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Thunderbird Club

#41,823
WARNING: Post contains a bass that isn't a Thunderbird
Today is my first NBD in 7 years, closer to 10 since I got a non-Thunderbird bass.
Kinda feel like I'm cheating on the club, that's why I feel like I should be up front about it. :roflmao:
But it IS A NECK THRU bass with 2 Humbuckers.
For my birthday my family bought a 2015 EBMM Stingray Neck Thru. It is mint with the pick guard plastic still on it. It was a demo model that never sold.
IMG_9258.JPG



P.S.
I am still looking for another TBird to add to the aviary.
 
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#41,826
kat888 said:
All depends where you have your tuner.

If the amp tuner out is not footswitchable, or if there is no tuner output, then you're probably going to have your tuner inline and .... one thing leads to another.
Click to expand...
On the back of the headstock where I can see it, especially on my fretlesses.

Who needs a chorus when you have a twelver?
 
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#41,827
Dr_Feelgoood212 said:
WARNING: Post contains a bass that isn't a Thunderbird
Today is my first NBD in 7 years, closer to 10 since I got a non-Thunderbird bass.
Kinda feel like I'm cheating on the club, that's why I feel like I should be up front about it. :roflmao:
But it IS A NECK THRU bass with 2 Humbuckers.
For my birthday my family bought a 2015 EBMM Stingray Neck Thru. It is mint with the pick guard plastic still on it. It was a demo model that never sold.
View attachment 2613136


P.S.
I am still looking for another TBird to add to the aviary.
Click to expand...

When you power that up, small woodland creatures scurry for their burrows.
 
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#41,831
I'm not a heavy effects person. When I got back into playing a few years ago, after a 20 year "break", I put together a small board. Flanger, Chorus, Envelope Filter, Overdrive. Was fun for about a week. Now I just have a tuner and wireless receiver. Anything else is just clutter for me. Maybe if I was doing originals I'd feel differently.
 
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#41,832
Gluvhand said:
I'm not a heavy effects person. When I got back into playing a few years ago, after a 20 year "break", I put together a small board. Flanger, Chorus, Envelope Filter, Overdrive. Was fun for about a week. Now I just have a tuner and wireless receiver. Anything else is just clutter for me. Maybe if I was doing originals I'd feel differently.
Click to expand...

FWIW, I do all originals and aside from the overdive channel in my amp (which runs all the time now) I gave up on the effects thing.

Yeasr ago I had a Digitech BAss whammy, Vox Wah-Wah, distortion, chorus and sometimes a second distortion unit for, ya' know, more distortion. It was all run through a guitar rig, in addition to my bass rig....

Playing became "project management" and if a I had a beer or three it went to hell a hand basket pretty quickly. The Digitech had a foot toggle on it (first gen) that was hard to operate cleanly and would often time leave me playing "improvisational jazz" rather than the song the rest of the band was playing.

Now I don't drink before or while playing and I have a cable. That is about all I can handle. The other problem with pedals is that they come unplugged when you jump around and stuff. That does not happen with just the cable.
 
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#41,833
kat888 said:
I tried and failed to talk myself out of a chorus pedal. Hopeless.
Click to expand...

I only use my chorus pedal for one song in our set - Skyfall ... that and my MXR deluxe fuzz. In a more expansive world I would use a synth, but reality keeps me in cheque.
 
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#41,836
I'm a former.pedal breeder,.doing Chris westenholme before he was (korg G-5 1997-98). Went pretty much no pedals by 2001, but still kept many of them.

Currently using the boss 3 pedal board/case, because I'm doing a soad tribute and needed chorus (set slow almost flangey), distortion and a warbly vibrato effect (for spiders), which I get with an old BF-2b bass flanger. CE-2b bass chorus and ODB-3 handle the other 2, and my amp OD footswitch and tuner sit on the lid of the case right next to it on stage, and I could put another boss pedal or a couple more micro sized pedals on there if I needed to. I don't own any of those newfangled micro pedals yet.

And if I had to I could dime the amp OD and ditch the ODB-3 if I needed another pedal on the board, but I like having the blend and eq controls on the pedal, and having the amp OD for the light grit needed on some songs.

Having the distortion+chorus is.necessary for an accurate "psycho" intro, and I insert either or both during several other songs, even if shavo didn't, it just.sounds right. The BF-2b is a "one song only" pedal, and just on the intro (but I use it on the outro as well even though there is no effect on the outro on the CD, it just makes sense to use it there too)
 
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#41,838
I have been busy spending the money I saved for an Epi Vintage Pro.
They have taken too long and these don't come along everyday in mint condition and within driving distance.
Anyway, I have time to save up again.
Meet my new LP Oversize.
One of I believe only three Gold Tops to come into Australia through the importer.

This is a fair lump of a bass. Luckily it is chambered. Our scales aren't working but I think very close to 10 pounds.
I set her up this morning and serviced it- all ready for a gig tomorrow night.
21125654_1451213518249851_5248548641850729699_o.jpg
10 lbs ie lighter than some of the older LP basses.

