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Fretless Thunderbird ... club?

Discussion in 'Basses [BG]' started by Gaolee, Jun 23, 2020.

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  1. Jun 23, 2020 #1
    Gaolee

    Gaolee Official leathers tester and crash dummy

    Jan 13, 2010
    Seattle, Great North Wet
    The few, the very, very few. There might be two or three of us. Here's mine:
    DSC05543.JPG

    It started life as an Epiphone Pro IV, with active pickups. It was the result of a "losing" eBay bid. When it turned up, I played it for a while, but decided I didn't like the big frets, and if it was going to get a fret job, it might as well be fretless. So, the frets are gone, replaced by walnut veneers.

    Not too long after that, I decided I didn't like the active electronics much, so that all got ripped out, replaced by a passive circuit and Alumitone Bass Bars. They are an odd semi-piezo kind of pickup.

    It's currently strung with Black Beauties, but I think Cobalt Flats might suit it better.

    It was wired up like a stack-knob Jazz for a while, but that didn't work like I wanted it to. Now it's wired VVT with a switch. I don't like that all that much, either. So, maybe I'll go back to stack knob wiring, but with some kind of modification to make it work like it should. I don't know what that means yet.

    So, there's my fretless 'Bird. I know there's a few others out there. We might get to ten if we are lucky.
     
    TCaetano, Bassmike62, WillyWonka and 22 others like this.
  2. Jun 23, 2020 #2
    Thegrandwazoo

    Thegrandwazoo Supporting Member

    Sep 8, 2013
    West Virginia
    Now that you mention it, I've never seen a fretless Thunderbird in my life, I've never really thought about it before. That'd probably be a crazy-sounding thing! Interesting.
     
    Charlzm, fakeneckplate'65, HG1180 and 6 others like this.
  3. Jun 23, 2020 #3
    bholder

    bholder Affable Sociopath Gold Supporting Member Supporting Member

    Sep 2, 2001
    Vestal, NY
    Received a gift from Sire* (see sig)
    I've got dibs on "Wallybird 5" when it's ready...

    wb5-76-jpg.jpg
    wb5-79-jpg.jpg
    wb5-77-jpg.jpg
    wb5-75-jpg.jpg
     
    zoonose, TCaetano, WillyWonka and 19 others like this.
  4. Jun 23, 2020 #4
    Gaolee

    Gaolee Official leathers tester and crash dummy

    Jan 13, 2010
    Seattle, Great North Wet
    That's a stunner!
     
    Thegrandwazoo, RedVee, bholder and 1 other person like this.
  5. Jun 23, 2020 #5
    Gaolee

    Gaolee Official leathers tester and crash dummy

    Jan 13, 2010
    Seattle, Great North Wet
    It sounds like a fretless bass. Really, that's about it. The pickups are clean and hi-fi sounding. It doesn't sound like what you would expect a Thunderbird to sound like. Which means maybe it should get yet another set of pickups so it does sound more like a Thunderbird, only fretless.
     
    Miles_ONeal, JIO, Thegrandwazoo and 2 others like this.
  6. Jun 23, 2020 #6
    MCF

    MCF

    Sep 1, 2014
    California
    A set of Lulls or Tbuckerss.
     
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  7. Jun 23, 2020 #7
    Thegrandwazoo

    Thegrandwazoo Supporting Member

    Sep 8, 2013
    West Virginia
    Yeah, any I've ever played have been pretty wooly-sounding. I'd perform the old swaperoonie maneuver if it was mine just on principle, haha!
     
    MCF likes this.
  8. Jun 23, 2020 #8
    Thegrandwazoo

    Thegrandwazoo Supporting Member

    Sep 8, 2013
    West Virginia
    Beautiful!
     
    MCF and bholder like this.
  9. Jun 23, 2020 #9
    bholder

    bholder Affable Sociopath Gold Supporting Member Supporting Member

    Sep 2, 2001
    Vestal, NY
    Received a gift from Sire* (see sig)
    All credit to @Scoops!
     
