Thunderbird Club

[Ringhammer]

Cool! That’s my birthday! And one of my favorite Neil songs. I’ll have to find out how to stream the station, put it on the calendar, and set an alarm…

The show /program that the song will be debuted on is called “Soundwaves”

Soundwaves

I assume it’s live streamed.

 

[Ringhammer]

All good Rich - count your blessings as they say. I play solely for the creative experience and I'm fortunate enough to be able to have that happen in my life. (then & now) Related to being an artist, for me it's also about recording our efforts - creating a document/a record. We'll eventually stop - the record continues. Again - in that regard it's rubbing shoulders with professionals. (as serious amateurs) I refer to "amateur"/"professional" only as a distinction of "monetary life goal". An amateur can be just as serious a musician as a pro - I've know both and we're all on the same page about music at the end of the day.

So concentrate on the things you love about playing in a band/playing live and strive to deliver the best performance whenever you play live. If one person in that room has a positive experience because of what your band played - you've been successful.

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Having every song from both bands recorded well is a bonus these days. In the past, the best we could hope for were decent “demo” recordings, and that still cost more then (relatively) than now.

Bad Lemon does all its own recording and mixing (our vocalist Mike is good with Cubase, and has all the gadgets to get us recorded and mixed to our liking), then it goes out for mastering.

Red Sun Ruins has always gone out to record. We used Bart Thurber for most recordings. We did do some songs by having with Mike (BL) record the tracks, and then sent them to Bart for mix/master. Our recording of Ohio was done by someone else completely. Sloth Mountain Studio in La Honda.

RSR’s current four songs are going to be a hybrid. The drums, bass, and initial guitar tracks were recorded with Bart. All double guitar tracks, solos, dual harmony parts, piano, organ or any other atmospheric sounds, and all vocals will be recorded at BL’s studio with Mike, and that will get sent to Bart for mix/master.

It is truly a blessing to be able to have very good recordings of the work we have done, and all for merely a few hundred dollars.

 

[godofthunder59]

Cool stuff and journey.

I've had my Reverse since '81 maybe '82, but always thought the NRs I saw Leon play was funky cool. And hard to see or play in person. Never played one till I got the '66 NR project. Nothing I don't love about it. Original pups would be nice, and maybe one day I'll run across some. In the meantime I have a great looking, great sounding NR. Just wish I wasn't 62 before my first encounter.
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The restoration job on that us beautiful!

So I see we are talking Reverse vs Nonreverse. Way back in the early 70s when I started my bass journey after cycling through Hofners and my beloved Ibanez Destroyer that Thunderbirds were for me unfortunately they were priced out of reach. The Bicentennials hit the market while I was working at the House of Guitars and I was able to get one for $365 brand new. Unfortunately the 76 didn't sound like a Thunderbird but a neutered Jazz bass and the bridge pickup was microphonic and squealed like a stuck pig, so it became a backup and I sodiered on with the Destroyer. Then one day in '78 picked up a used Nonreverse at the HOG and plugged it in and there was the sound I was looking for! It was big, long and frankly no where near as good looking as a reverse but the sound! The access to the upper register cinched it.
These days I have about 40 odd Thunderbirds of various stripes both reverse and Nonreverse. I still prefer a Nonreverse to the reverse mainly for upper register access, the Vintage Pro solved that to some degree. I need to get some good group shots of the collection. I tossed in a pic of the Ibanez Destroyer winter of 76.View attachment 7421436View attachment 7421437View attachment 7421438View attachment 7421439View attachment 7421440

Me with my Hofner probably in '74

 

[Lammchop93]

whew, I put some D'addario Chromes on my NR Tbird yesterday and dang!! I am shocked how good it sounds, and still has great sustain. I have a GL P bass that I love and it sounds good with flats, but the sustain is short. I was worried it would do the same on the bird, but that doesn't seem, to be the case.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Cool stuff and journey.

I've had my Reverse since '81 maybe '82, but always thought the NRs I saw Leon play was funky cool. And hard to see or play in person. Never played one till I got the '66 NR project. Nothing I don't love about it. Original pups would be nice, and maybe one day I'll run across some. In the meantime I have a great looking, great sounding NR. Just wish I wasn't 62 before my first encounter.
View attachment 7421515

I saw Leon and the Ox using reverses in 1973. Leon used a reverse in 74 as well and maybe an NR. If they played others they didn’t make a lasting impression.
I also came late to playing Thunderbirds but that’s because I came late to bass.

(Ahem?)

 

[GBassNorth]

even if it's a bunch of alte kakers.....collecting is a bonus....

Oy vey!
Hey at least they’re still upright and moving.
Nice playing BTW

 

[GBassNorth]

From what I recall was the feel (rubbery IIRC) and tone.

^This is my experience with Roto tapes. They had a definite thud on tone. Not for me.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

whew, I put some D'addario Chromes on my NR Tbird yesterday and dang!! I am shocked how good it sounds, and still has great sustain. I have a GL P bass that I love and it sounds good with flats, but the sustain is short. I was worried it would do the same on the bird, but that doesn't seem, to be the case.

