The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: patman on February 27, 2023, 01:02:37 PM
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OK
I bought a 2019 Thunderbird maybe 6 weeks ago...I had to set it up, cut the nut etc...
The finish work is sketchy...sanding marks etc.
After the setup, what a wonderful bass. I have played 4 jobs with it so far, and I totally see what Mark, Uwe and Scott see...
I absolutely love it. Great sustain. Wonderful high register response. Great bottom end.
It rides a different place in the mix...it's all about the mids.
Wish I would have done this 40 years ago.
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"I absolutely love it. Great sustain. Wonderful high register response."
Yes, a bunch of screws bolting a neck into a separate body is not quite the same thing, is it? 8)
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I love it!
Now you must have some chrome bits in your life!
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With a Fender it's "all about the pickup".
With the Thunderbird, it's all about the wooden "instument" and how it sings...
The electronics are secondary. (I kinda like the stock pickups on this one, though...more natural sounding than the EMG's on my Les Paul Jr)
There is a high register solo I do in "Smooth Operator"...by Sade...
I quote the first few notes from the record, and then just wing it...on the Fenders and the Les Paul Jr, the high register craps out.
The Thunderbird just sounds great. It sings. It lets me "Paint the picture" that I want to paint...that is, if the beer hasn't taken effect yet. Another story.
This may be the start of a collection.
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I did an acoustic tour with my female fronted indie band once. I always brought the '76 Thinderbird, cos it sings, it sounds so good with acoustic guitars.
One time my small amp was in repair, so I brought my Hiwatt + 4x10 and the Tbird. A bit too much for an acoustic gig, but it worked out great. The T-bird still has this heavy metal/heavy rock image, so the venue owner of the small theatre was a bit shocked:
"Erm, you know it's called Acoustic Wednesday?"
"Shit, i thought it was Metal Thursday!"
It worked out well and the guy complimented me on my sound afterwards:)
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It's the cello effect of a TBird, I'm in love with that myself. Compared to it, a Fender P, good as it might sound, always has something utilitarian.
A Bicentennial TBird is not really ideal for hard or heavy rock IMHO, the setting that Chris describes is ironically more its element. Both 60ies and modern day TBirds do better in that department. I know, I know, Pete Way of UFO, but it's a little known fact that the first three UFO albums with Schenker (Phenomena, Force It + No Heavy Petting) did not feature his TBirds at all, but only Leo Lyons' (= producer of the first three albums) Woodstock-worn Jazz Bass "because the Thunderbird didn't record very well".
And interestingly, Martin Turner of Wishbone Ash has said while he is largely identified with the TBird and its his favorite bass to play live, he's done a lot of WA recordings without it, using Rics or Fenders.