Thunderbird Club

[GBassNorth]

1. A
   
   yessir

Point Lobos - a small slice of heaven on earth!
I always make a point of stopping there every time I'm in the Carmel area.

Speaking of which, I'll be up there in a few weeks for some golf at Spanish Bay and Pebble Beach. Should hit Lobos and this little gem while I'm there...

 

[PillO]

Got a set of Dunlop Flats SS 40-100 for the MIJ Burns NRk. The rounds on there were rusty:

Hmmmmm. Tetanus-y...

 

[dagrev]

That's why I'm gonna look at the Epi Embassy expected in the fall.

Try to play one or more. One I played was horribly dull for some reason. Strings most likely, but the VP next to is was lively as expected. Not sure if that was a one off, common or just strings.

 

[GonePlaid]

Try to play one or more. One I played was horribly dull for some reason. Strings most likely, but the VP next to is was lively as expected. Not sure if that was a one off, common or just strings.

I'll be doing the usual trick: look and feel one for ergos, etc. at GC; order from SW.

 

[Engle]

I unfortunately had about 20 years of not playing after almost 10 years playing. Put that on the STUPID list!

I never stopped, but I went down a couple of dead end roads.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I'll be doing the usual trick: look and feel one for ergos, etc. at GC; order from SW.

Why not just buy at GC?

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I never stopped, but I went down a couple of dead end roads.

There’s a song in there...

 

[Engle]

There’s a song in there...

Maybe an album!

 

[MCF]

I never stopped playing, but I had a really dry period for years not connecting with other musicians/being in a band. More recently (until Covid) I was in a second-wind renaissance playing in a band and forming my own band - I just hope it can be picked up where we left off... which was at a critical breakthrough stage.

I really hope you get it going again. A road trip north to check it out would be fun.

 

[GonePlaid]

Why not just buy at GC?

State tax(6.5%)and SW does their checks plus I can choose finish and weight.

 

[MCF]

You went to finishing school!?

Yes. I’m very refined.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

State tax(6.5%)and SW does their checks plus I can choose finish and weight.

You can choose finish at GC. SW lets you choose weight? Have you asked GC about that?

 

[GonePlaid]

You can choose finish at GC. SW lets you choose weight? Have you asked GC about that?

SW lists them by weight. The 2 GCs around here will have-at most-2 in the shop. And the attitudes at both "nearby" GCs leave a lot to be desired. Sorta like the "horror" stories one sometimes reads.

 

[MCF]

I’m having fun with this one! Reminds me of the guitars in the sears catalog when I was a kid.
String spacing is 16mm, so I’m thinking about ordering one of these for $27 CAN and cutting one end off to make it a 4 string bridge:
View attachment 3964177

You’re handier than I am. I’d Probably bite the bullet and do a Hipshot A with adjustable spacing. But then the bridge would cost more than the rest of the bass...

 

[MCF]

I'll be doing the usual trick: look and feel one for ergos, etc. at GC; order from SW.

Only store where I’ve ever seen them on a wall was at a Sam Ash. Our GCs here rarely have Epi basses in the stores; an occasional bolt-on bird and maybe an EB is usually all they have.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Yes, my dad and I built/soldered/assembled it. It was a bit over $200 I think. Seriously didn't have "disposable income" then so it was probably a lot but still less than a new brand name amp. (I lusted over Kustom amps then) Who knows, maybe it sounded good - but like I said, I was clueless and as long as it made loud bass sounds I was happy! It was the 'dawn of solid state', so definitely not what players were used to hearing from their tube amps. I played through a used Ampeg B-18 flip-top for a gig when my amp was in the shop once but can't recall much other than liking the lit up Ampeg Plexi slab on the amp...

I almost posted that the Heathkit circuitry is not far off from that used by Kustom or other popular ss amps of the day....HEATHKIT was a class act....built a black and white set for my room when I was 11....ran for many many years..

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

if you HAD to choose between cycling or bass playing?..

 

[JIO]

I really hope you get it going again. A road trip north to check it out would be fun.

You’re handier than I am. I’d Probably bite the bullet and do a Hipshot A with adjustable spacing. But then the bridge would cost more than the rest of the bass...

I've used the Hipshot KA bridge on Gibson spaced necks but the Japanese bass spacing is most likely even narrower. Individual string units are your best bet, and they are cheap.

 

[TBird1958]

One of my fave bands, Bang Tango, their bassist Kyle Kyle played Gibsons, here in '91 with a black Thunderbird, great tone from the stock pickups!

 

[Engle]

You’re handier than I am. I’d Probably bite the bullet and do a Hipshot A with adjustable spacing. But then the bridge would cost more than the rest of the bass...

I just looked on the Hipshot site and see the A is available in 16.5 mm spacing. I wasn’t aware of that, so I’m going to remeasure.