Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

I can't imagine what kids are exposed to today...

I've seen some of it, and we're all doomed when they are running things! I know it's all been said before of every generation, but this time it's an existential crisis. (More so than the way everything these days is an existential crisis.)

 

[GonePlaid]

I well remember "Head" Shops. May have been in one a time or two, but I'm not saying....

I think maybe my biggest problem was that teachers may not have communicated well, or at all about why we needed certain things or how they could be helpful. It was all about know this to pass my test. All Shop teachers were all great in my experience and would show why things were important, not just that you needed to know a certain thing because you needed to know it.

I had a biology teacher in 10th grade. She had a doctorate in biology. Couldn't "dumb it down" enuff to teach H.S. students that didn't GAS about biology.

 

[Stealth57]

Dyslexics untie!

Spell check apparently has it too...

 

[Stealth57]

@Stealth57

Ok, I listened again. I think I prefer the Classic Pro, that’s the white one?

Correct, white CP.

 

[JIO]

Woody pickups!
View attachment 5035964

Those (Teisco) pu's also came with white, and black front panels.

 

[JIO]

I've seen some of it, and we're all doomed when they are running things! I know it's all been said before of every generation, but this time it's an existential crisis. (More so than the way everything these days is an existential crisis.)

But.., there is also a number of very politically aware 'kids' who are shaping their future. I just hope there are enough of them to make a difference.

 

[GBassNorth]

This is interesting. EY is making drop-in replacement pickups for bolt-on Epiphone Thunderbirds with Gibson internals.

Thunderbird Bass for Original Epiphone,With Gibson Thunderbi

I suspect they are EY’s reverse engineered equivalent of Gibson TB+ pickups placed in an Epiphone shell. There’s a lot of science and art to reverse engineering pickups. You can use the same type of magnets and wind wire around the bobbins to get the same resistance but that’ll only get you in the ballpark.

Is the magnet material the exact same size and material spec with the exact same power? Is the wire the exact same spec material, gauge, coating? Is it wound in the exact same pattern with the same number of wraps?

If EY did their homework and didn’t just use ceramic magnets with enough wire around them to match Gibsons resistance values then they should be very close. If they didn’t then it’ll probably be more like their China Buckers, which aren’t a bad pickup at all for the price, but don’t reach the sound quality of Eppi 760 ProBuckers or the new Gibson NR pickups.

One thing this EY offer does do, is give a potentially upgraded sound to standard and Goth Epiphone models with the convenience of a drop in replacement. That’s something that is sorely lacking in the Eppi upgrade world. Also, important to note, the Goth bird (and possibly other Eppi models) use the exact same pickup spacing as vintage Gibson birds. So if these replacements are truly spot on Gibby sounding pickups it should sound every bit as good as the 2013 Eppi CP, which had Gibby pickups in vintage (not modern) Gibson bird locations. And that right there has me thinking about buying a set to try in one of my 3 Goth basses.

 

[BklynKen]

I suspect they are EY’s reverse engineered equivalent of Gibson TB+ pickups placed in an Epiphone shell. There’s a lot of science and art to reverse engineering pickups. You can use the same type of magnets and wind wire around the bobbins to get the same resistance but that’ll only get you in the ballpark.

Is the magnet material the exact same size and material spec with the exact same power? Is the wire the exact same spec material, gauge, coating? Is it wound in the exact same pattern with the same number of wraps?

If EY did their homework and didn’t just use ceramic magnets with enough wire around them to match Gibsons resistance values then they should be very close. If they didn’t then it’ll probably be more like their China Buckers, which aren’t a bad pickup at all for the price, but don’t reach the sound quality of Eppi 760 ProBuckers or the new Gibson NR pickups.

One thing this EY offer does do, is give a potentially upgraded sound to standard and Goth Epiphone models with the convenience of a drop in replacement. That’s something that is sorely lacking in the Eppi upgrade world. Also, important to note, the Goth bird (and possibly other Eppi models) use the exact same pickup spacing as vintage Gibson birds. So if these replacements are truly spot on Gibby sounding pickups it should sound every bit as good as the 2013 Eppi CP, which had Gibby pickups in vintage (not modern) Gibson bird locations. And that right there has me thinking about buying a set to try in one of my 3 Goth basses.

