Thunderbird Club

[Stealth57]

Holy happy horse poopie! The new tailpiece/claw is huge…

marked “sung il” or “sun il” forgot already, I believe I have seen similar marking on Epiphone parts.

very well made, but more complicated than I wanted.

the studs lock so it isn’t going anywhere ever…

looks better installed than I thought it would.


Now I have to decide which strap, leaning toward the cheetah… red pleather was supposed to be pink when I ordered it but just the ends were pinkish…

Flowers

 

[Count Bassie]

Recording or it didn’t happen.

Until I get it somewhat reliably nailed, it didn't happen!

 

[The EDP]

Interesting idea for the ‘13. Is yours burst or Pelham Blue?

Pelham Blue

 

[The EDP]

Hipshot makes a bridge with a locking height adjustment and individual saddle-height adjustment and side-to-side saddle adjustment as well. Blows anything else out of the water. Not sure if it would fit a standard 3-point post spacing wise, which their equally well designed Supertone was made to do.

View attachment 5240057

I'm trying to make the 3-point work at the mo so I don't have to drill more holes for the bridge (all 2-points I've seen will need more holes because of the intonation line) and I've a 3-point Hipshot on my RexBird but am about to try a standard 3-point on it. I'm suspicious that the amount of surface area it occupies is having a damping effect on the bass end of the instrument: I play all my instruments (guitars too) "acoustically" in a quiet room to determine if I think the things are "mechanically" functioning optimally (or no pickup/amp will help enough) and the RexBird has a big chunk of low end missing - and it's not that there's a prominent mid being produced (or any other frequencies masking it), once I noticed this I heard it through the amp too. I will report back on this later once I've played with bridges! First though, a different brand of strings!
Scored a brand new Hosco 3-point for £1.20 on evilbay (free postage) a couple of days ago! I've a spare one already but it's a tatty ol'thing.

 

[MCF]

Pelham Blue

Good choice!

 

[Count Bassie]

Good choice!
View attachment 5240327

That's the kind of clean and tidy that just doesn't exist in my world! That's a pretty picture. Nice rig.

 

[MCF]

That's the kind of clean and tidy that just doesn't exist in my world! That's a pretty picture. Nice rig.

Thanks Roger.

 

[JJR58]

Hipshot makes a bridge with a locking height adjustment and individual saddle-height adjustment and side-to-side saddle adjustment as well. Blows anything else out of the water. Not sure if it would fit a standard 3-point post spacing wise, which their equally well designed Supertone was made to do.

View attachment 5240057

Is that their D style bridge?
Best 2 piece out there imo.
But you’re right Geo, it won’t fit spacing wise.

 

[Ringhammer]

Is that their D style bridge?
Best 2 piece out there imo.
But you’re right Geo, it won’t fit spacing wise.

The adjustment range on the D style was a little short for one application I tried it on. I wanted to dress up my Ric 4003/5 with a nickel bridge that was a bit more “elaborate” than the standard 5 string Schaller that it comes with. Kinda like the original contraption that comes on a regular 4003. Luckily, I did not try to do this myself. The shop (SF Guitarworks) determined that it wouldn’t likely intonate if installed. They even considered mounting it at a slight angle. I can see from where the saddles on the Schaller sit while intonated that they were right.

 

[ThaCoast]

Has anyone with a bolt-on thunderbird, with a swapped bridge (either Hipshot supertone, or babicz), have you had the neck pocket altered or left alone? I'm debating if i route the pocket flat or leave it as is.

& string question; I've been a dominant D'Addario user & still am. Only select few of my guitars/basses have either GHS boomers or DR Hi beams (which really is on one pbass & they sound/feel awesome). Been running 50-105 D'addario's medium gauge set on my bird for a long time, & wondering what you guys would recommend the most? Note on strings, i'm not big on Ernie ball, having had lots of bad luck in general with em (from snapping a fresh string while stretching out, to immediate death the next day of installing them on a bass, & guitar i dislike the feel of em in general). I feel i'd stay within 45-105 or 50-105 as string gauge on the bird. I'll consider having a 100 gauge E string. Anyway, i figured with an all around new setup/life into this bird once again, might as well change strings & try something different. Also, roundwound exclusive, i've a few with halfwounds/flats which cover my darker/warmer bass tones.

Cheers!

 

[Engle]

Hipshot makes a bridge with a locking height adjustment and individual saddle-height adjustment and side-to-side saddle adjustment as well. Blows anything else out of the water. Not sure if it would fit a standard 3-point post spacing wise, which their equally well designed Supertone was made to do.

View attachment 5240057

The Hipshot bridges are very well engineered and functional, but aesthetically, their 2 point and 3 point replacements don't work on 60's or 60's looking basses. IMO of course!
Locking studs are a pretty cheap addition to a 3 point.

 

[Engle]

No Thunderbird content, but an interesting interview with a heck of a bass player. Things got stressed between Bruce and Elvis not too long after this, unfortunately. But thanks for all the great music, Bruce.

1987 Bruce Thomas Interview - Elvis Costello Fan Forum

I read this interview while listening to a Troy Hughes' bass cover of "Peace, Love and Understanding" for at least the 100th time in a row in two days. I'm burning it into my soul before I attempt to learn to play it. I know I picked a good one because I'm not even close to tired of listening.

Y'all know that scene where Sam Wilson says (referring to Steve Rogers), "I do what he does, only slower"? That's loosely me talking about Bruce Thomas. We have the same interest and approaches to things - he's just way better. 8^) [Not referenced in the interview: he's also a bicyclist and author.]

Great interview! Thanks for posting it Miles!