21167593_1451212731583263_1882730978043610184_o.jpg
21167633_1451213174916552_5560335615777614105_o.jpg
21199590_1451214014916468_7811015644873413313_o.jpg
 
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#41,839
TheIndieKid said:
Ignoring the level of craftsmanship, I'd like to see a comparison on how the Lull T-Bird compares to the new Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro tone-wise. If anyone is able to, I'd love to hear a sound clip of one of you guys playing some Nirvana, The Who or System of a Down with a freshly strung Thunderbird or Lull :roflmao:
Click to expand...

I play system of a down on a classic pro, and previously on a goth and sunburst bolt ons (sold the sunburst, still have the goth)

I shared a couple videos on this thread around august 19th. I won't be getting a vintage pro when they come out due to money reasons, have to use what I have. And I think most of shavos birds had the modern TB+ pickups anyway, so the classic pro is ideal. It is true that a set of cheap chinabucker type pickups could be a weak link, despite the love everyone seems to have for them, USA pickups are a good selling point on the classic and I hope the vintage follows suit.

theFixer said:
In the R&D phase, they measured the amount of force required to tune the appropriate core wire for each of the different size string (they measured several of each to make sure they got a good number). When the winder found out he/she was setting up to run American Flyers, they had to go get the floor supervisor, who would come & adjust the core tensioner to a predetermined setting, and the whole batch was run at that setting. The tensioners were pneumatically controlled, and the regulators were the same ones you & I can buy at Home Depot for less than 5bux each. Precision was elusive, and not diligently sought after. From a winder's perspective... they were just another string. Other than you, I've never met anyone who used them... but they were always quick sellers at the local music stores, so there musta been some kinda thang to 'em. I never used 'em, cuz I'd already become biased against NPS. You asked if I thought they'd bring 'em back. I really have no way of knowing for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if they already have. The guitar string game is more competitive than you might think. They don't come with a big profit margin, so volume (quantity) is the only way to make any money. As I'm sure you can imagine... true innovations with such a simple product, are hard to come by. Manufacturers are constantly looking for an edge or a gimmick to help push their strings into the number one slot. The typical sales schmaltz like flashy or unique packaging, promises of being new and/or improved, and of course... player endorsements, are key elements. When they could come up with something (anything) different about the manufacturing process... they'd go crazy with the hype. New packaging... new names... even new brand names would crawl up out of the wood work (Markely printed their own packaging, so that was pretty easy to accomplish). GHS did the exact same thing. Because of all of this... I don't get hyped when I see a new package on the rack. I like to watch for products that offer something truly different or innovative, but 99% of the time it's a re-ish of an old idea in a new package, or it's nothing but the package itself that's new.
Click to expand...
actually I prefer stainless strings, used to be all about the DR highbeams in the late 90s before discovering elixir and cleartones. I use NPS strings when they are on clearance (6 sets for $5 was a no brained), someone gives me some, or I had to buy strings and all that was reasonably priced were XLs or Slinky's.

I kill nickels pretty fast and I like bright strings, but now that I use an alcohol bath, I have been re using all those old strings I got in clearance bins or as gifts or came on basses etc... I don't forsee buying expensive coated strings again in the near future, I rather clean strings than have a coated set last longer.

Currently have SIT powersteels (won them, and chose them over the nickel offerings) on the classic pro, and markley nickelsteels on the goth (they go back and forth, I have 2 sets of the NS and might order another set of powersteels or even try their NPS powerwound for a few bucks less)

Ghs heavey boomers are the only off the shelf string I know of in the guage I like for drop C, but the SS boomers aren't sold in that guage yet. I still have a set that currently rotates on my OLP, but might get moved to bird land because I am not in a rush to spend the $16 for the 2nd set of power steel, and the OLP is going to bead or standard.

*edit my other drop c sets have custom swaps or orders, nickelsteels 50-110 with 115 replacing the 110, custom ordered powersteel in same configuration, and the 115 heavy Slinky's on my OLP were custom picked by a luthier years ago. I don't have the luxury of buying a pack of strings off the shelf, ghs heavy boomers are the closest, but have a .095 instead of a .090 I prefer, kindof fat for low G, but not terrible
 
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#41,840
veebass said:
I have been busy spending the money I saved for an Epi Vintage Pro.
They have taken too long and these don't come along everyday in mint condition and within driving distance.
Anyway, I have time to save up again.
Meet my new LP Oversize.
One of I believe only three Gold Tops to come into Australia through the importer.

This is a fair lump of a bass. Luckily it is chambered. Our scales aren't working but I think very close to.
I set her up this morning and serviced it- all ready for a gig tomorrow night.View attachment 2613214 10 lbs ie lighter than some of the older LP basses.

View attachment 2613215 View attachment 2613216 View attachment 2613217
Click to expand...
@TBird1958 is going to have a seizure at you. I mean, for you. :D
 
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