Thunderbird Club

[Larry V]

Why? I only ask because I've been playing short scales now for almost a year. Right now I'm lead singing in addition to playing and have just found it easier. Is it that it has more neck dive than a 34"? Or something else?

It's just easier to play SS when seated and I'm more comfortable playing full scale when standing. I have zero neck dive on any of my TBirds. Zero.

 

[Gaolee]

Why? I only ask because I've been playing short scales now for almost a year. Right now I'm lead singing in addition to playing and have just found it easier. Is it that it has more neck dive than a 34"? Or something else?

A short scale would have less weight on the neck than a long scale. I cannot speak to anybody else's playing preferences. If short scale works for you, then that's what's best for your playing. Another option is to build a FenderBird with a Jaguar neck or something like that. It might be less expensive than buying a Gibson, and then again, it might not depending on how overboard you go. I'm not sure what I ended up spending when I built a FenderBird.

As a point of comparison, I tip the neck toward the ceiling and leave the bass body low. That's true whether the bass is long or short scale. It just feels right to play bass that way. Guitar, not so much.

 

[JIO]

by the looks, that must be one fantastic earth moving sounding bass..

Word - I love all the pu varieties out there for all their sonic differences, at least all the ones I've tried. (singles, split-coils, hb'rs, active, passive - in many brand varieties) But I'm finding the Dark Star Bi-Sonic singles are what I want to hear the most lately. I made this "Teiscobird" (mid-60's Teisco Del Rey body/Epi Goth T-bird neck) and positioned the (Guild) DS-BS at the P-bass sweet spot. Like the similarity/difference of a T-bird II & IV, this one and the Deadlybird are sonically akin as the both have mahogany bodies, maple necks - and these pu's.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Word - I love all the pu varieties out there for all their sonic differences, at least all the ones I've tried. (singles, split-coils, hb'rs, active, passive - in many brand varieties) But I'm finding the Dark Star Bi-Sonic singles are what I want to hear the most lately. I made this "Teiscobird" (mid-60's Teisco Del Rey body/Epi Goth T-bird neck) and positioned the (Guild) DS-BS at the P-bass sweet spot. Like the similarity/difference of a T-bird II & IV, this one and the Deadlybird are sonically akin as the both have mahogany bodies, maple necks - and these pu's.

View attachment 3231639

triple like! we gotta meet sometime, you live up the street..

 

[JIO]

triple like! we gotta meet sometime, you live up the street..

Thanks! Yep - both left-coasters. I'm going to be in SC on Friday March 8th with my trio SMF (playing the Deadlybird) for a SC Public TV performance. Will get more details as the date gets closer.

 

[Gaolee]

Word - I love all the pu varieties out there for all their sonic differences, at least all the ones I've tried. (singles, split-coils, hb'rs, active, passive - in many brand varieties) But I'm finding the Dark Star Bi-Sonic singles are what I want to hear the most lately. I made this "Teiscobird" (mid-60's Teisco Del Rey body/Epi Goth T-bird neck) and positioned the (Guild) DS-BS at the P-bass sweet spot. Like the similarity/difference of a T-bird II & IV, this one and the Deadlybird are sonically akin as the both have mahogany bodies, maple necks - and these pu's.

View attachment 3231639

That's inspiring. I have a pair of bass gold foil pickups from the '60s floating around that should go into something or another one of these days.

 

[Gaolee]

I just wandered over to Reverb. Always a bad idea in a good way. There's a few 2015 'Birds there, and the sellers aren't asking the moon like they have been for a while. This has been a public service announcement for the purposes of enabling.

 

[GonePlaid]

"Hand wired"....."715 Vdc on the plates of 4 KT88s"...STUFF OF DREAMS....drool
I wanna try one bad..

Soon as I hit the lotto.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Soon as I hit the lotto.

put some aside for the chiro..

 

[GonePlaid]

put some aside for the chiro..

I'm hip(or knees or back!)

 

[GonePlaid]

A short scale would have less weight on the neck than a long scale. I cannot speak to anybody else's playing preferences. If short scale works for you, then that's what's best for your playing. Another option is to build a FenderBird with a Jaguar neck or something like that. It might be less expensive than buying a Gibson, and then again, it might not depending on how overboard you go. I'm not sure what I ended up spending when I built a FenderBird.

