Thunderbird Club

[TBird1958]

I have always LOVED all the ghost notes he out into that part. It' bubbly and dynamic and has a groove 53 miles wide.

I really like John Taylor a lot, all of "Rio" is fun to play, and "Save a Prayer" is a beautifully written song for the bass guitar.

 

[BklynKen]

I really like John Taylor a lot, all of "Rio" is fun to play, and "Save a Prayer" is a beautifully written song for the bass guitar.

Do you guys play Save a Prayer?

 

[TBird1958]

Do you guys play Save a Prayer?

I wish we did, it's probably a bit slow for our kind of show though. It is a nice song to learn.

 

[PianoOfDoom]

Great first practice with the band. Got four songs down already. Four more and then two covers. A Wire and a Jesus and Mary Chain song.

I lurrrve Wire and JAMC. Which songs?

 

[kat888]

Finally!

vortex

• kat888
• Dec 7, 2017
• tc electronic vortex

 

[PianoOfDoom]

I really like John Taylor a lot, all of "Rio" is fun to play, and "Save a Prayer" is a beautifully written song for the bass guitar.

The Durans are definitely one of the most under appreciated 80s bands. Their commercial friendliness masked their immense musical talent a bit, I think. Karaoke standards for sure.

 

[GBassNorth]

I removed the rather unnecessary thick black spacer from the bridge pickup. Looks much better. If you like your bridge pickup high this mod might be a problem. View attachment 2836138

I can see where one might want to do that on the white bird. I just got the Ebony VP and the black spacer isn't even noticeable, so mine will stay as is.

 

[theFixer]

The link shows that whoever owned that one moved the strap button and appears to have drilled through the neck plate to install it in the proper location. That's what I did. It might be an earlier one with the big neck in case Fixer might be thinking about a relatively inexpensive 'Bird.

I appreciate the thought, but I'm as bassed up as I'm gonna be, for the foreseeable future

However, more to your point... of course I'm "thinking" about it. I'm ALWAYS "thinking about it". All of us here are always "thinking about it". It's kinda, what we do here. I'm fairly certain it's clinical issue... but I won't tell if you won't

 

[theFixer]

Yes, thought Mike might be interested. Paging @theFixer ...

It certainly is nice to have y'all lookin' out for me, but I'm afraid the rifle's back in the case. The hunt is done for me, for now

 

[Korladis]

I removed the rather unnecessary thick black spacer from the bridge pickup. Looks much better. If you like your bridge pickup high this mod might be a problem. View attachment 2836138

Definitely wouldn't be able to adjust my bridge pickup close enough without the spacer.

I like my bridge pickup in a box in the cupboard...

But it sounds so good...

 

[hillerup]

Great first practice with the band. Got four songs down already. Four more and then two covers. A Wire and a Jesus and Mary Chain song.

Great bands to cover! What are the other songs?

 

[GBassNorth]

I was watching some coverage of this on CNN last night. The images of the flames were surreal. I wish you and others in the area all the best and fingers crossed that it doesn't affect you and your homes.

Thanks to all for the well wishes. The fires aren't over yet, still raging, so I've been on fire watch most of the day and probably will be for the next few days.

I did take an hour break to check out my newly delivered Ebony Epiphone TBird VP. Right out of the box nearly in perfect tune and intonation, and neck dead straight (gotta love those Sweetwater guys). The action was a tad higher than I like and I didn't have time to mess with the neck, so I dropped the bridge down to the deck and worked my way up about a full turn until fret buzz was dialed out. The action is now good and low and could probably go a bit lower with a quick neck tweak. I then raised the pups up near the strings. Plugged the beast in and OMG!

