Thunderbird Club

[MCF]

I have noticed the same dead spot on Fender basses and Thunderbirds. My EB-2, the 2001 Thunderbird, the fretless 'Bird, and the FenderBird do not seem to have any. I have not noticed one on the 2013 EB, and the dead spot is minimal to the point that it is sometimes there, sometimes not on the 2015 and the FlamingoBird, a 1991. The Ric I had was completely dead around the seventh fret on the G string. Tweaking it helped, but it didn't go away.

Point being that setup makes a difference, the individual bass makes a difference, but I am not convinced that the way the bass is built matters when it comes to dead spots.

My MIM P is weak at C on G. Not dead. It’s weak at C# on my Deluxe Precision. The ‘15 and the NR have a barely perceptible weak spots at the same place, but I can’t really notice them. My bolt-ons are the same, The Goth maybe being the most noticeable of the three. None of them bother me. And you have to go listening for them to even know about them. I suppose if it was really noticeable on a bass, I might be discouraged with it, but none of my basses bug me like that.

My Foundation is the only bass I have that I can truthfully say has no difference in resonance or sustain on any note on any string. The neck on it amazing.

 

[MCF]

Interestingly enough, my first car was brown. A Plymouth with a beautifully deep and rich brown with subtle metallic gold flake (factory color). Possibly the nicest brown I've ever seen. And with the white vinyl top eek it looked great--for the time, maybe even now. Chrysler likely had more horriable earth tones and other deigns than anyone over the years. But this one worked. So it can look good in certain contests, even for me. I had that car when I bought my first Thunderbird.

I had a ‘73 Satellite Coupe that color for a few years, ‘83 to ‘86. Stripped the peeling vinyl and painted the roof an off white. Stock 318. Decent car.

 

[MCF]

Yes, like any other colour there are good and bad examples. In the late '60s there was a brown we all used to refer to as monkey brown

Brown is also the colour of rust...

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and the future...

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Renault engines? Not surprised never saw one.

 

[dagrev]

'74 Valiant four door, slant 6?

'72 Ply Scamp with 318! Yes, it was ungodly peppy if you could keep the the tires from spinning.

 

[dagrev]

I had a ‘73 Satellite Coupe that color for a few years, ‘83 to ‘86. Stripped the peeling vinyl and painted the roof an off white. Stock 318. Decent car.

I've had several 318's over the years and never had a bad one. I'm not sure you could make one run bad. I took a carburetor off of one Chrysler that I never could get right, and put it on Dodge with a 318 and it ran just as good as before. That and the 225 were the best engines for the average non-muscle car.

 

[JJR58]

Self isolation. I can do this.

 

[godofthunder59]

Self isolation. I can do this.

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Hang in there! At least you have your basses! I recognize the one

 

[Count Bassie]

Off topic, sort of, but still Thunderbird relevant, as we all want to live sho we can play our Thunderbirds...
Mods please let this one slide... and read.

A friend sent me info from a lab working with the coronavirus we're dealing with. The audio won't load here, but in brief:
*If coming in from the street, lose clothes and wash them, and bathe immediately- don't sit down. The virus sticks to clothing and hair.
If you can't wash your clothes, hang them in direct sunlight, outside.
*Drink hot liquids- coffee, tea, soup...
*Drink warm water, sips every 20 minutes if you can. Do not drink or eat anything cold.
*Eat fruits and vegetables.
*Gargle with something antiseptic every day if possible. Vinegar, salt, lemon, w/warm water.
*Virus sticks to hair & clothes. Go directly to bathe when coming in from street, wash clothes- or at least hang them in direct sunlight. That kills the virus.
*Keep metallic surfaces clean- this thing can last 9 days on metal.
*Handrails, doorknobs, etc., keep clean.
*Smoking is out.
*Wash hands when you touch stuff, 20 seconds with foaming soap.
*Did I mention fruits and vegetables...
*Animals do not transfer the virus to people, only people do.
*Feel a sore throat coming? Gargle...

We all know some of this, but stay on top of it. If you haven't done some of this, just start. Me too...

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

I've had several 318's over the years and never had a bad one. I'm not sure you could make one run bad. I took a carburetor off of one Chrysler that I never could get right, and put it on Dodge with a 318 and it ran just as good as before. That and the 225 were the best engines for the average non-muscle car.

the slant 6 had a 300000 mile club...they had to literally end-of-life it because it was affecting sales...

 

[dagrev]

Self isolation. I can do this.

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You can do it! And looks like you're in fine company! Never had a bass give me any static.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Self isolation. I can do this.

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You da man Jeff!

 

[GonePlaid]

Self isolation. I can do this.

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You need a 'gofundme' for guitar stands.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

yes, your guess is correct in my experience. It is not 100% successful in eliminating dead spots, but my experience is that they can be mostly tweaked out of a Thunderbird. They can be minimized on a Ric, too. Just not as completely. It probably depends on the specific Ric a bit as well.

Custom string gauges have worked for me some times..

 

[dagrev]

the slant 6 had a 300000 mile club...they had to literally end-of-life it because it was affecting sales...

My cousin had on in an early 80s Cordoba that had over 300k on it and had never been apart.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

I still play Fenders, it's just that I finally figured out about 7 years ago that I'm a Humbucker guy. Hence, not much time on a Jazz lately, but I'm really digging my Starcaster and my Tele modern player. Body shape is purely an aesthetic thing in my mind. Either I like the shape or I don't, and I don't bother buying basses unless they are Humbucker equipped and have a body shape I like.


I have very expensive neck through basses with dead spots, expensive set neck basses with dead spots and highly valued bolt on basses with dead spots. About the only thing they all have in common is a 34" scale length. My medium and short scale basses don't seem to suffer the same fate. I've often wondered if it's scale related.


Thx!


IDK - my 2015 TBird has a pretty pronounced dead spot on the G string, but it might be more of a pickup magnet thing.

I work around those by playing up the neck..works well..

 

[MCF]

My cousin had on in an early 80s Cordoba that had over 300k on it and had never been apart.

Our guitar player’s Mom had a powder blue early sixties Dart Wagon It had about 175k on it when my buddy decided to do rings and valves as his auto shop project. That thing is probably still on the road somewhere.

 

[TBird1958]

Self isolation. I can do this.

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You have basses and the internet for entertainment (Errmmmm...) , looks like you're all set. Hand lotion?

 

[JJR58]

You need a 'gofundme' for guitar stands.

Meh.

 

[JJR58]

You da man Jeff!

 

[PillO]

Shades of brown - Wikipedia

Sounds like James Brown tribute band.