Thunderbird Club

[GBassNorth]

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Yikes! I'll bet there was some displinary action in that group after the Queen mum saw the picture. Not to mention all the ribbing the individual hopefully got.

While we're talking about things that look shorter than normal - has anyone here seen or tried a Short Scale Thunderbird? Is it a drastic departure from the TBird sound? Is the body normal size or has it been downsized too?

My rotator cuff issues are starting to creep back up again and short scale offerings are more comfortable to play right now.

 

[Count Bassie]

Rotos!

Heavy gauge to boot... .115s. Thunder.

 

[PillO]

Yikes! I'll bet there was some displinary action in that group after the Queen mum saw the picture. Not to mention all the ribbing the individual hopefully got.

While we're talking about things that look shorter than normal - has anyone here seen or tried a Short Scale Thunderbird? Is it a drastic departure from the TBird sound? Is the body normal size or has it been downsized too?

My rotator cuff issues are starting to creep back up again and short scale offerings are more comfortable to play right now.

WRT picture - it was clearly done on purpose. Note that hand position relative to the others was moved to change the exposure. I suspect that he was the recipient of many drinks in the officer's mess. I further suspect that the Queen never saw the picture.

Sympathies for the rotator cuff. I have nice stable scar tissue, but when it gets disrupted, I have pain for a couple of weeks.

How short scale are you looking for in a thunderbird? I saw one of these for sale used and have the nagging thought of turning it into a miniature 8 string.
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[Nocturnal]

Yikes! I'll bet there was some displinary action in that group after the Queen mum saw the picture. Not to mention all the ribbing the individual hopefully got.

While we're talking about things that look shorter than normal - has anyone here seen or tried a Short Scale Thunderbird? Is it a drastic departure from the TBird sound? Is the body normal size or has it been downsized too?

My rotator cuff issues are starting to creep back up again and short scale offerings are more comfortable to play right now.

Larry V. has a short scale Bird and one was posted on the previous page. I think GOT had one for a while. I've never seen one in person but I would probably be tempted to buy if I did.

 

[GBassNorth]

WRT picture - it was clearly done on purpose. Note that hand position relative to the others was moved to change the exposure. I suspect that he was the recipient of many drinks in the officer's mess. I further suspect that the Queen never saw the picture.

Sympathies for the rotator cuff. I have nice stable scar tissue, but when it gets disrupted, I have pain for a couple of weeks.

How short scale are you looking for in a thunderbird? I saw one of these for sale used and have the nagging thought of turning it into a miniature 8 string.
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Not a fan of the Mandobird, it's a little to odd for even me (or is that too even for odd me).

 

[GBassNorth]

Larry V. has a short scale Bird and one was posted on the previous page. I think GOT had one for a while. I've never seen one in person but I would probably be tempted to buy if I did.

Hopefully one of them will chime in with a quick review. Regardless, if I see one in the wild I'll probably snag it.

 

[godofthunder59]

Hopefully one of them will chime in with a quick review. Regardless, if I see one in the wild I'll probably snag it.

The ss Thunderbird wasn't my cuppa, I only found it useful for playing on the couch and not whacking the missus with the headstock.

 

[TBird1958]

I picked one up for Uwe on LBO and kept it for a month or so, liked it a lot for what it was. Easy to play, sounded nice fingerstyle - I used it at a band rehearsal and found it not to be to my liking for that, I really play hard and like the feel of a larger, seemingly more substantial bass when I'm pounding out 8ths and 16ths with a pick

 

[GBassNorth]

As a finger player, it might just be my cup of tea. Besides, the missus is already wacked enough without any help from me.

 

[Count Bassie]

Been getting by rotator cuff stuff myself of late. Turns out it was also bicep tendonitis. After a couple months of pt I've been cut loose and am on my own with a set of dumbbells and a big rubber band to build strength in the pertinent muscles/groups. Still have some impingement the shoulder, but working by it slowly. Fortunately mine wasn't so bad.

I was pretty lucky. Hope you're OK there.

 

[mellotrondon]

Here is my lefty '13 Gibson 'Bird. Still bone stock - including the strings - for now. Got it just before Christmas, and let it sit with the case open for a month or so (SOP around here) to acclimate; then off to Cowtown Guitars for a slight fret end dressing. Have been playing it fairly regularly since, trying to get used to it. 'Way different from my 4001 Rick! Am impressed with the tone; nice mellow growl, and not at all muddy like I thought it might be. So far, I see no need to mess with it at all (other than strings, of course). May I please have a number? Oh, and please note the mandatory rolled-up towel under the neck. Am still not real impressed with the insides of the case; but I have plans..

