Thunderbird Club

[GonePlaid]

I think an even better question is why you'd put Thunderbuckers in a VP and then sell it?

Wanted the VP pups for another project, hadda buy a bass to get them?

 

[MCF]

I have not yet received your paypal...have you sent it?

We should all get together and start a comedy show.

 

[GonePlaid]

We should all get together and start a comedy show.

We haven't? Anyway, this old thing-and a friend:

 

[MCF]

I just learned that young Scott Walker briefly toured with The Surfaris (Wipe Out) in the early '60s!!! Firstly, thought The Ventures did Wipe-Out (they also did) but The Surfaris originally 'penned' it. Not pictured here - but toured with them on bass then!

Huh. I guess he did spend some time in SoCal in the early 60’s. The Surfaris were around again some in the eighties during the surf revival. I think only one of the original guitarists is still active with the name; a couple of the original members have passed away. I saw a version of them a few years ago at a surf revival show, still lots of fun.

 

[Larry V]

Wanted the VP pups for another project, hadda buy a bass to get them?

That's just crazy talk. You can get 4 sets of Chinabuckers for the price of Thunderbuckers.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

RIP Sean Malone..

 

[JIO]

Huh. I guess he did spend some time in SoCal in the early 60’s. The Surfaris were around again some in the eighties during the surf revival. I think only one of the original guitarists is still active with the name; a couple of the original members have passed away. I saw a version of them a few years ago at a surf revival show, still lots of fun.

They didn't mention a date but as SW had a long career I'm guessing it was when he was young, especially pulling a stunt like that!

Scott Walker dropped by Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service on BBC 6 Music (July 23) last night for a rare interview appearance – his first in three years.

During the interview, which is available to stream on the BBC Radio 6 website, Walker discussed his early career and his friendship with David Bowie – who once referred to him as his “idol” – revealing that the late star “wanted at one stage to do an interview with me.”

Speaking about Bowie, Walker said: “Every time I spoke to him he was very nice to me. He always was on my side. He would recommend people to listen to my records.”

Walker also talked about his love of Jaques Brel, European cinema, jazz and how he once did “the James Dean roll” (from Rebel Without A Cause) out of a moving car to avoid plunging to his death while on tour with ‘Wipe Out’ legends Surfaris, of whom he was briefly a touring member.

The interview comes ahead of Tuesday night’s BBC Proms, where artists including Cocker (and Susanne Sundfør) will perform songs from Walker’s early solo albums from the late ‘60s.

During their chat, Cocker asked Walker if the prom had encouraged him to listen to the songs again, to which he replied “no,” adding: “With that kind of thing, with any past recordings, I’m like Don Quixote being confronted by the Knight of Mirrors. All I ever do is hear the faults, I never hear anything else, so I never listen.” Hear the interview in full.

The Sunn O))) collaborator’s last release was an orchestral soundtrack to the Brady Corbet-directed 2016 film The Childhood of a Leader.

 

[MCF]

They didn't mention a date but as SW had a long career I'm guessing it was when he was young, especially pulling a stunt like that!

Scott Walker dropped by Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service on BBC 6 Music (July 23) last night for a rare interview appearance – his first in three years.

During the interview, which is available to stream on the BBC Radio 6 website, Walker discussed his early career and his friendship with David Bowie – who once referred to him as his “idol” – revealing that the late star “wanted at one stage to do an interview with me.”

Speaking about Bowie, Walker said: “Every time I spoke to him he was very nice to me. He always was on my side. He would recommend people to listen to my records.”

Walker also talked about his love of Jaques Brel, European cinema, jazz and how he once did “the James Dean roll” (from Rebel Without A Cause) out of a moving car to avoid plunging to his death while on tour with ‘Wipe Out’ legends Surfaris, of whom he was briefly a touring member.

The interview comes ahead of Tuesday night’s BBC Proms, where artists including Cocker (and Susanne Sundfør) will perform songs from Walker’s early solo albums from the late ‘60s.

During their chat, Cocker asked Walker if the prom had encouraged him to listen to the songs again, to which he replied “no,” adding: “With that kind of thing, with any past recordings, I’m like Don Quixote being confronted by the Knight of Mirrors. All I ever do is hear the faults, I never hear anything else, so I never listen.” Hear the interview in full.

The Sunn O))) collaborator’s last release was an orchestral soundtrack to the Brady Corbet-directed 2016 film The Childhood of a Leader.

Great post Geo. Thanks! I’ll save the listen for the weekend.

