Thunderbird Club

[Stealth57]

@Chucky Stiletti or any other geniuses. Does it matter which vacuum tube pin goes where in the socket?

I didn’t pay attention when removing them and the sockets don’t have any alignment marks.

 

[MCF]

More on the used LE Custom Shop I picked up yesterday.

Bridge is to the deck on the bass side. Slightly above on the treble side. You could drive a car between the pickups and the strings. I have never seen this. Either the guy was a monster with or pick, or he was clueless. I haven’t attempted to adjust them yet. I will say that on my Silverburst theses pickups are a bear to adjust.

The control gravity is a virgin. I’m obviously the first person to have opened it up. Everything works as it should. The pots are dated 2013. Best I can find on the internet from the various serial number sites is that it was built in 01/14.

I was bummed when I saw the undisclosed major flaw. The bird was dropped. Or toppled off a stand. But after playing it. I’m keeping it. It is very light. 8 pounds or just under. It’s just too good a player. The rest of the body is in very good to excellent condition. There are some places along fretboard where it looks like someone got overzealous with a file. But it’s obviously from the factory. It’s under the poly coat. And it doesn’t show in pics. Doesn’t bother me at all.

I’ll figure out what to do about the lower wing. Maybe Wilkins can match the color and redo the lower wing. Or there is a guy in Santa Ana who is supposed to be good with finish repairs who I’ll talk to about it.

Im still looking for a White and an Ebony Limited Edition Cueom Shop to finish off the collection. They are great Thunderbirds.

 

[Nocturnal]

More on the used LE Custom Shop I picked up yesterday.

Bridge is to the deck on the bass side. Slightly above on the treble side. You could drive a car between the pickups and the strings. I have never seen this. Either the guy was a monster with or pick, or he was clueless. I haven’t attempted to adjust them yet. I will say that on my Silverburst theses pickups are a bear to adjust.

View attachment 5071094 View attachment 5071095 View attachment 5071096 View attachment 5071098

The control gravity is a virgin. I’m obviously the first person to have opened it up. Everything works as it should. The pots are dated 2013. Best I can find on the internet from the various serial number sites is that it was built in 01/14.
View attachment 5071099

I was bummed when I saw the undisclosed major flaw. The bird was dropped. Or toppled off a stand. But after playing it. I’m keeping it. It is very light. 8 pounds or just under. It’s just too good a player. The rest of the body is in very good to excellent condition. There are some places along fretboard where it looks like someone got overzealous with a file. But it’s obviously from the factory. It’s under the poly coat. And it doesn’t show in pics. Doesn’t bother me at all.

View attachment 5071138
I’ll figure out what to do about the lower wing. Maybe Wilkins can match the color and redo the lower wing. Or there is a guy in Santa Ana who is supposed to be good with finish repairs who I’ll talk to about it.

Im still looking for a White and an Ebony Limited Edition Cueom Shop to finish off the collection. They are great Thunderbirds.

Reach out to GC and demand money back for the undisclosed damage. They should refund some money and that will help offset the cost of the repair.

 

[Stealth57]

Spiffed up and just waiting to install tubes.

 

[Stealth57]

More on the used LE Custom Shop I picked up yesterday.

Bridge is to the deck on the bass side. Slightly above on the treble side. You could drive a car between the pickups and the strings. I have never seen this. Either the guy was a monster with or pick, or he was clueless. I haven’t attempted to adjust them yet. I will say that on my Silverburst theses pickups are a bear to adjust.

View attachment 5071094 View attachment 5071095 View attachment 5071096 View attachment 5071098

The control gravity is a virgin. I’m obviously the first person to have opened it up. Everything works as it should. The pots are dated 2013. Best I can find on the internet from the various serial number sites is that it was built in 01/14.
View attachment 5071099

I was bummed when I saw the undisclosed major flaw. The bird was dropped. Or toppled off a stand. But after playing it. I’m keeping it. It is very light. 8 pounds or just under. It’s just too good a player. The rest of the body is in very good to excellent condition. There are some places along fretboard where it looks like someone got overzealous with a file. But it’s obviously from the factory. It’s under the poly coat. And it doesn’t show in pics. Doesn’t bother me at all.

View attachment 5071138
I’ll figure out what to do about the lower wing. Maybe Wilkins can match the color and redo the lower wing. Or there is a guy in Santa Ana who is supposed to be good with finish repairs who I’ll talk to about it.

