Thunderbird Club

[Miles_ONeal]

I will go one better. I like this strap.
LM Products Odin Viking Series Leather Strap - Black
2 1/2 ", not padded, thick leather. Seems like it shouldn't be comfortable, but is perhaps the most comfortable strap I have. (I have a second that gets used with the JC).

Someone- I think you- had mentioned these recently. I'm seriously considering either a Viking or a Valkyrie.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I find mine is plenty long for me, but I am not that tall. A few months ago I started wearing the Thunderbird a couple of inches higher. (There was an over correction that was partly reversed. @GBassNorth can do tank circuit math on that resonance.) There was an observation by my teacher that although he understood the ergonomics of Thunderbirds vs other basses he thought I could improve by raising the bass. He was right.

I realized long ago with guitars that regardless of whether I thought low hangers looked cool, it was the equivalent of running ape hangers on a motorcycle- less control, add pain.

 

[MCF]

Nice!
Edit: Also, I think the bass sounds a lot like Wishbone Ash - The Pilgrim. (Now nobody try to embarrass me by claiming that The Pilgrim was something other than a TBird, because I won't believe you.)

Ok, I won’t. I am not in any way trying to embarrass you. It’s confusing. But I think the original studio version is Turner’s Ric. I think the Live Dates version is on the Tbird he got from Watts. Even more confusing, I think he rewired the bird to stereo at some point.

 

[GBassNorth]

@Chucky Stiletti, ok I will.

Here is another way that you Thunderbird experts might be able to help me.
In this song starting at :10 the bass (a Ric) seems to be played on neck pickup with the tone rolled off.
Can you point me to a song (famous enough so I can hear it on Youtube or Spotify) in which a Thunderbird was played with settings like that and with a tone somewhat like that? Don't need that exact tone, just looking for a comparison.

I'm able to nail that exact tone on my FrankenGoth - which probably isn't very helpful to you since it's so heavily modded (Bart classic Humbuckers and an Aguilar OBP-2 preamp with coil splitting). But the important part that I think makes the difference is the FrankenGoth has La Bella Black Tapewound strings. I suspect you could get exactly to where you want to be by installing Tapewounds, heavily favoring the neck pup and playing up near the neck with a soft pic.

For reference, FrankenGoth settings - neck pup on 50% and bridge pup on 30%, Coil split in full Humbucker mode, bass knob set flat and treb knob set to about 50% cut. Played at the fretboard with a leather pic.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

My fav is still the Italia 4" wide straps.

View attachment 3687366

The 2.5" (6.3cm for you metricophiles) I swiped off one of my guitars has been doing fine so far. I twice borrowed a leather strap with a 4" shoulder for the new bird, and both times my shoulder was sore for a day afterward. That doesn't happen with either bird on the 2.5".

(Typo fixed thanks to PillO).

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Cool pic. But you both look mad! Hope the communication ended well!

"Must be able to grimace musically."

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Each of mine has a 'dedicated' strap that stays with it. THUNDERBIRD:2" D'Addario w/ratchet locks and a sliding gel pad; LPB2/5: 3" leather/denim[opposite sides]; Ibanez semi-hollow: 2" merino wool; Squire VM Jag SS: 3" unknown material

If you had to use just one, which would it be?

(I know, the one that would best get rid of whoever was trying to limit you. But humor me, please. And yes, creatively offing people with a strap humors me. I'm a writer *and* a bass player.)

 

[LetItGrowTone]

Ok, I won’t. I am not in any way trying to embarrass you. It’s confusing. But I think the original studio version is Turner’s Ric. I think the Live Dates version is on the Tbird he got from Watts. Even more confusing, I think he rewired the bird to stereo at some point.

I was kidding.
Oh, mercy, mercy me (with regard to untangling variables and options).
I'll investigate. Thanks for info.

 

[Nocturnal]

This is my most recent strap purchase. I also purchased the long tongue because, well, who doesn't want a longer tongue?? (Insert Gene Simmons joke here). This was NOT a cheap strap, but I have seen much more expensive straps out there. I used all of the Amazon gift cards I received for Christmas so it only cost me just under $20 for it. This will work with all of my reverse bodied Birds so I do not think I need to purchase another strap for any of my other basses. I pretty much have each of my straps assigned to a bass or basses, whichever the case may be. Accessory purchases can add up quick! Good thing I don't buy many pedals.

