• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Thunderbird Club

I finally decided on the pickups, I bought some Mike Lull's, I thought all three sounded good and would have been happy with any of them, just the Lull's sounded so good I just had to spring for them, cost me right about 600.00 with the trim rings and spacers plus I paid with paypal which also added a little bit so I think the cost has come down a little, I was quoted 239.99 for one. Hopefully they'll be waiting for me in Ma next week when I get back, I haven't even see the Ebony Gibson T-bird I bought new yet, can't wait. I'll try to post some pictures once I get the pickups in it.



I'll tell you though I fell in love with a Mike Lull T-bird, this is about the prettiest bass I've ever seen:

08-gallery.jpg
 
No no guys, the torn Tolex IS NOT A PROBLEM!! Actually I dig it!! It’s the rack mount 4PRO that is just MAJOR out of place. It doesn’t even want to sit stable on top of the cab. I’m gonna have to put some damn feet on the bottom to match the cups on the cab to feel safe about it. My band has a big show Saturday, and I’m in stress mode. Plus, the Day Glo Bird isn’t done yet, and I really wanted to play it for this show. All in all, I’m a pretty grumpy old man at the moment. I should have just bought an SVT CL and been freaking done with it.
I think it looks OK, honestly. Put a bit of foam underneath or put feet on it, so what? fill in the empty space with some fine mesh sprayed black or dark grey to match the cab if it bothers you that much. You could even try matching the mount up aesthetically with the cab by glueing some thick brown paper to the edges and peeling it off when dry to leave a torn bit behind similar to the scuffs on the cab. Total cost <$10, personally I would just leave it, it is what it is, rock on...
 
Cool story.

So here’s the thing. I’m thinking we’re pretty close in age. I loved, and still do, all of it. If I didn’t get it at first, I gave it multiple chances. I’ve always been into prog (Yes, ELP, Genesis, King Crimson). I was the weirdo who wore a Wishbone Ash t-shirt and nobody knew who they were. Neil Young was, and still is, my idol. When Ziggy Stardust came out, I played it loud as instructed on the back of the album cover. I lived in Scotland in ‘77 and went punk. The Pistols, Clash, Vibrators; couldn’t get enough. And Elvis Costello’s first three albums just made me happy when I listened to them. The Pretenders were awesome. And Fleetwood Mac; I grew up with the Peter Green version and was fascinated by every change the band made (McVie and Fleetwood are the epitome of a solid rythem section). Al Stewart told the greatest stories. As did Harry Chapin. And I waited in line to buy the Boss’s Darkness album. Spyro Gyra. Heribie Hancock. I could bore you for hours talking about all my favorites. I guess my point is that a new adventure is just a flip of a disc, or switch, away. Soooo...Please give Yes a chance. I suggest Close to the Edge and Relayer with a pair of good headphones and your favorite malt beverage. If after giving it a chance it’s still a mystery to you, then, well, fine. No hard feelings. But you may end up discovering something you find to be awesome.
I have tried, I have a Yes album and a King Crimson one too, even an ELP album ( I do like Fanfare for..). Genesis I do like, more so after Gabriel left although I do like all his solo work. The trouble with it is for me, or at least a lot of it (not all), that it is everything I'm not and can never be. Perhaps some of it is personal resentment of the fact that those guys were so bloody good at everything they did, it seemed I was never included nor could ever be. If it's any consolation I like prog rock a whole lot more than that 70s disco thing or the mid 70s northern soul thing that was so popular in the UK.

I do have a wide ranging collection of music, I even have a large classical collection (it used to be huge but we had to thin it out) but really I am just that stereotypical rock kid for better or worse
 
I finally decided on the pickups, I bought some Mike Lull's, I thought all three sounded good and would have been happy with any of them, just the Lull's sounded so good I just had to spring for them, cost me right about 600.00 with the trim rings and spacers
WOW!! That's actually very gratifying that they are the same price as they are over here.

Edit: it’s also good to know they sounded good enough to be worth paying the extra over the other two. I don’t suppose there is any chance when you get them hooked up you could plug the bass straight into a windows PC and use sound recorder to get a clean sound file of them so I can compare with the Mojos I’ve bought :)
 
Last edited:
I finally decided on the pickups, I bought some Mike Lull's, I thought all three sounded good and would have been happy with any of them, just the Lull's sounded so good I just had to spring for them, cost me right about 600.00 with the trim rings and spacers plus I paid with paypal which also added a little bit so I think the cost has come down a little, I was quoted 239.99 for one. Hopefully they'll be waiting for me in Ma next week when I get back, I haven't even see the Ebony Gibson T-bird I bought new yet, can't wait. I'll try to post some pictures once I get the pickups in it.



I'll tell you though I fell in love with a Mike Lull T-bird, this is about the prettiest bass I've ever seen:

View attachment 3094072

Lovely bass, with an elegant headstock

Look at the state of my hand after using these crutches :mad:

View attachment 3094162
Ouch!
 
I play a Gibson Thunderbird with Thunderbuckers through and Ampeg SVT CL and 8 10s. Last night I was at band practice and my tone was extremely gritty sounding. Almost like I was using a distortion pedal. I have my tone knobs set in the middle except I give the mids a little bump. I have the master volume up and control volume with the gain knob. Any ideas? I bought my bass used and kind and of wonder if the wiring was changed ...
 
I play a Gibson Thunderbird with Thunderbuckers through and Ampeg SVT CL and 8 10s. Last night I was at band practice and my tone was extremely gritty sounding. Almost like I was using a distortion pedal. I have my tone knobs set in the middle except I give the mids a little bump. I have the master volume up and control volume with the gain knob. Any ideas? I bought my bass used and kind and of wonder if the wiring was changed ...

Are you talking about the Black TBird you modded?
 
I’d love to have one of those VR’s, but that’s more money than I need to spend on a hobby that I end up playing a show once every 2-3 months.


I was hoping to find a decent USA made CL for $700-$800, but I found this 4PRO for half that much, and now that’s what I have. Again, I really like the tone I get, and it’s soooo incredibly powerful. My main gripe is the form factor. It just doesn’t look right. Maybe I’ll stumble onto something.
I would just get a blank rack panel for the unused space, and put some graphics on it.