Thunderbird Club

[Count Bassie]

I have driven in lots of places. That includes a stint as a NYC cab driver (back when they had big ol' Checker cabs). It includes Sydney, Australia, Aukland, NZ, Oslo, London, Boston, LA, Seattle, Chicago, Vancouver, BC, Houston, Miami, Ontario, and a whole lot of other places. I'm 100% convinced that the worst drivers on the planet are in the Pacific Northwest, whether that means Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver. They are fast asleep. When they wake up, they are passive aggressive. And most of the time, they can't anticipate anything except how to speed up and cut off merging traffic without looking over. And then there's behavior at an all-way stop. It's all I can do to avoid going all cab driver sometimes.

I remember those big Checker cabs! I was just a booger then...

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

I've never been fond of sparkle finishes, so I'd go with the Bongo but I'd rather have the Queens purple tigerbird.

All this talk of driving pains - I live in the LA area where the highways have two speeds and nothing in between. In rush hour you can sit dead stopped in an eight lane wide twenty mile long parking lot and then 1 minute after rush hour ends the flag drops and it's eight lanes of bumper to bumper traffic all moving at 85mph (except for the bikers who lane split at anything less than 100mph). It's the closest thing to NASCAR bump drafting that I've experienced. If you're in the left or HOV lane you better know where your exit is 5 miles in advance or you'll never get over there in time. And never use your turn signal for lane changes, that just highlights that you're not from around here and invites the cars in the next lane over to close the gap. But the back roads and canyons are pure heaven.

Considering California has 3 million more people than ALL of Canada, I'm not too surprised it's that bad.
I'm sure some of those drivers have Canadian blood in them.

 

[TBird1958]

I once had to get from SeaTac to Silverdale. Nobody told me until later that I could have driven into Seattle and got on a ferry. Instead I drove through rush hour traffic, south to Tacoma and then North round the other side to Silverdale. The interesting thing about that trip, or the interesting fact, is that I got on, (what turned out to have been), the last plane out of SeaTac, (back to the UK), before the US authorities "closed the skies" after some very deranged people decided it would make sense, (to them at least), to fly commercial airliners into buildings....... Which somewhat sours the memory of what was otherwise a very pleasant trip!

A ferry trip would have been far better!
I recall post 9/11 very clearly as I live in the flight path south of SeaTac, it was the only time it was ever quiet - eerily so.

 

[Bent77]

I've never been fond of sparkle finishes, so I'd go with the Bongo but I'd rather have the Queens purple tigerbird.

All this talk of driving pains - I live in the LA area where the highways have two speeds and nothing in between. In rush hour you can sit dead stopped in an eight lane wide twenty mile long parking lot and then 1 minute after rush hour ends the flag drops and it's eight lanes of bumper to bumper traffic all moving at 85mph (except for the bikers who lane split at anything less than 100mph). It's the closest thing to NASCAR bump drafting that I've experienced. If you're in the left or HOV lane you better know where your exit is 5 miles in advance or you'll never get over there in time. And never use your turn signal for lane changes, that just highlights that you're not from around here and invites the cars in the next lane over to close the gap. But the back roads and canyons are pure heaven.

If you haven’t 1G in an automobile, you’re just not trying

 

[dukeorock]

I've never been fond of sparkle finishes, so I'd go with the Bongo...

No one seems neutral with purple. Most seem to love it or hate it. When I'm making custom cabs, I've had maybe 4 customers request purple. Some were quite outrageous with neon green hardware and loud graphics. When I'd post the pictures on my social media page, you'd invariably get some folks who were outraged and offended...by a cab they'll never have to see or play through! As long as the owners were happy with their purchase, I'm thrilled

 

[Spoono Ghiefardi]

I f#@king love the Epiphone Blackbird. Huge fan of boltons and TBs. I do have a question that im sure has been asked quiet a bit. I've done quite a lot of searches on the Deep Six pickups. Does anyone have any NEW info on them other than the speculation that they are just re-branded regular TB pickups or the sound comes from direct wiring? Again ive done all the searches and can't find a definitive answer on them. Also DR Neon strings are dope. They last a hella long time. And look cool AF.

