Thunderbird Club

[bylar13]

Once and for all,

THE 'VINTAGE' POSITION FOR THE STRAP BUTTON ON AN ORIGINAL THUNDERBIRD IS THE HEEL...

...Never had one on the horn, never will.

Well there you have it. I am sure I will get used to it pretty quickly and just leave things as is. No need to futz for the sake of futzing...I can't wait to get to the rehearsal space and run this bass through the Orange OB-1 500 I just picked up as well. Bring the ear plugs.....

 

[Christine]

...Never had one on the horn, never will.

You're letting the best in life pass you by!

 

[TBird1958]

It does choose the player. I seen mine and had to have it. Though, to be fair, I had wanted a T-bird for a while, just hadn't found the right one

Hi all. "New to me" T-Bird owner here. It is a 2006, I picked up on this forum. It has a Babicz bridge and Lollar pick ups. I love the sound and the feel of the neck.

My question is on the strap button placement. I have been playing a 1973 Jazz bass for the last 22 years and the T-bird neck feels a bit longer. I was wondering if I moved the strap button from the neck heel to the top of the body (strap locks of course) say where a vintage t-bird would have one, would the bass hang differently and thus sit further back? Might this make the feel closer to a jazz bass dimension?

If you'd like to be on the club roster let me know, we just want a pic of your Thunderbird - Sometime there's a gentle hazing ceremony too

 

[Drestakil]

If you'd like to be on the club roster let me know, we just want a pic of your Thunderbird - Sometime there's a gentle hazing ceremony too

And the new member brings the doughnuts for everyone at the next meeting.

 

[ubernator]

Is there anything special about the TV silver epiphone bolt ons, or is it basically just the finish? What did they cost new and what is a fair price for a used one?

Do the chrome pickups sound significantly different than the stock pickups in an 06 goth? Every time I see the pic of it it reminds me of the silver ones that shavo was using in 2015. And since I am doing a tribute...

Will it play nice with the goth as far as changing basses at a gig without really having to tweak the amp or use an eq pedal to compensate?

This is the one in question, if I can get the price down to the reasonable zone, I might try to get it. It has been staring at me for a long time almost 2 months, because it is priced stupid high (pawn shop apparently)

 

[Nocturnal]

I have not played one of the TV silver birds but I have been eyeballing them recently. They seem to hover around $275-350 from what I see on eBay or GC. I believe they have the 1.5" neck instead of the wide neck like the Goth. The pickups are different but I have never played one so cannot speak to the sound. There is one on my local Craigslist that I have thought about more than a little.....

 

[Thorsoundcore]

Chris P Dekker editor-in-chief of De Bassist magazine just sent me this from the NAMM:

Any chance you can get a pic of the page below it?? Not the biggest fan of LP basses in the world here either, but I'm pretty curious as to what this new one looks like as well after seeing the bird.

 

[Korladis]

Is there anything special about the TV silver epiphone bolt ons, or is it basically just the finish? What did they cost new and what is a fair price for a used one?

Do the chrome pickups sound significantly different than the stock pickups in an 06 goth? Every time I see the pic of it it reminds me of the silver ones that shavo was using in 2015. And since I am doing a tribute...

Will it play nice with the goth as far as changing basses at a gig without really having to tweak the amp or use an eq pedal to compensate?

This is the one in question, if I can get the price down to the reasonable zone, I might try to get it. It has been staring at me for a long time almost 2 months, because it is priced stupid high (pawn shop apparently)

View attachment 1035935 View attachment 1035936

Wish they'd done that finish on the neck through ones.

 

[EdO.]

+100

The trick is to get the strap to the right length. I'm 165cm/5'6" and my right arm is almost straight in playing position, going across the mid point of the upper cutout, with the bridge pup aligned on my centreline.

I've short arms and legs, and when I first took the Goth to practice (sitting) I found I was 2 frets out from where I went on autopilot. So 5th instead of 3rd compared to the PBass copy.
But standing - I hold the neck more vertically - I haven't found any issue.
Just a matter of getting used to it I think.

I was wondering if I moved the strap button from the neck heel to the top of the body (strap locks of course) say where a vintage t-bird would have one, would the bass hang differently and thus sit further back?

No. That will actually move the neck further out, in terms of how it feels, and will make the instrument more susceptible to neck dive.

The birds I've tried that neck dived all had the strap button on the top of the body where the horn would be. The ones that don't neck dive have it on the back of the heel. This does necessitate a strap that's a few inches longer, but I find that the balance with this strap button location is really nice.

Try flipping the strap over the front of the body at the bridge, that will help move the body back on your body a little. Personally I'd just leave it and get used to it, it will happen very quickly

OK. I've posted the photos of my Epi Pro V before. I finally found a coworker who's good with metal fabrication to make me a few copies of a Steinberger Strap Hook (which they don't make anymore and are absolutely impossible to find - trust me, I looked for over a year) that I took off my Steiney Spirit bass to see if it would solve the neck dive issue I had playing the Pro V (works like a charm!). I've now added one onto my Epi Classic IV as well. Results - 1) if there are ANY balance or neck dive issues, this solves it in spades. 2) It shifts the body and thus the neck to the right about 3" making the reach out to the business end of the neck easier to reach with a more "normal" feel. Also it makes it easier to shift the bass onto my hip which is where I play it a lot anyway. I'll take it off and paint it black to make it more invisible but left it bare aluminum for now for illustration purposes.

