Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club thunderbird
You have to like the idea of digital modeling, and there has to be a worthy payoff for the long learning curve you're going to have getting your thing together with it. It's a major toolbox there.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
For somebody else, perhaps. For me, no. I play with a guitarist who uses modeling effects. They are close, but there is always something that isn't quite right to my ears.
I can be a crank, so take my opinion with that in mind.
I can be a crank, so take my opinion with that in mind.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,894
- 142,208
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
I can't speak about the Aguilar, I've used a Line6 for about 10 years now, I love it. I did take a bit of time to understand how to use it, but for me it's been great. I use many different basses and can eq each separately, tweak for tone and volume. The digital simulations of the amps are pretty good but you'll really need to use them as a starting point and spend time making them work for your situation.
For me, it's been a great unit.
The Aguilar it's just a compressor. Do you think it would be a good deal (considering your experience as a bass player an as an owner of the unit)
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,894
- 142,208
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
You might see if you can find the owner's manual posted online someplace, it's a unit with many different features including compression. I don't personally use a lot of effects, but love it for the parametric eq and the fact that I can give each of my basses it's own individual channel, set up to take advantage of the idiosyncrasies of each.
Right. How do you set it to use it live? some friend of mine told me that it may be useful just when recording
Do you use it as a pre amp connected into an effects input? Or into the standard amp input ?
(Hope that makes sense)
Just got an Epi Classic Pro IV Thunderbird. Sounds amazing and is now one of my favourite basses out of the collection... can't believe it took me so long to get on board! It came with some La Bella flats which were whipped straight off in favour of some D'Addario FlexSteels - really bright strings that complement the dark sounding pickups well. It also sounds killer with overdrive pedals (of which I have a shed load) - a Pike Vulcan (well recommended for someone looking for a pedal to suit this bass!) going into a VT Bass head is about the best overdriven fingerstyle heavy rock tone I have ever managed to get!
I've seen details of some of these cheap nickel/chrome classic T-bird pups before - referred to as Hongkongbuckers in a post above! By all accounts they are brighter and more like the originals. Anyone using these and prefer them to the USA Gibson ones? I've seen them on eBay in the past but where is a good source to find them?
I've seen details of some of these cheap nickel/chrome classic T-bird pups before - referred to as Hongkongbuckers in a post above! By all accounts they are brighter and more like the originals. Anyone using these and prefer them to the USA Gibson ones? I've seen them on eBay in the past but where is a good source to find them?
There was a somewhat negative post a couple or 3 pages back on them by @wolfkeller , ( Thunderbird Club ) he was saying he wished he had kept his tb+ pickups, and I was going to ask for more reviews as well, as this thread is massive.
I noticed that they seem cheaper to buy direct from the website than eBay:
Thunderbird Club
Congratulations. Got a pic?
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I have them in a '91 and have a stock '01 to use for comparison purposes. The strings are different, so it's not a direct comparison, but here it goes anyway. The Hongkongbuckers don't have quite the output level of the Gibson pickups, and they have a somewhat "softer" sound. I'm not sure how else to explain it. Both are clearly humbuckers and both are bright. The Hongkongbuckers just sound a little rounder and can be tamed a little easier, if that makes sense. It's a nuance, since they both sound similar.
hillerup
There are basses, and there are Thunderbirds!
Congrats! I mean, if you actually did get a Classic IV Pro (no pics!?)
I love, Love, LOVE mine. I'm hesitant to swap out the stock pups for the HK buckers. I can't imagine being happier with the tone than I already am (and I'm a compulsive modder). If it ain't broke, don't break it, etc.
I know I know, no pics, no bass! But it's just a stock sunburst one so use your imagination! 
I'm happy with the sound too, only mod I might make is a replacement bridge and perhaps a black scratchplate to go with the rest of the black hardware.
I'm happy with the sound too, only mod I might make is a replacement bridge and perhaps a black scratchplate to go with the rest of the black hardware.
Haji
Supporting Member
Think of it as required proof of life, Danny.
Mine are just a Goth and TB IV, but I still had to show em off. It's a rite of passage.
Mine are just a Goth and TB IV, but I still had to show em off. It's a rite of passage.
I know I know, no pics, no bass! But it's just a stock sunburst one so use your imagination!
I'm happy with the sound too, only mod I might make is a replacement bridge and perhaps a black scratchplate to go with the rest of the black hardware.
That's exactly what I did. Got a Hipshot Supertone bridge and had Larry V make me a black PG with a shiny gold emblem. I think a black PG looks better on the burst too.
