Thunderbird Club

[Miles_ONeal]

Miss some of the info and people here but love all the free time. Lol. Which I just obsessively threw back into motorcycles.... gotta be obsessed with something. Doing nothing sucks. They’re like guitars you can ride.....Was messaged over the color note correspondence thread. Glad to see you’re all rocking....another 1000 pages later.

Wondered where you went! What bike? I miss mine.

 

[Gaolee]

Guys and gals. This is just getting sad. I weighed in with my concern. I’m at a loss. I’ll stick my neck out. Please don’t cut my head off. Gibson is just being stupid, IMO.
Gibson strikes again!

Being a big fan of Gibson guitars and basses does not automatically translate into being a big fan of Gibson ownership and management. Henry J was bad enough. These guys seem to be bad enough, just in a different way. I hope they do not kill it with short sightedness and greed.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

View attachment 3458201 This is the photo that he used. It’s from our last show back in April. He told me that he’d been looking for a picture of me to go by, and when this one was posted by a fan, he went for it. He said it took him 7-8 hours to paint.

That's freaking awesome. And gorgeous.

 

[BurtMacklinFBI]

Do 'they' think that's gonna encourage people to buy Gibsons? Probably destroy any good will that was being garnered.

Maybe they’re hoping Reverend will pony up a licensing fee? I dunno. I haven’t changed my view from the first thread about that Gibson YouTube video, though; I find it very, very difficult to believe that a significant number of people will change their buying decisions based on this.

 

[kringle77]

Finally, I get to join the club! I had a Blackbird wayyyyy back (2003-4 or so) but these days my left shoulder can’t stand the reach of a full sized Bird.

Last week the stars happened to align, and I had the money and the opportunity at the same time to buy a rare 2011 T-bird Shorty! It’s not pristine - there is PLENTY of mojo on it and it could use new strings and a loving setup - but right out of the (also beat) case I think it’s pretty damn good. I’ll probably look for advice on stuff like relocating strap buttons for best balance.
- Favorite sound so far is tone dimed, bridge dimed, neck about 6/10 - putting the neck pup full volume is a little too much boom (and that’s with the neck pup physically lower, farther from the strings than the bridge pup!).
- Heavier than I expected at 8 lbs; not a boat anchor but I’ll need to put it down from time to time - I’m older than I probably look, and my left shoulder is positively made of gravel and fire.

View attachment 3458161

I have definitely been looking for a short scale bird. My custom shop version just wasn't happening so, now Im back in the market. The neck dive and long reach of a regular bird has pushed me in the direction of the shortscale, which is supposed to be better on both counts. If you feel like passing it on, please pm me. Thanks!

 

[GonePlaid]

Being a big fan of Gibson guitars and basses does not automatically translate into being a big fan of Gibson ownership and management. Henry J was bad enough. These guys seem to be bad enough, just in a different way. I hope they do not kill it with short sightedness and greed.

Just so I get my Epiphone RI, NR, VP, Thunderbird II (or IV) in Inverness Green* before they implode.

*I'll accept dark cherry or walnut

 

[DDXdesign]

I have definitely been looking for a short scale bird. My custom shop version just wasn't happening so, now Im back in the market. The neck dive and long reach of a regular bird has pushed me in the direction of the shortscale, which is supposed to be better on both counts. If you feel like passing it on, please pm me. Thanks!

You'll be the first call if so, sir. Note: This one apparently came from the punk band SNFU, so, like I said, it's got mojo rubs and dings on just about every edge, and the case has seen far better days, but I actually like stuff like that on my basses. If you're looking for a closet queen mine would not fit that bill (unless I beg Kevin Brubaker to work his refurbing magic on it like he did my Basslab, of course.)

 

[Markamb1]

Wondered where you went! What bike? I miss mine.

I’ll get some pics this weekend

 

[JIO]

1960s Japanese weirdness is it's own kind of perfection. I had an amazing hollow-body short scale bass that was 1960s Japanese and was finished with a lurid burst that I could only call porno-burst. It was way beyond the most vibrant 3-color Fender burst. The headstock was also burst, just to add to the fun, and it had a huge pickguard that covered half of the f-holes. The pots worked backwards, and it had a big pickup that looked like a P-90 that had grown to mudbucker size. The neck was built like a glue-lam beam and was enormous. It had a truss rod, but I don't know why it needed one the way the neck was built. It was almost like what might happen when you get a brief glimpse of a picture of what you want to build, and then build it from a somewhat faulty memory. It sounded really good, too. I didn't keep it because I just never had a way to incorporate its sound. It sounded as much like an upright as any bass guitar ever could. Since I play an upright most of the time these days, it was redundant. But, it sure was a great example and I kinda miss having it around.

Yep, many cool features with those Japanese guitars/basses. They produced so many different styles and versions over the (60's) decade. The multi-lam necks that were so 'unique' on an 80's Kubicki Ex-Factor appeared on a number of guitars/short-scale basses then. And yes, the tone knob was reversed so full up = full bass tone. Sorta makes sense on a bass. Pu's were hot and many on guitars - 4 Pu's were common. I agree that 1960s Japanese weirdness is it's own kind of perfection.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Yep, many cool features with those Japanese guitars/basses. They produced so many different styles and versions over the (60's) decade. The multi-lam necks that were so 'unique' on an 80's Kubicki Ex-Factor appeared on a number of guitars/short-scale basses then. And yes, the tone knob was reversed so full up = full bass tone. Sorta makes sense on a bass. Pu's were hot and many on guitars - 4 Pu's were common. I agree that 1960s Japanese weirdness is it's own kind of perfection.

