Thunderbird Club

[TBird1958]

Taking the Kingston ferry in about fifteen minutes. I'm kinda beat, but our great international tour was a raging success!

Beware southbound I-5! Often crappy @ Northgate!

 

[Korladis]

Wait a sec...
If I may throw this out: Loyalty to your remaining guitarist aside, have you considered the...DUO route?
MAN, we could use another Death From Above 1979! I'm seriously considering it myself.

As far as duos go, I much prefer early Om and Year of the Cobra.

 

[Off-Beat]

Regarding the Allen Woody... I was going to ask the folks here for their reviews on that bass also. I've wanted one since long before I ever became a bass player!

Regarding sustain/setups issues... yes... there are some. I bought it used online, sight unseen. Cosmetically, it could pass for NOS, but it had some bad juju in it, that I believe came from sitting in a stand being neglected for a long time. The nut's gonna hafta be replaced, and I had to find a work-around for a little hiccup between the 12th fret and the neck/body joint. I'm pretty pleased with how good I got it, but it can be, and will be better. It's actually improved (or seems like it anyway) just by being played. I have the opportunity to make it better, and support one of our bass brothers. I'd be a fool to pass that up!

Regarding Elvis... I think he got a free pass through the devil filter, cuz my Mom liked him!

Regarding drums/drumming... I actively played drums for 15 years. I only got away from it because of the usual job/family stuff, and because of a back injury. Pearl Export series have always been a better drum set than anything else in that price range. Stout, versitile hardware... consistent tone & volume, good finishes... ya just can't go wrong. However... my brand was always Ludwig. I didn't care for their hardware, but they just looked, sounded, and felt how I wanted drums to look, feel, and sound. Also, Gretch has some new stuff on the market that is attainable in your price range. I haven't checked them out, but based on what I know of Gretches from the past... I have to encourage you to check them out. My suggestion would be, to sit down behind a Pearl Export kit & get a feel for it, then go directly to one of those new Gretch kits and compare. Historically, Gretch were pretty snobby about what they would put out there with their name on it. Those could be a big winner. Be certain to pay attention to all hardware & pedals. Go with yer gut. If at any point, a question crosses your mind regarding the quality or durability of any part of the hardware. Move on. Drums live a hard life. If something makes you wonder if the hardware will fail, you should assume that it will! With regards to cymbals... I played Sabian for a lotta years. They're the only brand I've never broken! They're typically very bright with tons of attack/definition to cut through the mix. When I was older, I moved to Paiste (pronounced Pie-stee). To me, they simply sounded the best (John Bonham used to take baths with his Paistes!). Over the years, cymbal manufacturers have played around with various alloys & stuff, so you're gonna have to read user reviews & so forth to see what people are saying, but at least now you have a starting point. I'll also encourage you to check out Pro-mark sticks. Specifically the white oak ones. I played hard... really hard... and I could wear those things down to nuthin' before they'd break!

GC is running a big sale for the 4th of July, and they carry everything I just mentioned.

I hope this helps!

Just saw that Gretsch has a kit in that range. Old drummer in another band had a Gretsch, best looking and sounding kit I've ever heard and seen. Simply loved it and that 650€ kit looks marvelous aswell. I can't play, but the guitarist can and I guess with an own kit I'll give it a shot. Will surely help my bass playing aswell.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[theFixer]

What a difference a generation makes, exactly the point in FM radio where bass got cleaned up and pushed to the back. Sorry I can't dig it.

Nah man... that's cool. I'm sure you have your own "flashback" tunes. Songs that take you back to a certain point in your life that sticks out for reasons you & I will never understand. I'm not a Billy Joel fan... and I don't even know if Gerry Raferty ever had any other songs! I just know it's a surprise trip in the way-back machine anytime those particular tunes hit my ears.

 

[theFixer]

Just 35 miles away...

A tad further than that for our li'l "KittyKat" I suspect

 

[Dadagoboi]

My 'trans butter blonde' Hamer Cruise...

 

[theFixer]

Just saw that Gretsch has a kit in that range. Old drummer in another band had a Gretsch, best looking and sounding kit I've ever heard and seen. Simply loved it and that 650€ kit looks marvelous aswell. I can't play, but the guitarist can and I guess with an own kit I'll give it a shot. Will surely help my bass playing aswell.

Thanks for your advice.