No Quarter - Leather Guitar Strap

 

[Gaolee]

Honestly any neck pickup will get close to that, a tbird with a little extra treble(counter intuitive I know) will keep it clear. Just have cap value that doesn't get too dark.

That's one of those counterintuitive things, like cutting the bass a little if it's having a hard time with disappearing into the mix. Thunderbirds are good at being a little counterintuitive.

 

[Gaolee]

Right, but I was wondering about width.

You did. And, of course, it led to a tangent. Like it always does around here.

Given a choice, no less than 3" wide. Padded or not does not matter, since Thunderbirds are not that heavy.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

"Must be able to grimace musically."

For you heathens who never read Berkeley Breathed's Bloom County:

Hodgepodge (the rabbit) became the group's drummer. Opus (the penguin (see below)) was the closest they had to a bass player.

 

[Gaolee]

I realized long ago with guitars that regardless of whether I thought low hangers looked cool, it was the equivalent of running ape hangers on a motorcycle- less control, add pain.

Most, yes. But the way I like playing a Thunderbird has it tipped up more than most people do. With a longer strap, I can have the plucking hand relaxed and with a fairly straight wrist, either at the bridge or above the neck pickup. Then the fretting hand ends up elbow out a bit with a more vertical neck, more like playing an upright than playing a 7ender or Ric. It's all relative, and there's no right or wrong way. Kinda like what pots to use with what pickups. You have to do it wrong (for you) a bunch of different ways to find out what's right.

 

[Gaolee]

This is my most recent strap purchase. I also purchased the long tongue because, well, who doesn't want a longer tongue?? (Insert Gene Simmons joke here). This was NOT a cheap strap, but I have seen much more expensive straps out there. I used all of the Amazon gift cards I received for Christmas so it only cost me just under $20 for it. This will work with all of my reverse bodied Birds so I do not think I need to purchase another strap for any of my other basses. I pretty much have each of my straps assigned to a bass or basses, whichever the case may be. Accessory purchases can add up quick! Good thing I don't buy many pedals.

No Quarter - Leather Guitar Strap

They make nice straps. Expensive, but they look like they are probably worth it.

 

[PillO]

Don't get us started again. I wonder if there's such a thing as a ribbon pickup for Thunderbirds. My guess is that the closest to that would be Lace Alumitones.

Condenser mics use a capacitor to pick up sound. The change in capacitance due to vibration is what produces the signal...

 

[DonovanJM]

And accoutrements.

Speaking of which, what's your favorite strap width for a THUNDERBIRD ?

I really like the Levy's 4.5" padded straps. I find them very comfortable.

Guitar Strap - MSS2-4-BLK

 

[PillO]

I realized long ago with guitars that regardless of whether I thought low hangers looked cool, it was the equivalent of running ape hangers on a motorcycle- less control, add pain.

But cool...

 

[PillO]

Someone- I think you- had mentioned these recently. I'm seriously considering either a Viking or a Valkyrie.

If you get the Valkyrie, you will never get this out f your head.

 

[PillO]

The 2.5" (6.3mm for you metricophiles) I swiped off one of my guitars has been doing fine so far. I twice borrowed a leather strap with a 4" shoulder for the new bird, and both times my shoulder was sore for a day afterward. That doesn't happen with either bird on the 2.5".

6.3cm or 63mm

 

[Miles_ONeal]

They make nice straps. Expensive, but they look like they are probably worth it.

I spent (IIRC) somewhere between $250 and $300 on a plain but gorgeous, heavy duty leather shoulder bag to carry my personal computer in. It will probably outlast me (despite my plan to live to at least 120), helped someone in a developing country, won't end up in a landfill, and saves me buying a new computer bag every 3-5 years when the cheaper one wears out.
It was expensive, but it was worth it.
We bought a Lawn Boy mower a few years after we got our first house. It still works. Could have bought a lot cheaper, but it was worth it.
Etc.
THUNDERBIRDS. Seldom cheap. Always worth it.