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Teiscobird projects

#361
A few changes/upgrades on the Teiscobird. I will be using it for an upcoming "The Sean Conneries" show (Sat July 7th) and I needed a drop-D on one song. (Heroes - David Bowie) I also added it's "name" on the tr cover and moved the Teisco "swan logo" badge to the backside. (as the body is a mid 60's mahogany Del Rey) Now it's a full-service rock machine! :bassist: This bass has something special. All things combined make it something I reach for and it fits sonically with the 12 songs we have in the set-list. (which is a broad mix of styles) I'm one to use only one bass for a show, and the Teiscobird is that bass for TSC's.

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#362
I want to illustrate where I stand on the unreasonable concept of "perfection" ... you may or may not have noticed the Gotoh drop-D tuner is different from the other three "generic" (cheap Chinese version) tuners that came on the Epi Goth neck. To the casual observer from the front, they look like an exact matched set. It's only upon looking with unnecessary focus on the back of the hs that you could observe that in fact they do not look exactly the same. Let me interject here to say that regardless of the visual details that don't align, they all work just as well. (function - no difference) I am not defending China here - in fact, I make a point of not buying cheap parts from China for all reasons I feel are justified by my belief that being ripped-off is something everyone should not support. What I am in fact saying is that I bought the Epi Goth (that this neck is off) used as it came from the factory, and a detail like the difference of tuner design between an established brand (that I support - Gotoh) and cheap knock-offs from China (that I wouldn't normally buy) isn't enough for me to purchase three Gotoh tuners to match. A fine line I know, but it points out where reality slip into fantasy over our obsession with perfection. At least in this case. Trust me, when I design/build a unique bass - I fuss over every single detail.

Sorry for this rant - as a designer/builder I bump into the concept of (unreasonable) perfection and will always fall on the side of "make it nice, make it function", over "make it flawless". Does anyone know anyone or anything who/that is flawless? I don't, and I love that about life in general. Perfection is boring at best.
 
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#363
JIO said:
I want to illustrate where I stand on the unreasonable concept of "perfection" ... you may or may not have noticed the Gotoh drop-D tuner is different from the other three "generic" (cheap Chinese version) tuners that came on the Epi Goth neck. To the casual observer from the front, they look like an exact matched set. It's only upon looking with unnecessary focus on the back of the hs that you could observe that in fact they do not look exactly the same. Let me interject here to say that regardless of the visual details that don't align, they all work just as well. (function - no difference) I am not defending China here - in fact, I make a point of not buying cheap parts from China for all reasons I feel are justified by my belief that being ripped-off is something everyone should not support. What I am in fact saying is that I bought the Epi Goth (that this neck is off) used as it came from the factory, and a detail like the difference of tuner design between an established brand (that I support - Gotoh) and cheap knock-offs from China (that I wouldn't normally buy) isn't enough for me to purchase three Gotoh tuners to match. A fine line I know, but it points out where reality slip into fantasy over our obsession with perfection. At least in this case. Trust me, when I design/build a unique bass - I fuss over every single detail.

Sorry for this rant - as a designer/builder I bump into the concept of (unreasonable) perfection and will always fall on the side of "make it nice, make it function", over "make it flawless". Does anyone know anyone or anything who/that is flawless? I don't, and I love that about life in general. Perfection is boring at best.
Click to expand...

Agreed. An instrument really isn't mine until I put at least one permanent flaw on it. All part of my "mojo".
 
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#366
mapleglo said:
Agreed. An instrument really isn't mine until I put at least one permanent flaw on it. All part of my "mojo".
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ZachM said:
Almost like the Japanese Wabi-sabi idea, where a flaw is deliberately left on an otherwise-perfect piece
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That would be a great band name! :thumbsup: :bassist:

I love this : Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes.

Speaking of flaws.., er, Wabi-Sabi! :)

After a near flawless finish - I dented it. (but not deliberately!) Basswood's integrity is "naturally soft" and I very much appreciate its light weight. (7lbs/3oz)
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One of the four neck fasteners, the others are clean - both flaws are on the back. Macro pics are so cruel. :blackeye:
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the business side chillin' in last nights sunset light
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#370
JIO said:
That would be a great band name! :thumbsup: :bassist:

I love this : Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes.

Speaking of flaws.., er, Wabi-Sabi! :)

After a near flawless finish - I dented it. (but not deliberately!) Basswood's integrity is "naturally soft" and I
very much appreciate its light weight. (7lbs/3oz)
View attachment 3062304
One of the four neck fasteners, the others are clean - both flaws are on the back. Macro pics are so cruel. :blackeye:
View attachment 3062305
the business side chillin' in last nights sunset light
View attachment 3062310
Click to expand...

Are the Tiesco’s Basswood ? Or ‘it depends’. For some reason I assumed “Asian Mahogany” for mine.
 
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#372
RedVee said:
Are the Tiesco’s Basswood ? Or ‘it depends’. For some reason I assumed “Asian Mahogany” for mine.
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Yes, the 60's Teisco's as well as many other brands from then are Luan which is in the mahogany family. My two pu bass (XD) body is basswood, based on the mid-60's Del Rey (Teiscobird) which is Luan. Basswood varies in softness but Luan is usually harder, especially over time.
 
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#375
...swinging a bat, Geo steps up to the plate once again...

