Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

Here is my contribution to Thunderbird Thursday. Just arrived today So far I am really digging it!!

View attachment 4328477
View attachment 4328478

No oxidation on the hardware. Some of the finish is missing from the bridge, but you can tell it is from player wear. Tailpiece and tuners are very clean.

Nice score! Always happy when a member lands a Greco. Seems some around here have a fairly high opinion of them! Might need to set the intonation.

 

[dagrev]

View attachment 4328575 Dbl. Bass for Folsom Prison Blues.

Nice. You did make it!

 

[Nocturnal]

Nice score! Always happy when a member lands a Greco. Seems some around here have a fairly high opinion of them! Might need to set the intonation.

Definitely need to set the intonation. It lives up to the aggressiveness described by others here, and I like that

This is the TB-70 model and according to all the info I could find online it has a Basswood body and Mahogany neck. The chips indicate a light-colored body wood so probably is Basswood. Neck is similar to my black Hamer FBIV, but I think the Greco is a bit thinner. Weighs a little less than my Gibson's, but not by much. Seems comfortable so far. Really happy with it and the price was very good IMO.

 

[PillO]

Nice! However, I think my wife would beat me over the head with my ‘15 if I bought another T-bird just after buying the first one.

You'll never know unless you try.

Be sure to post pictures!

 

[Engle]

Here is my contribution to Thunderbird Thursday. Just arrived today So far I am really digging it!!

View attachment 4328477
View attachment 4328478

No oxidation on the hardware. Some of the finish is missing from the bridge, but you can tell it is from player wear. Tailpiece and tuners are very clean.

Sweet! Does it have a big chunky neck?

 

[MCF]

Having a great time in Bay City! This cover was a bit of a surprise in a good way.

That is a tight band! Excellent! We want more.

 

[MCF]

You know, I never paid any attention to the unique headstock before. Too busy looking at the body and not the face I guess.....

Makes it lighter, but takes some getting used to the looks of it.

 

[GBassNorth]

Some thoughts on strings (again)

Cobalt flats (45-105) are too high tension for some of my basses, so I tried the 45-100 on my Fano. The tension is much closer to a typical 45-105 set, which is nice. I do feel the 100 E string is shyer in the lows, which depending on your rig could be a good thing. On my Fano through my rig, it’s not such a good thing. Not terrible, but not great. I have another set I’m tempted to try a set on the ‘bird, which is a deeper sounding bass than the Fano.

Forgot to order more rounds, so when we stopped at a GC the selection was limited and I grabbed a set of Fender 7250’s and some EB Regular Slinky 50-105 because I haven’t tried either in quite some time. For sure gonna change strings before tonight’s gig, just not sure which strings I’ll try

Lovin the 7250’s on my VP. Very balanced, more creamy than raucous but a very nice match for the very aggressive VP pups.

I know GBassNorth swears by the Fenders, so much so he's convinced me enough that they will be in a future string purchase. I'm a GHS Boomer fan on many things and Thunderbirds are one of them. Big, fat and punchy. When you try the Fender's--I'm interested in your take on them.

I’m really liking the boomers on my white Greco. The E string is very deep, authoritative and clear. I’m still breaking in the G string, which is a bit thin sounding in comparison. I’m running the standard gauge right now but bought a heavy gauge just in case, so I can always flip out the G to something heavier if needed.

I'm still loving the 2015 T-bird that I received yesterday, but I can't help but wonder what it would look like with chrome or nickel pickup covers. Since the 2015 model has the unique EB exposed-pole humbuckers - does anyone know if Thunderbird chrome or nickel covers will fit the humbuckers?

The 2015 pups are very unique in the Tbird world and are kinda the visual and sonic trademark of this bass. TTBOMK no other year used them. To maintain resale value I wouldn’t do anything to those pups that can’t be reversed. The good news is, the black plastic pup covers are literally held on to the pickups by two small dollops of silicone caulking. Mine popped off without any fuss at all when I pulled the pups out of the bass in prep for a thorough set up. Without the cover what you have is two exposed pole single coils tyat make up each pup and they are much smaller than the stock black plastic cover dimensions. I didn’t measure it, but suspect the exposed pole pups would easily fit in a chrome or nickel Tbird can.

