Thunderbird Club

[bobyoung53]

I did have some fun. This was the second time I have come across a guitarist that tunes his acoustic down to Eb, and the puts a capo on the first fret. Took me a minute to figure it out!

I think it's a lot of fun and keeps you on your toes.

 

[bobyoung53]

Wait'll you hit 77-and 78 in August. (maybe)

You'll make it to your 90's, you're too ornery to go young.

 

[Nocturnal]

I had a T-bird with modified bridge set on it. I replaced the chrome bridge set with an original 3 point bridge but was left with 3 screw holes in the body from the tailpiece.

View attachment 5070504
I've been trying to decide what I wanted to do to cover up the holes and I think I have found the best solution. I want a black tailpiece to make my setup look like this:
View attachment 5070505

This is from a GBassNorth post. I've also seen a similiar setup in posts from Miles O'neal and WillyW.

I've looked around but havent found a tailpiece online anywhere. I'm sure they are out there I just havent seen them. Does anyone know where I can order a black tailpiece like this?

I saw this on eBay recently. Not sure about the size but it might be an option:

Black 4 String Bass Guitar High Mass Tune-O-Matic Bridge and Tailpiece | eBay

 

[bobyoung53]

lol...seen black face twins going for under a grand these days...that ought to tell you something..

Wow that's cheap. I never liked them anyway, too loud and piercing, I like 412 Marshalls a lot better.

 

[bobyoung53]

Nothing like carrying an 85 pound SVT for a good workout.

I usually use a good two wheeler.

 

[bobyoung53]

I'm going to try to get them in place this week, but I think that I'll be tinkering with pickup height for awhile as well. It took a few tries with the my VP when I put the Gibson pickups in it.




Originally Mike's pickups were made by TV Jones exclusively, (this was after he'd approached Jason Lollar, who declined as at that point he didn't think there would be a market for them!) as time went on demand increased and production lagged, at one point Mike 5-6 T4s in the shop just waiting for pickups. It was decided to have Seymour Duncan take on some of the production to alleviate delivery delays, at this point the pickups were actually offered on Mike's website as an upgrade for your Gibson Bird. I have TV Jones made pickups in my T4 II and my '89 Gibson, I have one at Lull's to pick up later this week as well, it's for my BaCH Non Reverse.
I don't have any basses with Lollars in them to make a comparison but I have to imagine that they would sound quite similar as he's known to make a good pickup and there are a couple guys here that use them and swear by them. Ultimately, if they're known as a good manufacturer I'd say any good repro is likely worth it, be that Lull, Thunderbucker, Seymour Duncan, Lollar etc. I like Gibson's new pickup being used in the current Non Reverse and love the pickup in my Greco II as well, they're slightly different from the others but still so close that we're basically splitting hairs here. The pickups that don't work quite as well for me are the Epi 760's and the EY Guitars, through my rig ( I don't use any pedals etc.) there seems to be something missing, they're not as "full" or "filled out" sounding, with some fundamental and lo - mids not being present. This is just my experience, not a criticism as most folks here have a pretty high opinion of both of these pickups.

TL;DR
Play what you, love what you play!

I bought a set of Lulls in 2018 from his shop, do you know where those may have been made?

 

[bobyoung53]

Or a guitar that can't take full tension.

Yup, you used to see a lot of acoustic 12 string guitars tuned to D with a capo on the second fret years ago, saved the neck from bowing.

 

[bobyoung53]

I use a 100w head with fair regularity, but a Hiwatt DR-103 is a pretty "loud" amp for 100w. Not as loud as the 120w Sunn, but with efficient cabs I've never had issues with keeping up or burying other people with it.

Using a V4 at a festival was one of the few times I've wanted to kick an amp over and off the stage while playing it. It was a honky, blown out mess. Even with an 8x10, by the time it was loud enough to be heard just as a monitor on stage it was way too far into distortion for me, any of my amps would eat its lunch. I haven't used enough to say they're all like this, maybe it had some sort of issue, but I truly hated using it. It was a 70s version, early one before the distortion circuit, but for the life of me I couldn't dial it to sound like anything other than a strangled goose or a subby fart in a cavern. Dialing in enough treble for what I normally played made it harsh and throaty (not in a good way), and trying to dial that out all I could get was definition-less woof and blooming subs. Granted, I know the circuit is a bit different than your standard passive tone stack and I may not be used to it, but my Acoustics with active tone stacks never sound like that. I'd be willing to give one a go again, but I'm skeptical I'd like it any more, even if it didn't distort so early.

