Thunderbird Club

[wolfkeller]

Now that I'm thinking about it, at least the way that they do that, they don't need to make new knobs that have 0-10 going the other way. So I think it's also a cost cutting thing in that sense.

I don't think I've ever even looked at those numbers

 

[wolfkeller]

I took the stock knobs off anyway

 

[JJR58]

Oh! Got a Traynor yba 200 to try out

Can't wait to hear your impressions.

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

Well, for $2k hell no it should not, BUTTTTT, I SPENT $2400 on my first custom spector and guess what? No case, no bag!!! I couldn't believe it. Gibson not only includes what I'd figure to be a $200 case, they also included a strap, multi tool and even a picture of it on the bench @ Gibson

I cringe at the thought of lower end Gibson's coming with a bag instead of a case! I wasn't happy that my $600 Jackson gui*ar didn't come with anything
That being said, I may be biased because my first 3 instruments (2 epi guitars and a Jay Turser bass) were under $300, and all came with nameless hard cases IIRC, but I think that was the store's doing.

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

I don't think I've ever even looked at those numbers

If I were a lefty, I think I'd be more upset if they wired it correctly but didn't make the correct knobs.
I've never used the numbers for reference, it's just one of those quality things.

 

[Gaolee]

NOW, if I can just find a white falcon bass!!!

I played one of those a while ago. It was completely amazing. Being hollow, it was much lighter than the EB-2, but the sound was fairly similar. Before anybody tells me I'm deaf, my EB-2 has a Dimarzio One, not a mudbucker in the neck position.

 

[Gaolee]

I cringe at the thought of lower end Gibson's coming with a bag instead of a case! I wasn't happy that my $600 Jackson gui*ar didn't come with anything
That being said, I may be biased because my first 3 instruments (2 epi guitars and a Jay Turser bass) were under $300, and all came with nameless hard cases IIRC, but I think that was the store's doing.

When I got the EB-2, it didn't have a case, gig bag, or anything. I carried it home on the Number One subway train going up the west side of Manhattan from 14th to 103rd. Just carried it - no bag, not even a garbage bag. I didn't know any difference at the time.

This is about that train. It's pretty accurate. The song came out in 1983, the same year the freebass got converted into the EB-2.

 

[wolfkeller]

I played one of those a while ago. It was completely amazing. Being hollow, it was much lighter than the EB-2, but the sound was fairly similar. Before anybody tells me I'm deaf, my EB-2 has a Dimarzio One, not a mudbucker in the neck position.

I was actually joking cuz I didn't know they made a bass version! Lovvvve that guitar. Hmmm...

 

[BklynKen]

I don't think I've ever even looked at those numbers

Oh, I do. Look at my avatar.

 

[wolfkeller]

Oh, I do. Look at my avatar.

Hahaha right!

 

[D.M.N.]

So, got bored last night, decided to do some mockups of the new Epi if I decided to convert it to a II.

Most interesting I thought was when I did an overlay of the original II on top of the Epi. The photo angle for both isn't quite the same, but it's the closest I could find, and I resized it so the frets match on both necks, as well as center widths.

Is this what any of you with the Epi and an original Gibson in hand have noticed?

 

[GBassNorth]

I see guys mentioning Traynor amps around here! This is on my local CL.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Never played one, but my first thought is 45 watts through a 215 cabinet is gonna sound like the pork-n-beans around the campfire scene in Blazing Saddles (massive farts) if pushed a bit too far. My live band rule of thumb is a minimum of 100 watts of tube amp or 350 watts of SS amp on a minimum of a 115 or 210 or 212 cab - and obviously more of both is better.

 

[GBassNorth]

Dude I really dont know anything about these basses, I just found the picture and got stuck staring at them for minutes.........again. Maybe its better I dont know about them as I think owning 4 basses is more than enough, not really but you know.

My bad. I thought you were posting your latest acquisitions.

 

[GBassNorth]

This one on Sweetwater weighs 10lbs 6oz.
Gibson RD Artist Bass 2018 - Ebony
The controls seem intuitive enough to me but I guess some people don't think so.
Btw, didn't someone on here get a bright Cherry 2018 Thunderbird? Did they give any kind of review?

Yeah, read the spec sheet but it doesn't jive with the number of knobs and switches. Just looking for some first hand experience on them to answer the question.

