Thunder, Thunder, Thunder.... (NBD)

andy1839

Thunderbird!!!


It's not subtle.

B Stock from Thomann, I reckon it's one they found in back of the warehouse during a stock check.

It's a 2013 model, very light for the size of it. Really great neck, fretting and fingerboard are really good.

But the sound is where it kills.  Wow.  Just wow.  Distinctive and powerful just excels at that thick rock bass tone.
Not incredibly versatile and doesn't have the snap of a P or J but just thumps away in the background.

Bridge looks awful, and will be getting changed to a Babicz version eventually.

Creed_Clicks

Neck dive?
I was watching the rig rundown with Silversun Pickups, and their bass player has been playing one of these for ages, don't think she mentioned anything about neck dive...

prowla

Pete Way!

andy1839

Creed_Clicks said:

Neck dive?
I was watching the rig rundown with Silversun Pickups, and their bass player has been playing one of these for ages, don't think she mentioned anything about neck dive...

No neck dive, it does tilt away from the body a bit if you let it dangle, but when you play your forearm rest on the upper bout and it sits fine.

PrecisionGuided

Love a Thunderbird. Martin Turner in Wishbone Ash got me into bass playing.
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Creed_Clicks

They look really cool, but also look really long!

andy1839

Creed_Clicks said:

They look really cool, but also look really long!

I thought that but it's not bad strapped on, the wings are actually quite thin. 
Against my Sire V7 there's not much in it.

fretmeister

Set of Hipshot Ultralites will really help the balance too.

PhilKing

Pete "Overend" Watts was another great Thunderbird player.  I'd heard that he sold Martin Turner one of his Thunderbird's and also told him that they should be strung with flatwound strings.



This is my 63 Thunderbird 4 (which has had the almost obligatory headstock break, due to it being like an oar blade on a really narrow mahogany neck which has been routed for a truss rod).

andy1839

PhilKing said:

Pete "Overend" Watts was another great Thunderbird player.  I'd heard that he sold Martin Turner one of his Thunderbird's and also told him that they should be strung with flatwound strings.



This is my 63 Thunderbird 4 (which has had the almost obligatory headstock break, due to it being like an oar blade on a really narrow mahogany neck which has been routed for a truss rod).

Super cool!

I haven't dipped my toe into flatwounds yet, maybe I'll be brave next time I change strings.
Saying that as this one has sat on the shelf for seven years I reckon it's due new strings!

Creed_Clicks

@andy1839 There you go. Looks are deceiving. I have GAS now...

andy1839

Creed_Clicks said:

@andy1839 There you go. Looks are deceiving. I have GAS now...

I've heard the Epi Pro versions are really quite good.
Wanging great old style headstock on them though, I'm certain that adds a couple of inches.

Devil#20

I'm not a bass player but I have a Thunderbird for putting through my looper. Lover the shape or Thunderbirds and Firebirds. However, if you haven't already got one sorted you'll need a Hercules GS412BPlus guitar stand now. Gives you about 2 inch clearance off the floor. I'm sure there may be others but obviously it will have to be a hanger style. £33 on Amazon. 

Creed_Clicks

@andy1839 Do you mean the Epi pro vintage or the "regular" Epi pro?

andy1839

Devil#20 said:

I'm not a bass player but I have a Thunderbird for putting through my looper. Lover the shape or Thunderbirds and Firebirds. However, if you haven't already got one sorted you'll need a Hercules GS412BPlus guitar stand now. Gives you about 2 inch clearance off the floor. I'm sure there may be others but obviously it will have to be a hanger style. £33 on Amazon. 

andy1839 said:

Creed_Clicks said:

They look really cool, but also look really long!

I thought that but it's not bad strapped on, the wings are actually quite thin. 
Against my Sire V7 there's not much in it.

Cheers, I was wondering about an upright stand, but I doubt I'll ever play bass live.

They certainly are an odd shape.
It fits nice on the tree, so that'll have to suffice for the time being.

Bridgehouse

I love the shape of thunderbirds. It’s the ergos that I can’t cope with.

I was offered a fretless thunderbird once, and whilst it was a thing of beauty, it didn’t half throw your hand position out, with the headstock being so far away, which mucked up my tuning massively. 

andy1839

Bridgehouse said:

I love the shape of thunderbirds. It’s the ergos that I can’t cope with.

I was offered a fretless thunderbird once, and whilst it was a thing of beauty, it didn’t half throw your hand position out, with the headstock being so far away, which mucked up my tuning massively. 

I've seen pics of Nikki Sixx picking with his little finger on an anchor behind the bridge.

Fretting the first couple of frets must be like trying to cuddle a house.

Bridgehouse

andy1839 said:

Bridgehouse said:

I love the shape of thunderbirds. It’s the ergos that I can’t cope with.

I was offered a fretless thunderbird once, and whilst it was a thing of beauty, it didn’t half throw your hand position out, with the headstock being so far away, which mucked up my tuning massively. 

I've seen pics of Nikki Sixx picking with his little finger on an anchor behind the bridge.

Fretting the first couple of frets must be like trying to cuddle a house.

On a fretless it’s like trying to guess where the hole is on a golf course with your finger about 3 feet from your body...

Moleman

PhilKing said:

Pete "Overend" Watts was another great Thunderbird player.  I'd heard that he sold Martin Turner one of his Thunderbird's and also told him that they should be strung with flatwound strings.



This is my 63 Thunderbird 4 (which has had the almost obligatory headstock break, due to it being like an oar blade on a really narrow mahogany neck which has been routed for a truss rod).

Big Martin Turner and Wishbone Ash fan here! These days Martin goes on tour as ‘Martin Turner ex-Wishbone Ash’ (whilst Andy Powell’s band continues to record and tour as ‘Wishbone Ash’). MT continues to get some great bass sounds both on record and live using an interesting Hartke split bi-amp and speaker cab set up.

Some MT interviews and bass info here:

https://www.vintageguitar.com/27229/martin-turner/

https://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/martinturner.php

https://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/martinturner2.php

Andy Viccars (UK luthier) professionally repaired the original 1970’s neck repair on Martin’s 1964 Thunderbird (as well as refinishing in nitrocellulose an Epiphone T-Bird as a back up bass to MT’s specs including installing Jason Lollar pickups):

https://www.andyviccarscustom.co.uk/repair-gallery.php

Devil#20

Moleman said:

Some MT interviews and bass info here:

https://www.vintageguitar.com/27229/martin-turner/

https://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/martinturner.php

https://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/martinturner2.php

Andy Viccars (UK luthier) professionally repaired the original 1970’s neck repair on Martin’s 1964 Thunderbird (as well as refinishing in nitrocellulose an Epiphone T-Bird as a back up bass to MT’s specs including installing Jason Lollar pickups):

https://www.andyviccarscustom.co.uk/repair-gallery.php

I just clicked on the last link. The Firebird/Thunderbird was a bit avante garde for the time and I think a great shape guitar. But WTF were they thinking with the Explorer. Possibly the ugliest guitar (except for that one that bloke was selling last week on ebay without a bridge and strings). I never thought the flying V was a very practical guitar but Andy Powell seemed to put it to good use. 

Funkfingers

What were Gibson thinking in the mid Fifties? They were thinking, “we’re still loosing sales to that Leo Fender chap with his wacky solidbody canoe paddles. We need something to compete.”

Some of the “futuristic” shape guitars were intended to attract attention (and orders) at music trade fairs. Some were just drawings on patent applications, created by Ted McCarty to confuse rival manufacturers.

Arguably, the Firebird/Thunderbird was a reaction to the Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguar offset waist designs.