[lxmetal]

After a few years of searching, I finally found a '79 TBird at the right time, right price... I am really happy... I have been playing my '90 TBird for 14 years now and the 70's Bicentennial always seemed to be the "real bass" that the current reissue never matched up to.
I was never into black hardware, and the newer pickups, although they sound great live or recorded... just don't have the output/ punch that many other basses have.
Well, the '79 pickups have the sound I was dreaming about, and I prefer the reverse action of the tuning machines.... and the chrome!
I do favor the ebony fingerboard of the modern TBird.
Other than that, construction of the two basses are quite similar, so I feel that I will still play both on and off regularly. And I've got an Epi project still in the works for practice, campfires and ghetto gigs.
Here is a pic:


The one question I have is that of the shipping record of the '79. It shows totals of 21 basses that year, only 7 were ebony. Huh? How could that be correct when a casual glance at hard rock/metal history shows so many bassists played these beasts? Did they manufacture a quantity that kept selling in 1980-on? It just seems that there were more made. Wasn't there a Heritage Cherry available in the '76 model too?
I am just trying to stirr up some Thunderbird discussions. Right now I am going to clean out the cat hair that was left in the hardshell case...

[jules]

Snap!

Yeah, I have an ebony '79 thunderbird too serial number 71989022. Unfortunately not my best photos- I should redo those with a pale background.

Ther shipping figures have been wrong before - maybe they are wrong again now. Or maybe people like their tbirds black and refinnish them?

What is your serial number? Any relation to mine?

Let's turn this thread into a 'show your '79 Ebony thunderbird' and if there are more than 12, hopefully one day we'll get proof here

Jules

[lxmetal]

That would be cool to round up a complete inventory of what has survived... How many of these did Nikki Sixx devour? Did guys like Pete Way have custom Birds made that didn't show on shipping records?
My serial # is 72269057 (14th of August... #57 off the line?) My control cavity looks clean, and the wear on the finish has the perfect amount of "relic"!
I played a show on Saturday night... there was a huge snowstorm, but luckily the bar was only a couple miles from home. People still showed up... I left the tube amp at home and used my Marshall IBS combo. Man did that TBird growl! Those pickups are way hotter than my '90. I thought that I ripped my speaker when I hit my boost switch, but it turned out to be warm solid state clipping... The bass felt great... I was really happy on stage, and there were some gawkers in the crowd drooling about the bass.
The bass was sold to me with .45-100 roundwound strings on it. I almost changed them to my preferred set of Rotosound flat 45-105's but I didn't have time. I think I might go on a roundwound kick for a while though.
Do you think that it helps to keep a light string gauge on older neck-thru designs?

The case for the bass is original but in poor condition. I might have a ATA case made ($$$!). I was also thinking to get a cheap Epi case, but they don't really fit well. Maybe a new Gibson might be the best option.

[guitarshark]

I think they made a lot more black TBs than the official shipping totals say.
I know a guy that bought a black '79 T-Bird brand new in '79 because he liked my black '76. (I had two of those.)
So...there's another one. I lost touch with him so I don't know the serial #. Knowing him, he probaly still has it, he's the sort who hangs onto everything.

Most of the pics of Pete Way from '77 and beyond show him with natural mahogany TBs Maybe he had black ones too, but usually the natural finish one. I saw UFO in '77 with Paul Chapman on guitar and Pete was playing a natural T-Bird.

Regarding the pickups on '70s T-Birds being hotter, no, they're actually not, it's just that they're wired in series instead of parallel like all other TBs which gives them twice the DC resistance and makes them IMHO blaringly and almost unusably loud.

This has been discussed on this forum before in detail, some like it, some don't. I fall into the latter group and rewire 'em parallel like a '60s or later TB. (Call the vintage police!)

I bought 4 or '76 (one of my black ones was stolen so I bought another) TBs back when they were new. What I really wanted was a '64 but they were difficult to find in those pre-internet days. I found a few that were boogered to the degree that I wasn't interested in them. Eventually I found and owned several '64, '65, '66, and '67 T-Bird IVs.

At the time, the lack of detail accuracy bothered me. Later, I came to judge them as simply another iteration of the Thunderbird and not as a replica of a '60s 'Bird. Now I have a '76 and a '65 non reverse. I like them both.

[jules]

Originally Posted by guitarshark

I think they made a lot more black TBs than the official shipping totals say

I'm not sure that the figures are official. In fact i'm fairly sure they are not.
There are definately omissions - the EB2s (none listed for 71-72, no walnut EB-2Ds, sparking burgundy never mentioned) and Melody Maker basses (allegedly only 27) being the most obvious examples.

I'm sure there are most too.

[lxmetal]

Ahh... so as I read many past threads it seems that shipping records do not equal production totals. My Thunderbird could have been stamped on day 226 in 79, and finished up later. August serial number could mean that it might not have shipped until 1980. Details, details...
I'm just happy that mine was able to survive 29 years with only some dings and play wear!

One other thing that I wonder about.... Are "speed knobs" the original spec throughout the 70's?
New ones are coming with top hats... I think my '90 was originally fitted with speeds, not sure though.

[guitarshark]

Speed knobs are stock on '79s, '76's came with "reflector" knobs (gold with metal inserts that say "Tone" or "Volume") same as the '60s 'Birds.

[barend]

Hi Lxmetal ,

how would you (or anyone else) describe the difference in sound between the newer and the older one?

[lxmetal]

Originally Posted by barend

how would you (or anyone else) describe the difference in sound between the newer and the older one?

I would say that the '79 Thunderbird with its pickups wired in series has much more midrange growl. The newer high output TB Plus pickups come close, but the pickups in my '90 seem more subdued... they provide a well rounded sound but they don't push my amp into overdrive . The pickup placement is identical, and I think that is what contributes most to that midrange tone associated with Thunderbirds. I am experimenting with turning the volume down lower on the bass and adjusting my amp.
Neck and body construction appear to be identical. They feel the same, which is great. Gibson could really do us a favor by reissuing the chrome or nickel hardware, including the reverse tuners...
... Until then all we have to get excited over is the disgusting newhttp://www2.gibson.com/Products/Elec...ikki-Sixx.aspx Nikki Sixx Bass. I saw this in a shop yesterday and I think that it's worse than the Blackbird. I will save that rant for another thread!

Anyone out there have the promotional decals from the '76 Thunderbird? I think that there was an iron-on transfer or a patch you could mail away for. It would be cool to see pics of that!

[barend]

Does anyone have a soundsample comparing the old and new Tbird? Same bassline played on each one. It would be great to hear it side by side.