Thunderbird Club

[ubernator]

Probably not.

If you're getting a custom pickguard made, it's best just to scan your pickguard, or a tracing.

Not looking for custom, I have a goth and am considering getting a standard IV bolt on, which would likely be sunburst. I would hope to be able to swap the pickguards, white with the bird on the goth, and the black with the cross on the sunburst. Would rather not have to drill holes. My goth is 2006 I06 saein factory. Not sure on either of the 2 sunburst on my radar, one claims to be 6 months old, and the other I did not know how to date last I saw it, origin sticker had been removed, but it was also of fairly recent vintage.

I really want a standard white pickguard with the Thunderbird logo on the goth, I think it would be a nice touch. The goth blends in too much as is.

 

[Gaolee]

I'm Mr quandary, nice to meet you again.

Still scratching my head at all the $300 (new) epiphone bird IV being sold used for $250-600, that last one on eBay was the clincher. Are people that stupid??? Like one person does it and now everyone thinks they are worth so much more, like there are $100 bills under the pickups if you take the time to look?

So my point is this. I am getting frustrated, I don't want to have to be made to feel like a lowballer just to offer what the bass is worth. I understand the rarity of the TV silver means I am not likely to get one under $350. I wish there were more colors than friggen sunburst. I would like gloss black, or silver or silver burst ideally. But perhaps sunburst it will have to be. I don't want a 2nd goth.

Here is the ultimate quandary... Our ex drummer has a sunburst that I know he paid $160 (or $140-150 I forgot) for. I have been tempted to ask him, but am reluctant to since the guitar player ratted me out by referencing things he did and said while drunk at the venue after the other guys left, when there were so many other reasons why he was fired, but my info surely was the final straw.... Awkward... And he still has the banner, and I had been asked to get it from him since I live closest to him... Nobody else wants to see him... But that might hace meant a $20 offer to me if I did it. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and call him, get the banner and $20 bonus, and see if I can score his bird for $140-150.

Or should I just keep waiting for a fair price on one to show up? I think if I got it, I would swap pickguards, white on my goth, and black on the sunburst. Aesthetic opinions? I think the white would be a nice tuxedo touch to the goth, which blends in too much as is, but how would the goth pickguard look on the sunburst?

I would go for it, but I have no shame.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Greetings my Thunderbird Cousins!

364 days a year, I'm just a lurker on the T-Bird thread, but in the spirit of kindred, thought I'd post a sofa shot of my Gibson V Thunder Series... dang this bass is RED!

No, not a *real* Thunderbird, but kind of a studio T-bird. A rare bird by any other name. Some would say an ugly bird.

Anyways, I had to make a seasonal truss-rod adjustment on him, and thought I'd drop in for a visit.

Rock on fellas... I'm out.

Got a question, or rather maybe; need recommendations from Thunderbird Club here...

I'm having a little bit of trouble with the volume pot to the neck-ward pickup on my Thunder Series V... (seen above from an older post) When set at anything less than 100% on, it's cutting out. Exercising it helps, but it's become right much of a nuisance.

If it helps in identifying what stock parts I have, this bass was made in June of 1987, and became obsolete almost immediately. I have always just assumed the electronics are standard 80's T-bird spec, and happy if not eager to be corrected.

Should I just look about replacing the pots, and if so, with what? Is there a better-than-stock option?

Thanks in advance...

 

[ubernator]

View attachment 1044647

Got a question, or rather maybe; need recommendations from Thunderbird Club here...

I'm having a little bit of trouble with the volume pot to the neck-ward pickup on my Thunder Series V... (seen above from an older post) When set at anything less than 100% on, it's cutting out. Exercising it helps, but it's become right much of a nuisance.

If it helps in identifying what stock parts I have, this bass was made in June of 1987, and became obsolete almost immediately. I have always just assumed the electronics are standard 80's T-bird spec, and happy if not eager to be corrected.

Should I just look about replacing the pots, and if so, with what? Is there a better-than-stock option?

Thanks in advance...

You may just need to clean the pot with high test alcohol or de-oxit. That stuff can work wonders. Have you tried vigorously "exersizing" the pot yet? Sometimes that alone will help, but with some alcohol 91% or greater, or contact cleaner acting as a lubricant, exersize has a better effect.

Otherwise a new CTS pot of the same value is the way to go.

 

[ubernator]

I would go for it, but I have no shame.