Im still looking for a White and an Ebony Limited Edition Cueom Shop to finish off the collection. They are great Thunderbirds.

Ask for some sort of discount.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

@Chucky Stiletti or any other geniuses. Does it matter which vacuum tube pin goes where in the socket?

I didn’t pay attention when removing them and the sockets don’t have any alignment marks.

YES IT MATTERS, unless you like fireworks and strange smells…
the power tubes are keyed so you gently put them in the socket and rotate them until they slide downwards, you then wiggle them in with a slow circular down pressing motion…
for the preamp tubes there will be missing pins that will correspond to missing holes in the sockets, you line them up visually and gently insert them with that same circular downward motion..
playing at Gardinos in Los Gatos on Sat at 7. Bring it and we can sort it. alternatively you can come to my place where we can install them and measure the amp under load…..

 

[PillO]

@Chucky Stiletti or any other geniuses. Does it matter which vacuum tube pin goes where in the socket?

I didn’t pay attention when removing them and the sockets don’t have any alignment marks.

YES! It matters!

You should be able to put tubes in only one way.

 

[Stealth57]

Bad eyes didn’t notice the key ways.

 

[PillO]

I have been missing for a good portion of May. There are over 100 pages I have missed and I have no intention of trying to catch up. Perhaps someone can give me a brief summary...

[unnecessary detail]

Mum finally agreed that she can no longer look after herself and needed to go to assisted living. That started a search for available space in a facility that we (my brother and I) would be happy to see Mum in. The advice I received from one facility (that had 100% occupancy and a 13 person waiting list) was "if you find a place, take it. Assisted living spaces are rare".

After going to see the few that had space available, we were ready to sign a contract. And that was when the hospice called and said that it was time for Mum to be admitted.* So, last week, we got Mum moved in. It is good that she is getting the help she needs to keep her comfortable and maintain her dignity in her last weeks.

The last few weeks have been tiring and draining. On the other side, we finally have a timeline we can work against. I have been making funeral arrangements so that we can have everything in place when the time comes.

* In Ontario, hospice care is limited to the last 90 days of life. So they try as hard as possible to make sure someone is on death's doorstep before admitting.

[/unnecessary detail]

 

[JJR58]

I have been missing for a good portion of May. There are over 100 pages I have missed and I have no intention of trying to catch up. Perhaps someone can give me a brief summary...

[unnecessary detail]

Mum finally agreed that she can no longer look after herself and needed to go to assisted living. That started a search for available space in a facility that we (my brother and I) would be happy to see Mum in. The advice I received from one facility (that had 100% occupancy and a 13 person waiting list) was "if you find a place, take it. Assisted living spaces are rare".

After going to see the few that had space available, we were ready to sign a contract. And that was when the hospice called and said that it was time for Mum to be admitted.* So, last week, we got Mum moved in. It is good that she is getting the help she needs to keep her comfortable and maintain her dignity in her last weeks.

The last few weeks have been tiring and draining. On the other side, we finally have a timeline we can work against. I have been making funeral arrangements so that we can have everything in place when the time comes.

* In Ontario, hospice care is limited to the last 90 days of life. So they try as hard as possible to make sure someone is on death's doorstep before admitting.

[/unnecessary detail]

Much love and prayers.

 

[Stealth57]

I have been missing for a good portion of May. There are over 100 pages I have missed and I have no intention of trying to catch up. Perhaps someone can give me a brief summary...

[unnecessary detail]

Mum finally agreed that she can no longer look after herself and needed to go to assisted living. That started a search for available space in a facility that we (my brother and I) would be happy to see Mum in. The advice I received from one facility (that had 100% occupancy and a 13 person waiting list) was "if you find a place, take it. Assisted living spaces are rare".

After going to see the few that had space available, we were ready to sign a contract. And that was when the hospice called and said that it was time for Mum to be admitted.* So, last week, we got Mum moved in. It is good that she is getting the help she needs to keep her comfortable and maintain her dignity in her last weeks.

The last few weeks have been tiring and draining. On the other side, we finally have a timeline we can work against. I have been making funeral arrangements so that we can have everything in place when the time comes.

* In Ontario, hospice care is limited to the last 90 days of life. So they try as hard as possible to make sure someone is on death's doorstep before admitting.

[/unnecessary detail]

Been through that with my mother-in-law, though there is in-home hospice here.

My mom (turns 97 mañana) and finally said a year ago that senior living was a good idea. She’s still mobile so it was mostly making sure she was eating and had 24 hour emergency contact if needed.