This bass sounds so much fuller, richer, deeper, brighter, punchier, smoother and grittier than my Gibby Anniversary TBird it's insane! I love this thing. The note definition is unbelievable. Even with the bridge pup off, neck full on and tone turned all the way off it doesn't get muddy, just deep and smooth with crystal clear note definition. And the bridge pup is to die for. I normally only ever dial in a bit of bridge to add clarity to the neck pup or to help cut through, hardly ever past 50% on with any bass I own. Not this one. The bridge pup sounds so musical an full bodied I'm finding myself dialing it all the way up and then bringing a bit of the neck pup in to add a bit more richness and depth. Definitely a home run on the pup designs for this beauty.

Not sure what strings Eppi puts on these things at the factory but I like the sound and responsiveness. Just a bit more finger noise on slides and poorly fretted notes than I like but that might mellow with age. They do feel like very high tension strings and seem to be really giving the tuners a workout. Either that or the tuners are quite a bit stiffer or lower gear ratios than the norm.

So here's the run down...
Fit - perfect, flawless
Finish - perfect, flawless, very deep shine, boutique quality
Hardware - perfect, functional, high quality, tuners are tight but that might be the strings or gear ratios
Electronics - perfect, everything works as designed, no loose jacks or goofy knobs or scratchy pots
Pickups - perfect, perhaps the single best reason to buy this bass even over previous Gibson offerings
Strings - nice, a bit noisy on slides but excellent tone and tension, very responsive to playing styles
Looks - perfect, very upscale in every aspect, could compete with any Gibson, nothing cheap looking
Balance - perfect, stays where you put it
Neck - perfect, no high frets, all fret ends dressed nicely, Rosewood FB has attractive grain
Playability out of the box - excellent, Sweetwater does it right
Ease of setup - perfect, had it dialed in (action, intonation, pup heights) in less than 10 minutes
Playability after setup - perfect, nice low action, very responsive strings and pickups, no obvious dead spots
Sustain - perfect, insane sustain, probably due to massive headstock and solid anchor tail piece
Resonance unplugged - perfect, excellent note definition, even sound across all strings
Sound plugged in - perfect, ultra dynamic pickups, even tone across the board, bests my Gibby
Price - perfect, probably just enough profit to keep Eppi in business but still be a real buyers deal
Warranty - perfect, doubt I'll ever need it
Hard case/gig bag - Fail, Eppi should raise the price of the bass by $50 and throw in a free gig bag
Fun factor - off the chart, get one while you can

 

[hairypete1138]

Thanks to all for the well wishes. The fires aren't over yet, still raging, so I've been on fire watch most of the day and probably will be for the next few days.

I did take an hour break to check out my newly delivered Ebony Epiphone TBird VP. Right out of the box nearly in perfect tune and intonation, and neck dead straight (gotta love those Sweetwater guys). The action was a tad higher than I like and I didn't have time to mess with the neck, so I dropped the bridge down to the deck and worked my way up about a full turn until fret buzz was dialed out. The action is now good and low and could probably go a bit lower with a quick neck tweak. I then raised the pups up near the strings. Plugged the beast in and OMG!

This bass sounds so much fuller, richer, deeper, brighter, punchier, smoother and grittier than my Gibby Anniversary TBird it's insane! I love this thing. The note definition is unbelievable. Even with the bridge pup off, neck full on and tone turned all the way off it doesn't get muddy, just deep and smooth with crystal clear note definition. And the bridge pup is to die for. I normally only ever dial in a bit of bridge to add clarity to the neck pup or to help cut through, hardly ever past 50% on with any bass I own. Not this one. The bridge pup sounds so musical an full bodied I'm finding myself dialing it all the way up and then bringing a bit of the neck pup in to add a bit more richness and depth. Definitely a home run on the pup designs for this beauty.

Not sure what strings Eppi puts on these things at the factory but I like the sound and responsiveness. Just a bit more finger noise on slides and poorly fretted notes than I like but that might mellow with age. They do feel like very high tension strings and seem to be really giving the tuners a workout. Either that or the tuners are quite a bit stiffer or lower gear ratios than the norm.

