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Show me your P Bass with Thunderbird pickups

NKBassman

NKBassman

Jun 16, 2009
16,500
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Winnipeg, MB, Canada
#1
I've got a mental itch that needs scratching... Please share some pics/thoughts/experiences of Precision basses with Thunderbird pickups.

I've got half an idea about converting my standard Fender Highway One P Bass to either one or two Thunderbird pickups. I love this bass and I'd hate to ruin it, but with a different PG I'm thinking changing the main pickup would at least be a reversible mod, so maybe worth a try. I've honestly never played a Thunderbird bass and I don't even really know what they are supposed to sound like. But I have seen some high end bass builds recently using TB pickups that just sound excellent (eg. Seldon; Dunable).

To those who have done it:
  • Did you like the change? Can you characterize the change in tonality using as many marketing buzz/hype words as possible?
  • Would it be worth it to add a bridge pickup?
  • Are there any easy custom pickguard solutions?
  • Has anyone added a TB bridge pickup and left the standard P pickup alone?
 
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#3
NKBassman said:
Can you characterize the change in tonality using as many marketing buzz/hype words as possible?
Click to expand...
Not a chance, self esteem and moral fibre prevent that from ever happening :)

As to the matter at hand. I'd bought a pair of Eric Custom T-bird pickups and built this P-bass around one of them.
Don't recall the cap value but suspect it's 0.1uF, I'd about 50 of them in a bag :laugh: Lows can get extremely boomy :roflmao:

DSC_0018.JPG

For a brief moment I was going to have one at the bridge but don't recall many occasions where I've used a bridge pickup. Course that might be the public reason, truth may be I was just too darn lazy to router out for another pickup :speechless:

Pity, it would have looked OK

DSC_0674.JPG

Since your plan will be reversible, requiring only a PG swap, I recommend giving it a go :thumbsup:
 
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#4
kodiakblair said:
Not a chance, self esteem and moral fibre prevent that from ever happening :)

As to the matter at hand. I'd bought a pair of Eric Custom T-bird pickups and built this P-bass around one of them.
Don't recall the cap value but suspect it's 0.1uF, I'd about 50 of them in a bag :laugh: Lows can get extremely boomy :roflmao:

View attachment 5368420

For a brief moment I was going to have one at the bridge but don't recall many occasions where I've used a bridge pickup. Course that might be the public reason, truth may be I was just too darn lazy to router out for another pickup :speechless:

Pity, it would have looked OK

View attachment 5368455

Since your plan will be reversible, requiring only a PG swap, I recommend giving it a go :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Love that on the 51-style body with no PG! Looks great!
 
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#17
Dust2Dust said:
*Beginner modder here*

What's the difference between T-Bird pickups and "Soapbar" pickups?
or is there a difference . . .
Click to expand...
There is a difference! Soapbar really just refers to the shape of the case that the pickup is in. Really anything can be in a soapbar casing. Splitcoil, single coil, dual coil, anything that fits. Thunderbird pickups are constructed in a specific way to a get a specific sound, though there have been a couple of different versions.
 
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#20
kodiakblair said:
@Dynacord

WOW !!!

That is gorgeous.

I commend you on not only outstanding taste but for your courage.
I'd never dream of modding my Paisley P , even if the thought crossed my mind I wouldn't have the balls to see it through :laugh:

I tip my hat to you :)
Click to expand...

Thanks so much :)

On modding them, I did this in 2003 (still have the bass) and the stores could not give the paisleys away at that time (this was true with a lot of the 80's ones as well - a local store had a paisley Strat on the wall for at least 7 or 8 years). I had 2, both bought new, the second one I got from a store that just wanting it gone for all of $275. Hence, I didn't have too much reservation about doing the mod. I absolutely love the t-bird pickups (first generation in particular - the ones from the 60's are very different from the ones in the late 70's basses and then they changed again with the ones used from the 80's on). I worked in a repair shop and actually had a friend there (Dan Ransom) do the routing - and we had an original 60's t-bird on hand to reference for the pickup spacing.

I did prefer the modded one enough that I ended up selling the stock one (though it sounded quite good on it's own and the single coil hum was never really a problem with it). Gigged both of the basses quite a bit. On this one I more recently stripped the poly finish off the neck, took down the back profile a bit and resprayed in nitro. Feels a lot better to my subjective taste. I like the look better, too.
 
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