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Thunderbird Club

Mudbuckers were speaker destroyers and amp blowers.
Yeah, but if you were careful about volume, you sure could fill a room with low end, even with 40-50 tube watts: Addendum>This isn't mine but I had the same rig. Plugged into Bass Instrument input 1, volume~4, Treble~5, bass@10, presence @10. Gibby EB-3 on Mudbucker. No problems.
1963-Fender-Bassman-004.jpg
 
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Interestingly enough my wife knows Mick Mars' son. Has an unassuming normal job in the area and is building guitars and hoping that takes off. He has interesting stories about growing up with a famous dad in the rock scene. Interesting because they don't fit the public persona you would expect at all.

Enjoy the Thunderbird!
I hope it's called Mars Guitars.
 
With all due respect to everyone here. But i am quoting.

Kudos to Micks son.

Mick is a great guitar player.

Guess i'll slowly show myself the way out now.

I agree, I’ve always thought Mick was a bit underrated. To me he’s a lot like Joey Z from Life of Agony or Angus and Malcom Young in that he always has an absolutely killer tone and amazing taste. Unfortunately metal and hard rock are a corner of the musical world where taste and great tone are not always recognized and fully appreciated, at least not consciously.
 
I always thought Mick Mars was the 'boring' one. A guy who was actually interested in having a lasting career based on writing and performing music rather than indulging in all kinds of brain altering chemistry.
That seems to jive with what his son says. There was the craziness, but Bob sought to have a "normal" family life as much as possible for that line of work and shelter the family from the stupid stuff people see and hear about. Seemed down to earth in real life from what his son says. Like many people, there is the person on stage and then there is the guy who isn't on stage. MC is not my thing, so all I know of them is a few popular songs.

Even his son is "just a guy." My wife knew him for some time before he she knew who his dad was. They were talking one day about me playing bass and some of my cool instruments for some reason and he started talking about his family. He doesn't have the "my dad is famous, and that makes me special" attitude at all. I'm thinking about seeing what basses he might consider making. Hummmmm.... Something along the Thunderbird shape maybe....
 
Prolly more like "Real Deal" Guitars.
Nothing like playing off the name or fame, but I can't recall and the wife is subbing today (post early retirement). Something you wouldn't think of necessarily--and hard for me to remember, apparently. He didn't have a website the last time checked.

Clearly I haven't mastered the multi-quote thing....
 
If that was just about any other bass it would be worth $75....However restored and refinished it could bring North of 6 or 7 grand.
Guitars/musical instruments, paintings/sculptures, tulip bulbs, penny stocks and anything else that is a fad or for which there is not a liquid market should not be treated as investments. Buy them because they "speak" to you and understand that if you ever get anything for them, the proceeds are unlikely to cover the original cost let alone any maintenance/improvements you have "invested" in them. If you make a profit on them, it is unlikely to be a substantial return on investment when the time value of money is considered or if it does return a profit, consider yourself lucky (not smart).