Thunderbird Club

[Engle]

I’ll be back home in a few days, then I’ll take a couple of pics. Hopefully by then I’ll have my other Tbird back from the luthier and the new white pick guard to replace the skull on the Simmons.

Yeah that logo on the Simmons bass is cheesy.

 

[KaraQ]

I would replace…..think of electrolytics as in seals in a car…

Thanks


Am I wrong in assuming physical size needs to be as similar as possible for this sort of application?

 

[BklynKen]

Yeah that logo on the Simmons bass is cheesy.

And as of yet, inaccurate!

 

[GBassNorth]

I would replace…..think of electrolytics as in seals in a car…

I don’t get it, how is that like seals in a car???

 

[BklynKen]

I don’t get it, how is that like seals in a car???
View attachment 4897903

It's just vanilla ice cream.

 

[GBassNorth]

In the meantime, I am gassing for another Tbird to feel more comfortable taking out and about. How do you guys here like the Epiphone Vintage Pro model from about 5 years ago?

IMHO there are at least two sleepers in the Tbird used market - the Eppi VP at any price under $600 and the Eppi CP at any price under $500. If you keep a keen watch you’ll see these pop up in Reverb, GC, TB Classifieds and EBay every so often at these prices or better. You’ll see a slew of them at higher prices, but if you watch close and act fast you can get either one at or under the prices I’ve noted.

The VP is going to be very close to the vintage Gibson Tbird in looks and sound, whereas the CP is going to be very close to the modern Gibson Tbird in looks and sound.

The VP is easy to spot with the tell tale chrome pups and two piece bridge. The CP is much more difficult to spot (and now that it’s discontinued it’s rare to boot), but look for the Eppi with the two screw black plastic pickups (vs standard three screw) and neck through look (vs the standard bolt on neck). Many CP sellers assume the CP is a standard Epiphone IV and price the sale down around $300 to $400, it’s really a much better instrument than that and should be priced in about the $700 plus category along with the VP.

 

[GBassNorth]

It's just vanilla ice cream.

Now I get it!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

there’s literally after market enhancements for everything……cool after market Dynaco enhancement kits…

got a preamp that uses a (very toxic) old school selenium rectifier for the dc fed filaments…
View attachment 4897685

the way forward is to literally rebuild/upgrade the power supplies….and of course a little company (SDS) makes the whole replacement kit designed to go into the same space…so cool…
below, a kit (upper left corner new blue electrolytics from the same company for the 70, power amp…..
View attachment 4897686
​

It's been a hot minute since I've seen a selenium rectifier. The first time I saw one, as a teenager, it was smoking. Fortunately for me, I had the windows open. I knew I'd seen a picture of that puppy, so went digging in my books and found it - along with the "DON'T INHALE OR INGEST THIS OR YOU WILL DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH" warning. This was before equivalent diodes were available (at least on my budget), so that TV I had picked up off the curb on trash day became a parts donor. I never got that good at repairing TVs, but I learned a TON about electronics (theory and practice) trying.

Today you can pick up 1N400X (1A at various voltage thresholds) diodes for pennies each. And if the magic smoke gets out, it won't immediately turn into a lung-seeking Nagini.

 

[KaraQ]

It's just vanilla ice cream.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I would replace…..think of electrolytics as in seals in a car…

I love the car analogies, Chuck!

Kara, you could certainly resolder, but electrolytics that old - especially if they've been sitting unused, are likely to either already be bad or let go very soon after you start playing whatever they're in. If it were collectable and I wanted to preserve the look, I'd gut the can and put new caps inside it (with an annotation as to that so no one could claim deceit later).

 

[Miles_ONeal]

IMHO there are at least two sleepers in the Tbird used market - the Eppi VP at any price under $600 and the Eppi CP at any price under $500. If you keep a keen watch you’ll see these pop up in Reverb, GC, TB Classifieds and EBay every so often at these prices or better. You’ll see a slew of them at higher prices, but if you watch close and act fast you can get either one at or under the prices I’ve noted.

The VP is going to be very close to the vintage Gibson Tbird in looks and sound, whereas the CP is going to be very close to the modern Gibson Tbird in looks and sound.

