Thunderbird Club

[Engle]

My pleasure Irv. A number discount their recent work, but I love it--some more than others--and like to listen to every song on their albums. I can't say that for most every band I've heard. Do check out some of their more recent work, there's some good listening there. Talent? Wow! I actually prefer Tedeschi Trucks band over Gov Mule. TTB is great in concert. If Gregg is singing, I'm interested. If I could sound like anyone, it would be him. So soulful and powerful. And yes, that was Oteil. He's absolutely amazing.

I’ve seen Derek Trucks Band and Tedeschi Trucks Band live. Both were great shows!

 

[JIO]

I made a change, a few weeks ago........

View attachment 4493510




View attachment 4493513

those are cool knobs -

 

[Nocturnal]

Thanks, I really appreciate that! That song was an encore and when required we played our own stuff (the composer is the singer/guitarist). The passage you pointed out was actually an accident as the singer had a short black out and couldn't remember the lyrics (his own!).

I played with a guy a couple years ago that would forget the lyrics (and sometimes parts) of his own songs. Our drummer would always say "He forgets the words to his own songs. HIS OWN SONGS!!". He had done a LOT of drugs in his younger years and probably was not the brightest person before the drugs.

 

[JIO]

Thanks @JJR58 for bringing the knobology topic back up. Unfortunately I wasn't able to log in yesterday and missed the conversation

For a 2 pickup set up:
1) How many have used the VVTT arraignment, what's your thoughts?

2) Parallel-series on a T-Bird. Who has tried it?

Never tried a series/parallel switch in a T-bird but it works really well in my 9v G&L L2000 with 2 (humbucker) MFD pu's.

Have a few basses with V/T V/T - just gives you more nuanced tone-dialing

 

[kitsune]

Hi guys I am new to this forum, I am a guitarist but switched to Bass recently and got my first one, it's a Tokai Thunderbird Limited Edition (I think from 2009 for the french market)

Not sure what is so special about it but I think it is a basic Tokai TB with better pick-ups.
If anyone know more about it let me know.
I kinda wonder what the Tokai is worth compared to a Gibson or other manufacturers, I kinda guessed it should be a bit better than an Epiphone due to its glued neck and not a bolt-on like on the Epis.

Anyway, I hope it's good enough to get in the club!

For the moment I love the sound of the neck pick-up alone but still need to check other combinations in band conditions.
I also found out it is neck diving hard when standing with a strap, been looking into some workarounds but overall it's not a big deal. I think the sound itself is good enough to get along with it.

 

[Engle]

So my kid (far right) had a show the other night. This is the string part of her instrument ensemble at Capilano U.
The last performance of hers I was able to go to was when she was in grade 11.

 

[WillyW]

Thanks @JJR58 for bringing the knobology topic back up. Unfortunately I wasn't able to log in yesterday and missed the conversation

For a 2 pickup set up:
1) How many have used the VVTT arraignment, what's your thoughts?

2) Parallel-series on a T-Bird. Who has tried it?

I’m not a knob fiddler, so I really despise two volume and two tone knobs.

I’m fine with a volume and blend and no tone but on most I have volume blend and tone.

my 21 NR, my pink reverse and my telebirds are all V/B/T

 

[JIO]

Hi guys I am new to this forum, I am a guitarist but switched to Bass recently and got my first one, it's a Tokai Thunderbird Limited Edition (I think from 2009 for the french market)

Not sure what is so special about it but I think it is a basic Tokai TB with better pick-ups.
If anyone know more about it let me know.
I kinda wonder what the Tokai is worth compared to a Gibson or other manufacturers, I kinda guessed it should be a bit better than an Epiphone due to its glued neck and not a bolt-on like on the Epis.

Anyway, I hope it's good enough to get in the club!

View attachment 4493806

For the moment I love the sound of the neck pick-up alone but still need to check other combinations in band conditions.
I also found out it is neck diving hard when standing with a strap, been looking into some workarounds but overall it's not a big deal. I think the sound itself is good enough to get along with it.

I find this solves any neck-dive issues.

 

[GBassNorth]

I made a change, a few weeks ago........

View attachment 4493510




View attachment 4493513

Lookin very good as usual! Are those Black Beauties?
Did you change out the knobs as well?

