Thunderbird Club

[Shannon]

This one is in the garage, it won a Concourse Gold medal at the national level, totally rebuilt to showroom stock - amazingly beautiful, especially the paint.

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The blue one in the background is the current project, it was a POS when he bought it, a tree had fallen onto it as it was rusting in an open field.

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[Engle]

love this bass
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It definitely has personality! I’m intending to try it with flats for reggae.
Plans include fixing the side marker dots, completing the neck carve, fret level, HS ultralight clovers and seeing if I can find/modify a bridge with narrow enough spacing and individual saddles. I may also do some weight reduction routes.

 

[Engle]

looks like something you would so totally gig with...

Yep it does look like a bass @JIO would rock

 

[GBassNorth]

No real weight (an ounce if) addition not having the bevel - it's very minimal on my '64. A time/money savings not having the step to create it more than likely. I ride mine at the upper non-horn so never use the small bevel anyway.

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I gotta admit, I have a number of slab body basses that don't have belly cuts, I've never really noticed any difference in those with or without when playing. Maybe I just need a bigger belly.

 

[JIO]

looks like something you would so totally gig with...

Yep it does look like a bass @JIO would rock

 

[JIO]

I gotta admit, I have a number of slab body basses that don't have belly cuts, I've never really noticed any difference in those with or without when playing. Maybe I just need a bigger belly.

I do appreciate an ergonomic body design. Any bass I design incorporates bevels/contours to help make it as comfortable to play as possible. I also have basses w/o such but they are vintage and I like them for what they are even if they are not the most ergonomic.

 

[dagrev]

No real weight (an ounce if) addition not having the bevel - it's very minimal on my '64. A time/money savings not having the step to create it more than likely. I ride mine at the upper non-horn so never use the small bevel anyway.

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I can't really say I notice the bevel missing when playing, but that bass does hand a little differently. It's the least comfortable Thunderbird I one, even aside from the weight, but it's not uncomfortable, just different.

 

[dagrev]

I gotta admit, I have a number of slab body basses that don't have belly cuts, I've never really noticed any difference in those with or without when playing. Maybe I just need a bigger belly.

I love my '55 Pbass and the Regenerate with the same contoured body, but don't care for the older slabs or later Tele's.

 

[dagrev]

This is a crappy recording with the iPad again about 3' in front of an Ampeg V4B RI and 212. Disregard the playing. I was taking a break again from work and knelt down and quickly noodled. First is the '64 then the '06, both with Enfeld Superalloys. The older set is on the '06. First is both with fingers then both with pick. Again I was going for sound not skill and wasn't going to go back to correct anything. You can tell a difference, but nothing like in the room.

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[Jon Clegg]

This is a crappy recording with the iPad again about 3' in front of an Ampeg V4B RI and 212. Disregard the playing. I was taking a break again from work and knelt down and quickly noodled. First is the '64 then the '06, both with Enfeld Superalloys. The older set is on the '06. First is both with fingers then both with pick. Again I was going for sound not skill and wasn't going to go back to correct anything. You can tell a difference, but nothing like in the room.

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You need to change the share settings, unless of course you enjoy granting access to every denizen of this thread.

 

[dagrev]

You need to change the share settings, unless of course you enjoy granting access to every denizen of this thread.

Yes, I grabbed the wrong link. It's correct now.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

This is a crappy recording with the iPad again about 3' in front of an Ampeg V4B RI and 212. Disregard the playing. I was taking a break again from work and knelt down and quickly noodled. First is the '64 then the '06, both with Enfeld Superalloys. The older set is on the '06. First is both with fingers then both with pick. Again I was going for sound not skill and wasn't going to go back to correct anything. You can tell a difference, but nothing like in the room.

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Nice!

 

[Jon Clegg]

Sounds great!

 

[dagrev]

Nice!

Sounds great!

Thanks. Thought it would be interesting for a direct comparison. Too bad it's just an iPad recording. I think the recording does get a little of the sweeter sound of the '64.

 

[MCF]

I think he’s still kicking around somewhere.
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He actually looks kind of normal in that pic.

 

[JIO]

It definitely has personality! I’m intending to try it with flats for reggae.
Plans include fixing the side marker dots, completing the neck carve, fret level, HS ultralight clovers and seeing if I can find/modify a bridge with narrow enough spacing and individual saddles. I may also do some weight reduction routes.

It's what can make a behind-the-curve bass into a decent playable instrument. Those basses sound good with flats because that was what they had on them from the factory. My Teisco Del Reys are very bassy in that pillowy Motown sort of way - which is to say, they sound great! That was the sound players wanted then and the hot single-coil pu's and neck-hugging pu location addressed that. It'll never sound like a modern bass but that's because it's built to sound like a bass of its time.

Check eBay and Reverb under "vintage Japanese bass parts" or "Teisco bass" - sometimes there are bridges out there for not much that have that narrow spacing.

There's also these, which can be spaced independently - 4 STRING BASS GUITAR BRIDGE - INDIVIDUAL CHROME | eBay

 

[MCF]

The 76 is the only one I have ever felt inclined to do that with, but have never use that approach consistently. Very rarely in fact. But for some reason it is a temptation with that Thunderbird alone. Has nothing to do with that dad, however. Maybe because there's no belly cut?

Not having ever played a ‘76, it isn’t ingrained in my mind that there is not a belly cut on them. I’m sure many here have mentioned that in passing, but it didn’t stick. Interesting. VP has one as do both Gibsons. None on the bolt-ons.

 

[MCF]

That's certainly true, and most left-handed guitarists play right-handed. But definitely not an option for everyone. Playing never clicked for me until I tried it left-handed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

My Mom has always been hopelessly left handed; can’t do much with her right hand at all. My son is left handed, but is essentially ambidextrous. Interesting.

 

[JIO]

They did a GTO station wagon???

 

[MCF]

My wife is really into Pilates. She was gonna throw this out since it never worked for her, but I think it could make a good neck rest. Thoughts?


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You just saved $15 and are being environmentally responsible. Works for me.