I just confirmed the $20 bonus for banner retrieval is still on the table, now comes the actual decision time on the t bird itself. 2 birds one stone, but we would like to have the banner in time for the next show in less than 3 weeks. His bird didn't have a case, and I don't even know of he would be willing to sell it in the first place. There is another guy asking $275 with a case, I may be willing to go $225-250 on that one, but it is farther away. I really don't want a sunburst if I can avoid it though, but as palpatine said once, "it is unavoidable, it is your destiny". Silver would be ideal for the shavo thing in the tribute, but any bird will do, and on dark stages, having dots on the board helps, I might just get some sticky dots for the goth, or at least " boost" the side dots a bit, they are not very prominent.

 

[rodv66]

I would go for it, but I have no shame.

I have sold two base level Epi birds, never got more than 200 for them. Never paid more than 170 either.

 

[Gaolee]

I just confirmed the $20 bonus for banner retrieval is still on the table, now comes the actual decision time on the t bird itself. 2 birds one stone, but we would like to have the banner in time for the next show in less than 3 weeks. His bird didn't have a case, and I don't even know of he would be willing to sell it in the first place. There is another guy asking $275 with a case, I may be willing to go $225-250 on that one, but it is farther away. I really don't want a sunburst if I can avoid it though, but as palpatine said once, "it is unavoidable, it is your destiny". Silver would be ideal for the shavo thing in the tribute, but any bird will do, and on dark stages, having dots on the board helps, I might just get some sticky dots for the goth, or at least " boost" the side dots a bit, they are not very prominent.

Color change is just a rattle can away! On a base level bolt-on Thunderbird, I wouldn't hesitate to spray away if I didn't like the color. On a Gibson, I would probably get somebody who actually knew what he was doing to paint it. But that's just my way of dealing with the world. Or you could just take it to Maaco! They are easy enough to take apart for a paint job, what with the bolt-on neck, and the color of the back of the neck is dark on the burst ones, if I remember right. I haven't played mine for a while. Maybe it's time for it to get some exercise.

 

[Stevis]

Since I am seeing discussion of GK stuff and a nice mix of technical and this is what I like, I am going to pose this question here. My current rig, MarkBass CMD102P, is plenty loud for a number of places that we play. It is not loud enough for other places we play. I know, we play loud and I cant change that. In looking for a new rig I discovered that I really like the tone, growl and earthy roar, of a Fender Rumble 500. The MB has great clarity, but it s a different tone-- like moderately dirty while demanding attention. While I like the tone, I know it will be much the same as the size is the same ballpark as the MB. The logical conclusion was to look for something larger in Fender, something comparable to the larger MB rig under consideration. In looking at costs and reading reviews, GK has snuck into the mix. I understand that this can be a very complicated set of calculations and calculus. I don't have the bandwidth to learn all that, so I am looking for recommendations/opinions/personal preferences. So, what say the crowd here. I will link to things I am considering below, but I am also willing to consider other things in a similar price

As someone already pointed out, "loud" can be relative. I have two of the discontinued Markbass NY 604s, which I run through one of their older 500w F1 heads (not micro but pretty darn close). I also have their NY 12", which I sometimes pair with one of the 604s. They get plenty loud, for stage volume.

I would suggest trying to pair their 410, with your current combo amp. Their NY 115 might give you more volume AND low end to compliment your current 2 x 10 rig. It is good quality gear and I love that many of their cabs weigh 40 lbs or less.

 

[Klondike]

I'm Mr quandary, nice to meet you again.

Still scratching my head at all the $300 (new) epiphone bird IV being sold used for $250-600, that last one on eBay was the clincher. Are people that stupid??? Like one person does it and now everyone thinks they are worth so much more, like there are $100 bills under the pickups if you take the time to look?

So my point is this. I am getting frustrated, I don't want to have to be made to feel like a lowballer just to offer what the bass is worth. I understand the rarity of the TV silver means I am not likely to get one under $350. I wish there were more colors than friggen sunburst. I would like gloss black, or silver or silver burst ideally. But perhaps sunburst it will have to be. I don't want a 2nd goth.

Here is the ultimate quandary... Our ex drummer has a sunburst that I know he paid $160 (or $140-150 I forgot) for. I have been tempted to ask him, but am reluctant to since the guitar player ratted me out by referencing things he did and said while drunk at the venue after the other guys left, when there were so many other reasons why he was fired, but my info surely was the final straw.... Awkward... And he still has the banner, and I had been asked to get it from him since I live closest to him... Nobody else wants to see him... But that might hace meant a $20 offer to me if I did it. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and call him, get the banner and $20 bonus, and see if I can score his bird for $140-150.

