Thunderbird Club

[GBassNorth]

Did a little bit of ‘testing’ with all four of my bird or bird like basses. I’ve been thinking one of em may have to go, but I’m not sure yet.
View attachment 4331834

First ‘issue’ is that through my current rig (TT800/Berg HDN212) the deep lows are sometimes a tad shy for my tastes. So is it the amp or the cab? I hooked up my Mesa M9 and TT800 to the Berg. Set ‘flat’ on both amps, they both sound like Mesa’s, but the M9 has so much low end on tap it’s silly. The cab handled it just fine. The TT800 sounds fantastic, but taking the bass control much past 2 o’clock there’s no noticeable bass increase...it’s just gets muddier. I’ve often said if the M9 was more reliable, I wouldn’t use anything else. The difference in headroom is also comical. No contest. I’m tempted to try inserting an eq into the TT800 fx loop to see if that does the trick to get a bit more low end cushion. I’d love to make the TT work because the two channel thing is so useful to me.
As to which bass may have to go, all I can say is it won’t be the Gibson. I think it’s the best overall of the bunch. It’s all pros and no cons for me.

Cataldo Pros- looks awesome, sounds amazing. The ThunderBucker Ranch ‘66 is a bit wilder than the Lollars in my Gibson, but not VP aggressive. Sits in a recording like a dream for rock and roll stuff.
Cataldo Cons- I prefer reverse bodies for playability by a small margin. I just don’t get on with 1.75” nut width these days. Hopefully the 1.5” neck Carlo sent me will do the trick, but I gotta get off my butt and swap the neck.

Greco Pros- has a nastier sound like the VP’s with a little more cool factor than the VP. I just don’t like the super thick Poly finishes on the VP’s. I don’t like the look and I don’t like the feel of the poly on my left hand or right forearm. The neck shape is a bit nicer on the Greco to me as well.

Greco Cons- it’s the heaviest of those 4 basses by a very noticeable amount. Swapping the bridge and tuners could make a big difference and I do have replacements sitting around. We’ll see.
Biggest con is it neck dives like a mofo. If I can’t cure that in a satisfactory way, it may have to move along. I’d prefer to make it work if at all possible. Nocturnal had an interesting solution, but I’d have to go back and find it.

Fano JM4 Pros- lightest of the 4 by a lot. Incredibly well balanced and playable. I quite like the looks too, but it plays like a dream and it’s somewhat unique.
Fano Cons- the Dennis Fano TBird style pickups are like a thicker, punchier J sound. That could be awesome sometimes, and not other times for me. It’s not as thumpy as Lollars, not as aggressive as the Greco or as rock and roll as the TB in the Cataldo. I have an extra Lollar laying around and am tempted to swap out the neck pickup with that. Could be just the ticket...?

Lots of pros and cons to think about in that post. If I had your problem I’d definitely switch necks on the Cataldo, that should make it a keeper, and the Gibby is already a keeper as is.

What’s left is a VP with a poly finish that you’re not keen on, a Fano that feels perfect but lacks a bit in sound, and a Greco that excels in sound but lacks in balance. With that in mind, I’d sell the VP (you’ll probably get what you paid for it or better). Then I’d do a Greco/Fano pup and control swap so that you have those “magic” Greco pups in that “incredibly well balanced and playable” Fano and the Fano pups in the Greco. Then I’d sell the Greco (with full disclosure that it has Fano pups).

That gets you down to a perfect all stock Gibby, a perfect all stock Cataldo, and a modded Fano with Greco guts that’ll eat a P bass for breakfast. That right there is a heck of a line up and puts about $1500 back in your pocket to either bring the M9 reliability up to snuff or to bolster the TT bottom end.

 

[GonePlaid]

more 60’s TBird goodness….

 

[Count Bassie]

more 60’s TBird goodness….

Breakin' a leg!

 

[Larry V]

Here's some Thunderbird goodness for ya'!

My 19 y/o on my 2013 Gibson TBIV.
My 15 y/o on drums.

This was yesterday for a Memorial Benefit for a recently departed member of the local music community, Dale Sholler, MHRIP.

My boys sat in for the whole set with a popular local band, Cybil and the Beast. They are also dear friends of my wife and I and they sure do love my boys which makes all of this such a special thing for this proud dad.

 

[BklynKen]

Here's some Thunderbird goodness for ya'!

