Anyone tried Eyparts TBird pickups?

[Blackjac97]

Just curious if anyone has tried these.
Thunderbird Bass Pickup Vintage Style for Gibson,Chrome/Nickel

I've got an Epi TBird in Pelham Blue, which is complete, and the body from an Epi Goth TBird with which I plan to make a Fenderbird. I'm putting a lot of the stock parts from the blue TBird onto the black one, and I'm fitting nice nickel and chrome parts onto the blue one.

Other than these, AFAICT it's the $3-400 pickups, like the Lollars, Thunderbuckers, or Seymour Duncan Custom shop. I'm sure all of those pickups sound amazing, I know you get what you pay for, but I'm just curious about these or other cheaper alternatives.

Also, if anyone happens to know which pickups will fit in an Epi Standard IV without having to break out the router, that info would be super helpful. It seems I've read that a little routing is needed with the Thunderbuckers. Not the end of the world if necessary, but it could help me make decisions.

Thanks all!

 

[Dadagoboi]

There's been many discussions on this subject. I suggest you use the search function for the pickups you mention. It basically boils down to this: Price matters. If you have the pickups sided by side you can hear the difference . If not, the cheap ones sound great.

ThunderBuckers vs Chinabuckers:

Disclosure: ThunderBuckers are clones of my vintage Thunderbird pickups and Steve Soar of ThunderBucker Ranch did the shootout. One and three are ThunderBuckers

 

[Johnny Crab]

Have a few of them here but not installed.
Here is a 19 page discussion by chrome T-Bird pickup experts & lovers. On page 3, eyparts is mentioned(same as the ones I have here).
I hesitate to post this. $45 Thunderbird pickups.

These folks appear to make more correct pickup rings and have spacers if you need to raise the rear ring up higher(eyparts pickups are not thick).
Link Removed
They also make pickups but cost more.

 

[Blackjac97]

There's been many discussions on this subject. I suggest you use the search function for the pickups you mention. It basically boils down to this: Price matters. If you have the pickups sided by side you can hear the difference . If not, the cheap ones sound great.

ThunderBuckers vs Chinabuckers:

Disclosure: ThunderBuckers are clones of my vintage Thunderbird pickups and Steve Soar of ThunderBucker Ranch did the shootout. One and three are ThunderBuckers

I did use the search function. Tell me how many results you get when searching for "Eyparts", "Eyparts thunderbird", "Eyparts pickups", etc. etc. I get so sick of the "why didn't you search" comment. Seriously, it's not helpful.

Thanks for the other info, I'll check it out.

 

[Blackjac97]

Have a few of them here but not installed.
Here is a 19 page discussion by chrome T-Bird pickup experts & lovers. On page 3, eyparts is mentioned(same as the ones I have here).
I hesitate to post this. $45 Thunderbird pickups.

These folks appear to make more correct pickup rings and have spacers if you need to raise the rear ring up higher(eyparts pickups are not thick).
Link Removed
They also make pickups but cost more.

I've got reading to do! Thanks!

 

[Dadagoboi]

I did use the search function. Tell me how many results you get when searching for "Eyparts", "Eyparts thunderbird", "Eyparts pickups", etc. etc. I get so sick of the "why didn't you search" comment. Seriously, it's not helpful.

Thanks for the other info, I'll check it out.

You gave no indication you searched for anything. If you'd said you had, my response would have been different. Apologies.

 

[Blackjac97]

You gave no indication you searched for anything. If you'd said you had, my response would have been different. Apologies.

Burden of proof is on the accuser, not the accused Apology accepted.

 

[Blackjac97]

Have a few of them here but not installed.
Here is a 19 page discussion by chrome T-Bird pickup experts & lovers. On page 3, eyparts is mentioned(same as the ones I have here).
I hesitate to post this. $45 Thunderbird pickups.

These folks appear to make more correct pickup rings and have spacers if you need to raise the rear ring up higher(eyparts pickups are not thick).
Link Removed
They also make pickups but cost more.

They really get a lot of love! It seems like most on that thread agree that they look and sound really close to the original thing, that says a lot. I myself am not partial to original TBird pickups, but it is reassuring. I think I'll still listen around and see what I like, it's good to know that the only option that doesn't cost more than the bass itself is a perfectly viable one.

