Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

Speaking of NR’s, an NR guitar:

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On the same stage as a Bi-Centennial:

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Thank you UFO!

It makes no sense I know, but never cared for the guitar NR.

 

[dagrev]

I’m very confused. Is that you? And why “ahem” are you posting a shot of your crotch?

I thought everyone would like a pic. Have I presumed a bit too much?

No, that's a pick of the small sign on JT's cabs about his cats. So that's not me and I was trying to get a little of the Reverse Thunderbird in the shot. The rest is accidental.

 

[MCF]

It makes no sense I know, but never cared for the guitar NR.

Aubert plays one.

 

[dagrev]

Andy!!!!!!!!!

I can't get Andy to post Mrs. Nocturnal's cell. You're an attorney and should be able to explain the legal liability Andy could be in if he doesn't buy it.

 

[dagrev]

I have been back and forth trying to find a Ric I would play. Hasn’t happened yet.

It was a short love affair for me. Always wanted one. Beautiful Jet Black. Neck divers, more so than a Thunderbird. It was kind of like always wanting to date someone and you did and afterwards you wondered why you ever wanted to.

 

[dagrev]

My daughter did two Uni years abroad. Florence and Madrid. No wonder I can’t afford a vintage Thunderbird. But frankly, that was more important.

What???

 

[dagrev]

I didn't care much for the look of the 80s Gibson Explorer basses, but this Hamer Blitz is amazing to me. I thought it would feel much larger than a Bird, but it really doesn't. With the vintage Dimarzio's, this is one of my best sounding basses.

Washburn had one that had the front point kind of squared off.

 

[JJR58]

I'm not sure when I first saw a non-reverse but it was intriquing and now I think I might prefer it to the reverse. I also recall that it was referred as somehow cheaper and inferior to the reverse which is of course not true.

I realized that it's one of the three basses of 15 I have that has a black pickguard. One guitar too but it's my only one so it doesn't count.
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Really dig the modded Epiphone.

 

[dagrev]

Aubert plays one.
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Yes, and his looks nicer than most (to me). Maybe I prefer a translucent finish.

 

[Ringhammer]

I’m still looking for the right strings for the shortie. I went back to the Gibson nickels to see if I liked them better than the Hi-Beams I tried. It is a little brighter with Hi-Beams, but still on the darker side.

I like the Hi-Beams on mine. I don’t have the TB+ pickups in it anymore of course.

There’s quite a few options for short scale, much less for medium scale.

They do make EBCFs in short scale, and they have a 50-110 set as well.

 

[RedVee]

I'm not sure when I first saw a non-reverse but it was intriquing and now I think I might prefer it to the reverse. I also recall that it was referred as somehow cheaper and inferior to the reverse which is of course not true.

I realized that it's one of the three basses of 15 I have that has a black pickguard. One guitar too but it's my only one so it doesn't count.
View attachment 7363441

Just the two.

 

[GBassNorth]

Mine has a Lull in it, I was very fortunate to get it, visit with Spencer and my being an endorsing artist (unpaid) helped, as did more than 15 years of being a customer.
If I were looking for a pickup today, I would have a Gibson re-issue with no regrets, I love them, and at the price you can't go wrong.

Sounds great, I have a few of the reissues laying around I can use in my Blue BaCH IV (used to be a II but was modded by previous owner for a second Artec pickup, why, I don’t know).

It’ll be interesting to compare and contrast the Bluebird with reissues to the white BaCH which has ChinaBuckers.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

sounds strange but NRs remind me of melting (think mozzarella) cheese or wax or whatever melts or deforms under certain conditions.... must be the pick guard ....artsy ...

 

[TBird1958]

Sounds great, I have a few of the reissues laying around I can use in my Blue BaCH IV (used to be a II but was modded by previous owner for a second Artec pickup, why, I don’t know).
View attachment 7363643
It’ll be interesting to compare and contrast the Bluebird with reissues to the white BaCH which has ChinaBuckers.

With 2 Gibson re-issues in it, it will sound like a current Gibson Non Reverse, which I think is a good!

 

[Nocturnal]

Andy!!!!!!!!!

My wife said if it was a reverse she would have told me to buy it. She isn't a fan of the NR shape either. Lol

Washburn had one that had the front point kind of squared off.

They did. The B5 was one version. [This invalid link has been removed] is a bit overpriced IMO. They also had an 8 string version of it.

 

[ThaCoast]

There's a part of me, that's thinking of adding a volume &/or tone control to my heavy modified/revamped Goth Epi Bird. It's only got the single on/off switch like the Blackbirds did. Just feel i'm missing some lightning to the Thunder xD Any suggestions?

If i recall, it's strung with SIT Power Steel 50-105 gauge, but i may go down in gauge & change brands, SIT has gotten expensive over the past year here in Canada (at least for me in comparison to D'addario/EB/GHS), & i'm not much of a stainless steel person, at least these ones. Had good fun with DR Hi beams on a pbass build of mine, but went back to Nickel for their feel, & gradual break in time mellows out rather than dying off completely as the hi beams did.

 

[Gaolee]

I polished the matte off of my Shorty T-bird and it is now uniform and a kind of medium gloss. My Shorty DC tribute is a matte cherry. The back of the neck is naturally polished, also a kind of medium gloss, from use, and I want the rest of the bass to be that way but haven’t taken the time to try to polish it out.

I just dry polish with a soft buffing wheel on a drill.

I tried this on the matte Ric, since the back of the neck was naturally polished from use, as were a couple of spots near where my right hand tends to be when I play. Polishing this finish (dry) proved to be much more difficult and I only really achieved the desired result on the back, roughly where ones belly would rest. Seeing how much work it could be to get a uniform kind of semi/medium gloss on the whole body, headstock, front back and sides, and since I wasn’t in love with the neck, I decided to just sell it.

Sounds like the Ric had to go. It was the right choice.

 

[Gaolee]

sounds strange but NRs remind me of melting (think mozzarella) cheese or wax or whatever melts or deforms under certain conditions.... must be the pick guard ....artsy ...
View attachment 7363644

Not strange to me at all. They look melted to me as well, which is why I do not like their looks. Maybe it is why you do like their looks. Works for me.

 

[MCF]

There's a part of me, that's thinking of adding a volume &/or tone control to my heavy modified/revamped Goth Epi Bird. It's only got the single on/off switch like the Blackbirds did. Just feel i'm missing some lightning to the Thunder xD Any suggestions?

If i recall, it's strung with SIT Power Steel 50-105 gauge, but i may go down in gauge & change brands, SIT has gotten expensive over the past year here in Canada (at least for me in comparison to D'addario/EB/GHS), & i'm not much of a stainless steel person, at least these ones. Had good fun with DR Hi beams on a pbass build of mine, but went back to Nickel for their feel, & gradual break in time mellows out rather than dying off completely as the hi beams did.

I have the Epi Blackbird that someone along the line added a volume pot to. I kinda wish they hadn’t. But it’s a great player. I think part of the mojo in it comes from the lack of a tone pot and cap. It sounds really good.

 

[dagrev]

My wife said if it was a reverse she would have told me to buy it. She isn't a fan of the NR shape either. Lol

They did. The B5 was one version. [This invalid link has been removed] is a bit overpriced IMO. They also had an 8 string version of it.

I played both the 4 and 8 string versions at large shop in the early 80s. They were also a huge Peavey dealer. Just across the river in Indiana.