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Thunderbird Club

#191,321
LetItGrowTone said:
Dogal Hellborg rounds - stranded core so very flexible, more flexible than TIJR for example - have the most beautiful highs I've ever heard from a bass string (I have no connection to them or to the retailer in my country, or to any other retailer).

I haven't been a treble guy or a rounds guy, but these could convert me.
Click to expand...

PhR75 said:
It has a series wiring. A somewhat more complicated than a normal series wiring. I think there's a diagram at Fly Guitars site.
Click to expand...


Yep!
 
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#191,322
24928697-BB6E-41AB-ABF1-E69452AD4C01.jpeg
TBird1958 said:
Gibson EB with Sleaze metal faves LA Guns.............

Click to expand...


I almost bough that same model EB prior to my first t-Bird. I was researching a repalcement for my 73' Jazz then and stumbled into TB.

I never knew TB exisited prior. A search for Gibson basses on TB brought me here and then to a purchase T-Bird (Sunburst 2006 that I later sold and to fund my 2014, Heritage Cherry) from the TB Classifieds.

Funny because prior joining the club, I was a HUGE proponent of all the standard, negative T-Bird & gibson bass blather. Mostly repeating the same gargbage I had heard for years before actually owning any!

When I was deciding between the T-Bird in the classifieds and the EB I found on Reverb (same color scheme as the EB shown in the clip) I suddenly got really irritated (irrationally so!) by the amount folks who had gone to short scale basses and flats.

There is zero wrong with either of those but at the time 5 years ago or so, I felt like I coulnd't escape some sort post about how much easier/better those choices were for whatever reason....

Soooooo, in an attempt to always be contray (just my nature) I figured I would go with the least popular choice and bought the biggest; neck diving/headstock exploding/quality control plagued/three-point bridge shattering/muddy sounding/fragile/ergonomic nightmare that I could lay my hands on.

So. Glad. I. Did.
 
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#191,324
I've had the new non-reverse T-Bird now for about two weeks, played it out once through an Eden Traveler and it sounded unbelievable and I'm usually a tube amp player. The thing that amazes me so much about this bass besides the sound and the looks is just how nice this neck is, like my 2018 reverse LE T-Bird the fretwork is excellent and the neck fits my hand like a glove and with regular gauge Rotos on it there are virtually no buzzes anywhere even with the action fairly low. The neck is a little thicker than the Jazz I have right here in front of me which makes it more comfortable to play, I think the taper of the neck is more narrow than the Jazz. I have the same strings on the Jazz but they feel tighter on the Bird which I like, I hate floppy strings. So in other words as I get more used to this I like it even more.
I did jam with a few friends last week in a small space with a Marshall Major head through a Dual Showman cab but it sounded kind of dark through the cab and I was afraid to really turn it up as it was not my cab (It didn't have JBL's so may have been replacement speakers as every one I've ever seen including the one I used to own had either D-130s in them or D-140s).


Obligatory lousy photo against my hotel room door:

T-Bird.jpg
 
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#191,327
bobyoung53 said:
I've had the new non-reverse T-Bird now for about two weeks, played it out once through an Eden Traveler and it sounded unbelievable and I'm usually a tube amp player. The thing that amazes me so much about this bass besides the sound and the looks is just how nice this neck is, like my 2018 reverse LE T-Bird the fretwork is excellent and the neck fits my hand like a glove and with regular gauge Rotos on it there are virtually no buzzes anywhere even with the action fairly low. The neck is a little thicker than the Jazz I have right here in front of me which makes it more comfortable to play, I think the taper of the neck is more narrow than the Jazz. I have the same strings on the Jazz but they feel tighter on the Bird which I like, I hate floppy strings. So in other words as I get more used to this I like it even more.
I did jam with a few friends last week in a small space with a Marshall Major head through a Dual Showman cab but it sounded kind of dark through the cab and I was afraid to really turn it up as it was not my cab (It didn't have JBL's so may have been replacement speakers as every one I've ever seen including the one I used to own had either D-130s in them or D-140s).


