Thunderbird Club

[Chucky Stiletti]

But if we love our tone, we play and perform better! Just saying

I always thought a Microfrets would be a cool country bass. Funky and odd. Glen Campbell and Carl Perkins rocked em in the’70’s as well as their bands.T-40’s are one of the greatest, most versatile and underrated basses ever, but I sold mine due to the weight. Didn’t even think I care about weight, but a two hour set is torture with those things! For one of my bands, The Eskimo Brothers (classic country, rockabilly and old school rock and roll), I’ve been super lucky in that they are cool with whatever I bring, though the BL seems partial to my Cataldo NR41, Gibson T Bird with Cobalts or my Gretsch Spectrasonic w/ flats, in that order

Totally agree on the Peavey, at the time probably the best value out there for a new instrument. As you said, very heavy, not really something many of us worried (or even thought) about back then..

 

[Mike.C.]

... Then again, half of the average audience members in that setting don't know the difference between a guitar and a bass anyway.

The chicks always end up figuring it out.

 

[Gaolee]

The chicks always end up figuring it out.

Which is a real problem. Once they figure out that it's a bass, you are done. No groupies for you! Unless it's the upright. They seem to like that a bit at times. Thunderbirds are better in that regard than most bass guitars, and I'm married. I have no complaints. She didn't know I was a bass player until it was too late! Bwaahahahahaha!

The one bass guitar that always gets some attention is the fretless 'Bird. There's always some really weird guy in the audience who spends the whole time staring at it, trying to figure out what he's seeing. Always a guy, too. Oh, well.

 

[dukeorock]

Dayum that’s one helluva fan!
Personally not a fan of slotted headstocks but I seem to be in the minority with that one.
Still very nice!

I think it’s just unusual enough to make it visually interesting to me and it’s just this one bass, so I really like it

 

[Inky13]

Which is a real problem. Once they figure out that it's a bass, you are done. No groupies for you! Unless it's the upright. They seem to like that a bit at times. Thunderbirds are better in that regard than most bass guitars, and I'm married. I have no complaints. She didn't know I was a bass player until it was too late! Bwaahahahahaha!

The one bass guitar that always gets some attention is the fretless 'Bird. There's always some really weird guy in the audience who spends the whole time staring at it, trying to figure out what he's seeing. Always a guy, too. Oh, well.

I think I’ve asked you this before, but what’s the story with the fretless bird? Stock with frets pulled? Aftermarket neck?
I get all giddy when someone says fretless.

 

[Markamb1]

Not to be blasphemous But I keep picking these up and am totally surprised by how amazing they feel. They sound and feel great unplugged. There is much to be gained from playing a bass that you can really “hear physically” through touch and contact. I know it sounds weird but I’m all over it. It’s one of the things that makes me like bass more than guitar. Even a solid body bass resonates more strongly than a semi hollow guitar. I was a kid when I heard about Beethoven becoming deaf and playing/writing by placing a wooden dowel or something like it between his teeth and the body of the piano..... I’ve never fact checked this so I’m about to... it’s funny the things you take for granted... having never actually check3d.

It seemed like it was part of the cause for the intensity

 

[Inky13]

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Not to be blasphemous But I keep picking these up and am totally surprised by how amazing they feel. They sound and feel great unplugged. There is much to be gained from playing a bass that you can really “hear physically” through touch and contact. I know it sounds weird but I’m all over it. It’s one of the things that makes me like bass more than guitar. Even a solid body bass resonates more strongly than a semi hollow guitar. I was a kid when I heard about Beethoven becoming deaf and playing/writing by placing a wooden dowel or something like it between his teeth and the body of the piano..... I’ve never fact checked this so I’m about to... it’s funny the things you take for granted... having never actually check3d.

It seemed like it was part of the cause for the intensity

Nothing weird about that at all. That’s why DB is so awesome.
Also: I think Electromatic would make an excellent name for a band.

 

[Markamb1]

Nothing weird about that at all. That’s why DB is so awesome.
Also: I think Electromatic would make an excellent name for a band.

Electromatic! For sure!

