Epiphone Thunderbird - disuade me, please. TONESTYLER and SANDBERG CONTENT

[mcnach]

11 hours ago, Ricky 4000 said:

I hate Gibsons.

 

I hate Rics... 😛

[mcnach]

On 25/03/2019 at 09:08, krispn said:

 

Nice bass!

I guess you were not going for a T-bird sound, as you put the pickup where a P would be (right?)... either way, that looks very nice

[mcnach]

8 hours ago, stewblack said:

Probably the best sound of any bass I've ever played. Relocate strap button and neck dive is solved. Coolest looking and most comfortable bass you'll own too. 

However, white? Really? 

 

 

Yes, white, because they don't make then red 😛

 

When I see the burst ones... it makes me feel like playing Lynyrd Skynyrd. Nothing wrong with that, I love them, but... I feel all swampy and hot and sticky. Black is cool. Black is always cool. But I like a white Thunderbird. Classy. 

[Cuzzie]

@mcnach tonestylers are very very cool, I have installed one in a P bass of mine, great tones at a click.

For anyone interested this is a pretty good video of what it does

 

[mcnach]

2 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

My Vintage Pro doesn't neck dive at all. Seriously.

I did install Gotoh lighteweight tuners, but this was purely for appearances - it balanced fine before.

 

 

It definitely must vary. I'll have to try them in person before letting my cash go, especially as I really don't need another bass: I keep playing the same two all the time and the rest are just extravagant decorations. 

I'll ask if any of by multiple band mates want to start a UFO tribute band.

 

The length of the neck might be the biggest deal breaker, more than the neck dive, I think. Neck dive may occur or not, it seems... but the whole bass seems to sit a few inches to the right farther than I'd like to. Hmmm.

[krispn]

8 minutes ago, mcnach said:

 

Nice bass!

I guess you were not going for a T-bird sound, as you put the pickup where a P would be (right?)... either way, that looks very nice

The tone styler does allow a single pick up bass have voicing options. Feel free to get in touch and I can drop it round to a rehearsal if you fancy. 

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, mcnach said:

hear some people saying theirs do not suffer from neck dive, I think this is definitely one bass I would never buy without testing... or only buy used if cheap and I can move it easily if it doesn't work out...

Aside from the neck dive, I suspect that neck must feel really long. I've had basses with short upper horns that even if they didn't neck dive, the neck just didn't feel comfy, with the first fret being quite far... and I use the first few frets a lot.

They don't neck dive but yes, the neck does feel long, although not really long. It does however feel in the right place unlike the hohner cricket bat bass where you just miss by 2 frets. 

1 hour ago, mcnach said:

Shame, it's a nice looking bass, and makes some nice noises too. 

It does and it is a rock bass. You put it on and you feel like a rock player in a way you don't with a jazz. 

[EliasMooseblaster]

3 hours ago, mcnach said:

Aside from the neck dive, I suspect that neck must feel really long. I've had basses with short upper horns that even if they didn't neck dive, the neck just didn't feel comfy, with the first fret being quite far... and I use the first few frets a lot.

It does feel like a long neck...it's fine if it's the first bass you pick up that day. Where you notice the contrast is if you start off playing a Fender-shaped bass - a Schecter Model T, for instance. You'll probably find that the 12th fret sits a little to the left of your torso. Then you pick up the Thunderbird...and suddenly the 12th fret is three feet away.

On the plus side, this does mean that the hard-shell cases are about five feet tall when standing on their end, which makes them an ideal leaning post for the taller lady or gentleman who might find her or himself waiting idly for a train after other persons have occupied any available seating on the platform.

[Ricky 4000]

4 hours ago, mcnach said:

 

I hate Rics... 😛

Do you want me to put you off buying one of them as well? 🤪

[NancyJohnson]

On 26/03/2019 at 07:57, BreadBin said:

There's always yellow!

That's a great looking bass!

[NancyJohnson]

My advice against you buying an Epiphone?  Save a few/lot more ££ and buy a Gibson. 

[Lozz196]

On 26/03/2019 at 16:41, Cuzzie said:

@mcnach tonestylers are very very cool, I have installed one in a P bass of mine, great tones at a click.