I'm having a few more made just because, once I get them I'll take one and copy it out on graph paper so if anyone wanted to fabricate these for themselves they'll have the dimensions. Looks like to someone with even basic metalworking skills (which unfortunately I don't seem to possess...) could knock a bunch of these out relatively easy. FWIW these were made from (I believe) rigid 1/8" aluminum stock.

Some may consider it blasphemy to add something like this to a Bird but hey, it works. My Classic IV is now WAY more comfortable on my twice rebuilt left shoulder with much more even weight distribution. Same with the Pro V. I'll post the dimensional graph drawing ASAP, assuming I'm not breaking any rules here.

Also uploaded a grainy, blown up cell phone photo of myself with the Pro V (which I've also posted before) to illustrate where the front strap attachment is in reference to the body and neck. Kind of hard to see but I think you can see how much farther out off the body the front of the strap attaches as opposed to attaching on the back of the body/neck joint. You'll notice it comes out at the 12th fret, same as any bass built with an upper bout (i.e. 7ender).

 

[kat888]

I prefer the interesting/quirky/retro. I guess that is why I have no 7ender and likely will never have one. I tried an Eastwood surfcaster. It is a cool look and had a good sound, but it wasn't the sound I was looking for at the time. There could be a Beatle bass in my future too; it would be fun to lay metal on one. Don't feel a need for another bass right now, but I'm sure if the right one comes along, I will give it a home.

I had the hots for an Eastwood EEB1 for a while but got over it when I realised the EB-3L is the one for me.

 

[veebass]

Position the body off your hip...

Pretty much how I sling my TBird, except a little higher. Looks like she reverses the strap lock for the pin on the back of neck as well.
Obviously, she looks much better than me.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Gaolee]

Obviously, she looks much better than me.

Don't feel bad. That's true for most of us.

 

[wolverine9002]

If you'd like to be on the club roster let me know, we just want a pic of your Thunderbird - Sometime there's a gentle hazing ceremony too

I did post a pic of mine about 20 pages back.

My Epiphone, nothing special about it, but it's mine.

And the new member brings the doughnuts for everyone at the next meeting.

Remind me to skip the next few meetings

 

[kat888]

Pretty much how I sling my TBird, except a little higher. Looks like she reverses the strap lock for the pin on the back of neck as well.

An 'unintended' benefit of the heel mount straplock - it discourages people from borrowing your straps. 'Oh man, why is your strap arse backwards?'

It's NOT.

 

[PillO]

Im taking a trip to Portland tomorrow and should be able to play a classic version (not pro). Will report back later.

Pictures?

 

[RedVee]

An 'unintended' benefit of the heel mount straplock - it discourages people from borrowing your straps. 'Oh man, why is your strap arse backwards?'

It's NOT.

Haha, my guitarist expects me to bring a spare of every item incase he forgets something.... that's wearing a little thin lol

 

[willsellout]

Pictures?

Didn't make it out there today. Didn't want to deal with the protests going on. We are planning on heading out tomorrow I think.

 

[kat888]

I have managed to damage my instrument cable. The jack shaft is a bit loose (settle down lads!) and I'm thinking I should replace it. The cable is Peavey and I suppose Neutrik or Switchcraft would be the best. Any opinions on rightangled jacks? The The current Bird has a side mount socket while all future basses will have front mounts.

 

[rodv66]

Is there anything special about the TV silver epiphone bolt ons, or is it basically just the finish? What did they cost new and what is a fair price for a used one?

Do the chrome pickups sound significantly different than the stock pickups in an 06 goth? Every time I see the pic of it it reminds me of the silver ones that shavo was using in 2015. And since I am doing a tribute...

Will it play nice with the goth as far as changing basses at a gig without really having to tweak the amp or use an eq pedal to compensate?

This is the one in question, if I can get the price down to the reasonable zone, I might try to get it. It has been staring at me for a long time almost 2 months, because it is priced stupid high (pawn shop apparently)

View attachment 1035935 View attachment 1035936

I have a 2012 silver bust and the chrome pickups were a little brighter and powerful than the standard model I had. I did drop Gibson TB plus pups into it. Had to route because the chromes are smaller than the standard ones. Overall I think the line is a step up over the regular model.

 

[Camaro69]

I have managed to damage my instrument cable. The jack shaft is a bit loose (settle down lads!) and I'm thinking I should replace it. The cable is Peavey and I suppose Neutrik or Switchcraft would be the best. Any opinions on rightangled jacks? The The current Bird has a side mount socket while all future basses will have front mounts.

I actually run the right angle at the head, takes the tension off of it.
I always loop the end at the bass through the strap so it doesnt wiggle when I giggle