Thunderbird Club

[MCF]

Quick and easy tech question- I confess I rarely set up my own instruments, having only recently done so because I was away from Houston where my luthier bro lives- So I"m currently in Florida and have to fend for myself --

So I just adjusted the excess relief out of the neck of my recently purchased jazz bass so I have around .012 inches of relief at the 8th fret with the capo on the first fret and depressing the string at the fret where the neck joins the body. Now it's time to adjust string height which is way high. So all the resources I've checked, including the Fender playbook give recommended heights only for the high and low strings. I suppose that I interpolate the heights of the middle two strings or to taste on a 9.25 inch radius neck? I did the latter on a bass a month ago back in Seabrook when I didn't feel up to the 45 minute drive north to Houston.

Yes. Generally follow the radius. One nice thing about the Gibson three point is that the saddles are preset to match the radius (mostly).

 

[ectoflanger]

Yes. Generally follow the radius. One nice thing about the Gibson three point is that the saddles are preset to match the radius (mostly).

Also my G2 T-Bird has a 12 inch radius- much flatter than the 9.5 on my Fenders-

But I got it pretty much how I like it on my new Jazz. They give the guidelines but ultimately it's up to feel regarding the fine points-

 

[ectoflanger]

Thanks Marshall. It caused some expected extra work in sanding due to it being really windy when I put the clear on. No runs, but it was drying quicker than ideal, thus less than ideal finish after spraying. But I put a little extra on knowing I was going to need a fair amount of sanding. I was even holding up a big piece of cardboard to break some of the wind. I knew I was pushing it, but it may well have been my last day this year to spray. Initially I was going to spray in the garage, but the fumes were getting into the lower level somehow where my Mother lives. The clear is deadly (literally), and no way was I taking a chance on fumes getting in the house.

If I ever decide to finish my own, I'll probably do it outdoors as you have. Were you using aerosol can finishes?

 

[MCF]

Also my G2 T-Bird has a 12 inch radius- much flatter than the 9.5 on my Fenders-

But I got it pretty much how I like it on my new Jazz. They give the guidelines but ultimately it's up to feel regarding the fine points-

Been doing my own for a long time. I haven’t measured in years. Sight, feel, and sound. Measurements are a starting point. I find basses set to “Fender Specs” have ridiculously high action and are a chore to play.

 

[Ringhammer]

To me, a bass with high action feels like a cheap bass, where, when I get them setup right, strung with the “just right” strings/gauges for the given tuning, and having nice, low action with little to no fret buzz, they feel more like a fine instrument.

 

[MCF]

I love dreamy, introspective stuff, as long as it's not overly melancholy-

Here's one I like- like the one you shared, I believe it falls into the relatively new genre known as 'Dream Pop'-

An original “Dream Pop” song. Mick Fleetwood once referred to it as exquisite.

 

[BuddhaFingas]

Truth be told, my mind is always looking for a challenge, and as such as soon as it perceives something as routine it starts to focus on the next challenge. In other words, I personally would find it incredibly difficult to nail this song if I didn’t completely focus on the repetitive riff. As our Queen said, I’d seriously have to fight off the urge to not wander to HVAC problems or other non related thoughts. Chuck is right, it’s much harder to pull off perfectly than one would think.
I haven’t ever tried to play that Sade song but a song that I have played that has similar challenges for me is Time is Tight. Duck gets my respect for making something that sounds so simple look so simple as well, I’d be laser focused on my left hand and the drummer the entire time.

One of the main reasons i enjoy playing bass, and one of my main challenges: the focus required for me to play even halfway competently pushes the rest of the world out of my head.
But the world pushes back, hard.

 

[MCF]

Think you might like this- Bowie was allowing call in requests at this show when I got this one- pretty cool and one of. my favorite songs- great perfromance too- he sure was quick on his toes-

That show was amazing. I really miss him.

 

[MCF]

This is my favorite Bowie period (yes, more than Ziggy etc) because I loved his band/musicians then including Gayle Ann Dorsey on bass and Earl Slick on guitar. No pomp, no theatrics - just solid ensemble playing all around. I bet he loved it too as it was stripped down to musicianship.

He also got the monkey of his back. Which freed him to be himself.

 

[MCF]

Considering black tape wounds for the fretless build... since I used up my EBCFs on the new 'bird.
Got to be kinder to the rosewood, but I've no clue how they would sound.

Anyone got good experiences to share?

Some here seem to like the La Bellas. That’s one maker I won’t spend money on because of a couple poor customer service experiences.

A Tbird I bought came with horrendously installed DA tapes on it. But I really liked the different tone from them. I call it “Hofneresqe.” So I bought a new set of them and enjoy playing them when I feel like going down a Beatles rabbit hole.

 

[MCF]

That's ok Mike... plenty of others have.