    MCF, Passinwind and Thegrandwazoo like this.
  10. Jun 23, 2020 #10
    JIO

    JIO Scott Lives Gold Supporting Member Commercial User

    Jun 30, 2010
    The Mission SF/CA
    musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
    The sound/tone/character of a bass starts from the pu's. It's the main reason a T-bird sounds like a T-bird. Having said that, A one or two single pu set-up can also sound like a T-bird, just different. ;)
     
    MCF, Gaolee, RedVee and 1 other person like this.
  11. Jun 23, 2020 #11
    Bass V

    Bass V

    Dec 11, 2008
    Honolulu, Hawaii
    talk about neglected!
    having just dipped my toe into the T-Bird gene pool with the awesome entry level Epi IV bolt-on it's suddenly become one of the mysteries of the world why essentially no one has ever done a legit fretless 'bird. I can't speak for Gibson or boutique Ts but once I got hold of this newer edition Epiphone with such a magnificent neck and surprisingly wide range of creamy low end plus the ability to dial up that classic Thunderbird sound it was one of those moments where I knew right away this unique bass was well suited for fretless. glad to see a Club devoted to a most deserving subject!
     
    Dynacord, MCF, Miles_ONeal and 1 other person like this.
  12. Jun 23, 2020 #12
    Gaolee

    Gaolee Official leathers tester and crash dummy

    Jan 13, 2010
    Seattle, Great North Wet
    The pickups in it are Lace Alumitones. Wooly is the last thing they are.
     
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  13. Jun 23, 2020 #13
    bobyoung53

    bobyoung53 Supporting Member

    Aug 29, 2004
    Shrewsbury, Mass/Pueblo Libre, Lima, Perú
    I've got Lulls on mine, very nice sounding pickups.
     
    MCF, Dynacord and Gaolee like this.
  14. Jun 23, 2020 #14
    WillyW

    WillyW l’art pour l’art, fonction de baise Supporting Member

    Dec 10, 2019
    Here’s mine... had to get rid of the soul sucking sunburst....

    it’s whatever the set neck/neckthru model is called

    5B8981D5-1E97-405D-B915-36AC93DC3A2F.jpeg

    And some FenderBird’s Hohner, BC Rich and fenderhooserwhatsits... all fretless...

    511C80CB-DD55-46B0-A854-41110D61BE78.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2020
    TCaetano, Ross W. Lovell, jackn1202 and 15 others like this.
  15. Jun 23, 2020 #15
    BrickBatMansion

    BrickBatMansion

    Feb 23, 2010
    EAST TENNESSEE
    That BC Rich is KILLING me! And I love those reverse headstocks!
     
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  16. Jun 23, 2020 #16
    WillyW

    WillyW l’art pour l’art, fonction de baise Supporting Member

    Dec 10, 2019


    now just the back row

    76BDF5B8-B049-4A7D-AD1A-D28019E14645.jpeg
     
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  17. Jun 23, 2020 #17
    WillyW

    WillyW l’art pour l’art, fonction de baise Supporting Member

    Dec 10, 2019
    Well it is an Eagle.... so it fits the bird theme...
     
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  18. Jun 23, 2020 #18
    Gaolee

    Gaolee Official leathers tester and crash dummy

    Jan 13, 2010
    Seattle, Great North Wet
    Fretless?
     
    MCF likes this.
  19. Jun 24, 2020 #19
    Dynacord

    Dynacord

    Jan 1, 2005
    I sort of half qualify. I bought this '64 Epiphone Embassy Deluxe (same pickups, hardware and scale as the 60's t-birds and made in the same factory at that time) which had been defretted in the 70's (note the period brass nut as well). My intention was to refret it but whoever did the work originally really knew what they were doing as it's one of the best playing and sounding fretlesses I've encountered. Needless to say, I left it as is and even offloaded my F-Bass BNF5 as a result.


    embassy body.jpg
    Embassy headstock.jpg
     
    TCaetano, WillyWonka, jackn1202 and 7 others like this.
  20. Jun 24, 2020 #20
    Gaolee

    Gaolee Official leathers tester and crash dummy

    Jan 13, 2010
    Seattle, Great North Wet
    Mine clearly needs to be refinished in a more interesting color.
     
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