For anyone interested this is a pretty good video of what it does

 

Do like that. On Tone 2 the Precision sounds much fatter and more “expensive”, rather like a good pickup swap has happened.

[Beer of the Bass]

2 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

My advice against you buying an Epiphone?  Save a few/lot more ££ and buy a Gibson. 

The design of the Epiphone is a little more appealing IMO, with its 60s style pickups and more practical 2-part bridge.  It's odd that there doesn't seem to be a current vintage style Gibson. 

[stewblack]

All this talk has almost persuaded me to strap the T Bird to the roof rack for this weekends gigs

[EliasMooseblaster]

On 26/03/2019 at 16:41, Cuzzie said:

@mcnach tonestylers are very very cool, I have installed one in a P bass of mine, great tones at a click.

For anyone interested this is a pretty good video of what it does

 

So what is it, exactly? Is it a similar setup to the Varitone switches that Gibson used to bung in some of their basses?

[Happy Jack]

Yup, it's a bunch of resistors (I think, leccy stuff not being my strong suit) arranged around a pot. As you rotate the knob (click click click) you get slightly different tones.

I've tried Tonestyler units twice and, played at home, they sound great. Totally unconvinced that anyone (including me) can hear any difference at a gig.

 

[Cuzzie]

https://store.stellartone.com/product.asp?specific=2038

yep that’s about right for them, wide open, closed and mid points are 3 very useable sounds, in between them still very good, but probably splitting hairs.

As you say, will anyone notice? Dunno, but I like the sound, so a happy bassist hopefully plays nicely

[NancyJohnson]

1 hour ago, Beer of the Bass said:

The design of the Epiphone is a little more appealing IMO, with its 60s style pickups and more practical 2-part bridge.  It's odd that there doesn't seem to be a current vintage style Gibson. 

Much as I'd criticise Fender for their constant reinvention of their core bass range, they do tend to mix things up and even if what you want isn't part of their current catalogue, it's almost certain that they'll have tried it previously.

Moving along, it's clear the old Gibson management were asshats and almost certainly played the game and had policy of not giving the public what they actually want.

[dannybuoy]

Thunderbirds have the most stable anti-neck-dive of any bass ever... as long as you loop the strap around the front of the bass and over the lower 'wing'. You can take your hand off the neck and do star jumps and it'll stay put!

[bigsmokebass]

That ToneStyler is definitely a game changer, tempted to get one to stick on a P/J bass, maybe even a 5 string 🤤🤤🤤

[Woodinblack]

3 hours ago, stewblack said:

All this talk has almost persuaded me to strap the T Bird to the roof rack for this weekends gigs

Probably not going to work well up there

[Ricky 4000]

4 hours ago, bigsmokebass said:

That ToneStyler is definitely a game changer, tempted to get one to stick on a P/J bass, maybe even a 5 string 🤤🤤🤤

Is it though? One could argue that it simply EQs what comes from your pickups... in that way, it's no different to using a different pre' / adjusting your amp, or using a pedal? 🙂

[bigsmokebass]

1 hour ago, Ricky 4000 said:

Is it though? One could argue that it simply EQs what comes from your pickups... in that way, it's no different to using a different pre' / adjusting your amp, or using a pedal? 🙂

I'd argue for something that's on your bass, gives you more sound to play with and doesn't require drilling a hole or having a need to unscrew cavities for batteries is a winner. 

Amps and pedals, true point but do you always want to keep bending down to your pedal or run back and forth to your amp? 

Maybe it's not necessary for everyone out there but definitely something I want to try and see how it works for me, the passive player. 

[DarkHeart]

As I'm in UFO tribute band (Obsession) I've got a T/bird, I don't have a problem with neck dive and I don't have the horrid 3 point bridge either as mines the neck through Pro with the normal type of bridge. I replaced the standard (non Gibson) pickups with a specially wound pair of Ghost Dirty Dozens ( cheers Wilf) and it is a bit of a monster

[Maude]

On 26/03/2019 at 04:51, Ricky 4000 said:

I hate Gibsons.

What, even Debbie?