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Thunderbird Club

#246,141
FATT P4NDA said:
Looking for some help/advice:

So I've noticed in band practice lately that the E string is so much louder than the rest, even with bass cut on the amp. (I just use the practice rooms amp. Can't remember the brand but it's just .... 'ok' to play through. Nothing special)

Do you think this is a pickup issue? Since everyone says Thunderbirds have really low-end loving pickups.

Or could this be because of the coating on the black strings I have fitted? (Black beauties)

As a side note, I always seem to have to really boost the low-mid setting on the amp to get it to ring through. Anything towards the bottom end of the A string seems much quieter.

Another user on a thread I made about this issue said he had to adjust the pickup so it's angled further away from the E string to balance out the volume? Do you think that could help in this instance?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Different strings can behave differently on any bass. Not to mention, room acoustics possibly creating a boomy bottom end in some situations. If you feel you’ve adequately accounted for room acoustics (amp not placed in a corner or against a wall, up off the floor to avoid stage coupling, EQ on the bass and the amp set the way you like it) and you’re still experiencing a boomy E string, you can try lowering just the E string side of the pickups until you feel you have a more even output across the strings.

I have not personally experienced a boomy problem with Black Beauties on any of my thunderbirds, but I did have that problem with a set of GHS Boomer strings (appropriately named I guess). Lowering the bass side of the neck pickup made a difference.
 
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#246,142
FATT P4NDA said:
Looking for some help/advice:

So I've noticed in band practice lately that the E string is so much louder than the rest, even with bass cut on the amp. (I just use the practice rooms amp. Can't remember the brand but it's just .... 'ok' to play through. Nothing special)

Do you think this is a pickup issue? Since everyone says Thunderbirds have really low-end loving pickups.

Or could this be because of the coating on the black strings I have fitted? (Black beauties)

As a side note, I always seem to have to really boost the low-mid setting on the amp to get it to ring through. Anything towards the bottom end of the A string seems much quieter.

Another user on a thread I made about this issue said he had to adjust the pickup so it's angled further away from the E string to balance out the volume? Do you think that could help in this instance?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
It could be strings, pickup adjustment or string height. I would start with strings if everything else seems to not obviously be out. I've got one Thunderbird ('21 Non-Reverse), that depending on the strings, the E can be noticeably more prominent than the others. It was a couple sets I tried early on, but different strings fixed that. It was noticeable enough I had to think about playing the E lighter so it didn't sound like I turned up a little. Bolt on necks and then glued (set) necks seem to have this tendency more than neck-through. Which Thunderbird are you using? Does your setup look "normal"?
 
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#246,143
FATT P4NDA said:
Looking for some help/advice:

So I've noticed in band practice lately that the E string is so much louder than the rest, even with bass cut on the amp. (I just use the practice rooms amp. Can't remember the brand but it's just .... 'ok' to play through. Nothing special)

Do you think this is a pickup issue? Since everyone says Thunderbirds have really low-end loving pickups.

Or could this be because of the coating on the black strings I have fitted? (Black beauties)

As a side note, I always seem to have to really boost the low-mid setting on the amp to get it to ring through. Anything towards the bottom end of the A string seems much quieter.

Another user on a thread I made about this issue said he had to adjust the pickup so it's angled further away from the E string to balance out the volume? Do you think that could help in this instance?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Welcome here :)

Which model of Thunderbird are you asking about? Gibson or one of several different Epiphone Birds, perhaps a picture would be helpful as well.
We have club members that are well versed in pretty much all Thunderbirds so we should be able to help you get it sorted out.
 
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#246,145
GBassNorth said:
You’ve probably seen Never Say Never Again. It had Sean in it as Bond and Kim Bassinger as the Bond Girl (Domino). The name of the yacht that was the evil guys lair was the Disco Volante. The movie was a bit less polished than the previous SC bonds but IMHO an improvement over the Roger Moore Bonds. It’s a complete take off on the previously released Thunderball (also starring Sean as Bond) and had Tom Jones as the title track singer. NSNA had Liani Hall as the title track singer.

