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The Epiphone Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter JaySeeDoubleYou
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Cool, there is an Epiphone Thunderbird club! May I join and get a number? Below is my brand new T-bird.
Anything I should do or check? The top strap pin is up behind the neck already so I don't have to do that mod. Should I keep the Chinese strings on 'til 1 or more break? Please don't tell me to change them when they don't sound good anymore. I'm brand new to everything musical so I'm sure I won't notice when they need changing.
What's a good set of strings to put on? I've seen RotoSound mentioned. Do they play good on a Thunderbird? Or should I go with another brand?
Thanks . . .
Anything I should do or check? The top strap pin is up behind the neck already so I don't have to do that mod. Should I keep the Chinese strings on 'til 1 or more break? Please don't tell me to change them when they don't sound good anymore. I'm brand new to everything musical so I'm sure I won't notice when they need changing.
What's a good set of strings to put on? I've seen RotoSound mentioned. Do they play good on a Thunderbird? Or should I go with another brand?
Thanks . . .
Keep the strings. If you are new, they will serve fine until you get some.learning in. The bright sound will fade as they collect dirt and dead pulverised skin in the outer winding. Then you can change them. There's no need to spend the money now, learn first.
String brands and gauges are personal choices that you develop over time and experimentation. Roto's, d'addario's, DR's and many others are fine brands but again strings are a personal thing. Read up on how to change strings properly, there's more to it than you would expect.
Find a good Luthier and get a fret job and setup, medium action. This will make learning more enjoyable. Understand that a.brand new offshore instrument is not optimized for playing, rather just 'good enough' and will b e flawed. A pro can dial it in for you.
Other than that, read these forums and learn all about your bass. Play the heck out of it too!
String brands and gauges are personal choices that you develop over time and experimentation. Roto's, d'addario's, DR's and many others are fine brands but again strings are a personal thing. Read up on how to change strings properly, there's more to it than you would expect.
Find a good Luthier and get a fret job and setup, medium action. This will make learning more enjoyable. Understand that a.brand new offshore instrument is not optimized for playing, rather just 'good enough' and will b e flawed. A pro can dial it in for you.
Other than that, read these forums and learn all about your bass. Play the heck out of it too!
Been a while since I've been on the forum but here's my slightly modified Goth Thunderbird.
I bought it from the US with the Hipshot bridge already fitted. Since then I've added a set of EMG HZs and a set of Roto flats. I have also recently added a set of Fretfx LEDs to help with dark stages.
The scratchplate is the original but I managed to find a decent picture of the '76 thunderbird and printed it onto white sticker paper.
I've also done the front strap button mod to the front of the heel and the Gibson TRC is just for the hell of it to confuse people.
The Darth Vader knob has been on all of my Thunderbirds
I've been through about 70 odd basses, partly thanks to this forum, from a £3000 Modulus Flea, a dozen Stingrays & Ricks to free junk and this is without a doubt 'my' bass.
Most basses I feel that I am carrying but I feel that I am wearing this one.
It doesn't really do slap but I'm not interested in that. What it does do is a nice deep, trebly, full, growly bass tone that I can use from function/wedding work through to rock and even a Beatles tribute band.
Its the only bass I have or need.
I bought it from the US with the Hipshot bridge already fitted. Since then I've added a set of EMG HZs and a set of Roto flats. I have also recently added a set of Fretfx LEDs to help with dark stages.
The scratchplate is the original but I managed to find a decent picture of the '76 thunderbird and printed it onto white sticker paper.
I've also done the front strap button mod to the front of the heel and the Gibson TRC is just for the hell of it to confuse people.
The Darth Vader knob has been on all of my Thunderbirds
I've been through about 70 odd basses, partly thanks to this forum, from a £3000 Modulus Flea, a dozen Stingrays & Ricks to free junk and this is without a doubt 'my' bass.
Most basses I feel that I am carrying but I feel that I am wearing this one.
It doesn't really do slap but I'm not interested in that. What it does do is a nice deep, trebly, full, growly bass tone that I can use from function/wedding work through to rock and even a Beatles tribute band.
Its the only bass I have or need.
Something I've been meaning to do for ages is to get myself into the 21st century so I can connect my bass to my computer but haven't managed to get round to it yet.
Personally, the Rotos are completely different to all the other flats I've tried. I was going through an Iron Maiden phase but felt that the Steve Harris strings may be a bit too high tension so I got a regular 45 set.