As a point of comparison, I tip the neck toward the ceiling and leave the bass body low. That's true whether the bass is long or short scale. It just feels right to play bass that way. Guitar, not so much.

To me it just looks weird to see the guys that play with the bass(often a hollow body)with their right elbow at the end of the bass. If I tried that with my '67, I'd hafta hire someone to play the first 3 positions.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

To me it just looks weird to see the guys that play with the bass(often a hollow body)with their right elbow at the end of the bass. If I tried that with my '67, I'd hafta hire someone to play the first 3 positions.

yeah, dunno how Entwistle did it...looks helluva uncomfortable..

 

[Engle]

Check out this project. If I had time to spare, I'd be all over something like this:
1965 St. George GB-1 Bass Guitar - Teisco? - Thunderbird - Very Rare - Original | eBay
Funny how the ad copy the owner found says they are made in the US, while the back plate has made in Japan stamped in it.

 

[GonePlaid]

Check out this project. If I had time to spare, I'd be all over something like this:
1965 St. George GB-1 Bass Guitar - Teisco? - Thunderbird - Very Rare - Original | eBay
Funny how the ad copy the owner found says they are made in the US, while the back plate has made in Japan stamped in it.

I think describing it as 'used' is redundant.<EDIT> Perhaps the back plate is made in Japan. I'm originally from Florida but I was made in J......That's another story for another day.

 

[MCF]

Totally hear ya. Perfect for fast cars. Wide, long turns, amazing scenery (nothing's changed in 100 years in fact, if you take a black and white people ask you if it's an Ansel Adams) and NO POLICE.....

Yep. And back in the day when I was a dedicated Road and Track subcriber it was an occasional test run for some of their reviews.

 

[MCF]

I just wandered over to Reverb. Always a bad idea in a good way. There's a few 2015 'Birds there, and the sellers aren't asking the moon like they have been for a while. This has been a public service announcement for the purposes of enabling.

And I’ve said it before, I Love my ‘15. Most versitle player I have out of the seven basses currently in my house. I would have more, but the wife is getting testy, even after moving a couple along. I recently got a Peavy Foundation with the ferrite pickups (I know, I sinned, please forgive me) that is also really versitle. But it’s nothing compared to the ‘15.

 

[Gaolee]

Check out this project. If I had time to spare, I'd be all over something like this:
1965 St. George GB-1 Bass Guitar - Teisco? - Thunderbird - Very Rare - Original | eBay
Funny how the ad copy the owner found says they are made in the US, while the back plate has made in Japan stamped in it.

Semi Thunderbird shaped? Semi? It looks entirely Thunderbird shaped to me. I like that he says all the original electronics are there, but there's no pickup. I need another project like I need another hole in my head, but weirdness like that sure is tempting.

 

[MCF]

Check out this project. If I had time to spare, I'd be all over something like this:
1965 St. George GB-1 Bass Guitar - Teisco? - Thunderbird - Very Rare - Original | eBay
Funny how the ad copy the owner found says they are made in the US, while the back plate has made in Japan stamped in it.

That is cool. But like you, I couldn’t get to it for awhile and it would stay like that for a long time. That bridge is an intonation nightmare, but it looks to be in really good shape. If the neck is decent, it could probably be made to play halfway decently without a lot of money except for the cost of a Cinabucker or something similar. I’m almost talking myself into it...

 

[Engle]

I think describing it as 'used' is redundant.<EDIT> Perhaps the back plate is made in Japan. I'm originally from Florida but I was made in J......That's another story for another day.

It's definitely a Made in Japan bass.
I was made in Paraguay of all places...

 

[Engle]

That is cool. But like you, I couldn’t get to it for awhile and it would stay like that for a long time. That bridge is an intonation nightmare, but it looks to be in really good shape. If the neck is decent, it could probably be made to play halfway decently without a lot of money except for the cost of a Cinabucker or something similar. I’m almost talking myself into it...

Do it before @JIO does! Or at least message him so you don't bid each other up.
I would try to save the neck because i like that headstock, but the neck could very well be crap. If so that body would make a cool fenderbird.
I would just put a regular F type bridge on it and hide it under the cover.