• 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

#161,261
RedVee said:
how do you get these ? :laugh:

more recently The Wiggles have been using a Maton “Big Red Bass”*


* my name for it
Click to expand...
I have good Google-Fu?

I like that Captain Feathersword has a one string bass. Who knew the Wiggles we Djent?

When she was young, my daughter was a Wiggles fan. We saw them on the farewell tour for the original Wiggles.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dagrev, RedVee, Miles_ONeal and 2 others
#161,262
jbhaugh said:
Brought home my first T-bird today - an Epiphone Vintage Pro in black. Pulled it out of the box, no obvious problems. Tried to have a bang on it - strings are slacked off. Ok, no problem. Tuned it up, and the open E makes a truly godawful racket. 1st fret F note, too, and it feels a little goofy. All the other strings ring true with no excessive buzzing anywhere on the neck.

First thought is backbowed neck, so I check relief. I little straight for my taste, but no biggie. So I pull out my setup tools and go to town. I check everything, bridge height, nut height, neck relief, the whole works. The factory setup is surprisingly good, if a little low for my preference. At least it is clear that a setup was done.

Anyway, still buzzing. So I go over every little screw on this thing. Tighten everything - pickup mounting screws, pickguard, tuners, bridge, tailpiece, I checked every screw on this badboy. Still buzzing.

Now I'm starting to get a little worried. I pop the truss rod cover and make sure the nut is snug. Looks good, still buzzing.

Starting to panic now, if I'm being truthful. Then I remember the intonation way way out on the E string and all the other strings were ok. Lightbulb - I swapped out the E string for another one I had lying around, just as a test. Bingo!!!! Turns out I just had a broke-ass E string from the factory, everything is great now. So that's my whole afternoon and I haven't even plugged it in yet lol
Click to expand...
Congrats and welcome! Post a pic. Get a number. The more here the merrier.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dagrev, Engle, Larry V and 8 others
#161,263
jbhaugh said:
Brought home my first T-bird today - an Epiphone Vintage Pro in black. Pulled it out of the box, no obvious problems. Tried to have a bang on it - strings are slacked off. Ok, no problem. Tuned it up, and the open E makes a truly godawful racket. 1st fret F note, too, and it feels a little goofy. All the other strings ring true with no excessive buzzing anywhere on the neck.

First thought is backbowed neck, so I check relief. I little straight for my taste, but no biggie. So I pull out my setup tools and go to town. I check everything, bridge height, nut height, neck relief, the whole works. The factory setup is surprisingly good, if a little low for my preference. At least it is clear that a setup was done.

Anyway, still buzzing. So I go over every little screw on this thing. Tighten everything - pickup mounting screws, pickguard, tuners, bridge, tailpiece, I checked every screw on this badboy. Still buzzing.

Now I'm starting to get a little worried. I pop the truss rod cover and make sure the nut is snug. Looks good, still buzzing.

Starting to panic now, if I'm being truthful. Then I remember the intonation way way out on the E string and all the other strings were ok. Lightbulb - I swapped out the E string for another one I had lying around, just as a test. Bingo!!!! Turns out I just had a broke-ass E string from the factory, everything is great now. So that's my whole afternoon and I haven't even plugged it in yet lol
Click to expand...

On the plus side, you know its in tip top shape and ready to play. Still a headache trying to sort it all out. Congrats on the Bird!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: dagrev, Engle, PillO and 7 others
#161,264
PillO said:
I think having a Wiggle endorsing Thunderbirds is tipping everyone to how awesome they are.

I could be wrong; wouldn't be the first time I have misread the market.
Click to expand...
Yep. Exactly. Not enough that Martin Turner, Overend Watts, Mike Watt, John Entwhistle, Nikki Monninger, Nikki Sixx, Kim Gordon, Tom Peterson, Jackie Fox, Leon Wilkeson, Lemmy, Allen Woody, Simon Gallup, and now even Geddy are/were notable payers of them. It took the endorsement of a Wiggle to put them on the world stage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dagrev, PillO, Larry V and 5 others
#161,266
  • Like
Reactions: dagrev, MCF, FlyingPigSound and 7 others
#161,267
Thunderbird Thursday. Band practice, as you do.