When I had my V4-B years ago I used it for rehearsal, just didn't have the head room when you needed it. It was a very good sounding head though.

 

[TBird1958]

I bought a set of Lulls in 2018 from his shop, do you know where those may have been made?

I'm not sure you could see a difference but for one thing, TV Jones would put a sticker on the underside of his pickups.

 

[TBird1958]

Working the money frets on the VP Friday night.

 

[Engle]

I think it's a lot of fun and keeps you on your toes.

It was a mental workout!

 

[bobyoung53]

When I had my V4-B years ago I used it for rehearsal, just didn't have the head room when you needed it. It was a very good sounding head though.

One more thing is the original V4-B cab's were huge 2 x 15" cabs that were very efficient, kind of a horn loaded cab. They were the same size as an SVT cab but twice as deep, they're monsters but really sound good. I bought one cheap a few years ago and have never even used it. This isn't mine.

With and without grille

 

[Ringhammer]

The pickups that don't work quite as well for me are the Epi 760's

Funny, I surprisingly like the 760’s, even though I was sure I wouldn’t. I think it’s because I like the difference in tone between my Lollar Gibson ‘birds and the Eppi. I do think fresh rounds are important for the goodness to come out of them. I bought a brand new black VP this weekend and I’m still messing with it a little. It will be tuned to Eb, and on the white one I have, it worked well. Plan is to make the white one E standard.

 

[JJR58]

Working the money frets on the VP Friday night.

Yes!!!!!

 

[Ringhammer]

One more thing is the original V4-B cab's were huge 2 x 15" cabs that were very efficient, kind of a horn loaded cab. They were the same size as an SVT cab but twice as deep, they're monsters but really sound good. I bought one cheap a few years ago and have never even used it. This isn't mine.

With and without grille


View attachment 5070839

I read somewhere that these were hard to hear on stage but in the audience they would be liquefying people’s guts…

 

[dagrev]

Oh yeah, I had one of those years ago, early 70's model with the metal knobs. Good amps, course I've never met an Ampeg that I haven't liked.

These, the classic version, were only made from 1988 to 2006. I have a '96 at home and the '06 is my main head and use it at church every week. These are not like the old V-4Bs. Not as loud and aggressive. Big and smooth. They have the same pre as an SVT, a little different power section with 4 tubes. I love them, which is why I bought a second when one was offered in the classifieds.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

One more thing is the original V4-B cab's were huge 2 x 15" cabs that were very efficient, kind of a horn loaded cab. They were the same size as an SVT cab but twice as deep, they're monsters but really sound good. I bought one cheap a few years ago and have never even used it. This isn't mine.

With and without grille


View attachment 5070839

they sound pretty good with SVT tops as well as many will see out in early Aug……

 

[bobyoung53]

These, the classic version, were only made from 1988 to 2006. I have a '96 at home and the '06 is my main head and use it at church every week. These are not like the old V-4Bs. Not as loud and aggressive. Big and smooth. They have the same pre as an SVT, a little different power section with 4 tubes. I love them, which is why I bought a second when one was offered in the classifieds.

The old ones also had pretty much the same preamp as an SVT, I think one of the positions on the mid switch was 200 hz higher, it's been years though. The old SVT's are also louder and more aggressive at least to me. Power section on an SVT is very different than a V4-B. SVT power sections are unusual. V4-B's are great amps, old and new.

 

[bobyoung53]

they sound pretty good with SVT tops as well as many will see out in early Aug……
View attachment 5070909View attachment 5070908

Yeah, there was a guy around my area years ago who used two of them with an SVT head, big sound. I got mine for 300 bucks in CT, couldn't pass it up, course don't know what I'm going to do with it now. I played through them a few times years ago, thought they sounded great.

 

[Thumper]

View attachment 5070749

Has anyone here tried a dyed fretboard? I have an Embassy with a dark board, and my fingers get a little dark smudging like I've had on some strings (don’t remember type or brand).