My 19 y/o on my 2013 Gibson TBIV.
My 15 y/o on drums.

This was yesterday for a Memorial Benefit for a recently departed member of the local music community, Dale Sholler, MHRIP.

My boys sat in for the whole set with a popular local band, Cybil and the Beast. They are also dear friends of my wife and I and they sure do love my boys which makes all of this such a special thing for this proud dad.

Sounds great, Larry! I can't hear the bass very well in the mix, but your son on drums sounds great. Lots of great choices in his playing. If it keeps it up, he should never be at a loss for bands to play with.

 

[Larry V]

Sounds great, Larry! I can't hear the bass very well in the mix, but your son on drums sounds great. Lots of great choices in his playing. If it keeps it up, he should never be at a loss for bands to play with.

Thanks, Ken. I hope they both get the chance to take music as far as they want to take it. I'm not sure why you're not hearing the bass... I'm hearing it loud and clear into my ear buds.

How about on this song?

My oldest son, Dominic is going to be a Junior pursuing a BA in Computer Science at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor in the Fall and if music doesn't take him to the huge stages across this world, his fallback ain't so bad and he'll always have these experiences to grow with and from. I think he'll always be in local bands and have this in his life if he chooses to and I really love that he loves it too.

Now, onto my youngest son, David. He, in my opinion has the best chance to make music a career. He plays guitar, bass, writes original music and of course excels at drums. I will encourage him to postpone college if he's involved with the right group of people who are also trying to make it to the big leagues. College and the money to go will always be there for him so I want him to chase his dreams and see if he can make it happen.

 

[Gaolee]

Did a little bit of ‘testing’ with all four of my bird or bird like basses. I’ve been thinking one of em may have to go, but I’m not sure yet.
View attachment 4331834

First ‘issue’ is that through my current rig (TT800/Berg HDN212) the deep lows are sometimes a tad shy for my tastes. So is it the amp or the cab? I hooked up my Mesa M9 and TT800 to the Berg. Set ‘flat’ on both amps, they both sound like Mesa’s, but the M9 has so much low end on tap it’s silly. The cab handled it just fine. The TT800 sounds fantastic, but taking the bass control much past 2 o’clock there’s no noticeable bass increase...it’s just gets muddier. I’ve often said if the M9 was more reliable, I wouldn’t use anything else. The difference in headroom is also comical. No contest. I’m tempted to try inserting an eq into the TT800 fx loop to see if that does the trick to get a bit more low end cushion. I’d love to make the TT work because the two channel thing is so useful to me.
As to which bass may have to go, all I can say is it won’t be the Gibson. I think it’s the best overall of the bunch. It’s all pros and no cons for me.

Cataldo Pros- looks awesome, sounds amazing. The ThunderBucker Ranch ‘66 is a bit wilder than the Lollars in my Gibson, but not VP aggressive. Sits in a recording like a dream for rock and roll stuff.
Cataldo Cons- I prefer reverse bodies for playability by a small margin. I just don’t get on with 1.75” nut width these days. Hopefully the 1.5” neck Carlo sent me will do the trick, but I gotta get off my butt and swap the neck.

Greco Pros- has a nastier sound like the VP’s with a little more cool factor than the VP. I just don’t like the super thick Poly finishes on the VP’s. I don’t like the look and I don’t like the feel of the poly on my left hand or right forearm. The neck shape is a bit nicer on the Greco to me as well.

Greco Cons- it’s the heaviest of those 4 basses by a very noticeable amount. Swapping the bridge and tuners could make a big difference and I do have replacements sitting around. We’ll see.
Biggest con is it neck dives like a mofo. If I can’t cure that in a satisfactory way, it may have to move along. I’d prefer to make it work if at all possible. Nocturnal had an interesting solution, but I’d have to go back and find it.

Fano JM4 Pros- lightest of the 4 by a lot. Incredibly well balanced and playable. I quite like the looks too, but it plays like a dream and it’s somewhat unique.
Fano Cons- the Dennis Fano TBird style pickups are like a thicker, punchier J sound. That could be awesome sometimes, and not other times for me. It’s not as thumpy as Lollars, not as aggressive as the Greco or as rock and roll as the TB in the Cataldo. I have an extra Lollar laying around and am tempted to swap out the neck pickup with that. Could be just the ticket...?

The poly finish is the only real problem I have with the VP I picked up. It feels like playing a plastic inflatable pool toy or something. A good rubdown with scotchbrite will fix that on the neck, but I'm not enthusiastic about scrubbing the body.

 

[TBird1958]

Thanks, Ken. I hope they both get the chance to take music as far as they want to take it. I'm not sure why you're not hearing the bass... I'm hearing it loud and clear into my ear buds.

How about on this song?

My oldest son, Dominic is going to be a Junior pursuing a BA in Computer Science at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor in the Fall and if music doesn't take him to the huge stages across this world, his fallback ain't so bad and he'll always have these experiences to grow with and from. I think he'll always be in local bands and have this in his life if he chooses to and I really love that he loves it too.

Now, onto my youngest son, David. He, in my opinion has the best chance to make music a career. He plays guitar, bass, writes original music and of course excels at drums. I will encourage him to postpone college if he's involved with the right group of people who are also trying to make it to the big leagues. College and the money to go will always be there for him so I want him to chase his dreams and see if he can make it happen.

Just huge props, Larry. So cool that you're involved with your kids music and so supportive of it.
My father just couldn't wrap himself into it like you have so there was never anything like what you're doing in my early years of playing the bass.

 

[Larry V]

Just huge props, Larry. So cool that you're involved with your kids music and so supportive of it.
My father just couldn't wrap himself into it like you have so there was never anything like what you're doing in my early years of playing the bass.

Not that you're looking for any sympathy, V but that had to be hard. Sorry{hugs}.

Lots of dads spend countless hours with their kids supporting their sports endeavors and I did that too but for me, music has been much more rewarding in so many ways. The fact that they enjoy it so much and are making waves in the local scene already is very exciting for me and makes me want to help them as much as I can.

They have gigs both Friday and Saturday night this week.
The Corunna Road Bar on the 16th and back to Bemo's on the 17th.

I'm tired just thinking about it... but I'm so there for it!

Signed,
Aging father of two "future" rock stars.

 

[dukeorock]

Lots of pros and cons to think about in that post. If I had your problem I’d definitely switch necks on the Cataldo, that should make it a keeper, and the Gibby is already a keeper as is.

What’s left is a VP with a poly finish that you’re not keen on, a Fano that feels perfect but lacks a bit in sound, and a Greco that excels in sound but lacks in balance. With that in mind, I’d sell the VP (you’ll probably get what you paid for it or better). Then I’d do a Greco/Fano pup and control swap so that you have those “magic” Greco pups in that “incredibly well balanced and playable” Fano and the Fano pups in the Greco. Then I’d sell the Greco (with full disclosure that it has Fano pups).

That gets you down to a perfect all stock Gibby, a perfect all stock Cataldo, and a modded Fano with Greco guts that’ll eat a P bass for breakfast. That right there is a heck of a line up and puts about $1500 back in your pocket to either bring the M9 reliability up to snuff or to bolster the TT bottom end.

That’s a solid idea!

Here's some Thunderbird goodness for ya'!

My 19 y/o on my 2013 Gibson TBIV.
My 15 y/o on drums.

This was yesterday for a Memorial Benefit for a recently departed member of the local music community, Dale Sholler, MHRIP.

My boys sat in for the whole set with a popular local band, Cybil and the Beast. They are also dear friends of my wife and I and they sure do love my boys which makes all of this such a special thing for this proud dad.

Thanks for sharing that! Some talented kids for sure!

 

[TBird1958]

Not that you're looking for any sympathy, V but that had to be hard. Sorry{hugs}.

Lots of dads spend countless hours with their kids supporting their sports endeavors and I did that too but for me, music has been much more rewarding in so many ways. The fact that they enjoy it so much and are making waves in the local scene already is very exciting for me and makes me want to help them as much as I can.

They have gigs both Friday and Saturday night this week.
The Corunna Road Bar on the 16th and back to Bemo's on the 17th.

I'm tired just thinking about it... but I'm so there for it!

Signed,
Aging father of two "future" rock stars.

My Dad just couldn't stand the music I liked, he was a Big Band kind of guy - my music was '70s Glam.
He was a good father for sure, but this one point on which we never met, it's a wonderful thing to see though, your boys are up there and having a great time and you are right there with them giving that encouragement and making memories that they'll keep always. In my book that counts for a lot.

 

[JJR58]

Not that you're looking for any sympathy, V but that had to be hard. Sorry{hugs}.

Lots of dads spend countless hours with their kids supporting their sports endeavors and I did that too but for me, music has been much more rewarding in so many ways. The fact that they enjoy it so much and are making waves in the local scene already is very exciting for me and makes me want to help them as much as I can.

They have gigs both Friday and Saturday night this week.
The Corunna Road Bar on the 16th and back to Bemo's on the 17th.

I'm tired just thinking about it... but I'm so there for it!

Signed,
Aging father of two "future" rock stars.

So awesome Larry!!
One thing my mom did was never discourage me from being involved in the arts. I’m grateful for that.

 

[Gaolee]

Just huge props, Larry. So cool that you're involved with your kids music and so supportive of it.
My father just couldn't wrap himself into it like you have so there was never anything like what you're doing in my early years of playing the bass.

Your father missed out. Having a kid who has surpassed me in all musical ways is really satisfying. He's officially engaged to his girlfriend now, and she's way beyond anything I'll ever accomplish as well. If they have a kid, the kid will probably do something radically different, because that's what kids do. And they will support that kid in doing whatever that is. I hope so anyway. Or maybe their kid will be a Thunderbird player. Then the world will be complete.

 

[Count Bassie]

Not that you're looking for any sympathy, V but that had to be hard. Sorry{hugs}.

Lots of dads spend countless hours with their kids supporting their sports endeavors and I did that too but for me, music has been much more rewarding in so many ways. The fact that they enjoy it so much and are making waves in the local scene already is very exciting for me and makes me want to help them as much as I can.

They have gigs both Friday and Saturday night this week.
The Corunna Road Bar on the 16th and back to Bemo's on the 17th.

I'm tired just thinking about it... but I'm so there for it!

Signed,
Aging father of two "future" rock stars.

I wish my kids would do music. Maybe ten years in an Anglican choir capped it for them...

 

[TBird1958]

I wish my kids would do music. Maybe ten years in an Anglican choir capped it for them...

Knowing me.........I'd have made a mess of that

 

[Larry V]

I wish my kids would do music. Maybe ten years in an Anglican choir capped it for them...

Did you ever try to put one of them on drums "so they could help you out?" Or maybe guitar, strumming cords while you played bass? Family time sharing music.

 

[JIO]

Here's some Thunderbird goodness for ya'!

My 19 y/o on my 2013 Gibson TBIV.
My 15 y/o on drums.

This was yesterday for a Memorial Benefit for a recently departed member of the local music community, Dale Sholler, MHRIP.

My boys sat in for the whole set with a popular local band, Cybil and the Beast. They are also dear friends of my wife and I and they sure do love my boys which makes all of this such a special thing for this proud dad.

So cool! You must be pretty proud of your sons!

 

[Gaolee]

Did you ever try to put one of them on drums "so they could help you out?" Or maybe guitar, strumming cords while you played bass? Family time sharing music.

I tried turning my nephew into a drummer when he and his parents lived about four doors away from me. My sister-in-law wasn't entirely happy about it, but she went along. Turns out he didn't like the loud noise. Go figure.

Kids do what they do, and the best policy is to guide as well as you can and accept that you are guiding, not dictating. That seems to have worked for us. Then again, kids don't come with a manual, so you never know what's going to work and what isn't.

My mother had visions of us all gathered around the piano singing show tunes. I can't think of anything more repellent, and I hate show tunes, especially extra "witty" songs that make me want to go bite the tires off of trucks to get ride of the smug.

So who knows!

 

[Larry V]

So cool! You must be pretty proud of your sons!

Sure am! Thanks, George.

 

[JIO]

I tried turning my nephew into a drummer when he and his parents lived about four doors away from me. My sister-in-law wasn't entirely happy about it, but she went along. Turns out he didn't like the loud noise. Go figure.

Kids do what they do, and the best policy is to guide as well as you can and accept that you are guiding, not dictating. That seems to have worked for us. Then again, kids don't come with a manual, so you never know what's going to work and what isn't.

My mother had visions of us all gathered around the piano singing show tunes. I can't think of anything more repellent, and I hate show tunes, especially extra "witty" songs that make me want to go bite the tires off of trucks to get ride of the smug.

So who knows!

That was a big thing many decades ago, pre TV and the ensuing overpowering multi-media distractions that followed. I feel a real sense of loss today compared to how such brought people/families together. No way to 'bring it back' or replicate it - it was part of a different world that we don't live in anymore.