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Thunderbird Club

#155,081
MCF said:
It was 2017 VP day here. Dialed in the setup and played on and off most of the afternoon. Gave it a good polish and cleaned up the case real well. It was listed as very good condition by the seller on Reverb; the only issue was the missing silver disc on a volume knob. I bought a replacement set of four on eBay...The seller said there were a few nicks on it; I can’t find them. All cleaned up and with new knobs it’s in excellent condition.

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Do you have a Marshall, you know.., because of your name? ;) I've been tempted to buy a GK for that reason. I did this instead - ala "Where's Waldo?"

upload_2020-6-21_7-12-30.jpeg
 
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#155,082
JIO said:
Do you have a Marshall, you know.., because of your name? ;) I've been tempted to buy a GK for that reason. I did this instead - ala "Where's Waldo?"

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Ha! My wife thought the same thing. Nah. There’s a local that (at least before the pandemic) gets some nice used stuff. That little combo, heavy as it is, showed up at the store one day. It was part of the line of Marshall’s last attempt at bass amps. The line got good reviews when they came out. Hybrid with a tube pre-amp. I’ve known the store manager for awhile, and he likes to move things. He negotiates, is honest and fair. He gave me a very good price that was well below the ask in Reverb and eBay. It sounds great for the time being until I pull the trigger on a Mesa.
 
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#155,083
MCF said:
Ha! My wife thought the same thing. Nah. There’s a local that (at least before the pandemic) gets some nice used stuff. That little combo, heavy as it is, showed up at the store one day. It was part of the line of Marshall’s last attempt at bass amps. The line got good reviews when they came out. Hybrid with a tube pre-amp. I’ve known the store manager for awhile, and he likes to move things. He negotiates, is honest and fair. He gave me a very good price that was well below the ask in Reverb and eBay. It sounds great for the time being until I pull the trigger on a Mesa.
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Which Mesa?
 
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#155,088
MCF said:
Until two weeks ago it was going to be a WD 800. But now, TT 800. Even though there’ll likely be good deals to be had on WDs. It’ll be my Christmas present.
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Looks nice - sort of a modern version of my M2000.
 
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#155,091
SubHuman said:
Yeah I agree! The human touch is as important as the fretting accuracy. It’s like a painter using bold strokes for power but a gentle touch for a delicate sound. The only good thing about this virus is we are all taking time to rediscover our craft! Keep on rockin’ in the free world!
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That’s a song I can sing and know all the lyrics to, but’s been a long time.
 
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#155,092
MCF said:
It was 2017 VP day here. Dialed in the setup and played on and off most of the afternoon. Gave it a good polish and cleaned up the case real well. It was listed as very good condition by the seller on Reverb; the only issue was the missing silver disc on a volume knob. I bought a replacement set of four on eBay...The seller said there were a few nicks on it; I can’t find them. All cleaned up and with new knobs it’s in excellent condition.

View attachment 3875314
Click to expand...
Sure is lookin' good! Glad it's in better shape that expected. That's always a very pleasant surprise given it could seriously go in the other direction. The white VP was "used" from Sam Ash (via Reverb), still have the ProBucker stickers on it and discounted significantly. I have still yet to find any indication it was ever played. I hope you are very satisfied with it. It certainly provides another tonal option from your other basses. Hopefully one you love!
 
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#155,093
SubHuman said:
I have the somewhat hard to find Thunderbird Pro IV in translucent black. The grain shows thru and she is a tone monster. The guy I bought it from couldn’t get rid of the pre-amp hum. I shielded the tone/volume and pickup cavities with copper tape and soldered the seams. She rumbles and is whisper quiet. If you have noise issues try the shielding. View attachment 3875330
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Love that finish!
 
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#155,095
SubHuman said:
I have the somewhat hard to find Thunderbird Pro IV in translucent black. The grain shows thru and she is a tone monster. The guy I bought it from couldn’t get rid of the pre-amp hum. I shielded the tone/volume and pickup cavities with copper tape and soldered the seams. She rumbles and is whisper quiet. If you have noise issues try the shielding. View attachment 3875330
Click to expand...

I don't recall if I have you in the club, if not please let me know.
 
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#155,097
dagrev said:
Waldo, :D
That's just gotta sound really good! Nice rig.
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It does. These days it's at our rehearsal space with the Mesa powering a Carvin 18" cab and the Eden used for keys with a TC Electronics 250 amp. They stay there. Gigging I've been using this -

Ashdown 550 Spyder / '76 B-15 cab with a late '60s JBL speaker. I found a vintage Heathkit badge which fit pretty seamlessly. My 1st amp was a ss Heathkit that my dad & I assembled.

8D0EDD97-96A1-4805-8CF4-DC315AEC84C6_1_201_a.jpeg
 
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#155,098
GBassNorth said:
Spot on!
Shielding tape does make a huge difference in quieting down electronics, especially active basses.
A few places also carry the type that has a conductive adhesive backing and comes in roll or sheet form. It's what I normally use and have successfully used it many times without having to solder in place.
Conductive Copper Tape | stewmac.com
Copper Foil Sheet w/ Conductive Adhesive Approx 12" x 10" - Qty 5

BTW - I agree with @KaraQ - the trans black finish on your bird looks fantastic! I don't think I've ever seen another one, must be very rare. Play her proud.
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I use the adhesive backed tape.
I suspect the natural oil finish was easily the biggest seller- gorgeous and unique among birds.
 
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