Pick players have used felt picks to reproduce a finger-style tone for decades. But they wear out witj use too.
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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- club thunderbird
There are picks and then there are picks. With the 346 shaped heavy tortex my grip didn't always feel 100% secure. The 'standard' size XH cellulose is the mutt's. You'd expect the vulcanised (?) tortex would have a better feel than the shiny cellulose, but the XH feels like part of my hand not something you have to remember to hold on to.
Fingers? They're for food.
Fingers or pick depends on the bass. The Bird is not a fingers bass, whereas the Maranello is suitable for fingers or pick.
Fingers? They're for food.
Fingers or pick depends on the bass. The Bird is not a fingers bass, whereas the Maranello is suitable for fingers or pick.
We'll certainly have to agree to disagree on that point!
Here is a link to an interesting interview with one of my personal favs, Graham Maby (a great session player, who to this day still plays with Joe Jackson). He talks about how, back in the day, he used a pick and played all downstrokes (albeit not on a bird): http://www.bassplayer.com/artists/1171/graham-maby-still-the-man-with-joe-jackson/56755
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,894
- 142,211
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Somebody here, along time back once said that playing a Thunderbird with a pick ignites the pickups (great as they can sound finger style) and I'd just agree emphatically, playing a '76 Bird with a .73 Tortex, new DR Stainless Rounds and my GK opened up just makes me spooge. Eargasm, every time.
There are a few classic pick sounds. Even a Fender P-bass, played with a pick through a Fender Dual Showman as a pre is like giant spikey teeth gnashing through a yard of frozen-solid swamp.
Best analogy I could come up with just now. Sorry.
Anyway a pick can be a devastating sonic sensation alright. On a T-Bird... oh yeah.
Best analogy I could come up with just now. Sorry.
Anyway a pick can be a devastating sonic sensation alright. On a T-Bird... oh yeah.
All downstrokes? I know I said I'm a barbarian but I'm not THAT much of a barbarian (and it's tiring).
Seriously, down-up-down-up ... er damping (left hand, right hand, pick), angled pick, dynamics, those sorts of things
@Mike A - this is Thunderbird Club where we can all disagree without starting a blood feud.
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Pick vs. Fingers AGAIN? 
i'm about 50/50 here. Although in my opinion, semi-aggressive two-fingers banging away just behind the front pickup really does bring out that classic T-Bird growl.
i'm about 50/50 here. Although in my opinion, semi-aggressive two-fingers banging away just behind the front pickup really does bring out that classic T-Bird growl.
Yes, ALL downstrokes (and most of the time he is not playing Sid Vicious or Dee Dee Ramone stuff). Crazy!
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,894
- 142,211
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Down stoke only = clanky, grindy goodness!
With the Traynor head you could sneeze on the strings and get clanky, grindy goodness.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,894
- 142,211
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Ya, I had a Traynor YBA200 for awhile it was a nice amp, very true. I just couldn't justify keeping it as every time we'd load up for a show I was grabbing for the GK which just works well for what we do. I can see a point in the future where I'm not doing the Nasty Habits any more and I'll probably shift back to a tube amp to have around the house.
We want to use a (tortex?) pick to ignite our Thunderbird pickups and downstrokes for good measure, to ensure a teeth-gnashing, clanky, grindy goodness, while avoiding "pluppy" sounds. Check. Check. And check. The onomatopoeia of music theory. Now, this I can understand!
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The RRP for an Ampeg V4B in Australia is $US2300 (=$US500 more than the US RRP) and you can find a pre-loved YBA200 for $US600. It wasn't a hard decision to make.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,894
- 142,211
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
I'm completely willing to admit it doesn't work for everything/everyone
I know Will (Gaolee) doesn't play anything like I do (If he ever comes for a visit I'll try to change his mind!) he's actually a talented bassist - I'm just a spirited hack
The reason I asked my question I guess is I can't play with a pick worth a damn. I try but I admit, I don't give it enough practice. I hear alot of the time how good the Thunderbird is with a pick and I was wondering if I was on my own planet with not playing with one. I'll keep plucking along and see what happens. Thanks for the feedback.
In my first round of playing before an almost 20 year hiatus, ala in the early to late 90's, I was all pick, and almost all downstrokes. Mostly because of an article in bass player magazine with Jason Newsted, where he said that James encouraged him to use all downstrokes for the power.
As a metal head, that was good enough for me, and got really adept with it, and never really learned to play with my fingers.
When I picked the bass up again a few years ago, it was basically all new again. So I decided to start relearning with my fingers, and now have difficulty with a pick, a little fumbly, and can't control the dynamics.
Mind you, I'm a lousy finger player technically, I'm the king of one finger picking till I really need to throw that middle finger in.
I need to work on my right hand technique badly....
And my left hand technique, now that I think of it.
As a metal head, that was good enough for me, and got really adept with it, and never really learned to play with my fingers.
When I picked the bass up again a few years ago, it was basically all new again. So I decided to start relearning with my fingers, and now have difficulty with a pick, a little fumbly, and can't control the dynamics.
Mind you, I'm a lousy finger player technically, I'm the king of one finger picking till I really need to throw that middle finger in.
I need to work on my right hand technique badly....
And my left hand technique, now that I think of it.
Wait, I found a solution to that butchered eBay 'bird...
A Gibson Modernebird!
A Gibson Modernebird!
I think my new bird is ready to fly for Halloween. Took forever for the clear to cure, just needs a little more set up work and it's. Good. Started as a Dillion Phoenix. Filled holes, reshaped headstock, fixed (mostly) alot of damage. Emg 35 p&j with duff2 mini Haz Clone preamp. Schaller bridge. Rock n roll!
