Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

My first choice for an alternate use of a fog/smoke machine - buy a used beat up Toyota Prius, put save the planet type stickers all over it, install a fake tail pipe, route the fog machine to the fake tail pipe. Then have fun driving all over town in your environmentally friendly car that bellows copious amounts of "exhaust". Be sure to have your go-pro facing out the rear window so you can record the responses.

I got the "what are you reading" look from the wife when I cracked up reading. Job well done!

 

[Bassmike62]

The only bass I have that has "tort" .......

View attachment 4378035

And don't ever change it. It's gaogeousssss.

 

[KaraQ]

Have you decided what bridge you're gonna use? Since it has no routes yet, I'd be all over a two-piece.

Atm, my plan is to use a Babicz.
But I haven't completely ruled out a 3-point.
Maybe 90/10% in favor of the FCH-3

 

[PillO]

I played full time pro in a resident club band in Eùrope for years…. that said, already had an undergrad in engineering (electrical) so one day in my late twenties I took a long hard think about my future (after seeing the older bass player at the next door club show up for work with his brown sandwich bag and going " 'nuther graveyard shift at the factory!") and decided that I did not want to continue to play covers into retirement and the other musical option was to get "lucky" and join an established band and tour to play the same songs every night for years….no thanks..
so, booked a flight back to the States (CA) and got a job at Creative Labs where I got working on Soundblaster cards….because there was a very active live music circuit locally I stayed busy on that front as well….worked out to be a perfect compromise for I'm not really impressed (purely objective and not judgements at all, believe me) with what has become of most of the guys I used to play with professionally back
In the day, both here and abroad….
View attachment 4378918

Yeah, do the degree first then follow your dreams...

And be aware that dreams change over time. I'm on my fourth career now. I knew the first career was a first career. But this one is probably terminal. Of course, I thought the third one was terminal too.

 

[TBird1958]

thanks V….to answer your question, I think those days of the "Club" are gone….that pic was taken in 86 (35 years ago!)
to put things into perspective, I was born in 64… only 19 years after the nukes were dropped on Japan….
the club owners ran a tight ship there (ironically the club was called The Navy Bar in a ritzy marina called Puerto Banus) and no tank tops, sandals or jeans were allowed……the doorman even wore a merchant navy officer's outfit…..

"Born in '64" You damn young people!

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

no other way (other than crude substitution) to ascertain a bad tube…….wonder why Orange stopped making these…..DIG mine….

Marshall (not MCF) singing now…

 

[Katoosie]

Don't hold your breath on DR responding to an email. I stopped considering their strings for that reason. I've never had a string company ignore not one, but two emails.

Thanks for a headsup.
I managed to find a solution to my "problem" and I found some SS strings in the colour I wanted... Can't wait!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I weighed the exploded body just for fun....not as deadly as the headstock projectile

Center block/neck/headstock: 4 lbs. 1 oz.
Upper wing: 1 lbs. .25 oz.
Lower wing: 12.85 oz.


Be interesting to see how much the weight increases as parts go on....


I also checked some old pics of the Pro V, and the pickup routs are different slightly, as I thought.

The Pro V has the usual rout that most (all?) neck-through 'birds have for the neck pickup, so that the wiring goes into the lower wing under the pickguard, then to the control cavity.

The explod-a-bird is routed like the bolt-on Thunderbirds, with a passage between the two pickup cavities, instead (the Pro V does not have this).
Which I have no problem with; I had noticed the no-wing-rout in the ad, and was planning to have the between-the-pickups rout done. Saves a step

And, it gives me the option of using a clear, or no, pickguard. Neither of which is likely, but it's nice to have the option?

If That were mine, 'twould definitely at least start out as no PG, as that wood is lovely.

(ahem)

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Thanks for a headsup.
I managed to find a solution to my "problem" and I found some SS strings in the colour I wanted... Can't wait!

Which ones? And for what?

 

[Katoosie]

Which ones? And for what?

For what?
Bling!

