Well that's cool! No matter what happens with your drummer... the ol' Allen Woody will be with you forever!
Got to dig into Gov't Mule now. His AB work is great.
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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- club thunderbird
Got to dig into Gov't Mule now. His AB work is great.
Like @theFixer said, you can put a Bird anywhere. You can't expect it to sound like a P bass because it won't, you can get it to sound similar but it's a TBird with completely different pickups and should take full advantage of the two pickups.Hi Guys,
I always loved the Tbird shape and "coolness". When they came out, I almost bought and Epiphone Classic IV Tbird (abandones idea due to delivery problems from Epiphone to my dealer).
Sorry if I ask once again those questions (1742 pages are way too much to be read at 100%), but...
I'm a Precision Bass player, definately, but I'm looking for something different...
I'm a little hesitant between The Thunderbird and the Rickenbacker 4003, which I played only once, long time ago.
I generally prefer fat necks.
How does the Tbird sound with fingers? I remember a kind of "sweet spot" between the two pickups: round but clear tone, not muddy.
Don't know if it's too much to be asked, but...could it stand out in a '70s R&B/Funk/Reggae contest? Fingerstyle..like Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & The Gang, James Brown, Bob Marley & The Wailers, to give an idea
I didn't see "Hammond B3" on the list...
Cause it isn't an organ normally found in humans.
In fact, I'm not looking for "a bass that sounds like the P", but something that can stand out in the same genres that I play, like the P.
For example, I can't really get used to the Jazz Basses. I don't feel like home, they miss something in the low-end ("punch") that I must have
I'm certainly not the most qualified to give you the best answers, (I just got mine a few days ago) but I'll give you my 2 cents worth.
First of all... IMHO, the neck pickup is capable of a believable P-bass like tone, but warmer. I don't know if the others will agree... but I don't use the bridge pick by itself. I tend to leave the neck all the way up, & roll the bridge pickup in & out for different flavors. Your question is kinda difficult to answer, just because so much of the character & tone comes from each players fingers, and is interpretive. It is my belief that a Thunderbird will stand out anywhere you put it, and you could put it anywhere... but only you can decide if it's "right". I don't use picks, and have been really pleasantly surprised with the differences in sound & character when plucking the strings different ways. For instance... when I snap a string in a more downward motion using just the tips of my fingers with the bridge pup cranked... it sounds a lot like I'm using a pick. If I kinda roll my finger across the string, I get a round, warm, ambient sound. It's the same as on most basses, but much more obvious or "pronounced" on the 'bird. Also... subtle tweaks of the tone and volume knobs, bring forth fairly substantial changes to the character of the bass. If you're used to your 7enders... it will be important for you to sit down & give it a fair shake. The first one I picked up just seemed so foreign & uncomfortable, that I instantly thought, "Well crap! I guess that won't work", & hung it back on the wall. It wasn't until I had the chance to really sit down with one for a while, that I "got it". Now I'm obsessed! I've already begun referring to it as my first Thunderbird!
To summarize... the 'bird will fit anywhere, but it's up to you and your fingers to decide if it will work for YOU. I could totally see a T-bird on stage backing up Bob Marley!
Thanks for your 2 cents, theFixer..everybody's opinion is welcome
Funny is that, as a guitar player, I play Gibson guitars the 95% of the time
I'm not used to play guitars/basses in the shops, I generally try the necks and the overall feeling only: trying instruments with a very different amp from your own, without any other band member, is useless imho. Worth only to get a wrong idea of the instrument. I have to spend few months with it to understand the instrument and decide if it's worth to keep it in the stand or not.
I really dial with my fingers to get the right (and my own, too) sound
I'm also used to play with volume/tone knobs and dynamics (I was born as a blues guitar player..), and I'm a "guitar ->amp" guy, so that's not a problem
Hah! Ben Tench's is just behind his spleen.
Well you are looking at the right bass for that low-end "punch"!In fact, I'm not looking for "a bass that sounds like the P", but something that can stand out in the same genres that I play, like the P.
For example, I can't really get used to the Jazz Basses. I don't feel like home, they miss something in the low-end ("punch") that I must have
Thanks for your 2 cents, theFixer..everybody's opinion is welcome
Funny is that, as a guitar player, I play Gibson guitars the 95% of the time
I'm not used to play guitars/basses in the shops, I generally try the necks and the overall feeling only: trying instruments with a very different amp from your own, without any other band member, is useless imho. Worth only to get a wrong idea of the instrument. I have to spend few months with it to understand the instrument and decide if it's worth to keep it in the stand or not.
I really dial with my fingers to get the right (and my own, too) sound
I'm also used to play with volume/tone knobs and dynamics (I was born as a blues guitar player..), and I'm a "guitar ->amp" guy, so that's not a problem
I completely agree with you about trying a bass at a store without your own amp. An amp can make just as much of a difference as the bass itself.
I'm a big neck guy too.
