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Thunderbird Club

#1,581
hillerup said:
Did you play it with a pick and all controls dimed? ;)
Click to expand...

Yes I played around quite a bit with the neck and or bridge pickups with the tone dimed. No pick though as I play fingerstyle. I was playing out of a Little Mark Tube 800 with the controls set flat to get the tone of the bass. Even playing with the amp I just wasn't getting any real nice highs. The bass was middy as hell and very articulate sounding but just short on modern tone. (As expected).

I may search for for a Pro V to try as I love the 5's. I'm not a fan of the natural finish or the burst though but that is easily changed.
 
#1,582
The Pro IV in trans black looks much better when you see one in real life…pics somehow don't do it justice. I'd like to see one with a custom pickguard…maybe a black or white pearl.
Regardless, I get a lot of different tones out of mine. I put some flatwounds on it and use a Electro Harmonix Nano Steel Leather…one of the best-priced effects out there, kind of the opposite of a compressor.
People are always asking me about it and can't believe it costs less than $60.
 
#1,583
So a little update on the shipping of my Thunderbird bass...it never seizes to amaze me that when UPS says it will be delivered by days end on Monday the 14th they mean Monday the 14th. Reason at least this time I'm a little mad, well besides the point I was suppose to have it yesterday because I bought it from Guitar Center on Wednesday and paid for the one day overnight shipping but their employee screwed up and put it in for standard 3-5 day shipping (but they are reimbursing me all shipping costs), is the fact that the bass arrived in my home city this morning at around 4:30 in the AM this morning however as I checked the tracking number and continued to check it through the day it appeared to of just sat in their warehouse for the whole day instead of simply just throwing it on a truck and delivering it today. Now I am sure there is a method to their madness however it just sucks to see that and the fact they don't deliver on the weekends. Ahh the anticipation is killing me!
 
#1,587
Arriving tomorrow.....'87 Gib Cust Shop TBird IV to go with my Polaris White '86 TBird II.
 

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#1,589
Will do!!

Hey....here are some "guns & guitars...and beads" TBirds concept pics of my '64 TBirds....shot in New Orleans during Mardi Gras this year. Beretta PX4 9mm with the GoldenMist Poly and a KelTec 9mm Sub2000 rifle with the Sunset Yellow one.

BTW...not a gun nut. But I got the Beretta after I woke up to find a big thug in my bedroom, robbing my house in New Orleans, with my valuables piled on the floor behind him....and this week in NY, two different gang guys were shot dead by cops nearby and a female torso with the head, arms and legs was found behind the rock club a half block from me. So......
 

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#1,590
Question for The T-Bird Players... anyone know if Gibson used the same pickups on the 4 & 5 string Thunder Series basses? I've been assuming (perhaps incorrectly) these were equipped the same as an 80's Thunderbird. The string spacing is narrow enough on my five-string that a standard four-string pickup seems like would be plenty wide.
 
#1,591
There were a few variations on those 80s Gibson TBirds....pretty sure all the 80s ones were done in the Custom Shop, although I have seen one or two without the GCS decal on the headstock.

I've seen some with the three-hole chrome 70s PUPs....probably using up whatever stock they had left.

Then they used the black ones that are potted. But I have seen ones with the bars all the way across the back...and I have seen a couple that have a PBass style bar setup on the back -- two short pairs.

If the 5-string ones are the same size, they could have would them hotter to cover a wider field?
But knowing Gibson and how they love guitars and don't really go "all out" on the design of their basses....they likely just threw in the same PUPs from the 4-strings.
 
#1,593
mc2ny said:
Will do!!

Hey....here are some "guns & guitars...and beads" TBirds concept pics of my '64 TBirds....shot in New Orleans during Mardi Gras this year. Beretta PX4 9mm with the GoldenMist Poly and a KelTec 9mm Sub2000 rifle with the Sunset Yellow one.

BTW...not a gun nut. But I got the Beretta after I woke up to find a big thug in my bedroom, robbing my house in New Orleans, with my valuables piled on the floor behind him....and this week in NY, two different gang guys were shot dead by cops nearby and a female torso with the head, arms and legs was found behind the rock club a half block from me. So......
Click to expand...

