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Thunderbird Club

#122
Funderbird said:
The middle of my bass is always just above my waist, and when I let her go she just slowly falls, it saddens me, but to boycott it I use my opti-grab handle :D.
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Loll awesome, not too many people actually use it, nor did my dad when he had the gibson version :D

Funderbird said:
How was the build quality on your goth? Mines was honestly about 5/10, nut needed filed, bridge kept lifting out, and when I play it heavier the bridge buzzes slightly, and the body isn't consistent round the edges.
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Wow, that's a lot of work for something epiphone. Build quality on mine was pretty good, well until recently when i set it up properly that i discovered a bunch that was wrong with it. So i'd have to say that mine upon realizing how much i had to do, i'd give it a 7/10. frets & bridge were the issues with mine.

Funderbird said:
Has yours had any problems?
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It had quite a few: The bridge was the first thing to get checked, i strung it up a second time after the first pack of strings broke on me while playing for like 20 mins after i had streched them and tuned to pitch. My playing has been described as "heavy handed like nikki sixx", so yeah that caused the bridge to pop out in a matter of minutes :bawl: So i did a botch-ish job of applying contact cement and letting it set over night. It stayed like that until recently. After gutting the electronics for a killswitch, and before setting it up properly, i removed the back studs, cleaned off the dry cement from the bushing and inside the hole, applied some more and pushed the bushing back in. I let it set over night. The frets weren't leveled and that cause some of my notes to be dead sounding, so i marked them all with black sharpie, took a file and leveled them all out. Now it plays like a dream.
 
#123
Andii Syckz said:
Loll awesome, not too many people actually use it, nor did my dad when he had the gibson version :D

Wow, that's a lot of work for something epiphone. Build quality on mine was pretty good, well until recently when i set it up properly that i discovered a bunch that was wrong with it. So i'd have to say that mine upon realizing how much i had to do, i'd give it a 7/10. frets & bridge were the issues with mine.

It had quite a few: The bridge was the first thing to get checked, i strung it up a second time after the first pack of strings broke on me while playing for like 20 mins after i had streched them and tuned to pitch. My playing has been described as "heavy handed like nikki sixx", so yeah that caused the bridge to pop out in a matter of minutes :bawl: So i did a botch-ish job of applying contact cement and letting it set over night. It stayed like that until recently. After gutting the electronics for a killswitch, and before setting it up properly, i removed the back studs, cleaned off the dry cement from the bushing and inside the hole, applied some more and pushed the bushing back in. I let it set over night. The frets weren't leveled and that cause some of my notes to be dead sounding, so i marked them all with black sharpie, took a file and leveled them all out. Now it plays like a dream.
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I've been playing over 40 years, and I have yet to own a bass that didn't require at least some tweaking. Necks, frets, bridges, tuners, electronics, nuts, plus strings that work and sound best on a particular bass. Now these weren't your typically cheap basses to begin with...Rics, Gibsons, Tobias, Fenders, Carvins, Hofners, quite a few Warmoths, etc. - mostly all $1K+ instruments. IF it has strings, it's going to need work and be adjusted to taste. No big deal. It's just the way of things, but also it's indicative of the fact I want optimum reliability/sound/playability from what I use ;)
 
#125
Andii Syckz said:
Loll awesome, not too many people actually use it, nor did my dad when he had the gibson version :D







Wow, that's a lot of work for something epiphone. Build quality on mine was pretty good, well until recently when i set it up properly that i discovered a bunch that was wrong with it. So i'd have to say that mine upon realizing how much i had to do, i'd give it a 7/10. frets & bridge were the issues with mine.







It had quite a few: The bridge was the first thing to get checked, i strung it up a second time after the first pack of strings broke on me while playing for like 20 mins after i had streched them and tuned to pitch. My playing has been described as "heavy handed like nikki sixx", so yeah that caused the bridge to pop out in a matter of minutes :bawl: So i did a botch-ish job of applying contact cement and letting it set over night. It stayed like that until recently. After gutting the electronics for a killswitch, and before setting it up properly, i removed the back studs, cleaned off the dry cement from the bushing and inside the hole, applied some more and pushed the bushing back in. I let it set over night. The frets weren't leveled and that cause some of my notes to be dead sounding, so i marked them all with black sharpie, took a file and leveled them all out. Now it plays like a dream.
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Looks like I am just unlucky :(
But once I get a job (whenever that be) I'll definitely doing lots of upgrades (tuners, bridge, pickups) and I really fancy a brass nut.
 