To me... the Thunderbird neck at the nut end, puts me in mind of a Jazz bass, but with a flatter radius and a little bit more rounded feel to the back of the neck. When you get closer to the body, it puts me in mind of Gibson's "1960 Slim Taper" profile. Does that help?
Yeah... originally it was gonna be called, "Stop Kickin' My Hammond B3 around", but then Stevie Nicks came along...
I'll have to book an MRI, you never know what they couple find. But if they to find something you'll have to buy both organs, the instrument and the human organ it's hiding behind... I'm trying to fund vintage Thunderbirds here
Regarding the issues few days ago: The on/off drummer offered us to use his set until everything is settled for him(well he can't tell us for sure if he's in until september - and we're not sure if we like that) so aside from some absorbing foam I ordered the Allen Woody instead of a drum kit.
You'll like the Woody!!
You and I have a lot in common!In fact, I'm not looking for "a bass that sounds like the P", but something that can stand out in the same genres that I play, like the P.
For example, I can't really get used to the Jazz Basses. I don't feel like home, they miss something in the low-end ("punch") that I must have
Thanks for your 2 cents, theFixer..everybody's opinion is welcome
Funny is that, as a guitar player, I play Gibson guitars the 95% of the time
I'm not used to play guitars/basses in the shops, I generally try the necks and the overall feeling only: trying instruments with a very different amp from your own, without any other band member, is useless imho. Worth only to get a wrong idea of the instrument. I have to spend few months with it to understand the instrument and decide if it's worth to keep it in the stand or not.
I really dial with my fingers to get the right (and my own, too) sound
I'm also used to play with volume/tone knobs and dynamics (I was born as a blues guitar player..), and I'm a "guitar ->amp" guy, so that's not a problem
If you're already experienced with Gibson necks and playability, You may find yourself quite at home on the T-bird!
Yes, the 2015 TBird is pricy but it's a great bass. If you want to spend a lot less money you can try the Epiphone Thunderbirds. I don't have one but those that do swear the quality and vibe is right on par with the more expensive Gibson thunderbird.
As for neck size, to be honest I jump around a lot from four to five string and short scale to full scale and brand to brand. So I really don't pay any attention to neck size or shape any more. Going from memory, I don't recall noting any major difference in neck size between a Fender Jazz and a Gibson TBird. I'm sure there is some difference, possibly in the string spacing or the shape or width but at the end of the day I don't recall thinking wow, this Jazz neck feels fat. The TBird neck does feel a bit faster to me than a Jazz and that could be a real asset in the Funk realm. I do notice a sizable difference between the bird and a P bass but it's never put me off playing either one.
Here's an interesting video clip someone on this thread posted a few days ago, it might help you decide if the TBird has the sound you're looking for...
Yes... and the problem I've been running into locally, it that the in-store setups SUCKED!!! It's pretty easy to hang the bass back up & walk away, when you can use a wrist watch to measure the length of time it takes for the string to reach the frets after you've started pressing it!
You and I have a lot in common!
If you're already experienced with Gibson necks and playability, You may find yourself quite at home on the T-bird!
Just sayin' - I love to play certain phrases with my thumb (fingerstyle, not slap), it gives that BIG, warm effect to the note that just suits perfectly in the genres I play. Lots of bass players in my area don't really play that way with their fingers..they just play with the fingers, or with the pick!
I know very well Gibson neck profiles. On their guitars I look only for the '50s rounded neck (or the "baseball bat", on the Historic reissues), but on the bass I tend to keep a different left-hand posture, so the "'60s slim taper style" neck of the Bird could be fine
I thought it was just a "European issue"
we do have almost only small shops. Which is good for certain reasons, but it's almost impossible to find a store with small rehearsal rooms, dedicated to each kind of instrument. Usually you have to play in a big room, with a small postation (and 99% of the cases, a terrible transistor or micro-watt valve amp) and few other postations around. Impossible to get a proper idea of the guitar. Do I have to mention dead strings on the instruments hanging on the walls?
Take a set of Allen keys and a screwdriver out with you when you go to GC.
... and a scalpel, kidney dish and surgical staples.
Funk on a Bird...
Some Reggae groove...
Some Reggae groove...
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Yeah... the Rounded '59 was my guitar neck of choice also!
Just sayin' - I love to play certain phrases with my thumb (fingerstyle, not slap), it gives that BIG, warm effect to the note that just suits perfectly in the genres I play. Lots of bass players in my area don't really play that way with their fingers..they just play with the fingers, or with the pick!
I know very well Gibson neck profiles. On their guitars I look only for the '50s rounded neck (or the "baseball bat", on the Historic reissues), but on the bass I tend to keep a different left-hand posture, so the "'60s slim taper style" neck of the Bird could be fine
I thought it was just a "European issue"
Do I have to mention dead strings on the instruments hanging on the walls?
I bet I've tried out a hundred basses in the past month, and probably 90 of them had dead strings and necks like ski jumps! Italy... you are not alone!
