Thunderbird Club

[Klondike]

I was playing around with my J bass trying to see how low I could get it and play comfortable. Just trying to figure out how people play the T-birds and how it might feel. It was hanging well below my belt line, angled up at a 45 degree angle or so. I also shifted it back towards my hip and things just started to flow. The rock and roll that is. I think the T-bird will work out, especially if the neck is what I think it is. It also helps that if it's a match, I can make it play about as good as a bass four times it's price through some fretwork and setup. Im really hoping the fretwork is solid though and I don't have to go through and level and crown frets. If it works though, I will put much love and much work into the bass and turn it into a beast.

Does anyone have any input as to whether these need to be shielded? If they don't tend to be noisy, that would be great. If they do, I can shield it relatively easily.

As ling as you dont try to compare it to a 7ender - lol

 

[willsellout]

As ling as you dont try to compare it to a 7ender - lol

I wouldn't dream of it!

 

[hillerup]

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.

The Neutrik silent angled jacks are sturdy and great.

 

[Gaolee]

Hah! That's Kim Gordon. I have mine more angled.

Shoulda claimed that picture. I would have believed you and since there's no way to check, no way to get caught.

 

[Gaolee]

I was playing around with my J bass trying to see how low I could get it and play comfortable. Just trying to figure out how people play the T-birds and how it might feel. It was hanging well below my belt line, angled up at a 45 degree angle or so. I also shifted it back towards my hip and things just started to flow. The rock and roll that is. I think the T-bird will work out, especially if the neck is what I think it is. It also helps that if it's a match, I can make it play about as good as a bass four times it's price through some fretwork and setup. Im really hoping the fretwork is solid though and I don't have to go through and level and crown frets. If it works though, I will put much love and much work into the bass and turn it into a beast.

Does anyone have any input as to whether these need to be shielded? If they don't tend to be noisy, that would be great. If they do, I can shield it relatively easily.

If Epis I have played are any indication, you won't need to do much to it at all. No shielding necessary because the pickups are humbuckers. The frets could probably be better because they aren't an act of God, but close enough for most of us. I have not had to do anything to frets on any Gibson or Epiphone. I have had good luck with 7ender frets, too, although the sample size is much smaller.

I play all kinds of stuff on 'Birds. While the upright was in getting it's neck put back on (dumb move on my part), I played the fretless 'Bird in its place. The sound was completely different of course, but it works just fine for jazz/blues stuff as well as rock and roll. I played rockabilly on a fretted one, too. The big ol' doghouse is back, so I'll be playing it instead, but it just goes to show that there's nothing much you can't do with a Thunderbird. But rock and roll is what they do naturally, probably because it's what we do naturally.

 

[Gaolee]

Well I look forward to receiving it and giving a good once over and setup rocking it. I really hope this is bass adopts me. I need a rock bass since the Ric didn't work out.

I got along OK with a Ric. I get along a whole lot better with Thunderbirds. It's buried way back, so I'll retell the story. I had been playing an EB-2 for about 25 years when I found out that it's kinda valuable. Besides, I was playing in a cover band and thought a plank would be a good idea. I found a bolt-on Epi for $200 with a case and bought it. It was outstanding, but I decided that I really needed a Precision, just because. So, the 'Bird went to my son who still has it. The Precision was great, but I missed the Thunderbird. After a couple years of playing the P, I picked up a Ric to see what the fuss was all about. I kept the P, but after a couple more years, the Ric just reminded me that what I really wanted was another Thunderbird. So, it got sold and I got a 'Bird. Then another one, then another one... I like 'em a lot, and that first one was the one that told me they had adopted me. It was inevitable after that.

So, this may happen to you. You will find out soon enough.

 

[MCF]

Man, I'm not around for a little while and come back to find I'm over sixty PAGES behind on this thread! Yeash!

Yeah. I get busy at work, miss a couple of weekends and am so far behind it feels like a monumental task to catch up. No better way to spend a Sunday while watching football.

