I did not even look to see the models of planes for this trip
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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- club thunderbird
No, but they are brighter when it’s coldDo those have a dimmer switch?
I have happily played with silks on saddles for years.…sustain is overrated…
I had an Epi EB-3L. I couldn't remember what bridge it had on it so I Googled them. Apparently it had a
* 3-point. This was B4 I got on TB and learned how terrible they are . IOW, I didn't know it was a POS, so I just put a set of flats on it and played it. Did the silks overlap the saddles? Damifino. The thing sounded good, the 3 position switch(1=bridge,2=both, 3=neck) made-to me-more sense than the 4 position switch that was on my 66 Gibby EB-3 and that I never really figured out. I prolly shoulda kept the EB-3L but, damn, did it neckdive!With my '09 Epi EB-0 -that I bought in 2020-which came with a 3-point, I put on a Hipshot. Better sustain and looks cool-er. IMO.
*J/K.
Been working on the TV Silver Epiphone TBird.
Was getting intermittent dropouts when playing. First I thought it was the wireless, then a cable. Opened up the control cavity and found a loose washer floating around. Mystery solved!
I mentioned previously that the truss rod was stuck and would not turn in either direction. It took some work, but I got it to turn. I sprayed PB Blaster in the truss rod hole and let it sit for a while. The put the hex wrench in it and tapped it with a hammer. Two rounds of this and I was able to get it to turn. It was still really stiff, but I managed to get it where I wanted it.
Then there was the matter of strings and intonation. I have some experience with Gibson basses and have dealt with this before. I use flat wounds and remove the silk on the ball end so it doesn't go over the saddle. But you often still end up with the larger part of the string where its unevenly wound (about the last 10mm of the string) going over the saddle. Sometimes this is no problem. Other times it messes with the intonation. It depends on how the string is shaped at the point it lays on the saddle. On this case all was good except for the E string was not intonating very well. I was about to buy a mod-bar on eBay then decided to try the cheap method instead. I cut the balls off an old set of strings and threaded them on the TBird strings to move them further back. Now the smooth and even part of the strings are on the saddles and it intonates perfectly. Here's a pic of it. The flat wounds have gold ball ends, but if you look close you can see silver balls in front of them engaging bridge. Works great, costs nothing, and doesn't look bad.
Was getting intermittent dropouts when playing. First I thought it was the wireless, then a cable. Opened up the control cavity and found a loose washer floating around. Mystery solved!
I mentioned previously that the truss rod was stuck and would not turn in either direction. It took some work, but I got it to turn. I sprayed PB Blaster in the truss rod hole and let it sit for a while. The put the hex wrench in it and tapped it with a hammer. Two rounds of this and I was able to get it to turn. It was still really stiff, but I managed to get it where I wanted it.
Then there was the matter of strings and intonation. I have some experience with Gibson basses and have dealt with this before. I use flat wounds and remove the silk on the ball end so it doesn't go over the saddle. But you often still end up with the larger part of the string where its unevenly wound (about the last 10mm of the string) going over the saddle. Sometimes this is no problem. Other times it messes with the intonation. It depends on how the string is shaped at the point it lays on the saddle. On this case all was good except for the E string was not intonating very well. I was about to buy a mod-bar on eBay then decided to try the cheap method instead. I cut the balls off an old set of strings and threaded them on the TBird strings to move them further back. Now the smooth and even part of the strings are on the saddles and it intonates perfectly. Here's a pic of it. The flat wounds have gold ball ends, but if you look close you can see silver balls in front of them engaging bridge. Works great, costs nothing, and doesn't look bad.
Did I mention how much I love the green color of this bass. I was expecting silver since its the TV Silver version. But this one is green - not a little green tinted, but totally green. It happens that a green bass with black pickguard is my favorite color combination!
I'm also getting used to wearing it and how to hold and play it. It feels comfortable and I'm getting used to playing it. I'm considering taking it to the gig this Saturday night.
I'm also getting used to wearing it and how to hold and play it. It feels comfortable and I'm getting used to playing it. I'm considering taking it to the gig this Saturday night.
I agree on the Hipshot!I had an Epi EB-3L. I couldn't remember what bridge it had on it so I Googled them. Apparently it had a
With my '09 Epi EB-0 -that I bought in 2020-which came with a 3-point, I put on a Hipshot. Better sustain and looks cool-er. IMO.
*J/K.
The TV Silver will look silver in some lighting. But the green tint is how it looked in a lot of lighting scenarios fresh from the factory. And as you now know after being in the control cavity, the color is not that tint as a result of fading.
Well, to each their own. Let’s agree to disagree.
My control cavity is painted black with conductive paint so I can't tell anything about the finish from it. I thought it was faded, didn't realize it came from the factory that green.
I really like both of the bridges on my two T-Birds but the 3 point on my SG Bass needed an upgrade. The Hipshot is a great replacement on my SG Bass.
Unique T-Bird! Enjoy that beauty!
Hi, Is there a master list of Thunderbird shaped objects that have wider than 1.5"/38mm nuts? I just saw a second hand Harley Benton TB-70 that I could have got for a song but alas the nut is a scrawny 38mm. Cheers
Not that I’m aware of but my 2010 Epi Custom Shop is ~1.74”.
My circa 2011 Epi Goth is wider than that, and I believe a whole raft of Epi Thunderbird IV’s are the same
That is wide
Gday mate. Thanks for that info. The Harley TB-70 is on Gumtree if you interested. In Panania. Seller says a ground wire issue. No biggie. A new one shipped by Thomann to Newie would cost around $560. So I reckon the gumtree one, given the price is negotiable would be a bargain. HB stuff is pretty good for the price
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I must confess to never having been a fan of the Tbird shape. But I must confess they have a cool factor. I was never a fan of fender shaped objects and inline headstocks regardless of make either and that has changed. Who said you can't teach a dog new tricks. I'm evolving as I get more into playing long scale basses now. A cheap entry into Tbirdism would have been good. Damn shame about that narrow nut
Thanks mate, but I’m good.
Just as an aside, I thought less of the Epi T’bird IV and especially the Goth… until I got my Goth. They really are quite good and have a bit of a following here. A lot have the wide neck at (I just looked up) 1.73” (43.9mm). They are worth a shot and they use a bolt on neck and can be a mod platform if you are into that.