The VP is easy to spot with the tell tale chrome pups and two piece bridge. The CP is much more difficult to spot (and now that it’s discontinued it’s rare to boot), but look for the Eppi with the two screw black plastic pickups (vs standard three screw) and neck through look (vs the standard bolt on neck). Many CP sellers assume the CP is a standard Epiphone IV and price the sale down around $300 to $400, it’s really a much better instrument than that and should be priced in about the $700 plus category along with the VP.

The immediate giveaway that the CP is not a basic IV is that the jack is on the end rather than the front.

 

[JIO]

Am I the only one that finds those dolls creepy?

I think everyone finds them creepy, especially as a kid. They were/are really fun to watch though.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Thanks


Am I wrong in assuming physical size needs to be as similar as possible for this sort of application?

In this case, follow Yoda's advice. "Size matters not."

You want the same or higher capacitance (uF) and voltage, such as the Vishay/Sprague axial (note the lead placement):
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You don't have to use an axial cap, but it's usually easier to replace axial with axial, radial with radial.

 

[TBird1958]

IMHO there are at least two sleepers in the Tbird used market - the Eppi VP at any price under $600 and the Eppi CP at any price under $500. If you keep a keen watch you’ll see these pop up in Reverb, GC, TB Classifieds and EBay every so often at these prices or better. You’ll see a slew of them at higher prices, but if you watch close and act fast you can get either one at or under the prices I’ve noted.

The VP is going to be very close to the vintage Gibson Tbird in looks and sound, whereas the CP is going to be very close to the modern Gibson Tbird in looks and sound.

The VP is easy to spot with the tell tale chrome pups and two piece bridge. The CP is much more difficult to spot (and now that it’s discontinued it’s rare to boot), but look for the Eppi with the two screw black plastic pickups (vs standard three screw) and neck through look (vs the standard bolt on neck). Many CP sellers assume the CP is a standard Epiphone IV and price the sale down around $300 to $400, it’s really a much better instrument than that and should be priced in about the $700 plus category along with the VP.

The lower 'Bout on each of the Epiphones (VP and CP) is shaped differently than a Gibson as well.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Thanks


Am I wrong in assuming physical size needs to be as similar as possible for this sort of application?

the modern replacement (same capacitance value) will be smaller by about 1/3…..I would not go much higher (10 or l5% max) in capacitance value as you may stress the rectifiers with the turn on inrush current….

 

[PaleAngel_90]

My '76 about 18 years ago:
View attachment 4897792

...which I sold last year to pay some bills and to enable a VP purchase. Haven't regretted selling it all. (Lives nearby which helps too).
The Bassman 4x12" is gone too but every other thing is still in my possession. The Hamer heavily modded/mutilated 'though.

Gorgeous Ric and T-Bird, also you had a gorgeous mane of hair, mostly straight hair no? What color is it?

 

[PaleAngel_90]

I don’t get it, how is that like seals in a car???
View attachment 4897903

What's a Seal doing in a Renault? Those are very unreliable cars. My father had two as work cars (years apart from one another) and they spent more time in the mechanics shop than in the road. And my father is the type to baby cars, even work ones.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Any Michelle Malone and Drag the River fans here? Great band despite their lack of a Thunderbird bass. One of those bands that should have made it big but didn't quite. Probably just timing. Ugh.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

What's a Seal doing in a Renault? Those are very unreliable cars. My father had two as work cars (years apart from one another) and they spent more time in the mechanics shop than in the road. And my father is the type to baby cars, even work ones.

My dad had an old beater Renault in the mid-60s. Worked fine, as far as I recall. That was the one with the holes in the floor which let it keep going without floating away in El Paso flash floods.

 

[GBassNorth]

What's a Seal doing in a Renault? Those are very unreliable cars. My father had two as work cars (years apart from one another) and they spent more time in the mechanics shop than in the road. And my father is the type to baby cars, even work ones.

I have no idea why that seal is in there, but I have heard horror stories about Renault cars.
In 1985 I purchased a Jeep Cherokee SUV and at the time Jeep was owned by AMC Jeep Renault. Was pretty much a problem free car and fantastic off road but I suspect the technology used in the car was mostly carryover from pre Renault days.