I get quite a bit of use from my Epi T-Bird 5 which I ordered in Sunburst but unfortunately got delivered in Satin Natural. I immediately installed a Hip-Shot drop A tuner on the low B just to have the ability to occasionally use my SVT Pro and 2 18" Gauss woofers to do some pulverizing. HeHe... The bass sounds amazing throughout its range that the "muddy" sound you're probably thinking of is the old neck position Humbucking like they still use on the EBO basses. I installed one of those under the pickguard with just the pole screws sticking out right below the heel as a third pickup on my Jazz Bass just to fatten up the sound a bit if desired. The Tbird 5 gives better sustain than even my RIC and I like the wide neck better than the narrow profile one on my LTD B205 fretless five. (We seem to like some of the same guitars). It sure be some heavy lifting though. I usually play that bass sitting down.

 

[veebass]

Caught up! Place holder post.

 

[GBassNorth]

Been getting by rotator cuff stuff myself of late. Turns out it was also bicep tendonitis. After a couple months of pt I've been cut loose and am on my own with a set of dumbbells and a big rubber band to build strength in the pertinent muscles/groups. Still have some impingement the shoulder, but working by it slowly. Fortunately mine wasn't so bad.

I was pretty lucky. Hope you're OK there.

I tore mine back in 1997 in a championship match of sand volleyball on the game winning score. It was a heck of an over extended backhanded spike that caught my opponent completely off guard, we won the game and the championship.

At the time I figured I just pulled a muscle. A few weeks later and with a significant loss of strength but only in certain positions I figured I must have pulled a tendon. A year later and no improvement I realized it was the RC. I foolishly assumed it would heal over time.

Five years later and no improvement I finally go see a doctor, he says it's a classic torn RC and does all the X-ray and imaging work to see how bad it is. Turns out it was a very large significant tear. Doc says go under the knife or live with it. I opt to go the PT route (never been in the hospital a day in my life and really kinda phobic about people slicing me up and stitching me back together).

PT helped a bit and over time I just kinda got used to less arm strength and range of motion but at least the pain was gone. Fast forward to 2016 and between my age (59 yrs old) and over use (golf, competitive shooting, car racing and playing bass) I'm starting to get the pain back again.

My short scale basses seem to make a big difference. I already switched over to shorter lighter golf clubs, hung the 12ga shotgun up, limited myself to handgun competition, and now only drive my sports cars for pleasure vs racing. I'll go under the knife before I give up my basses, and I gotta have a TBird to feel complete, even if it's a short scale.

 

[fjadams]

Yikes! I'll bet there was some displinary action in that group after the Queen mum saw the picture. Not to mention all the ribbing the individual hopefully got.

While we're talking about things that look shorter than normal - has anyone here seen or tried a Short Scale Thunderbird? Is it a drastic departure from the TBird sound? Is the body normal size or has it been downsized too?

My rotator cuff issues are starting to creep back up again and short scale offerings are more comfortable to play right now.

I have one and love most everything about it.
Uses the same pickups and electronics as the long scale. Hardware is all up to snuff. Easy to intonate and stays there and in tune. The body is a little smaller than the long scale. Very fast neck on it, thin feels almost like the old Vox or Hagstroms but not a pencil like the Vox were. Balances well as there isn't as much of the neck hanging out there. The pickups/electronics give it good clear lows but still gives mids & highs. I use La Bella Black Tapes on it.
Changes I did. Replaced the electronics with V/B/StellarTone as that's my preferred system. Replaced the chrome jack with a black one as it was the only piece of chrome on it and didn't look right. Replaced the strap locks with locking ones. Can't remember if it was Dunlop or Schaller. Thought of replacing the bridge but it works perfectly as is so didn't find the need. Have one of the HipShot on another bass and it doesn't really seem any better than the stock.
One thing I Do Not Like is the finish. It's matte black. They didn't even bother to seal and fill the pores in the body. Plus being matte where your arm rubs against the upper side it gets all shiny and looks like hell. I once asked a Gibson sales rep at a store in Lincoln about the finish and he said they did have complaints about the finish but they had to do that to help meet the $1,500 price point. I plan on having it refinished when I find somebody I think will do it right. Normally I'd do it myself but on this one I'd want it perfect when done. It's a bass that sounds and plays so good it deserves it.