 

[Mosstone]

Well I look forward to receiving it and giving a good once over and setup rocking it. I really hope this is bass adopts me. I need a rock bass since the Ric didn't work out.

I think if the Ric didn't work for you, you'll love the T-Bird. I'm another disappointed former Ric owner and the Bird is everything I wished the Ric were in terms of a mean, growly RAWK bass.

 

[ubernator]

All this talk of the TV finish has me curious. My problems thus far are the following:
1. The classic has the styling I like but it has a chunkier neck
2. The Pro has the neck I prefer (1.5") but it's active.
3. The TV finish has both the classic 3 knob passive styling with the neck I like

There is one for sale on eBay right now but buying it means I'm stuck with it or have to go through the process of selling it should it not work out. I was going to head go Portland today but the wife is not feeling it and we promised we would take the kid to the movies, so I get to take my beautiful daughter to the movies while the wife recovers from whatever it is she has. So I haven't been able to strap one of these bad boys on. It's a bit of a conundrum.

A side note, would any of you know whether or not I'd be able to drop some Mike Lull T-bird pickups in one of these Epi's?

I saw the one on ebay. I don't think they move very fast when being sold at the same price they were when used.... But perhaps...

I want the TV silver, but I think $250 is the highest I would go, and right now that would clean me out...

 

[Mosstone]

I was playing around with my J bass trying to see how low I could get it and play comfortable. Just trying to figure out how people play the T-birds and how it might feel. It was hanging well below my belt line, angled up at a 45 degree angle or so. I also shifted it back towards my hip and things just started to flow. The rock and roll that is. I think the T-bird will work out, especially if the neck is what I think it is. It also helps that if it's a match, I can make it play about as good as a bass four times it's price through some fretwork and setup. Im really hoping the fretwork is solid though and I don't have to go through and level and crown frets. If it works though, I will put much love and much work into the bass and turn it into a beast.

Does anyone have any input as to whether these need to be shielded? If they don't tend to be noisy, that would be great. If they do, I can shield it relatively easily.

My Classic IV was pretty much perfect. I repair/mod/build guitars, so I gave it a thorough going over and the only thing that needed tweaking was the bridge pickup height. I've had it for a year now and I've never had to adjust the truss rod. The only thing I've replaced is the bridge. Put a Hipshot on there only because I prefer more adjustability. I played a bunch of Classic IVs before I bought one and they all felt/sounded identical to me. I A/B'd them against Gibson birds every time and the Gibsons, by contrast, were very inconsistent from one bass to the next, so I would be very surprised if yours had any issues at all.

I wouldn't hesitate to place the Classic IV on the same level as their USA counterparts... maybe a little higher (nitrocellulose notwithstanding). For me, I preferred the sound and feel of the Epi. And that's not a rationalization. I had enough of a budget to buy a Gibson if I found one that really knocked my socks off. The Epi just beat them to it.

I haven't removed the pickups in mine yet, but I would guess these are not shielded. Humbucker equipped guitars and basses can benefit from shielding. Shielding isn't there to prevent 60-cycle hum from the pickups so much as it is to minimize outside RF interference. The kind you can get from neon signs, computer monitors/TVs, dimmer switches, or in my case, the wiring in my apartment (old building). I had to re-arrange my music room to avoid having my amps, computers, etc. along a particular wall because I was getting so much noise from the wiring.

 

[MCF]

Everyone keeps mentioning Grolsch, but I don't think I've ever even seen that kind of beer around here.

I've seen it Bay Area Safeways and Whole Foods. Also, BevMo usually has it.

 

[hillerup]

Looked up in comparison and the silver burst is listed 1.68 wide at the nut, has Grover tuners and a bad ass bridge. The TV silver is 1.50 and the tuners and bridge are stock. Also silver burst was solid mahogany wood body

This is a typical example of REALLY BAD information on the Epiphone website...

Their specs for the Silverburst couldn't be farther from the truth.

