My blacked-out Blacktop P:
View attachment 1015712
Nice. I could dig playing that. Familiar, but a bit off the most-trodden path.
Honestly, a reverse P-bass with the pickup just slightly closer to the bridge than normal would be a killer bass, I think. But then, I also think that the Rickenbacker 4000 is the best P-bass made.
Poms are English people, although in this case, it would British and Irish backpackers on the beach. The origin of the term is both disputed and uncertain. Geordie is a dialect of English quite closely related to Danish.
A very interesting and distinctive dialect. From the north of England or something, right?
Should come that way stock, with all the chrome.
It sounds like a completely different instrument. There was something not quite there with the original electronics - not very thunderous. 'Soggy cardboard' was one description. It was slightly counterintuitive also, as you might expect active electronics to have a higher output, but the passive pickups are noticeably hotter.
There are 9k2 pups in both positions and the neck pup definitely dominates. I did have them more balanced for a few days, but it sounds better with more output from the neck pup. It's a bit throatier if you back the bridge pup off a notch to around 8, due I think to a tiny bit of phase cancellation going on when they are both maxed.
Should I go down the Thunderbucker path, there will be the quandary of whether to put in a proper neck and bridge pair, or go for 2x highest output again.
I get around the phase cancellation with a series control. Really robust sound to that.
Replaced the stock pickups with thunderbuckers. Definitely a lot brighter and more defined sounding. Combined with the series wiring it's a really fat sounding bass, but without being at all muddy.
That's a Bumper I'd actually play.
Anything that's not just another P or J interests me these days.
I like the pickup placement on it a lot. Bridge/mid pickup and true neck pickup.
The killswitch on my Epi Blackbird is a great feature- I use it all the time! Breaking at a gig, I just hit the killswitch. Tuning? Hit the killswitch. Between tunes and there's a tech issue? Killswitch. Band practice, any reaon when we're not playing that makes no noise a good idea... I miss it on the Hamer now- it's b ecoming a standard item on all Roger's basses...
I just hit the tuner when I'm tuning. Mutes the signal. When I was still using the non-muting output of the tuner, I just put my amp on standby when tuning.
Interesting to read about the different ways you guys are using a killswitch/tuner to mute between songs.
In my band we have a rack on stage by the keyboard player, which houses all our wireless gear (2 microphone, 1 bass, 1 guitar and dual IE monitoring), sound card , power conditioner, patch bays and rack tuner.
The rack tuner is mounted on the back of the rack, so I can see it all the time. It has two channels (one for bass - the other for guitar) and two switch pedals connected - one for switching channels and one for mute.
So for tuning or switching between instruments I will press the mute and/or channel switch accordingly - Works perfectly for the venues we are playing.
None of us in Catapult have any rack gear except for my amp. We're pretty much all just using Boss TU-3 tuner pedals for tuning. We all have pedalboards except the keyboardist/3rd guitarist, so it makes sense to just have our tuners on our boards (3rd guitar keeps his on top of his amp).
We don't have any wireless stuff. Being in a 6-piece, I'm usually not far from my pedalboard anyway, partly because there just isn't room, and partly because I need to engage effects at various times.
Well, maybe it's not for everyone. As far as signal considerations I don't have a very complex setup... if I use any pedal at all, it's a pre-type thing like a SansAmp VT pedal, if I think I need a little more 'stank' in my sound... I'm not into a lot of signal-chaining most of the time, so that's not an issue. But aside from silence for tuning, etc, I do play a few different gigs which present their respective reasons to use it:
At the reggae band ("Roots Reaction") gigs, our singer/keyboardist stops a lot between tunes to turn around and take a sip of his Guiness (which is annoying, he does it when the dance floor is full of revellers, leaving them to wait...), and sometimes we have technical issues- because that's the laid-back, not-very-together kind of thing that goes with that band. So the killswitch comes into play sometimes. Funny little outfit, but the music is good, and very organic. But I'm ready to quit every other week...
