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July 2005
Posts: 1609
Location: Colorado | What are the general rules of thumb to know the differences between a thunderhead, tornado, hurricane, aka, those F-Hole Electrics. Asking for a friend! |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15651
Location: SoCal | General rules? Know the guitars. Anymore questions? |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | <p>General Rule #1, don't forget the eclipse. Likely a Thunderhead that wouldn't look good stained (theory) and painted with bowl paint. One of the most underrated of underrated guitars.</p> |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609
Location: Colorado | Miles - agree on the Eclipse...but I know that one....Moody....I guess I deserved that one...so I will get more specific....If I see a red Tornado and a red Thunderhead side by side - how do I know which is which....I see differences in tuners, I see chrome and gold tailpiece covers....I have read somewhere - there are subtle pickup differences - anything else? Is there anything fundamentally that sets them apart - size, scale length? - I have seen Glen Campbell playing one that seems to be unpainted - almost looks like a blonde maple...kind of a -4...but I do not see the option in a -4 in some older brochures, was his a custom, or are the brochures just not complete? Thanks team. |
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June 2002
Posts: 6191
Location: Phoenix AZ | Tornado - unbound neck with dot markers, chrome hardware, 2V 2T controls, std pickup switch
Hurricane - 12 string version of the Tornado
Eclipse - black painted version of the Tornado
Thunderhead - bound neck with diamond/dot markers, gold hardware, 1V 2T and blend control, phase switch
Tornado and Thunderhead were available with or without vibrato tailpiece.
Tornado and Thunderhead were available in Red, Sunburst, Nutmeg and Natural.
Tornado and Thunderhead were actually the exact same body (with different electronics and hardware).
Tops were laminated spruce and the back/sides were laminated maple.
Scale length was the same on all of them, but later production (around '70-'71) moved the neck attachment and bridge about an inch which made the overall instrument length slightly longer but the scale length did not change (this can be seen by a gap between the neck pickup and the end of the fretboard).
I am looking at a Natural color Thunderhead as I write this. Some people call it Blonde or Maple.
PS - Early catalog mentions a Green color Thunderhead although I have never seen one personally. I have however seen a Black color Tornado.
PSS - Typhoon III and Typhoon IV bass guitars also shared the same body as the Tornado and Thunderhead.
Edited by Standingovation 2020-11-15 10:19 AM
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Not exactly a "difference" per se, but the early Tornado and Thunderheads the neck was attached via wood screws. Later they switched to machine screws but still used the "cover" plate to hide it all, so unless you take off the little plastic cover you can't see which attacment. Also the horn length of early ones was less pronounced on all models. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6191
Location: Phoenix AZ | Mr. Ovation - 2020-11-15 12:06 PM
Also the horn length of early ones was less pronounced on all models.
Miles is that true (could be). I thought it was only the Typhoon basses that had the thin body and short horns. See photo below ... Typhoon basses are the far left and far right guitars. The rest are Tornados, Hurricanes and Thunderheads.
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609
Location: Colorado | Thanks guys |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15651
Location: SoCal | The Thunderheads and the Tornados had different pickups. |
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Electrics