Hey... if you go with the Gretches, come back & lemme know what you think!

 

[TBird1958]

My Hamer Cruise...

I like this much more than a J, the shape of PG, slight tweak of the body shape, headstock, bridge all take it "somewhere not 7ender" Cool Bass!

 

[Gaolee]

That's true. I think the other contender will be a Pearl Export. Also guitarist saw a DDrum Hybrid, never heard of them, but he gravitates towards it. Found a Ludwig Accent, but I don't know if it's any good.

It really just depends on what you want it to sound like. My preference is 1960s and early 1970s Pearl or other Japanese kits with cheesy luan shells. If you can get your hands on a good one, they are lively and easy to tune. You can always damp an overly lively kit. A dead one just goes thud. As a bonus, those old kits have a wonderful splatty sound and are dirt cheap most of the time.

 

[Gaolee]

Beware southbound I-5! Often crappy @ Northgate!

Often? Always! I live only a few miles south of there and have my favorite workarounds and bypasses.

 

[Dadagoboi]

I like this much more than a J, the shape of PG, slight tweak of the body shape, headstock, bridge all take it "somewhere not 7ender" Cool Bass!

...and it now has nickel flat top knobs instead of those chrome domes in the pic. Goes much better with the nickel 2TEK.

 

[theFixer]

My 'trans butter blonde' Hamer Cruise...

Yessir, that's a fine lookin' specimen! Not anywhere near as cool as your RR, but it definitely has a higher swank factor than a Fender!

 

[kat888]

Do they actually follow the rider?

They do if they want to use the dressing rooms again, eh Scott?

Anyone ever hear of Yorkville?

Gasp! GASP!!

They're located just outside Toronto eh. They make Traynor amps. Now go and stand in the corner.

GC has a good deal on the amp "endorsed" by Kat888:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

@Nocturnal, yeah they should be giving them to me.

That looks like a decent price. It's showing as AUD620 and I paid AUD850 for mine. One thing to be aware of is the YBA200 has an auto-bias circuit which I heard could be problematic (mine has been modded to remove the auto-bias). [update: this was removed in the YBA200-2.]

The amp has a more or less standard passive tone stack but with a sweepable mid-frequency, a 'scoop' circuit (leave well alone) and a 'resonance' control which affects (iirc) the negative feedback into the power stage. In reality this adds more 'boom', so you can go from tight and 'modern' to full-on 'old school'. There is a switchable DI out, tuner out etc and it will drive everything down to 2Ω.

Some people complain that it's hard to get a clean sound out of it -- it was designed that way. Others find it overly bright, but they probably try to EQ it like an SS amp and play a Jazz.

2-10-2 (TMB) is as about close as you get to flat. I run the mid freq 'range' at zero to give a bit of a low mid boost, 2-10-10 and the resonance control to taste.

What else? They weigh a trifling 19kg, in part thanks to the toroidal power and output transformers.

 

[Off-Beat]

Hey... if you go with the Gretches, come back & lemme know what you think!

Will do. After looking atall the kits for hours now, reading review and most importantly asking here it will come down to the Export, Rydeen or Gretsch energy for me. I really have no clue, but it seems likely all knowledge sources combined they're the best in that range.

It really just depends on what you want it to sound like. My preference is 1960s and early 1970s Pearl or other Japanese kits with cheesy luan shells. If you can get your hands on a good one, they are lively and easy to tune. You can always damp an overly lively kit. A dead one just goes thud. As a bonus, those old kits have a wonderful splatty sound and are dirt cheap most of the time.

The used market here is useless. The only real ok kit was a Sonor Force 2000 for 500€ including paiste cymbals - 2hours drive - one way.

 

[nismaniac]

Did you say Allen Woody??? Haha...

I just snagged this two weeks ago, always wanted one. I was actually looking to grab a Jack Casady and it was on back order. Noticed this was on sale for $399 so bought it to help pass the time between getting the Casady. It's a really cool little bass, great woody tone but with some bark and bite. Very sensitive to playing dynamics, the way you pluck the strings and where you pluck or pick them. It really opens up the way you touch the instrument. It sounds like a huge pillow of warmth but still stands out in the mix. They're pretty affordable and offer a unique sound, I recommend everyone have one in their arsenal!!!

 

[theFixer]

They do if they want to use the dressing rooms again, eh Scott?



