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Thunderbird Club

#41,042
PillO said:
I tried a set of cobalt flats. They were perhaps a bit brighter than chromes, but I got rid of them because they were tearing up my fingers. I have heard that stainless steel are hard on the fingers, but never had any problems. The cobalts were something else. I don't think I would use cobalts again.
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Same. I may get myself in trouble by saying this... but I'd be willing to go out on a limb & say that Cobalts were made for aggressive metal and slap players. They're super bright, super durable, aggressive sounding and feeling, and hard on the instrument. I like bright stainless steel strings, but I like a lighter, softer feel. That's exactly what I get from the DR Hi Beams. I'm gonna put 'em back on when I can.
 
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#41,047
Pier_ said:
I have to take decent pictures. right now the only ones I have are these, one with the previous owner's Ripper (the reason why he sold me the Tbird :D ), one alone and one with my Streamer and piano.

actually, I've noticed that this bass plays "almost the same" with every string I've used. a very old set of Rotosound Swing66 plays exaclty as a brand new set of D'Addario EXL.

here are some samples:











only small nuances to make difference, but not even close to the difference strings make on a Fender or anything "less beefy" :D

my preference by far is only related to a feeling thing: the Ernie 50-105 have the best balance in tension (in fact they are my go-to strings on most basses, along with the 45-100 for some), and IMHO the best overall tension.

for example, Rotosound had the E too floppy, the D'Addario had the D and A too tight and the G too thin, the Thomastik Jazz (really small strings: 43-51-68-89) were too floppy on the E and it buzzed a lot.

having the three-pont-bridge needs a bit of compromise :D so for now I'm using the Ernie 50-105, but I'll try other strings. I have a spare set of Warwick Black 45-105 (which I discovered are re-branded Hi Beam, or if they aren't, they arejust exactly the same, round core, smooth steel texture and ultra bright sound) to try, but it was cut for the 2+2 headstock of the Streamer, so the G won't fit on the Bird.



yes, also the bass is light, despite the size! the Streamer, which has half the body, is heavier, and I don't even mention the ash Jazz bass...

I'm about to say something heretical, but I don't keep the Bird low :O

I keep it more like this: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/98/43/a5/9843a53e65d3a10fc2db394562ff8046.jpg

and play mostly with fingers :p

it took me some time to find the "sweet spot" hanging on my shoulder, it wasn't easy, being used to Fender and Warwick.
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Welcome.
I have the neck angled further 'up' as well.
 
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#41,048
TBird1958 said:
Welcome Pier, that's a lovely Thunderbird you've got there, I enjoyed reading your first post here with us, it's nice when folks discover what wonderful basses T Birds really are. We (jokingly) have an initiation, here, which I'll ponder. Meantime, please be welcome here amongst friends from all over the world, you're #670 :D
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thanks!

however, I'll update with other pictures tomorrow (this bird needs a proper session :P ) and I'll update with experiences after the 3rd of September. I'll bring it to it's first gig.
I wanted to use it during a gig at the end of July, but I still wasn't used to it, and the enormous case didn't fit in the car of my guitarist (we had to bring the drummer and the drum... :P ).
 
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#41,049
Gaolee said:
It will be a slow process for sure. I have some wood to experiment with. It's not ash or alder, so it will be a little different, but it will get it closer than just winging it. With any luck I'll get a bit more done this weekend or maybe even a bit this evening.
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I'm lucky to almost always have at least a scrap of the exact piece of wood I'm working on. Here's a test on off fall from the board used for the top of the 12er I'm building. I even bookmatched it.
z57l7z4.jpg


It will be fun using the technique on a more highly figured board.
 
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#41,051
Looks great! I'm going a whole lot lower tech. And, I'll be experimenting on random pieces of wood that may or may not react about the same. I'm more interested in the color and opacity than the actual look of the finish. I already can tell from the one clear coat I put on that a little grain will telegraph even through an opaque finish on the ash. The alder is completely smooth. Both will come up to a decent shine with a little polishing once there's enough coats. It's just a matter of how much dye and whether it's all red or if I put a touch of green in it to tone it down.
 
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#41,053
Gaolee said:
Looks great! I'm going a whole lot lower tech. And, I'll be experimenting on random pieces of wood that may or may not react about the same. I'm more interested in the color and opacity than the actual look of the finish. I already can tell from the one clear coat I put on that a little grain will telegraph even through an opaque finish on the ash. The alder is completely smooth. Both will come up to a decent shine with a little polishing once there's enough coats. It's just a matter of how much dye and whether it's all red or if I put a touch of green in it to tone it down.
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Look forward to seeing it. Red+Green= Brown. Did they teach that in Cro Mag school? I learned it the hard way.
 
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#41,054
hillerup said:
You've made live sound for the Misfits?

Then you might be able to answer this:

Does Doyle use Ampeg bass (SVT's and 810's) rigs for his guitar?
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no doyle at that time, it was dez cadena and the guitar rig were 150w boogie triple recs on oversized custom 4x12 cabs. Lots of them.

Hank III did use an ampeg 810 and a modern high power SVT like an SVT4pro or similar, to play guitar on the metal set after the country set. With distortion pedals of course. Never seen Doyle in person, just jerry, and the many times I saw Glenn from crowd at numerous danzig shows I went to in the early 90s.
 
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#41,060
kat888 said:
@TBird1958 - #670? #671 isn't it?

@BussplyrMojo = #670
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I think that's how I have it Kat....................
It's just one page back and I just re-checked....................But, senility isn't too far off so.........
 
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