 

[Gaolee]

In the most recent Sweetwaer SweetNotes, Dave Martin writes in "The Well-equipped bassist" that "We want gear for one of three reasons: to make us sound better, to make us play better, or to make us feel better."

I would add, "to make us look better (in terms of stage presence)." Or possibly "because it just looks so cool", although I suppose that can be a subset of "make us feel better".

Thoughts?

Case in point: Bootsy gear
View attachment 4076052
Alas, I can't find any pics of his R2 Funk U. Can't recall a pic of him with a Thunderbird, either. He definitely played a 7ender with JB, and with EW&F when I saw them in 1973.

The Flamingo. Point made.

 

[Gaolee]

I saw Bo Diddley years ago. I don't know how old he was but he was "up there." It was clearly one of the best concerts I ever attended. No big production, but talk about high energy. Not James "The human Energizer Bunny" Brown energy, but man he was leaving nothing on the table. Even got to talk with him before the show and get his autograph. Funny story, actually. He was wearing a bus driver or police type hat and standing out side a door getting some air. People thought he was some kind of parking lot attendant or security and were asking him for directions, etc. I saw him and thought, that's BD and went up and talked a while. All the while people kept coming up and asking him questions he had no answers to. He seemed happy somebody actually knew who he was.

I saw Muddy Waters a couple times in the late '70s. He didn't leave anything in the tank when he was on stage. There was no pretense, no production values nonsense, just energy and a lot of it.

 

[Gaolee]

Currently on Reverb - 1995 Gibson Thunderbird IV Limited Edition Vintage Reissue Bass Ebony Fretboard, w/ Case | Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar | Reverb

I wasn't aware of such a model from 1995 - kind of a mist-mash of a '60s & '70s IV with ebony fb and Schaller Y tuners.

View attachment 4076234

Color me a bit skeptical.

 

[Gaolee]

It is in Seattle.....

Just down the hill from me. I haven't visited Mike & Mike, even though they seem to have Thunderbirds on a regular basis. There may be a reason I haven't walked down there yet...

 

[Gaolee]

I'm all for an ebony fb but not so much for those tuners or bridge - I seem to recall there is another model over the years of the T-bird that also had an ebony fb, but I could be wrong.

Most of them up to fairly recently, so far as I know. Gibson that is. I'm pretty sure the Flamingo ('91) is ebony and the '01 is almost certainly ebony as well. Unless there's some other really dense black wood that looks and feels like ebony. The '15 is rosewood, as is the fretless Epi and the bolt-on.

 

[Gaolee]

Prices do seem to be out of control on Reverb and a few other places I've looked. I did find this one:

Gibson Thunderbird IV Black 2001 | Enigma Guitars | Reverb

Twin to my 2001 ebony Bird. The best sounding Bird I have ever owned and that is saying something. I think the price is high but if it sounds like mine.......

In other news, the sprakle green Epi is down to a "reasonable" $1100 now

Epiphone ThunderBird 4 String Bass 2015 Green Sparkle | BRONCO Bob's GUITAR Emporium | Reverb

When that green one gets down to $150 and they clean the paint off the frets, I'll be interested all of a sudden. What do you figure the odds are?

That '01 looks to be in more pristine condition than the pixie dust '01, and it's black. That doesn't make it worth double what I paid for the pixie dust '01 however long ago that was.

 

[Gaolee]

So, like, every 2-3 years.

That often?

 

[JIO]

Most of them up to fairly recently, so far as I know. Gibson that is. I'm pretty sure the Flamingo ('91) is ebony and the '01 is almost certainly ebony as well. Unless there's some other really dense black wood that looks and feels like ebony. The '15 is rosewood, as is the fretless Epi and the bolt-on.

Gen1 ('63-'65) fb's are rosewood. Not certain about later NR's or '70s Centennials but I think they are also RW. Old RW can get pretty dark visually.

 

[Old_Noob]

Hey...anyone know if the chrome T-Bird pickup covers you can get on fleabay will work with the EMG TBHZ? I think I read that the EMG's are a bit larger than current t-bird buckers.

 

[JIO]

Color me a bit skeptical.

Apparently that model existed as a couple others surfaced.

 

[PillO]

We should all get together and start a comedy show.

I can do a Gallagher bit...

 

[MCF]

Early Hermans Hermits (lefty) bass-player playing a "reversed" (early '63-'65) T-bird upside-down !

The “oldies” version of my high school bands played that song and it was wonderful. Our singer on it was a cute girl named Jean Mayer. Jean wrote a couple minor hits in the eighties. She is Dan Fogelberg's widow. The voice of an angel.