Kinda interested in making one of these. Does anyone know if you can simply slap a fender neck on a epi body((I realize this isn't exactly a fenderbird, but meh))? Or does it require adjustment?
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"Fenderbird"
- Thread starter VincentGrim
- Start date
Not sure what work the neck pocket needs but I know that a fender or fender replacement neck will not fit directly into an epi t-bird body.
Do a search there is a TB'er that has made a few of these - Fender Style neck on a T-Bird Body - Fender PUP Configuration.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,894
- 142,206
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
I don't know if I'm the only one, but here's mine. it's an Epi body with a lefty J neck. The pick ups are Seymoure Duncan single coils potted into N.O.S. Gibson chrome covers, the bridge is Allparts.
That is one seriously cool looking bass guitar. Got a clip playing it? If it has the tone I think it does, I just got GAS! 
My Fenderbird project is on hold until I can convince my step-brother in law to paint the body, but here's as far as I got.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=429847
It's not just as simple as slapping a neck on a body. The neck heels are not the same size, so enlarging the neck pocket on the t-bird is necessary. The best way is to get Warmoth parts that already match, but that's a bit more $.
Best of luck
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=429847
It's not just as simple as slapping a neck on a body. The neck heels are not the same size, so enlarging the neck pocket on the t-bird is necessary. The best way is to get Warmoth parts that already match, but that's a bit more $.
Best of luck
@TBird1958:
Wow, that is really a wicked bass guitar! Looks as if you put together John Entwistle's and Geddy Lee's taste in basses in a single instrument. Don't take me wrong, good work though! Surely it would be interesting to know how it sounds. Maybe not as muddy as T-Birds are said to be (however the Epi Thunderbird is really not too muddy)?
By the way, there's a nice little company manucaturing basses in the very west of Germany called Hotwire (http://www.hotwire-bass.com/) producing a Fenderbird interpretation, called the Funderbird. Check it out (nice pictures and interesting soundfiles), here's the link: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Wow, that is really a wicked bass guitar! Looks as if you put together John Entwistle's and Geddy Lee's taste in basses in a single instrument. Don't take me wrong, good work though! Surely it would be interesting to know how it sounds. Maybe not as muddy as T-Birds are said to be (however the Epi Thunderbird is really not too muddy)?
By the way, there's a nice little company manucaturing basses in the very west of Germany called Hotwire (http://www.hotwire-bass.com/) producing a Fenderbird interpretation, called the Funderbird. Check it out (nice pictures and interesting soundfiles), here's the link: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,894
- 142,206
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Thank you,
The trick in using an Epi body and a J neck is to do all the work on the heel of the neck and leave the body alone. I'm definately no luthier but I managed to get this pretty much put together using hand tools and a Dremel moto tool. I just kept test fitting everything until it fit really well and so the neck didn't have too much angle on the body. When it came time to finish it and get it into playing shape I took it to Mike Lull, he set it up and intonated it and put a small shim under the neck (very minor!) and wired it up VVTTand a three way toggle. I don't mind the stock Epi pick ups but really prefer something with a bit better treble response so the single coils were a nice change and easy to work with. Soundwise it's very much like a '51 Fender P bass, and yes it's a bit tighter, slightly more focused than my Thunderbirds.
Demian, funny you should mention the hotwire 'Bird I have a friend in Frankfurt that has a Fenderbird from them!
The trick in using an Epi body and a J neck is to do all the work on the heel of the neck and leave the body alone. I'm definately no luthier but I managed to get this pretty much put together using hand tools and a Dremel moto tool. I just kept test fitting everything until it fit really well and so the neck didn't have too much angle on the body. When it came time to finish it and get it into playing shape I took it to Mike Lull, he set it up and intonated it and put a small shim under the neck (very minor!) and wired it up VVTTand a three way toggle. I don't mind the stock Epi pick ups but really prefer something with a bit better treble response so the single coils were a nice change and easy to work with. Soundwise it's very much like a '51 Fender P bass, and yes it's a bit tighter, slightly more focused than my Thunderbirds.
Demian, funny you should mention the hotwire 'Bird I have a friend in Frankfurt that has a Fenderbird from them!
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Germany's HotWire basses have a FunderBird design that would give you all you need and more.They basically made a good idea great.
Germany's HotWire basses have a FunderBird design that would give you all you need and more.They basically made a good idea great.
Ah, so that's how you did it. I used to know a guy who got hold of a Mexican P-Bass neck and wanted to combine it with the body of his Epiphone T-Bird. It looked really cool and sounded interesting, but he never got the intonation right. Above the 12th fret, it would always be out-of-tune. Playing chords or double stops - no matter where - was an absolute no-no. Kinda wonder whether he has fixed that so far, we somehow drifted apart and until now I did not realize it...
Oh, now that is really interesting. I would have preferred the single coils as well in order to get somewhat more in the direction of Mr. Entwistle, however you need a hell lot more for even coming close to his sound. But really interesting...
Haha, funny thing. I live quite close to Frankfurt, about 20 kilometres in the east. The world's just so small...
there you go TB1958, convert one into a lefty, and you can rename your family the "thunder-funder-fenderBird" collection 
All this "fenderbird" talk, and now you all have me interested in butchering my EpiBird, to do the same thing..create a FenderBird out of it ( for minimal money if I can just get a neck to fit like TB1958). I don't really want to invest 3-400 in a parts guitar at the moment, but a hell of a great idea using the warmoth stuff.....
I'm starting to get Fenderbird GAS after listening to those hotwire clips, especially the single-coil mode.
RS Guitarworks has its own take on the Fenderbird, and the two on their site look pretty tasty! Here's my favorite:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
RS Guitarworks has its own take on the Fenderbird, and the two on their site look pretty tasty! Here's my favorite:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,894
- 142,206
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
This is a dangerous thread for me.............
The only thing I'd change is the color.
beautiful, but WAY TOO Explorer looking for me to think it is a Tbird spin-off, and to look at the c.card balance for a possible purchase
The Warmoth thunderbird body SUCKS!< the neck pocket is way too far out tords the edge and puts the neck WAYYY out there, this not only totally SCREWS the balance, you need 10 foot long arms to reach the first fret.
Here was the one i built a few years ago.
See how far the neck sits in the body?
It sounded good though, double qtr pounder P's with 18volt bart preamp.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,894
- 142,206
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
That's why I used the Epi body............none of the issuses you've correctly pointed out about the Warmoth body/neck.
Mine balances well and it's very playable.
Mine balances well and it's very playable.
