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Thunderbird Club

#338,921
@RedVee almost like UK prices....gnarly....
IMG_8711.jpeg
 
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#338,922
Whats up thunderlovers? I made a post for my new NR, some of you might like it! so I'll paste it in here.

Well, a Thunderbird, what can I say? I just happen to like them... a lot. This bass plays great, sounds great, and (of course) looks amazing.

The action is absolutely fantastic, especially considering I tune to D Standard with a very low setup. The electronics are dead quiet two volumes and one tone, what is not to love? The pickups sound great and look even better. The bridge pickup is noticeably louder (and higher) than the neck one. The output on the bridge pickup is far superior; however, when playing both at 100%, they blend in a magnificent way.

As for the neck, it is a bit chunky, but since I have big hands, it feels great overall. The string spacing is comfortable and the frets are ready to go. It is worth mentioning that, unlike the reverse model which is neck-through, this one has a set neck. Regarding the fretboard, it felt a bit dry at first; however, I applied some Dunlop conditioner and that did the trick.

The body shape might actually be more comfortable for some than the regular reverse model. It is a flat-top bass, which I find very ergonomic. Plus, I give it extra points for the pickguard, and the balance is spot on. I really like it; I prefer to sling my basses low, and I have been doing that with this one without any issues.

It features the traditional (and often disliked) three point bridge. I must say, mine came with a stellar setup; I only had to make a few quick tweaks for my D Standard tuning and I was ready to rock.

It comes with standard strap pins, which I of course always swap for a pair of Dunlop Straplocks.

The tuners are great these come with Hipshot clover leaf tuners, so you know what to expect.

The only thing I would have preferred is the logo on the TRC instead of the headstock.

Last but not least: that Sparkling Burgundy nitro finish is just GORGEOUS, period.

View attachment 7449705

Anyway, too much talking, this is how it sounds (no editing or post-processing):

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#338,923
Chucky Stiletti said:
the blonde bass player lady....
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Oh oh oh...yes, more than likely - she plays in a few bands and is a bit of a hustler. Here she is playing at Winters' (pre my exterior renovation!) at Halloween time doing a Rocky Horror Picture Show tribute! Cherie crushed the Frank-N-Furter character. So talented...

Must have been during Covid - October 2020 when they started doing outside performances. The impromptu platform later evolved into a "stage" platform and part of the parking lot became a "beer garden"... gotta' roll with the punches.

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#338,924
Wow 16k pages, haven't been in this thread in ages. I am heading to Japan in May and will probably pick up a bass.... Bit of a ritual now haha.
They love their thunderbirds from all brands.

I have had 4 birds..
Nikki Sixx signature (the red one with the red X inlays)
Pelham Blue Tbird with ebony board and greco pickups (ex NIN JMJ bass......biggest bass sale regret)
1977 Greco Thunderbird II
2012 Walnut Gibson Tbird (swapped it for something else with the bass player from JET)

I am pretty open with what kind of Tbird I would pick up. Orville's look appealing because of the massive headstock etc, I know greco's are awesome and sound huge, and Gibson is Gibson but I would prefer one of the older models..late 90's early 2000's with ebony board. A few seem to be available currently over there.

Anyone with experience with the Orville's? Are there any years of Gibson that are considered golden years? Ill be rejoining this club soon methinks....
 
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#338,933
bylar13 said:
I think @GBassNorth a T-Bird (Tom Petersen model?) with a T-Bird pickup near the neck? Curious about how it sounds.
Anyone else using something similar?
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If you’d like I can record a couple of sound clips and post them tomorrow.

I do have two other Tbird basses with neck pic ups at the heel of the neck. One is a Goth with a DiMarzo mudbucker and the other is my BlingBird with ChinaBuckers. The BlingBird and the Lull have identical strings (Optima Gold Rounds) the Goth has flats with red silk at the tuners (TI strings? I don’t recall the brand right now). All three are among the best sounding birds I own and none of them are overly muddy, just a very solid bottom end and still plenty of definition on the top.

I like my Petersson Lull so much I’ve considered contacting Lull to see if they would upgrade my Lull Five String Bird with a neck heel pup as well (can’t buy the pups or I’d just do it myself).
 
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#338,935
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#338,936
Mikaelbass said:
but I would prefer one of the older models..late 90's early 2000's with ebony board. A few seem to be available currently o
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I’m selling this (not in Japan, but west coast. Kinda close? No.)

sfbay.craigslist.org

Gibson Thunderbird Bass 1997 - musical instruments - by owner - sale - craigslist

This is a 1997 Gibson Thunderbird. The tuners have been upgraded to HipShot USA ultra-lites. The bridge has been upgraded to a Chrome Babicz, and the pick ups are genuine Gibson vintage reissues....
sfbay.craigslist.org sfbay.craigslist.org
 
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#338,937
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#338,940
Mikaelbass said:
Wow 16k pages, haven't been in this thread in ages. I am heading to Japan in May and will probably pick up a bass.... Bit of a ritual now haha.
They love their thunderbirds from all brands.

I have had 4 birds..
Nikki Sixx signature (the red one with the red X inlays)
Pelham Blue Tbird with ebony board and greco pickups (ex NIN JMJ bass......biggest bass sale regret)
1977 Greco Thunderbird II
2012 Walnut Gibson Tbird (swapped it for something else with the bass player from JET)

I am pretty open with what kind of Tbird I would pick up. Orville's look appealing because of the massive headstock etc, I know greco's are awesome and sound huge, and Gibson is Gibson but I would prefer one of the older models..late 90's early 2000's with ebony board. A few seem to be available currently over there.

Anyone with experience with the Orville's? Are there any years of Gibson that are considered golden years? Ill be rejoining this club soon methinks....
Click to expand...

Mikaelbass said:
I like my Orville. They are set neck, if that makes a difference to you. The wings are thin and tapered like a Gibson, but there's a little less radius on the edges.
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