Thunderbird Club

[BklynKen]

There’s a thumb rest sitting on the pickup ring.

Duh! I need to slow down, put my glasses on, and remember he plays upside down or whatever he does.

oh - yes - it's there... very stealthy...

Bingo! Yes, the pickup is way narrower than the TB+, so I had no distance to rest my thumb and have room to get to the E string. The pickup rings are too low to the body to get me to the higher strings, so this gives me pretty much what I need now. It could be slightly further from the string, but like everything else with this bass, I'll get used to it. I'm not really doing much with it until I'm done with this current project, next week.

 

[BklynKen]

I'm glad some of you couldn't even see it. That means it doesn't stick out like a... sore thumb. The TB+ makes a really comfortable thumb rest for me.

 

[Gaolee]

Cool. I briefly toyed with the idea of getting a lefty Fender Jag imported from Japan, but between the price and the weight, I decided against it.

I am surprised they are heavy. They look like they would be light weight.

 

[JIO]

I don’t think it would do much for me, but at least it doesn’t look weird like some of them.

Luckily I developed a right hand pinky finger-'stilt' routine so I really don't have a need for external 'rests' but everyone has their own preference.

Sorta' strange fleshy pic but shows what I'm talking about... (fingers look really fat... must be the lens... )

 

[Gaolee]

I'm with you. I've got a couple Js but likely my least favorite kind of bass I own. Honky or hollow if not careful with strings. One has GHS flats and the other Fender Pure Nickles. They sound pretty good. As fore the bridge PU--I don't care for the burpy thing. But T-Birds do have a nice bridge only PU, if wanted.

I guess one of my favorite Jazz sounds is the thick J of Mike Levine of Triumph. Others have some great sounds but I can't replicate those either.

I recently played with a guy who wanted a harsh overdriven sound. So I dimmed the bridge pickup on the '01, rolled off the neck and tore the strings off it down by the bridge. He liked it. I thought it sounded harsh and didn't like it. This story has no moral except that Thunderbird can also sound bad if you want them to.

 

[JIO]

I recently played with a guy who wanted a harsh overdriven sound. So I dimmed the bridge pickup on the '01, rolled off the neck and tore the strings off it down by the bridge. He liked it. I thought it sounded harsh and didn't like it. This story has no moral except that Thunderbird can also sound bad if you want them to.

"Bad" is a relative term (as you know)

 

[Gaolee]

Luckily I developed a right hand pinky finger-'stilt' routine so I really don't have a need for external 'rests' but everyone has their own preference.

Sorta' strange fleshy pic but shows what I'm talking about... (fingers look really fat... must be the lens... )

View attachment 3517988

I used to anchor a thumb. Now I don't. It happened without me even noticing the technique change. That seems to happen every now and then.

 

[Gaolee]

"Bad" is a relative term (as you know)

If the BL is happy with the sound, my opinion is secondary anyway.

 

[GonePlaid]

I love the Jaguar body style. Is it heavy? The guitarist in the thing I'm currently playing in plays a Squier Jaguar guitar. It's really nice. I'm playing a THUNDERBIRD.

No, the Jag is pretty light. It is short scale, tho.

 

[GonePlaid]

Luckily I developed a right hand pinky finger-'stilt' routine so I really don't have a need for external 'rests' but everyone has their own preference.

Sorta' strange fleshy pic but shows what I'm talking about... (fingers look really fat... must be the lens... )

View attachment 3517988

OK, we'll go with that.

 

[MCF]

I used to anchor a thumb. Now I don't. It happened without me even noticing the technique change. That seems to happen every now and then.

I float the thumb up and down. Works to mute and keeps my fingers, two, sometimes three, moving fast.

 

[BklynKen]

I am surprised they are heavy. They look like they would be light weight.

No, the Jag is pretty light. It is short scale, tho.

Yeah, I was told the Fender was over 9 lbs. Freakin' Fenders.

 

[JIO]

OK, we'll go with that.

 

[Count Bassie]

Yeah, I was told the Fender was over 9 lbs. Freakin' Fenders.

Yeah. They ain't no THUNDERBIRDS!!

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Luckily I developed a right hand pinky finger-'stilt' routine so I really don't have a need for external 'rests' but everyone has their own preference.

Sorta' strange fleshy pic but shows what I'm talking about... (fingers look really fat... must be the lens... )

View attachment 3517988

Dano? that pickup...

 

[D.M.N.]

Just was sent some footage of a show I did last week with a buddy of mine. Some mistakes, but not bad for one practice (and the keyboard player just walking up to join us), and the BaCH sounded pretty good, even if it was through an Ampeg.

 

[GBassNorth]

I float the thumb up and down. Works to mute and keeps my fingers, two, sometimes three, moving fast.

Same here. Floating thumb just feels natural and does a good job at muting. Except I'm usually a single finger player, sometimes if the song needs it I'll use two, very rarely three.

 

[BklynKen]

Just was sent some footage of a show I did last week with a buddy of mine. Some mistakes, but not bad for one practice (and the keyboard player just walking up to join us), and the BaCH sounded pretty good, even if it was through an Ampeg.

Excellent!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

My daughter’s Jag SS is really light. It’s a decent instrument that I often bring as a backup because it fits easily into my truck’s lockbox.

I love how y’all share.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I'm glad some of you couldn't even see it. That means it doesn't stick out like a... sore thumb. The TB+ makes a really comfortable thumb rest for me.

I only saw it because I remembered the discussion and knew what I was looking for.