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Thunderbird Club

#235,785
Update on the string change:
I brought my NR with the new GHS Bass Boomers on it to practice on monday. They did sound better than the stock strings, but I'm still missing the full-on aggressive mid-thrust I'm used to from my P with the Curtis Novak PB-90 (that pickup is gold). It does sound great, but there is quite a bit of mid scoop and boomy lows going on, so it's not really cutting through. Yeah, I know, the bird is not a P at all, but after my pre-buy research, I felt assured it would be fuller sounding and more mid-forward than this. It's no disaster, not at all, but I did switch back to my P mid-practice and had much more fun.

So: is the pickup position the main problem, as was suggested earlier, or could I get closer to what I want with a more mid-focused pickup? I was thinking about reaching out to Curtis Novak to hear if he can make a pickup that sounds close to the PB-90, but in a TB housing. On the other hand, I'll gladly save the few hundred bucks and work with what I have if a pickup swap is futile.
 
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#235,788
PhR75 said:
James Dewar. He mostly played a Precision 'though.
Click to expand...


Most pictures of him and Trower I've seen he had an EB, maybe switched later on like a lot of others? I did see a lot of photos of him with a P bass though.


Jimmie-Dewars.jpg
 
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#235,790
Haans said:
Update on the string change:
I brought my NR with the new GHS Bass Boomers on it to practice on monday. They did sound better than the stock strings, but I'm still missing the full-on aggressive mid-thrust I'm used to from my P with the Curtis Novak PB-90 (that pickup is gold). It does sound great, but there is quite a bit of mid scoop and boomy lows going on, so it's not really cutting through. Yeah, I know, the bird is not a P at all, but after my pre-buy research, I felt assured it would be fuller sounding and more mid-forward than this. It's no disaster, not at all, but I did switch back to my P mid-practice and had much more fun.

So: is the pickup position the main problem, as was suggested earlier, or could I get closer to what I want with a more mid-focused pickup? I was thinking about reaching out to Curtis Novak to hear if he can make a pickup that sounds close to the PB-90, but in a TB housing. On the other hand, I'll gladly save the few hundred bucks and work with what I have if a pickup swap is futile.
Click to expand...


They are deep but I get a pretty aggressive sound with Roto Swing Bass RS66's, I think they're a little more polite sounding than a Precision but to me anyway they can cover the same territory. I do think the pickup placement emphasises the lows.
 
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#235,791
bobyoung53 said:
I think it's the same pickup that they put in the SG basses, not sure about that though but it looks exactly like one, if it is it's very different than a real one, but I'll ask some of the Gibson experts later on.
Click to expand...

Maybe i misunderstood Ken's original post.
I assumed the mudbucker is the neck position one.
He did say sidewinder and mudbucker.
Or were MB's also of the sidewinder type?
 
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#235,794
Haans said:
Update on the string change:
I brought my NR with the new GHS Bass Boomers on it to practice on monday. They did sound better than the stock strings, but I'm still missing the full-on aggressive mid-thrust I'm used to from my P with the Curtis Novak PB-90 (that pickup is gold). It does sound great, but there is quite a bit of mid scoop and boomy lows going on, so it's not really cutting through. Yeah, I know, the bird is not a P at all, but after my pre-buy research, I felt assured it would be fuller sounding and more mid-forward than this. It's no disaster, not at all, but I did switch back to my P mid-practice and had much more fun.

So: is the pickup position the main problem, as was suggested earlier, or could I get closer to what I want with a more mid-focused pickup? I was thinking about reaching out to Curtis Novak to hear if he can make a pickup that sounds close to the PB-90, but in a TB housing. On the other hand, I'll gladly save the few hundred bucks and work with what I have if a pickup swap is futile.
Click to expand...
You seem to be experiencing what I did. I my opinion, it's largely the location of the neck pickup. Your observation is correct that a typical Pbass is going to have more/fuller mids than the new NRs. True of my '64 as well with both pickups on, but less so with just the neck. The original 60s versions were closer to the pickup location on a Pbass. I've never measured, but sure looks that way. This does create a more full/mid, less hollow tone. One thing you can do is move the pickup back a little. Would require a new pick guard, that can be addressed, at least around here. But it's possible to find some pickups that simply have more mids. But I think the pickups are good in the NR, just hindered by being in the non-60s (the locations that put Thunderbirds on the sonic map and into history). As I've lamented before, once you are used to the original which is thicker and more full in the mids, that location change is not simply a lateral move. Not that people don't like it or get good tone. Mine sounds great at home. It's live in a big room with other instruments going on when it's noticeable. This is why a suggested a live setting which is the real test.

Having said all that, don't give up. They are great basses. I'm happy with the tone I'm now getting. Happy as the '64 or even a Epi Vintage Pro? No, but still happy and I enjoy playing it. I will say my Genzler 4 On The Floor Overdrive does add some compression and the breakup/overdrive really helps fill in some mids very nicely.
 
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#235,795
MCF said:
Same here re my feelings about Nels. I’ve explored his other material and enjoy it. But somehow, I always return to his solo in this:
Click to expand...


This is off the 1st Wilco recording that Nels played on. Never heard Wilco before this recording. Couldn't imagine what they sounded like w/o Nels.
 
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#235,796
PaleAngel_90 said:
That's Brilliant! How did you do it?
Click to expand...

:) Thanks! I interrupted the basses circuit with the guts of a small floor pedal. Also added a 9v battery to power the tuner, all routed into the body. It was a generic P-bass given to me for doing some bass-work for a friend so it was a good platform for experimenting.

upload_2023-1-25_8-39-12.jpeg
 
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#235,799
JJR58 said:
Maybe i misunderstood Ken's original post.
I assumed the mudbucker is the neck position one.
He did say sidewinder and mudbucker.
Or were MB's also of the sidewinder type?
Click to expand...


Sidewinders are the original mudbuckers wound to somewhere between 20-30K and edgewound, the new ones (if that's one) are wound much less, but I'm no expert on them. I'll ask over in the Gibson thread, someone there will know.

I'm not sure if this is an original or someone made this, it's wound to 30K

s-l1600.jpg
 
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