Not easy what you are going through but hospice and elder care can at least let you get some rest.

 

[Engle]

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.

Yeah its got a great voice with rounds and in Eb!

 

[Engle]

I wonder if these pickups are the magic Greco Tbird pickups?
Greco LGB 700 MWS | Reverb

 

[GBassNorth]

I have been missing for a good portion of May. There are over 100 pages I have missed and I have no intention of trying to catch up. Perhaps someone can give me a brief summary...

[unnecessary detail]

Mum finally agreed that she can no longer look after herself and needed to go to assisted living. That started a search for available space in a facility that we (my brother and I) would be happy to see Mum in. The advice I received from one facility (that had 100% occupancy and a 13 person waiting list) was "if you find a place, take it. Assisted living spaces are rare".

After going to see the few that had space available, we were ready to sign a contract. And that was when the hospice called and said that it was time for Mum to be admitted.* So, last week, we got Mum moved in. It is good that she is getting the help she needs to keep her comfortable and maintain her dignity in her last weeks.

The last few weeks have been tiring and draining. On the other side, we finally have a timeline we can work against. I have been making funeral arrangements so that we can have everything in place when the time comes.

* In Ontario, hospice care is limited to the last 90 days of life. So they try as hard as possible to make sure someone is on death's doorstep before admitting.

[/unnecessary detail]

So sorry to hear that. Sounds like mum has some wonderful caring kids. Thoughts and prayers are with you, mum and the rest of the family.

 

[Stealth57]

Tubey Tuesday

 

[GBassNorth]

I wonder if these pickups are the magic Greco Tbird pickups?
Greco LGB 700 MWS | Reverb

LOL - I thought about buying that bass for that exact reason, then I remembered - I have three basses in various stages of construction and two others scheduled for major overhauls. Just too many projects right now.

 

[GBassNorth]

Tubey Tuesday

View attachment 5071225

Houston, we have ignition! Lift off in T minus 10, 9, 8…

 

[RedVee]

I have been missing for a good portion of May. There are over 100 pages I have missed and I have no intention of trying to catch up. Perhaps someone can give me a brief summary...

[unnecessary detail]

Mum finally agreed that she can no longer look after herself and needed to go to assisted living. That started a search for available space in a facility that we (my brother and I) would be happy to see Mum in. The advice I received from one facility (that had 100% occupancy and a 13 person waiting list) was "if you find a place, take it. Assisted living spaces are rare".

After going to see the few that had space available, we were ready to sign a contract. And that was when the hospice called and said that it was time for Mum to be admitted.* So, last week, we got Mum moved in. It is good that she is getting the help she needs to keep her comfortable and maintain her dignity in her last weeks.

The last few weeks have been tiring and draining. On the other side, we finally have a timeline we can work against. I have been making funeral arrangements so that we can have everything in place when the time comes.

* In Ontario, hospice care is limited to the last 90 days of life. So they try as hard as possible to make sure someone is on death's doorstep before admitting.

[/unnecessary detail]

Sorry to read that. I went through something similar with my father. It is stressful which may become fully apparent…. afterwards

All the very best to you and your family

 

[Stealth57]

Houston, we have ignition! Lift off in T minus 10, 9, 8…

It will really be Tuesday before I power it up attached to my Sunn 215m cabinet. Can’t wait to hear the difference compared to the Sunn Concert Bass.

 

[MCF]

I have been missing for a good portion of May. There are over 100 pages I have missed and I have no intention of trying to catch up. Perhaps someone can give me a brief summary...

[unnecessary detail]

Mum finally agreed that she can no longer look after herself and needed to go to assisted living. That started a search for available space in a facility that we (my brother and I) would be happy to see Mum in. The advice I received from one facility (that had 100% occupancy and a 13 person waiting list) was "if you find a place, take it. Assisted living spaces are rare".

After going to see the few that had space available, we were ready to sign a contract. And that was when the hospice called and said that it was time for Mum to be admitted.* So, last week, we got Mum moved in. It is good that she is getting the help she needs to keep her comfortable and maintain her dignity in her last weeks.

The last few weeks have been tiring and draining. On the other side, we finally have a timeline we can work against. I have been making funeral arrangements so that we can have everything in place when the time comes.

* In Ontario, hospice care is limited to the last 90 days of life. So they try as hard as possible to make sure someone is on death's doorstep before admitting.

[/unnecessary detail]

Hang in there my friend. We’re praying for your Mom and your family. You’re a good son.