How do YOU make a Tbird sound good?

[Jools4001]

I can't quite understand why you're looking to make a T-Bird sound like a P? Surely another P would be easier to achieve that with?

I recently bought an Epi T-Bird Pro as an on-stage partner for my Ric. The entire reason I bought it was to get a different tonal vibe from the Ric.

After a little messing this morning, I've just got a great sound programmed into my Line 6 Bass Pod for the T-Bird. Eden amp model, bass at 1 o'clock, mid sweep set at 1 o'clock, mid set at 11 o'clock, treble at 1 o'clock, a touch of compression and there it is. Bright as you'd want, as punchy as Tyson and agressive as hell. The bass and treble may want taming when I get to crank it to gig levels but after that it's an active bass anyway so I can cut the treble and bass from there.

 

[jumbodbassman]

What BigOldHarry said.

It so depends on the era of t-bird. The 60s ones sound totally different from the 70s ones and both sound totally different from the later ones. The 70s ones are my least favorite as the pickups sound anemic to me (and I'm not a fan of the 3-point bridge - though I like those basses otherwise). The 60s ones are my personal favorite bass pickups and can sound more P-bass than my P-bass. I'm lucky to have great examples of both: a 59 P-bass (early 59 so still with a maple neck and somewhat unusual as it is blonde so it has an ash body rather than the more typical alder - I've had many vintage Ps and this is the one I've kept) and a 64 t-bird. I love them both but reach for the t-bird more often - and when gigging with it, even if just plugging in direct, it gets constant comments from the sound engineers of being one of the best sounding basses they've ever worked with - and I've had other musicians specifically ask for me to bring that bass. What can you do, short of getting a 60s one or finding original 60s pickups?
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OP: is the bass a Gibson or an Epiphone? Or something else? The "lazy attack" thing makes me wonder if it might be one of the bolt on Epis - my Gibson doesn't have that at all - it has strong attack and great resonance and I think the neck-through, multi-lam construction is a big contributing factor to that. If the bass doesn't sound good unplugged, I don't know that any pickups can really correct that.

+1000 on the thunderbuckers.. I am a fender guy for 39 years but the old tbird pups may be the best passive pups ever made. Think Who's next/Quadraphenia sound.... I am considering actually putting some in an extra pbass i have around.

 

[Dynacord]

+1000 on the thunderbuckers.. I am a fender guy for 39 years but the old tbird pups may be the best passive pups ever made. Think Who's next/Quadraphenia sound.... I am considering actually putting some in an extra pbass i have around.

I have a set of the Orvilles in a P-bass (I love it - and am planning on putting a set of Thunderbuckers in an old CIJ jazz bass - that's already been carved up as it has a 2tek bridge in it and refinished in nitro). Jeff Ament is playing a P-type bass with the Lull copy pickups in it a lot - sounds great (he also has some t-bird shaped ones, too).

Totally agree on the old (60s type) t-bird pickups as being one of best passive bass pickups ever made - if not the best. Certainly one of the most distinct and characteristic. When you consider how few of those basses were made, they actually had a pretty big impact - if they had been more widely available, I'm sure it would have been even more-so.

 

[jumbodbassman]

I think Pino also has a pbass with the 2 lull pups. I have a lull pup in a NR bird clone that sounds great. The thunderbuckers (2 sets on order 63 and 66) sound as good for about half the price. Love the pickups but hate the tbird aesthetics? Which is why they never really sold. Fenderbird (JAEbird) may have been the best pure rock bass ever IMHO as it fixed many of the tbird shortfalls.

76 bird and original NR pup before lull..

Jaebird with original barts. awaiting 63 thunderbuckers. 66 set going in a white Jaebird in process...

 

[Venom of God]

I have a 2009 Gibby Tbird, are the pick-ups in that similar to any of the older ones that people seem to love or completely different? How do some of these after market ones, Lull for example, compare?

 

[faivy]

+1 on the 60's T-Birds. I have a 64 TBird and a 1967 Epiphone Embassy Deluxe. They Kick ass! Everything I've heard of the Lull pickups sounds like they got it!

 

[Dynacord]

I think Pino also has a pbass with the 2 lull pups. I have a lull pup in a NR bird clone that sounds great. The thunderbuckers (2 sets on order 63 and 66) sound as good for about half the price. Love the pickups but hate the tbird aesthetics? Which is why they never really sold. Fenderbird (JAEbird) may have been the best pure rock bass ever IMHO as it fixed many of the tbird shortfalls.

I've thought a lot about getting a JAEbird and will very likely do so. Also thought about getting one of the Bachbird - and the factory is not all that far from where I am. I do like the neck-through thing in combination - as much as I like my P-bass with the t-bird pickups, the 64 just has more authority - something about the combination just 'works' IMO. The P-bass with those pups is a great workhorse and feels stronger and like it just has more going on than a regular P (which I do like, too - and for some things is absolutely perfect) but it is not all the way there to matching the actual bird (IMHO, YMMV, etc).

 

[Dynacord]

I have a 2009 Gibby Tbird, are the pick-ups in that similar to any of the older ones that people seem to love or completely different? How do some of these after market ones, Lull for example, compare?

Completely different design and construction. Though, to be fair, I don't think the current Gibson ones are all that bad - just not the same as the old ones. The Lulls pretty much nail it (though at a very high price) - as do the Thunderbuckers by reliable reports (disclaimer being I've not tried one myself YET - but have on order). Those are the only aftermarket t-bird pups I've heard that come close (other than the Orvilles and the Chandler ones from the early 80s or so).

 

[Jirishman]

I have a 2009 Gibby Tbird, are the pick-ups in that similar to any of the older ones that people seem to love or completely different? How do some of these after market ones, Lull for example, compare?

I agree that the stock pickups currently used by Gibson aren't all that bad, but they certainly lack the distinct sound of the older versions.
I have not tried the Lull pickups yet, but they're on my wish list. I do have a set of Bartolini's in my sunburst bird, and I have to admit I was disappointed when I first installed them. To me, they're essentially better-made versions of the current stock pickups, with some added features (i.e. passive/active). The Barts can dial in a wider range of tones though, and are very clean. I've really come to like neck pickup as its very powerful, but the bridge pickup is kind of weak. I may put the stock pickup back in and see if that balances things out.

 

[stiles72]

Even among the Gibson TB+ pups, there are build and tonal variations. I have a 2000 Gibson Blackbird that has 1/4 more output and more clean deep lows than my 2007 Tbird IV. My IV doesn't sound bad - the Blackbird just sounds better. The Blackbird is set up with a V/V/T/T and a three way toggle, and my favorite setting is to select both pickups, and turn the tone all the way off on the neck pickup. Great thump with just enough definition to not get lost. I'm still trying to get my IV to sound closer to the Blackbird, but so far haven't succeded.

 

[Venom of God]

I agree that the stock pickups currently used by Gibson aren't all that bad, but they certainly lack the distinct sound of the older versions.

Interesting, does the 'distinct sound' people talk of cut more of have more thump or what? Mine is the only Gibson Tbird I've ever even seen, so it's hard for me to compare it to anything other than the Epi's in my local shop.