Thunderbird Club

[bobyoung53]

Nice amp and cab. I bet the Traynor sounds great through that 410. I love my Heritage 410. Massive sounding.
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These all sound great through it.
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I have a couple of PR-410HLFs that are probably similar in design to yours except they're ugly that I will use with an SVT head here and there, they go real low and sound great for blues. They weigh a ton though, just as heavy as flatback SVT cabs and are more of a PITA to move, they could probably fall out of a plane though without getting hurt too much.

from the web:

 

[TBird1958]

I saw a few of those Greco basses while browsing here! Are the pickups closer to how a Gibson Ripper sounds?
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Greco's have a very authoritative RAWR to them, the pickup is just BIG with lots of bass, lo and hi mids, vey full, they are fantastic Thunderbirds, well worth the $$$.

 

[WillyW]

Side dots done, maybe some wet sanding on the headstock…

 

[WillyW]

I have a couple of PR-410HLFs that are probably similar in design to yours except they're ugly that I will use with an SVT head here and there, they go real low and sound great for blues. They weigh a ton though, just as heavy as flatback SVT cabs and are more of a PITA to move, they could probably fall out of a plane though without getting hurt too much.

from the web:
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only 12lbs lighter than an svt810…

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

tonight’s setup….these Rumbles sound really good…real winner for Fender imho…..SOOO lightweight..

 

[PhR75]

Fun Fact - Billy Sheehan was nearly the bassist for Max Webster, but Talas was starting to take off.

And they also decided that one lead guitarist was enough for the band...
They did bought a Moog Taurus off Billy.

 

[BklynKen]

I find it impossible to dislike Billy Sheehan. He's a total gear geek and really fun.

 

[GBassNorth]

Well yah, like most things now. Just make sure you are home when it is delivered...

…or near a ravine in Georgia.

Thank you so much for those kind words! I'm lucky to have been brought into this group of musicians....a ton of fun to jam with them.

I love my VP. I run it through an ABY splitter and have 2 amps blended to get a solid fuzzy, but round tone. My YBA-300 + Ampeg Heritage 410hlf gives me the foundation (no pedals, just the natural tone) and then I run my fuzz/ overdrive pedals through the Fender Deluxe. I kick the Deluxe Amp on and off for dynamics.

I saw a few of those Greco basses while browsing here! Are the pickups closer to how a Gibson Ripper sounds?
View attachment 4498624

They certainly are a fine group of musicians, but don’t sell yourself short - setting aside the excellent bass playing, if that was your voice I heard as backup and harmony to the lead singer you bring a ton of added value to the band, IMHO the blended vocals are what took the songs from really good to great!

As for a YBA300, those things are monsters! The Ampeg Heritage cabs are the only way to go on Ampeg cabs. I haven’t played bass through a Fender Deluxe, sounds like something I’ll need to try someday.

On the Greco front, it’s been years since I played a Ripper (maybe other Greco owners @TBird1958 or @Chucky Stiletti have more recent Ripper experience) and I haven’t played one side by side thru the same rig with a Greco but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find the Greco as the more dominant of the two.

 

[JIO]

I find it impossible to dislike Billy Sheehan. He's a total gear geek and really fun.

I know of him but don't listen to the bands he played with, but I like him - he seems very genuine and he's a monster player. What he said about his 2 signals into different drivers (4x10/1x15) makes perfect sense to me not using two signals but wanting the relatively similar result. For me it further illustrates that if you are open to hear what a serious pro has to say - you always will learn something. Thanks for posting this Ken!

 

[RedVee]

I guess it is a dressed up Studio Bird, but that is not a bad thing. I wonder if they will still release the one with the red binding/inlays?? Wasn't there also talk of a flying V bass from Gene's line as well?

The red highlights will come out on an Artist edition for double the price.

 

[RedVee]

It is. Get the angle right when taking a pic and it can look almost as big as the body.
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Perfect balance. Like a dumbbell.

 

[RedVee]

When both pickups are on and they are wired in parallel the impedance is lower (half) and that way the output too. If wired in series the output is boosted. Subtle changes in volume.

Same effect with a blend set to the middle split?

 

[JIO]

My playing has been described like the runs.... I'm just too progressive for prog rock....

I'm generally pretty good about only playing the notes that count (on bass) but my drummer always keeps me (and our band) honest when he feels I'm/we're playing too many notes. He's generally right... ... but not always.

 

[RedVee]

It’s a 4 and not too late, didn’t get to go. I’ll try again to tomorrow if work doesn’t keep me late again.

My nephew has one. It was the first T’bird I ever played around with. I liked the sound of his and next thing I was buying a Goth, and then next thing I was buying a Gibson.
Those natural ones look great as well.

 

[RedVee]

 

[PhR75]

Same effect with a blend set to the middle split?

I would think so. Still a parallel wiring has it a selector switch, blend knob or individual volume pots.
I'm definitely not an expert on this matter so somebody could possibly explain it more thoroughly. In none of my two pickup basses the signal loss is significant when two pickups are both fully engaged. In two where the pickups are wired in series (2008 Dano Longhorn and a Tele with 2 singlecoils) the effect is significant: the output is noticeably stronger.

 

[PhR75]

Did a short side-by-side comparison with the Vintage Pro and the Telebird. Bolt on maple neck and alder body vs. mahogany neck-through*. The pickups are approx. in the same locations and all the recording settings were the same for both (used an Acoustic 301 cab IR). Both have the same kind of D'addario EXL170 strings about the same age.

*of course there are other factors that contribute but let's not get too technical...

 

[Larry V]

He stays pretty busy. Earlier this year he toured with Tiffany for her "punky" tour.

L.A. Guns members Johnny Martin and Scot Coogan to be rhythm section on Tiffany's upcoming tour - Sleaze Roxx

Who'da thunk it? Seems like an odd coupling for those 3.

Did you guys see the last time she got some press it was really embarrassing. It was a trainwreck performance at a small venue or pub. There's video... let me find it.

This is how the tour ended. Oooof...

Tiffany curses fans during trainwreck gig: 'F--k you, guys!' (nypost.com)

 

[PillO]

He seems like a real nice guy too, down to earth. I too love his original Fender, I traded a Tele bass for a fretless P bass with an EB-0 pickup at the neck in 1977, the owner wanted the humbucker back so I gave it to him.

I find it impossible to dislike Billy Sheehan. He's a total gear geek and really fun.

Gear geek, nice guy. All more reasons he annoys me.

And he can't put his hat on straight!

I really like the Winery Dogs material. I was never a fan of Poison and so never knew anything about Kotzen, but he is a great player. Portnoy of course, was in Dream Theater. And Billy plays such great grooves in that music and has some great solos (just annoying me more!).

 

[Larry V]

well I think I just found my new favourite place to hang out!! So many beautiful vintage instruments here...
I don't have any good pictures of my 2018 Thunderbird Vintage Pro - White, but I did use it to record our last album (with a few Hollow body sections):




Happy to join the club!

Welcome to the group and really great song writing and playing!

I've been across the Blue Water and the Ambassador bridges a ton of times.

We're neighbors, eh.