NancyJohnson

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1496073396' post='3308554'] I am no Gibson expert but didn't they stop making them in that year, untill recently with different specs???? I could be wrong but I believe there was some changes at least in the pickups. Ain't the new ones have exposed polls I don't know the other difference. [/quote] In 2014/15, the pickups were changed to the same as those in the EB series (with the visible polepieces), they dropped the three point bridge (and moved to a Babicz FCH unit) and there was the addition of three microswitches to the tone circuit that allowed coiltap options. Of the latter, I played one in New York two years ago and honestly couldn't tell if the switching options actually made any difference whatsover!

Prior to my current squeeze, I quit a band, went back to them and then quit again. I just couldn't stand the way the inter-band relationships worked within the lineup; it was much like the Clarkson, Hammond and May version of Top Gear, with me being Mr Sensible (May), the frontman/guitarist (Clarkson) and drummer (Hammond). When I'd spend time with the drummer or the frontman, they'd be your best mate, but as soon as the other arrived, they'd be a ****. It was always 2 vs 1. I'd say conservatively that I did about 3/4 of the writing - these were decent songs, some of which I've pulled forward into the new band - but most of the time this material was met with frontman derision, with the drummer gurning away in the background. After I left. they made tepid approaches for me to come back, and stupidly I did for a little while and it just reverted back to how things were. None of them are playing now. #happywiththat

Call it 'Individual Cheese Portions'.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1495474194' post='3304024'] And a little bit of nostalgia of course. Also, our brain does have a tendency to see things differently, when there is something expensive involved. All these put together are a recipe for bass love. I don't believe in the word MoJo. [/quote] You know, you've hit the nail on the head here. I'd also chuck in something else here. Listen back to some of those 60/70s recordings attributed to bassists synonymous to Fender; the tone on an awful lot of them is pretty dreadful, but hey, vintage=great, doesn't it? Everyone forgets that 1970s QC was pretty poor at best and a lot of dogs came out of the plant.

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1495998849' post='3308043'] Damn this thread, I have spent an age looking at Thunderbirds today have a serious GAS attack now....... [/quote] Buy mine.

Do this: Take a photo of the bass against a plain white/light coloured background. Save the image to your PC desktop. Open Google and navigate to the images page and drag the photo into the search engine. You might get a match. As things stand (with that image), you're just getting a best match of Squier Precision Bass, which clearly it's not!

[quote name='Hutton' timestamp='1495869938' post='3307136'] Beautiful bass. All the best with raising the cash. Let us know how you get on and definitely when the great day arrives. [/quote] I need to shift my Thunderbird Gothic first (it's in the For Sale section kids) and the order will be in.

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1495869121' post='3307122'] I have a japanese prototype of the Gibson Explorer. Got given it in Nashville in the early eighties by "friends" at Massman Drive at the time. It came with a bolt on fender style neck and a Precision split pickup. At the time Gibson were practically giving away solid body colour thunderbird and Explorer basses, all of which were utter cack. Sadly they never put the bolt on version I had into production. I have since added an EMG P/J set to it and it was my main bass for over thirty years. Great instrument. And I have only ever played ONE T'bird bass that was better, even though it had received the headstock "customisation generally found on these! [/quote] I'm interested in what constitutes a 'Japanese prototype' in this instance. Orville made basses under license in Japan. Photos would be nice too.

Not again.

I could probably cite four or five bands/players. Steve Priest (Sweet), Overend Watts (Mott The Hoople/Mott/British Lions), Gene Simmons (*cough*), Geddy Lee, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols, but more importantly, The Rich Kids) and Martin Gordon (Sparks/Radio Stars). I remember learning all (and I mean all) of Geddy Lee's parts for Rush/FBN/COS/2112&ATWAS; hours and hours of work when I should have been studying for exams. I'd have this recurring dream where Rush would be playing a gig somewhere and there'd be a tannoy announcement, 'Due to unforseen circumstances an injury to Geddy Lee has resulted in the band having to withdraw from tonight's show.' and I'd be there in row 20 shouting, 'Me! Me! I know all his parts!'

