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Thunderbird Club

#339,341
GBassNorth said:
If you find any used 1990 or older Greco thunderbird pickups over there let me know, I have a couple of projects that could use them. Either Black or chrome is ok, as is with or without wiring harness.

BTW - really love my Burny Tbirds, very well made and nice design features I wish Gibson would have adopted…
Neck volute to strengthen a known tbird weak spot, String thru body three point bridge to eliminate anchor pull out, and three screw pickups to aid in proper leveling with strings. Apparently Burny made a couple different models, look for the one with the thru body stringing, it’s the bomb! Also note, they apparently came from the factory wired oddly enough as single coil pickups even though they are humbuckers, took two minutes to fix that problem on mine, now they sound great. To me, these are the BaCH basses of the Reverse world.
View attachment 7453249
View attachment 7453250
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Will do, if I find them for sale I will just snatch them up and let you know, probably easier to deal with me than an odd shop in japan!!

Thanks for the heads up on the Burny's I will keep an eye out for them. I was speaking with Mark from the band JET who now has my old thunderbird and he was telling me that in Japan the Gibson importers known as Yamano Gakki would fly to the Gibson factories in the US and hand select the best pieces to be sold in Japan. He has two Gibson tbirds, my old 2014 walnut and his 1999 sunburst, which he states the finish is incredible on that particular bass. Can't wait to get there!

When I check on the online guitar portals in Japan they have a huge list of the Gibson stuff not so much all the other little niche copies. I wonder if they view those as not that interesting and don't post them? When I was there last there were heaps of thunderbirds around. This time I'ma comin!

The wife has been pre-warned.

Found a bunch of old photos (we are talking 10 years ago, ignore some of the bachelor pad background)
The 1977 Greco TBII I bought off of Mark Evans (ex ACDC) This thing through the SVT VR and 810 sounded absolutely huge.
468804518_10160421919172797_8466669289189692892_n.jpg
468309883_10160351746477797_6507219562742425103_n.jpg

My old 2014 now in the hands of Mark from JET. Replaced all hardware with nickle, the pickups from memory were thunderbucker 66's - I actually returned it to black hardware and the stock Gibson pickups funnily enough. Mark has since back to nickle and put lollars in it.
471819350_10160568603507797_2156994541930660101_n.jpg

The Nikki Sixx model I got for a pretty good deal. I replaced the pickguard and headstock cover with stainless steel covers that had the thunderbird logo and Gibson logo laser cut out. Bass sounded really really good with daddarrio Chromes, and that ring thing behind the bridge was actually pretty comfortable to use...
468636020_10160445760547797_7172494503971454662_n.jpg

And lastly, apologies for the watermark, very old photos I only just came across, but the one Tbird I should have 100% never let go of. JMJ's pelham blue Tbird he sold around the time of his tenure in NIN. The guy I sold it to gets an email from me every other year...still no response.
60fce5c8-9d5c-42f3-97a4-ab1f007889f0.webp
a43404e2-40e2-4c19-bbce-dfb48fa4fb99.webp


Not great photo quality across the board but some Tbird porn!
 
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#339,344
Mikaelbass said:
Will do, if I find them for sale I will just snatch them up and let you know, probably easier to deal with me than an odd shop in japan!!

Thanks for the heads up on the Burny's I will keep an eye out for them. I was speaking with Mark from the band JET who now has my old thunderbird and he was telling me that in Japan the Gibson importers known as Yamano Gakki would fly to the Gibson factories in the US and hand select the best pieces to be sold in Japan. He has two Gibson tbirds, my old 2014 walnut and his 1999 sunburst, which he states the finish is incredible on that particular bass. Can't wait to get there!

When I check on the online guitar portals in Japan they have a huge list of the Gibson stuff not so much all the other little niche copies. I wonder if they view those as not that interesting and don't post them? When I was there last there were heaps of thunderbirds around. This time I'ma comin!

The wife has been pre-warned.