Black Beauties from DR
Unique from Optima

Just putting the look of my bass together.

 

[dagrev]

If you went to a Neil Young concert and he was playing a guitar with tort would you think less of him and walk out?…..

Wonder if anyone has opinions on Neil......

 

[dagrev]

LOL - if I suddenly found myself in a Neil Young concert and he was anywhere on stage, yes, I'd walk out.

 

[dagrev]

Seriously, it's all in good jest. Truth be told, I probably wouldn't walk out, but that's mostly because I wouldn't have gone in in the first place. He's not my cup of tea, and I don't agree with much he rails on about but I don't despise the guy or wish him any ill will.

Life's too short to go around hating people. If ya don't like the flavor of music he's offering just move on to the next spot in the smorgasbord, there's plenty of alternatives, don't hold up the line ranting about something you don't like.

Ditto

 

[dagrev]

Friends don't let friends sunburst and tort.

Another voice of reason!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Both of my Goths were about the same weight as any of my other bolt on birds. A tad lighter than my Greco basses and a tad heavier than my Gibson basses. I'd guess in the high 8 pound or low 9 pound range. If you need exact let me know and I'll weigh one.
FWIW - IMHE my Korean Goth is a MUCH better built bass. The China Goth was converted to a FrankenGoth for a reason, there wasn't much about it worth keeping. Tuners we're almost unusable, neck plate was screwed on crooked, bridge studs failed, pickups were very mid focused, at least three frets were high and needed to be filed down and the paint job was rough on the upper wing. The Korean Goth had zero issues.

Not Goths, but my Epi Pro V that had so many problems was from a China factory (18). My Korean & Indonesian Epis have all been excellent to perfect.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

That has the correct Goth neck. Goths are Mahogany. Standard Epi IVs are alder. It looks kinda cool from the pic. If you can play it and the neck isn't twisted or othwise messed up, it could be a fun new Thunderbird.

I've seen the basic IV listed as both alder and mahogany. No idea which it really is. Not swamp ash.

 

[Warpeg]

Hmmm....I'm contemplating buying this: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Does anyone see any obvious issues with it?

 

[MCF]

Happy short scale Thunderbird Sunday! It got the first real going over since I got it. Fret polish, FB treatment, new strings and a tweaked setup. Action now at my preferred 3/64 to 4/64 at the 17th. Relief is at .010 at the 7th; capo on the first.

The strings are these. Silver, gold, silver, gold ball ends G to E. The tapers are the same as Dadario XLs. That might be a clue as to who makes them for Gibson.

My initial impression is that they're way too tame for a Thunderbird. I'll play with pickup height and give them some time, but I think the I need SIT Power Steels or Dunlop stainless Superbrights to get my tone.

Look what I found under the pick guard.

Should it get a clear pickguard? I'm thinking that would make it an even more unique shorty.

It's pretty much maxed out on travel for the E string. It will be getting a Babicz. Just a question of when.

Anyway, time well spent while watching the Dodger game. It plays even better now. The neck is really nice.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I played full time pro in a resident club band in Eùrope for years…. that said, already had an undergrad in engineering (electrical) so one day in my late twenties I took a long hard think about my future (after seeing the older bass player at the next door club show up for work with his brown sandwich bag and going " 'nuther graveyard shift at the factory!") and decided that I did not want to continue to play covers into retirement and the other musical option was to get "lucky" and join an established band and tour to play the same songs every night for years….no thanks..
so, booked a flight back to the States (CA) and got a job at Creative Labs where I got working on Soundblaster cards….because there was a very active live music circuit locally I stayed busy on that front as well….worked out to be a perfect compromise for I'm not really impressed (purely objective and not judgements at all, believe me) with what has become of most of the guys I used to play with professionally back
In the day, both here and abroad….
View attachment 4378918

Loved SoundBlaster!

 

[dagrev]

"Born in '64" You damn young people!

I know. Chuck is my wife's age, but she looks better. Even if he's wearing his wig. Sorry Chuck!