Yeah, but I already have a black JC. If I’m buying another bass, it will probably be a Gibson TBird.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club thunderbird
What’s an Italian tuneup? (He asked with some apprehension)
...the 80s are mid scale and heavy as hell...the 2012 reissues are long scale with TB pups...and chrome bridge....some say “the better thunderbirds”....
This thread is DANGEROUS. I have a mere SEVEN basses ( which I used to think was a lot ). Only ONE is a 'Bird. I feel deprived. I am retiring at the end of January so I will not be able to keep up with the rest of you folks, and I will just have to be content with the paltry SEVEN basses that I have - one for EACH day of the week. I think some of you must have warehouses in your yards to store all the 'birds to keep them from flying away. Am I wrong? Am I making a HUGE mistake by retiring and denying myself of more 'birds? What has my life come to? Is there an afterlife where I might obtain more 'BIRDS some day, hopefully far down the road?
Where is my coffee?
I have a total of 25 basses and 5 guitars (of which 15 are Birds of various manufacture). I have no right owning that many basses, especially when you take my talent level into account. But......my good friend down the road has roughly 40 basses/guitars and is always adding to his stable. A high school friend has over 100 plus a a large collection of vintage amps. When my wife questions why I have so many, I deflect on my friends saying "Look how many (insert name here) has!".
FWIW, all of my Gibson Birds sound different than the others. They sound different but you can tell that they are related. My 2001 sounds the best to me, but all sound good.
Some day I will start to thin out the collection, but I am in no hurry.
I agree wholeheartedly with this. My Blitz sounds and feels fantastic!!
Those are some insanely long headstocks, talk about hockey sticks!
Jesus! I thought I was bad at 7 basses and 6 guitars (the guitars are all flip projects, I can't play them).
If she's anything like my wife she probably retorts something about your friends jumping off a bridge.
Honestly, the main thing that keeps my "collection" in check is my wallet. We're in a constant state of disagreement.
godofthunder59
Life is short, buy the bass.
- Feb 19, 2006
- 9,057
- 38,405
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Cataldo Basses, Whirlwind products, Thunderbucker pickups
How about this
Ibanez Destroyer Bass 2459B 1977 Natural with Case Ibanez Destroyer Bass 2459B 1977 Natural with Case
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,897
- 142,236
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
How about this
Whoa! Quite a price tag on that one too!
I like it! But, I'll stick with my Destroyer. It's a mid-80s of some sort (I did some digging and it has to be either an 84 or 85 or 86 model). I've owned it since '89 and I'll never sell it, even though it's been butchered plenty.How about this
godofthunder59
Life is short, buy the bass.
- Feb 19, 2006
- 9,057
- 38,405
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Cataldo Basses, Whirlwind products, Thunderbucker pickups
godofthunder59
Life is short, buy the bass.
- Feb 19, 2006
- 9,057
- 38,405
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Cataldo Basses, Whirlwind products, Thunderbucker pickups
My '76 Destroyer bought it new in '76, it's been modded over the years.I like it! But, I'll stick with my Destroyer. It's a mid-80s of some sort (I did some digging and it has to be either an 84 or 85 or 86 model). I've owned it since '89 and I'll never sell it, even though it's been butchered plenty.
There was a period when I had four in the house -- the NR41 KatBird, the Orville, the JAEbird and the formerly Epi ProIV. It seemed like a lot. Three still seems like a lot.
That’s what I was doing when it died!
I bought mine out of a guys' trunk one dark night. Second bass I ever owned, I was 17 years old and was more interested in the cool shape than anything else. Plus, I was in a "metal" band (I use quotes because it was more a cross between Queesnryche and Motley Crue) at the time and it looked the part. It was a mess when I got it. Former owner had hogged out the humbucker slot and put a P pickup in there. It had an active set of EMGs in it already, but the J pup didn't work because one of the wires had fallen off the pot and I had no clue how to fix it because I didn't even know where it went, much less how to solder. The entire front of it had been painted with that crackle "rock look" texture finish spray paint, and since it wasn't prepped at all the spray paint job was literally falling off if you touched it, so he had taken a razor blade and scraped it back off, leaving scratches all over the front of it. But, he had the case with it and that sealed the deal for me! I played it like that until the volume knob for the one working pup finally broke the shaft off, of course when it was shut off. It sat in my closet for decades (literally two of them) before I pulled it out and said "You know what? I'm putting this thing back together!" I gave her a brand new set of EMGs and my own custom swirl paintjob, first swirl I ever did. As a hair metal guy and lover of all thing neon, my trusty axe now looks like this -
If you look at the bridge, you can see the bad attempt at the spray paint rock texture that got scraped back off. I keep telling myself she needs a new bridge, but this one works, it just looks ugly. I'll probably pull it off and go through it and repaint the pieces.
Is it a collector's item? No, probably not any more. Will it ever be for sale? Not before I'm dead!
So, are we're counting these as "birds"?
Interesting look with that pickguard.
...my favorite explorer....dean metalman z..... chinabucker....hipshot tuners...
Related to a bird anyway, and glad you posted the story/pic!I bought mine out of a guys' trunk one dark night. Second bass I ever owned, I was 17 years old and was more interested in the cool shape than anything else. Plus, I was in a "metal" band (I use quotes because it was more a cross between Queesnryche and Motley Crue) at the time and it looked the part. It was a mess when I got it. Former owner had hogged out the humbucker slot and put a P pickup in there. It had an active set of EMGs in it already, but the J pup didn't work because one of the wires had fallen off the pot and I had no clue how to fix it because I didn't even know where it went, much less how to solder. The entire front of it had been painted with that crackle "rock look" texture finish spray paint, and since it wasn't prepped at all the spray paint job was literally falling off if you touched it, so he had taken a razor blade and scraped it back off, leaving scratches all over the front of it. But, he had the case with it and that sealed the deal for me! I played it like that until the volume knob for the one working pup finally broke the shaft off, of course when it was shut off. It sat in my closet for decades (literally two of them) before I pulled it out and said "You know what? I'm putting this thing back together!" I gave her a brand new set of EMGs and my own custom swirl paintjob, first swirl I ever did. As a hair metal guy and lover of all thing neon, my trusty axe now looks like this -
View attachment 3638150
If you look at the bridge, you can see the bad attempt at the spray paint rock texture that got scraped back off. I keep telling myself she needs a new bridge, but this one works, it just looks ugly. I'll probably pull it off and go through it and repaint the pieces.
Is it a collector's item? No, probably not any more. Will it ever be for sale? Not before I'm dead!
So, are we're counting these as "birds"?
I'm gonna go out on a limb and make an assumption that Ibanezes from this era all sound good. Bob Mould played an Ibanez Flying V in Husker Du and it sounded great.