I got a lot of shade early on for being a Bowie fan. My friends eventually came around when Golden Years was a hit. Then they listened to the earlier stuff and admitted I was right. Bowie was huge in SoCal back in the day.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

I got a lot of shade early on for being a Bowie fan. My friends eventually came around when Golden Years was a hit. Then they listened to the earlier stuff and admitted I was right. Bowie was huge in SoCal back in the day.

Fripp tears it up on this......awesome track...beep beep!

 

[Ringhammer]

It might sound simple, but playing it so consistent for the duration of the song is quite difficult. It's easy to lose your concentration and start thinking about stuff like HVAC or Root Beer and then the groove goes to $%#@

This,

and also, sometimes it can be a workout. I’ve always been a Fleetwood Mac fan and “Hypnotized” is an old favorite. Very repetitive bassline but, for me, rather than losing concentration, it’s kind of a workout to get all the way through it without my hand getting sore. Alternatively, it’s a good quick workout riff.

the focus required for me to play even halfway competently pushes the rest of the world out of my head.
But the world pushes back, hard.

Word…

 

[Engle]

Truth be told, my mind is always looking for a challenge, and as such as soon as it perceives something as routine it starts to focus on the next challenge. In other words, I personally would find it incredibly difficult to nail this song if I didn’t completely focus on the repetitive riff. As our Queen said, I’d seriously have to fight off the urge to not wander to HVAC problems or other non related thoughts. Chuck is right, it’s much harder to pull off perfectly than one would think.
I haven’t ever tried to play that Sade song but a song that I have played that has similar challenges for me is Time is Tight. Duck gets my respect for making something that sounds so simple look so simple as well, I’d be laser focused on my left hand and the drummer the entire time.

Yep it is a challenge to play a simple line perfectly for a whole song.
It is a good exercise!

 

[Engle]

Quick and easy tech question- I confess I rarely set up my own instruments, having only recently done so because I was away from Houston where my luthier bro lives- So I"m currently in Florida and have to fend for myself --

So I just adjusted the excess relief out of the neck of my recently purchased jazz bass so I have around .012 inches of relief at the 8th fret with the capo on the first fret and depressing the string at the fret where the neck joins the body. Now it's time to adjust string height which is way high. So all the resources I've checked, including the Fender playbook give recommended heights only for the high and low strings. I suppose that I interpolate the heights of the middle two strings or to taste on a 9.25 inch radius neck? I did the latter on a bass a month ago back in Seabrook when I didn't feel up to the 45 minute drive north to Houston.

You can use a radius guage on the bottom of the strings:

 

[MCF]

This,

and also, sometimes it can be a workout. I’ve always been a Fleetwood Mac fan and “Hypnotized” is an old favorite. Very repetitive bassline but, for me, rather than losing concentration, it’s kind of a workout to get all the way through it without my hand getting sore. Alternatively, it’s a good quick workout riff.

Word…

Big fan too. The Welch and “Mystery” period was special.

Earlier than that, Albatross was one of the very first songs I learned.

 

[Engle]

Love that song, but I’d be tempted to use a looper for about 3 minutes of it while I take a drink break.

I finally found a few minutes to listen with headphones. He's a great player - its repetitive, but there are subtle variations. It sounds way better than a loop would.

 

[GBassNorth]

One of the main reasons i enjoy playing bass, and one of my main challenges: the focus required for me to play even halfway competently pushes the rest of the world out of my head.
But the world pushes back, hard.

Exactly!
The reason I took up bass playing 25 years ago was because of a super high stress 24/7 global business management job I had. I found it incredibly difficult to turn off the work issues swirling around in my head during the short down times that I did have. Playing the bass forced me to focus on something challenging and rewarding enough that I could slip away from budget, personnel, schedule and design issues long enough to recharge my mental batteries. Kept me sane (some would argue that) and kept me from burning out on a job I truly loved.

Now that I’m retired I play for the fun and enjoyment of it and have expanded on the creative end of things with custom Thunderbird builds that offer looks and sounds that Gibson and Epiphone can’t.

 

[GBassNorth]

I finally found a few minutes to listen with headphones. He's a great player - it’s repetitive, but there are subtle variations. It sounds way better than a loop would.

Agree. My comment was meant to be tongue in cheek humor. He’s a fantastic player and chose a nice bass to play as well.
Gotta love a Stingray, wish it came in a bird shape - hey, I could do that!

 

[JIO]

Love his work. "Yellow Fields" is such a perfect autumn album (especially if it rains). And Rainer Bruninghaus' "Freigeweight" works when it's starting to get below zero (celcius). Weber alumni but the album has no bassist!
Listened to a lot of Terje Rypdal lately, the autumn is great time of the year for that. "Waves" and "Rypdal Vitous DeJohnette" especially.

I hope this doesn't sound or appear as pretentious but this track of mine was pretty much influenced by the sounds of those 70's Rypdal albums. Even the title is a lift off of "Over Birkerot".

Jack DeJohnette just passed away - he was 83. Great drummer.

Nice composition - brings Paul Schütze to mind. I also like Terje Rypdal, he's done a lot of different things.



TR's early rockin' days -