I have both a Silverburst and a TV Silver and the only difference is the nut width: The TV Silver has a 1.50 nut - The Silverburst a 1.68 like the regular bolt-on birds. Both birds have the usual 3-point bridge and Grover/Gotoh OEM style tuners like all other Epi birds.

In regards to body wood - Who knows without scraping the paint off... Most likely they are just the same as the regular bolt-on one, but with a custom limited edition paint job.

I haven't exactly compared mine to the other ones I have, as they have different strings on them - But in a band setting, we didn't alter anything in our mix when I brought them in.

 

[hillerup]

Not connected to this sale in any way, but there is a custom tricked out Bird in the classifieds for sale:

For Sale - Custom Thunderbird Hybrid Moser Circuit BCR'ish Bass

Ugly as f***....

 

[hillerup]

All this talk of the TV finish has me curious. My problems thus far are the following:
1. The classic has the styling I like but it has a chunkier neck
2. The Pro has the neck I prefer (1.5") but it's active.
3. The TV finish has both the classic 3 knob passive styling with the neck I like

There is one for sale on eBay right now but buying it means I'm stuck with it or have to go through the process of selling it should it not work out. I was going to head go Portland today but the wife is not feeling it and we promised we would take the kid to the movies, so I get to take my beautiful daughter to the movies while the wife recovers from whatever it is she has. So I haven't been able to strap one of these bad boys on. It's a bit of a conundrum.

A side note, would any of you know whether or not I'd be able to drop some Mike Lull T-bird pickups in one of these Epi's?

Just buy the damn thing... It's a great bass....

 

[hillerup]

All this talk of the TV finish has me curious. My problems thus far are the following:
1. The classic has the styling I like but it has a chunkier neck
2. The Pro has the neck I prefer (1.5") but it's active.
3. The TV finish has both the classic 3 knob passive styling with the neck I like

There is one for sale on eBay right now but buying it means I'm stuck with it or have to go through the process of selling it should it not work out. I was going to head go Portland today but the wife is not feeling it and we promised we would take the kid to the movies, so I get to take my beautiful daughter to the movies while the wife recovers from whatever it is she has. So I haven't been able to strap one of these bad boys on. It's a bit of a conundrum.

A side note, would any of you know whether or not I'd be able to drop some Mike Lull T-bird pickups in one of these Epi's?

You will need to do a lot of routing on a Silverburst and a TV Silver, as they are not routed to fit soapbars in them.

 

[hillerup]

Totally right. It seems Epiphone make so many models of these I am getting the spec's mixed up. So I am looking at the Classic Pro which has the classic passive styling with the 1.5" neck. I think I might just have to bite the bullet and order one and eat shipping if it doesn't work out. I love the sound of the TB plus pickups so I might not even want to mess with the Lull's. Appreciate all the advice and help so far. Great group of folks here!

You won't go wrong with a Classic Pro IV - The best Epi so far, and pretty much identical to a modern Gibson at 1/3 the price.

 

[Christine]

Then you are a birdbrain

You got me with that one when I first saw it, I thought you were calling @Gaolee a birdbrain Which you were but not in the way I first thought, too funny!

 

[kat888]

 

[Korladis]

Ugly as f***....

Not allowed to say that on this forum, IIRC.

 

[hillerup]

I was playing around with my J bass trying to see how low I could get it and play comfortable. Just trying to figure out how people play the T-birds and how it might feel. It was hanging well below my belt line, angled up at a 45 degree angle or so. I also shifted it back towards my hip and things just started to flow. The rock and roll that is. I think the T-bird will work out, especially if the neck is what I think it is. It also helps that if it's a match, I can make it play about as good as a bass four times it's price through some fretwork and setup. Im really hoping the fretwork is solid though and I don't have to go through and level and crown frets. If it works though, I will put much love and much work into the bass and turn it into a beast.

Does anyone have any input as to whether these need to be shielded? If they don't tend to be noisy, that would be great. If they do, I can shield it relatively easily.

My Classic Pro IV is perfectly quiet without additional shielding...