Thunderbird Club

[Chucky Stiletti]

yah... but...

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to think that’s what it must have looked like hanging from the rack at the mom and pop in the late 60’s……

 

[Roger W]

For Chucky:

Once upon a time, these large HF transmitters I took care of were initially shipped and installed with faulty power filter caps. In their wisdom the Navy decided that it was better to let them fail and then replace them rather than do preventative replacements. The failure amounted to the cap blowing. When that happened, it sounded like a gunshot and smelled like hell with hot dielectric goo. After the third of 8 blew, I ignored the guidance and just replaced all of them.

 

[MCF]

Yours was the base geetar I was thinking of earlier...

I posted earlier that I just got an Ibanez ric copy and the bridge pickup is almost not reading at all, and at best it has 1/4 volume.

BUT the neck pickup is full and blooming and while I may fix the bridge pickup I'm not really missing it.

The Maxon pickups are single coils and I'm pretty sure they are the peeples that make the Greco pickups.

It may be the new car smell (47 year old bass) but This is one of the best sounding pickups I have ever heard....

It's like a single coil thunderbird pickup...

I believe you are correct about Maxon and Grecos in the seventies until about ‘82 or thereabouts.

 

[MCF]

Has anyone seen BOC lately? I saw them 1 1/2-2 years ago, it wasn't good. Every other time (4 or 5) they've been great. Seeing them again on the 29th in Las Vegas, hoping for the best!

They played the Kern County Fair in September. I didn’t have any interest in going. The recordings on YouTube from the show aren’t very good quality. But they show a band pretty much just going through the motions. In all fairness, it could have been the crappy venue.

 

[MCF]

I have an Epi T-Bird Pro and want to upgrade the pickups. Are the Gibson replacements the same size? What PU’s are good sounding without breaking the bank? Mine are currently black and I want chrome on the Trans Black finish. It has a built in pre-amp but I never use it. Thanks!

The chrome Gibson Alnico magnet reissues are a great pickup for the reasonable $129 price. We put one in my Ebony BaCH II and it sounds great. If it’s chrome you’re after, these would be my choice.
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You could also get a used set of the Epi 760 Probuckers from an Epi Vintage Pro. I don’t like them as well as the Gibson vintage wound reissues. To me the 760’s sound a bit thin on the bottom. YMMV.

The black Gibson “modern” ceramic magnet pickups, also at $129, are essentially the TBird+ pickups like the ones that were in the now discontinued Epi Classic Pro.
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I think the Gibsons are the same size as what came in the EPI Pro with the pre-amp. But measure to confirm.

 

[MCF]

One of the most "optimistic" listings I've seen in a while. People are clearly free to ask what they will, but I'd love to talk with them to find the reasoning(?) behind some of the price determinations, other than just hoping to get the most.
Epiphone Thunderbird Pro IV 2000 - Sunburst | Reverb

I’ll have whatever that delusional seller is having. Must be some good stuff…

 

[MCF]

That guy is nuts.

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That link is for the one you bought? I thought it was a nice Thunderbird when I played yours.

 

[MCF]

I don't recall if I ever tried them on a VP. Likely did. TIs sounded really good on the '76, which means they should sound good on a VP. Currently one of my VPs has GHS Flats and that sounds really good. I buy lighter gauges in flats as I don't like to work that hard. That said, I don't know if dropping the money for a new set is worth the experiment given those babies ain't cheap.

Likely did?

Of course you did Donnie. I think you have tried almost every bass string there is at some point. Especially when you were tone chasing the ‘06.

 

[dagrev]

I got behind and missed 400 pages and only one Birfday? Oops

happy Birfday @Miles_ONeal

And an anniversary--but who's counting.

 

[dagrev]

LET'S DO THIS, Part II.

And Billy Ficca hanging out for our whole set. How cool is that?


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He knew the bass player was cool.

 

[dagrev]

Likely did?

Of course you did Donnie. I think you have tried almost every bass string there is at some point. Especially when you were tone chasing the ‘06.

I take you're point.

Defiantly true on the '06. The VPs were much easier to find ideal strings for. I've never tried the Dunlops you like so well. I need to do that at some point. I would also like to try GHS Super Steels as well.

 

[Bent77]

What were the opinions on the Gibson RI chrome pickups vs the chinabuckers? They measured the same with the meter @8.2

 

[SubHuman]

The chrome Gibson Alnico magnet reissues are a great pickup for the reasonable $129 price. We put one in my Ebony BaCH II and it sounds great. If it’s chrome you’re after, these would be my choice.
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You could also get a used set of the Epi 760 Probuckers from an Epi Vintage Pro. I don’t like them as well as the Gibson vintage wound reissues. To me the 760’s sound a bit thin on the bottom. YMMV.

The black Gibson “modern” ceramic magnet pickups, also at $129, are essentially the TBird+ pickups like the ones that were in the now discontinued Epi Classic Pro.
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I think the Gibsons are the same size as what came in the EPI Pro with the pre-amp. But measure to confirm.

Thanks for that info. I’m going to double check measurements. Those Gibson PU’s in chrome look like the upgrade I’m after.

 

[Engle]

What were the opinions on the Gibson RI chrome pickups vs the chinabuckers? They measured the same with the meter @8.2

Rob @Basvarken put one and then the other in a bass he had just built and posted clips here for us to guess which was which.
As I recall nobody was able to guess correctly.

 

[GonePlaid]

Rob @Basvarken put one and then the other in a bass he had just built and posted clips here for us to guess which was which.
As I recall nobody was able to guess correctly.

Which indicates we're better at playing them than hearing them.

 

[Engle]

Which indicates we're better at playing them than hearing them.

I know my ears are somewhat thrashed!

 

[Engle]

My buddy Mike (guitar player in 2 of my bands) gave me this last night:

 

[Bent77]

His autobiography was excellent BTW

 

[GonePlaid]

My buddy Mike (guitar player in 2 of my bands) gave me this last night:
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That's cool!

 

[GonePlaid]

I know my ears are somewhat thrashed!

Huh? What?(my hearing aids are in the kitchen recharging)