Cool! Move over Weird Al, you've got some competition.
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
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- Tags
- club thunderbird
Cool! Move over Weird Al, you've got some competition.
godofthunder59
Life is short, buy the bass.
- Feb 19, 2006
- 9,057
- 38,405
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Cataldo Basses, Whirlwind products, Thunderbucker pickups
Gig report. Second Who's That show of the year, the entire show was videoed and I broke out three basses for the show. My usual beat '66 nonreverse Thunderbird, my deep cutaway Fenderbird and Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbird. I should have the video sometime next week and will get clips up as soon as I can. Here's a couple of pics.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,588
- 221,962
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Chucky resurrected my Ashdown Spyder 550 (long story) which is my main TSC's/BG stage amp - solid individual through and through
and a damn fine bass player. 
Still an inch and a half too short for my 67 NR.
At my age-and complete lack of skating ability-a bump from a ref would hurt.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,588
- 221,962
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Really? That's crazy - my '64 is my longest bass at 50.5"... I guess they didn't consider standards back then.
I s'pose R vs NR(?). Plus I don't like to wedge it into the case. I have the OHSC. Unfortunately, the HS end is busted out-from use, not 'cos the HS exploded.
You might want to reverse it, then.
Nah, I'll just square off the HS about an inch past the G post.
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Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Since' the VP fits in a case, I took it to make noise this evening. It has neck dive, but not too bad. It also does angry piano well sith the stainless round that are on it. It is all it is cracked up to be
Your photographer should see an Ear Nose and Throat specialist for a suspected inner ear problem...
Very cool. Do you ever get to Canada (southern Ontario in particular)?
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
A few more random VP thoughts after sleeping on it.
Aside from the minor top heaviness, this bass is spectacularly easy to play. It might be crowding the pixie dust bass in that category.
The sound is even all across the fretboard and on all strings. The slight weakness I sometimes hear from the g-string just doesn't exist on this one.
I don't like the feel of poly very much. I am not acid, so nothing is going to corrode any more than it already has, but poly gets sticky in my hands and where my forearm goes. I will scrub the neck with scotchbrite for now. The bass is good enough to be worth refinishing, except that the serial number is stenciled on. So a refin isn't going to happen.
Mine is a bit on the heavy side. It is noticeably heavier than the Pixie Dust bass or the '15 in my hands. Strapped on, I don't notice.
If anything, it wants to be slung even lower than the other 'Birds. Good thing I have a long strap for it.
The neck plies are visible through the finish on the back of the bass. Where the finish was chipped, it appears to be fairly thin. Neither of those makes much difference, but I like the neck ply visibility as a quirk of this bass and the thin finish as an indication of how the bass is likely to age.
It sustains forever, like a typical 'Bird.
Short version - yeah, these are earning the reputation they are getting as giant slayers. Maybe giants in their own right. Don't tell anybody or the damn price of used ones will go up.
Aside from the minor top heaviness, this bass is spectacularly easy to play. It might be crowding the pixie dust bass in that category.
The sound is even all across the fretboard and on all strings. The slight weakness I sometimes hear from the g-string just doesn't exist on this one.
I don't like the feel of poly very much. I am not acid, so nothing is going to corrode any more than it already has, but poly gets sticky in my hands and where my forearm goes. I will scrub the neck with scotchbrite for now. The bass is good enough to be worth refinishing, except that the serial number is stenciled on. So a refin isn't going to happen.
Mine is a bit on the heavy side. It is noticeably heavier than the Pixie Dust bass or the '15 in my hands. Strapped on, I don't notice.
If anything, it wants to be slung even lower than the other 'Birds. Good thing I have a long strap for it.
The neck plies are visible through the finish on the back of the bass. Where the finish was chipped, it appears to be fairly thin. Neither of those makes much difference, but I like the neck ply visibility as a quirk of this bass and the thin finish as an indication of how the bass is likely to age.
It sustains forever, like a typical 'Bird.
Short version - yeah, these are earning the reputation they are getting as giant slayers. Maybe giants in their own right. Don't tell anybody or the damn price of used ones will go up.
Just keep perpetuating the detachable HS myth, the belief they're only good for metal, that they're awkward to play, etc., and people will give up on them, keeping the price down.
Glad you are liking it. Both of mine have slight dive if I don't use a suede backed strap. Even so, I found myself pulling up a bit once in a while. I noticed it at first but pay it no mind these days. The '64 and the Gibson '06 are perfectly balanced and are a littler lighter as well. Play the '64 Epi Embassy and one finds out the definition of neck dive.
Olympic contender. But it does sound and play good otherwise.
*** To preserve the affordability of VP basses this portion of this message will self destruct in 24 hours ***
Great to hear your gettin on with the VP (even if you had to sleep with it). They are truly great basses and I seriously think every thunderbird owner should have at least one in their Tbird line up. I haven’t found a string yet that doesn’t sound great on them and I haven’t found a genre of music they don’t fit nicely in. It’s a beast compared to my modern Tbirds and polite compared to my Greco birds.
***** end of self destruct message *****
*** begin vicious anti Tbird rant in effort to suppress used VP prices ***
Well it looks like you drank the Gibson/Epiphone koolaid. How anyone can be happy with a flimsy fragile neck diving one trick mud spewing excuse for a bass is beyond me. There’s a reason the Fender P bass is the go to bass for every bass player around the world. Enjoy your folly and remember that no Tbird bass or Tbird player has ever amounted to anything. *** end of misinformation campaign ***
Epiphone won't let me.
I married a lefty and it’s kind of amazing to see first hand the number of things we right handed folks use on a daily basis, and just take for granted, that are a real inconvenience or just not even available for lefties. That said, there is a reversed reverse (not the same as a non reverse) Greco out there with your name on it. The asking price is high but it’s very unique and rare and a step above even the mighty VP.