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Which is a real problem. Once they figure out that it's a bass, you are done. No groupies for you! Unless it's the upright. They seem to like that a bit at times. Thunderbirds are better in that regard than most bass guitars, and I'm married. I have no complaints. She didn't know I was a bass player until it was too late! Bwaahahahahaha!

The one bass guitar that always gets some attention is the fretless 'Bird. There's always some really weird guy in the audience who spends the whole time staring at it, trying to figure out what he's seeing. Always a guy, too. Oh, well.

you never get the "bass players are sexy" or "I like the bass player" bit?..

 

[D.M.N.]

Played a Fano JM4 standard, Jag shaped bass with Fano's thunderbird-style pickups, while scoping out the remnants of Denmark street in London. Can't say I was fond of the body shape or neck (10" radius, medium jumbo frets, blech) but the pickups sounded fantastic. Very bright and crisp while still full. Really wish you could buy them separately, the only downside is they aren't counter sunk so I nearly ripped my thumb nail off a couple of times while playing it.

 

[Gaolee]

I think I’ve asked you this before, but what’s the story with the fretless bird? Stock with frets pulled? Aftermarket neck?
I get all giddy when someone says fretless.

It was a Pro IV with a preamp. I didn't like the frets very much. They were too tall, so I figured I wanted a fretless, so it was the candidate. I didn't like the pickups or the preamp, either, so it's passive with Alumitone Bass Bars. It's really different from any other 'Bird now.

 

[Gaolee]

you never get the "bass players are sexy" or "I like the bass player" bit?..

Nope, not really. Bass wipes out my natural sexiness, from the seems of things. Chicks dig CroMagnons.

 

[Rob Martinez]

The chicks always end up figuring it out.

Not for the reasons we think!

 

[Markamb1]

First bass player that I can remember taking notice of would probably be duff, then krist novoselic....but honestly at 10 years old I too didn’t know the difference between a bass and a guitar...

Funny story so my mom takes me into Sears a department store when I was 10...1996... I see this white guitar...it looks amazing this is the one I want.... then my mom points out.....

BUT IT ONLY HAS 4 STRINGS!!!!!!!!

I’m like ohhhhhh.... that sucks ( I almost became a bass player much sooner) then I picked up one that had six, this little black soverign. Real piece of crap, worst little amp came with it but I was impressed.... my mom was as broke as a single mother can be... this was a very big deal... unfortunately. I had zero instruction and it went no where. I mean I didn’t even know how to tune it so it always sounded like crap... on top of being a really cheap guitar... without instruction it fell out of sight.... I got myself In a lot of trouble, went to kid jail.... you know what straightened me out a bit????

You’ll never believe it.... Marilyn Manson!!!! Was a good influence! Lol. No way you saw that coming! I read his book and I related to his intelligence. Instead of relating my identity to my socioeconomic background, gutterish, thuggish mentality...like when I listened to and identified with 2pac!!!!!

I instead focused my mind on my more intellectual strengths.

So the BASSIST who really encouraged me to PLAY BASS was Twiggy Ramierz/Jeordie White from Manson, later a Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails. (Has a cool song he did for his own project called goon moon, “sleep with a gun”)

WHERE DID I SEE MY FIRST THUNDERBIRD???? Twiggy Ramierz from Marilyn Manson!

It really started with him for me. He made everything he played look soooooo cool. I know he’s a little....well a lot out there for most of you but I loved the music, the bass lines, the bass tone, the basses. Was awesome. He could make a dress damn manly. As manly as it can be.

This last one is an rd artist one other one was a Gibson les Paul bass. He probably would have looked cool with a stick.

Eh TBird1958.... I googled “Twiggy Ramirez Gibson bass” and under images got this in the results from 2011... pretty legit.

 

[Count Bassie]

Nothing weird about that at all. That’s why DB is so awesome.
Also: I think Electromatic would make an excellent name for a band.

The Electromatics

 

[MCF]

Totally agree on the Peavey, at the time probably the best value out there for a new instrument. As you said, very heavy, not really something many of us worried (or even thought) about back then..

Well, I’m really liking the Foundation I picked up recently. Looks pedestrian, but has lots of tone. Nice neck. The T40 is one of those that I check out when they come up locally. But the ones I’ve played are just too heavy.

