Hello everyone, I have the opportunity to have a Gibson Thunderbird short scale for only 600 euros (750 $), I would like to have your opinion on this model, thank you.
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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Certainly sounds like a good deal!
@Larry V will probably be willing to share his thoughts regarding his short scale Thunderbird
- Mar 8, 2011
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- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
Being tall with long monkey arms, I’ve never struggled with the scale length, but considering a typical T Bird neck could represent a huge challenge for some, I’ve often wondered why a short or medium scale ‘Bird isn’t more common
I would expect them to be a king's ransom. Then again, that probably describes the reissue as well. Point taken.
Heard back from the band in LA I’m doing bass tracks for. They loved the sound of my Cataldo. I’m not sure if it was a power of suggestion thing, because the song reminded me of The Jam, but I think with the way I recorded it, it sailed up close to a really chunky Ric vibe. Thicker in the lows than a typical Ric sound, but had a similar thing. Or I completely imagined the whole thing
Foxton abandoned the Ric (copy) pretty quickly in the studio, although their use on stage and in videos persisted for aesthetic reasons. There was a period when he was using this sort of abomination.
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They’re not as expensive as you’d think, considering it is vintage and desirable.
I saw a reissue for sale a few months ago, and it was more than a good condition original.
(My post this morning was before my brain was fully operational. I had forgot about seeing one in the classifieds)
- Mar 8, 2011
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I seem to remember the Heritage B15N having an MSRP of around $5k USD when they came out. That’s a lot of scatch for a 30 watt amp!
As always, I could be wrong.
There’s a new Heritage SVT CL at my local Sam Ash for about $2,500 USD for the head only. That didn’t seem crazy compared to a lot of high end, high powered tube heads out there
Oh, the SVT CL is $5200 list around these parts.
- Mar 8, 2011
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I don’t know enough about Rics to even know what that bass is :/ It’s been a very long time since I’ve had one. I saw the Jam on what turned out to be their last US tour and Bruce mostly used a P bass and some sort of hollowbody on a few tunes
That’s into the Mesa territory… but with a 50 year old design that’s, relatively, unchanged.
Personally, I’d rather buy a real vintage SVT for that money.
It is a Ric routed for a P pickup and a new scratchplate cut to hide the mess = 'FrankenRick'.
The hollowbody would have been either an Epi Rivoli or an EB-2.
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Ouch! Makes me want to try the one at Sam Ash to see what it sounds like. I wasn’t a huge fan of most CL’s I’ve had as backline amps. Last one I had was complete junk, though I’ve heard some pretty amazing SVT’s along the way
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I’d take a Strategy way before that amp, personally. Which isn’t to say you need to gloat
You should know him better than that! He doesn't need a reason, to gloatI’d take a Strategy way before that amp, personally. Which isn’t to say you need to gloat
All I’m sayin is the SVT is basically unchanged, you can get a vintage SVT for that price without the value depreciating.I’d take a Strategy way before that amp, personally. Which isn’t to say you need to gloat
At least with Mesa, it’s a new design, with features that I find useful, that allow me to play it at a respectable level. That being said, I wouldn’t buy one new for that price either.
On a whim I bought a cute lil black Squier Jaguar ss bass for 200 bills. It's been 20 years since I played with a band using a non-humbucker bass. The band plays a few slap bass songs and I just can't get that pop sound with my Gibson. Ok, the jag sounds pretty good, but all the things that sent me looking elsewhere came flooding back. The lack of punch on the treble strings, the slight 60 cycle hum, the dead spots, the diminished overall low frequency foundation. it is an interesting study in contrast. I'm sure I can improve it a bit. There is more definition on the low f,f#,g and g# with the jag....get this...it neck dives..not too terribly. I'll keep it on staff for a few tunes. I like my Thunderbird even more today.
I’d take a Strategy way before that amp, personally. Which isn’t to say you need to gloat
Oh he will. The Ampeg amplifier numbers interest me only in so far as I get to look at them and think 'how fvcking much!?'
I've seen lots of petite women playing Thunderbirds. And I'm pretty petite myself. Jeff has seen me in person. I've said this before, but I think Thunderbirds are deceptively easy to play. The first fret gets pulled in closer to me than on my FSO Carvin.
When I saw Garbage at the download festival in 2005 they had taken this to the extreme and has no amps or monitors anywhere on the stage. It was the first and only time I have seen anyone do this and run purely from in-ears. Weird, but kind of cool.
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I know what you’re saying! They always looked to me like they’d be clumsy to play, but I’m still shocked how comfortable I am on mine
