thebrig

Just an update re my previous thread:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/254051-gibson-thunderbird-q-as/"]http://basschat.co.u...underbird-q-as/[/url]

After reading the replies, I decided to take a punt on a 2008 Gibson Thunderbird I saw on eBay for £745.00 + £30 insured shipping, and included the original Gibson hard case.

I won it 8pm on Friday and it arrived at 12.05pm today (Tuesday), it was described as immaculate, and sure enough, it is in absolutely pristine condition.

I have just played through our set with it on a strap at home, and have to admit that my shoulder and neck are aching a bit, and I think it will take some getting used to, but I'm going to give it at least six months rehearsing and gigging with it to see if I can get accustomed to it, if I can't, I think that I would have a pretty good chance of selling it on for around what I payed for it.

Here are some pics my bird!

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1422299261' post='2670908']
My Thunderbird is the bass I regret selling. I don't want to repeat what others have said, but the main thing is they're a lot of fun and you feel great playing them.

If you pick one s/h for a decent price and it's not for you, then move it along. I'm sure you wont lose. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that.
[/quote]Paid £749 for a 2008 model, totally unmarked, as new condition, including the original case, so yes, if I can't get on with it, it might just pop up in the "for sale" section for what I paid for it.

Having said that, I'm not going to pre-judge it, I will give it a good six months or so, rehearsing and gigging with it that's for sure.

[quote name='DaytonaRik' timestamp='1422273188' post='2670464']
If you can get to Derby (if its not too far?) this Wednesday evening you're welcome to try mine at our rehearsal rooms. Drop me a PM if you're interested. I'm not sure how much longer it will be in my possession as Mark is taking it in part-ex against a Limelight in the very near future.
[/quote]Thanks for the offer Rik, but I have gone and got myself one, it should arrive tomorrow with a bit of luck.

I will update after a week or so, to let you all know how I get on with it.

Sorry! I didn't mean to go over the same "old ground" with the "same old questions", I'm just trying to get to the bottom of why there are so many negative opinions on the Thunderbird, and whether they are justified or not, I thought this is what forums are for.
I will try one soon for myself, but an hour or so in a shop playing one doesn't always tell you the whole picture, which is why I was seeking advice from those who has, or still does play one.

Thanks for the the comments and advice so far, they are all much appreciated.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1421966277' post='2667342']
Which Gibson Thunderbird are you interested in? There have been several quite major changes to the instrument since it first appeared in 1963, and the 2015 model has little in common with the original other than the body shape.

Some of the Epiphone models have far more in common with a Fender Jazz that the Gibson Thunderbird when you look at the construction and woods used...
[/quote]I have a budget of around £800, so it will be probably around 7 or 8 years old I guess.

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1421967198' post='2667361']
Look, they're lovely basses. Go try a few. If you were local I'd invite you round for an evening to ding mine. The necks are lovely...all of mine have been skinny and fast. They sound great (check my signature for audio). The only bugbear is that f*cking awful three point bridge, but at least you can put a Hipshot on it or (when they become available) a Babicz. Forget about neck dive, it's really not that much of a problem. Whatever you do, PLEASE don't buckle and buy an Epiphone because it looks like a Gibson or has Gibson pickups, because it's not a Gibson. Chalk and cheese.
[/quote]If I docide to go for one, I will buy the [i]real[/i] thing, that's for sure.

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1421964834' post='2667316']
I've got three now and owned another two. I'm a little tired of these questions, so here's my headshakingly honest responses:

1 - Forget about neck dive. You play with two hands.
2 - Whaaaaaat? Are you a mental?
3 - No. It's as versatile as a Jazz in that it's got two pickups and VVT.
4 - Good grief. My teenage nephew can reach the nut. He's 13.
5 - Around 3.5cm. My Rickenbacker is a shade over 4.0cm. What sort of difference will that make?

As I've said dozens of times on these pages, the Thunderbird is like magic. I'm a pudgy guy in my late 40s. I put it on and I turn into a lithe rock god in my twenties.
P
[/quote]I take your point Nancy, but the reason for the questions is that I do suffer from neck & back problems, and I'm not that tall, so a long stretch and having to hold up the neck, whilst trying to move my left hand to where it should be, could be a problem to me.
As for the nut width, I prefer a narrower neck, I have a jazz neck on my precision because I find it more comfortable.

