'64 TBird II unbroken at Norms

[ilan]

This time a real bass player (i.e. not Norm) is doing the demo.

[Dave W]

That sounds exceptionally good, at least over YT.

Not listed yet on his website. The EB-0 is already gone -- no surprise there.

[Alanko]

Unbroken headstock, so we will increase those odds by getting it out the case in a narrow storage room and start waving the headstock around near shelves.

[Basvarken]

With those flatwounds is is hardly recognizable as a Thunderbird.
I really miss the characteristic low-mid growl that I like in a Thunderbird...

[Dave W]

Sounds like a Thunderbird with flatwounds. Not what you usually expect, but sounds good to me.

[slinkp]

It also sounds/looks like he's palm muting a lot. Unusual to see that with fingerstyle, I think I would find it difficult. Clearly he's a good player.
I also love the middy roar of a bird with roundwounds, but they do sound nice with darker tones like rolling off the tone control.

[Pilgrim]

Great sound from that T-bird!

[ilan]

It also sounds/looks like he's palm muting a lot. Unusual to see that with fingerstyle, I think I would find it difficult

He's playing with the thumb and index finger. I like this technique, takes some practice to sound even but it's very effective. You can do pick stuff without sounding thin, you can palm-mute, add ghost notes, sound like slap if you want, skip strings easily.

[morrow]

I often do that to get a pick sound. Thumb and first three fingers , I just thought of it as playing guitar fingerstyle. You can get a nice bit of nail , even if they're trimmed fairly short.

[uwe]

I have D'Addario Chromes on my '64 TB II and I sure recognize that sound (and like it). But then Rob - together with Fräulein Rommel - belongs to the diehard "we hate flats" faction. 

This is after all how TBirds sounded when they came out - that and a little flat of course. 

[D.M.N.]

That's Clark! I've built him a pedal, he's a fantastic bass player, he's been over a couple times and tried out my old Tele bass before I sold it thru my big Sunn rigs. Great guy, love seeing him giving the basses a proper play thru at Norm's.

[OldManC]

I think that bird sounds great! I guess I need to try some flats on one of mine.

[uwe]

He's playing with the thumb and index finger. I like this technique, takes some practice to sound even but it's very effective. You can do pick stuff without sounding thin, you can palm-mute, add ghost notes, sound like slap if you want, skip strings easily.

That sounds real nice. More tone than slapped too.

[TBird1958]

I have D'Addario Chromes on my '64 TB II and I sure recognize that sound (and like it). But then Rob - together with Fräulein Rommel - belongs to the diehard "we hate flats" faction. 

This is after all how TBirds sounded when they came out - that and a little flat of course. 

  I utterly detest flats on two fronts -
Tactile, I just hate the way they feel on my fingers, just awful.

Sonically, they suck the life out of a Thunderbird - for me at least.

When I bought my '06 Studio it had flats on it, talk about beating dead meat, that poor bass sounded so bad! I installed a set of SIT Powersteels on it and the TB Plus just came to life!

[uwe]

There are some flats that can feel a bit gooey, true. Not D'Addario Chromes though.