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NBD Dunable Thunderclapper

cornfarmer

cornfarmer

jam econo
Supporting Member
May 14, 2002
1,986
3,839
#1
Alright bass nerds, here you go. Walnut body/neck, ebony fretboard, brass nut, single Thunderbucker 66S, Orange Drop tone cap, cloth wiring, distressed finish on all hardware, distressed aluminium pickguard. Simple and to the point.

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#4
Mr. Dunable is a great person to work with. The whole process was done over email, and he would usually reply super quick when I contacted him. All in all it took about 10 weeks. I'm a patient guy, but towards the end the wait was getting to me. The build is great, the craftsman ship is high quality. The Thunderbucker is a badass PU, it's got a bit hotter output than my '80s P-Bass and it also has a bit more lows due to it's position, but it's still clear. Inside is an Orange Drop cap and cloth wiring. I think combined with all the materials I picked it really sings.

One disclaimer - after a few days of living with it I thought the aluminum pickguard could be darker. I rubbed on a product called Aluminum Black and I couldn't be happier with the cosmetics.


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#13
NKBassman said:
Nice!

Is the Thunderbucker pickup one of his own designs as well? I know he recently started making his own guitar pickups...
Click to expand...

ThunderBuckers are clones of my 1960 Thunderbird pickups, 63 from my 1964 pups, 66 from My 1967 Embassy's. 66S is a slightly hotter version. MAX is the ultimate, hotter mags, more wire - 3 dB hotter than a standard 66. Anyone else wind so many variations? You could say there's some design work involved. Certainly some engineering.

Steve Soar has been messing with pickups, building amps and playing guitar since his teens. When I needed someone to make pickups for my basses, he was my only option. I've known him since 1972. He does wind guitar pickups, mostly for himself.

Here's a bass I'm building for him. Both he and I prefer the sweet sound of '63 ThunderBuckers.

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Here's my personal '63 equipped Cataldo

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#17
I actually ended up with my Thunderclapper in a trade.

I had a Stingray 5HH that I just couldn’t gel with - loved the tone, but the string spacing was a challenge for my fat fingers. I put an ad on FB and was contacted by a local guy that had the Dunable. We met at my studio space and took turns playing both. I immediately felt at home with the Dunable, and likewise he dug the tone of the Stingray and needed a fiver. The Dunable was also a full pound lighter. A handshake later and the deal was done. The retail prices were similar, both basses were pristine, and both of us got what we wanted. He had it set up BEAD, but had the original nut, so I switched it during the string change and did a minor set up and it’s been great ever since, apart from a grounding issue that was easily repaired. And my interactions with Sacha have been awesome.

He got a great bass. But I still feel like I got the better end of the deal...
 
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