Thanks @JJR58 for bringing the knobology topic back up. Unfortunately I wasn't able to log in yesterday and missed the conversation

For a 2 pickup set up:
1) How many have used the VVTT arraignment, what's your thoughts?

2) Parallel-series on a T-Bird. Who has tried it?

Gbass Knobology 101:
With the fairly large array of basses and brands I have on hand I can honestly say I have about every knob and switch orientation you can imagine. So here’s my 2 cents…

Tone Knobs - My preference on passive basses is a tone knob for each pup. I don’t worry too much about it in my Thunderbirds because I mostly solo the neck pup. But I am currently building a three pup Tbird and it will have three tone pots. That said, the last thing I want is a craptonne of knobs plastered all over my bass, so I’ll be going with three stacked vol/tone pots. Should look fairly stock knobwise. So if I were doing your build for myself I’d be strongly considering a volume/pan stack and either a tone/tone stack or two separate tone knobs. So either a two knob or three knob look.

Volume knobs - on two pup basses my preference is either a vol/vol stack or a vol/pan stack. A vol/vol stack used correctly is super easy to adjust on the fly. Just set each volume at the level you want initially and from that point on any volume adjustments can be made by grasping both the upper and lower knob at the same time and turning, your volume ratio will always remain about the same. If you go with a volume/pan stack be sure to research how to avoid the volume drop at center detent when using the pan knob. Apparently it can be done (maybe a special pot?) but none of my pan equipped basses has it and I find it very annoying that I have to adjust the volume if I play on the center detent of the pan knob.

Series / Parallel switching - IMHO for the way I play it’s about the biggest waste of time and money control wise. When playing a humbucker equipped bass easily 90% of the time I’m in series mode, and when I do switch to parallel I end up having to nudge the volume up a bit. I have plenty of basses wired this way and just haven’t found a good use for it yet, maybe if I were a heavy pedal user it might be more useful. Something I did with my FrankenGoth that turned out fantastic and was very useful was to install a coil split switch. In position one the switch delivers full humbucker mode for that deep in your face Tbird sound. In position two the switch runs just the single neck coil (not the full humbucker) of the neck pup and the single bridge coil (again not the full humbucker) of the bridge pickup. If you engage the split while both pups are on you in essence have a Jazz bass or super ultra wide single humbucker. Solo or blend as desired and you’ll have a very very sweet sounding (non aggressive) bass that puts out phenomenal sounds for harmonics, chord, strumming and other non traditional bass (more guitar) type playing styles. Also goes great with pedals. Cost is minimal, maybe $5 for the switch and it completely changes the bass into something more along the lines of a baritone guitar or super sweet Jazz bass for a Dr Jekell / Mr Hyde type instrument. BUT it only works with pups that can accommodate coil splitting (4 wire plus ground) most Tbird pups don’t have a 5 wire option.

 

[JIO]

So my kid (far right) had a show the other night. This is the string part of her instrument ensemble at Capilano U.
The last performance of hers I was able to go to was when she was in grade 11.
View attachment 4493804

German bow - I learned on a German bow because that's what my teacher played.

Hah! 20 something Geo on his King Mortone - wish I still had it, it was a sweet sounding bass.

 

[Engle]

On topic, I put 50-110 RS66s on my VP recently to play in Eb tuning. But I quit the band that plays in Eb shortly afterward.
I hadn’t changed any of the setup (previously had 45-105 RS66), but now that I’m back to using the bass tuned in E, it needed a bit of adjustment.
It took about 1/2 turn of the truss rod to get the neck dialed in. It’s almost straight with just a tiny bit of relief.
Wow that’s the ticket!
I’m playing a Food Bank benefit tonight. I’m taking my basses with the most chrome:

 

[kitsune]

I find this solves any neck-dive issues.
View attachment 4493852

yeah I tried it, it seems to be much easier to play this way, will see if it is really an issue when I will do my first rehearsal with it. It only seemed to cause me trouble if I let go of the bass completely and let it hang by itself.

 

[TBird1958]

Stupid question perharps part 2:
Are the pickguards in 60's reverse 'birds and in Bicentennials the same in size?
Vintage Pro uses the same style as the other Epiphone 'birds which seem to be modelled after the modern Gibson version.