Found a bunch of old photos (we are talking 10 years ago, ignore some of the bachelor pad background)
The 1977 Greco TBII I bought off of Mark Evans (ex ACDC) This thing through the SVT VR and 810 sounded absolutely huge.
View attachment 7454480View attachment 7454481
My old 2014 now in the hands of Mark from JET. Replaced all hardware with nickle, the pickups from memory were thunderbucker 66's - I actually returned it to black hardware and the stock Gibson pickups funnily enough. Mark has since back to nickle and put lollars in it.
View attachment 7454482
The Nikki Sixx model I got for a pretty good deal. I replaced the pickguard and headstock cover with stainless steel covers that had the thunderbird logo and Gibson logo laser cut out. Bass sounded really really good with daddarrio Chromes, and that ring thing behind the bridge was actually pretty comfortable to use...View attachment 7454483
And lastly, apologies for the watermark, very old photos I only just came across, but the one Tbird I should have 100% never let go of. JMJ's pelham blue Tbird he sold around the time of his tenure in NIN. The guy I sold it to gets an email from me every other year...still no response.View attachment 7454485View attachment 7454484

Not great photo quality across the board but some Tbird porn!
Click to expand...
Dude! Who sells a Pelham Blue anything? :laugh:
 
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#339,345
Mikaelbass said:
Also, while looking into Greco pickups I found a guy on facebook with Greco pickup schematics.... He sells these:

T Bird Bass Pickups – Nine One Six Pickups

www.916pickups.com www.916pickups.com

Not sure if anyone here has tried them?
Click to expand...
A couple here have them besides me as I recall. Used them in this '66 NR body I restored. It was a basket case when I got it. I found them to tighter (not as big), and brighter than my 1964 Thunderbird for comparison with same strings. I have La Bella DTFs on it and do love how it sounds. Matt makes really nice pickups. I'm certainly no expert, but from what I could see he puts thought into it and offers quality pickups. Should likely charge more considering what others sell them for. Do they sound great in this bass, yes they do. Do they sound like '64 Gibson, not really. That said, other reproductions may not either. Then again, my '64 Epiphone Embassy with the same Gibson pups doesn't sound like my '64 Thunderbird either.

1773751289094.png
 
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#339,347
dagrev said:
Friends abroad never stop faking and lying about products.
Click to expand...

My acoustic guitar is an Aria ‘78 Martin copy. The epitome of the “lawsuit” era. They made no effort to pass it off as the real thing. It’s a Matsumoko made instrument that is great in its own right. A buddy was tight with the importer in L.A. (Amendola Music) and got it for me right off the boat with a Gibson hard case. $250. That was pretty expensive in those days and is about $1250 today. It sounds great.

These modern day Chinese copies are just cheap knockoffs. Like the one in this video; no volume, sucky tone in the highs, questionable materials and build quality. I’d never own one.
 
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#339,350
MCF said:
My acoustic guitar is an Aria ‘78 Martin copy. The epitome of the “lawsuit” era. They made no effort to pass it off as the real thing. It’s a Matsumoko made instrument that is great in its own right. A buddy was tight with the importer in L.A. (Amendola Music) and got it for me right off the boat with a Gibson hard case. $250. That was pretty expensive in those days and is about $1250 today. It sounds great.

These modern day Chinese copies are just cheap knockoffs. Like the one in this video; no volume, sucky tone in the highs, questionable materials and build quality. I’d never own one.
Click to expand...
I had a beautiful "Sigma by Martin" (their cheap offshore offering in the 80s and prior). That guitar sounded fantastic. I bought it for $250 with hard case (Willlis Music of all places--remember those if out West?). I stupidly sold it--but for a little more than I paid for it. The guy plays Bluegrass and loves it and wouldn't sell it back if I wanted it. It sounds incredible. Even with decades old strings when I sold it, it was fantastic. It was made in Japan as I recall. I would put the sound of that up against any made today under $1500. It sounded that good.
 
