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Thunderbird Club

#226,603
dagrev said:
No. No one said anything about Gaudy Bird anything. :roflmao:

Man, that looks so amazing.:drool::drool::drool:

Again, Gibson should pay for the design.
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LOL - truth be told, I would have never come up with that body shape for a bass if it had never been created in the first place. So hats off to Gibson for commissioning the design to an out of the box designer back in the 1960’s. The whole 3 pup thing and very unique wiring setup that I did is something that Gibson or Epiphone really needs to offer, it drastically adds to the flexibility and authority of the bass without sacrificing any of the good stuff we all love. Would probably add $150 to the cost of an Eppi VP or Gibby NR.
 
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#226,604
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#226,605
PaleAngel_90 said:
Bolted-on neck? 1 volume per pickup but no tone?
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Bolt on neck done the right way (not some cheap 4 bolt neck plate with sloppy oversized holes), six large counter sunk screws with collets…
30D51766-10AA-47F2-9F6F-D9919E354267.jpeg


Each pickup has its own dedicated volume and tone control. The stacked miniature long shaft 250k/500k pots were not available on the market so I custom built them. It offers a HUGE array of sounds, and yet doesn’t deviate far in looks from a standard three knob bird, by far my most flexible passive Tbird….
3919366D-8186-47B3-AF56-4EDD00EA915D.jpeg
 
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#226,606
GBassNorth said:
Now you have me thinking.
One of the outcomes I found with the BlingBird was the massive heft and fullness in tone the neck pup brings when placed up near the fretboard and blended in properly with the other two pups (and that was with Chinabuckers). I’d Imagine a VP with a third VP pickup added at the neck and tastefully blended in with the other pickups could possibly close that heft gap and bring down the brightness a bit.
Hmmmmm, I do have a couple of spare VP pups, and a VP, I wonder…..
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As much as I'm not a fan of pickups not being it the original "magic" locations, I have thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if a neck VP location were moved slightly towards the neck for a slightly bigger sound. May not work at all, but then again..... So I think you idea is right on the money, and better because it would be variable, unlike moving a pickup. Call Gibson!
 
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#226,607
dagrev said:
As much as I'm not a fan of pickups not being it the original "magic" locations, I have thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if a neck VP location were moved slightly towards the neck for a slightly bigger sound. May not work at all, but then again..... So I think you idea is right on the money, and better because it would be variable, unlike moving a pickup. Call Gibson!
Click to expand...
Heck with Gibson or Epiphone, too much red tape and delays. If someone will donate a working VP to me I’ll add a third VP pup at the neck and wire it up like the BlingBird.
 
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#226,608
GBassNorth said:
LOL - truth be told, I would have never come up with that body shape for a bass if it had never been created in the first place. So hats off to Gibson for commissioning the design to an out of the box designer back in the 1960’s. The whole 3 pup thing and very unique wiring setup that I did is something that Gibson or Epiphone really needs to offer, it drastically adds to the flexibility and authority of the bass without sacrificing any of the good stuff we all love. Would probably add $150 to the cost of an Eppi VP or Gibby NR.
Click to expand...
GIBSON, ARE YOU LISTENING???

No.:rollno:
 
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#226,609
GBassNorth said:
Bolt on neck done the right way (not some cheap 4 bolt neck plate with sloppy oversized holes), six large counter sunk screws with collets…
View attachment 4856751

Each pickup has its own dedicated volume and tone control. The stacked miniature long shaft 250k/500k pots were not available on the market so I custom built them. It offers a HUGE array of sounds, and yet doesn’t deviate far in looks from a standard three knob bird, by far my most flexible passive Tbird….
View attachment 4856750
Click to expand...
Stop with the lust inducing pics! That Bird should be in the Smithsonian!
 
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#226,615
dagrev said:
I can understand why. But you might like the older style. Not sure how it affects the tone, but I would think it softens it up a bit.
Click to expand...


That's my thinking too, I like my basses to have a lot of bite if I want it. I don't care about keeping it stock as long as there are no holes and that bridge will also function as a string through. I am going to try it stock though but imagine I'll switch to a metal bridge sooner or later, those things can roar with SS Rotos and a pick. I'm just a frustrated old hard rock (not metal) bassist. :laugh:
 
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