Bassman Sam Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 For as long as I have played the bass, I have always gassed for a Gibson Thunderbird but just never got round to getting one. Well,yesterday I tried one for the first time and bloody hated it. . I loved the tone but it just felt so wrong for me so it's back to the old P-bass. I feel gutted as I really felt that this would be bass heaven for me. What a bummer. Have you ever had the same experience with your dream bass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulwillson Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 not with mine, but my ex girlfriends brother had a gibson thunderbird and i had a quick razz on it (no amp) and it was so chunky and horrible, think the strings were about 3 years old on it though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Back in the 80's I was really excited to finally get my hands on a Gibson Victory - I can even remember getting frustrated trying to open the box without tearing it. It was Gibson's first foray into trying to capture some of Fender's Precision Bass market. It was dull sounding, the neck profile felt awkward and the whole thing just didn't exude any feel of 'quality'. Big let down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1946 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I have 2 G&L -L 2000's and lusted after the 'ultimate' USA model. Well I got one and was disappointed as hell. My Trib's are far better imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Yes I've had the same not with a Gibson, but surprisingly an Alembic. Took it back to the Bass Centre after a month or so of ownership and swapped it for the P bass in my avatar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 It wasn't a bass I'd bought, but I still remember finally getting to try an original Steinberger cricket bat after ages of wondering how amazing they must be given all the hype... ...to this day, it remains the single most horrible instrument I have ever laid my hands on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='tom1946' post='1153338' date='Mar 8 2011, 07:41 AM']I have 2 G&L -L 2000's and lusted after the 'ultimate' USA model. Well I got one and was disappointed as hell. My Trib's are far better imo.[/quote] what didn't you like Tom? I had a US L2000 and it was the biz - should never have sold it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Ric 4003. I adored and still adore the tone but it's such an uncomfortable instrument to play unless you play with a plec. Had to move it on. Whenever I yearn for the tone again I recall my fingertips grazing the sharp bridge pickup mount and the three-day bruises on my forearm after long gigs from the lack of contours and any desire for one swiftly evaporates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Ibanez EDA905. Wanted one for my 21st (had been playing about 1 year), tried one in a shop and it felt cheap (was £500). The tone was not good (brittle) and I was very deflated... bought a Yamaha RBX instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I'll admit, I have Gibsons, Ernie Balls and Rickenbackers on a podium - a podium with a plaque which reads "Proper Basses". I can do this as I've never played any of them, but have seen my idols do so. I suspect it's one of those things. When I own one, and can take it down from said podium, I may well end up wondering what I ever saw in it, so high are my expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Rich Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Saved up for ages to buy a Warwick Streamer Stage II but tried several and just didn't get on with them. Ended up with my Status S1 headed 5 stringer, it still puts a big stupid grin on my face when I play it even after 18 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) I had joined a band who's songs looked like they might suit fretless bass. Having never played fretless before I didn't want to spend a lot on something that I might not be able to play in tune so I spent several weeks looking on eBay and finally settled on a defretted Wesley acrylic-bodied bass. Almost a year later having decided that fretless did indeed suit the music and having mastered the art of playing in tune on it, I decided it was time to move onto something a bit more serious. I had recently discovered a couple of on-line bass forums and was seeing good things being said about the Squier Vintage Modified Basses. One of the local music shops had the Fretless Jazz in stock at £199 so I took the plunge... And was very disappointed. I'd never played a bass with a Fender-style bolt-on neck before and was amazed by how soon along the neck and chunky the heel/join was. It pretty much got in the way of all of my upper-octave playing. The Wesley also had a bolt-on neck but it was 24 fret so the heel didn't even start until the 19th fret. The strings kept sticking when tuning up so I replaced the nut with a Graphtech one. The D and G strings were still a problem. I found rough edges on the string tree and filed them off. The strings still stuck. Overall I found the sound thin and weedy compared to the Wesley. I tried a Badass Bridge and Fat Finger. A nice improvement to the sustain, but the sound still didn't have the weight I was used to. In went a J-Retro Pre-amp; again an improvement but not exactly what I was looking for. More research on pickups for something darker and fatter followed by the purchase of a set of Bartolinis. Almost there... However I was also finding the body shape uncomfortable on the strap. The Wesley was heavier on the scales, but the Squier didn't feel balanced and therefore become more of a burden to play for long periods of time. Also on the strap I could only just reach the G-string tuner. I never had this problem with my Overwater which had a 2" longer scale length, weighed more, yet for me balanced properly on the strap and hung in such a way that all the machine heads were within reach. After almost than six months of struggling with in and having spent more on "upgrades" than the bass originally cost I finally admitted defeat and bought a Pedulla Buzz. Luckily because the Squier was a bass with a good reputation I was able to sell it fairly quickly with only a minimal loss. The only good thing that came out of it was the knowledge that Fender-styled basses were not right for me. Edited March 8, 2011 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumbo Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I wouldn't give up on your Thunderbird dream too hastily! I've played 2 Thunderbirds, exactly the same models, one was an absolute dog, the other made me think "I need to buy one of these one day!". Very hit and miss instruments in terms of playability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillbilly deluxe Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Yep,an Ibanez fretless,ala Sting,people rave about them,but i thought it was completely lifeless,and it weighed about as much as Dawn French. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I had the same with a Thunderbird. Lusted for 30 plus years, bought one last year and hated the skinny neck and ergonomics for the right hand. Sold it straight away to BCer norris who I am glad to say loves it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbass Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 This isn't bass related but more amp related, When I went over to the Warwick factory I had the opportunity to play through a Hellborg rig (He is a massive influence and hero to me, so I believed the hype of the amp) and was just blown away by it's...let down. Maybe I didn't use my own bass or have enough time to tweak but I always go flat for trying amps and my GB 12.0 at the moment sounds brilliant with flat EQ but this was just lifeless. I guess I just expected too much from it :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassman Sam Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 I'm glad it's not just me then, I thought that I was being over critical of the 'Bird but it felt so wrong to me. I've never played another bass that I felt so disappointed with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancient Mariner Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Not tried enough basses yet to have an expectation (hope to change that soon though!). But for years the Les Paul was what I imagined the ultimate guitar might be: time came to actually try them and, generally, they were almost completely disappointing. I do have a great one now (actually a Tokai) but I've only ever found a couple of Gibson versions that I'd want to own and several that I definitely wouldn't want. Likewise bought a 'worn finish' Gibson Flying V from a guy in the states - it felt like a £25 Chinese guitar from ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I dont bond with Gibson basses, they dont suit me or feel right for me, but I LOVE the Grabber/Ripper shape and tone. I tried a Warwick and didnt like it that much, which was a shame. Very very well made. My biggest disappointment was the Rick 4003. Didnt do anything I expected and I hated the neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amnesia Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Warwick Vampyre. Having owned a Streamer LX for years I expected it to feel similar in terms of neck profile. I played it for a few minutes but hated it. Just couldn't get on with what felt to me like a cricket bat. Thankfully I didn't buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilLordJuju Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 There is something to be said for a good set-up with your favourite strings. And this is where Gibsons can get a bad rep - not that they can't be set up, but a lot of shops/owners struggle to get their heads around the Gibson bridges. I think a lot of Gibson basses for sale could really benefit from a tech that knows what they are doing. Maybe this is why everyone seems to love Grabbers and G3s - the Fender style bridge on those two models is a little easier to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I've got an Epiphone model and when I got it the setup was awful. The 3 point bridge was high, neck too bowed and pickups too high as well. After a few weeks of tweaking - the bridge is now as low as possible (won't screw in anymore) and the truss rod has been adjusted. Action now is perfect and the sound out of it is totally different to when I got it. I definitely want to try out a Gibson version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I've been pretty underwhelmed by every Fender bass I've owned. You read so much about how fecking brilliant they are on forums then get sucked in. Ok there is some basis to what they say but then I learned to face the fact that opinions expressed by those with different needs and tastes to mine need not necessarily be solid fact but more of a point in the right direction. And my Fenders never seemed to live up to the hype. I like the Fender aesthetics (most of my builds are based on that look) which probably explains why I'm so impressed by G&L who kept the look but took the Fender tone to the next level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Ric 4003 good to play, liked the neck and feel but found the tone a bit limiting. Didn't keep too long and sold for less than half of what i paid. Also tried a Gibson Thunderbird and found it pretty good however the £200 Epiphone version was superior in feel but not tone. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 [quote name='Bassman Sam' post='1153305' date='Mar 8 2011, 03:15 AM']For as long as I have played the bass, I have always gassed for a Gibson Thunderbird but just never got round to getting one. Well,yesterday I tried one for the first time and bloody hated it. . I loved the tone but it just felt so wrong for me so it's back to the old P-bass. I feel gutted as I really felt that this would be bass heaven for me. What a bummer. Have you ever had the same experience with your dream bass?[/quote] If you've been playing the old P-Bass for many years then its hardly suprising that something different will feel wierd. See if you can borrow a T.Bird and try it out over a week or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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