Does anyone have any comparison photos of this 2013 CP and other years? Every photo I've seen of a 2013 seems to have the same spacing as every other CP.

Epiphone Thunderbird IV Classic Pro 2013 - Redburst | Reverb

Epiphone Thunderbird Classic IV PRO 2011 Redburst with original case. | Reverb

 

[Stealth57]

Does anyone have any comparison photos of this 2013 CP and other years? Every photo I've seen of a 2013 seems to have the same spacing as every other CP.

Epiphone Thunderbird IV Classic Pro 2013 - Redburst | Reverb

Epiphone Thunderbird Classic IV PRO 2011 Redburst with original case. | Reverb

No photos, but there is a wiki

Thunderbird Pickup Distances | TalkBass.com

 

[BklynKen]

No photos, but there is a wiki

Thunderbird Pickup Distances | TalkBass.com

Yeah, but that could've been written by a crazy serial killer.

 

[dagrev]

Yeah, but that could've been written by a crazy serial killer.

For the record, I don't thing the compiler or most mentioned in that list are crazy serial killers.

If you get rid of the serial killer wording, however, there could potentially be some debate.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

I had a biology teacher in 10th grade. She had a doctorate in biology. Couldn't "dumb it down" enuff to teach H.S. students that didn't GAS about biology.

funny!, we did too, 10th grade as well (guess that’s when they introduce biology)….he used to get so frustrated with us….used to call us ‘masses of protoplasm “slapping around”’…..no one cared….

 

[bobyoung53]

funny!, we did too, 10th grade as well (guess that’s when they introduce biology)….he used to get so frustrated with us….used to call us ‘masses of protoplasm “slapping around”’…..no one cared….
View attachment 5036332

I was never crazy about biology but I was lazy and didn't try very hard (story of my life) , I did like chemistry though

 

[bobyoung53]

That man had hands of steel.

I played upright for a few years, stupidly sold it but when I would pick up my P bass after playing that all night it felt like a tiny thing at first. I really miss the upright.

 

[TBird1958]

funny!, we did too, 10th grade as well (guess that’s when they introduce biology)….he used to get so frustrated with us….used to call us ‘masses of protoplasm “slapping around”’…..no one cared….
View attachment 5036332

Summer of '76 me with my H.S. graduation present.
See, I'm a sharing individual

 

[bobyoung53]

I well remember "Head" Shops. May have been in one a time or two, but I'm not saying....

Worcester had 'Peter's Pipe and Papers'. What's that called, alliteration?

 

[bobyoung53]

Summer of '76 me with my H.S. graduation present.
See, I'm a sharing individual

Nice present.

 

[Nocturnal]

Is the Schaller M4 180 (attached file) a direct replacement for the tuners on the ‘90’s - 2000’s Gibson Thunderbirds?

The tuners on my 2001 do not match those in your diagram. Mine have the screw hole (ahem!!) at the bottom of the round part, not off to one side. Can post a pic later after work.

 

[Ringhammer]

Thanks. My ‘97 has them off to the side. I’ll have to see what my 01 has when I get it.

 

[GBassNorth]

Does anyone have any comparison photos of this 2013 CP and other years? Every photo I've seen of a 2013 seems to have the same spacing as every other CP.

Epiphone Thunderbird IV Classic Pro 2013 - Redburst | Reverb

Epiphone Thunderbird Classic IV PRO 2011 Redburst with original case. | Reverb

The examples you posted are both modern pickup placement. The 2011 had the modern placement. If I’m reading the 2013 serial number correctly it’s a very late example from the 2013 year (maybe the last week of December) so it may have been made right after the cut over date. Here’s an earlier model 2013 that clearly shows the neck pickup closer to the bridge pickup…

This is pretty much the same pickup spacing as the VP and the vintage 1960’s Tbirds.