Or should I just keep waiting for a fair price on one to show up? I think if I got it, I would swap pickguards, white on my goth, and black on the sunburst. Aesthetic opinions? I think the white would be a nice tuxedo touch to the goth, which blends in too much as is, but how would the goth pickguard look on the sunburst?

My thoughts, bite the bullet, shag your butt over there and get the banner. While your there ask if he want to get rid of the bird. See what he thinks is a cool price, if you dont like the price you now have a choice 1) counter offer him or 2) say no thanksand walk away. With the right disposition neither one of you will feel hurt.

Is the bolt pattern for the pickguard the same on all Gibson/epiphone thunderbirds or did it change with different OEMs?

There are about six different hole patters. Best thing to do is trace the PG you want to replace and send that tracing to Larry. He does an awesome job.

 

[Korladis]

My thoughts, bite the bullet, shag your butt over there and get the banner. While your there ask if he want to get rid of the bird. See what he thinks is a cool price, if you dont like the price you now have a choice 1) counter offer him or 2) say no thanksand walk away. With the right disposition neither one of you will feel hurt.



There are about six different hole patters. Best thing to do is trace the PG you want to replace and send that tracing to Larry. He does an awesome job.

Nine, actually.

 

[Haji]

It's not GI JOE, it's ACTION MAN!

Action Man is a poof.

 

[Klondike]

Nine, actually.

Ok so its nine. Still trace the pg and send it to Larry. The price is right and he does great work.

 

[Gaolee]

Action Man is a poof.

So that means he's not a forward. We are getting closer here.

 

[TBird1958]

It mostly has to do with the venues we've been playing, anymore I just bring a GK410 and the 700RB to act as my stage monitor ( a little bass blowing your skirt up is a good thing) and the house PA is more than doing the rest. Most of our regular venues have good sound guys, so I'm travelling a little lighter than I used to.

 

[willsellout]

So the Bird arrived today...well it arrived yesterday but I picked it up today...and I swear to god there was someone out there trying to delay my picking this bass up. I finally got out of work and headed to pick it up. Package was in good shape and it felt really light, especially considering the GC employee told me this bass weighed 10 pounds. So I get it home and unbox it and it's a lot smaller than I thought it would be. But it's absolutely stunning! So I do a quick once over and:
The Bad:
-Small ding in the headstock
-The bridge pickup was completely loose and falling out. The screws were completely loose. Great QC there.
-Setup was horrible. Worst I've ever seen on a new instrument. It appeared the truss rod was maxed out. Board was just on the verge of convex. The bass was unplayable.
-Getting to the truss rod was a pain. I kept having to take the A string out of the nut to adjust. Small inconvenience though, not too bad.
-The nut could use a little filing. Not too much but a little bit on the E string mainly.

The Good:
It's gorgeous!
It weighs 8.1 lbs!
The neck is amazing. it's the perfect width, perfect shape, everything. And I dig the flat radius.
-It sounds exactly like I hoped it would...actually better. Tons of sustain and with a piano-like quality to it. But quite aggressive.
-The electronics are really quiet, knobs turn smoothly, and I find that the V/V/T setup works really really well on this bass. Very usable

So I did a setup on it and I really like the bridge. you can't fine tune, but you make quick adjustments that make a big difference. The action is medium low and it plays exceptionally well. I love it. I found that if I run the rear part of the strap over the back edge it plays easer for me. It kind of leans forward if I don't. It's not hard to play that way, but it plays better the other way. I had big concerns over the reach but honestly it's more playable that a lot of basses I've owned. I love it.

This is obviously honeymoon stage but generally I know immediately if I have doubts. I have zero doubts. It feels like home just like my J bass does.

Thanks for all your help and advice, it is very much appreciated! Oh and pics or it didn't happen, right?

 

[BassmanMetzger56]

So the Bird arrived today...well it arrived yesterday but I picked it up today...and I swear to god there was someone out there trying to delay my picking this bass up. I finally got out of work and headed to pick it up. Package was in good shape and it felt really light, especially considering the GC employee told me this bass weighed 10 pounds. So I get it home and unbox it and it's a lot smaller than I thought it would be. But it's absolutely stunning! So I do a quick once over and:
The Bad:
-Small ding in the headstock
-The bridge pickup was completely loose and falling out. The screws were completely loose. Great QC there.
-Setup was horrible. Worst I've ever seen on a new instrument. It appeared the truss rod was maxed out. Board was just on the verge of convex. The bass was unplayable.
-Getting to the truss rod was a pain. I kept having to take the A string out of the nut to adjust. Small inconvenience though, not too bad.
-The nut could use a little filing. Not too much but a little bit on the E string mainly.

