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Need to replace neck on my Thunderbird
- Thread starter Dominic82
- Start date
I don't think any Fender, or Fender-type necks will fit your bass. You should go to the Epiphone site www.epiphone.com and contact their customer service department. My gut feeling is that it may be almost as expensive for you to buy a replacement neck from Epiphone and have it installed, as it would to replace the bass itself.
Good luck.
Mike
Good luck.
Mike
- Nov 27, 2003
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- Rogue luthier employed at Knooren Handcrafted bass guitars
It would fit no problem, but it might be cheaper to get your old neck fixed, Snapped headstocks are a common problem with Thunderbirds and I'm sure that any good shop can repair it.
as you can see, even more serious damage can be repaired.
as you can see, even more serious damage can be repaired.
the neck on the Epiphone is maple and 20frets?
you could have the rout altered (widened?) to accomodate a Fender style neck (also if the neck has a fretboard extension it would cover up the square joint gaps)-
and you'd have with a John Entwistle-style "Fenderbird", which would be cool- just watch for neck-dive with full-size elephant ear machineheads...
you could have the rout altered (widened?) to accomodate a Fender style neck (also if the neck has a fretboard extension it would cover up the square joint gaps)-
and you'd have with a John Entwistle-style "Fenderbird", which would be cool- just watch for neck-dive with full-size elephant ear machineheads...
Hmmm, do the new GIBSON Thunderbirds tend to be a little stronger due to the nine-ply neck???
Also, how did it happen???
Also, how did it happen???
- Feb 4, 2002
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I'd get it fixed if at all possible. I never liked putting new parts on older basses, it doesn't have that same feel. I had a MIA P bass that broke in two spots and I put a new neck on it and it sucked. I got the old neck repaired and it was like the good old days.
I went to a few guitar shops and they said I could probably have the neck repaired, i need to get a price quote, though it would be kinda cool to have an Entwistle style thing. The damage occured last week 
I was really wasted and had a misunderstanding with my g/f and took my depression out on my poor bass, I am so ashamed
I was really wasted and had a misunderstanding with my g/f and took my depression out on my poor bass, I am so ashamed
Greetings from the North,
My old T-Bird got decapitated when it fell from its stand on my wall. And like Blazer's photos above I got it repaired. They did an amazing job because you can't tell anything happened to it at all and it still plays and sounds great. So.....try to find a shop that know what they're doing and get it repaired before going the FenderBird route.
Happy Times,
Rezdog
My old T-Bird got decapitated when it fell from its stand on my wall. And like Blazer's photos above I got it repaired. They did an amazing job because you can't tell anything happened to it at all and it still plays and sounds great. So.....try to find a shop that know what they're doing and get it repaired before going the FenderBird route.
Happy Times,
Rezdog
I didn't realise that the 9-ply necks ever had the "auto heastock eject" problem. I knew the non-reverse, one piece mahogany t-birds did, as well as les pauls and sg's...heck, any one-piecer from that era, due to the angle of the headstock making that area really short-grain and weak, but the 9 ply must have to take some real abuse to break.
I have a 76 that I've had a few blows on, and it's pretty solid.
I have a 76 that I've had a few blows on, and it's pretty solid.
If you're gonna fix it use this epoxy(tensile & compressive strength galore!): http://www.westsystem.com/
I read about these guys on a luthier website. I am about to use the same stuff on an "experimental" bass(pawnshop P-clone) to convert it to headless....
I read about these guys on a luthier website. I am about to use the same stuff on an "experimental" bass(pawnshop P-clone) to convert it to headless....
this Invernnes green thunderbird is mine ...how did these pictures get here ? are there more ? it was reapired in 1983 by Gene Liberty in Dekalb Illiinois USA ..any help would be greatly appreciated
yes thought Id take a shot ...thanks ...cpouldnt believe it was my bass..i googled thunderbird headstock repair and the picture came up and sent me here ...cheers !!
I owned that green T-bird in 1984! Got it at Ax-in-Hand in Dekalb, IL. I had it for a few months & traded it back in for a Yamaha BB1000 and amp. Couldn't get the T-bird intoned property. Of course now with modern bridge replacements it would've been fine.
I remember seeing it years later Gene's shop around the time those photos were taken.
I remember seeing it years later Gene's shop around the time those photos were taken.
Well... I think it was the one I had. Can't imagine there would be more than one like that in the area. It had a headstock break that wasn't touched up when I got it. When I saw it several years later, Gene told me it had broken again. I knew it was mine because there was a mismatched screw in the pick guard that I put there.
