So my brother came in last week on vacation...

[Highlander]

I don't think any of the JAE/Peter Cook items are on display and they are unwilling to supply a copy of a picture of them... you can see pics on their site though... just kinda awkward... the TRC on the "Lightning-Bolt is a perfect reverse (white to black) of the one on my T'bird...

[Psycho Bass Guy]

A lot of the stuff is "on loan" from the actual musicians. And a LOT of it has nothing to do with the musicians, they just got them to autograph it. Like the 5 string Guild Pilot signed by Sting in Chicago.  

Given that Tom Petersson is well associated with T-Birds and that's a very rare bass to start out with, I'd hope that he still claims it. If any of you on here can get in touch with him, I'd love to hear what he has to say about that bass and possibly liberating it from its display casket. The pickguard is signed Jan 18, 1998 for what I presume was the Philly grand opening. Ironically, I saw it one day before it turned 14 behind glass. I'm sure they can drum up some artifact from Korn or Crazy Town, but knowing my luck, they'd put Flea's Wal up there, and I'd have to steal it, just on priniciple. The T-Bird is a temping target enough, but I've been detrimentally honest for so long, I couldn't start a life of crime if my life depended on it; I'd just be too bad at it. (Been weighing career options lately.)

[Dave W]

How many Bicentennial Birds has Tom owned anyway? I noticed this one the other day on The Swami's site -- he doesn't really say whether or not the finish is original -- and Dude at one time also had a green refin signed by Tom.

[Bionic-Joe]

Tom owns one unbroken Reverse T bird II and 3 unbroken T bird II's....2 were refin by Yours truly...the other NR is Left handed.... The rest...are 1960's reverse T bird II's headstock repairs...refins...custom paint jobs...He told me there is no difference in tone... But he's got the mike Lull signature bass..the Waterstone 12 strings...Now He's has a Electrical Guitar Company aluminum 12 string bass. he just orderd 4 of those...2 med scale and 2 long...Plus in his arsenal..a Vintage Hofner..57 P bass...about 10 basses.....
  But seriously...any instrument that is  or was owned by a so called celebrity...in my opinion...is not worth it..must be junk..or else...why would they get rid of it??

[Bionic-Joe]

He's been known to lurk around here.....

[gweimer]

Tom owns one unbroken Reverse T bird II and 3 unbroken T bird II's....2 were refin by Yours truly...the other NR is Left handed.... The rest...are 1960's reverse T bird II's headstock repairs...refins...custom paint jobs...He told me there is no difference in tone... But he's got the mike Lull signature bass..the Waterstone 12 strings...Now He's has a Electrical Guitar Company aluminum 12 string bass. he just orderd 4 of those...2 med scale and 2 long...Plus in his arsenal..a Vintage Hofner..57 P bass...about 10 basses.....
  But seriously...any instrument that is  or was owned by a so called celebrity...in my opinion...is not worth it..must be junk..or else...why would they get rid of it??

You saying my Embassy is junk?  Hey, it was even owned by TWO different celebrities.  Tom Petersson and Jon Brandt.  Seriously.

[Dave W]

One man's castoff is another's treasure. Works the same for celebrities as for anyone else.

[Bionic-Joe]

Hey Dudes....I'm not Insulting anyone, Ok? Capesh>>> I have Tom's Old Hamer Thunderbird 8 string, the only one EVER made in the world.....and Tom wants it back.......but you have to ask yourself...why did they get rid of it? Possibly drug money????Boredom? I personally go for an instrument because of what it is, how it sounds and how it plays...I don't care if Paul McCarthy from the Beatles owned it. If it sucks...it sucks...if it's good...it's good.... I hate celebrities...

[godofthunder]

Baz considering how quick you go through basses I find this hysterical 

[Bionic-Joe]

Welll...dammit...this is supposed to be funny!!! I too go through basses like toilet paper...because I get some crazy bug up my ass and have to trade or have this so I can sound like this...etc....
    All I am saying...I don't EVER buy a bass because a famous asshole owned it.....Buy it because it what you want...in playability, sound, Look...feel...I hate celebrities.... Have a great day everyone!!!

[gweimer]

Welll...dammit...this is supposed to be funny!!! I too go through basses like toilet paper...because I get some crazy bug up my ass and have to trade or have this so I can sound like this...etc....
    All I am saying...I don't EVER buy a bass because a famous asshole owned it.....Buy it because it what you want...in playability, sound, Look...feel...I hate celebrities.... Have a great day everyone!!!

Can't argue with that.  The day I found my Embassy, it was one of FOUR hanging on the wall together.  The one I got just sounded so much better than the others.  To this day, I'm convinced that the pickups were rewound somehow.  It was only after I knew I wanted the bass that I found out the history on it.

[Bionic-Joe]

Well good!!! I originally wanted my Candy Apple Red Hamer Thunderbird 8 string because it was a Thunderbird and it was a Hamer 8 string...I had read about it in a Hamer newsletter a year before... and at the time I WAS a HUGE fan of Tom Petersson.....Now I fancy myself....and a few dead guys.....anyway..the bass speaks for itself...And it is never leaving my hands...unless some one offers me an unbroken 1964 Thunderbird IV...or 2 Unbroken 1964 II's....

[mc2NY]

What a Damn waste of an instrument...Shame Shame Shame......

Ummmm....I think "Ain't That A Shame" would be a more appropriate comment


Oh...BTW....As they were doing a zoom in to a news segment on Fox News last night, Cheap Trick's "Ain't That A Shame" cover was playing in the background and that fat guy Dem/recovering alcoholic they use (Bob Beckel or something) asks "Is that the Everly Brothers or Elvis?" Grrrrr.

[TBird1958]

Welll...dammit...this is supposed to be funny!!! I too go through basses like toilet paper...because I get some crazy bug up my ass and have to trade or have this so I can sound like this...etc....
    All I am saying...I don't EVER buy a bass because a famous asshole owned it.....Buy it because it what you want...in playability, sound, Look...feel...I hate celebrities.... Have a great day everyone!!!

 I've got some of your "toilet paper" and rather like it Baz..........

[Dave W]

Stars buy and sell for the same reasons as the rest of us.  I don't rate the quality of an instrument by whether or not it's ever been celebrity owned. Buy it if the performer's music means a lot to you, buy it if you think it's a great instrument, just understand that the two aren't necessarily related.