#126
Just put a hipshot super tone on my new to me Tbird and got the action perfect. That was my only concern with this was the action was a little high. Not unplayable but higher than I like. Put this puppy on and it is low low low with virtually no buzz.

I do feel like the bridge is a little obtrusive when playing on the bridge pickup. Just my style I guess.
 
#127
Sorry ... pix

12916280205_79b962e520_c.jpg

New bridge by peterdannenfelser, on Flickr

12916703244_89ec6f3cbf_c.jpg

New bridge by peterdannenfelser, on Flickr
 
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#129
QORC said:
Just bought a 2013 non-reverse T-bird. I'm trying to figure out the proper settings on my Genz-Benz shuttle series amp. It sounds quite different than my Musicman Stingray (which has active pickups). Any thoughts on it? I'm trying to get a fat, warm, old-style sound out of the T-bird
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I know the Chambers Brothers (late 60's heavy rockin' R&B) bassist used a T-bird and listening to their music it sounds pretty old-school fat to my ears.

 
#130
JIO said:
I know the Chambers Brothers (late 60's heavy rockin' R&B) bassist used a T-bird and listening to their music it sounds pretty old-school fat to my ears.

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60s TBird pickups have very little in common with modern Thunderbird Plus pickups. Alnico vs Ceramic magnets, more copper wire in 60s pickups and nickel silver vs plastic covers make a big difference.

Modern pickups are much harsher sounding than vintage ones for those reasons. You can compare the differences with test equipment as well as hear it with your ears. TB+ pickups are a lot cheaper to make than vintage ones.
 
#132
Funderbird said:
Looks like I am just unlucky :(
But once I get a job (whenever that be) I'll definitely doing lots of upgrades (tuners, bridge, pickups) and I really fancy a brass nut.
Click to expand...

Once i get a job, hopefully soon, i'll be etting myself another bass. Well two actually, a hollowbody hagstrom viking and excuse my french, but a backup precision knock off for my precision knock off xD Loll don't take your unluckyness so hard, it happens to all of us sometimes. What pickups do you plan on putting into the blackbird and why? Also what bridge, will you be going with that hipshot supertone?
 
#133
Dadagoboi said:
60s TBird pickups have very little in common with modern Thunderbird Plus pickups. Alnico vs Ceramic magnets, more copper wire in 60s pickups and nickel silver vs plastic covers make a big difference.

Modern pickups are much harsher sounding than vintage ones for those reasons. You can compare the differences with test equipment as well as hear it with your ears. TB+ pickups are a lot cheaper to make than vintage ones.
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thanks for that info - didn't even consider the covers being a factor tonally
 
#136
I switched to Thunderbuckers and like Carlo says, they're much better. Light years better actually. MHO I wish I had done a before and after recording comparison. Too late as I have sold the Gibson pups.:hmm:

Dadagoboi said:
60s TBird pickups have very little in common with modern Thunderbird Plus pickups. Alnico vs Ceramic magnets, more copper wire in 60s pickups and nickel silver vs plastic covers make a big difference.

Modern pickups are much harsher sounding than vintage ones for those reasons. You can compare the differences with test equipment as well as hear it with your ears. TB+ pickups are a lot cheaper to make than vintage ones.
Click to expand...
 
#137
hillerup said:
So how would that work with the pickups from a regular Epi Thunderbird IV? I have a spare one I would love to mod with chrome hardware...
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In theory it will cut some of the highs. Vintage TBird pickups also have steel bottoms that widen the magnetic field in addition to the nickel silver covers.
 
#138
Andii Syckz said:
Once i get a job, hopefully soon, i'll be etting myself another bass. Well two actually, a hollowbody hagstrom viking and excuse my french, but a backup precision knock off for my precision knock off xD Loll don't take your unluckyness so hard, it happens to all of us sometimes. What pickups do you plan on putting into the blackbird and why? Also what bridge, will you be going with that hipshot supertone?
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Definetly the Supertone unless I get something like a babsicz and get the body routed, and I am really not sure of what pickups yet, not looked into it enough as I have no money and it will make me sad.
 
#139
Hey guys, bit of a dilemna here.

I've been planning on getting an epi Thunderbird Classic IV Pro, but I don't much like the colors available. My local music store has a (kinda overpriced) black epiphone thunderbird pro. I liked the look and feel, but didn't like the tone. My question is, if I buy this one and put Gibson USA pickups in it, will it be similar to the Classic IV Pro? In terms of sound/playability.
 

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