Thunderbird Club

[GonePlaid]

It was all in fun. He pulls me aside after every one of these pub gigs and tells me how much he appreciates how work and gear I put into making it happen.

A trombonist friend of mine refers to it as a "slide operated tone approximator".

 

[fasterpussycat]

And the spit rags...

A long long time ago in a galaxy far away ... youth orchestra was after brass band, and the cellos had to sit in the same seats as (iirc) the euphoniums. Truly disgusting.

 

[fasterpussycat]

BTW I’m liking the single PU. No fussing around with the “blend”. Just adjust the tone for the appropriate KRANG and go!

Ha! Another convert! At this rate, there will be three of you by the end of next year.

 

[GBassNorth]

And the sad trombone is a timeless classic.

...as is the Ferrari trombone...

 

[dagrev]

A non-Thunderbird player stopping by to ask for advice...

First and foremost, I apologize for asking a question that was likely asked before but search on the subject matter got me pretty much nowhere.

Long story short, after trying 30 or so basses within a matter of a couple of days, my bass-playing-son fell in love, head-over-heals with an Epi Vintage Pro.

I'm not cheap but tend to be frugal and am not necessarily keen on buying new. The problem is that GC used has zero to offer, and what I see on Reverb is priced way too close to new for my liking.

Here's my dilemma: by the time I add a case to VP, I'm looking at close to $900 with taxes. I know that I can pick a used Gibson Bird for 100-150 more.

What am I missing ? Are VPs *that* good when compared to more recent Gibbys ?

The only Birds I have some experience with are Bicentennials, but they are out of the equation, so please educate me...

Thanks in advance.

I haven't gotten to the end, so apologies if someone covered this aspect already.
Big fan of the VPs. I have two, and a '64 and a '76 (and a '64 Embassy). You can't go wrong with any of those options. I will add the Epi Embassy's have the same pickups as the VP and should sound almost identical. The difference is the VP will be a little better made, but the Embassy is about half price of the VP. Something to consider. So the question is: Is your son in love with the sound or the look of the VP? Possibly both as they are fantastic looking. But if he was enamored by the tone, that can be had at a lesser price.

Good summary:
Thunderbird Club

 

[BklynKen]

...as is the Ferrari trombone...

That's amazing.

 

[ajkula66]

So the question is: Is your son in love with the sound or the look of the VP? Possibly both as they are fantastic looking. But if he was enamored by the tone, that can be had at a lesser price.

Good summary:
Thunderbird Club

Thank you for the response.

He actually tried both, and described the Embassy as "very nice" but didn't have the same grin when playing it like he did with the Bird. So yeah, it's got to be Da Bird

 

[dagrev]

Thank you.

VP definitely sounded very aggressive to my ears, and as my son put it "It's dirty but it's my kind of dirty". If that makes any sense.

I can't play a Bird to save a life - ergonomics don't work for me - but the ones I toyed with in the past (which were mostly Bicentennials) sounded far more polite from what I can recall. VP has - to my ears at least - a very recognizable "grind" that reminds me to some extent of my old RD Standard when I played it through an Orange stack. Not the sound for the faint at heart for sure.

Don't let that fool you. Get rid of the fake Rotos they come with and you can get all kinds of sweet tones out of a VP. They even sound great with flats. Yes, I said flats! Boomers or round core strings make them sound thick and massive.

 

[dagrev]

A little recovery news...

I had my first follow up with the surgeon this week. Now that the surgical pain is done, it is time to start working on passive range of motion. Just some gentle stretches several times a day trying to restore range of motion to work out stiffness and make sure I don't end up with troublesome surgical adhesions.

Out of curiosity, I picked up the couch bass and put it on my lap this afternon. Not much I can do yet - fretting is as much/more a shoulder action as a forearm/hand thing. And external rotation is still limited, so reaching the 7th fret is a stretch too much. In time I'll get there, but I will have to try regularly to see where I am.

[edit]
And I am still typing one handed. So, please read everything I post slowly.

Read your posts? We just look for the watermelon pics.

Very glad you are making progress.

 

[dagrev]

Just got myself Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage PRO in ebony and figured I stop by the Club and share some pics with you.

And who knows, maybe I get a number???

Enjoy

Congrats! It looks fantastic!! After some playing time, be sure and give us your impressions.

Visit often for intellectually stimulating conversation. Well, not really.

 

[JJR58]

Ha! Another convert! At this rate, there will be three of you by the end of next year.

I won't be one of those three. Alien, ya know.
Like dialing in that nasty bridge pu'p.

 

[Engle]

Ha! Another convert! At this rate, there will be three of you by the end of next year.

Well I have played more single PU basses than anything over the years. An EBO and an Aria Pro2 SB600 were my main basses for decades. It wasn’t until I built a J and then the Jazz Bass Special and Mann Armstrong found their way to me that I had 2 pickup basses.

 

[Engle]

Thank you for the response.

He actually tried both, and described the Embassy as "very nice" but didn't have the same grin when playing it like he did with the Bird. So yeah, it's got to be Da Bird

Well the Tbird has the look. Once you fall in love with that look, you’re done. (Except for some people with short stubby arms that let their physique stop them)

 

[ajkula66]

Except for some people with short stubby arms that let their physique stop them

Are you talkin' to me ?....

 

[BklynKen]

Well the Tbird has the look. Once you fall in love with that look, you’re done. (Except for some people with short stubby arms that let their physique stop them)

Preconceptions are funny. I'm only about 5'6" and the Thunderbird works great for me.

 

[Gaolee]

As was my suggestion. Although being the worst person in the universe ... Oh well.

How is that different from the usual feline?

 

[Gaolee]

I tried one once. Like fretting worms. Not for me.

That is a good description of weed whacker strings on an upright. Psychobilly guys seem to like them, but they lasted a day on my upright before they had to go.

 

[Gaolee]

A long long time ago in a galaxy far away ... youth orchestra was after brass band, and the cellos had to sit in the same seats as (iirc) the euphoniums. Truly disgusting.

My son is a trumpet player. It took us a while to get him to understand the value of an old towel.

 

[Gaolee]

Thank you for the response.

He actually tried both, and described the Embassy as "very nice" but didn't have the same grin when playing it like he did with the Bird. So yeah, it's got to be Da Bird

Sounds like he is a 'Bird person. They work for you or they don't.

 

[PillO]

Well the Tbird has the look. Once you fall in love with that look, you’re done. (Except for some people with short stubby arms that let their physique stop them)

Being built like a fire hydrant is no impediment to playing a thunderbird!