The quasi-jam-band/rock gig ("Angry Farmer") is a little like it in approach, but not nearly as awkward! Which is, you know, great.
But it's still a tad quirky, and little interruptions happen, which are worked into our performances. It's kind of a party band.
The rock-band-in-earnest ("Project Alice") is just starting up, but I find that for rehearsals the Killswitch is a great way to make sure I don't generate any distracting noise between tunes or while others are discussing a part, etc. I really hate when you're trying to deal with a bit and someone (the guitar player!) has a fit of right-hand-Tourettes syndrome
-- "BRRRRAAAANNNGGGG!!!". So for me, it's a handy way to make sure that at least
I can shut up! It's an easy reach to the killswitch...
I had a Peavey T-40 years ago that I did some severe remodeling to (ok, we'll just let that go...
), and one of the coolest parts of that hack-job was the killswitch I put in. I'd forgotten, until recently, after running across this Blackbird of mine, what a good idea I thought it was at the time. Mister Sixx was thinking on my page! Well, for a second...
At rehearsal there's not enough space for me to move far from my board, so if I need to silence my bass, I just mute it with the tuner pedal, or put the amp on standby, or both.
My board is a bit complicated, but that's the only complex part of my signal chain.
Its signal path goes:
Boss TU-3 -> Korg Miku Stomp -> EHX Ravish Sitar -> custom Dunwich Muff fuzzbox -> Morley Dual Bass Wah -> EHX Holy Grail Nano
Then into the amp (Mesa/Boogie D-180, though I used a friend's Ampeg SVT at our show last night), and then into the cab (Sunn 2000S 2x15).
A bit extreme but you could have the fingerboard replaced. A nice piece of ebony perhaps ???
Or bubinga. Black and red.
Ok - if you had a stereo output bass like Ric-o-sound ? thingy ; could you plug each of those outputs into one of the amp channels?
Yes. You could do this with a 70s Ampeg SVT or today's SVT-VR.
My bird is in dire need of a nut job. I can shove 2 quarters above the first fret on the E string.
I did find this bird has a brass nut
I consider nuts almost as disposable as strings. But then I've never owned an instrument with a brass nut, either, so that's probably why.
Has anyone used a chrome replacement 3-point (Babicz/Hipshot) on a bass with all nickel hardware? Is the colour difference noticeable?
Yeah, but it's mainly because the pickups are a bit aged, while the bridge is brand new.
Cro-Magnon or not, you are still made out of star stuff like the rest of us (thank you Carl Sagan).
Yeah, and if the bridge and tuners were chrome, only the pup covers would be nickel and nobody would probably notice anyway.
We're all Cro-Magnons, really. It's just the name for an early fossil example of the anatomically modern human species.
The bassist in both of the pics are defying conventional TB wisdom..............
That you must play a 7ender P bass with flats and a tort PG. Then be sure to stand in the shadows off to one side of the drummer and claim to be "holding down the groove" or some other such crap. Top it off by wearing cargo shorts and flip flops, then complain on TB that nobody notices you or your playing and plan a ragequit from your band.
Ew. I hate tort, I'm one of the most animated members of my band, and I don't wear shorts or flip flops.
You forgot the fedora and hawaiian shirt, though, in your description of the typical, conventional TBer.
It looks like bloody vomit to me.
wh-- nothing! Ha ha... (rolls eyes)
You know that reference to the "Sensitive New Age Guy"... he's in his 50s and has a ponytail. I had a ponytail when I lived in Miami. Sometimes. Now I wear hats.
I used to have long hair, which I kept in a ponytail except when playing shows or attending them. Started going bald, so I buzzed my hair really short.
Do they make 6-string T-birds? I've seen plenty of 4's, some 5's, but never anything more than that
Pretty sure Gibson hasn't ever made any, but custom makers might.
Continued: Stock 3 point bridge replacement on 2009/12 Epiphone bird, with Babicz aftermarket replacement bridge.