I did a lot of testing on the pups and found them to have insanely strong magnets (much more so than any other bass I own by a long shot). And because of the large exposed poles they had a very large and complex magnetic field, to the point that the neck pup field overlapped the bridge pup field. I experimented with some thin ferrous metal plate over the top of the poles to see what a pup cover would do, and it completely changed the magnetic field to something more like a blade type pup. It also noticeably reduced the volume of the bass and cut some of the top end out of the signal. It did tame the beast, but it no longer sound like a 2015 bird. In the end I decided I didn’t like the idea of a metal pup cover on this bass so I put the plastic covers back on and finished with my set up.

If you decide to go the metal can route I’d recommend trying aluminum or nickel covers vs something that will be attracted to the magnets and I’d line the covers with felt or thin foam pads to keep the poles from contacting metal. Trim rings would probably be desired to complete the look but I’d personally steer clear of using any screws to hold them in place, I’d use double back tape so the process can be reversed without leaving any holes in the body.

Put on the Fender 7250’s for soundcheck. I get the appeal. More ‘polite’ than a lot of rounds I normally, but that ain’t always a bad thing. Would be great to tame a bass that’s maybe too grindy/growly for certain gigs. Super even and clear sounding though. I kinda like em so far, but the gig will be the real test

My findings as well. I can still coax grit and grind from them but have to dig in a bit more to get there. If I had to sum it up with some perspective for others that haven’t tried them, I’d say where EB Cobalt Flats border on a round sounding flat, the Fender 7250’s border on a flat sounding round - almost pre broken in but still plenty of life left with strong clear even tone.

Here is my contribution to Thunderbird Thursday. Just arrived today So far I am really digging it!!

View attachment 4328477
View attachment 4328478

No oxidation on the hardware. Some of the finish is missing from the bridge, but you can tell it is from player wear. Tailpiece and tuners are very clean.

Gotta love the Greco! In your face tone and attitude for days. P basses blush by comparison and Jazz basses wilt into the background. I’ve come to the conclusion that Greco birds are for players that want 50% more attitude with 50% less effort. There’s some serious magic in those pups.

Having a great time in Bay City! This cover was a bit of a surprise in a good way.

That cover sounds better than the original to my ears. @dukeorock and his Eskimo brother the drummer performed rock solid and the singer is a one man show by himself. The three together on stage churn up gobs of mojo and sonic bliss.

 

[GBassNorth]

Definitely need to set the intonation. It lives up to the aggressiveness described by others here, and I like that

This is the TB-70 model and according to all the info I could find online it has a Basswood body and Mahogany neck. The chips indicate a light-colored body wood so probably is Basswood. Neck is similar to my black Hamer FBIV, but I think the Greco is a bit thinner. Weighs a little less than my Gibson's, but not by much. Seems comfortable so far. Really happy with it and the price was very good IMO.

I believe basswood is correct for TB-70. What year is your Greco?
My white 1990 Greco has the basswood body as well. Hard to compare because of the polar opposite strings I have on them, but my 1977 Greco Tbird II with well broken in TI Jazz Flats and mahogany construction seems to have a bit more punch and is a bit more lower mid range focused than my 1990 White Greco Tbird IV with new GHS Boomers and a basswood body which is more bottom end focused. Both are outstanding basses worth much more to me than I paid for them. Love your black one and the factory gig bag.

 

[Engle]

Having a great time in Bay City! This cover was a bit of a surprise in a good way.

nice!!!

 

[Engle]

I'm doing a jazz camp week in August. Bass, Drums, Piano, guitar, flute & 2 saxes. We each get to pick a song. Everybody including me and the drummer has to know the head and the chords by memory.
Suggestions?

