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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
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- Tags
- club thunderbird
we get prime rib tomorrow night....stoked...
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,589
- 221,974
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
? (culled from the net) How bout' this one? (Alices's last Friday) A different kind of Spyder...
The Moto processor instruction sets I worked with were nowhere near as funky as Intel's which have been bizarro from day 1.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,589
- 221,974
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
550 Spyder Convertible (and Jimmy Dean)
While filming Rebel Without A Cause, James Dean had upgraded from the 356 to the 550 Spyder and decided that he wanted to make it uniquely his. Dean called upon George Barris, of movie car fame, to customize the Porsche. He gave it tartan seats, two red stripes over the rear wheels and plastered the number ‘130’ on its doors, hood and engine cover. The name “Little Bastard” was given by Dean language coach, Bill Hickman, and was later painted on the car by master pin striper, Dean Jeffries. On September 23 of 1955, Dean met actor Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kebobi) outside of a restaurant and had him take a look at the Spyder. Guinness told Dean that the car had a “sinister” appearance and then told Dean: “If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week.” Seven days later, Dean would be killed in his beloved “Little Bastard.” Cue the Unsolved Mysteries theme song.
Now I know why Ashdown named my 550w amp "Spyder" and another 550w amp "Little Bastard"
While filming Rebel Without A Cause, James Dean had upgraded from the 356 to the 550 Spyder and decided that he wanted to make it uniquely his. Dean called upon George Barris, of movie car fame, to customize the Porsche. He gave it tartan seats, two red stripes over the rear wheels and plastered the number ‘130’ on its doors, hood and engine cover. The name “Little Bastard” was given by Dean language coach, Bill Hickman, and was later painted on the car by master pin striper, Dean Jeffries. On September 23 of 1955, Dean met actor Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kebobi) outside of a restaurant and had him take a look at the Spyder. Guinness told Dean that the car had a “sinister” appearance and then told Dean: “If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week.” Seven days later, Dean would be killed in his beloved “Little Bastard.” Cue the Unsolved Mysteries theme song.
Now I know why Ashdown named my 550w amp "Spyder" and another 550w amp "Little Bastard"
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Porsche 550.....uber cool...Dean ate it in one of those (CA-41 not far)...I was there Saturday....with this guy....I go to Alice's as much as I can when we play AppleJacks..? (culled from the net) How bout' this one? (Alices's last Friday) A different kind of Spyder...
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- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,589
- 221,974
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
As long as we are discussing Triumph cars, my first car looked like this, only no front bumper, no rear view mirrors, and a black interior. And maybe a bit less shine. It it had the same long doors (no visible rocker panel) as this one. It sure was fun. From the factory, it had no outside door handles, no radio, nowhere to put a radio, no heater, no defroster, no windows, and a top that wouldn't stay on. It was the perfect car.One of my favorite cars.
PAH, dead link. Let's try again.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,898
- 142,244
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Am I surprised an English car would have doors without handles...........No.
Cool, let's talk Porsche! (Changed my avatar for the occasion)? (culled from the net) How bout' this one? (Alices's last Friday) A different kind of Spyder...
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You don't see many of the original (non kit car) 550 spyders driving around. I think they made less than 100 of them, not sure how many are left but last I heard they were selling for over $3,000,000 on auction. I go to Porsche events across the country and I've only ever seen one authentic one and it was in a private collection.
Truth be told, a lot of the Beck Spyders could easily out handle the original 550. These are tiny little cars, very much a death trap in a collision of any significance. To put things in perspective, a Mazda Miata is about 8" taller than the original 550. Low horsepower but super light for a great power to weight ratio. I'm sure they're a blast to drive. I've thought about buying a Beck replica for the sheer fun of driving it but I couldn't ever take it to a Porsche event, unfortunately replicas are pretty much frowned upon by most Porsche car clubs. In fact it's only in the last couple of years that Porsche 356 Outlaws started being accepted.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Or a top that wouldn't stay on. It rains in England, but stiff upper lip and all that. If it's wet, we get wet and carry on. Comfort is for Germans and the French. Or Italians, who are comfortable and stylish, but stationary because the Alfa dropped a valve again.
