Thunderbird Club

[MCF]

Those are Gibson's official numbers, right? Gibson record keeping could be a little off.

Yeah. I’m confused about ‘79 Ebony numbers. There seems to be at least one or two more out there than that.

 

[MCF]

Maybe. They already said they would replace it for free; I'm just waiting for their "Returns" department to call me. If not I'll just keep it.

Thanks for the tip on nuts!

If the repair holds, ask for a partial refund and keep it.

 

[MCF]

First off all props to you for your self-help initiative and craftsmanship-

Regarding the nut I recommend one of GraphTech’s slippery models (black or white TUSQXL) in case you eventually go with a Hipshot X-Tender. I ordered a black one for my 1985 Gibson Explorer bass-

GraphTech Nuts - TUSQ, TUSQ XL, Black TUSQ XL, NuBone XB | Graph Tech

I put a Tusq on the BaCH in place of the el cheapo plastic one. It made an audible difference for the better.

 

[MCF]

Speaking of pickguards, how many changes have there been, if any, regarding size, shape, and screw patterns, since the inception of the Thunderbird?

The ‘13 an ‘21 NRs are slightly different with different screw placement.

 

[dagrev]

View attachment 5353217 View attachment 5353218 View attachment 5353219

I kindly ask to join the Club of the mighty Thunderbird.
I bought my Thunderbird second-hand for a very decent price. But I've never been able to make friends with active electronics and the Epiphone T-Bird never met my expectations of how such a bass should sound. So I had Avedissian wrap a set of 60s pickups according to my ideas. I then had them fitted in the workshop, replaced the active electronics with passive ones and replaced the tuning machines with ones from Schaller. Now the bird is really fun to play!

Welcome. I like your thinking.

 

[dagrev]

Just sold mine today. It always seemed high mids oriented to me. Then again, I’m deaf, a hack player, and love the feel of 4 15s shaking my pant legs. That leaves me with 6 birds. I better find a few replacements before I’m summarily drummed out of the club. Enablers of the World Unite.

Just a thought.
Gibson Thunderbird II (Previously Owned by Johnny Winter) Sunburst 1965 | Reverb

 

[dagrev]

I put a Tusq on the BaCH in place of the el cheapo plastic one. It made an audible difference for the better.
View attachment 5353444

Have I ever mentioned....

....Yeah, I have.

 

[MCF]

I thought about it but don’t have the time.

Thunderbucker Ranch hung it up and sold off too soon. Had he waited until now, as we all know each other pretty well, we could have bought in as a group and kept them going.

 

[MCF]

Still a little bit of polishing to go. The point wasn't to hide the crack but to make it so I couldn't feel it. Didn't come out too bad... Took it up to 2500 grit with wet sanding.
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Nice work Ox!

 

[MCF]

The Paul Macartney stolen Hofner has been recovered.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/pa...original-hofner-found-hofner-says-so.1640622/

That is the best news I’ve had in a long time.

 

[MCF]

View attachment 5353217 View attachment 5353218 View attachment 5353219

I kindly ask to join the Club of the mighty Thunderbird.
I bought my Thunderbird second-hand for a very decent price. But I've never been able to make friends with active electronics and the Epiphone T-Bird never met my expectations of how such a bass should sound. So I had Avedissian wrap a set of 60s pickups according to my ideas. I then had them fitted in the workshop, replaced the active electronics with passive ones and replaced the tuning machines with ones from Schaller. Now the bird is really fun to play!

Congratulations! The Avidissian’s are on our radar, but I don’t recall anyone saying that they had a set. We would love to hear your take on them.

 

[MCF]

Just a thought.
Gibson Thunderbird II (Previously Owned by Johnny Winter) Sunburst 1965 | Reverb

I’m surprised Geddy hasn’t bought it.

 

[D.M.N.]

Thunderbucker Ranch hung it up and sold off too soon. Had he waited until now, as we all know each other pretty well, we could have bought in as a group and kept them going.

At least then I'd have a source for some DAMNED PICKUP COVERS. This is bugging me more than not being able to get Sunn tolex or grill cloth anymore...

 

[Ringhammer]

At least then I'd have a source for some DAMNED PICKUP COVERS. This is bugging me more than not being able to get Sunn tolex or grill cloth anymore...

Thunderbird Gibson® Bass Pickup Cover

 

[Stealth57]

At least then I'd have a source for some DAMNED PICKUP COVERS. This is bugging me more than not being able to get Sunn tolex or grill cloth anymore...

I thought the new Sunn folks indicated they would look at providing vintage parts.

 

[0xblood]

At least then I'd have a source for some DAMNED PICKUP COVERS. This is bugging me more than not being able to get Sunn tolex or grill cloth anymore...

Hmmm... I usually focus on fabricating motorcycle parts but maybe it would be worth tracking down an original to make press stamp from.

 

[SubHuman]

Saw this in another thread…Crank up that amp I’m hungry!

 

[TBird1958]

Thunderbird Gibson® Bass Pickup Cover

He wants what's covering the neck pickup, while most don't use them on old Birds, they are very hard to find and expensive when you do............Just the one on this bass was easily $200 when I bought it more than 10 years ago.

 

[Haji]

It's been a minute since I've been on TB, much less in the Club. I still have my piece of crap Used To Be A Goth but it's been lounging in the closet. A couple days ago, on my birthday, I stopped by Guitar Center, fully expecting to be disappointed by the selection again...which is sad, because this Nashville, the alleged Music City. But there on the wall was a green metal flake Dingwall D-Roc Standard 4. It was love at first sight, and it played like buttah. I plugged into a MarkBass 10" combo because it already had a cord in it. I don't like MarkBass at all, but the bass sounded amazing in every pick up selector position. But it was a lot of money, so I decided to think about it. There was dust on the pickups and the bridge, so I figured they had it a while. So I went over to my drummer's house and told him. He tried to pull it up online but it was gone. Somebody bought it. But dammit, I couldn't get it out of my head. So now I have a color shift blue/purple D-Roc coming on Monday. Of course, my band with the new line up has our first show on the following Saturday. A passive D-Roc with fanned frets and a TBird-adjacent shape is almost exactly like a Squier Contemporary Active Precision. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Miles_ONeal]

It's been a minute since I've been on TB, much less in the Club. I still have my piece of crap Used To Be A Goth but it's been lounging in the closet. A couple days ago, on my birthday, I stopped by Guitar Center, fully expecting to be disappointed by the selection again...which is sad, because this Nashville, the alleged Music City. But there on the wall was a green metal flake Dingwall D-Roc Standard 4. It was love at first sight, and it played like buttah. I plugged into a MarkBass 10" combo because it already had a cord in it. I don't like MarkBass at all, but the bass sounded amazing in every pick up selector position. But it was a lot of money, so I decided to think about it. There was dust on the pickups and the bridge, so I figured they had it a while. So I went over to my drummer's house and told him. He tried to pull it up online but it was gone. Somebody bought it. But dammit, I couldn't get it out of my head. So now I have a color shift blue/purple D-Roc coming on Monday. Of course, my band with the new line up has our first show on the following Saturday. A passive D-Roc with fanned frets and a TBird-adjacent shape is almost exactly like a Squier Contemporary Active Precision. What could possibly go wrong?

We definitely want pics, at home and in the wild, please.