Thunderbirds? Why no Basschat Love?

[ianSB]

i have a epi t bird and i could get to grips with the neck dive
i gigged it for the past year and ive grown to hate it with a passion

[Marvin]

Although I've never even touched one let alone played one I still don't want one. They look OK, but I just don't want one, but neither do I want a Fender. There are other basses out there that catch my eye and imagination more than a T-bird. Although I would have a Gibson EB-3, for some reason.

[Meenie]

if i was going for a gibson i would probably choose an RD Artist,finding one and affording one in good condition would be an issue though!

[Low End Bee]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='893999' date='Jul 13 2010, 06:03 PM']Surely part of the attraction is that it doesn't have the crapy Fender style neck?[/quote]

Crappy Fender broom handles are a perfect match for my style.

[henry norton]

I love Thunderbirds so long as they're reverse bodied and have chrome pickups, ie. I don't like any they produce at the moment. I just don't understand why Gibson replaced the fantastic original high output chrome pickups with the not very inspiring black soapbars they use now. Totally beyond me.....

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='894072' date='Jul 13 2010, 07:11 PM']Crappy Fender broom handles are a perfect match for my style.[/quote]
Fair enough, although I wish people who want to put Fender-shaped necks on Thunderbirds would fix all the non-subjective design faults on them like the non-angled headstock that plays havoc with tuning.


[quote name='henry norton' post='894080' date='Jul 13 2010, 07:24 PM']I love Thunderbirds so long as they're reverse bodied and have chrome pickups, ie. I don't like any they produce at the moment. I just don't understand why Gibson replaced the fantastic original high output chrome pickups with the not very inspiring black soapbars they use now. Totally beyond me.....[/quote]

Exactly!

[Mog]

Always want to pick one up, even more so since the T-bird pro came out but short bassists and T-birds dont go well together. If I let one hang unsupported the headstock would hit the floor. Personally I find the neck too thick and the tone too middy.

[Cat Burrito]

I've owned 3, great basses but just not "me". I'm a big fan of Gibson basses on other players!

[Clarky]

I was gutted to have to sell as I had always loved the look of T'birds since the 70s (when I saw Pete Way of UFO throbbing away on one). But not only was the skinniness of the neck an issue for me but the ergonomics of pick playing. If you play fingerstyle, I think it works well but if you play pick-style and (as I do) rest the beef of your picking hand on the top of the bass, a combination of the crappy 3-point bridge and the raised central wood section mean an unnatural angle of picking. This was OK for me if playing slow to medium but when pumping out 16th notes at a fast tempo I just found it very easy to screw up and (compared to a Fender P or J) hard to control as precisely. Hence the object of many years of desire had to go

[jezzaboy]

I, like Clarky, have a love of T birds due to Lord Pete of the Way. I have owned 3- 2 Epi bolt on and 1 Epi pro. They are one of the coolest looking basses on the planet but you need a left arm 4 foot long to play an F on the E string or the body down at your knees and the neck around your left shoulder.

This is the reason that me and Tbirds just don`t get along.

Jez

[basshead56]

I've got three of em at chez Basshead, two Gibson Studios (IV and V) and a White Epiphone.
I really love the design and feel of them. The necks are fast and thin. and the sound is unbeatable!big, loud and thunderous!!!
Would love to try the new Nikki Sixx sig, cause the Blackbird was sexy as hell!

And I'm a short-a**e, and I happen to think I look pretty cool wielding one!

Edited July 13, 2010 by basshead56

[Supertim]

Cheers for the replies guys.

Clarky, I too am a pick player and I did find the transition to T Bird difficult at first due to the raised section and the unweildy 3 point bridge, however I just changed my right hand position and cup the bridge by resting my hand on it and keeping my pinky underneath the bridge.

When I graduated to the Blackbird I made use of the "opti grab" which is basically a little metal hook for your pinky to loop into. This makes picking a whole lot easier and gives greater control when playing sixteenths and prevents the neck dive. A decent strap will also all but eradicate this.

I am interested in theosd's comment about them lacking tonal definition, a point which bemuses me? Whilst I will admit that tonally they are a bit narrow, the tone that Tbirds do provide is perfectly defined, indeed in the wrong hands a TBird can sound terrible if it isnt EQd well such is the definition of the frequencies that it does supply! Further to this I am unsure about your comment re Ashdowns???

One other major downside is that it is a bass that is not really conducive to playing any chords or multiple string strikes. I play a few songs that are dropped D Tuning and with the TBird four string D "chords" are not as fluid and tight unless you are fully concentrating, which is not often when you are playing songs such as "Killing in the name of" or "sounds of madness"

Like many others I fell in love with the TBird for its looks and its great straight rock crunch. I am a big Nikki Sixx fan (not as a bass player, he is pretty sh*t, more of a personality) and ever since he started using them again I fell in love with them and just altered my playing to compensate, something that has actually turned me into a more controlled player.

I guess it could be a case of style over substance with this Bass.

Cheers

Mayb

[Dom in Dorset]

If a Thunderbird is held correctly (Right fore arm resting on back horn) there is no neck dive.

[BigRedX]

That's not held correctly...

For a Thunderbird the whole body should fall somewhere between your waist and your knees.

[Dom in Dorset]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='894426' date='Jul 14 2010, 09:16 AM']That's not held correctly...

For a Thunderbird the whole body should fall somewhere between your waist and your knees.[/quote]

that's also a valid technique,the neck dive is cured by the headstock resting on the ground.

