Waterstone 8 string Thunderbird bass for peanuts..

Bionic-Joe · February 06, 2016, 10:41:27 AM

Isn't this obviously one of those Waterstone unlabeled 8 string T birds?

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/thunderbird-8-string-electric-bass-guitar-violet-finish-china-guitarras-musical-instruments-Freeshipping-Guitare/32450967531.html?spm=2114.01010208.3.257.NJW3KG&ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_9,searchweb201644_1_505_506_503_504_502_10014_10001_10002_10016_10017_10010_10005_10006_10011_10003_10004_10009_10008,searchweb201560_5,searchweb1451318400_-1,searchweb1451318411_6448&btsid=6ab03537-4171-4aa4-8ee6-cc78d7f49e0c

Highlander · February 06, 2016, 11:49:33 AM

Generic supplier/producer from the far east, I presume... bolt-on neck... you're the multi-string specialist... any opinions...?

mc2NY · February 06, 2016, 04:53:18 PM

A HUGE TURD would be a compliment.

I have heard ZERO good feedback on these.....even for this cheap price.

Firewood.

Granny Gremlin · February 06, 2016, 05:05:13 PM

E and G look a bit too close to the fretboard edges for my liking. String spacing is huge; must be a really wide neck.

Dave W · February 06, 2016, 06:57:57 PM

Quote from: Baz Cooper on February 06, 2016, 10:41:27 AM
Isn't this obviously one of those Waterstone unlabeled 8 string T birds?

I doubt this is an unlabeled Waterstone. AFAIK all the Waterstones were made in Korea.

Quote from: mc2NY on February 06, 2016, 04:53:18 PM
A HUGE TURD would be a compliment.

I have heard ZERO good feedback on these.....even for this cheap price.

Firewood.

They definitely had their fans, including Amy Humphrey of Clatter. IIRC a couple of members here own one.

dadagoboi · February 06, 2016, 07:13:17 PM

Scott had one of these briefly. POS IIRC, even with the upgraded Schaller 471-8 I sold him.

Bionic-Joe · February 07, 2016, 12:22:18 PM

I'm sure this is exactly what waterstone puts their labels on...I have NEVER heard anything good about waterstones...In Fact, Tom Petersskin had to have all of his Waterstones HIGHLY modded just to be usable...

Psycho Bass Guy · February 07, 2016, 03:56:38 PM

Early Waterstone basses and later ones are two different creatures entirely. I have one of Tom's demo model TP12's (yes, it belonged to HIM) when they still had a 34" scale, and I can see why he preferred the 32" scale that was mass produced, but for me, I like the higher tension. It is made immaculately and sounds fantastic: hardware is grade A, great fretwork and binding and the electronics are much better than I expected from a Korean made instrument ten+ years ago. The scale length makes it a little harder to play than most other 12er's I've encountered, but it is a great instrument and sounds the way I like. It's my only paired-string bass and I played dozens of others, including very expensive US made Hamers and still much prefer its sound AND playability. The only other 12 or 8 string bass I liked much was Dean's old model and it varied greatly from instrument to instrument and even the good ones weren't as nice as my Waterstone. I've had it long enough that I have no doubt that whatever factory Waterstone used at the time no longer is the source for their instruments based on the many pictures of crap ones now, but they weren't always junk.

Highlander · February 07, 2016, 04:05:50 PM

Nice...

Dave W · February 07, 2016, 05:06:44 PM

Quote from: Baz Cooper on February 07, 2016, 12:22:18 PM
I'm sure this is exactly what waterstone puts their labels on...I have NEVER heard anything good about waterstones...In Fact, Tom Petersskin had to have all of his Waterstones HIGHLY modded just to be usable...

It can't be. Tom's was Korean, these are Chinese. No idea where Waterstones are made now, I didn't even know they were still around.

There are dozens of Chinese factories making various copies, even if Tom's had been Chinese you wouldn't be able to be sure unless you had both in your hands.

godofthunder · February 08, 2016, 07:06:15 AM

I did have a Waterston V8 Thunderbird. Even with all the upgrades the best thing I could say about it was the case wasn't to bad. Total POS.

Pekka · February 08, 2016, 10:20:49 AM

Quote from: Psycho Bass Guy on February 07, 2016, 03:56:38 PM
Early Waterstone basses and later ones are two different creatures entirely. I have one of Tom's demo model TP12's (yes, it belonged to HIM) when they still had a 34" scale, and I can see why he preferred the 32" scale that was mass produced, but for me, I like the higher tension. It is made immaculately and sounds fantastic: hardware is grade A, great fretwork and binding and the electronics are much better than I expected from a Korean made instrument ten+ years ago. The scale length makes it a little harder to play than most other 12er's I've encountered, but it is a great instrument and sounds the way I like. It's my only paired-string bass and I played dozens of others, including very expensive US made Hamers and still much prefer its sound AND playability. The only other 12 or 8 string bass I liked much was Dean's old model and it varied greatly from instrument to instrument and even the good ones weren't as nice as my Waterstone. I've had it long enough that I have no doubt that whatever factory Waterstone used at the time no longer is the source for their instruments based on the many pictures of crap ones now, but they weren't always junk.

I have one of the early ones too with the decal and Tom's signature etc. and it has been a very good instrument plus it sounds great. The neck is huge but I have fairly large hands so it hasn't been a problem and I never expect a 12-string to play like a 4. I have modified mine (changed the middle pickup, stereo wiring).

Alanko · February 08, 2016, 02:24:59 PM

I follow a Facebook group dedicated to 'Rickenfakers'. The Chinabacker basses available on that website turn up there semi-frequently. The only one I've ever taken real notice of was one made from Lucite. I liked it because Rickenbacker certainly don't make a transparent 4003 bass! Other than that the Chinese stuff seems deceitfully marketed and lazily built. The Rick copies are well off the mark, and often arrive with the pickups in the wrong phase. The bridge pickups are typically too close to the bridge and the body geometry is usually all wrong. The hardware is usually mounted squint as well. I find that slightly insulting, as these guys will sell them with 'Made in the US' on the TRC. The bullshit notion is that you are buying a real Rick, just as a miraculously low price, so you basically feed a system that dupes buyers by voluntarily being duped. Still, some guys claim they are good.

8 String thunderbird with minibuckers, all the tuners down one side of the headstock and a purple burst finish? What is there not to love!