They sound unlike anything else I've ever used. They're very clear, warm, growly when I dig in and smooth, very smooth.
In a live setting they sound like rounds with the new clank taken off them but still clear as a bell. that's after about 7 months so far.
I had heard about flats settling in and the tone changing but these sound the same after 7 months as they did straight out of the packet. the reason I know this is I had a new set on another bass and they felt and sounded the same.
Tension wise they're between TIs and Chromes. I found the TIs too floppy and the Chromes too high tension. These are just right.
Just found this forum and really enjoyed seeing all the 'Birds floating around.
Here's my Silverburst:
Only change so far is a set of flats and straplocks. May move the button to the Epi plate behind the neck and see how it does, but the neck dive really hasn't gotten to the point of bothering me yet.
Don't suppose I could get a number, could I?
(sorry about the crappy images, stupid phone camera)
Here's my Silverburst:
Only change so far is a set of flats and straplocks. May move the button to the Epi plate behind the neck and see how it does, but the neck dive really hasn't gotten to the point of bothering me yet.
Don't suppose I could get a number, could I?
(sorry about the crappy images, stupid phone camera)
I really like the look of the nickle bridge and pick-ups on that burst.
They look a lot better than the factory black.
What pick-ups are those?
They look a lot better than the factory black.
What pick-ups are those?
BluesBear said:
Those pickups are stock on the Silverburst. I have a set from my Silverburst sitting in my case, I had bought my Epi Tbird from a TBer who installed TV Jones Thundertrons on it.
Wow!
The one I looked at at Guitar Center looked just like this one.
I didn't really care for the sound (or the look) so I bought a T-Bird Pro instead.
But if it had looked that nice I probably would have tried harder to get a better sound with it.
Yup - what they said, straight out of the box stock. When I looked at them on the Epiphone site it showed them in black too. Had to go to a couple of GCs in the Dallas area to find a silver one and was really surprised with the look of the chrome. I'm usually not into it at all, but when I saw it I fell in love with the look, so much better than the black IMHO.
I just scored a super clean used Epi T, but the PUP's were apparently misadjusted. I raised 'em to about 1/8 to 3/16" from the strings and I think they sound OK. Where do you guys like your PUP's?
I adjust mine high enough to where they both have comparable output but low enough to not hit them with a pick if I'm playing right over them.
Just got this in a trade for a 5-string that I found myself putting back in the stand after 3 tunes. Just a stock Chinese Epi T-Bird, but after moving the strap-buttons I have it hanging without neck-dive. Played it at a gig last night, and I'm getting to know it, and like it.
I will be looking into mods... but it needs better tuners, some steel wool at the back of the neck, and I might even try to buff-out the finish a bit. It's a little "warbly-looking" in reflected light, and being a carpenter, that bugs me a tad!
I also may be looking for new p'ups, although honestly I don't really mind a little mud in my tone, even though I've been pretty spoiled by my Hamer Cruisebass with an Artec preamp mod installed. But, IF I could make this old toy sound more clear, and even Rickenbacker-like, I'd do it, if it weren't through-the-roof cost wise. It's a cheap bass after all! It will however be seeing a lot of use.
One impetus for the swap here has was that the standard shapes, for certain ergonomic reasons, don't serve me so well. For such reason I modded my Hamer bass, some of you may have seen that thread... so this represents my search for logistical contentment! So far I like it.
Besides, it's the coolest shape in rock n' roll.
I will be looking into mods... but it needs better tuners, some steel wool at the back of the neck, and I might even try to buff-out the finish a bit. It's a little "warbly-looking" in reflected light, and being a carpenter, that bugs me a tad!
I also may be looking for new p'ups, although honestly I don't really mind a little mud in my tone, even though I've been pretty spoiled by my Hamer Cruisebass with an Artec preamp mod installed. But, IF I could make this old toy sound more clear, and even Rickenbacker-like, I'd do it, if it weren't through-the-roof cost wise. It's a cheap bass after all! It will however be seeing a lot of use.
One impetus for the swap here has was that the standard shapes, for certain ergonomic reasons, don't serve me so well. For such reason I modded my Hamer bass, some of you may have seen that thread... so this represents my search for logistical contentment! So far I like it.
Besides, it's the coolest shape in rock n' roll.
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