There's no commonality between any of the many variations of Thunderbird pickgaurds each is unique in terms of actual shape, number of screws and screw pattern. Epiphone's PGs for the Vintage Pro (or '60s Thunderbird) and the Classic Pro are completely different from any Gibson as the lower bout is shaped and positioned differently.

 

[KaraQ]

those are cool knobs -

Thanks! They're, I guess, semi-custom - the eBay seller I got them from made this color combo for me on request

Lookin very good as usual! Are those Black Beauties?
Did you change out the knobs as well?
........

Thanks!

No to both Black Beauties and to changing the knobs

The strings are Rotosound Nexus, I finally found a bass they sound great on!
The knobs I've had for a while, since April? or so...

But neither of those are the most recent change

 

[GBassNorth]

Hi guys I am new to this forum, I am a guitarist but switched to Bass recently and got my first one, it's a Tokai Thunderbird Limited Edition (I think from 2009 for the french market)

Not sure what is so special about it but I think it is a basic Tokai TB with better pick-ups.
If anyone know more about it let me know.
I kinda wonder what the Tokai is worth compared to a Gibson or other manufacturers, I kinda guessed it should be a bit better than an Epiphone due to its glued neck and not a bolt-on like on the Epis.

Anyway, I hope it's good enough to get in the club!

View attachment 4493806

For the moment I love the sound of the neck pick-up alone but still need to check other combinations in band conditions.
I also found out it is neck diving hard when standing with a strap, been looking into some workarounds but overall it's not a big deal. I think the sound itself is good enough to get along with it.

Looks beautiful! Always wanted to try one of those. You’re in good company here, many of us lean towards a soloed neck pup on our birds. And many of us are also smitten with the wonderful way these birds sound with Cobalt or other flat wound strings.

As for neck dive, yes it does happen on some models or brands and not at all on others. Club members with that problem have found that relocating the neck strap pin from the upper horn to the back of the neck heel works good as does a wide strap or routing the butt end of the strap across the front of the body near the arm rest area.

Welcome to Talkbass and to the best club on this site. I’m sure our Queen will be by shortly to officially welcome you and assign a member number.

 

[GBassNorth]

Thanks! They're, I guess, semi-custom - the eBay seller I got them from made this color combo for me on request




Thanks!

No to both Black Beauties and to changing the knobs

The strings are Rotosound Nexus, I finally found a bass they sound great on!
The knobs I've had for a while, since April? or so...

But neither of those are the most recent change

Chrome bridge???

 

[KaraQ]

Chrome bridge???

 

[PhR75]

There's no commonality between any of the many variations of Thunderbird pickgaurds each is unique in terms of actual shape, number of screws and screw pattern. Epiphone's PGs for the Vintage Pro (or '60s Thunderbird) and the Classic Pro are completely different from any Gibson as the lower bout is shaped and positioned differently.

Thanks! So no point in copying and better to make it from scratch? Just planning to have a little bit more accurate looking pickguard for that extra 60's style point. Not worried about drilling some new holes, I won't be using it without the guard. Tugbar is already on order...
Small things, I know, won't affect the sound. Except mentally.

 

[GBassNorth]

German bow - I learned on a German bow because that's what my teacher played.

Hah! 20 something Geo on his King Mortone - wish I still had it, it was a sweet sounding bass.
View attachment 4493864

Such a cool pic!
I’ve always wanted to try the upright and someday might just do that, but my biggest concern at this point is that the arthritis in my right hand is getting much worse and I suspect that’s not a good thing on upright. On bass guitar it’s manageable but I suspect there’s a lot more stress on right hand fingers and wrists with the upright. Maybe someday.

 

[TBird1958]

Thanks! So no point in copying and better to make it from scratch? Just planning to have a little bit more accurate looking pickguard for that extra 60's style point. Not worried about drilling some new holes, I won't be using it without the guard. Tugbar is already on order...
Small things, I know, won't affect the sound. Except mentally.

Yeah, that lower 'bout on the Epi is very different, not really apparent until you lay a any Gibson PG over the top - A real Ah ha! moment the first time I tried it. BTW, did you want me to add you to the club?