 

[Warpeg]

I’m really liking the boomers on my white Greco. The E string is very deep, authoritative and clear. I’m still breaking in the G string, which is a bit thin sounding in comparison. I’m running the standard gauge right now but bought a heavy gauge just in case, so I can always flip out the G to something heavier if needed.


The 2015 pups are very unique in the Tbird world and are kinda the visual and sonic trademark of this bass. TTBOMK no other year used them. To maintain resale value I wouldn’t do anything to those pups that can’t be reversed. The good news is, the black plastic pup covers are literally held on to the pickups by two small dollops of silicone caulking. Mine popped off without any fuss at all when I pulled the pups out of the bass in prep for a thorough set up. Without the cover what you have is two exposed pole single coils tyat make up each pup and they are much smaller than the stock black plastic cover dimensions. I didn’t measure it, but suspect the exposed pole pups would easily fit in a chrome or nickel Tbird can.

I did a lot of testing on the pups and found them to have insanely strong magnets (much more so than any other bass I own by a long shot). And because of the large exposed poles they had a very large and complex magnetic field, to the point that the neck pup field overlapped the bridge pup field. I experimented with some thin ferrous metal plate over the top of the poles to see what a pup cover would do, and it completely changed the magnetic field to something more like a blade type pup. It also noticeably reduced the volume of the bass and cut some of the top end out of the signal. It did tame the beast, but it no longer sound like a 2015 bird. In the end I decided I didn’t like the idea of a metal pup cover on this bass so I put the plastic covers back on and finished with my set up.

If you decide to go the metal can route I’d recommend trying aluminum or nickel covers vs something that will be attracted to the magnets and I’d line the covers with felt or thin foam pads to keep the poles from contacting metal. Trim rings would probably be desired to complete the look but I’d personally steer clear of using any screws to hold them in place, I’d use double back tape so the process can be reversed without leaving any holes in the body.


My findings as well. I can still coax grit and grind from them but have to dig in a bit more to get there. If I had to sum it up with some perspective for others that haven’t tried them, I’d say where EB Cobalt Flats border on a round sounding flat, the Fender 7250’s border on a flat sounding round - almost pre broken in but still plenty of life left with strong clear even tone.


Gotta love the Greco! In your face tone and attitude for days. P basses blush by comparison and Jazz basses wilt into the background. I’ve come to the conclusion that Greco birds are for players that want 50% more attitude with 50% less effort. There’s some serious magic in those pups.


That cover sounds better than the original to my ears. @dukeorock and his Eskimo brother the drummer performed rock solid and the singer is a one man show by himself. The three together on stage churn up gobs of mojo and sonic bliss.

That was the exact info that I was looking for on those pickups. Thanks! It seems pretty obvious that I should just keep everything stock then. I did need to lower both pickups quite a bit. The pull of those pickups had some pretty interesting string interactions. Once I dropped the pickups each about 1/8”, the tone came alive!

Now I have a new and potentially silly issue. My 2015 of course has factory black hardware, but it has chrome strap buttons on it. Is chrome factory-correct for these or is it likely the previous owner swapped out the factory black ones? Part two of the question - if black is the factory strap button, where can I find the same make/model that was on it from the factory?

 

[TBird1958]

Having a great time in Bay City! This cover was a bit of a surprise in a good way.

Lovin' that! Thanks for shooting it Larry!

 

[GBassNorth]

That was the exact info that I was looking for on those pickups. Thanks! It seems pretty obvious that I should just keep everything stock then. I did need to lower both pickups quite a bit. The pull of those pickups had some pretty interesting string interactions. Once I dropped the pickups each about 1/8”, the tone came alive!

Now I have a new and potentially silly issue. My 2015 of course has factory black hardware, but it has chrome strap buttons on it. Is chrome factory-correct for these or is it likely the previous owner swapped out the factory black ones? Part two of the question - if black is the factory strap button, where can I find the same make/model that was on it from the factory?