 

[MCF]

you never get the "bass players are sexy" or "I like the bass player" bit?..

McCartney seemed to do ok.

 

[Gaolee]

Eh TBird1958.... I googled “Twiggy Ramirez Gibson bass” and under images got this in the results from 2011... pretty legit.

View attachment 3240487

Well, of course. Our queen is everywhere.

 

[Band Mom]

So, yeah, that Guild JSB2 I picked up made a short trip back to GC. I've finally found a Guild I disliked. Well, "dislike" is a tad strong, it just wasn't a good tonal fit for me, as the tonal warmth made note definition a problem in my rock band, and it seemed as if some notes would pop through the mix while others simply dropped out completely. Plus, it was heavy But that's probably true of 99% of the 70s basses out there. I guess I was just surprised by the weight as I had just assumed it was Guild's version of an SG bass, and that was maybe only 10% true. Oh well.

Not to be deterred, I went all in on my newfound love of TBs and grabbed a '76 Bicentennial TB off of GC, and it should arrive here next week. Not sure if the link still works by the time you click it, but here it is.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

My primary reasons for picking it up were a) my birth year bass was just returned and b) apparently it has its own sub-cult of followers as I hadn't heard about Bicentennials until I started researching that specific year.
I had the same obvious questions you probably had, like "what pickups are in it?" and "what the heck do all those switches do?", but I suppose we all have a surprise coming. Unless, that is, one of you is the former owner of the bass and can let me in on the secret! The GC clerk wasn't much help, but at least he could confirm no neck cracks or repairs, plus it comes with the original Gibson hard shell case. I would never dream of being a collector, so this is a bass I intend to take a main role in my bands, with my other TB serving as my primary gigging bass.

While GC does have an abridged return window on vintage instruments, I'm hoping you guys can help sort this out with me once it does make it in the door. You seem to be the absolute best resource for any specific instrument, even if they aren't 'Birds, so let me know if anything about the listing puts you off.

 

[TBird1958]

First bass player that I can remember taking notice of would probably be duff, then krist novoselic....but honestly at 10 years old I too didn’t know the difference between a bass and a guitar...

Funny story so my mom takes me into Sears a department store when I was 10...1996... I see this white guitar...it looks amazing this is the one I want.... then my mom points out.....

BUT IT ONLY HAS 4 STRINGS!!!!!!!!

I’m like ohhhhhh.... that sucks ( I almost became a bass player much sooner) then I picked up one that had six, this little black soverign. Real piece of crap, worst little amp came with it but I was impressed.... my mom was as broke as a single mother can be... this was a very big deal... unfortunately. I had zero instruction and it went no where. I mean I didn’t even know how to tune it so it always sounded like crap... on top of being a really cheap guitar... without instruction it fell out of sight.... I got myself In a lot of trouble, went to kid jail.... you know what straightened me out a bit????

You’ll never believe it.... Marilyn Manson!!!! Was a good influence! Lol. No way you saw that coming! I read his book and I related to his intelligence. Instead of relating my identity to my socioeconomic background, gutterish, thuggish mentality...like when I listened to and identified with 2pac!!!!!

I instead focused my mind on my more intellectual strengths.

So the BASSIST who really encouraged me to PLAY BASS was Twiggy Ramierz/Jeordie White from Manson, later a Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails. (Has a cool song he did for his own project called goon moon, “sleep with a gun”)

WHERE DID I SEE MY FIRST THUNDERBIRD???? Twiggy Ramierz from Marilyn Manson!

It really started with him for me. He made everything he played look soooooo cool. I know he’s a little....well a lot out there for most of you but I loved the music, the bass lines, the bass tone, the basses. Was awesome. He could make a dress damn manly. As manly as it can be.



View attachment 3240475 View attachment 3240476 View attachment 3240477 View attachment 3240478

This last one is an rd artist one other one was a Gibson les Paul bass. He probably would have looked cool with a stick.

Eh TBird1958.... I googled “Twiggy Ramirez Gibson bass” and under images got this in the results from 2011... pretty legit.

View attachment 3240487

Love your story!

I remember that show, I hadn't played the Jackson out that much, it was at Club Motor on 4th Ave, south of Downtown - long gone.