 

[Johnny Crab]

Since there are more than a few of those pairs of eyparts' pickups here, one may get disassembled to have a gold-plated cover put on it for the new Epi Explorer here if we can't get the stock pickups to sound right.

@Dadagoboi thanks for the sound clip and comparison!

@Blackjac97 there were two caveats in those pages. One was be VERY careful with the pickup wires, easy to mess up. Two was that some folks got microphonic pickup(s). You can pot those if you like, there is a Greco here that sounds amazing(like Dadagoboi thunderbucker sound) but when turned up, they get microphonic. Here is one method. NSFW intro, language warning:

 

[Blackjac97]

What is meant by microphonic? As in "like a microphone," picking up too much?

 

[40Hz]

What is meant by microphonic? As in "like a microphone," picking up too much?

Basically it's when things get moving inside a pickup - like the coil or magnet, or where the pickup cover begins to resonate that your pickup behaves more like a microphone than a magnetic pickup. With a non-microphonic pickup it's your strings that are getting amplified. With a microphonic pickup, other things (coil wires, magnets, etc.) are generating signal because they're also moving and that gets amplified too. Mostly a problem at higher gain and volume settings. It generally sounds lousy.

 

[Spirit of Ox]

I had a set of Eyeparts Tbird pickups. They sound better than the stock Epiphone ones. They have more warmth and less treble, better mids, and not as much output but a cleaner tone. The stock epiphones aren't bad but they sound like a thicker Jazz bass pickup to me.

 

[Blackjac97]

I had a set of Eyeparts Tbird pickups. They sound better than the stock Epiphone ones. They have more warmth and less treble, better mids, and not as much output but a cleaner tone. The stock epiphones aren't bad but they sound like a thicker Jazz bass pickup to me.

I agree with you about the thicker jazz sound. It doesn't sound bad to me, but a little more personality would make the bass killer.

I have some listening to do today! I didn't have my headphones with me yesterday, now it's research time

 

[ezra1]

Anyone compared these to Thunderbuckers ?

 

[Blackjac97]

Anyone compared these to Thunderbuckers ?

There's been many discussions on this subject. I suggest you use the search function for the pickups you mention. It basically boils down to this: Price matters. If you have the pickups sided by side you can hear the difference . If not, the cheap ones sound great.

ThunderBuckers vs Chinabuckers:

Disclosure: ThunderBuckers are clones of my vintage Thunderbird pickups and Steve Soar of ThunderBucker Ranch did the shootout. One and three are ThunderBuckers

 

[Dadagoboi]

ThunderBuckers are made by Steve Soar of ThunderBucker Ranch.

They are not Lull, Lollar, Duncan, or anyone else's idea of what a vintage Thunderbird pickup is. They're clones of six of my 60's TBird pickups

Here's a demo by another builder who has used ThunderBucker pickups. YMMV.



So when you say, 'thunderbucker', please mean ThunderBucker from Link Removed. I commissioned them and I named them.

 

[ezra1]

I searched under Eyeparts vs Thunderbuckers
And Eyeparts T-Bird and Thunderbuckers
......No results other than this thread.
Guess I ain't got it going on like you my friend.

 

[ezra1]

ThunderBuckers are made by Steve Soar of ThunderBucker Ranch.

They are not Lull, Lollar, Duncan, or anyone else's idea of what a vintage Thunderbird pickup is. They're clones of six of my 60's TBird pickups

Here's a demo by another builder who has used ThunderBucker pickups. YMMV.



So when you say, 'thunderbucker', please mean ThunderBucker from Link Removed. I commissioned them and I named them.[/QUOTE

 

[ezra1]

The demo is excellent.

 

[Henko]

Bumping this thread since it inspired me to order one for a P-bass project. First they sent me a pickup with chrome covers when I had ordered nickel. Then they sent me another (but correct) pickup without claiming the first one back.

Then I made a route in my bass big enough to fit the pickup and installed it. When plugged in the thing was so microphonic I could litteraly sing into it and hear myself through the amp. Tried both pickups and they were the same.

When I complained, EY Parts swore that they had NEVER heard of this problem before. They also promised to improve the waxing process and quality control.

I ended up selling them cheap to someone who would give them a proper wax treatment. Too bad, since they seem to be good value if they work.