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Thunderbird Club

#4,601
wolfkeller said:
I think the effort and organization that went into this comparison is really great. When I think of spectorbirds however, I think of the original ones that Nikki Sixx played, both reverse and non reverse. Now that is the comparison I'd like to read.
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Amen! I wish I had one of those Nikki birds in this fight. They are rare birds indeed. For now, the Rex will have to do. However if you ever run across a good lead on a mint Sixx Spectorbird please ping me, I have a way of making room for good deals.
 
#4,604
ThaCoast said:
This sound slike a job for Nocturnal!! xD
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Well.......I can't really do that kind of comparison. I have the Fernandes version of the NR SpectorBird, not the real thing. I also don't have any Spector's to test. It would be interesting to test my Fernandes against a Spector Legend X to see how they compare. Both are bolt-on's, both could have EMG's, and are probably made with the same woods. I would need to buy (or borrow) a Spector and I can't do that right now. I would be willing to bite the bullet and get one, but have other things demanding $$ right now. Maybe down the road I can make that happen tho ;)
 
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#4,606
Just some comments on my recently bought 2015 Gibson Tb: No visible flaws in any of the joints nor any wood grain imperfections that I can see. The glossy nitro finish is evenly applied, no drip streaks nor dings. The neck is pretty rigid, no noticeable flex nor warpage noticed since the initial setup. The neck thru build is definitely a 9-ply mahogany/walnut laminate. After a couple of weeks I did a precision intonation and it seems to be pretty stable; I'm using D'addario XL chrome flat wounds. A good EQ scheme that I've found is to roll off everything above ~5k and to play the neck pu only with tone and vol maxed. I have freedom to set the rest of the EQ, preamp tube gain and the compression to pretty much get any tone that I want, from dirty to clean. I'm still having fun experimenting with different settings on my amp and the tuned coil-tap switches on the pups. Additional note: the bass isn't as heavy as I thought it would be and the 3.5" leather strap that I'm using is comfortable for long periods. There is no tendency for neck dive; the balance seems pretty neutral. I hope these observations/impressions are helpful to anybody considering getting this bass.
 
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#4,607
physics said:
Just some comments on my recently bought 2015 Gibson Tb: No visible flaws in any of the joints nor any wood grain imperfections that I can see. The glossy nitro finish is evenly applied, no drip streaks nor dings. The neck is pretty rigid, no noticeable flex nor warpage noticed since the initial setup. The neck thru build is definitely a 9-ply mahogany/walnut laminate. After a couple of weeks I did a precision intonation and it seems to be pretty stable; I'm using D'addario XL chrome flat wounds. A good EQ scheme that I've found is to roll off everything above ~5k and to play the neck pu only with tone and vol maxed. I have freedom to set the rest of the EQ, preamp tube gain and the compression to pretty much get any tone that I want, from dirty to clean. I'm still having fun experimenting with different settings on my amp and the tuned coil-tap switches on the pups. Additional note: the bass isn't as heavy as I thought it would be and the 3.5" leather strap that I'm using is comfortable for long periods. There is no tendency for neck dive; the balance seems pretty neutral. I hope these observations/impressions are helpful to anybody considering getting this bass.
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I found something similar. I recently purchased a 2013 bird from GC. It had been there for almost 2 years. I kept going in and playing it, expecting it to be gone one month. GC lowered the price a few months ago, then put it on clearance and lowered it by another $200, just before the past Black Friday.

So I bought it.

No neck dive, it's light, it sounds amazing, and I actually have a bass where I really enjoy using the neck pickup, though I do crank the treble quite a bit.

And the neck is the best I've ever played.

Anyway, it's the best bass I've ever owned. And I've owned some decent high-end gear.
 
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#4,609
wolfkeller said:
Being a lefty I'm not gna find one of those old Spector birds, that and Spector won't make any x body's lefty. I've thought of a custom build or get a legend righty and make it a lefty reverse.
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GBassNorth said:
Cataldo does some really fine work at very reasonable prices. Have you contacted him to see if he can make you a southpaw Nikki clone?:)
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In addition to Cataldo, I suspect there may be other builders who will do a Lef-T-Bird at no additional charge.

;)

By the way, since we're in shootout mode, what's your favorite 'Bird bridge?

I posted up a poll a while ago, but I'm really curious to get input from the folks here:

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/fenderbird-guys-whats-your-bridge-preference.1124795/
 
#4,610
Nocturnal said:
Well.......I can't really do that kind of comparison. I have the Fernandes version of the NR SpectorBird, not the real thing. I also don't have any Spector's to test. It would be interesting to test my Fernandes against a Spector Legend X to see how they compare. Both are bolt-on's, both could have EMG's, and are probably made with the same woods. I would need to buy (or borrow) a Spector and I can't do that right now. I would be willing to bite the bullet and get one, but have other things demanding $$ right now. Maybe down the road I can make that happen tho ;)
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I was thinking more comparing your fernandes with your gibsons or wtvr other tbird. xP
 
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#4,611
Jay_Dub said:
My Epi Bird Pro V. Unfortunately doesn't get any play nowadays. One of the best sounding basses I own. The B is epic.

epibird.jpg
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I missed your post the other day, I can add you to the club if ya wanna hang with us cool kids.

:)
 
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#4,616
mistergoats said:
Speaking of too many basses... here's the updated current total. It's only 5 basses, but as my wife so accurately says, "you only have two hands!"

View attachment 541356
1994 Fender MIJ '75 RI, 2015 Telecision Parts Bass, 1970 Ampeg Dan Armstrong, 2012 Gibson G3 70's Tribute, and of course, the mighty 2012 Thunderbird IV.
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Nice collection! Always wanted to try one of those Dan Armstrong basses!
 
#4,617
GBassNorth said:
Nice collection! Always wanted to try one of those Dan Armstrong basses!
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Thanks!

The DA is a very, very strange bass animal. It is incredibly punchy. The tone is more of a bass/treble sweep that blends the two stacked pickups together. It rings out forever. And 24 frets, so a full 2 octave neck with a chunk of rosewood for a bridge, so it's basically impossible to intonate across the board. That said, I love it and it sounds like nothing else I've ever played. The short scale is weird, too compared to all the other basses I have.
 
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#4,618
mistergoats said:
Speaking of too many basses... here's the updated current total. It's only 5 basses, but as my wife so accurately says, "you only have two hands!"

View attachment 541356
1994 Fender MIJ '75 RI, 2015 Telecision Parts Bass, 1970 Ampeg Dan Armstrong, 2012 Gibson G3 70's Tribute, and of course, the mighty 2012 Thunderbird IV.
Click to expand...



Just remind her of how many feet she has vs. pair of shoes :roflmao:
 
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#4,620
TBird1958 said:
Just remind her of how many feet she has vs. pair of shoes :roflmao:
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Oh, I did!

Me: "Oh ya, how many feet do you have?"
Wife: "That's different; I wear them every day."
Me: "I play my basses every day... all of them, also..." *pulls out three boxes of brand new, unworn shoes purchased over a year ago
Wife: "THAT'S BECAUSE YOU NEVER TAKE ME ANYWHERE FANCY!"

The moral of the story - my basses understand me.
 
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