E934516A-68B4-40B8-89FF-5A13DDDC0D8B.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gaolee, dagrev, MCF and 11 others
#161,272
TBird1958 said:
They were the real deal - with out Pat though.....

Always a fave song of theirs
Click to expand...

When my wife was in grad school in the early '90s, we lived in Lexington KY, and I worked in a shop that had a subsidiary shop that was a gift shop in the lobby of a downtown hotel. I sometimes had to work in that shop, usually on holidays. Labor Day weekend (I believe it was '92), I was working in there, and The Smithereens had played at some downtown festival and apparently stayed in that hotel. I could see Mike Mesaros sitting at the bar waiting to get on their tour bus. Pat came into the shop to buy some postcards. I ended up talking to him for about ten minutes, mostly about art. He told me that he had been on the waiting list to get a Miles Davis painting when Miles died. He also said that he had a friend who worked at The New Yorker, and had mentioned to him that he really liked Charles Addams. A couple of weeks later, he got a cardboard tube in the mail from Charles Addams, and it was full of original Addams Family drawings. He bought the postcards and a few other little things, told me he had enjoyed talking to me, and strolled out to get on their tour bus. I was bummed that I hadn't been able to see them play. Actually, during the two years I lived in Lexington, I didn't get to see ANY concerts there or in Cincinnati or Louisville because we really had NO money. I missed Kansas, The Smithereens (although that was because I had to work) and I don't know how many other bands in Lexington, and Rush, Spinal Tap (with The Folksmen opening!), and Yes in Cinci. *Sigh*
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gaolee, MCF, Engle and 8 others
#161,273
  • Like
Reactions: Gaolee, dagrev, MCF and 8 others
#161,275
bassgtarman said:
When my wife was in grad school in the early '90s, we lived in Lexington KY, and I worked in a shop that had a subsidiary shop that was a gift shop in the lobby of a downtown hotel. I sometimes had to work in that shop, usually on holidays. Labor Day weekend (I believe it was '92), I was working in there, and The Smithereens had played at some downtown festival and apparently stayed in that hotel. I could see Mike Mesaros sitting at the bar waiting to get on their tour bus. Pat came into the shop to buy some postcards. I ended up talking to him for about ten minutes, mostly about art. He told me that he had been on the waiting list to get a Miles Davis painting when Miles died. He also said that he had a friend who worked at The New Yorker, and had mentioned to him that he really liked Charles Addams. A couple of weeks later, he got a cardboard tube in the mail from Charles Addams, and it was full of original Addams Family drawings. He bought the postcards and a few other little things, told me he had enjoyed talking to me, and strolled out to get on their tour bus. I was bummed that I hadn't been able to see them play. Actually, during the two years I lived in Lexington, I didn't get to see ANY concerts there or in Cincinnati or Louisville because we really had NO money. I missed Kansas, The Smithereens (although that was because I had to work) and I don't know how many other bands in Lexington, and Rush, Spinal Tap (with The Folksmen opening!), and Yes in Cinci. *Sigh*
Click to expand...

During the short time I lived in Cincinnati, I missed the Jeff Beck/Stevie Ray Von tour that was in Dayton Ohio (just north of Cincinnati) on a Wednesday night. (work day night) SRV died in the plane crash shortly thereafter. Oh well... I did see the Pixies in their early prime and had a "back stage pass" provided by my bandmate who was a local DJ. Kim Deal was the bomb for me in their show and her local (Dayton?Columbus?) parents were at the backstage reception. Pretty cool!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: MCF, PillO, Larry V and 5 others
#161,280
Chucky Stiletti said:
they do it with these large weird roundabouts (rotaries) at Calais and Dover when crossing the channel by ferry...
Click to expand...

We did WOWO both times, so never saw how that was handled. We took a standard ferry from Dover, but returned from Calais via hovercraft, That meant we just hung out on the beach until it showed up. Sharon and I waded; I think that's the only time I have been in the North Sea.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MCF, PillO, Larry V and 2 others

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back