 

[StraffordMike]

Indeed! And I hope noone thinks I was being flippant with the way I wrote what I did. I was deliberately trying to leave religion and politics out of it, rather than in any way make light of it. It affected me! The thought that I was in the air, in a commercial plane, at the time those events were unfolding, is something that still causes me to pause for thought, as well as remembering those not as fortunate as myself to have "walked away" from that day.

Good sir! Please don't misunderstand, I was in no way suggesting you were trying to downplay or trivialize 9/11 I was just commiserating.

 

[StraffordMike]

Ok. Ok. So the Epiphone it is! Now, color? My Pro is sunburst so is it white or ebony?

 

[StraffordMike]

We're nice until we get behind the (steering) wheel of a car, eh?
I find while driving in the US, drivers are a lot more courteous, eh?
There must be something in their La Royale With Cheese, or their Le Big Macs.... eh?
Sorry, don't mean to ruffle feathers, eh?

Love that avatar!

 

[Larry V]

Ok. Ok. So the Epiphone it is! Now, color? My Pro is sunburst so is it white or ebony?

BOTH!

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

Ok. Ok. So the Epiphone it is! Now, color? My Pro is sunburst so is it white or ebony?

The chrome really pops on the ebony, but I'm a sucker for white basses.... who am I kidding I love black just as much. So I have nothing helpful to add.

Love that avatar!

Thanks!
I'd like to take a better quality picture at some point, just haven't gotten around to it.

Edit:
This office work must be getting to me or something, a couple months ago I would have instantly said both and have a good explanation why you should get both.
Make my life easy and just get both.

 

[Larry V]

Does anyone have any NEW info on them other than the speculation that they are just re-branded regular TB pickups or the sound comes from direct wiring? Again ive done all the searches and can't find a definitive answer on them.

I've got nothing but very soon I'm sure either @Nocturnal, @hillerup or @GBassNorth will post up.

 

[StraffordMike]

BOTH!

I'd need the spare cash for a divorce lawyer!

 

[Larry V]

I'd need the spare cash for a divorce lawyer!

Tell her it was a two for one sale!

 

[StraffordMike]

The chrome really pops on the ebony, but I'm a sucker for white basses.... who am I kidding I love black just as much. So I have nothing helpful to add.


Thanks!
I'd like to take a better quality picture at some point, just haven't gotten around to it.

Thanks! You were a lot of help,

 

[Gaolee]

Indeed! And I hope noone thinks I was being flippant with the way I wrote what I did. I was deliberately trying to leave religion and politics out of it, rather than in any way make light of it. It affected me! The thought that I was in the air, in a commercial plane, at the time those events were unfolding, is something that still causes me to pause for thought, as well as remembering those not as fortunate as myself to have "walked away" from that day.

I remember that day like it was yesterday. It's not political to remember exactly what you were doing when something like that happened. I was alive when Kennedy was assassinated, but, unlike a whole lot of people, I don't remember what I was doing. I was 3 years old at the time.

Oddly enough, I remember the 1968 Olympics on grainy black and white TV. I was just 8, and there's no way an 8 year old boy should notice figure skating on grainy black and white TV, but I completely fell in love with Peggy Flemming. She was on the cover of Life magazine a bit later, and that was it. Smitten! The love of my life! My wife thinks that's really funny. Phwew!

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

Thanks! You were a lot of help,

(the post you quoted was edited prior to your post)

Just get both

 

[Bent77]

Thanks! You were a lot of help,

Change your name to Larry, she won’t find you

 

[Gaolee]

No one seems neutral with purple. Most seem to love it or hate it. When I'm making custom cabs, I've had maybe 4 customers request purple. Some were quite outrageous with neon green hardware and loud graphics. When I'd post the pictures on my social media page, you'd invariably get some folks who were outraged and offended...by a cab they'll never have to see or play through! As long as the owners were happy with their purchase, I'm thrilled

Sign me up for a purple sparkle cab one of these days, then.

 

[theFixer]

droolSo beautiful, that pup blends well aesthetically with the pickguard. I Wonder how it sounds.

I can't find a picture of how it sounds...