Not a huge fan of firearms - and completely fail to see the relevance to your beautiful Thunderbirds... :)

Speaking of firearms, I think bikini girls with machine guns is a much cooler concept! :D
 
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#1,594
Hopefully this is ok/the right place to post this! Ive got an Epi t'bird pro V, I find certain string sets the low b doesn't fit into the saddle fully (unsure of the gauge however, i've usually just bought whatever is in the shop) any tips on a gauge which is guaranteed to fit as i need to buy them online. I play ska/reggae/dub so need something with a bit of substance
 
#1,595
Since you are in Denmark and no doubt watch soccer and not American "football"......my two '64 Thunderbirds with the Mardi Gras beads and guns are relevant to the photo because they are the New Orleans Saints football team colors.....go over great playing them in front of New Orleans crowds.

....and New Orleans for decades has had the highest murder rate per capita in America. You actually have to get buzzed into the front door of some of the clubs in my area. They keep them locked to prevent getting robbed and shot.

I'm not a gun fanatic either but better to be prepared. Like I said, I woke up not long ago with some guy in my bedroom next to me, robbing my house at 2 a.m. My GF's brother got knifed by some crackhead not long after.
And I have a friend who had two guys jump out of a passing car to grab his guitar case and beat him.
So, now I have a concealed carry permit just in case.

Funny part is...my father was a NYC police officer and kept his handgun in his bedroom dresser the entire time I was a kid. I never once saw it. my brother is a U.S. Federal Agent and was in NIS for 30 years. I never saw him with a gun either. When I. Had to go take the test for my permit and qualify at the shooting range, the instructor laughed because everyone else was ex-military, a Hunter or a security guard.....and I told him I had never even shot a handgun before.
......but, to everyone's surprise (including mine) I shot 50 out of 50 shots thru the bullseye, at various distances. The instructor smiled and said, "Well....you sure can shoot, for a long-haired white boy!" I told him I was a musician and bass player and had pretty good hand control, I guess.

He gave me the target to keep as proof....
 

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#1,596
woopscner1 said:
Hopefully this is ok/the right place to post this! Ive got an Epi t'bird pro V, I find certain string sets the low b doesn't fit into the saddle fully (unsure of the gauge however, i've usually just bought whatever is in the shop) any tips on a gauge which is guaranteed to fit as i need to buy them online. I play ska/reggae/dub so need something with a bit of substance
Click to expand...

You can solve that problem by using a set of bass strings that are taper wound with the core passing over the saddle before the string windings fatten out.

I find the core over saddle strings also intonate better.

I personally use Dean Markley SR strings but several brands offer taper wounds.
 
#1,598
woopscner1 said:
Stupid question maybe, are they as strong? and do they have the same depth of tone to reach the clean lows?
Click to expand...

Yeah, they're strong. I don't recall ever breaking one....been using them 20 years since I first got turned onto them. Probably because they are stainless steel. I swear by them!

I'm looking at the back of a pack of them....largest L ow B is a 128 I think....listed as a Medium set.
I use the WL gauge SR2000 set, which used to be Will Lee's signature set, hence the WL.....mainly because the 4-string and 5-string sets had the same gauges in the WL gauge...so if you broke a string on any bass you could steal one out of any 4 or 5 set and it was the correct gauge.

Here is a link to a set with more info:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/dean-markley-2694-sr2000-5-string-bass-strings

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/review-dean-markley-sr2000.932340/
 
#1,599
TBird1958 said:
Can't wait to see a pic or two when it's in your hands Jon - The white '86 is SO COOL!
Click to expand...


OK....Can you tell I have some free time today for a change? The '87 TBird just arrived....VERY good score!
First, it is shockingly clean. It looks like it is either some NOS one that was sitting somewhere the last 27 years or under someone's bed. Zero fret wear. Just odd to find such a minty one. These '80s Gib Custom Shop TBirds are kind of hard to find. I love them because they have the 60s neck thru 9-piece necks and the big headstocks...plus ebony fingerboards like I prefer.

This one has the black pickups...My '86 white one has the chrome 70s PUP.
BUT.....I have a NOS pair of chrome 70s TBird PUPs I. Got from a Canadian dealer who had them sitting in a drawer for decades....so those are going in this one! I just have to get the melted platic protective film off of them.

Anyway...as requested, here are a few pics. I found this sitting at a CA music store, hanging way up on the ceiling out of reach.
Original 80s case too!
 

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