Thunderbird Club

[PillO]

I’m getting cross eyed trying to look at them in my iPad. Getting old is the pits.

Have you considered the therapeutic benefits of a watermelon helmet?

 

[PillO]

Saw on the news: Reputed Mob boss gunned down in Canada. You OK PillO?

Actually, that happened in my neighbourhood. Less than 1km from home... (That's less than 3/4 of a mile).

There has been something going on with that crime family of late. Something about the Rizzuto crime family in Montreal no longer offering their protection. One of them was gunned down in front of his house about 5km away (3mi) about a year ago. I think there was also one near the University in Hamilton (which is a very nice neighbourhood) in the last couple of years. Fortunately (?) the mob are considerate (?) with their hits in that there is rarely collateral damage to civilians.

 

[PillO]

.… Sterling St. Vincent guitar with all guitar hardware has Chinese Thunderbird style bass neck now .... needs a bass bringe...(and a bridge cover) ... bass pickups too...

View attachment 3902607

I like it: I am a fan of strange for strange sake.

 

[PillO]

They have crime in Canada?

Failing to say sorry, mispronouncing aboot. That sort of thing.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

but which generation ? Would you go back to Gen 1 or go for a recent version ?

At least 2001. Each gen got a bit more leg room. One of the last 2-3 generations had an incredibly bland body style. Rather avoid that one.

 

[PillO]

Yeah, who knew. I didn't know they had Dons!

PillO still hasn't checked in....

Wait... Are you suggesting I am a crime boss?

I'm a lot of things. Bass player, Thunderbird player, watermelon enthusiast. But my "crimes" are more of the moving violation type. Although tax evasion is always really tempting...

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Two options. Nudge the truss rod looser 1/8th turn or less. Don't play F, Bb, Eb, G#.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Failing to say sorry, mispronouncing aboot. That sort of thing.

I heard in Toronto you get two warnings for calling a Chesterfield a sofa or couch. After that, the Mounties haul you off to the hoosegow.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Doesn't matter much to me. I get up to the 12th fret about once per gig.

Must not play too many Who songs.

 

[PillO]

I heard in Toronto you get two warnings for calling a Chesterfield a sofa or couch. After that, the Mounties haul you off to the hoosegow.

In Canada it is not the hoosegow, it is the moose pasture.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Looks like a blast to drive and a real bang for the buck bargain in the high performance category. That said, I know more than a few Porsche GT3 RS track drivers that aren't concerned about being overtaken by the new C8 on a road course, a quarter mile drag strip, or a top end run.

The same professional level driver in each car would almost certainly clock a faster road course lap time in the rear engine porsche. But as I said earlier, overcoming the disadvantages of a rear engine car vs a mid engine car takes a lot of money and engineering effort, which is why the GT3RS costs magnitudes more than a C8. The Corvette clearly offers 95% of the Porsche performance at 30% of the cost, that's a winning combo in a lot of people's books.

Have fun today! Wish I was there with you. I've hot lapped the C7 at Laguna Seca and it was a blast (a little wild, but still fun). Hopefully I'll get a chance to do it with the C8, should be a huge improvement. Unfortunately our Porsche Club events have all been put on hold this year. Maybe next year will be better.

Interesting article...
2020 Chevy Corvette Z51 vs. 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Track Tests
An actual head to head run with pro drivers would be neat to see - seen a lot of YouTube amature hour stuff but nothing legit so far.

I remember when one of the cycle mags ran the new (in 1985) Yamaha VMax against a Shelby Cobra at a strip. They had pro drivers. They kept just beating each others times, and ended up in back to back identical runs, IIRC. They had to put wheelie bars on the VMax to get everything out of it.

This isn't the Cycle World run, which is all I can find online. I *think* it was Motorcyclist, and I think it was after Jeff ??? had left for Car & Driver.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Not quite the same, but very similar: For Sale - Silvertone Danelectro 1443 Hornet Closet Classic!

I should not have looked. That's *beautiful*.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I seriously doubt that my conjecture is right--but it is something I would consider doing if I were Gibson/Epi to help avoid that temptation. Because a fake 60s Thunderbird would be WAY more valuable (and way more tempting) than a fake '80s G&L. Given they way some companies make decisions it may not even be as thought out as my likely silly possibility. Larger companies have a larger pool to draw stupidity from it seems. Small companies margins are such that they generally don't have as much cushion to survive the same levels of weird decisions. In the end, I doubt we will ever know, and if we do find out it may be nothing more than a real head-scratcher. Maybe Gibson is planning on making a spot on reproduction so the Epi needed to be different! That there boys is some serious crazy talk!

Looking at the bass, it's clear that with that huge headstock shoved farther out, the VP will rip your arm off at the shoulder as it dives for the floor. But it doesn't! Why? Helium. It's a brilliant design ploy existing strictly to mock the Fender-Rickenbacker-Thunderbird Defamation League (FRTDL).

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Yeah, they didn't need to do that for me either. Not much bass way up there, is there?

There's plenty of ENTWHISTLE bass up yonder!

 

[PillO]

I remember when one of the cycle mags ran the new (in 1985) Yamaha VMax against a Shelby Cobra at a strip. They had pro drivers. They kept just beating each others times, and ended up in back to back identical runs, IIRC. They had to put wheelie bars on the VMax to get everything out of it.

This isn't the Cycle World run, which is all I can find online. I *think* it was Motorcyclist, and I think it was after Jeff ??? had left for Car & Driver.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Yep. That’s why one needs several THUNDERBIRDS! Gotta try them all.

You can always take the 60s oddball approach and just pack the space from bridge to neck with pickups. That would let you try 5 or 6 on the same bird. Definitely no neck dive on that bird.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Yes, I love that! But I'd like to have seen it with a pro racer vs a pro racer on the CBR. Still super cool.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Another take.
View attachment 3902812

yep, better less biased(?) pic....definite differences....
this pic shows how much chunkier a BaCH can be over a non

R​

I NR....at least 1/8 of an inch in body thickness.... neck is beefier/thicker and headstock's considerably larger as well..

 

[GonePlaid]

Actually, that happened in my neighbourhood. Less than 1km from home... (That's less than 3/4 of a mile).

There has been something going on with that crime family of late. Something about the Rizzuto crime family in Montreal no longer offering their protection. One of them was gunned down in front of his house about 5km away (3mi) about a year ago. I think there was also one near the University in Hamilton (which is a very nice neighbourhood) in the last couple of years. Fortunately (?) the mob are considerate (?) with their hits in that there is rarely collateral damage to civilians.

Yup. Bad for business.

 

[GonePlaid]

Must not play too many Who songs.

Lemme check our song list. Hmmm. That would be none.(OK, Summertime Blues, but the Eddie Cochran style)