Thunderbird Club Pt III

[cubanbass]

Okay, I lied -- I do have a photo, though it's not that great:

You have one very beautiful bass! It's nice that you give it some play time, I understand being a collector and buying a nice "piece" but a bass like that needs to be played.

Very nice choice with the DRs too! I use Low Riders but I like the idea of heavy High Beams. Will give those a try next time I change strings.

 

[godofthunder59]

I have long heard that early Gibson lap steel pickups were the precursor to the Thunderbird pickup. I stopped by a local shop today and they had a 1960 Gibson lap steel with a pickup that looks just like a Thunderbird pup but with two rows of pole pieces. A first for me! I have heard of this connection but never seen it in person. I took pics with my cell phone, never posted pics from it, I will try and post them.
__________________
Scott Dasson maker of the Badbird Bridge. The direct replacement bridge for vintage Gibson Thunderbirds. "Intonation without modification"

 

[Dadagoboi]

-- but what makes you think the bridge was moved?

The distance between the bridge and tailpiece and the location of the bridge saddles. If your bass intonates properly the bridge has to have been moved. The entire run of 60's TBirds and Embassies had the bridge 1/4" too far from the nut making them impossible to intonate. The two center holes and screws in your tailpiece appear to be different than the original 3 and the distance between the tailpiece and bridge should be approximately 1/2". I've never seen an original Gibson tailpiece with more than 3 holes.

Here's John Entwistle '64 IV. Notice how close the bridge is to the tailpiece and where the saddles are in an attempt to intonate it. JAE had Peter Cook get the bridges positioned correctly when he built his FenderBirds. Godofthunder's BadBird bridge also fixes the problem.

 

[TBird1958]

Okay, I lied -- I do have a photo, though it's not that great:

This is the Holy Grail of Thunderbirds for me!

Thank you for sharing!
I'll update the list, Welcome


TBird1958 #1
Godof Thunder59 #2
Funkster#3
Gibenbackerbass #4
Sidd Laroy #5
Jazzbo58 #6
Tender Prey #7
Showdown #8
The Mojo Hobo #9
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Stiles72 #11
Brenner182 #12
Baird6869 #13
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Tracii #17
Aditya #18
amimbari #19
knifedge #20
Nitrofix #21
Atoz #22
bassphreak #23
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bassclef112 #25
bassplayer8953 #26
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kruno maestro #29
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Kalik #31
winterburn69 #32
Walter Vega 33
Carlos 840 #34
Shadowtippy #35
Saltymonkey #36
lel95 #37
gaffster787 #38
mc2ny #39
Low Sound Love #40
BrianKrashpad #41
Deep Six #42
BenEd #43
Bassmachine2112 #44
ponkoponk #45
Heatheroo #46
darkside 88 #47
GCool#48
TedhHernstorm #49
Darbo #50
uncletupelo #51
Vaider #52
Rip Topaz #53
bmb73 #54
Badfish #55
Afireinside #56
Redstrand #57
reptyls #58
dabido #59
96tbird #60
whilke #61
JIO #63
thebrain #64
Rob Martinez #65
bazzandeson #66
PhR #67
Dr.Eagle #68
lowend1 #69 Mopar or no car!
Basvarken #70
s mcsleazy #71
Burruss #72
Matty H #73
moonshinegtrs #74
bass lord mutha #75
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Quadzilla #80
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ih8law #84
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rdwil191 #87
BluesBear #88
JAF #89
Swin #90
TBirdie #91
bassplayerbob #92
trevorguns #93
Clammy #94
jammi_fool #95
Molochnik #96
Rocker47 #97
Shark1 #98
BlueTalon #99
Fab Superlative #100
Doragon #5150
ThumpsAlot #102
Doelle #103
AllyDetours #104
Southway #105
mav #106
tw63 #107
Casperrobo #108
Killa #109
roffe #110
SOB H.R.MC #111
icks #112
thepunisher #113
PatQ #114
Venom of God #115
Jirishman #116
Midas #117
GibsonBassCAZ #118
snowblinder #119
Tilli #120
3l3phantstomp #121
Thrust Meatnozl #122
gaudenti #123
Birdbrain #124
CBTB #125
greghol #126
DV6 #127
marlond #128
DWest1981 #129
Shinji #130
jaibeau #131
Warrioralex #132
jonesn4bass #133
Rono7003 #134
hillerup #135
Dadagoboi #136
MRDOOM #137
secretsound5 #138
trevorguns #139
J Sinister #140
Capitian Bob #141
guitarded #142
Fullback32 #143
Johnny78 #144
jelenko #145
Jools4001 #146
Porkbun #147
Lucas G #148
NOT #149
JtheB #150
Andii Syckz #151
sj bass #152
FrankenIbanez70 #153
Nosgoth #154
Artyom76 #155
D Bopp #156
CDRhom #157
Mark4 #158
thepest #159
TheCush #160
Pure eVal #161
iamthebassman #162
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Wilbur88 #164
WillMuderface #165
Evsm73 #166
JB66#167
brettsto #168
TheProphet #169
mikeowen17 #170
Pharaohamps #171
dial666 #172
faivy #173
HAVOK #174
Astroburn #175
aLLard #176
MissionTbird #177
Thebassman2011 #178
DaM13N # 179
LanOsb133 #180
Lowner #181
Frankiebass59 #182
Justice #183
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spunkadizzle #185
quadrogong #186
Wolf C Red #187
guitarded #188
ledzep5296 #189
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Jamyi #193
Thunderbird90 #194
Cobra314 #195
Ric5 #196
ApocalypseDream #197
Gougedeye #198
okc-zee #199
NOLA Bass #200
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BWileyTally #204
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chibfarm2001 #206
thisSNsucks #207
mr.mow #208
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Zerstorte Zelle #217
MrNecroVol #218
Freddy-G #219
Regininblood #220
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gregoire1 #222
thundereagle #223
Geezer79 #224
cubanbas #225
Silverwolf1 #226
Mikaelbass #227
BruceBass3901 #228
Chris V #229

