Thunderbird Club

[BklynKen]

I love "watching" baseball on the radio. It's a radio sport. Now that my wife and I have been learning Spanish, we need to find Mariners games in Spanish to listen to.

GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!

 

[GBassNorth]

I got the bug to play an instrument from my parents, unfortunately I didn’t do anything about it until a decade after my father passed away. He played upright bass as a studio and session player and occasional bar gigs in Los Angeles back in the late 50’s and 60’s. A lot of swing, big band, sock hop and surf stuff. I think his favorites were Boots Randolph and the Ventures. Mom played keyboard, both piano and an old foot pump antique organ. I took keyboard lessons for a short time in Jr High until life got in the way and girls and motorcycles became much more important than scales on a keyboard. Flash forward about 30 years and that’s when I decided to give the bass a try.

An old black and white brownie camera pic (remember those) of Dad and my three sisters poolside at our house in LA around 1965…

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

I got the bug to play an instrument from my parents, unfortunately I didn’t do anything about it until a decade after my father passed away. He played upright bass as a studio and session player and occasional bar gigs in Los Angeles back in the late 50’s and 60’s. A lot of swing, big band, sock hop and surf stuff. I think his favorites were Boots Randolph and the Ventures. Mom played keyboard, both piano and an old foot pump antique organ. I took keyboard lessons for a short time in Jr High until life got in the way and girls and motorcycles became much more important than scales on a keyboard. Flash forward about 30 years and that’s when I decided to give the bass a try.

An old black and white brownie camera pic (remember those) of Dad and my three sisters poolside at our house in LA around 1965…
View attachment 4332474

LOVE IT!!

 

[MCF]

There is nothing like a great Play by Play Radio Guy. Being from Portland Or. area the Blazers had Bill Schonely and you could vision the Detail and all that was happening in the Game. So much feeling and better than any TV announcer.

I grew up with Vin Scully and Chick Hearn. I know what you mean. There are still good ones out there.

 

[MCF]

Great summary and perspective! Hope you figure it all out to your satisfaction, and have confidence you will.

Anxious to hear how the 2x15 works out. It's smaller than most. I almost went that route over the 4x10. Transporting it isn't an issue for the time being. And I fell in love with the 4x10 when I played it (before Mesa Hollywood closed the showroom).

It would be cool if Andy's next project is a Carbine tone class D.

 

[MCF]

I got the bug to play an instrument from my parents, unfortunately I didn’t do anything about it until a decade after my father passed away. He played upright bass as a studio and session player and occasional bar gigs in Los Angeles back in the late 50’s and 60’s. A lot of swing, big band, sock hop and surf stuff. I think his favorites were Boots Randolph and the Ventures. Mom played keyboard, both piano and an old foot pump antique organ. I took keyboard lessons for a short time in Jr High until life got in the way and girls and motorcycles became much more important than scales on a keyboard. Flash forward about 30 years and that’s when I decided to give the bass a try.

An old black and white brownie camera pic (remember those) of Dad and my three sisters poolside at our house in LA around 1965…
View attachment 4332474

That is a cool pic! Where are you?

 

[JIO]

I got the bug to play an instrument from my parents, unfortunately I didn’t do anything about it until a decade after my father passed away. He played upright bass as a studio and session player and occasional bar gigs in Los Angeles back in the late 50’s and 60’s. A lot of swing, big band, sock hop and surf stuff. I think his favorites were Boots Randolph and the Ventures. Mom played keyboard, both piano and an old foot pump antique organ. I took keyboard lessons for a short time in Jr High until life got in the way and girls and motorcycles became much more important than scales on a keyboard. Flash forward about 30 years and that’s when I decided to give the bass a try.

An old black and white brownie camera pic (remember those) of Dad and my three sisters poolside at our house in LA around 1965…
View attachment 4332474

What a great pic!

 

[MCF]

Thanks! I've taken these boys to some great concerts as well. Well, great is subjective but we like hard rock and metal...

5FDP, Metallica, Rob Zombie, Judas Priest... the list goes on and on.

Cool! We're a little softer edged out here. We've taken the kids to see The Boss, Fleetwood Mac, Neil, Merle, Buck, and others. Always a good family outing.

 

[dukeorock]

Doesn’t Fano use Thunrbuckers? The guy at the booth told me…

I guess I wouldn’t be able to be certain, but I was told the ones in my bass were hand wound by Dennis Fano

 

[Gaolee]

I got the bug to play an instrument from my parents, unfortunately I didn’t do anything about it until a decade after my father passed away. He played upright bass as a studio and session player and occasional bar gigs in Los Angeles back in the late 50’s and 60’s. A lot of swing, big band, sock hop and surf stuff. I think his favorites were Boots Randolph and the Ventures. Mom played keyboard, both piano and an old foot pump antique organ. I took keyboard lessons for a short time in Jr High until life got in the way and girls and motorcycles became much more important than scales on a keyboard. Flash forward about 30 years and that’s when I decided to give the bass a try.

An old black and white brownie camera pic (remember those) of Dad and my three sisters poolside at our house in LA around 1965…
View attachment 4332474

That's really great!

 

[Gaolee]

Cool! We're a little softer edged out here. We've taken the kids to see The Boss, Fleetwood Mac, Neil, Merle, Buck, and others. Always a good family outing.