The doors had an interior chain that was attached to the door at one end and a post attached to the spring loaded latch at the other end. No handle inside and no handle outside. It was the finest in 1954 British technology. Before analog had been invented, let alone digital.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Which is why I don't much care for purist type clubs. The Triumph guys I was around back when were perfectly happy to attempt things like stuffing a V8 into a TR-3 or a Spitfire to see how it would work. You can imagine the challenges and the shade tree swap results. Hilarity generally ensued.
I sure miss the TR-2. It's probably why I happily ride motorcycles all winter.
Lack of purist issues is another reason to love this club, too.
Porsches and Motorcycles. I'm down with that.
I'll just have the mashed potatoes and gravy please...Looks like something I'd deep fry a turkey in.
..
Hey guys:
Got the Epi Thunderbird IV in a trade today. Pretty cool bass. It came with a decent hard shell case. I do have a few minor concerns...
The 4 set screws for the neck look either rusted or discolored, except for one. They were a slight bit loose, so I snugged them up. Also, the screws for the pickups look a bit rusted also. Rest of the bass looks like it’s in great shape, so I’m kinda scratching my head about the rusty screws.
The 3 bolt bridge is pretty silly. I adjusted the trussrod and set the action as low as I could... action is still a little high but I can’t lower the bridge any more. Looks like a new bridge is in order.
The strings (roundwounds) are relatively new. Whomever put them on didn’t know what they were doing. No biggie, I’m going to put some GHS Precision Flats on.
Also, the neckdive is noticeable. I believe that relocating the strap button to the heel of the neck should resolve the issue.
Last thing...
I usually (naturally) place my plucking hand (thumb) on the neck pickup. With the Bird, my thumb naturally goes to the bridge pup. Not a big deal, I just like the tone (for most the songs I play) with my thumb on the neck pup. That’s something that will happen once I play the bass for a while. Something I need to think about consciously now but will eventually come naturally over time.
I guess I can consider myself a member to the Bird Club. I’ll be frequenting this thread often.
Got the Epi Thunderbird IV in a trade today. Pretty cool bass. It came with a decent hard shell case. I do have a few minor concerns...
The 4 set screws for the neck look either rusted or discolored, except for one. They were a slight bit loose, so I snugged them up. Also, the screws for the pickups look a bit rusted also. Rest of the bass looks like it’s in great shape, so I’m kinda scratching my head about the rusty screws.
The 3 bolt bridge is pretty silly. I adjusted the trussrod and set the action as low as I could... action is still a little high but I can’t lower the bridge any more. Looks like a new bridge is in order.
The strings (roundwounds) are relatively new. Whomever put them on didn’t know what they were doing. No biggie, I’m going to put some GHS Precision Flats on.
Also, the neckdive is noticeable. I believe that relocating the strap button to the heel of the neck should resolve the issue.
Last thing...
I usually (naturally) place my plucking hand (thumb) on the neck pickup. With the Bird, my thumb naturally goes to the bridge pup. Not a big deal, I just like the tone (for most the songs I play) with my thumb on the neck pup. That’s something that will happen once I play the bass for a while. Something I need to think about consciously now but will eventually come naturally over time.
I guess I can consider myself a member to the Bird Club. I’ll be frequenting this thread often.
The original owner of my 1991 BMW M3 sold it to get a Porsche 956. I ended up getting in touch with him and he didn't seem pleased that I had installed a roll bar for track use. But damn was that car a badass on the race track. It was born for it.
Wow, I'm impressed! A 956 is a heck of a trade up from a 1991 M3.
Porsche 956
Are you sure it wasn't a 356?
As long as we are discussing Triumph cars, my first car looked like this, only no front bumper, no rear view mirrors, and a black interior. And maybe a bit less shine. It it had the same long doors (no visible rocker panel) as this one. It sure was fun. From the factory, it had no outside door handles, no radio, nowhere to put a radio, no heater, no defroster, no windows, and a top that wouldn't stay on. It was the perfect car.
PAH, dead link. Let's try again.