So here's the run down...
Fit - perfect, flawless
Finish - perfect, flawless, very deep shine, boutique quality
Hardware - perfect, functional, high quality, tuners are tight but that might be the strings or gear ratios
Electronics - perfect, everything works as designed, no loose jacks or goofy knobs or scratchy pots
Pickups - perfect, perhaps the single best reason to buy this bass even over previous Gibson offerings
Strings - nice, a bit noisy on slides but excellent tone and tension, very responsive to playing styles
Looks - perfect, very upscale in every aspect, could compete with any Gibson, nothing cheap looking
Balance - perfect, stays where you put it
Neck - perfect, no high frets, all fret ends dressed nicely, Rosewood FB has attractive grain
Playability out of the box - excellent, Sweetwater does it right
Ease of setup - perfect, had it dialed in (action, intonation, pup heights) in less than 10 minutes
Playability after setup - perfect, nice low action, very responsive strings and pickups, no obvious dead spots
Sustain - perfect, insane sustain, probably due to massive headstock and solid anchor tail piece
Resonance unplugged - perfect, excellent note definition, even sound across all strings
Sound plugged in - perfect, ultra dynamic pickups, even tone across the board, bests my Gibby
Price - perfect, probably just enough profit to keep Eppi in business but still be a real buyers deal
Warranty - perfect, doubt I'll ever need it
Hard case/gig bag - Fail, Eppi should raise the price of the bass by $50 and throw in a free gig bag
Fun factor - off the chart, get one while you can

Glad to hear that you’re doing ok, and thanks for the views on the new bird. I am getting very impatient waiting for mine now (currently expected in February ).
However, it appears that the Embassy pros have landed here this week, so there may be a Christmas miracle afterall...

 

[Feral Feline]

Don't forget to rotate it for even color!

View attachment 2836382

Will DO!

Somebody send me an Anni.

(A Gibson, please, not a Skywalker)



Seriously, though:
Latest News on the fires is? (things can change fast, even in just a few hours)

 

[PillO]

Thanks to all for the well wishes. The fires aren't over yet, still raging, so I've been on fire watch most of the day and probably will be for the next few days.

I did take an hour break to check out my newly delivered Ebony Epiphone TBird VP. Right out of the box nearly in perfect tune and intonation, and neck dead straight (gotta love those Sweetwater guys). The action was a tad higher than I like and I didn't have time to mess with the neck, so I dropped the bridge down to the deck and worked my way up about a full turn until fret buzz was dialed out. The action is now good and low and could probably go a bit lower with a quick neck tweak. I then raised the pups up near the strings. Plugged the beast in and OMG!

This bass sounds so much fuller, richer, deeper, brighter, punchier, smoother and grittier than my Gibby Anniversary TBird it's insane! I love this thing. The note definition is unbelievable. Even with the bridge pup off, neck full on and tone turned all the way off it doesn't get muddy, just deep and smooth with crystal clear note definition. And the bridge pup is to die for. I normally only ever dial in a bit of bridge to add clarity to the neck pup or to help cut through, hardly ever past 50% on with any bass I own. Not this one. The bridge pup sounds so musical an full bodied I'm finding myself dialing it all the way up and then bringing a bit of the neck pup in to add a bit more richness and depth. Definitely a home run on the pup designs for this beauty.

Not sure what strings Eppi puts on these things at the factory but I like the sound and responsiveness. Just a bit more finger noise on slides and poorly fretted notes than I like but that might mellow with age. They do feel like very high tension strings and seem to be really giving the tuners a workout. Either that or the tuners are quite a bit stiffer or lower gear ratios than the norm.

