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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club thunderbird
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,894
- 142,211
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
There's lots of parade shots on FB today, they estimated the crowd at 1 million, really glad I didn't go into work!
Meantime, today I ventured across Lake Washington to visit with Spencer Lull and pick up my '64. It got a thorough going over and a decent set up.
Yeah, that's a Hiwatt.
Spencer Lull and my '64.
first time with a '21......thanks for letting me borrow your camera Mike....
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,588
- 221,963
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
He was know to drive Cadillacs and referred to the 1960 Jazz Bass as the "Cadillac of Fender basses".
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,588
- 221,963
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Perfect. Add tabouli and I’m in heaven.
Well, the eagle (or should I say Thunderbird) has landed!
It’s a very sweet playing ‘67 NR II with tons of patina, checking and player wear. Appears to be mostly original. A sturdy pro neck repair with dual splines, the obligatory aged cracked/warped/broken pick guard and what looks like newer pots and possibly an after market hardtail. Action is super low and super smooth at 2/64ths on the open strings at the 12th fret, bridge is completely on the deck and the truss rod works smooth and easy. Sounds fantastic with the Pino Palladino light gauge Cobalt flats (more on those in another post).
Some pics…
Played hard but maintained nicely…
Nice checking…
Pick guard as it should be. I had to remove it and gently sand a bit of the pickup opening on the guard, it had shrunk up around the pickup preventing the pickup from moving when the height screws were adjusted…
The back isn’t too badly abused, just honest player wear and nice checking there as well…
The headstock repair was done some time ago with dual splines and appears to be holding steady, some light finish cracking around some spline seams but nothing structural. I’ve seen better jobs, but I’ve seen a lot worse as well. It came with some incredibly high tension rounds on it (to the point that it was a real chore to turn the D and A tuners to pitch, honestly thought I was going to snap them off). I put some noticable back bow on the neck with the high tension strings up to pitch and everything held in tune overnight with no visible change in the repair area. This morning I strung it up with low tension EB Pino light gauge cobalt flats, backed off a bit of the back bow and was able to achieve a very low 2/64ths action on the open 12th across all strings with zero fret buzz…
So far she seems to be a keeper. GC Vintage Gear return policy is only 72 hours after pickup, so unless I find a glaring issue by Saturday I’m stuck with her. Now to get some quality side by side time with the ‘67 and the ‘79 to see if I drastically favor one over the other.
It’s a very sweet playing ‘67 NR II with tons of patina, checking and player wear. Appears to be mostly original. A sturdy pro neck repair with dual splines, the obligatory aged cracked/warped/broken pick guard and what looks like newer pots and possibly an after market hardtail. Action is super low and super smooth at 2/64ths on the open strings at the 12th fret, bridge is completely on the deck and the truss rod works smooth and easy. Sounds fantastic with the Pino Palladino light gauge Cobalt flats (more on those in another post).
Some pics…
Played hard but maintained nicely…
Nice checking…
Pick guard as it should be. I had to remove it and gently sand a bit of the pickup opening on the guard, it had shrunk up around the pickup preventing the pickup from moving when the height screws were adjusted…
The back isn’t too badly abused, just honest player wear and nice checking there as well…
The headstock repair was done some time ago with dual splines and appears to be holding steady, some light finish cracking around some spline seams but nothing structural. I’ve seen better jobs, but I’ve seen a lot worse as well. It came with some incredibly high tension rounds on it (to the point that it was a real chore to turn the D and A tuners to pitch, honestly thought I was going to snap them off). I put some noticable back bow on the neck with the high tension strings up to pitch and everything held in tune overnight with no visible change in the repair area. This morning I strung it up with low tension EB Pino light gauge cobalt flats, backed off a bit of the back bow and was able to achieve a very low 2/64ths action on the open 12th across all strings with zero fret buzz…
So far she seems to be a keeper. GC Vintage Gear return policy is only 72 hours after pickup, so unless I find a glaring issue by Saturday I’m stuck with her. Now to get some quality side by side time with the ‘67 and the ‘79 to see if I drastically favor one over the other.
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hate to say it but can't help but wonder if country music would have been the same without the Fullerton CA FSO.....
There's a story about him buying a Caddie (convertible?) while on break from doing stuff at the factory, getting shunned by a salesman for not looking like a real Cadillac customer.
I don't sing so no issues there. Since bass got diverted from my amps into FOH, and the spots do no good for bass, I take one Rumble 100 and position it on a kickback stand just past my pedalboard, facing my face, with just enough volume to hear myself well. I run a mic cable from my board's DI to the snake and a 1/4" from that DI to the Rumble. Problem solved.
That's all gorgeous, but only a token Thunderbird?
I just had a fit of laughter at the $1,200 price tag.
I'm sorry, I know this is in the ballpark for quite a few of us. I just can't take it that seriously at first glance.
But I get it. I guess.
I am going to try to make it up.. Dave, Geo, Chucky, anyone available?
when I asked the young sales guy looked at me as if I was speaking Saturnian.....
I imagine your avatar Donald Sutherland's epic response when quoted the price!I just had a fit of laughter at the $1,200 price tag.
I'm sorry, I know this is in the ballpark for quite a few of us. I just can't take it that seriously at first glance.
But I get it. I guess.
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That raised the action, right? Also, where did you get the anchor bolts?
never seen so many Teles in one place in my life ....almost like they outnumber Strats by 10 to 1..... definitely not Cali....HEE HAW!!..