I am asking for advice from TB players, because I have read so many negative things from all the Gibson haters on here.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1421964699' post='2667310']
You might also want to check the price of the current 2015 Gibson thunderbird. It's gone up quite considerably since last year; 2014 model was £1199 and the 2015 model is £1899. Might want to grab a 2014 while they're still around if you're serious!
[/quote]I will be looking for a second-hand one.

[quote name='tonyxtiger' timestamp='1421963400' post='2667287']
1. Not that bad. Depends how you position it. The hand you use for fretting can hold the neck at the same time.
2. Yes and yes. It's not purely t birds but all that nitro lacquer also makes them like trying to hold an eel when you're sweating all over it.
3. Not any more so than any jazz style bass. It's all the mahogany that makes it a little darker sounding. Bright strings will add a little top.
4. Yes if you have short arms no if you don't.
5. Very thin on the modern Gibson ones. Thinner than a jazz. Older ones are fatter. Epiphones are fatter too.

It's the kind of bass that can be off putting at first but you adapt and get used to it. I've played them for years and still do. Look at any notable T bird player and they can generally manage to play a full on sweaty rock show without having to stop mid song shouting "stop stop the necks diving and the body's leaning away from me"

Man up and get one!
[/quote]I think I might have to now!

I am thinking of getting a Gibson Thunderbird because I think will be well suited to the new band I am in, we play mainly southern rock which includes many Skynyrd songs as you would expect.

But on researching the Thunderbird, I find that it gets a lot of negative reviews, particularly here on Basschat.

So can you BCer's who play, or have played one, answer a few questions I have please?

[b]1. How bad is the neck dive?[/b]

[b]2. I've read that because of the neck strap button being on the back of the bass, it tends to lean away from the body,[/b]
[b] can this be cured by hooking the strap at the bottom over the front of the body, so as to pull the bass back towards the body?[/b]

[b]3. Is it as one-dimensional sound wise, as many people say?[/b]

[b]4. Is it a very long stretch to the lower frets?[/b]

[b]5. What is the nut width?[/b]

Thanks

+1 for Lemonrock.

I have just moved from the St Albans area to Bridgnorth, which is sort of under the west midlands area, but the coverage up here is virtually zero.

I have spoken to Lemonrock about the lack of coverage, and they have asked me to continue my membership so as to try and get things going up here, but it needs more bands and artists to come on board as well, it really is a great site, it advertises gigs, bands, allows you to put ads on there, but the best thing for me is that it is very localized, meaning it includes all the pub bands and pub venues in your area, but it also covers the more prestigious gigs as well, providing the bands and venues sign up to it.

Have a look at Lemonrock in Hertfordshire for instance to see the potential of this site.

http://www.lemonrock.com/

I have to agree with stingrayPete on this.

I think most of us do put a lot of thought into our equipment, ie: what might work best with what etc.. I have a great bass, and a great rig that most people think works well together for the type music I play, and I do get the occasional compliment, but I lent my gear to a bass playing mate at a gig where both our bands were playing on the same night, he sounded amazing, whereas, I sounded average

Yes, I'm ok, but he is a much better player than me!

WOW!!!

I would rather have yours, it just looks like it should do for a bass of that age.

Me too, thats why I thought I would post it to see what other BC's think.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1957-FENDER-PRECISION-BASS-ALL-ORIGINAL-WOW-/391024527747?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item5b0ae0c983

I love the song and the bass line, I like a little bit of the imperfect! although its perfect for my ears.

It takes me back to when bands went into a studio and recorded a song after a couple of takes, warts & all!

St Albans is only a short drive around the M25 from Chorelywood (J18 to J22), about 10 minutes at 3am in the morning, but could take a couple of hours any other time but there are alternative routes avoiding the M25

Seriously though, St Albans is worth seeking out, its a fantastic place with lots of history, great pubs, and a great music scene.
Find yourself a good band in need of a bassist locally to St Albans, and I'm sure at least one of the band members will have the necessary contacts.

St Albans is a fantastic place for live music, there are so many venues, but as TimR says, you do have to be good, the quality of the bands is top notch, and it's not easy to get gigs for new bands if you don't already have contacts on the circuit. The Horn Reborn is the busiest and has live music virtually every night of the week.

Just down the road at London Colney, there are also a few venues despite still only being classed as a "village".

Watford is pretty good too, with The Horns being the best venue by far, and has two or three bands one after the other from Sunday lunchtime onwards. The Sportsman at Croxley Green is small but used to have some of the best bands in the area, but will be stopping live music in the near future.