I wanted a 4 pickup guitar out of the Lafayette Electronics catalog so badly.

 

[JIO]

I wanted a 4 pickup guitar out of the Lafayette Electronics catalog so badly.

It's pretty funny - you can imagine the thought process back then... American Stratocaster has 3 pu's - make one with 4 pu's so it will be more attractive to buy!

 

[PillO]

Guys and gals. This is just getting sad. I weighed in with my concern. I’m at a loss. I’ll stick my neck out. Please don’t cut my head off. Gibson is just being stupid, IMO.
Gibson strikes again!

Yeah, they are. It’s a silly thing to be getting up to. Companies do things all the time that I think they shouldn’t, though; there are a lot of companies out there deforesting the rain forest, polluting, using sweatshop labor, giving Nazis a platform to Nazi at people from, etc. A guitar company being shagy to another guitar company over a body design is the definition of low f@%king priority for me.

Not to pick on either of you specifically, but people get this wrong.
From the outside, the course of events is - product disappears from website with note that it is due to Gibson cease and desist. Gibson are bastards.

From the inside, the process is much more involved. The first thing that happens is a cease and desist letter. That gets shown to corporate counsel who present what the options are. Options include: choose to negotiate a license, choose to fight it out in court, choose to ignore it and hope it all goes away (but be prepared to go to court), choose to discontinue product.

None of us (unless someone here is counsel to Reverend or Gibson, and if so is probably bound by confidentiality) know what decisions were made internally. I can bet that the process took at least 3 months and probably took a year or more. An assessment of the ability to fight (cost as well as likely outcome) indicated that it was a poor option for any number of reasons including that perhaps they don't sell many. An assessment of the license negotiation process indicated that they could not raise the price of the item enough to compensate for the added cost. So the decision was to let the product line go thereby complying with the cease and desist.

On the inside, both sides made a series of decisions that resulted in a business decision to stop production.

 

[RedVee]

And charming as well; "Dusty wodes where they had gone..."

Lili Von Shtupp ?

 

[RedVee]

View attachment 3458195 View attachment 3458196 So..... My friend and I grew up together, and we formed and have been in the same band for over 20 years is an amazing artist. Not only an incredible musician, but he paints, draws, sculpts, etc. I’ve known him since I was about 10 years old, and we have had a lot of good times, especially in our band. Well, I was about to mow the lawn this afternoon, and I get a text. It’s his wife, asking if I’m home and if they can stop by for a minute. I said, “Of course, I’m out in the yard”. They roll in, and give me this.




I was speechless. It’s a priceless gift, and I just wanted to share it with you guys in the Tbird club.

That’s great!

 

[RedVee]

This Gibson kerfuffle. Is there any real difference to the way Rickenbacker goes after copyists?
I don’t understand enough about the situation.

 

[RedVee]

This morning, around 14 hours ago, I saw a Facebook post from Alice Coopers bassist asking if he should take his Thunderbirds on tour with Alice. Pictures were a Gibson and an Epiphone VP.

I voted yes.

 

[Count Bassie]

Better yet, turn to page six and look at those Fender offerings on the upper right corner. They have an oddly familiar shape to them.... I just can't quite figure out where I've seen a shape like that before.



Maybe an RD Artist, meets Jaguar gets blended with Thunderbird and has an EB13 pickguard slapped on it?

If this weren't a Fender I could dig it, makes sense d.i.y.ing a 'best of' axe in your garage/woodshop. But... this just looks a little pathetic, like someone's running out of ideas.

Edit... like automobile manufacturers all making the same rounded, capsule-like coupe/sedan/hatchback thing with poor driver visibility. Maybe for more "economic" reasons, but the same kind of trend. Power tools too. Everything... a streamlined, homogeneous, artless environment.

I'm glad there are some adventurous musicians still producing work.

 

[PillO]

This Gibson kerfuffle. Is there any real difference to the way Rickenbacker goes after copyists?
I don’t understand enough about the situation.

From the outside, yes they are different. There is a pig pile of people who have no interest in owning a Gibson figuratively yelling and screaming on the internet (Glen Fricker may be literally yelling and screaming, but I find him far too obnoxious to watch).

From the inside - unless someone here is an insider, we don't know. But probably. Rickenbacker has had no interest in any licensing arrangements. They just want all copying to stop. I suspect that Gibson is very willing to negotiate licenses and public posturing is all part of the negotiation process.

 

[Count Bassie]

From the outside, yes they are different. There is a pig pile of people who have no interest in owning a Gibson figuratively yelling and screaming on the internet (Glen Fricker may be literally yelling and screaming, but I find him far too obnoxious to watch).

From the inside - unless someone here is an insider, we don't know. But probably. Rickenbacker has had no interest in any licensing arrangements. They just want all copying to stop. I suspect that Gibson is very willing to negotiate licenses and public posturing is all part of the negotiation process.

Chasing errant ducks into line.

 

[RedVee]

NUD

Picked up a Tenor Ukulele today in an attempt to keep my little group ticking along. A bit of variation.