The Good:
It's gorgeous!
It weighs 8.1 lbs!
The neck is amazing. it's the perfect width, perfect shape, everything. And I dig the flat radius.
-It sounds exactly like I hoped it would...actually better. Tons of sustain and with a piano-like quality to it. But quite aggressive.
-The electronics are really quiet, knobs turn smoothly, and I find that the V/V/T setup works really really well on this bass. Very usable

So I did a setup on it and I really like the bridge. you can't fine tune, but you make quick adjustments that make a big difference. The action is medium low and it plays exceptionally well. I love it. I found that if I run the rear part of the strap over the back edge it plays easer for me. It kind of leans forward if I don't. It's not hard to play that way, but it plays better the other way. I had big concerns over the reach but honestly it's more playable that a lot of basses I've owned. I love it.

This is obviously honeymoon stage but generally I know immediately if I have doubts. I have zero doubts. It feels like home just like my J bass does.

Thanks for all your help and advice, it is very much appreciated! Oh and pics or it didn't happen, right?View attachment 1044915

Welcome to the dark side, my friend! Great looking bass. Seems like the finish has a red-ish color to it? I kinda dig it.

 

[Gaolee]

So the Bird arrived today...well it arrived yesterday but I picked it up today...and I swear to god there was someone out there trying to delay my picking this bass up. I finally got out of work and headed to pick it up. Package was in good shape and it felt really light, especially considering the GC employee told me this bass weighed 10 pounds. So I get it home and unbox it and it's a lot smaller than I thought it would be. But it's absolutely stunning! So I do a quick once over and:
The Bad:
-Small ding in the headstock
-The bridge pickup was completely loose and falling out. The screws were completely loose. Great QC there.
-Setup was horrible. Worst I've ever seen on a new instrument. It appeared the truss rod was maxed out. Board was just on the verge of convex. The bass was unplayable.
-Getting to the truss rod was a pain. I kept having to take the A string out of the nut to adjust. Small inconvenience though, not too bad.
-The nut could use a little filing. Not too much but a little bit on the E string mainly.

The Good:
It's gorgeous!
It weighs 8.1 lbs!
The neck is amazing. it's the perfect width, perfect shape, everything. And I dig the flat radius.
-It sounds exactly like I hoped it would...actually better. Tons of sustain and with a piano-like quality to it. But quite aggressive.
-The electronics are really quiet, knobs turn smoothly, and I find that the V/V/T setup works really really well on this bass. Very usable

So I did a setup on it and I really like the bridge. you can't fine tune, but you make quick adjustments that make a big difference. The action is medium low and it plays exceptionally well. I love it. I found that if I run the rear part of the strap over the back edge it plays easer for me. It kind of leans forward if I don't. It's not hard to play that way, but it plays better the other way. I had big concerns over the reach but honestly it's more playable that a lot of basses I've owned. I love it.

This is obviously honeymoon stage but generally I know immediately if I have doubts. I have zero doubts. It feels like home just like my J bass does.

Thanks for all your help and advice, it is very much appreciated! Oh and pics or it didn't happen, right?View attachment 1044915

Sounds like you have been chosen. You know when that happens. Sometimes it happens right away and you recognize it, sometimes it takes a while for it to sink in. Either way, you know. Congratulations.

 

[Gaolee]

It mostly has to do with the venues we've been playing, anymore I just bring a GK410 and the 700RB to act as my stage monitor ( a little bass blowing your skirt up is a good thing) and the house PA is more than doing the rest. Most of our regular venues have good sound guys, so I'm travelling a little lighter than I used to.

Nothing like a good sound guy! It's a rare experience for me, unfortunately, but it sure is a joy when it happens.

 

[willsellout]

Welcome to the dark side, my friend! Great looking bass. Seems like the finish has a red-ish color to it? I kinda dig it.

Yep, it has a lot of red to it.

 

[Gaolee]

Yep, it has a lot of red to it.

If it's typical, a good setup will put the bridge very close to the body of the 'Bird. I'm not sure what an Epi is like specifically, but every one of my Thunderbirds that have a three point have the three point lowered almost as far as it can go. Newer ones may have a slightly different geometry and be OK with a higher bridge, but I don't know for sure. As far as the QC problems, that's a pain! I hope it was straight forward to sort out.