There's a place in Bracknell called The Cellar Bar; it's in a complex called South Hill Park a stately home-cum-arts centre. The location is great, even though it's in Bracknell, it has a big/modern theatre and the little block to th bottom right of the photo below houses a great little recording studio. Nestled undereath all this is a myriad of ancient service corridors and the aforementioned Cellar Bar. I should just say the load-in is awful; the main doors are a bit of a schlep from the car parking, the doors are a pain in the butt, there's a narrow steep staircase, more doors. Load out is equally bad, but you're more tired. I've played there maybe a dozen times, different bands etc. They do live music a couple of nights a week, but nothing is ever promoted and once or twice, we've been on the support card here with three or four bands and there's been one or two people in. It could be so good; it has a great PA, it's loud and tight, but it just doesn't work. No one seems to care about live music in the town, bands just rock up and play. I just took decision of never again a couple of years back when we stepped in at the last minute after some bands dropped out and only two people showed up. Two f***ing people. They've asked us back, but ne'er again.

Ooh, one other thing on the '80s, Bananarama (and I suppose Kim Wilde et al); has anyone really noticed that there was a degree of chaste about their (very) public persona? They didn't have to get their kit off to garner interest. Different times and probably better for it, really.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1495469252' post='3303960'] Classix Nouveaux - Hatfield band..... [/quote] A long time ago, the brother of a guy I went to college with played bass for The News, who were pre-Classix Nouveux. I have a demo recording here somewhere of a track called Run Away which was a whole lot of heavy compared to the nasty version that got released on album #1.

I got a 1979 Fender Precision in a trade years and years ago. I had it for about 15 years. It was sh*t, a heavy old dog of a thing. A horrible horrible bass, but I couldn't afford to get anything different.

[quote name='CameronJ' timestamp='1494683506' post='3297846'] I keep returning to this thread just to drool. Do you have any more pics? [/quote] These from the Lull Facebook pages:

Cough. 4x10 and 2x10 Hydrives on sale in the For Sale section. Cough.

Martin just bought one of my Thunderbird basses. Lovely bloke (coffee black, no sugar). 100% and nearly overpaid me. Nearly!

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1494962661' post='3300051'] Try a mixture of vinegar, green toilet duck and a little salt. [/quote] I'm sure this is how my wife does her roast potatoes.

The hardware is black...you could go the chrome route. I'm sure there's direct replacements for the machines and bridge. Uncertain whether the pickups would just drop in.

As an option to my usual set up, I own a dual channel board that has a BDDI on channel A and a VTBASS DI [i]and [/i]Sansamp GT2 on channel B (although I only run one at a time). The BDDI handles a the whumpy low side signal, the VTBASS or GT2 offers a drive option. (The backbone of my main rig is a Sansamp RBI, so I do have a lot of love for Tech 21 stuff.) To be honest, I've never really gotten on with the VTBASS in any of its guises...I owned the rack version, sold it, then bought the newer DI version. It sits at the end of the signal chain and I only really use it for the XLR output. I just don't like it in a dual channel set up (I much prefer the GT2 for drive) or standalone; it's very middy and doesn't suit my desired tone in the slightest. It's easy to describe the differences here. To my ears, the BDDI is like a Bentley; generally smooth, but when driven hard has a pleasant gutteral roar about it. The GT2 is like your little brother's 50cc motorbike (or a wasp!), it really just does great buzzy fuzzy fuzz and these two compliment each other really well in a dual chammel output capacity [i][Edit; the BDDI and GT2 run into two channels on a poweramp gives a very dUg Pinick-esque tone][/i]. The VTBASS is like an old tired Ford Escort or VW Golf. Noisy, dirty, slightly unrefined, uncomfortable mids. Not really selling it, am I? I will move the VTBASSDI along at some point.

Ash bought a pair of EMG HZ45 pickups from me. Quick payment, all good. P

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1494879624' post='3299305'] LBO? [/quote] Last Bass Outpost.