Thunderbird Club

[DJ Bebop]

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.

That must have been the look back then.
Felix Pappalardi...

p

Leather pants and staches

 

[GBassNorth]

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.

Don’t give up on the string change route too early. I switched to SIT Power Steels Stainless rounds and have been very happy with how much it has opened up the pickups. I found Cobalt flats to be too center scooped and Boomers to be too boomy on the bottom end.

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.

This!

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 happy with the one 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.

The new NR neck pickup is about a half pickup width closer to the neck than the VP and vintage birds. This will give it an inherently warmer and less aggressive sound than the VP or vintage birds.

In my book, it’s still in the P bass category on the bottom end but a bit shy in the mids. The right string selection and pick playing should close a lot of that gap. Or for about a hundred bucks, the neck pickup could be bumped an inch or so South and a new pickguard purchased. @godofthunder59 did just that to one of his and he seems happy with the results. He might even have a pickguard template already made up for that job.

 

[bobyoung53]

That must have been the look back then.
Felix Pappalardi...

View attachment 4947632 pView attachment 4947633

He has an EB-1 in the left photo and an EB in the right, I think his original one got stolen, he also used it on a song on Goodbye Cream.

 

[bobyoung53]

Don’t give up on the string change route too early. I switched to SIT Power Steels Stainless rounds and have been very happy with how much it has opened up the pickups. I found Cobalt flats to be too center scooped and Boomers to be too boomy on the bottom end.


This!


The new NR neck pickup is about a half pickup width closer to the neck than the VP and vintage birds. This will give it an inherently warmer and less aggressive sound than the VP or vintage birds.

In my book, it’s still in the P bass category on the bottom end but a bit shy in the mids. The right string selection and pick playing should close a lot of that gap. Or for about a hundred bucks, the neck pickup could be bumped an inch or so South and a new pickguard purchased. @godofthunder59 did just that to one of his and he seems happy with the results. He might even have a pickguard template already made up for that job.

Yes, I find myself using a pick with it a lot, the spacing lends itself to easy pick playing too.

 

[Hondapunk]

P bass or EB? I'm curious because I hate to spread misinformation.

P-Bass. He has a great voice too

 

[GBassNorth]

P bass or EB? I'm curious because I hate to spread misinformation.

This is the internet! It’s your duty to spread misinformation! Now, get on it.

 

[JJR58]

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

Ah, gotcha.
I thought so.

 

[bobyoung53]

This is the internet! It’s your duty to spread misinformation! Now, get on it.

I'm already past my quota for this month

 

[bobyoung53]

P-Bass. He has a great voice too

Yes, I never realized he sang all or most of the leads for him.

 

[Stealth57]

That kid sure can put some cake away.

He had some help, but he is a bottomless pit.

 

[DJ Bebop]

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.

Yes you are right, that's an unusual picture of him, the only one I saw on the interwebs. Most are like this...

 

[DJ Bebop]

He has an EB-1 in the left photo and an EB in the right, I think his original one got stolen, he also used it on a song on Goodbye Cream.

I guess I'm not follow you, I don't get it.

 

[bobyoung53]

I guess I'm not follow you, I don't get it.

Felix played bass on that tune on Goodbye Cream, actually I'm not sure if he used his own bass or Jack's, but I assume his own, I think that was when the band was breaking up and Felix (Edit, Jack) had either already left or was not available that day so he played that tune with them, he played Mellotron and keys for some of their tunes too and produced their last two or three albums, Felix was something, very talented guy.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Felix played bass on that tune on Goodbye Cream, actually I'm not sure if he used his own bass or Jacks, but I assume his own, I think that was when the band was breaking up and Felix had either already left or was not available that day so he played that tune with them, he played Mellotron and keys for some of their tunes too and produced their last two or three albums, Felix was something, very talented guy.

Got ya

 

[dagrev]

Don’t give up on the string change route too early. I switched to SIT Power Steels Stainless rounds and have been very happy with how much it has opened up the pickups. I found Cobalt flats to be too center scooped and Boomers to be too boomy on the bottom end.


This!


The new NR neck pickup is about a half pickup width closer to the neck than the VP and vintage birds. This will give it an inherently warmer and less aggressive sound than the VP or vintage birds.

In my book, it’s still in the P bass category on the bottom end but a bit shy in the mids. The right string selection and pick playing should close a lot of that gap. Or for about a hundred bucks, the neck pickup could be bumped an inch or so South and a new pickguard purchased. @godofthunder59 did just that to one of his and he seems happy with the results. He might even have a pickguard template already made up for that job.

I suspect moving the pickup is going to be a project one day. When is the real question.

 

[bobyoung53]

Got ya

I meant Jack had either left or wasn't there and edited it but I know you know what I meant. Surprising how close to Jack's sound he got.

 

[dagrev]

I'm already past my quota for this month

And when you posted I was a great bass player, that was a clear mistake. You've got to be more subtle so it sounds true if you're going to spread misinformation.


Wait, that was me that posted that.... Never mind....

 

[DJ Bebop]

I meant Jack had either left or wasn't there and edited it but I know you know what I meant. Surprising how close to Jack's sound he got.

 

[BklynKen]

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?

No, I'm with you on this. I assumed the sidewinder was the soapbar in the bridge position, wondering how similar it is to the Bicentennial Thunderbirds.

 

[godofthunder59]

Don’t give up on the string change route too early. I switched to SIT Power Steels Stainless rounds and have been very happy with how much it has opened up the pickups. I found Cobalt flats to be too center scooped and Boomers to be too boomy on the bottom end.


This!


The new NR neck pickup is about a half pickup width closer to the neck than the VP and vintage birds. This will give it an inherently warmer and less aggressive sound than the VP or vintage birds.

In my book, it’s still in the P bass category on the bottom end but a bit shy in the mids. The right string selection and pick playing should close a lot of that gap. Or for about a hundred bucks, the neck pickup could be bumped an inch or so South and a new pickguard purchased. @godofthunder59 did just that to one of his and he seems happy with the results. He might even have a pickguard template already made up for that job.

I'm pretty pleased with the mods!