Thunderbird Club

[Stealth57]

Is "the B3n" a tuner?

Multipurpose amp and cabinet simulator as well as effects box with a built in tuner function. Made by Zoom.

 

[GonePlaid]

Is "the B3n" a tuner?

I think it's a "sammon".

 

[GBassNorth]

Then the 12th fret is flat. It’s pretty much one or the other with all my basses. Maybe the B3n has an issue with harmonics.

A strobe type tuner might be more accurate. On all my basses, once I have the open and 12th fret matching the harmonic falls into place. I will say that my Korg rack mount tuner and my Snark clip on tuner rarely agree, but the difference is minimal, maybe a couple of cents at most. When I was playing out, everybody tuned off the keyboard by ear and string to string harmonics from there. Trust your ears.

 

[JIO]

I think it's a "sammon".

BASS

 

[JIO]

Multipurpose amp and cabinet simulator as well as effects box with a built in tuner function. Made by Zoom.

I'd try another dedicated tuner for a second opinion. Even a hs clip-on should work.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

My Hill to die on: We choose our basses more for their looks than their sound as in a mix almost all basses sound the same. We play Thunderbirds, probably, more for their awesome look than their tone.

I came for the looks and the sound, and I stayed for both.

 

[GBassNorth]

For those Tbird fans that might be Dingwall curious, here’s a great clip of a phenomenal player running a DRoc through its paces…

 

[The EDP]

Gibson Thunderbird Pickup - New, Old Stock Vintage Bass Pickup (1970s - Chrome) | Reverb


Gibson Thunderbird Pickup - New, Old Stock Vintage (1970s - Chrome) | Reverb


For a mere $2190 you could have a set of NOS Thunderbird pickups.

Might be cool, but…

…for the same amount, set of Lollars, and a set of Novaks, and a set of Duncan’s, and a set of Gibson re-issues, and probably some money to spare.

Did the original or 70’s Thunderbirds use three point mounting for the pickups?

I think it was only the 76-79 TBs with three screws

 

[PhR75]

Greetings from an autumn morning by the lake.

I have been busy not playing the T-Birds as I should but tweaking the Wasp synth I just bought. Mono synth with two oscillators, envelopes, LFO and what not. 20 years with a one osc synths and this is a revelation to me.

 

[PhR75]

The original was made by a company called the Electronic Dream Plant in UK late '70s.

Here's a half (*ss) improvisation I did with some overdubbing. The stereodelay is the only effect used. It's long so don't feel guilty of skipping it.

 

[The EDP]

Then the 12th fret is flat. It’s pretty much one or the other with all my basses. Maybe the B3n has an issue with harmonics.

Intonation is commonly a compromise - I've only ever had one bass (out of lots) that I could set the bridge saddle from the 12th fret note/harmonic and every note on the fingerboard was bang in tune. I add 2 or 3 more fretted notes to my checklist and adjust until all 5 (or 6) checks look close enough on my strobe and clip on - I'll check the 15th/17th fretted notes and the 7th fret. On both my tuners (Peterson Strobostomp 2/TC Electronic clip on) I've found I've a little wiggle room back and forth with the saddle once it's "in tune" and it'll still be in tune - so I concluded that to mean "in tune" is a wider parameter than I expected so I use the other notes/frets to get it finely tuned. And I definitely hear the difference from all my instruments since I started doing it this way - much more detailed checking - which was only in the last year.
There is also the possibility that the slotting of the fingerboard was not as precise as it could have been, that will also have an effect on intonation. Fret job could do too - but you'd likely see that, if the frets look squiffy!

 

[kyral210]

I came for the looks and the sound, and I stayed for both.

One day I would love to build a Thunderbird with a MM bridge and P-neck. But for now, it's all original recipe.

 

[JJR58]

I think it was only the 76-79 TBs with three screws

Yeah. The infamous sidewinder.

 

[Count Bassie]

I put a ding in my CP, had it sitting a a friend's house who does furniture repairs to get a cosmetic repair. Now he's had foot surgery and will be a month out. Went and picked it up last night... I knew something was missing. Need to put 'er through the GK 800RB asap. Got a watering-hole sports bar gig this Saturday, glad to have 'er back.

 

[Roger W]

My 3pu/V-T/pu switch ESP/Grass Roots Bass IV has a 4-way switch. (compared to your 3-way switch - or is it 4?) The 4th option is wired to by-pass the V-T pots straight to the jack. So whatever pu choice/combination you choose gets a clean boost once the 4th switch is switched on. I would love to find the same style of 4-way switch (they are currently on the Fender and Squier VI RI's) but they haven't sold them aftermarket (yet).

I cut the one in the pic from an aluminum sheet - the original was cheap mirrored plastic. What you could do is install 4 on-off mini-toggles to do the same thing. It wouldn't be that difficult to wire and you'd only need to drill four small hoes in the pg. The other cool benefit is all switches off is like a kill-switch, and you have more options for which pu combination you choose.

View attachment 5227185 View attachment 5227187View attachment 5227186 View attachment 5227258

After a few days with it, I’m thinking about neck alone, neck + middle, middle alone, neck + middle + bridge, bridge + middle, and bridge alone. The combination not included is neck + bridge. The middle and bridge pickups are roughly the same distance from the bridge as the pickups on. Jazz. The pickups are not identical and this G3 is set neck vs bolt on, but there is potential. I’d want to get a new pick guard to make that change so that I could return it to nearly stock.

 

[MCF]

Technical question for our resident brainiacs. I’ve read two different ways to do intonation. In both cases, tune as usual, then 1) hold down the string at the 12th fret and adjust the saddle until the open string and the 12th fret are in tune. 2) lightly touch the string at the 12th fret and adjust the saddle until the open string and the harmonic are in tune.

If I do #1, I find the harmonic is slightly sharp. Which is correct? Clearly, there isn’t much difference.

I adjust using both fretted and harmonic. Intonation will rarely be “perfect.”

 

[ThaCoast]

Greetings from an autumn morning by the lake.
View attachment 5228979View attachment 5228980View attachment 5228981View attachment 5228982
I have been busy not playing the T-Birds as I should but tweaking the Wasp synth I just bought. Mono synth with two oscillators, envelopes, LFO and what not. 20 years with a one osc synths and this is a revelation to me.

Not gonna lie, my first look at the picture of your dog on a leash looked more like you had a marshmallow on a stick xD

After a few days with it, I’m thinking about neck alone, neck + middle, middle alone, neck + middle + bridge, bridge + middle, and bridge alone. The combination not included is neck + bridge. The middle and bridge pickups are roughly the same distance from the bridge as the pickups on. Jazz. The pickups are not identical and this G3 is set neck vs bolt on, but there is potential. I’d want to get a new pick guard to make that change so that I could return it to nearly stock.

Perhaps a more complex way of wiring, but id find a way to have two push pulls for on off of each circuit (n + b pickups, m pickup). This way you could have your n + b also, & have middle on its own, still using the 3 way toggle for n, nb, b. Push pull to kill its signal, & other push pull to engage middle pickup (enabling m alone, nm, nmb, mb).

 

[Engle]

My plug in tuner has 7 positions above and below what it reports as in tune. Using what I called #1, harmonics are one position to the sharp side.

Octave harmonics are not normally that far from the open. I usually compare the harmonic and 12th fret. Keep in mind you should press down as much as you would when playing and make the neck is supported so the action is the same as when you're playing.

 

[Engle]

Multipurpose amp and cabinet simulator as well as effects box with a built in tuner function. Made by Zoom.

I use an app called Cleartune. I have TC and Korg pedal tuners, but my phone is always with me.
‎Cleartune
Cleartune

 

[Engle]

Gibson Thunderbird Pickup - New, Old Stock Vintage Bass Pickup (1970s - Chrome) | Reverb


Gibson Thunderbird Pickup - New, Old Stock Vintage (1970s - Chrome) | Reverb


For a mere $2190 you could have a set of NOS Thunderbird pickups.

Might be cool, but…

…for the same amount, set of Lollars, and a set of Novaks, and a set of Duncan’s, and a set of Gibson re-issues, and probably some money to spare.

Did the original or 70’s Thunderbirds use three point mounting for the pickups?

70's
Only 3.5K DCR on the crusty one?