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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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- club thunderbird
Couldn't agree with this any more than I already do. Man, we had our first practice with the second band at the original practice space, and the difference was absolute. Whereas the hourly rental place had me second-guessing my tone and volume needs, suddenly everything made sense again. No boominess and levels all felt exactly right.
And wow, I love the new Gibson TB. I still like the VP well enough to gig with it, but everything just sounds and feels right with the Gibby. It's amazing how fast I jumped from G&L to Gibson. I mean, yeah, G&L is still awesome and I have a couple of their guitars/basses, but I guess I'm still in the honeymoon period with my recent Gibsons. I just sort of scratch my head as to why I didn't try this sooner.
godofthunder59
Life is short, buy the bass.
- Feb 19, 2006
- 9,057
- 38,405
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Cataldo Basses, Whirlwind products, Thunderbucker pickups
All set up about to sound check. Civic Music Hall Toledo Ohio. The mighty Orange rig, the more I use it the more I like it. Shows are split 50/50 Tbird, Precision.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Well, that one chose you from the sounds of it. You are done now. There's no escape. You are a 'Bird person. One of us. It's tattooed on the back of your neck!
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,897
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- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Baby steps to the Hambacker (Hamer/Ric hybrid mod)... outlining old pickup routs for Mahogany filler blocks. To the shop tomorrow.
Yup, Gibsons are nice! Once you see it, you can’t unsee the fact that Fenders and their ilk are designed to be easy to manufacture. They have their charm, kind of like Jeeps - easy to make flat panels bolted together.
But Gibsons are built like a stringed instrument should be. And the Thunderbird is a work of art.
I kinda like that. I’ve seen much worse artwork on a bass
Well said! I think you've captured what I've always found so much more alluring in Gibsons in comparison to how I view Fenders.
So, how many Thunderbirds do I have to own before you guys teach me the secret handshake?
I handed it over to a girl we (at my house) know who was in art school at the time, and I asked her for something "psychedelic". When it came back, I was a little stymied at first, took me a good long time to warm up to it! But I found that taking it out on gigs helps that kind of ambivalence. It certainly has personality, and is definitely a recognizable piece. Gotten some good remarks on it, and its gotten its share of silence... lol.I kinda like that. I’ve seen much worse artwork on a bass
As for me, I'm not married to how I may be perceived- I want the music to make my statement. But I like the fact that it's kind of in your face, bold, sort of an affront. It's just a cartoon, all in good fun.
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Oh of course, I never played there but practically every musician I know has got to play there except me. P.G. I’ve actually never even stepped foot in there but when I come back I’ll check it out!
Hint; in Monterey..
One is all you need to know the handshake. But the Force will pull you to more.
- Jun 30, 2010
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
You say "easy to manufacture" like it's a bad thing. How about efficient industrial design. Yes, you touched on a couple of key points defining the two makers philosophies. LF set out to create a professional, serviceable instrument for an actively gigging (financially conservative) professional musician. He designed it based on actual player feedback and repairability which was a meat & potatoes approach that appealed to professional musicians. These musicians were not collectors or hobbyist - they were supporting themselves and their families playing bass. So in his intent - LF was immensely successful.
Conversely - Gibson hired an industrial designer (who wasn't a player) to create a stylish "look" for their Firebird guitar & Thunderbird bass and the result, regardless of 'old world' construction and techniques (which Gibson was known for) was a bass that had many design shortcomings. They "out cooled" the conservative alternative but history has shown that in the end - a Fender bass was more professionally used/more recorded than any Gibson bass. Generalities about what stringed instruments should or should not be are a product of brand camp devotees and have no legitimacy other than as opinion. I agree that a T-bird is a work of successful visual design, but as a life-long owner of one (and die-hard player of them) - they fell short functionally in ways that no Fender bass has.
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I've never 'popped' a string but I had a tapewound 'G' unravel when a clarinetist in the concert band knocked a music stand in to my Ibanez semi-hollow.funny we were discussing strings....popped the G (Roto) on my Gibby last night and had to use the backup....
View attachment 3208880
did you superglue his spit valve?I've never 'popped' a string but I had a tapewound 'G' unravel when a clarinetist in the concert band knocked a music stand in to my Ibanez semi-hollow.
Bwaaaaahaaaaahaaa!
Well, if clarinets had spit valves, that woulda been a great idea. It woulda also been nice if he'd apologized but he just walked away like nothing had happened. We were between shows and I had put the bass, on a stand, back where no one could hit it or trip over the cable. He had walked behind a curtain to get where he hit the music stand. I didn't have a backup at the time and the bass was unplayable for the written parts, so I left. The Stuart, FL, band(not the guy)offered to buy me new strings but they were about due for replacement so I thanked them, finished the season and left the band. I still play with another concert band in West Palm Beach, FL.
