for people to put my life where I wanted it to be. This was on ME, and I had no-one with whom to argue that fact. At that point, I had a wife, kids, a job... my anchor was down, and wrapped around a tree. Can't turn back the clock, man. You pickin' up what I'm layin' down bro?

I did state that I was quite happy with my band and I actually am its just that it becomes a mad science project and the lines become blurred when there is really no reason for it, pee's me off pretty good at those times but I am also of the belief that its a part of the process hell Ive heard about it and read enough about it to believe it exists in every band and that its par for the course in any arrangement. Yes!, I totally get what your layin down and I appreciate every second you sit there in Michigan and type to me in Winnipeg.Thank you big time!. I may find myself backtracking to this conversation again for piece of mind.

 

[MCF]

I sat in my art school dorm hall with fellow potential draftees listening to (the radio? - I can't actually recall now how we received this info) - when they announced the last draft #'s before ending it. Friends/fellow students had low #'s (draft notice) - mine was safely high/above the cut-off #. There was a few ways they dodged that bullet - starvation (to be critically under weight at the physical), underwear full of and a few other 'creative' tacts... which all worked. I just heard a whole program about the Tet Offensive - it was a massacre for both sides as initially the US troops were ill prepared for the secret massing of Vietnamise troops/armament which the generals failed to see. They sent US troops into situations where they were mowed down and the generals wouldn't accept it was happening and keep sending more men to die. War is not ever the answer.

That was a scary time. I turned eighteen in '76. We were among the first teens in years that did not have to register for "Selective Services." I grew up at an AF base. The end of the draft not withstanding, several of my friends ended up in the AF anyway. Thankfully, all of them returned from their service. Sadly, as a country, we seem to forgotten the history of that tragic war and seem to be repeating some of the mistakes of more than forty years ago.

 

[ProgressiveDoom]

So, got this big audition tomorrow and going to bring the Epiphone bird. I just had my Gibson tuned to drop D standard and not messing with it. These guys tune to Db, Ab, Db,Gb, and I did have to do adjusting to the Epiphone, so not touching the Gibson until I get the Gig. I also set up the fender and will bring it as a backup. I had to raise strings and adjust intonation, but for some reason, it just seems easier to do on a fender than others. I am not even going to think about messing with the Rick, it's standard tuned and the dual truss rod adjusting is not something I'm comfortable with.

Don't know why, but I'm antsy about this audition, something never the norm.

When I get nerved up about something like this it usually results in a positive outcome, possibly that way for you. Go get em!

 

[MCF]

Sounds nice. Would that be the area with the most comfortable year round climate in the US (excl Hawaii) ?

San Diego has the best, most consistant climate in the State. Summer along the coast north of that is frequently overcast until around noon. Once things clear up, it's pretty nice. Santa Barbara County is best experienced from late August to early November when it is rarely overcast and is very pleasant.

 

[silky smoove]

An update to an earlier post of mine regarding Gibson Reflector style knobs for EMG pots: Alison Turner at EMG clarified that the pots they use with the GZR pickups are smooth (not knurled) 6mm shafts and will not accept the Gibson push-on style knobs. I did my own digging and couldn't find any. My options for my bird-build are to switch out the EMG BNOG style pots for conventional 6mm pots and solder the, in, or to use the EMG pots and different knobs. I ordered some different knobs today as a "path of least resistance" approach. The knobs are cool, but not totally the aesthetic I was hoping for. I'll switch out the pots if the look isn't working for me.

Current build progress (clearly not for Thunderbird purists):

 

[JIO]

That was a scary time. I turned eighteen in '76. We were among the first teens in years that did not have to register for "Selective Services." I grew up at an AF base. The end of the draft not withstanding, several of my friends ended up in the AF anyway. Thankfully, all of them returned from their service. Sadly, as a country, we seem to forgotten the history of that tragic war and seem to be repeating some of the mistakes of more than forty years ago.

yep - my father was a Captain in the Air Force (WWII) piloting a B-25 bomber in the South Pacific arena. As a side note I had the need for 'flying' in my DNA but did it racing (road) bicycles for 25 years. Descending fast mountain pass switch-backs/chicanes sometimes feels like I'm flying. ('17 Tour de France coming up soon!)

 

[ProgressiveDoom]

yep - my father was a Captain in the Air Force (WWII) piloting a B-25 bomber in the South Pacific arena. As a side note I had the need for 'flying' in my DNA but did it racing (road) bicycles for 25 years. Descending fast mountain pass switch-backs/chicanes sometimes feels like I'm flying. ('17 Tour de France coming up soon!)

Oh man Im a huge fan of WW2 Aviation, you must have some awesome photos from the air force base etc.

