Thunderbird Club

[Gaolee]

Looks like a Studio to me, where are they getting the 2014 date from?

Probably a dark, moist place.

 

[Gaolee]

You folks musta grew up in a much nicer neighborhood than me! My first rig was whatever crab I could cobble together!
Fairly quickly I got a Sunn 200s with a matching 215 cab. Both had ‘Blues Magoos’ stenciled on the back. Sounded pretty cool unless you wanted to hear yourself over the drummer

My first bass amp was plugging into a record player. It's a miracle nothing burned down or blew up.

 

[TBird1958]

Probably a dark, moist place.

Not mine!

 

[MCF]

I've been on a Dusty jag of late - Dusty and Bowie's Blackstar and Scott Walker. They are all related in that beautiful and strange way.

 

[fasterpussycat]

Looks like a Studio to me, where are they getting the 2014 date from?

I think it's actually showing that one on the right side under "Gallery". The ebony one is sort of an ad. It's a terrible layout.

Looks like a Studio headstock although the lighting is so bad you really can't see any usedul detail in any of the photos.

 

[BklynKen]

Looks like a Studio headstock although the lighting is so bad you really can't see any usedul detail in any of the photos.

Also the bridge and no center block.

 

[fasterpussycat]

Roger, you made think back, it's been 42 years that I've known that Thunderbirds were the bass for me. A bandmate at the time brought his older brother's '76 to rehearsal for me to try - I loved it, more so than my 4001 Rick.

I was 'Thunderbird curious' but never had the opportunity at the time I was playing seriously. I started looking at Thunderbirds on the Epiphone website and thinking 'what if' in 2004 or 2005. I resumed playing again in 2016 and three or four months later had a Thunderbird and there's no going back.

 

[Klondike]

I think it has become a stamp on T-birds because Gibsons at one time were the 'vs' of Fender. (Fenders balanced - Gibsons didn't) I can disagree with a general comparison of T-birds/EB-0 3's to P's and J's. No upper horn = issues. But more than that, it's like Chicago getting the "Windy City" tag. I lived there for 10 years and yes, it got very windy sometimes. But living in the Bay Area near the Pacific Ocean - it gets damn windy here. (like today as a mater of fact) and I'm sure it's windy in other parts of the country as well. But Chicago got the tag, just like T-birds got the tag. I've played a few basses over the years that really neck-dived - way more than any T-bird. Best to just feel fortunate that more people don't gravitate to them.

I'm way behind, sorry for that. I live in a southern suburb of Chicago. Yes Chi town has the moniker The Windy City but that has nothing to do with any wind, has everything to do with the Political Wind. In other words the politicians in Chicago plow a lot of smoke.

 

[PillO]

I'm way behind, sorry for that. I live in a southern suburb of Chicago. Yes Chi town has the moniker The Windy City but that has nothing to do with any wind, has everything to do with the Political Wind. In other words the politicians in Chicago plow a lot of smoke.

That went a different direction than I was expecting... Going back to the large number of Polish immigrants that settled there and their dietary staple of cabbage in various forms...

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Walnut? Ebony?..
Gibson Thunderbird Walnut 2014

Balsa.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Ha! I wish....my first rig was my parent's stereo modified (by me) with a line in....used to work at the Howard Johnson's hauling beach chairs in and out before and after school. bought my first real amp (Sunn 2000S with a Sunn 4X12 cab for 250 bucks) and my Rick from those earnings. The T-Bird came with some money my HS gave me when my 72 P got stolen on campus. I started gigging with my HS music teacher at 15 where he would sign the paperwork (with my parent's permission of course) so I could be in bars (drinking age in FLA was 18 back then) and I would play almost every Friday and Saturday night in hotels and bars in the Ft.Laud area. All those earnings would go to music gear and my car...it wasn't easy at first but still consider myself lucky..

My first rig was an all octal tube PA (two 6L6s of some sort, so between 30W and 50W) into whatever speaker I could get my hands on (so no 30-50W).
Then I got an old tube tape deck, so I used it because I could crank it without frying the speakers. I think it had one 6BQ5/EL84 per channel, so just a few watts.
I was playing guitar at the time. I owned a couple of Kalamazoo 30W bass amps well before I got serious about bass, just because I'm kind of the Kalamazoo amp guy.
When I find the right rig[1] at the right (low) price, I'll get one, just in case I get a chance to use it. The Kal isn't that great, but it works for practice, and at church I go through a SansAmp DI (the head sound guy hates amps on stage).