Gasp! GASP!!

They're located just outside Toronto eh. They make Traynor amps. Now go and stand in the corner.



@Nocturnal, yeah they should be giving them to me.

That looks like a decent price. It's showing as AUD620 and I paid AUD850 for mine. One thing to be aware of is the YBA200 has an auto-bias circuit which I heard could be problematic (mine has been modded to remove the auto-bias).

The amp has a more or less standard passive tone stack but with a sweepable mid-frequency, a 'scoop' circuit (leave well alone) and a 'resonance' control which affects (iirc) the negative feedback into the power stage. In reality this adds more 'boom', so you can go from tight and 'modern' to full-on 'old school'. There is a switchable DI out, tuner out etc and it will drive everything down to 2Ω.

Some people complain that it's hard to get a clean sound out of it -- it was designed that way. Others find it overly bright, but they probably try to EQ it like an SS amp and play a Jazz.

2-10-2 (TMB) is as about close as you get to flat. I run the mid freq 'range' at zero to give a bit of a low mid boost, 2-10-10 and the resonance control to taste.

What else? They weigh a trifling 19kg, in part thanks to the toroidal power and output transformers.

I spent a lot of time in my late teens/early 20s sitting on a drum throne next to an old Traynor 200 watt head pumpin' through an old Ampeg 2x15 cab. It cranked out a lot of old Stones & Aerosmith tunes with the volume turned up to 11. He still has it today, and occasionally favors it over his SVT!

 

[Off-Beat]

Did you say Allen Woody??? Haha...

I just snagged this two weeks ago, always wanted one. I was actually looking to grab a Jack Casady and it was on back order. Noticed this was on sale for $399 so bought it to help pass the time between getting the Casady. It's a really cool little bass, great woody tone but with some bark and bite. Very sensitive to playing dynamics, the way you pluck the strings and where you pluck or pick them. It really opens up the way you touch the instrument. It sounds like a huge pillow of warmth but still stands out in the mix. They're pretty affordable and offer a unique sound, I recommend everyone have one in their arsenal!!!


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The one in question for me is the darkish red one. I think I postet that before: I love red basses, but I simply don't want to buy another bass at the moment, kind off.

 

[theFixer]

Will do. After looking atall the kits for hours now, reading review and most importantly asking here it will come down to the Export, Rydeen or Gretsch energy for me. I really have no clue, but it seems likely all knowledge sources combined they're the best in that range.



The used market here is useless. The only real ok kit was a Sonor Force 2000 for 500€ including paiste cymbals - 2hours drive - one way.

I used to have a set of Force 2000s too! They're a far cry from the "real" Sonors of yesteryear, and I'm not a big fan of the tom mount system, but at 500 hunnerd bones... including cymbals? It might be worth the drive, depending on how many cymbals & what series they are. Could save you a good chunka change! I'd ask for more pix & specs...

 

[Off-Beat]

I used to have a set of Force 2000s too! They're a far cry from the "real" Sonors of yesteryear, and I'm not a big fan of the tom mount system, but at 500 hunnerd bones... including cymbals? It might be worth the drive, depending on how many cymbals & what series they are. Could save you a good chunka change! I'd ask for more pix & specs...

That's the kid. Invalid Link Removed

watch out german, but it's self explainatory.

About your T-Bird. Did you take the neck off? Maybe there are some finish problems in the pocket/neckjoint and it's basically not "full contact".

 

[theFixer]

Did you say Allen Woody??? Haha...

I just snagged this two weeks ago, always wanted one. I was actually looking to grab a Jack Casady and it was on back order. Noticed this was on sale for $399 so bought it to help pass the time between getting the Casady. It's a really cool little bass, great woody tone but with some bark and bite. Very sensitive to playing dynamics, the way you pluck the strings and where you pluck or pick them. It really opens up the way you touch the instrument. It sounds like a huge pillow of warmth but still stands out in the mix. They're pretty affordable and offer a unique sound, I recommend everyone have one in their arsenal!!!


View attachment 1168397 View attachment 1168398 View attachment 1168399 View attachment 1168400

Nice! I don't know if you've spent any time listening to Gov't Mule/Allen Woody... but you just described his sound to a "T"! He was all about the deep, woody, overdriven Gibson sound! I gotta have one now!!!

... but I need another T-bird... and I wanna fretless... and...