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Thunderbird Club

#166,962
GBassNorth said:
Never heard of an angled headstock being referred to as "Gibson Style". Its pretty much the traditional way of making just about any string instrument for about as far back as string instruments have been made. The angle of the headstock can vary quite a bit from instrument type to instrument type.

Fender was clearly the big departure in headstock design. The Fender "straight style" headstock has pros and cons from a functionality standpoint but some real advantages in the fabrication process and the durability department. Both work fine for me so I don't get too hung up on it.
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I have heard it referred to like that, once by my luthier - I imagine it becoming used with the advent of initial Gibson/Fender reference/comparrison. Like any 'electric' bass at one time being referred to as "Fender Bass".

This guy tested the structural integrity of Leo's 'straight' necks...
Pete Townsend.jpg
 
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#166,965
Chucky Stiletti said:
doesn’t set back go back to bow playing? would prolly explain the reason for a floating three point and why Hipshots are so “thick” when compared to a Fender bridge for instance..
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Not sure about that, but even string tension at the headstock/nut and not having to deal with a string retainer is a bigger part of the story.
 
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#166,971
Blazer said:
Yeah, I hear you, I have been playing el-cheapo guitars for years and this year I wanted something fancy and so I made a KILLER deal on THIS.
View attachment 4103584 Which is an Epiphone EJ-300, which has all solid wood construction, they don't make these anymore, it's by far the best sounding acoustic I ever played.
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Beautiful acoustic, I absolutely love those big guitars :hyper:
 
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#166,972
TBird1958 said:
Thunderbird time, these were in my FB feed this AM.

View attachment 4105551

View attachment 4105552
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While I love early KISS they ceased to be a thing for me after Alive II and thats stretching it. These offerings are kinda cool with the binding and all but it's just a dressed up "modern" Thunderbird with a tenuous KISS connection not like the Grabber that is part of the classic iconic image. So I'll probably just break out my Grabber or '77 bird should I feel the urge to buy one of these.
 
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#166,973
godofthunder59 said:
While I love early KISS they ceased to be a thing for me after Alive II and thats stretching it. These offerings are kinda cool with the binding and all but it's just a dressed up "modern" Thunderbird with a tenuous KISS connection not like the Grabber that is part of the classic iconic image. So I'll probably just break out my Grabber should I feel the urge to buy one of these.
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Queen to no one in particular........ Buy a Grabber, Hmmmm.


I Love, love love Gibson basses!
 
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#166,976
the height of the pups confirms the pitch theory...I don't own a Gibson reverse so i used the Greco as a reference which brings up another point; how come you don't see or hear about hs damage on Grecos or other non Gibson Birds?.....thought I read somewhere that although Greco used mahogany for their bodies, they used maple for their necks..
apologies for the crappy pics..
1989 GRECO REVERSE IV
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2012 GIBSON NON REVERSE IV
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#166,978
GBassNorth said:
Fender actually did a darn good job of capturing that Gibby sound with their Telecaster Modern Player bass. Unfortunately they discontinued it after a couple of years. If you see one on the sale block grab it. Very nice playing and sounding bass that fits right in if Fender looks and ergonomics are what you're going after.

View attachment 4105698


You're right. Those are plugs in the volume holes, I just assumed they were black knobs.

Not so sure I'd like a fixed volume on my bass. Once I get an amp set up I don't really like to tweak it much between songs or when changing basses and I don't normally use a volume pedal, I normally adjust at the bass. Likewise, I have a tendency to heavily favor the neck pup and just dial in a bit of the bridge pup for more definition as needed. Hard to do that with both pups locked in full on mode.


FWIW - my BaCH NR does indeed have a pitched neck, looks about the same as my other birds. And it does not have a volute. In fact none of my birds have a volute. Also, FWIW my Jazz bass strings sit about 1/4" closer to the body (measured just in front of the bridge pup) than my Thunderbird basses. So not a monster difference, but certainly noticeable.
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are the basses pictured Tele Modern Players? If so, goof name, because tgey look nothing like Teles.

Either way, while I have nothing against Fenders, per se, I don’t mind at all that my bass of choice isn’t something that everyone and their third cousin (twice removed (and once restored)) Esmerelda has.
 
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