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Thunderbird Club

#24,561
GBassNorth said:
For those new to the three point bridge - the intonation screws and saddles basically rest in slots in the bridge. If you remove the strings and flip the bass over for some reason they will fall out. Good news is, it only takes about a second to put them back in (just be sure to put the correct saddle in the correct slot since they are matched to the neck radius). The saddles will not fall out with the strings removed as long as you don't flip the bass over, so it's really a non issue.

My biggest beef with the bridge is that ideally you should remove some tension on the strings if you intend to raise or lower the bridge to adjust the action. Of course that means you have to tune to pitch to check for fret buzz then detune to adjust the bridge, then retune to see if you have it right, then detune and make more adjustments, then retune to check again, and so on. If you decide that's too much work and try to adjust the bridge under tension you run the risk of pulling a threaded insert out of the body or having the screwdriver slip off the screw head and damaging the body. Other than that, I really like the three point.
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+1...
 
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#24,562
Mosstone said:
The bridge is kept together by string tension. If you remove all the strings, the whole assembly can slide apart... the saddles fall out.. could scratch/dent the top of the bass. It's usually ok as long as you don't move it, bump it, or shake it while you have the strings off.

That wasn't the main reason why I changed the bridge, though. I actually like the look of the 3-point, but not as much as I like being able to adjust the height of each string individually. In that way, it's an upgrade. Aesthetically, it's a little bit of a downgrade for me, but I can live with it. Tonally, it's a draw. Sounds about the same as the stock bridge to me.
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+1...
 
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#24,563
ubernator said:
Yeah the 2 I saw, GCs and Dickwads, had the woodgrain showing under a clear gloss on the back of the neck and were 1.5" at least the GC one was. Both were vintage sunburst. And I am going to check out another one soon. Would be nice of it was also 1.5"

. Good thing, because someone else accepted my offer of $200 for one with a case, more recent vintage sunburst apparently. $50 more with an epiphone case makes me feel good, hope it checks out.
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That's a pretty good deal...
 
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#24,564
hillerup said:
Fall apart? Depends on how you view this...

If you break a string - The individual saddle might fall off, as the pressure of the string keeps it in place.

If you remove all the strings - The bridge comes off, as it's held in place by the pressure of the strings...

If you tilt the bridge forwards (front stud is lower than the two rear studs) - You might pull out the rear inserts of the body.

As long as there are strings on it and you keep the two rear studs lower than the front stud, everything should be perfect...

Whether the Hipshot is an upgrade or not is a matter of opinion - Personally I don't think so, and find it pretty ugly - But I'm pretty sure others here think otherwise... :)
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I prefer the Babicz over the Hipshot.
 
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#24,565
hillerup said:
That's a pretty good deal...
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One thing I have to say, the one at GC felt like I could snap the neck off if I wasn't t careful. The neck joint creaked when stressed, I should have snapped a pic of the tilt when I was there. Maybe I will if it is still there the next time I go there. Considering they don't really carry the strings I need, I might not go in for a while, unless I decide to get another one of those avenue bags. By the way, I checked the spec and it was 48" internal, the nicer boulevard is 47.5" and the double bag is 47". I think there was a $49 gator that was also 48", but the width and shape may not fit a bird, it is nice to know this one does. But the more expensive bags might not, a half inch shorter would have been no dice, but I will try next time I am in the store.
 
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#24,569
willsellout said:
Sorry to hear that. You definitely have to pay more attention to your health as you get older. it's like constant maintenance now.
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I get to go to the hospital tomorrow to get the side of my fretting hand worked on. Hopefully, it won't put me out of playing any longer than that strange little Super Glue incident did.

I took advantage of some warmer weather to install the grip heaters I got for Christmas on my Yamaha. The end caps get Super Glued on. Not sure how it happened but when I opened the tube the darn stuff shot out all over my hand and tried to glue my fingers together. I didn't have acetone or fingernail polish remover so I shot some carb cleaner on a paper towel to get most of it off. It took a couple days to my hands back to normal.

The operation tomorrow really isn't age related. They're just cutting out a cyst the developed over a splinter or something that got in there. I tried to dig it out a long time ago but couldn't so I figured it would come out on its own. Nope.
 
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#24,571
Drestakil said:
I took advantage of some warmer weather to install the grip heaters I got for Christmas on my Yamaha. The end caps get Super Glued on. Not sure how it happened but when I opened the tube the darn stuff shot out all over my hand and tried to glue my fingers together. I didn't have acetone or fingernail polish remover so I shot some carb cleaner on a paper towel to get most of it off. It took a couple days to my hands back to normal.
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Grip heaters? Didn't know such a thing was available but it would be cool to have a heated neck on my TRBX174!

Good luck with the surgery. Shouldn't keep you from playing for more than a day or so.
 
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#24,574
PillO said:
Grip heaters? Didn't know such a thing was available but it would be cool to have a heated neck on my TRBX174!

Good luck with the surgery. Shouldn't keep you from playing for more than a day or so.
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That could extend your playing outdoor gigs a few months. It wouldn't hurt Yamaha to take a little technology from their motorcycle division and apply it to the tuning fork division.
 
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#24,576
Klondike said:
Just now dawned on me. Technically speaking you COULD raise each saddle with shims.
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That's true... I hadn't thought of that, either. But I think I'd still rather turn a couple of screws than try to find small, thin pieces of something to stick under the saddles, and hope it's the right thickness. But I suppose if you're determined to save $85 and have the material laying around, it might be practical.
 
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#24,579
Klondike said:
Just now dawned on me. Technically speaking you COULD raise each saddle with shims.
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We talking about the there point? I have for years used various gauges of shim brass to adjust individual saddles on the three point bridge. Works great.
 
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