[OutToPlayJazz]

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='894416' date='Jul 14 2010, 09:02 AM']If a Thunderbird is held correctly (Right fore arm resting on back horn) there is no neck dive.
[/quote]

Quite correct. If you play the instrument at the correct height, rather than stupidly around your ankles or something like that, your arm rests naturally on the body edge, thusly eliminating neck dive.

I've owned a couple of the Epi models & have found them to be perfectly useable basses. The active T'Bird Pro is a great bass for comparatively little money with a massive shove to it. I've also spent some time playing a "proper" Gibson model which I have to admit was a very nice bass. The pickup placement, thin neck & use of mahogany make this a great sounding bass with huge playability for every style. Maybe it's the looks that put people off?

But yes, T'Birds are great.

[waynepunkdude]

If you put a Fender Jazz neck (the king of necks) on a T'bird would it cure the neck dive?

[OutToPlayJazz]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='894496' date='Jul 14 2010, 10:24 AM']If you put a Fender Jazz neck (the king of necks) on a T'bird would it cure the neck dive?[/quote]

Nope, the missing top horn is the big issue, but as I mentioned a moment ago, the body is naturally shaped for you to rest your plucking arm on top of.

[Shaggy]

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='894416' date='Jul 14 2010, 09:02 AM'][/quote]


[quote name='BigRedX' post='894426' date='Jul 14 2010, 09:16 AM']That's not held correctly...

For a Thunderbird the whole body should fall somewhere between your waist and your knees.[/quote]


[quote name='Dom in Somerset' post='894452' date='Jul 14 2010, 09:48 AM']that's also a valid technique,the neck dive is cured by the headstock resting on the ground.[/quote]

+1
extra-extra-long strap should come as standard with the bass

Pic does show why it's so comfy for that right hand technique though - upper body waist is much closer to the strings than on (say) a Fender, so if you've got big hands like me you can rest your palm on it and really dig in hard into the strings.

Hand / bridge contact problems for pick players apprently much improved with the Hipshot bridge (one on ebay at the moment)

[Low End Bee]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='894496' date='Jul 14 2010, 10:24 AM']If you put a Fender Jazz neck (the king of necks) on a T'bird would it cure the neck dive?[/quote]

No and the Queen of necks would still be too skinny....

[Norris]

[quote name='Clarky' post='893738' date='Jul 13 2010, 02:10 PM']There's not too many fans on BC, its true. I owned one recently but sold it as I couldn't cope with the skinny neck (I play P basses generally). BC dudes such as Shaggy, Marky L and Norris are T'bird fans though and I am sure they will chip in![/quote]

The bass has finally been gigged (third owner lucky!) and I love it. The trusty Jazz is now taking a bit of a break while I indulge in some of the nicest sounds to ever come out of my amp. It's a keeper.

I can understand that some people don't like them. Yes, it has a very skinny neck. Yes, it is kinda offset to the left due to the strap position (can't say I suffered any neck dive though). Yes, it tends to tilt forwards so you can't see the fret board. Yes, I hit my knee on the bottom horn if I jig about too much. Yes, it's big & the case weighs a ton.
...but I look, sound and feel like a SEX GOD playing it! I grinned all the next day after my first gig with it.

There's love right here

[WHUFC BASS]

I love the looks of them but for me, Mahogany just isn't a great wood to use on basses. The attack is dulled somewhat with the mahogany through neck construction. Great concept for guitars but I don't think it really works (for rock anyway). The neck-dive is also an issue (easily resolved I know) but for the price of them, you shouldn't need to start buggering about with strap pins straight out of the box. Why Gibson haven't addressed this properly I will never know.

The sound is OK, but for the money you spend, there are so much more versatile and confortable basses out there. I won't even start to go into Gibson's crap QC department which again, for the money they charge, should really try harder.

IMO to a certain degree Gibson are a company living off their name.

[Clarky]

[quote name='Norris' post='894615' date='Jul 14 2010, 12:40 PM']I look, sound and feel like a SEX GOD playing it![/quote]
Glad you, errr, like it Norris So, did Mrs Norris come to the gig?

Edited July 14, 2010 by Clarky

[Balcro]

It may have many plus points, but for me it just had too many problems. I auditioned an Epi Thunderbird Pro just over 4 months ago and I wanted it to work. I knew about the neck-dive and went in expecting it.

The problem is the fundamental inbalance is they way it hangs on your body ( I used my own strap). The top horn is so short and faces upward (wrong) that the whole centre of gravity is offset to the player's left side. In addition, the arrangement of where the neck meets the body is offset lengthwise compared with that other manufacturer. The body is biased to length rather than depth. I tried the forearm on the body as per the Entwistle pics; slipped off several times. With the right forearm in place I couldn't reach the first fret!

I shortened the strap and lengthened the strap. It didn't work. I hung it to the left and pushed it back to the right (fingers placed over the neck pick-up). Still couldn't get a reasonable fit or balance. I pushed it far to the right and tipped it up. Just managed to reach the first fret with my hand above head height!!. At that point I gave up. The point is you shouldn't have to make these silly positional compromises just to make the instrument vaguely comfortable to hold.

It looks great, the finish was excellent, there's nothing wrong with the sound, placement of controls etc,. The ergonomic arrangement As the Americans say, " sucks". Shame.

Keep the same overall configuration: make the body a little deeper. Inset the neck deeper into the body and consequently move the bridge closer to the edge of the body. Extend the top horn about 4-5" and point the strap pin at the 9th fret. Simples. Where's my pencil?

Balcro.

[Norris]

[quote name='Clarky' post='894621' date='Jul 14 2010, 12:42 PM']Glad you, errr, like it Norris So, did Mrs Norris come to the gig? [/quote]

No. She's coming to the next one though