 

[Gaolee]

I was actually joking cuz I didn't know they made a bass version! Lovvvve that guitar. Hmmm...

I played the guitar version of those, too. Putting it down was tough, but not as tough as coming up with the price would have been. Plus it's white. I'm not a big fan of white guitars or bass guitars. It makes me an outlier around here, but that's the normal state of affairs everywhere.

 

[Gaolee]

Yeah, read the spec sheet but it doesn't jive with the number of knobs and switches. Just looking for some first hand experience on them to answer the question.

It is an active bass. I stand corrected. It looks like they are using EB pickups, so they got that part right. I'll be very interested to see what the reviews of the preamp are like when somebody has a chance to try one.

 

[PillO]

Well I'm lefty. Pots should turn up when turned towards the headstock for lefty and righty. Gibson always seem to wire the pots for a righty so they turn up by turning towards the bridge. The fix is simple, reverse the outer 2 lugs. One is soldered to the pot case the other is the wire out from the pickup. I've had 3 Gibson Thunderbirds, all we're like this. It's just annoying to me to have 1 backwards bass even more backwards. I install kill switches in my stage basses so I was on there anyway. I might be pissed if I had to pay to have it corrected.

Then you will need reverse numbered knobs too.

 

[dukeorock]

Sweet! We expect a full review.

Absolutely!

Same here. Was just curious.

Can't wait to hear your impressions.

Can’t wait to have some impressions!

Honestly, I’m not that optimistic, but still it could be great ‘for what it is.’
When I was a kid, I had a V4b, which was awesome 70% of the time. I have a feeling I won’t be truly happy until I have a 400+, VR, etc...a big boy amp. At $450 it could still be great as a practice/recording/small gig amp, or maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised to find it exceeds my expectations. Reviews over the years have been so all over the map, I honestly don’t know what to expect. Apparently pre amp tubes make a huge difference with clean headroom. They come stock with 12ax7’s. I know the amp I bought has new tubes and I know the power section tubes are kt88’s, but I don’t know what pre tubes are in it, let alone which I’d prefer. For most of my gigs, it’ll need to have enough booty with a single 8 ohm 1822 cab. I don’t want to bring a wall of cabs just to make the amp work. For some gigs it’s fine, but 90% of the time a single 1822 is massive with the right amp and enough power.

 

[JJR58]

Absolutely!





Can’t wait to have some impressions!

Honestly, I’m not that optimistic, but still it could be great ‘for what it is.’
When I was a kid, I had a V4b, which was awesome 70% of the time. I have a feeling I won’t be truly happy until I have a 400+, VR, etc...a big boy amp. At $450 it could still be great as a practice/recording/small gig amp, or maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised to find it exceeds my expectations. Reviews over the years have been so all over the map, I honestly don’t know what to expect. Apparently pre amp tubes make a huge difference with clean headroom. They come stock with 12ax7’s. I know the amp I bought has new tubes and I know the power section tubes are kt88’s, but I don’t know what pre tubes are in it, let alone which I’d prefer. For most of my gigs, it’ll need to have enough booty with a single 8 ohm 1822 cab. I don’t want to bring a wall of cabs just to make the amp work. For some gigs it’s fine, but 90% of the time a single 1822 is massive with the right amp and enough power.

Totally understood, if it winds up being the case with the Traynor, it'd be the 400+ for me, if i were in your shoes.

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

Absolutely!





Can’t wait to have some impressions!

Honestly, I’m not that optimistic, but still it could be great ‘for what it is.’
When I was a kid, I had a V4b, which was awesome 70% of the time. I have a feeling I won’t be truly happy until I have a 400+, VR, etc...a big boy amp. At $450 it could still be great as a practice/recording/small gig amp, or maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised to find it exceeds my expectations. Reviews over the years have been so all over the map, I honestly don’t know what to expect. Apparently pre amp tubes make a huge difference with clean headroom. They come stock with 12ax7’s. I know the amp I bought has new tubes and I know the power section tubes are kt88’s, but I don’t know what pre tubes are in it, let alone which I’d prefer. For most of my gigs, it’ll need to have enough booty with a single 8 ohm 1822 cab. I don’t want to bring a wall of cabs just to make the amp work. For some gigs it’s fine, but 90% of the time a single 1822 is massive with the right amp and enough power.

Sounds like you got the perfect amp to experiment with pre-amp tubes!!