Interesting string interactions is an understatement. I do all of my own setups and most of my own luthier work, but I never experienced anything like the 2015 on what should have been a simple set up. I found the pup magnets to be so strong that they would pull the strings out of intonation cause fret buzz and choke the sustain out if not completely lowered.

Of course it took me days of chasing my tail to figure out what was going on. It was nutz. I’d gap the pup at about the same as my other birds, adjust the saddle heights, tweak the neck and set the intonation to perfection then the next day (after the strings had become fully magnetized by the pups) the darn fretboard would have buzz nearly the full length, the bass would be out of tune and the intonation would be off. I finally realized the trick was to slam the pups to dead bottom, then do the set up, let it sit over night, then in very small increments each day raise the pups until they start to impact the action or create a chorus effect at which point they need to be backed back down a hair. All is fine now, and I went the extra step and installed tapes, which are a bit less prone to magnetic interactions.

As for the strap pins, mine are chrome as well. I’m the second owner but I don’t think they were changed by the original owner since they’re just stock strap pins and not strap locks. You can see here…

 

[GonePlaid]

We useta do that one. It kinda got forgotten during last year's layoff. Gonna bring it up for tomorrow night.

We-in this case "I"-also do Folsom Prison Blues. For some reason, we do it roughly twice as fast as the original. IDK how that evolved, but the crowds like it so no BFD.

 

[BklynKen]

Now I have a new and potentially silly issue. My 2015 of course has factory black hardware, but it has chrome strap buttons on it. Is chrome factory-correct for these or is it likely the previous owner swapped out the factory black ones? Part two of the question - if black is the factory strap button, where can I find the same make/model that was on it from the factory?

Maybe a good reason to get strap locks? Two 'birds with one stone. Black strap pins and more security.

 

[GonePlaid]

Maybe a good reason to get strap locks? Two 'birds with one stone. Black strap pins and more security.

Or these. Officially "Eagle" but they look like a TBird to me. Available in chrome or gold, but you could paint them black. Or not. I have gold ones on my 'Bird.

Grover GC20C

 

[dukeorock]

Having a great time in Bay City! This cover was a bit of a surprise in a good way.

So good to meet you! Wish we had a chance to chat more, but David wound up wanting to do 3 1/2 hours straight with no breaks. Next time I’ll get there early, but I want to check out your NR!

My findings as well. I can still coax grit and grind from them but have to dig in a bit more to get there. If I had to sum it up with some perspective for others that haven’t tried them, I’d say where EB Cobalt Flats border on a round sounding flat, the Fender 7250’s border on a flat sounding round - almost pre broken in but still plenty of life left with strong clear even tone.

@dukeorock Mark and his Eskimo brother the drummer performed rock solid and the singer is a one man show by himself. The three together on stage churn up gobs of mojo and sonic bliss.

Man, that’s a very kind review, thanks!

And your take on the 7250’s was the EXACT same thoughts I had! They’re rounds that can act like flats with the right attack, but can go full round when you lean into them. I really liked em a lot once I figured out the dynamics of them and it’s a very wide dynamic

 

[Larry V]

So good to meet you! Wish we had a chance to chat more, but David wound up wanting to do 3 1/2 hours straight with no breaks. Next time I’ll get there early, but I want to check out your NR!

It was a real pleasure to meet you and the band as well and I totally understand the time and all. I just got to work since I have a 6 AM start so with an hour to drive home last night, I cut out at 10 PM. It was great that you all started at 8 and I got to see 2 hours! I'll definitely make the next one too and if you're serious about the PB NR, hell yeah, I'll bring it for you and I'll be sure to make the strap as long as I can. What are you about 6'3"? 6'4"?

 

[Larry V]

That is a tight band! Excellent! We want more.

Sorry, that's all I shot... I tried to shoot more but the big girls, and there was two of them, didn't care that I was recording.

Here's the best I can do for you.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq9DiM2SiWPNhB9nuvv3YcdKo2YFLPuK2