We took the boy to all kinds of shows when he was little. The best one was a big festival that only lasted a few years called Womad. It was a world music festival, and it ended with bigger name acts on a main stage. We saw Jimmy Cliff, Los Lobos, Bonnie Raitt, and others there, but they always seemed a bit flat after the musicians from Mozambique, Colombia, Trinidad and who knows where all else. The people from African countries were always especially memorable and exciting. The people from those places were really alive and put on spectacular shows. They seemed thrilled to be in the United States, playing for Americans. And there were dozens of acts on stages all over the place in a big park east of Seattle, for several days. The audiences were completely taken by the musicians, too. When their performances were over, the musicians were part of the audience, and the people who came to the festival welcomed them completely. It was a truly beautiful time and place. It's a shame it couldn't last a whole lot longer, but I guess it wasn't an economic success. I don't know if the boy remembers it all that well, because he was a pre-teen at the time, but I'm sure it had an influence on him. We took him for as long as it lasted, which was only about three years, as I recall.

 

[dukeorock]

Not sure how this little slab of vintage wizard rock wound up in my youtube feed, but the bass player is credited as playing a Gibson Thunderbird and Fender fretless bass

 

[dukeorock]

Did another little test that borders on pointless. Recorded all four of my bird related basses into Logic, similar groove and attack, but it has some serious handicaps...
Bass 1 is the Cataldo NR41 with brand new DR Pure Blues strings. I don’t love these strings.
Bass 2 is the Fano JM4 with Cobalt Flats
Bass 3 is the Greco ‘Bird with a set of Rotos that have seen better days
Bass 4 is the ‘02 Gibson with Fender Roundwounds. Did two long shows (one outdoors) on the strings, so they’re not dead, but not what they were new


4 TBirds Test

 

[MCF]

Not sure how this little slab of vintage wizard rock wound up in my youtube feed, but the bass player is credited as playing a Gibson Thunderbird and Fender fretless bass

Man. I was into prog (and almost everything else), but I don't recall them.

 

[dukeorock]

Man. I was into prog (and almost everything else), but I don't recall them.

I remember the name but have no memory of ever hearing them

 

[Nocturnal]

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.

My parents never understood my love of music, or at least not the type I was attracted to. I think I was just so different than the two of them that they just never understood who I was. They definitely didn't encourage my desire to learn to play guitar. Like our Queen I was into a lot of Glam and "Shock" rock. Alice, The Dolls, Kiss, Bowie/Ziggy were not bands my parents wanted me to listen to. My dad just thought I was nuts and my mom thought I was going to Hell, which the jury is still out on.

I totally forgot, my mom enrolled me and my sister in piano lessons. I think I had lessons for about 6 months but my sister did it for about 18 months. My Pee-Wee football career interfered with the piano so I stopped playing piano.

My daughter wanted to play guitar so we bought her the gear and paid for lessons. She was getting pretty good but rarely ever touches hers now. She went a completely different route and wanted to play acoustic and I fully supported that. I was just happy she had the interest and took it seriously. She does believe that Thunderbirds are the best basses, so thats a victory in my book. She has made it clear that she will be inheriting my 50th Anniversary Gold bass, but she may not be willing to wait until I am gone.

To all of you that supported your kids desire to play an instrument, I salute you.

 

[MCF]

Did another little test that borders on pointless. Recorded all four of my bird related basses into Logic, similar groove and attack, but it has some serious handicaps...
Bass 1 is the Cataldo NR41 with brand new DR Pure Blues strings. I don’t love these strings.
Bass 2 is the Fano JM4 with Cobalt Flats
Bass 3 is the Greco ‘Bird with a set of Rotos that have seen better days
Bass 4 is the ‘02 Gibson with Fender Roundwounds. Did two long shows (one outdoors) on the strings, so they’re not dead, but not what they were new


4 TBirds Test

If you're asking, I prefer the Cataldo. I was waiting for the Greco to blow me away. It didn't. It does sound good though. I like all four, but the Cataldo is closest to the tone I like.

 

[GBassNorth]

That is a cool pic! Where are you?

I was taking the photo. I was about 8 years old at the time and I had never used a camera before, hence the blurry pic. But it’s the only one I have of my dad with his upright. Look carefully and you’ll see one of my sisters in the go-go boots hamming it up with a Masonic sword, another one that had just turned 18 with a bottle of liquor and the one one the left doing glamor poses. My dad was wearing the eye patch because he just had glaucoma surgery and his selection of fine silk attire was driven by a Swing gig he was doing that night at a Japanese business convention.

That's really great!

Thanks. One of the things in life that bothers me most is my dad passing away before I got my life in order, married my second wife (he hated the first one, so did I) and took up bass playing. Time is short, those of you that still have parents, make the most of it.

 

[TBird1958]

Did another little test that borders on pointless. Recorded all four of my bird related basses into Logic, similar groove and attack, but it has some serious handicaps...
Bass 1 is the Cataldo NR41 with brand new DR Pure Blues strings. I don’t love these strings.
Bass 2 is the Fano JM4 with Cobalt Flats
Bass 3 is the Greco ‘Bird with a set of Rotos that have seen better days
Bass 4 is the ‘02 Gibson with Fender Roundwounds. Did two long shows (one outdoors) on the strings, so they’re not dead, but not what they were new


4 TBirds Test

Mark, I like all of them - I'm pretty easy to please. Put some Ken Smith Rock Masters on the Greco it deserves better than dead Rotos.

 

[Nocturnal]

Did another little test that borders on pointless. Recorded all four of my bird related basses into Logic, similar groove and attack, but it has some serious handicaps...
Bass 1 is the Cataldo NR41 with brand new DR Pure Blues strings. I don’t love these strings.
Bass 2 is the Fano JM4 with Cobalt Flats
Bass 3 is the Greco ‘Bird with a set of Rotos that have seen better days
Bass 4 is the ‘02 Gibson with Fender Roundwounds. Did two long shows (one outdoors) on the strings, so they’re not dead, but not what they were new


4 TBirds Test

I know its not really a fair test with the strings, but my preferences are:
1: Cataldo
2: Gibson by a hair
3: Greco, Just barely loses to the Gibson
4: Fano