 

[Engle]

I've not got my hands on any of those yet but I was under the impression that you screw the top part down using that big slot - maybe needs doing with the whole bolt screwed into the body so there's something to stop things turning? Then raise the thing with the Allen bolt?

What's probably required is for me to look at it with a fresh brain!

 

[Stealth57]

What's probably required is for me to look at it with a fresh brain!

Whose are you borrowing?

 

[Engle]

I'm trying to make the 3-point work at the mo so I don't have to drill more holes for the bridge (all 2-points I've seen will need more holes because of the intonation line) and I've a 3-point Hipshot on my RexBird but am about to try a standard 3-point on it. I'm suspicious that the amount of surface area it occupies is having a damping effect on the bass end of the instrument: I play all my instruments (guitars too) "acoustically" in a quiet room to determine if I think the things are "mechanically" functioning optimally (or no pickup/amp will help enough) and the RexBird has a big chunk of low end missing - and it's not that there's a prominent mid being produced (or any other frequencies masking it), once I noticed this I heard it through the amp too. I will report back on this later once I've played with bridges! First though, a different brand of strings!
Scored a brand new Hosco 3-point for £1.20 on evilbay (free postage) a couple of days ago! I've a spare one already but it's a tatty ol'thing.

Interesting! I'm going to put the 3 point back on my Orville and put that Hipshot on my black Casady.

 

[Engle]

Whose are you borrowing?

Amazon is supposed to be delivering today. Hopefully it's packaged well so it isn't damaged

 

[JIO]

The adjustment range on the D style was a little short for one application I tried it on. I wanted to dress up my Ric 4003/5 with a nickel bridge that was a bit more “elaborate” than the standard 5 string Schaller that it comes with. Kinda like the original contraption that comes on a regular 4003. Luckily, I did not try to do this myself. The shop (SF Guitarworks) determined that it wouldn’t likely intonate if installed. They even considered mounting it at a slight angle. I can see from where the saddles on the Schaller sit while intonated that they were right.

View attachment 5240377

The Schaller 3D bridge, born in the early '80s is still one of the best bass bridges you can buy for many reasons. The slight curve of the base echoes a fretboard radius and the rollar-saddles can be dialed in perfectly both side-to-side and height-wise. Usually found for under $100, but sometimes over. When I first started buying them they were around $50-$60. They offer stackable riser-rings (I'm using one as seen in this pic) to raise it if needed. And yes - ideally the saddles angle like that. Occasionally they won't (like my G-string) - must have to do with individual string tension.

Another option for a staggered bridge is individual units. Obviously better suited for a new build but more than likely they would cover up existing holes. Not a 'drop in', so not for if you want it reversible. These Ibanez units are string-thru only.

These individual units can be strung either way.

 

[Ringhammer]

The Schaller 3D bridge, born in the early '80s is still one of the best bass bridges you can buy for many reasons.

I am a big fan of the Schaller bridge. In 1994 I bought my first good bass, a 1970 Jazz. However I couldn’t get the action down to where I wanted it without bottoming out the barrels on the stock BPOT bridge. I saw the Schaller bridge in the display case at the register at SF Guitar Center, way back when they had an enormous store at Mission and Van Ness. It looked like a really low profile bridge and it came with the spacer plate, and it looked cool in my eyes, so I grabbed it and put it on. It’s still there on that old ‘70 Jazz, and I have these bridges on a number of my Fenders now.

 

[MCF]

Has anyone with a bolt-on thunderbird, with a swapped bridge (either Hipshot supertone, or babicz), have you had the neck pocket altered or left alone? I'm debating if i route the pocket flat or leave it as is.

& string question; I've been a dominant D'Addario user & still am. Only select few of my guitars/basses have either GHS boomers or DR Hi beams (which really is on one pbass & they sound/feel awesome). Been running 50-105 D'addario's medium gauge set on my bird for a long time, & wondering what you guys would recommend the most? Note on strings, i'm not big on Ernie ball, having had lots of bad luck in general with em (from snapping a fresh string while stretching out, to immediate death the next day of installing them on a bass, & guitar i dislike the feel of em in general). I feel i'd stay within 45-105 or 50-105 as string gauge on the bird. I'll consider having a 100 gauge E string. Anyway, i figured with an all around new setup/life into this bird once again, might as well change strings & try something different. Also, roundwound exclusive, i've a few with halfwounds/flats which cover my darker/warmer bass tones.

Cheers!

I rely on shims. I tried a Supertone on two of my Epi bolt-ons. But couldn’t get low enough action for my taste, even shimming with tapered shims.

Sit Power Steels or Dunlop Marcus Miller stainless steel Superbrights for the win.

 

[JIO]

I am a big fan of the Schaller bridge. In 1994 I bought my first good bass, a 1970 Jazz. However I couldn’t get the action down to where I wanted it without bottoming out the barrels on the stock BPOT bridge. I saw the Schaller bridge in the display case at the register at SF Guitar Center, way back when they had an enormous store at Mission and Van Ness. It looked like a really low profile bridge and it came with the spacer plate, and it looked cool in my eyes, so I grabbed it and put it on. It’s still there on that old ‘70 Jazz, and I have these bridges on a number of my Fenders now.

Yep - it's been a go-to bridge for many of my builds.

Jim Burns (of London) might have been the first to do a roller-saddle bridge in the early '60s on a bent-plate platform. My '63 Burns of London Vista Sonic - I fabricated the E saddle out of brass because it was missing when I got it. Needless to say, finding an original replacement was out of the question.

Hipshot has created many great bridges in the last 15-20 yrs and I also use their KA on basses. The best version of a Leo Quan BA bridge to date.

But frankly, I've never had a problem with a gen1 Fender 'bent-plate' threaded saddle bridge.