So here's the run down...
Fit - perfect, flawless
Finish - perfect, flawless, very deep shine, boutique quality
Hardware - perfect, functional, high quality, tuners are tight but that might be the strings or gear ratios
Electronics - perfect, everything works as designed, no loose jacks or goofy knobs or scratchy pots
Pickups - perfect, perhaps the single best reason to buy this bass even over previous Gibson offerings
Strings - nice, a bit noisy on slides but excellent tone and tension, very responsive to playing styles
Looks - perfect, very upscale in every aspect, could compete with any Gibson, nothing cheap looking
Balance - perfect, stays where you put it
Neck - perfect, no high frets, all fret ends dressed nicely, Rosewood FB has attractive grain
Playability out of the box - excellent, Sweetwater does it right
Ease of setup - perfect, had it dialed in (action, intonation, pup heights) in less than 10 minutes
Playability after setup - perfect, nice low action, very responsive strings and pickups, no obvious dead spots
Sustain - perfect, insane sustain, probably due to massive headstock and solid anchor tail piece
Resonance unplugged - perfect, excellent note definition, even sound across all strings
Sound plugged in - perfect, ultra dynamic pickups, even tone across the board, bests my Gibby
Price - perfect, probably just enough profit to keep Eppi in business but still be a real buyers deal
Warranty - perfect, doubt I'll ever need it
Hard case/gig bag - Fail, Eppi should raise the price of the bass by $50 and throw in a free gig bag
Fun factor - off the chart, get one while you can

Here is an interesting thought experiment:

Gibson has $500mm in debt coming due middle of next year. Epiphone by all accounts appears to be running well; producing instruments that are in high demand. It is possible that Epiphone is being dressed up to be sold to pay down that debt.

Not a prediction, just a thought experiment.

 

[marko57]

I really like John Taylor a lot, all of "Rio" is fun to play, and "Save a Prayer" is a beautifully written song for the bass guitar.

I was never a big Duran Duran fan although I do get twinges of nostalgia upon hearing some of their songs now but really liked Taylor's bass with Power Station.

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

Something is wrong here, and I can't quite put my finger on it

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Larry V]

Two different pals checked the house for me. Both said “No bass, no door tag.” At about 7:00pm I get a tracking notification from UPS saying it’s getting delivered tomorrow. They probably got bogged down by the extra holiday stuff, but I should have it tomorrow and I’m well pleased about this

In other news, I threw my back out! Bowling. With my 79 year old dad (who takes bowling very serious, but that’s not the point). I don’t have chronic back issues. The occasional thing over the years like anyone else. But I sure did something not good. So strange all these threads and posts I’ve seen all week about folks looking for workarounds for a bad back and the whole time I’m thinking, “thank goodness I never get back issues.”
Bowling, with my 79 year old dad. Not carrying an 810 cab up 3 flights of stairs. Not slipping while carrying a Mesa 400+ . Not even something noble like falling off a stage because I was just so into it. Bowling. With a 79 year old

Bummer, Dude. Hope it doesn't keep you down for long.

Something is wrong here, and I can't quite put my finger on it

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Wow, a 2016 Studio IV!

I'm guessing it's a typo since it's probably a 2006. It might be a fat-finger thing instead of straight out deception.

You should text him and find out if he still has the stock P/UPs and original PG and if they come with the bass and also let him know that his ad has an error.

 

[BklynKen]

I lurrrve Wire and JAMC. Which songs?

Great bands to cover! What are the other songs?

Ex-Lion Tamer by Wire and Head On by JAMC.

Finally!

vortex

• kat888
• Dec 7, 2017
• tc electronic vortex

Nice board. Cutting board?

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

Bummer, Dude. Hope it doesn't keep you down for long.





Wow, a 2016 Studio IV!

I'm guessing it's a typo since it's probably a 2006. It might be a fat-finger thing instead of straight out deception.

You should text him and find out if he still has the stock P/UPs and original PG and if they come with the bass and also let him know that his ad has an error.

I'm fairly positive that he's had it for sale before.
Must have really fat fingers to hit '1' instead of '0', and again in the description. It's not abnormal for people around here to think they have something they don't, or try to say it is something that it's not. Couple months ago someone was selling a white bolt-on and listed it as a Classic Pro. I emailed him about it and he replied a day or two later saying that he called the store he got it from and they reassured him it's a classic pro. Whatever, hope he sold it for what that shady store scammed from him.

I'm not very interested in it anyways, considering that's what I paid for my Studio V, but I just thought it was funny.