Barnet which borders Hertfordshire is also a great place for live music, and of course, London itself is only 30/45 minutes or so on the train from most places in Herts.

These are two luthiers that I would recommend,

Tery Chapman
http://www.tjcguitars.com/

LA Guitars
https://www.laguitars.com/

Despite being a great area for music, I recently moved to Bridgnorth, Shropshire, and the music scene is great here too, its a small town, but has over 30 pubs with most selling real ale and cider, lots of them have live music of all genres, and it's just so friendly, I'm in heaven now!

Good luck with your move Skinnyman.

First of all, I can't stress enough just how big a fan I am of Wilko and NWR, I've seen them both many times from the 70's to present, but I have to say that I thought that they were dreadful on Jools Hootananny.

Apart from being out of tune, they were also out of time, Norman was all over the place, Wilko's guitar sounded awful, and the drummer wasn't exactly helping much either, maybe they were a bit inebriated I don't know, but if they played that badly at a pub gig, I don't think that they would not be asked back for another one.

Having read the other thread about the show, I know that some people don't agree with criticising artists or the show, but as I stated, I am a massive fan of Wilko and Norman, but if they weren't who they are, I'm sure they would not have got through an audition had there been one.

So is it just me?
I know Wilko has been through a lot recently, but the whole band was awful in my opinion.
I would be interested to know what others thought of their performance.

Here's the link to the show, and they can be found at around 9 mins 50 secs into the show, try listening through headphones and you will hear just how bad they were.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04wlgks/jools-annual-hootenanny-2014

[quote name='Mark Dyer' timestamp='1391423729' post='2356861']
I've used HipShot on all my basses and not had a problem, although there is a little trick to tuning it correctly.
[/quote]I use a HipShot too, so come on, don't keep it to yourself, what's the "trick"?

A while back, I was emailed 17 MP3's on a Sunday afternoon, by a band that claimed to be “gig Ready” but they just need a bass player to complete the line up.
The guy I spoke to said, just learn about 3 or 4 of them to run through the following evening.
But I thought that I would try to impress them by learning as many as I can, and I ended up learning all 17 songs, almost note perfect to the samples I was sent.
I turned up feeling really proud of myself, only to find that they only knew about 3 of them all the way through, and I ended up showing [u]them[/u] how to play them, and they even had the cheek to ask me for my share of the studio cost at the end, and yes, I walked!

Then two weeks ago, I auditioned for another band that have been together seven months, so I assumed that they would be well rehearsed, they sent me a list of twelve songs they have been working on, again I learnt the lot, and again, it turned out that they only knew about half of them, and I was told by the lead guitarist that Whitesnake's [i]Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City[/i], would take him at least [u]six weeks[/u] to learn on its own, so I said, at that rate, we can expect to be gigging sometime in 2015 then?

And now, I am auditioning on Wednesday with a band who are established, they gig on average twice a month, and have plenty of gigs lined up starting next Friday week, so I am a bit more hopeful that they will know the songs well.
I started on the songs two days ago, and I have already learnt their first set, and most of their second set for the audition, although I still have this feeling that the same might happen.

I’m quite happy to rehearse for as long as it takes to “top and tail” the songs, and sort out the BV’s etc. but I really do get the hump if anyone turns up not knowing the material.

And just to finish up, about three years ago, the band I was in at the time, auditioned a vocalist who had to play every song on his iPod first to give him a clue as to how the song went, he didn’t know the lyrics, and didn’t even print any off to bring with him, and he had two weeks’ notice of the six songs we wanted him to sing on the night.

I am not the greatest bass player around by any means, but I am a competent one, because like Diablo, I put a lot of effort into learning the material, and I am well prepared, but I have found over the past couple of years where I have played with well over thirty different musos’ when trying to get a band together, [b]turning up not having done any homework, is common place I’m afraid! [/b]

Yep, my best wishes to everyone too!

I can put you all out of your misery now folks, the bass is now sold!

On hold at moment folks!

BC'er coming round in an hour or two to have a look.

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1386761551' post='2304085']
Yowser, bet that's gone in the next couple of hours. So three questions Brig,
1. What is the nut width please?
2. What kind of bridge?
3 Where are you currently based .
Good luck regardless.
Karl.
[/quote]
Yes, very important details that I left off.

I will edit the ad now, cheers.