Bond Trivia question: which sanctioned Bond flicks had male singers on the title track?
Click to expand...

a lot actually -

Matt Monro
Tom Jones
Louis Armstrong
Sam Smith (should have been Radiohead...)
Jack White (& Alisa Keys)
Chris Cornell
A-Ha
Duran Duran
Paul McCartney
 
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#246,149
GBassNorth said:
I’m ok with that, as long as we limit the rash to just these two types.


I was thinking more along these lines…
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[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...


I waxed my only bass once with the wax they use on bowling alley floors, stickiest crap I ever put on a bass and it was not fun trying to remove it either. I figured I'd really be able to play fast with it and it would last a long time, the latter was correct. :laugh:
 
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#246,151
GBassNorth said:
Excellent!
16 of the 24 bond songs were female lead singers (including Alisa Keys)
Click to expand...

So what are your favorites? As we play a number of them, I do have my favorites from a playing standpoint - Tomorrow never Dies, Diamonds are Forever, Skyfall, Nobody Does it Better, Man with the Golden Gun, Live & Let Die. I also like The World is Not Enough. We used to do a more rock version of it. I'm trying to get Cherie to revisit it more like the theatrical Garbage version. I really like Garbages' music vid of it.

 
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#246,152
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#246,153
GBassNorth said:
Yikes!
I think our Queen has a VP wrap with some tell tale 50 cal kisses on it. ;)
Click to expand...

They might be bigger than .50 cal.
It makes it's stage debut next Friday!

2cJicxp.jpg
 
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#246,154
Engle said:
Nitro lacquer is not very sturdy. Once it starts chipping, it just keeps going.
Click to expand...


My nitro basses very gradually wore away like the edges were feathered, I was surprised when I saw Jio's bass. I would have thought it was poly as when I've actually seen Poly wear down to the wood it did come off in patches. A buddy of mine has a fretless '77 P bass he bought new and almost the whole front has peeled off. I wore a nitro 67-68 CAR P bass right down to the wood in places and it was very smooth, you could actually see the three different layers of paint they used blend into each other.
 
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#246,156
FATT P4NDA said:
Looking for some help/advice:

So I've noticed in band practice lately that the E string is so much louder than the rest, even with bass cut on the amp. (I just use the practice rooms amp. Can't remember the brand but it's just .... 'ok' to play through. Nothing special)

Do you think this is a pickup issue? Since everyone says Thunderbirds have really low-end loving pickups.

Or could this be because of the coating on the black strings I have fitted? (Black beauties)

As a side note, I always seem to have to really boost the low-mid setting on the amp to get it to ring through. Anything towards the bottom end of the A string seems much quieter.

Another user on a thread I made about this issue said he had to adjust the pickup so it's angled further away from the E string to balance out the volume? Do you think that could help in this instance?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...


If your amp is in a corner move it closer to the middle of the room and set your tones on your amp flat and your volume and tone wide open on the bass, if it still sounds louder than the rest drop the pickup a little and try it, repeat if necessary.
 
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#246,157
bobyoung53 said:
My nitro basses very gradually wore away like the edges were feathered, I was surprised when I saw Jio's bass. I would have thought it was poly as when I've actually seen Poly wear down to the wood it did come off in patches. A buddy of mine has a fretless '77 P bass he bought new and almost the whole front has peeled off. I wore a nitro 67-68 CAR P bass right down to the wood in places and it was very smooth, you could actually see the three different layers of paint they used blend into each other.
Click to expand...

The '70s poly on Fenders was applied very thick which lead to checking and pealing off in chunks depending on conditions. (heat, UV rays and cold) CBS Fender did it because they thought it would make for a bullet-proof finish, unlike the lacquer finishes up to that point. Modern epoxy-poly finishes are bullet-proof - as I've learned from stripping them... not fun.
 
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#246,158
The James Bond song that should have been, but never was........




I'm an unashamed fan of Duran Duran's early stuff and "View to a Kill" is my fave - Perfect cheesy video to go along with it.
 
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#246,159
JIO said:
The '70s poly on Fenders was applied very thick which lead to checking and pealing off in chunks depending on conditions. (heat, UV rays and cold) CBS Fender did it because they thought it would make for a bullet-proof finish, unlike the lacquer finishes up to that point. Modern epoxy-poly finishes are bullet-proof - as I've learned from stripping them... not fun.
Click to expand...

I always try to buy nitro, I do have some poly basses though, my '96 poly Jazz is white but still looks new.
 
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