 

[GBassNorth]

I have one and love most everything about it.
Uses the same pickups and electronics as the long scale. Hardware is all up to snuff. Easy to intonate and stays there and in tune. The body is a little smaller than the long scale. Very fast neck on it, thin feels almost like the old Vox or Hagstroms but not a pencil like the Vox were. Balances well as there isn't as much of the neck hanging out there. The pickups/electronics give it good clear lows but still gives mids & highs. I use La Bella Black Tapes on it.
Changes I did. Replaced the electronics with V/B/StellarTone as that's my preferred system. Replaced the chrome jack with a black one as it was the only piece of chrome on it and didn't look right. Replaced the strap locks with locking ones. Can't remember if it was Dunlop or Schaller. Thought of replacing the bridge but it works perfectly as is so didn't find the need. Have one of the HipShot on another bass and it doesn't really seem any better than the stock.
One thing I Do Not Like is the finish. It's matte black. They didn't even bother to seal and fill the pores in the body. Plus being matte where your arm rubs against the upper side it gets all shiny and looks like hell. I once asked a Gibson sales rep at a store in Lincoln about the finish and he said they did have complaints about the finish but they had to do that to help meet the $1,500 price point. I plan on having it refinished when I find somebody I think will do it right. Normally I'd do it myself but on this one I'd want it perfect when done. It's a bass that sounds and plays so good it deserves it.

Ok, I'm sold!
If anyone finds a SS Bird on the loose please PM me. I'm in buying mode but might consider some trades if that's what it takes.

 

[fjadams]

Ok, I'm sold!
If anyone finds a SS Bird on the loose please PM me. I'm in buying mode but might consider some trades if that's what it takes.

Mine is definitely one of the keepers I have. You can occasionally find one on eBay, which is where I found mine. I got lucky. It wasn't too long after all 400 became sold out and there were four or five on there at one time. Mine started at $750 with no reserve and I was the only bidder. All the others went for about $1,000. Had been professionally setup and had the papers and the paper from the luthier who did the setup in it too. Perfect condition, no scratches, scuff or anything, case with the keys inside looks like from the factory. One of the best deals I've ever bought, but I doubt the guy who sold it thought so.

 

[Haji]

Caught up! Place holder post.

If you don't at least check in here every day you may find that you're suddenly 300 messages behind. Don't rely on your notifications; they can't keep up.

 

[godofthunder59]

I should elaborate on the ss Thunderbird. As a ss bass it is just fine, I did like the neck fast and easy to get around on. I didn't really care for the mat black finish. I found it crowded with two TB plus pickups, one in the middle would have suited me fine. If I am going to play a short scale I really dig my 72-75 EB3.

 

[Count Bassie]

I tore mine back in 1997 in a championship match of sand volleyball on the game winning score. It was a heck of an over extended backhanded spike that caught my opponent completely off guard, we won the game and the championship.

At the time I figured I just pulled a muscle. A few weeks later and with a significant loss of strength but only in certain positions I figured I must have pulled a tendon. A year later and no improvement I realized it was the RC. I foolishly assumed it would heal over time.

Five years later and no improvement I finally go see a doctor, he says it's a classic torn RC and does all the X-ray and imaging work to see how bad it is. Turns out it was a very large significant tear. Doc says go under the knife or live with it. I opt to go the PT route (never been in the hospital a day in my life and really kinda phobic about people slicing me up and stitching me back together).

PT helped a bit and over time I just kinda got used to less arm strength and range of motion but at least the pain was gone. Fast forward to 2016 and between my age (59 yrs old) and over use (golf, competitive shooting, car racing and playing bass) I'm starting to get the pain back again.

My short scale basses seem to make a big difference. I already switched over to shorter lighter golf clubs, hung the 12ga shotgun up, limited myself to handgun competition, and now only drive my sports cars for pleasure vs racing. I'll go under the knife before I give up my basses, and I gotta have a TBird to feel complete, even if it's a short scale.

Mine was either from work or from drilling with a rather big dude at the Sunday morning Wing Chun kung fu club I'm a member of. I'm a fairly sleight dude at 6'1" and 150 lbs, albeit wiry enough... anyway it was either get it looked at or maybe (down the road) screw my ability to work at carpentry. That would mean no more hanging here at the Thunderbird Club, and we can't have that, now can we!

No, can't have that...

Edit... a boss at work has both sides in pain. He's screwed for now, he'd be out a year plus if he got the knife, and for him there's no not getting the knife...

 

[Count Bassie]

So I got no help at all from the general population on the question of painting/etc the fingerboard of my Blackbird a matte black, to cover those less-than-coveted cross inlays. Any of you craftspeople types have a suggestion on how to handle that- in an "affordable" (read: cheep) kind of way?

I'm all ears, thanks!