Phil Starr Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 (edited) Just bought a Thunderbird, a real one, 2005 for £611, an ebay impulse after listening to Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash) on the car stereo and having an arousing moment. Was this a good buy? Am I mad? I don't usually do impulse buying. It feels so weird after playing a Jazz for so long. What's the best way of stopping it leaning away from me, will I get used to it or does that go away with time. The neck dive I can put up with and it seems lighter than my other basses. Edited July 9, 2012 by Phil Starr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Well you've bought a genuine US built Gibson bass which has got to count for something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I would say you got it for a good price. I have seen s/h ones go for around the 800 quid mark. If you moved it on I`m confident you would at least get your money back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 They're great basses, lightweight with fantastic tone and you got a decent deal. I know they're not everyones cup of tea. Ignore all the nonsense about neck diving etc. As I've posted previously, I'm a chubby guy in my 40s and the TB makes me feel like a I'm a skinny 20 year old. They're like magic. P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 [quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1341843866' post='1724978'] ... impulse after listening to Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash) on the car stereo and having an arousing moment. [/quote] It's a wonder you didn't crash. [INSERT HARD LOCK JOKE HERE] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adee Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Deffo a good deal, is the strap button on the back of the neck or the top? I've not had a problem with it leaning away :-/ maybe wear it a little lower ? Great tone and so light too, I was expecting them to weigh a ton ! Enjoy : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 [quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1341850722' post='1725116'] It's a wonder you didn't crash. [INSERT HARD LOCK JOKE HERE] [/quote] I didn't realise he was probably driving at the time. I thought we were getting a wee clues about his dogging soundtrack. Wishbone's "The King Will Come" would be quite a good choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 If you want it to sound like Martin Turner, get some Lull replacent pickups in there - or at least just one in the neck position. They're expensive but worth it, the current Tbird pickups sound very different. It's been on my project list for years. Just need to get a Tbird first... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Strap button is at the back of the neck. It has to move. It's funny but I was expecting it to be heavy too but it is much lighter than my Fender. Where did the rumour (why is the spell check American?) about being hard on the back and shoulders come from, or am I about to find out? I'm already playing it lower than my other basses, new strap day tomorrow I think. It had awful strings on it, black coated things with four different coloured cotton windings at the head end. Now has some Dean Markley Blue Steels and is sounding and playing loads better. What will it sound like with flats I wonder. If I want to sound like Martin Turner the first step is to improve, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1341852187' post='1725139'] I didn't realise he was probably driving at the time. I thought we were getting a wee clues about his dogging soundtrack. Wishbone's "The King Will Come" would be quite a good choice. [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pendingrequests Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I had one for years and never suit me. I suppose the heavy weight of the neck was an issue and getting above the 15th fret was near impossible when playing live. Great sound though and would be perfect for a studio, but unless you're the guy from The Darkness, it doesn't look good without spandex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkHeart Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Buy a suade strap if you dont fancy extra holes in your bass, i bought one for my copy t/bird and it was definately £13 well spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehillscorporation Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 you will get used to it after a while, but, one way to stop it 'leaning away' is to hoick your strap over the the rear horn, looks pants, but it worked for me (till i got used to it) +1 for a suede, or at least suede backed strap. bargain price too, nice one! John. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Mine leans away a bit - it's just something you get used to, and is a consequence of the 'modern' placing of the strap button to avoid neck dive. I'm surprised you would get any neck dive as that mainly affects older basses that don't have the button on the neck heel. You'll just have to learn to play without looking at the fretboard Don't hang the bass too low. I did that the other day with my new extra-long Comfort Strapp (recommended!). It felt great when playing, but I had a touch of tendonitis for a couple of hours afterwards. I'll hitch it back up a notch for my next gig I'd also recommend lock straps, although you'll probably have fun with the thin, short screws that come with Schallers. It's a 2 minute job to glue a matchstick into the old holes, which then give you something decent to screw into. Solid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 I can live with the neck dive, The bass is pretty light and hanging on to the neck encourages me to throw the bass around I discovered last night, it's really too posy for a man of my years but it is going to force/give me an excuse to perform more. I've always used wide straps anyway. I really don't think I can live with the twist though. Anyone tried relocating the strap button(s), if so then where to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 Just an update, I wanted to sell this monster for ages but decided to try and get used to its bad behaviour (neck dive and twisting away from you to save anyone from having to search the thread) Less than a week ago I was all ready to sell it out of frustration, the neck is a wonder to play and the sound is fabulous but the playing comfort is maddening. Anyway four days ago I shortened the strap, really silly short, I look like I should be playing in a sixties band. All the problems disappeared pretty much, though it feels really odd changing to the T-bird. Last night I gigged it for the first time, [b]I love it![/b] The sound is just wondrous and strapping it on feels like becoming Jim Carrey in The Mask. So if you have one of these use a wide strap and straplocks, and shorten the strap just like one of the guys said and it cures 90% of the neck dive and twist, then you can enjoy the good bits of this amazing but irritating bass. Thanks for your help everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren1970 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 I've got 2 T-birds, a standard Gibbo Thunderbird IV and the red Nikki Sixx version. The Sixx bass is slightly heavier ( possibly due to the maple wings ) but doesn't suffer as much leaning away from my body. I was also put off for years with horror stories of heavy weight and neck-dive. Neither neck dive ( in fact my Spector Euro is more neck heavy ) and the weight is pretty comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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