The bushings push right back in very easily, until the last 1/4 inch then you really have to give it a shove ( I assume these are tapered and that explains that) . I put a bolt in there to remove it, and couldn't do it by hand, had to get the hammer out again. I wouldn't put any glue in there at all since Epiphone never thought they needed any glue, but the design on the Babicz is different (and probably even less likely to pull out). I think I'm going to just put a little bit of Elmers glue at the bottom of the bushings and call it good. Also avoiding the ground wire in the one hole.
Might it not have been easier to just pull the ground wire up through the hole so you could solder it to the Babicz bridge's bass plate, or just squish it under there?
There's the Low End LET Bird 6:
View attachment 1018737
Huh. Not really digging how that looks. Just looks off to me with a neck and body that wide.
For a great strap on a TBird, go for a 3" Couch 77 or 78 I had them make it almost a foot longer to accommodate my ape arms and height. The 3" padded part holds the bird better than most anything I've used. $57 is hard to beat
Couch straps FTW!
They do custom widths/lengths?
NGD!
Yep, you read right - And now you're warned of 6-string content...
Just got this 2nd hand Epi Firebird today for $ 142:
View attachment 1018843
It has some smaller issues, that I need to sort out (missing hex nut on the jack and one of the Steinberger tuners is missing a part - But otherwise in fine condition with a nice straight neck and all tuners working.
Nice. Don't suppose anyone's ever made any tuners like that for bass?
Haven't popped in here in a fair bit, been mostly hanging out on The Gear Page reading up on Marshalls. Gotta sell some stuff, I'll let y'all have first crack if I put a bird on the block, but I'm looking forward to trying out the Greco plugged into my incoming JTM 45/100!
Don't sell the Greco, whatever you do!
Of course if true, the intent of that anecdote was to show Hill up as being a thick Brummie yokel, whereas in reality it's indicative of a quick and wicked sense of humour.
It's remarkably difficult to find decent smoked and/or streaky bacon in this country. The cold North has its benefits.
I think it also illustrates the silliness and pretentiousness of some luxury items.
Anyone here ever try 'jumpering' a 2 channel valve head? Jumpering gave good results with locally built AC30s (for guitar) back in the day but not sure I've ever seen anyone doing it with bass. I've seen a pup run into each channel in a pseudo-stereo configuration but that's not quite the same.
Lots of people with the two channel SVTs (70s models and the current SVT-VR) do that. I think I've heard of it being done on a Mesa 400+, too, though you have to do it differently.
What? No tuner or volume pedal to mute the signal?
No excuse even without; most guitar amps have standby switches.
Are epi bolt ons eligible here? I joined a soad tribute, lost the love for my odd man out bass, sr500, and jumped at the opportunity to trade it for a Gothic and $100 including a bag and strap. It was a wrestle to set it up for drop C, but I was able to do it by adding a lot of neck relief, and tilting the bridge back to put tension on the saddles. I also had to crimp the ends of the .115 string to get it to fit in the bridge.
It has the look I need, and the sound is not bad either, though I may upgrade the pickups eventually. If the band starts getting the higher pay gigs, I might get a "real one". I am pretty happy with this one though, the black satin finish on the back of the neck is really nice.
I would be curious to date it. It is Korean made and the serial number starts with letter I . it does not feel nearly as cheap as I expected either.
Any T-bird is eligible here. People rocking Gibsons, Epiphones, Grecos, Jacksons, etc. in this thread.
At 23.55 one of the cats went into the bathroom and started digging - an appropriate send off to the year.
Not that 2016 was **all** bad. I have a man who isn't a total dick (at least 25% of the time), 2 beautiful cats, good friends and a job that keeps food on the table. And then I mess around with a small group of Thunderbird/Gibson bass obsessives from all over the world.
Could be much worse eh? Much, much worse.
As terrible as this year has been for me personally, and in pop culture, a ton of music I love has been released this year.
Starting to retolex one of my 2000s cabs today. And also still super antsy to get the Marshall. I've wanted one for years.
I wish the proper tolex pattern came in grey.
ebony or alpine white.