Some people disdain the need for bass sustain. But lots of music needs it.

 

[GBassNorth]

More than I paid for my 64, by quite a bit.

Heck, that’s quite a bit more than I paid for my 1964 Mustang!

In the pic - taking off the steel wheels to replace them with chrome Crager SS and 60 series tires and adding air shocks, had already added cherry bomb glass packs and replaced the FoMoCo 4bbl with a Holley 650 double pumper.

Bought bone stock back in 1976, $1000 for a nice condition low mileage 1964 1/2 Mustang hardtop with a 289 (possibly HiPo engine) auto trans with full console. Sold two years later to pay for my first wife’s wedding ring (two big mistakes - selling the car and marrying the witch). Fast forward 4 years from then and divorced with the witch getting my 1973 AMX in the settlement, I got the consolation prize, a 1981 VW Rabbit. She totaled the AMX several months later.

 

[Stealth57]

Some people disdain the need for bass sustain. But lots of music needs it.

If I didn't want sustain, I'd have left the felt mutes on the 64.

 

[GonePlaid]

I've seen them listed...somewhere. They're very proud of them($$$).

So. I googled "Rotosound tapewound bass strings". They are described as having "old school thump" like an upright. ~$49*; 65-115(prolly have to file the nut?)-I've used D'As, which are currently on my Ibby semi hollow that I use(d) for UB-y situations.

*apparently they've come down in price.

 

[BuddhaFingas]

Some people disdain the need for bass sustain. But lots of music needs it.

Lyrical, that first sentence. There's a song waiting to be writ, hiding in "sustain disdain."

 

[GonePlaid]

If I didn't want sustain, I'd have left the felt mutes on the 64.

I left them on the 67NR. Sometime later they left on their own.

 

[Gaolee]

More than I paid for my 64, by quite a bit.

I am still kicking myself for not buying a '64 back when. It had a headstock repair and the serial number was gone. So, I didn't buy it. I also didn't have $1500 lying around at the time, but that's a different issue. I could have found $1500 if I had known that a whole lot of 'em don't have serial numbers due to headstock repairs. Oh, well. There's a reason I have a day job. Lack of talent and lack of ESP. Well, that's two reasons. I can't count, either. Make it three reasons.

 

[MCF]

Heck, that’s quite a bit more than I paid for my 1964 Mustang!
View attachment 7421578
In the pic - taking off the steel wheels to replace them with chrome Crager SS and 60 series tires and adding air shocks, had already added cherry bomb glass packs and replaced the FoMoCo 4bbl with a Holley 650 double pumper.

Bought bone stock back in 1976, $1000 for a nice condition low mileage 1964 1/2 Mustang hardtop with a 289 (possibly HiPo engine) auto trans with full console. Sold two years later to pay for my first wife’s wedding ring (two big mistakes - selling the car and marrying the witch). Fast forward 4 years from then and divorced with the witch getting my 1973 AMX in the settlement, I got the consolation prize, a 1981 VW Rabbit. She totaled the AMX several months later.

My poor Mom drove one of those PA built rabbits for years. I hated it.

 

[Stealth57]

I am still kicking myself for not buying a '64 back when. It had a headstock repair and the serial number was gone. So, I didn't buy it. I also didn't have $1500 lying around at the time, but that's a different issue. I could have found $1500 if I had known that a whole lot of 'em don't have serial numbers due to headstock repairs. Oh, well. There's a reason I have a day job. Lack of talent and lack of ESP. Well, that's two reasons. I can't count, either.

And I didn’t have $2,000 to buy a Lull TB4? during covid.

 

[Gaolee]

Here's a poor group shot of some of my birds. Note the KISS hat, from the 77 Buffalo NY show. View attachment 7421449View attachment 7421450

How many of those were resurrected from the dead? Quite a few, as I recall. Can your roadie say he did anything like that?

 

[MCF]

I am still kicking myself for not buying a '64 back when. It had a headstock repair and the serial number was gone. So, I didn't buy it. I also didn't have $1500 lying around at the time, but that's a different issue. I could have found $1500 if I had known that a whole lot of 'em don't have serial numbers due to headstock repairs. Oh, well. There's a reason I have a day job. Lack of talent and lack of ESP. Well, that's two reasons. I can't count, either.

When you think about it, it has only been the last few years that prices for sixties Thunderbirds have became ridiculous. In a lot of cases, the value didn’t even keep up with inflation over several decades.

 

[MCF]

So. I googled "Rotosound tapewound bass strings". They are described as having "old school thump" like an upright. ~$49*; 65-115(prolly have to file the nut?)-I've used D'As, which are currently on my Ibby semi hollow that I use(d) for UB-y situations.

*apparently they've come down in price.

I like the DA tapes for what they are and have them on an Epi. Pricy though…

 

[Miles_ONeal]

If I didn't want sustain, I'd have left the felt mutes on the 64.

Dig. Mine didn't have them when I bought it. It would have been nice to have them from the standpoint of the fam selling it after I get hit by a comet, but I'd have played them for a moment out of curiosity, then off they'd come.