[1] Still waiting for a neighbor to mention they have an old Ampeg, Sunn, Marshall, or Kustom they need hauled off.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Balsa.

nah, it would look more like this I think..

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

My first rig was an all octal tube PA (two 6L6s of some sort, so between 30W and 50W) into whatever speaker I could get my hands on (so no 30-50W).
Then I got an old tube tape deck, so I used it because I could crank it without frying the speakers. I think it had one 6BQ5/EL84 per channel, so just a few watts.
I was playing guitar at the time. I owned a couple of Kalamazoo 30W bass amps well before I got serious about bass, just because I'm kind of the Kalamazoo amp guy.
When I find the right rig[1] at the right (low) price, I'll get one, just in case I get a chance to use it. The Kal isn't that great, but it works for practice, and at church I go through a SansAmp DI (the head sound guy hates amps on stage).

[1] Still waiting for a neighbor to mention they have an old Ampeg, Sunn, Marshall, or Kustom they need hauled off.

those old reel to reels are becoming very popular for guitar these days. they sound unbelievably good. our guitarist used one as well when kids.
i did a 1940 Victor projector ampilfier for our harp player recently. believe it or not, 2 6L6s but only 10 Watts out. Full class A with interstage transformer for the PS. no global feedback either. the thing screams. he owns a 2k+$$ Harp King that he's selling cause it doesn't even come close to that Victor...

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

I caught the bird flu about 10 years ago and found my my white 08, quickly followed by my Studio V

 

[Count Bassie]

Ha! I wish....my first rig was my parent's stereo modified (by me) with a line in....used to work at the Howard Johnson's hauling beach chairs in and out before and after school. bought my first real amp (Sunn 2000S with a Sunn 4X12 cab for 250 bucks) and my Rick from those earnings. The T-Bird came with some money my HS gave me when my 72 P got stolen on campus. I started gigging with my HS music teacher at 15 where he would sign the paperwork (with my parent's permission of course) so I could be in bars (drinking age in FLA was 18 back then) and I would play almost every Friday and Saturday night in hotels and bars in the Ft.Laud area. All those earnings would go to music gear and my car...it wasn't easy at first but still consider myself lucky..

Sounds pretty lucky actually! Nothing's easy, but that kind of support and opportunity, well it's better than normal. I always like to hear that kind of start in music, or anything.
Good stories! Thanks for sharing that little bit of your alls' starting out.

 

[BklynKen]

My first Thunderbird story is pretty simple. I got one as soon as Gibson allowed me (lefty).

 

[BklynKen]

... and I haven't played anything since, other than my Carvin when the Thunderbird as at the luthier. And whenever I check out other basses online, nothing is ever that tempting because I just love the Thunderbird so much. It can't be topped for me.

 

[JIO]

Roger, you made think back, it's been 42 years that I've known that Thunderbirds were the bass for me. A bandmate at the time brought his older brother's '76 to rehearsal for me to try - I loved it, more so than my 4001 Rick.

Birds of a feather... 55 years here bought my '63 II w/HSC for $150 in '74. (stollen in '78) Got my '64 II W/HSC ($750) a month later - still have it.

 

[JIO]

I'm way behind, sorry for that. I live in a southern suburb of Chicago. Yes Chi town has the moniker The Windy City but that has nothing to do with any wind, has everything to do with the Political Wind. In other words the politicians in Chicago plow a lot of smoke.

Yes, I remember now - but it also can be windy!

 

[MCF]

Wearing the Bird way down low suddenly, and it's very relaxing ...and easy to play for my apparently recently injured wrist. Must be overworked, I just noticed some kind of painful sensation in my left wrist at last Friday's gig. Anyway this new, über-rocker posture seems to be the new place to be for it. And I'll give it to the design of this beauty, it totally works for the rest of my playing parts as well! Right arm is only bent a little, left hand doesn't travel out of the comfort zone. There's the small matter of a different location and path to find/get to notes on the neck, a simple problem solved with practice.

I'm telling you man, I should have had one of these 40 years ago. So glad I've got one now.

Yep. Just patiently waiting for @JimmyM to see the light.

 

[PillO]

Yep. Just patiently waiting for @JimmyM to see the light.

Did someone say see the light?



I saw Jeff Healey open for Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughn in `89. For the encore, all 3 played together. It is probably the best show I ever saw.