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Thunderbird Club

...and from the backseat - Are we there yet? I'm hungry. I gotta go to the bathroom. Are we there yet?

I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you!

Daaaad! He's looking at me! Now he's making faces at me!

He's on my side!


Oh the joys of the family road trip...

I bought one of the very early VP basses back about three years ago when they could be had new for about $600. At that time I yelled as loud as I could that this was quite possibly THE best new bass buy on the market under $1000. I still think that stands. It's a killer model in looks, quality, features, sound, feel, fit, finish and cost. IMHO you really need to currently look at spending $1000 plus dollars to find anything comparable in the new market.

So, now we know who is responsible for the great T-Bird inflation of 2020!
 
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I had a chance to dig into my VPro today and ... whoa. Seriously the best brand new mass-produced bass I have ever played, from any manufacturer, produced anywhere. Setup, fit and finish, electronics, and hardware are all top-notch. Sounds and plays amazing. And all for $700. Makes me smdh when I think about all the other mass-produced basses I have ever played. Why the heck can't Fender or GIBSON or even Music Man do this (to be fair, many of the US-made Music Man basses I have played in stores have been as good, but they cost almost 3x what a brand new V Pro sells for). This thing is a real banger.

I too have a ProV. Mine is a bit noisy and it seems to be getting worse. I think I will de-activate it (replace the electronics with passive) and perhaps refinish it in BMM or PB. But, it was a bargain; I payed C$350.
 
I remember those RW Fenders being good instruments. But that was a while ago. My favorite P-bass is an Ibanez, made in Japan in 1984 - no Fender I have played in my life could touch it.
Every time I try an Ibanez, I think that they are great instruments at fantastic prices. Mahogany bodies, very thin, 5 ply necks, and (most important) humbuckers. At some point I will have to get one.
 
Ok I'll wade in with a question that has probably been asked somewhere in these 8000-odd pages, what's everyone's favourite v-v-t settings for playing rock based music? Having only jammed for a couple of hours with mine I found that having the tone and bridge pup on max and the neck backed off a bit to maybe 7 or 8 gave me what I was looking for. Especially when I went up the neck a bit (ok I don't get past 5th fret that often!), the drummer said it sounded like a bell ringing out (in a good way of you know what I mean) it really did cut through the mix.

Neck p/u all the way up, bridge p/u off or up to about 1/2, and tone all the way on.

My 4 string bird is currently tuned DGCF... Because drop D is way too confusing for my simple mind. And during recovery from shoulder surgery, I could capo at the 2nd fret making it a short scale to make the reach easier.
 
Doesn't look like the cat found it humorous. Has that "I'm not messing around or telling you again look."
Maybe it was recalling this event.
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Dogs however, love it!
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Make an offer. If it’s not selling...

Blasted internet. That pawn knows what he has. He gave $150 for it, if that. Show up with three $100 bills and 5 $20s. Offer $300. She what he says. You never know.

My friend lives in Lexington KY and haunts pawn shops in the general area (or anywhere he visits in the state). He has bought many guitars and amps for far less than the price tag by having cash in hand and having a rough idea of how long some of the items have been hanging there. He has done really well with old Fender amps because its not the kind of thing shops want to ship.
Like MCF says, they have very little into it so they have a LOT of wiggle room.
 
I remember those RW Fenders being good instruments. But that was a while ago. My favorite P-bass is an Ibanez, made in Japan in 1984 - no Fender I have played in my life could touch it.

those Roadstars, were pretty slamming basses

I like those Roadstar's a lot. A couple have turned up on Craigslist for really good prices and got snapped up before I could snag them. They are on my short list even tho I already have enough P or P-J loaded basses. Whats one more going to hurt?? ;)
 
I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but I had a chance to dig into my VPro today and ... whoa. Seriously the best brand new mass-produced bass I have ever played, from any manufacturer, produced anywhere. Setup, fit and finish, electronics, and hardware are all top-notch. Sounds and plays amazing. And all for $700. Makes me smdh when I think about all the other mass-produced basses I have ever played. Why the heck can't Fender or GIBSON or even Music Man do this (to be fair, many of the US-made Music Man basses I have played in stores have been as good, but they cost almost 3x what a brand new V Pro sells for). This thing is a real banger.
Have you ever played a Casady?