 

[ThaCoast]

Nice row of basses. Whats the distance between the 3point bridge and the tailpiece on what appears to be a 63 tbird II by orville if i'm correct? I'd like to have a tailpiece on my goth bird just i don't know what the proper distance should be for it to intonate correctly as i want to keep the stock 3point on my bird and add a tailpiece.

Thanks in advance,

Best regards, Andii.

 

[Mikaelbass]

GIBSON Thunderbird '79 Natural Finish 1979 Rare Classic Vintage Bass T-Bird | eBay

just saw that beauty! I assume someone on here would like a go at that *coughTbird*

Still waiting for my JMJ thunderbird! should be here by tuesday! Any tips for a good set up on a T bird? (keeping in mind it has a badass bridge)

 

[TBird1958]

Nice row of basses. Whats the distance between the 3point bridge and the tailpiece on what appears to be a 63 tbird II by orville if i'm correct? I'd like to have a tailpiece on my goth bird just i don't know what the proper distance should be for it to intonate correctly as i want to keep the stock 3point on my bird and add a tailpiece.

Thanks in advance,

Best regards, Andii.

Andii, if you're going to keep the three point in place the distance to the tail piece likely won't matter for intonation.
I'll leave you some pics of two points here for now, you should be able to get a chrome one like my Lull has thru him, it just won't be cheap.

 

[ThaCoast]

Well i finally got my thunderbird fixed!!!! So whatever i said asked bout a tailpiece behind the 3point, i have no use for it anymore. Besides, i'm broke now. At least i have everything i need to complete my project. All im missing is an opti-grab...Got some slight measurements but i don't think they are to fine point the true opti-grab which nikki sixx uses.

Anyway can't flipping wait to finally finish modding this bass, it seems like forever. but patience is key.

 

[4005]

I see both mine have three screws & my '68 has three as well, I never noticed that about the tailpiece before,

 

[godofthunder59]

Three screws for the tail piece is stock. I suspect that one has been modded.

 

[ThaCoast]

Hey guys,

Since rosetti doesn't produce them anymore, and no one seems to be selling them, i'm thinking about getting one of these Link Removed, paint it black and put it under my bridge just like the blackbird, or nikki's Mk II bird.

What do you guys think?

 

[Nocturnal]

That looks like it should work.

 

[TBird1958]

Here Andii.

 

[cubanbass]

What's the function of the opti grab? Palm rest for picking?

 

[ThaCoast]

Here Andii.

thx for the last image, its the missing measurement i was looking for.

thx t-bird58

 

[ThaCoast]

What's the function of the opti grab? Palm rest for picking?

it's to hook your pinky finger through to maintain control over the neck dive of the thunderbird. Nikki sixx has had that opti-grab since, if im not mistaken, his hamer birds from theatre of pain tour. and has been on everyone of his birds as far as i know.

 

[sj_bass]

Thanks for clearing that up! I thought this was the opti grab...
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HQr524Q5MZw/S4HqiUOJ9hI/AAAAAAAAADc/02BlG_6XmeE/s400/thejerk2.jpg

 

[TBird1958]

What's the function of the opti grab? Palm rest for picking?

I think we forget that he's a big guy, check out this pic of him with a post '88. He's anchoring his picking hand......
It's pretty much where I play too, I prefer a bridge cover to rest the outside edge of my pinkie on.

 

[cubanbass]

Thanks for the replies!

I love "The Jerk"

 

[Showdown]

I think we forget that he's a big guy, check out this pic of him with a post '88. He's anchoring his picking hand......
It's pretty much where I play too, I prefer a bridge cover to rest the outside edge of my pinkie on.

That has always just seemed like an awkward place to anchor your finger to me. When I play with a pick I tend to anchor mine just below the G string. That lets me move the location of picking to get different sounds. But when I get really into a song I tend to stop anchoring it all together and move my entire forearm. That is how I play in my punk band (I play fingerstyle in my other band).

On the '76 Tbird that I bought new when I was in high school (the one in my avatar) the chrome bridge cover has the chrome worn off of it where I used to rest my hand like you do with your pinky. I would rest the side of my hand there. But over the years playing different basses without bridge covers I had to change my technique.

This is how I do it now: