Sorry. I either read it wrong, or you edited it?You’re questioning my purple silk princess fingers?
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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- club thunderbird
I had a bit of a bad day yesterday; so I took the bass at night and started working on it, to unburden myself
It wasn't my intention to use these Rotosound now, but the ones that came with it were bad.
Consider done (since last week
)
It's either one less step in manufacturing or the Gibson insert doesn't have a flange. Hmmm, I'll have to compare.
Ok, you win the cute puppy picture of the week award
Correct. Power Flats gots purple silks.
The ones on my Goth are Cobalt flats. There are many others with purple silks though.
Yes. My EBCFs had purple silks. It was a peasant surprise to find purples on the Power Flats since, as we know, TTIITPS(C).
Nothing against the PFs, but I'll be going back to EBCFs at the next string change. I've kept the Cobalts on my LPB2/5 which, incidentally, will be off to 'the shop' Tuesday to fix a problem that I don't trust myself to f---* with. I don't use the 5er much, but it needs to be playable when I need it which it ain't right now.
*ool
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My guess is it was either a mistake or a cost-cutting move early on, and it stuck.
I've heard two different rumors for explanation. Either one, or both, may be true, or false
The first, is that the shouldered design doesn't pull from the body as easily, with the 3-point. It keeps the bridge from impacting the body (which would apply leverage to help pull out the inserts)
The second, like you mentioned, Gibson didn't want Epi to use theirs? But that doesn't make much sense (but hey, it's Gibson, when has that been a requirement?
), since Epi's already using the bridge design, why get picky over the inserts?It would seem like it would be easier/cheaper to just keep making the same insert for all the 'birds, instead of two different designs.......so my guess is either reason #1 (they didn't want to have potentially a lot of troubles from people buying the less expensive Epiphone Thunderbirds, causing a bad impression against the Gibdin versions?), or, for whatever reason, the over-seas parts producer could make the shouldered version more easily/less expensively
Yes, the Gibson has no flange. Also, the fluting is also more....fine? less coarse?
I have a pic of the two around here someplace......
.....here we go
Babicz (in the bag) vs. Gibson inserts:
Epiphone (black) vs. Gibson inserts:
Gibson inserts installed (2013 CP)
Hopefully that's helpful.........
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There could possibly be a third reason beyond Pulling and Sourcing…I've heard two different rumors for explanation. Either one, or both, may be true, or false
The first, is that the shouldered design doesn't pull from the body as easily, with the 3-point. It keeps the bridge from impacting the body (which would apply leverage to help pull out the inserts)
The second, like you mentioned, Gibson didn't want Epi to use theirs? But that doesn't make much sense (but hey, it's Gibson, when has that been a requirement?
It would seem like it would be easier/cheaper to just keep making the same insert for all the 'birds, instead of two different designs.......so my guess is either reason #1 (they didn't want to have potentially a lot of troubles from people buying the less expensive Epiphone Thunderbirds, causing a bad impression against the Gibdin versions?), or, for whatever reason, the over-seas parts producer could make the shouldered version more easily/less expensively
The flush mount Gibson anchor allows the builder to install the anchors before the bass goes through the finishing or painting process. That would eliminate the potential to muck up the finished surface of the bass when press fitting the anchors into the body. However, the Eppi raised shoulder insert cannot be installed prior to finish sanding or painting because of the raised surface, so it must be installed after the finish process is complete, the raised flange may be sized properly to conceal any minor press fit impacts (chipping, cracking, cratering…). So it may come down to fabrication logistics where USA Gibson bodies are finished after the anchor install and Asian Epiphones are finished before the anchor install, each requiring a different type of anchor.
FWIW - having removed, fixed and installed a number of both the Eppi and Gibby inserts I find the Gibson ones to be more robust and harder to remove. That might be because after the insert is press fit into the body (just a hair below flush) the wood closes up around the top to a degree. Might also be because there are more biting splines on the Gibby offering that much more friction.
Edit: just went back and closely checked my Gibby three point birds and it appears some (pre 2021) do have a minor shoulder that is countersunk into the body below the finished surface prior to finishing the bass, and some don’t have a shoulder or countersink but are still installed below the finished surface prior to finishing (2021 NR). The two point two piece bridge birds and the Embassy appear use completely shoulderless inserts installed flush into the body after finishing.
Gibson Tbird with flanged insert countersunk into body prior to finishing…
Embassy (same as VP) insert with no flange (you can clearly see the splines) was flush mounted in the Embassy after finishing, I removed it and have reinstalled it in a new bird build, press fit slightly lower than flush to allow finish sanding and painting.
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The MIJ EB-3 Elite has shoulder less inserts and a three point bridge.
On the Casady the insert flanges are flush at the front and stick up at the back. It looks like they milled the hole through the finish.
be jamming this tomorrow
many don’t know it’s actually Anthony Jackson main driving force behind 5 string low B tech by way of his six string “electric contrabass”…..total BADAZZ….. by far one of my fave players…
Yep. Bad tune.
Excellent post! It got me double checking my birds to see what the anchors looks like. Some of my Gibby anchors match yours (small shoulder, fine spline) and some don’t (no shoulder, fine spline). I revised my post accordingly.Yes, the Gubson has no flange. Also, the fluting is also more....fine? less coarse?
I have a pic of the two around here someplace......
.....here we go
Babicz (in the bag) vs. Gibson inserts:
View attachment 4994288
Epiphone (black) vs. Gibson inserts:
View attachment 4994289
Gibson inserts installed (2013 CP)
View attachment 4994291
Hopefully that's helpful.........
Looking closely at the Shouldered Gibby anchor it would be a 4 step process to install the anchor (drill pilot hole, drill forsner countersink, drill press fit hole, press fit anchor into the hole) vs a two step process for the Eppi (drill press fit hole, press fit anchor into the hole until flange is resting on the finished body surface). So it all probably comes down to cost and complexity reductions driving the Eppi raised flange design. Interestingly, the Gibby 2021 NR builders look to be applying similar complexity reductions in their anchor process. The new NR appears to use a shoulderless anchor that is press fit into the body after the painting process, so a two step process vs four step process (not to mention potentially reduced cleanup and thread chasing efforts by installing the insert after the finish process).
That’s a whole different beast.
I vote for what's behind curtain #3: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯I've heard two different rumors for explanation. Either one, or both, may be true, or false
The first, is that the shouldered design doesn't pull from the body as easily, with the 3-point. It keeps the bridge from impacting the body (which would apply leverage to help pull out the inserts)
The second, like you mentioned, Gibson didn't want Epi to use theirs? But that doesn't make much sense (but hey, it's Gibson, when has that been a requirement?
It would seem like it would be easier/cheaper to just keep making the same insert for all the 'birds, instead of two different designs.......so my guess is either reason #1 (they didn't want to have potentially a lot of troubles from people buying the less expensive Epiphone Thunderbirds, causing a bad impression against the Gibdin versions?), or, for whatever reason, the over-seas parts producer could make the shouldered version more easily/less expensively
I managed to go out for a few errands last night, just as the weather went to 
.......so while I was out, I swung by my package drop, and found one of these....
......ftr, it's not a small-scale Thunderbird, nor a dis-assembled one.
In fact, there's a significant probability it's not a Thunderbird at all.......
.......so while I was out, I swung by my package drop, and found one of these..........ftr, it's not a small-scale Thunderbird, nor a dis-assembled one.
In fact, there's a significant probability it's not a Thunderbird at all.......
I think Epiphone just come up with a parts list of stuff to build the product consistently. The parts don't need to match Gibson exactly, they just need to function, match the production process, and be easy to procure in Asia.
