Thunderbird Club

[GonePlaid]

I'm glad someone got the reference.

While I don't play 'pasture pool', I thought it was a 1 iron.

 

[wolfkeller]

I totally agree. I've just gotten used to thinking of basses as having either gold, chrome, nickel, or black. The occasional bass I see with black and nickel or chrome hasn't done it for me. This does. I appreciate it both for what it is, and for destroying that box I was thinking in. Boxes suck. Thankfully they only exist if you believe in them. That sort of boxes, anyway.

Next thing ya know, 4 different color tuners, led pickups too lol. Warwick is using 2 color tuners now.

 

[GonePlaid]

It would be seriously awkward if my left hand were touching the neck.

Why?

 

[BklynKen]

So you choose silly just because you're left-handed?

(Being silly, of course. I had an explanatory smart-aleck remark but it could have been construed as political, so I removed it.)

Not that silly, I guess, if I played like Geezer used to.

 

[JIO]

I totally agree. I've just gotten used to thinking of basses as having either gold, chrome, nickel, or black. The occasional bass I see with black and nickel or chrome hasn't done it for me. This does. I appreciate it both for what it is, and for destroying that box I was thinking in. Boxes suck. Thankfully they only exist if you believe in them. That sort of boxes, anyway.

 

[jumbodbassman]

asking the tbird club if they have neck dive - you are getting answer from folks who are not bothered by it. you need to go try one out and see if it bothers you. FWIW it does to me, some of my old alder fenders and eb's can dive too. it's what you feel about it not all of us here.

I've always liked the look and feel and sound of the T bird but, aren't they neck heavy? Last thing I need to do is wrestle with my bass .

 

[fasterpussycat]

They have to be slung lower than many basses. Do that and you'll love it(see pic in avatar)

That's low?

 

[GonePlaid]

That's low?

'Twould be lower but mine arse is propped on a stool.

 

[fasterpussycat]

I have not had any issues with neck dive from Thunderbirds with the exception of bolt-on Epiphones. That issue gets solved by moving the upper pin to the heel of the neck. I find that they balance where you put them, unlike other bass shapes that won't let you rotate the neck up. The most neck dive I get from a bass guitar is my Precision, ironically enough. I had a Ric that wanted to be horizontal all the time. No neck dive, but it wouldn't let me move the neck up at all, either. As I understand it, there are Thunderbirds that dive badly. I just haven't played one yet.

My understanding is that a '76, like the one I assume your signature mentions, has the pin on the vestigial upper bout and also has a larger headstock. I'm sure it has some neck dive, especially if the pin is not at the heel of the neck.

Strap pin on the upper bout (as opposed to the anatomically correct neck heel) moves everything at least 5cm out of whack.

 

[fasterpussycat]

It would be seriously awkward if my left hand were touching the neck.

So you choose silly just because you're left-handed?

(Being silly, of course. I had an explanatory smart-aleck remark but it could have been construed as political, so I removed it.)

@BklynKen is a very sinister person.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I'm pretty good at mathing. Based in how fast @godofthunder59 is catching up to @GonePlaid , Scott will be the elder in a decade or so.

Workin those new mathing skills! Otherwise, I think you need at least the Reality Stone or the Time Stone to make that happen.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

@BklynKen is a very sinister person.

Kerr-handed villainous closet FSO owner, I'll bet!

 

[Gaolee]

asking the tbird club if they have neck dive - you are getting answer from folks who are not bothered by it. you need to go try one out and see if it bothers you. FWIW it does to me, some of my old alder fenders and eb's can dive too. it's what you feel about it not all of us here.

I really don't get neck dive from a Gibson of Epiphone. None. Full stop. Each of the three Gibsons and the now fretless Epiphone stay put wherever I want them. My FenderBird has what I would call neck sag more than neck dive. I also have a slippery strap on it, and it's mostly neutral, just not completely. I also have a bolt-on Epiphone with the strap button moved to where it should have been in the first place. It stays put now that it's been modified. That's necessary to make it stay put. I'm happy to grant you that.

A '76 like yours probably does have some dive. The main thing is that anybody who thinks about playing a Thunderbird has to try it to see if it will work. The ergos don't work for everyone, and there are Thunderbirds that dive. Just as there are other bass guitars that dive, but not all Thunderbirds dive any more than all Precisions dive. The conventional wisdom that Thunderbirds are guaranteed divers is not accurate. It is completely accurate to say they are not for everyone, just as Rics are not. The ergos are NOT Fender ergos and they don't act like Fenders.

I don't like Jazz basses at all. So, there's that, too. I do like Precisions and have a keeper. Keeper or not, it does dive a bit.

 

[BklynKen]

@BklynKen is a very sinister person.

Not just sinister, but also quite gauche.

 

[Gaolee]

Not just sinister, but also quite gauche.

That's good.

 

[BklynKen]

That's good.

Only you could see my gaucheness as color.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Not just sinister, but also quite gauche.

So, you're a gaucho? Cool!

 

[dukeorock]

Well guys I turn 60 at the end of the month, I'm not sure I am ready for it lol. I made some changes in my life related to my health a little over a year and a half ago and this picture was a revelation for me, my wife tells me I look 15 years younger. This picture was taken this past weekend at a local music festival and I was shocked at the difference. I'm ready to Rock to the finish line, I'm in three bands and doing sub work and looking for more!
View attachment 3443586

Looking great, Scott!

yes they have neck dive issues.

My Gibson has ZERO neck dive. Perfectly balanced instrument.

not a myth on my basses. and yes if slung low and played with a pick it is more of a non issue. I dont do either. also non reverse is much better.....

Hmm...my non reverse is slightly divey, but not bad. My reverse is perfectly balanced. Different strokes, but my experience is the opposite of yours so far

 

[Thumper]

Not gonna lie, my "76 did neck dive, that's why I got rid of it, although I LOVED the tone and looks. Neck was a little skinny for my taste, which is why my "66J is a hanger queen.

My Lull T5 has a tiny bit of dive, mitigated by a 4" suede backed Italia strap. I wear it a little lower than normal because even my other basses were causing issues after 49 years of playing, and use the lower strap over the front of the bass trick learned here. The 1st fret is farther away than some like, but it doesn't bother me.

Sometimes you have to call a spade a spade. I've never found another bass with all the tones my T5 has, so it's definitely not going anywhere, and it is so sexy, it helps disguise the fact I'm a 67 year old playing Hard Rock with younger folk. Most all the advice I've read in this club is gospel, so you may not have to try before you buy unless you are super finicky about every single aspect of a bass, if so you'll probably never be satisfied anyway....

 

[TBird1958]

Not an issue for this Queen!
Not even a '76, I know what works for me.