 

[Nocturnal]

An update to an earlier post of mine regarding Gibson Reflector style knobs for EMG pots: Alison Turner at EMG clarified that the pots they use with the GZR pickups are smooth (not knurled) 6mm shafts and will not accept the Gibson push-on style knobs. I did my own digging and couldn't find any. My options for my bird-build are to switch out the EMG BNOG style pots for conventional 6mm pots and solder the, in, or to use the EMG pots and different knobs. I ordered some different knobs today as a "path of least resistance" approach. The knobs are cool, but not totally the aesthetic I was hoping for. I'll switch out the pots if the look isn't working for me.

Current build progress (clearly not for Thunderbird purists):

View attachment 1158836

Pure enough for a freak like me!!! That looks great despite my feelings on tort. Love reverse P pickups.

 

[JIO]

Oh man Im a huge fan of WW2 Aviation, you must have some awesome photos from the air force base etc.

My dad loved flying but didn't go on much about his service - always spoke more about the B-25, and P-36 which he flew for training. They (his division) bombed bridges/supply routs - the "Burma Bridge Busters" or something like that.

 

[wolfkeller]

An update to an earlier post of mine regarding Gibson Reflector style knobs for EMG pots: Alison Turner at EMG clarified that the pots they use with the GZR pickups are smooth (not knurled) 6mm shafts and will not accept the Gibson push-on style knobs. I did my own digging and couldn't find any. My options for my bird-build are to switch out the EMG BNOG style pots for conventional 6mm pots and solder the, in, or to use the EMG pots and different knobs. I ordered some different knobs today as a "path of least resistance" approach. The knobs are cool, but not totally the aesthetic I was hoping for. I'll switch out the pots if the look isn't working for me.

Current build progress (clearly not for Thunderbird purists):

View attachment 1158836

I'd either swap the pots for knurled (don't have to be 25k) or drill out the knobs. Path of least resistance

 

[HouseUmbrella]

An update to an earlier post of mine regarding Gibson Reflector style knobs for EMG pots: Alison Turner at EMG clarified that the pots they use with the GZR pickups are smooth (not knurled) 6mm shafts and will not accept the Gibson push-on style knobs. I did my own digging and couldn't find any. My options for my bird-build are to switch out the EMG BNOG style pots for conventional 6mm pots and solder the, in, or to use the EMG pots and different knobs. I ordered some different knobs today as a "path of least resistance" approach. The knobs are cool, but not totally the aesthetic I was hoping for. I'll switch out the pots if the look isn't working for me.

Current build progress (clearly not for Thunderbird purists):

View attachment 1158836

I love that bridge! I have one and I think that's the only bridge that actually helps with sustain

 

[JIO]

View attachment 1158836

Looks cool! After owning/playing T-birds forever, seeing that body w/o pot holes got me wanting to get one and drill my 3 knob positions differently than on a standard bird. I play near the bridge pu a lot and am constantly hitting the top (N) volume knob by mistake in the middle of a song (turning it down) ~ never have this issue w/a P or J because the knobs are angled away from the strings.

 

[Dadagoboi]

Do you still own it? Awesome bass.

no, sold in '77 when I got a TBird

 

[GBassNorth]

Sounds nice. Would that be the area with the most comfortable year round climate in the US (excl Hawaii) ?

Its just MHO but if I had to pick a single spot in the U.S. With the best year round weather I'd have to pick the Santa Barbara area (from Goleta at the north end of SB to Carpenteria at the south end). On the coastline in that area it rarely gets above 85 and rarely drops below 65 during the day. It's called the American Riveria for a reason.
Santa Barbara: The American Riviera
If you're ever out this way ping me and we'll hit the hot spots.

 

[Korladis]

Sounds nice. Would that be the area with the most comfortable year round climate in the US (excl Hawaii) ?

I wouldn't consider Hawaii's climate comfortable to work in. For vacationing, it's great. But if you live somewhere, you have to work there, too.

So, got this big audition tomorrow and going to bring the Epiphone bird. I just had my Gibson tuned to drop D standard and not messing with it. These guys tune to Db, Ab, Db,Gb, and I did have to do adjusting to the Epiphone, so not touching the Gibson until I get the Gig. I also set up the fender and will bring it as a backup. I had to raise strings and adjust intonation, but for some reason, it just seems easier to do on a fender than others. I am not even going to think about messing with the Rick, it's standard tuned and the dual truss rod adjusting is not something I'm comfortable with.

Don't know why, but I'm antsy about this audition, something never the norm.

I would just do Db standard.

The Epiphone and Fender will be fine for the audition.

To me a refinished instrument is a HUGE turnoff. If I a bass that I like but has been refinished I won't even consider it

*owns one refinished Rickenbacker 4001 and a 4003 that will probably soon be refinished*

 

[theFixer]

Think that's a good way to look at it. I'm 50 and should remember that all you can do is try and wait and see.

Maybe my biggest fear is that these guys have toured the country before and if I get this gig, I might have to choose between my career and my dream. My wife will support me no matter what. It would be tough telling my kid I would be away for weeks on end.

You're right. That would be tough... but no where near as tough as growing old, knowing you passed up an opportunity like that. Your child will always love you. You have a supportive wife. GO GET THAT GIG!!!