Obligatory lousy photo against my hotel room door:

View attachment 4498288
Click to expand...


I forgot to add that the Sparkling Burgundy is much prettier in person, Gibson paint jobs are really nice, my ebony T-Bird also has a beautiful mirror-like finish (except when I photograph it)


IMG_20190804_122913_BURST001_COVER.jpg
 
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#191,331
bobyoung53 said:
I've had the new non-reverse T-Bird now for about two weeks, played it out once through an Eden Traveler and it sounded unbelievable and I'm usually a tube amp player. The thing that amazes me so much about this bass besides the sound and the looks is just how nice this neck is, like my 2018 reverse LE T-Bird the fretwork is excellent and the neck fits my hand like a glove and with regular gauge Rotos on it there are virtually no buzzes anywhere even with the action fairly low. The neck is a little thicker than the Jazz I have right here in front of me which makes it more comfortable to play, I think the taper of the neck is more narrow than the Jazz. I have the same strings on the Jazz but they feel tighter on the Bird which I like, I hate floppy strings. So in other words as I get more used to this I like it even more.
I did jam with a few friends last week in a small space with a Marshall Major head through a Dual Showman cab but it sounded kind of dark through the cab and I was afraid to really turn it up as it was not my cab (It didn't have JBL's so may have been replacement speakers as every one I've ever seen including the one I used to own had either D-130s in them or D-140s).


Obligatory lousy photo against my hotel room door:

View attachment 4498288
Click to expand...
Moments later, the door flies open and you hear "House keeping!"
 
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#191,332
bobyoung53 said:
I've had the new non-reverse T-Bird now for about two weeks, played it out once through an Eden Traveler and it sounded unbelievable and I'm usually a tube amp player. The thing that amazes me so much about this bass besides the sound and the looks is just how nice this neck is, like my 2018 reverse LE T-Bird the fretwork is excellent and the neck fits my hand like a glove and with regular gauge Rotos on it there are virtually no buzzes anywhere even with the action fairly low. The neck is a little thicker than the Jazz I have right here in front of me which makes it more comfortable to play, I think the taper of the neck is more narrow than the Jazz. I have the same strings on the Jazz but they feel tighter on the Bird which I like, I hate floppy strings. So in other words as I get more used to this I like it even more.
I did jam with a few friends last week in a small space with a Marshall Major head through a Dual Showman cab but it sounded kind of dark through the cab and I was afraid to really turn it up as it was not my cab (It didn't have JBL's so may have been replacement speakers as every one I've ever seen including the one I used to own had either D-130s in them or D-140s).


Obligatory lousy photo against my hotel room door:

View attachment 4498288
Click to expand...


The Red and chrome, once again!


I'm still lovin' mine!
 
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#191,333
GBassNorth said:
@JIO
Stumbled across this at Reverb, looks pretty cool and right up your alley…
https://reverb.com/item/43041514-victoria-short-scale-1960-s-sunburst
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads-up G. :) It's also been badged Decca along with Teisco and a few other brand names. In VGC. I did one of my full-sale custom basses (Deccabird) using one of those bodies and sold it earlier this year.

I have a short-list of '60s MIJ basses I really would like but otherwise I look for basket-cases that I can resurrect as a project for cheap.

F5583A2D-7384-4471-B9F2-4C83A311C494_1_201_a.jpeg B32CF9D7-81BB-45DD-9F29-48FCBF1480D4_1_201_a.jpeg
 
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#191,334
Gustopher said:
Later today I'll be taking a serious look at an Epi Tbird Pro (the active one) with the natural oil finish. Saw it at a nearby music store recently but didn't have time to sit down with it. If all goes well, I'll bring her home... anything I should be on the lookout for on this model? I can handle the normal inspection of electronics and neck, etc... but is there anything specifically problematic on this model? Reviews online seem to be pretty favorable and the sound clips I've heard are exactly the sound I am looking for to use in my coverband. Thanks and hopefully I'll be joining the club!
Click to expand...
Quite a few people don’t like the sound of the electronics. I played one in a music store and liked it.
Structurally they seem pretty solid.
 
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