Thunderbird Club

[JJR58]

My version of ghetto.

 

[dagrev]

Long ago......
Classic Thunderbird Pro IV Review

I bought that bass and sent it to Uwe (The Gentleman that owns all the Gibson basses in "The Gibson Bass Book") after playing for about 6 months. The "Classic" is in short, made similarly to Gibson 1988-2014 Birds with the same pickups

In 2018.....Not my thread, I had intended to do a review but kind of let it go, we all chatted it up so much.
Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro vs Classic Pro

I like my Vintage Pro A lot, it's come along (and is packed to go on a trip now) as my drop tuned bass and back up for the past few shows. Right now it has some DR Jonas Hellborg Sig Rounds on it, they aren't a good match and after this trip it'll get some Ken Smith Rockmasters instead. My hands are a bit smallish for a person of my 6'1 1/2 stature, I find the VP neck just a bit bigger than my '76s and it's noticeably larger than my '89. We often try to qualify things by price, neither of these basses need that, they're simply well made instruments.

Thank you very much for taking the time to gather and describe this information! Bookmarked! You are awesome!

As for the modern iterations of the Thunderbird goes, I love my VP. Gibson should slap Gibson on it and sell it for more money! Nicer bass than my '76 (I find the neck very slightly larger with more sharp edges than the VP), and almost sounds as good as my '64 IV. Best secret in the bass world as far as I'm concerned. However, I don't recall playing any of the other modern Gibson or Epis. I did play a Epi Bird of some kind years ago, but was trying out and interested in the cab not the bass, and don't recall a thing about it. Thanks again!

 

[PillO]

My version of ghetto.

I thought that FM had a 'weird' vibe that might appeal to you. Not weird the same way that FZ was, but appealing to the same weird sensibility.

 

[JJR58]

I thought that FM had a 'weird' vibe that might appeal to you. Not weird the same way that FZ was, but appealing to the same weird sensibility.

I'm just weird. However that might be perceived.

Sensibility, what's that?

 

[dagrev]

What?

View attachment 3530786

Pay no mind to that tone control. It's not in the circuit.

More desktop art!!

 

[Lawdawg01]

New to Talkbass, but not the club. In 2004, I finally decided to pull the trigger on a new Thunderbird while I still had the money. Back then, I wasn’t comfortable spending a lot of money online. I called every music store in metro Atlanta and no luck. No one had one. I began calling stores farther and farther away. After about a week, I was calling stores in Alabama and Tennessee. Late one Saturday morning, I called a store in Knoxville, TN and they said they had one on the wall. A few hours later I was driving back to the Atlanta area with this one.

 

[MCF]

The Flamingo bird has me thinking about the fate of my Pro-V. The electronics need changing (and as some would point out burning to ash). And as long as I am going to do that, maybe it needs a refin to a non-stock colour. Metal flake candy apple red? Metal flake pelham blue? Inverness green? Yellow metal flake? Some candy colour burst? The mind boggles at the possibilities.

I vote Pelham Blue!

 

[MCF]

View attachment 3530809 New to Talkbass, but not the club. In 2004, I finally decided to pull the trigger on a new Thunderbird while I still had the money. Back then, I wasn’t comfortable spending a lot of money online. I called every music store in metro Atlanta and no luck. No one had one. I began calling stores farther and farther away. After about a week, I was calling stores in Alabama and Tennessee. Late one Saturday morning, I called a store in Knoxville, TN and they said they had one on the wall. A few hours later I was driving back to the Atlanta area with this one.

We should send that pic to @JimmyM; it might inspire him to join the club.

 

[MCF]

I know. The more I think of it, the more I'm thinking of liquidating my my flock pennies on the dollar before something catastrophic like this happens to me. The marginal tone of these coffee tables is just not worth it.

First dibs!

 

[MCF]

You play through an ACC 360. That's a high standard whether anyone agrees with me or not.

Oh yeah, and it's still Thursday here. The others count too.

View attachment 3530662

I’d search, but we don’t bother with that here. Please remind me which Pups are in your lounging bird.

 

[MCF]

You all have strange ways of measuring the weight of your Thunderbirds. First, we should dispel the notion of weight - we should care about mass. Second, the most accurate method of calculating mass must involve removing your Thunderbird from the Earth's gravitational field then calculating the change in angular momentum of the earth to find the change in mass. Seems like any other method wold be second best... or maybe I have been watching too much Nova on PBS.

Or you’re in outer space.

 

[JimmyM]

We should send that pic to @JimmyM; it might inspire him to join the club.

Ya, not happening. I worship T-Birds from afar. Those with gangly arms can play them.

 

[MCF]

Been feeling like fall here since 1 September. I hope it means we are in for a good ski season.

The patio lanterns are cool!

Much prefer that to Go For Soda. Canadians are so nice.

 

[PillO]

View attachment 3530809 New to Talkbass, but not the club. In 2004, I finally decided to pull the trigger on a new Thunderbird while I still had the money. Back then, I wasn’t comfortable spending a lot of money online. I called every music store in metro Atlanta and no luck. No one had one. I began calling stores farther and farther away. After about a week, I was calling stores in Alabama and Tennessee. Late one Saturday morning, I called a store in Knoxville, TN and they said they had one on the wall. A few hours later I was driving back to the Atlanta area with this one.

It appears that you have a lot of baggage. And it is all in the closet...

 

[MCF]

Indeed. Kim has had a string of Canadian hits (with some minor success in US). He was the front man for Max Webster (a band that Billy Sheehan auditioned for near the end of their run). He left to form his own band.

Max Webster toured with Rush quite extensively. I don't know if they were the opener on the Hemispheres tour (probably were). The Moving pictures tour was my first real rock concert. FM (Nash the Slash's band) opened the show, then Max Webster, then Rush. I don't know that FM was on the whole tour; that may have been just the Toronto show.

FM - very experimental. Nash the Slash was quite a character around Toronto



Max Webster - one of the last songs they did (with Rush)

One of the First

Huh. I think Mick Fleetwood might have borrowed a little something from that Black Noise for his lick on Tusk.

 

[MCF]

My version of ghetto.

Excellent!

 

[RedVee]

View attachment 3530679 There’s definitely a hint of autumn here today, the big green ‘Bird has been hanging in the display case I slipped the Greco in it’s place.

Love your green birds.

Your Subey also, I don’t think I’ve seen a green outback like that here.

Been feeling like fall here since 1 September. I hope it means we are in for a good ski season.

The patio lanterns are cool!

Forecast to hit 28°C today. It's the equivalent of early March for you (and 82.4°F).

30 C forecast for my house on the outskirts. And I leave on the 14th for Queenstown... checking the weather has provided opportunities to “shake head sorrowfully”.

THUNDERBIRDS

 

[fasterpussycat]

Ya, not happening. I worship T-Birds from afar. Those with gangly arms can play them.

Ha, I'm pretty tiny (esp compared to Americans) and don't find them reachy at all.

 

[JimmyM]

Ha, I'm pretty tiny (esp compared to Americans) and don't find them reachy at all.

Well you and your T-Bird have fun, bro, but I find them extremely reachy. I've owned two different Explorer type basses, and I've got no interest in working that hard anymore.

 

[dieselman]

That would be Bro-ette.