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#339,351
MCF said:
It’s a Matsumoko made instrument that is great in its own right.
Click to expand...

I’m finding I really like the ‘80’s Japanese made stuff. Even a couple I have from 2010, 2012 are really good.
I got my hands on some 32” scale Fender P’s (an ‘86 and an ‘87) and J’s (a 2010 and 2012) made in Japan, and find that they are built with very high quality. I am trying to sell one of the 32” P’s and one of the 32” J’s. I don’t actually need two of each. The Greco I have is also really well built, not sure what year however. It was spray painted white when I got it. It has been fully refinished. And I may pass it on, as good as an instrument it is, the neck is just not to my liking.

I did just score a 1982 made in Japan full 34” Scale Jazz, which as I understand it, is one of the earliest ones made in Japan, with a serial that starts with JV, and is only on the plate, not the neck. It’s currently out at Pat Wilkins to be refinished in Olympic White. The original finish was not good. A big slab of the poly was missing at the forearm cut, but not from wear. Also didn’t have the original pickups, so modding this one is fine with me. Going to put an older set of SD Quarter Pound pickups in it like I used to have in my ‘70 J back in the ‘90’s.

Really looking forward to getting it back.
 
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#339,352
ectoflanger said:
Earnest and thoughtful mode:

You have a good point- I've never trusted a guitar or bass that would supposedly do anything based on the flip of a switch- besides I'm lazy and don't want to spend too much time finding the sound I want- hence my affinity for Fender P and J basses. AND of course my G2 Thunderbird!!

Tongue in cheek mode !!!

You make a good point but if there were such a thing as a bass that could do everything, it might seriously undermine the rational for owning 20 different ones (or more).

To that point I answered a survey thread on the Warwick Forum on how many basses one owned, thusly-

"I plead the fifth on this one- could I just say how many I purchase per year or how many white ones I own?


Regarding the kill switch, some guitarists like them for dramatic effect or they'll toggle the pickup selector switch in such a way as to emulate one-
Click to expand...
Rage Against the Machine leaps to mind.
 
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#339,354
TBird1958 said:
They were not good when I saw them, sloppy and boring (35 minute drum solo, even the P-I's reviewer commented), but I do think they were a great band in the studio, "When the Levee breaks" is an all time fave.
Click to expand...
Eventually Robert Plant refused to go out on tour unless they cut the excessive drum and guitar solos from the show. What year did you seem them?
 
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#339,356
dagrev said:
A couple here have them besides me as I recall. Used them in this '66 NR body I restored. It was a basket case when I got it. I found them to tighter (not as big), and brighter than my 1964 Thunderbird for comparison with same strings. I have La Bella DTFs on it and do love how it sounds. Matt makes really nice pickups. I'm certainly no expert, but from what I could see he puts thought into it and offers quality pickups. Should likely charge more considering what others sell them for. Do they sound great in this bass, yes they do. Do they sound like '64 Gibson, not really. That said, other reproductions may not either. Then again, my '64 Epiphone Embassy with the same Gibson pups doesn't sound like my '64 Thunderbird either.

View attachment 7454513
Click to expand...
I want one of this, please.
 
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#339,357
Engle said:
Eventually Robert Plant refused to go out on tour unless they cut the excessive drum and guitar solos from the show. What year did you seem them?
Click to expand...
I saw them in Spring of ‘73 at what is now Climate Pledge Arena. Houses of the Holy tour.
I saw Jethro Tull later that year, amazing musicians onstage.
 
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#339,360
Engle said:
Eventually Robert Plant refused to go out on tour unless they cut the excessive drum and guitar solos from the show. What year did you seem them?
Click to expand...
I was at the Landover Maryland (Capital Center) show in May of 77' The drum solo was so long that me and my friend left our seats and went up into concourse to join the smoke filled activities... And get this, my friend was the drummer in the band that I was in at the time. :)
 
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