A fellow tb'r from the illustrious Thunderbird Club thread offered up his Epi T-bird neck for sale and I couldn't resist. I have that other roasted ash blank and it is just big enough to cut out a Del Rey body. The Teiscobird formula merits a repeat performance, this time with a bit more pizzazz. For this one I traced my '65 Del Rey short scale body which is slightly different than the Teiscobird body. (which is also a mid-sixties Teisco) Probably the result of hand work - the same, but different. Most noticeable difference is the forearm scallops, as the 2 are not the same. Anyway - a couple of stars came into alignment lately as the neck is a pretty Pelham blue (Gibson colour) and I just completed building the ss 5'r for Chris Kuffner which will be finished in - Pelham blue! I'm not normally a "blue" person - I did own a cool Sonic Blue Kubicki Factor for a few years, but that's about it. I have nothing against blue, and this Epiphone Custom Shop neck version has the nice 'slightly amber'd' almost turquoise hue that a vintage PB finish ages into.

The finish could go a couple different ways - the back, sides and overlaps around to the front could be (neck) matching Pelham blue with a gloss black island on the front, a blk/wht/blk pg and matte black control plate. I thought about a mint pg but it may look too busy with all three colours together - black & blue w/thin white accent strip, like the hs/tr cover. Most likely another Guild Darkstar in the same location as the Teiscobird - as I like the way they look and sound, A black (?) bridge (a couple options), 500k V/T pots etc, and knobs? I'll have to see what works best.

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The neck profile is more like my TeiscoT-45bird Goth neck (slimmer) compared to the baseball-bat style Goth neck on the Teiscobird. Both Goth necks, both different in a couple ways. (headstock details also) I like both but because of spending so many years playing (only) my '64 T-bird II (slim profile) - I guess I prefer slim. In general I enjoy playing all kinds of different necks (P's, J's, T-birds, short and medium scales) which all inspire different playing approaches.
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A cool detail - it's under the clear-coat.
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#376
As much as the addition of the Hipshot Drop-D tuner is welcomed on my Teiscobird, I realized that the David Bowie song "Heroes" is actually really easy to play in drop-D. Meaning, once detuned the whole song can be played without switching back to standard E. And as it's second to last on the set-list - easy retuning back to E for the last short song will be a breeze. So... that leaves me still considering my original TSC's bass - my red '93 Fender J for our show next Saturday. I'll already have my '66 Oly white J there for Bond Girl and I won't want to bring yet another bass so the Teiscobird may have to wait for another opportunity in the future. What really grabbed my ears was the decision to drop in an Audere JZ3 pre that I took out of another bass - and it sounds great! I mean, it sounded good with the original passive set-up with TBX tone pot(s) and Nordstrand NJ4 pu's, but the mid-boosts for treble and bass and 3-way tone switch highlight it's best characteristics. (and its slim profile J neck is a favorite of mine) I also shifted the lower strap peg over so it stands w/o fear of falling over against an amp. My '93 J has had about every part replaced (era specific Deluxe Schaller tuners, Schaller 3-D bridge, pearl pg, Nordy pu's, and now the Audere pre) which only made it better than it originally was. It originally had Schaller standard tuners on it and the neck pu died so I replaced them with the Nordy's. The bridge was a strange carry-over from the early 80's with wide spacing that put the E & G strings on the edges of the fb. Some players like it fine, but it always was throwing my fingering off. So it's not like those parts needed to be replaced - just my own fussyness related to aesthetics and function. Bottom line, these basses will never be "collectors items" because of stick-in-the-mud Fender traditionalists who mock it's redefined body with a longer upper horn. (that accommodated a full length 22 fret neck - no ramp) Here's a great example of how closed minds give those who appreciate a quality instrument w/o snobby bias a gift - they are still commonly available for a very reasonable price. (I bought mine for $650) And on top of that, they are US made and they are "vintage"!

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early TSC's identity branding still in use included the red J
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#377
As usual the evolution of a build in the conceptual stage is open-ended and ever-changing. I decided that instead of cloning the Teiscobird, I want this one to go it's own course with more horsepower. I found some affordable T-bird (nickel-plated like the originals) chrome pu's w/rings. So the direction is now firmly in the T-bird IV arena. (2 pu's, VVT) The overarching reference and interface of a T-bird but reimagined thought the lens of 1960's Japan. (as in, a Fender Jaguar/Jazzmaster clone) Because of this, I may shift back to a creme pg, but that's not set in stone yet. I just like the simple one ply creme to deliver the retro vibe. (plus I want to use creme knobs - I need another V knob)

Thunderbird Bass Pickups with Rings - Nickel | eBay

2 hum-bucker pu's, positioned in the exact location of my '64 T-bird and they fit very nicely into my existing design. Because they are chrome, the tuners and bridge will go chrome. Maybe a bridge/string stop-bar combo like on a Gibson.

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#379
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Ordered a set of these Gotoh tuners - always liked the shape of the paddle for this style of 'modern' tuner. Also like solid barrel posts and these “Rock-Solid”TM String Posts apparently are a tighter fit with no side-to-side movement like most tuner posts. Sorry for the large pic, it's from the eBay post. Gotoh makes quality products and these look much nicer than the generic 'modern' tuners that were on the Epi neck from the factory.
 
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