Thunderbird Club

[Rickplaysbass]

Side note, for anyone that was interested... I need about 9/16" clearance to a TBird pickup on my J Bass with 5/64" pickup to string spacing. I only have just shy of of 1/2" on the bridge pickup so the neck is definitely nowhere near. A BIG shim would be necessary to work that. That being said.....

I've got a jazz bass my wife bought me years ago that I just have never been able to get along with. I got the playing sorted out with a Duff McKagan P neck but the tone still just does nothing for me. I've tried the stock fender pickups, Bartolinis with and without John East Preamp, and EMGs. The EMGs look absolutely sick, but the tone just never does anything for me. So why not route it out and wedge some Seymour Duncan Custom Shops in there? Anybody in here like running a router? I know better than to trust myself with chisels and a hammer. LOL

 

[Ringhammer]

Anybody in here like running a router?

Using a router is really easy, just need the template stuck tight to the surface and nice sharp top bearing bits.

I found that I like a 2nd P-Bass split pickup in the bridge position of my P-Basses and would pay someone to put them in. I was always never quite happy with the routing they did as I wanted the pickup route in the body to be a close as possible and the pickups to be spread a tiny bit wider that the standard width at the standard location. So I bought a router and started doing it myself. One practice run on scrap wood, just so I would know what to expect and, I have done my own routing ever since.

 

[Engle]

Side note, for anyone that was interested... I need about 9/16" clearance to a TBird pickup on my J Bass with 5/64" pickup to string spacing. I only have just shy of of 1/2" on the bridge pickup so the neck is definitely nowhere near. A BIG shim would be necessary to work that. That being said.....

I've got a jazz bass my wife bought me years ago that I just have never been able to get along with. I got the playing sorted out with a Duff McKagan P neck but the tone still just does nothing for me. I've tried the stock fender pickups, Bartolinis with and without John East Preamp, and EMGs. The EMGs look absolutely sick, but the tone just never does anything for me. So why not route it out and wedge some Seymour Duncan Custom Shops in there? Anybody in here like running a router? I know better than to trust myself with chisels and a hammer. LOL

Where are you located?

 

[Rickplaysbass]

Using a router is really easy, just need the template stuck tight to the surface and nice sharp top bearing bits.

I found that I like a 2nd P-Bass split pickup in the bridge position of my P-Basses and would pay someone to put them in. I was always never quite happy with the routing they did as I wanted the pickup route in the body to be a close as possible and the pickups to be spread a tiny bit wider that the standard width at the standard location. So I bought a router and started doing it myself. One practice run on scrap wood, just so I would know what to expect and, I have done my own routing ever since.

I would trust myself with a router. I have no problem working on things. My wife makes fun of me cuz she swears she hasn't found a job for me that I don't know how to do yet. I tell her, "That's one benefit to growing up poor. When you can't afford to pay someone to do the jobs you learn how to do the jobs." But buying a router and a template for a job I've considered once seems a bit cost prohibitive. That and the fact that once a router is in the house.... Who knows what I'll get to working on. LOLOL

 

[dagrev]

I would trust myself with a router. I have no problem working on things. My wife makes fun of me cuz she swears she hasn't found a job for me that I don't know how to do yet. I tell her, "That's one benefit to growing up poor. When you can't afford to pay someone to do the jobs you learn how to do the jobs." But buying a router and a template for a job I've considered once seems a bit cost prohibitive. That and the fact that once a router is in the house.... Who knows what I'll get to working on. LOLOL

Well said.

If you're close, you can borrow mine.

 

[Rickplaysbass]

Where are you located?

I'm in Houston, but using Pirate Ship I can't imagine a body costing more than $20-$25 to ship. I'm guessing a Router is gonna run me $150-170, $50-70 for a bit set, and $20-30 for a template. That's ballpark $250ish. Eh.... $50 in shipping and labor I'm probably gonna end up not far off of that mark....

 

[dagrev]

The old one on got the call yesterday. Never ever disappoints.
(The VP is a great second seat. Old pic before intonation was set.)

 

[Stealth57]

nah….
View attachment 5381754 View attachment 5381755

Trained thieves. Where my family first lived in Bangalore you couldn't leave any windows open, even if they had screens. The little buggers would break in and go straight to the kitchen and make themselves at home. They lived on the 11th floor.

 

[Stealth57]

Using a router is really easy, just need the template stuck tight to the surface and nice sharp top bearing bits.

I found that I like a 2nd P-Bass split pickup in the bridge position of my P-Basses and would pay someone to put them in. I was always never quite happy with the routing they did as I wanted the pickup route in the body to be a close as possible and the pickups to be spread a tiny bit wider that the standard width at the standard location. So I bought a router and started doing it myself. One practice run on scrap wood, just so I would know what to expect and, I have done my own routing ever since.

Want to route 3/8" off the neck side of a VP bridge pickup? I'll bring some homemade porter.

 

[Ringhammer]

Want to route 3/8" off the neck side of a VP bridge pickup?

…assuming you mean pickup pocket?.

And I’d so, would we want to shave the neck side of the pocket down at an angle?

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

That's the lawn guy, monitoring the weekly flower watering. They get Americans for cheap labor.

No, wait....that's Chuck. Dude gets around.

..cheap imported American labor…now there’s a concept..

 

[Stealth57]

…assuming you mean pickup pocket?.

And I’d so, would we want to shave the neck side of the pocket down at an angle?

Not sure what you mean by angle. Is there an advantage to not just cutting it straight? My goal is to just move the bridge pickup 3/8" closer to the neck pickup so that it is in the original '64 position.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Trained thieves. Where my family first lived in Bangalore you couldn't leave any windows open, even if they had screens. The little buggers would break in and go straight to the kitchen and make themselves at home. They lived on the 11th floor.

apparently they’ll return stolen items for mango juice…

 

[Ringhammer]

Not sure what you mean by angle. Is there an advantage to not just cutting it straight? My goal is to just move the bridge pickup 3/8" closer to the neck pickup so that it is in the original '64 position.

I got it, I thought you meant in order to tilt the pickup towards the neck. You mean you want to shave toe neck side of the opening to move the whole pickup north.

Should be easy, and using the trim ring as the template. I’m guessing you’ll want to move it only as much as the ring will still cover the gap left on the south side once the pickup is moved.

 

[Stealth57]

I got it, I thought you meant in order to tilt the pickup towards the neck. You mean you want to shave toe neck side of the opening to move the whole pickup north.

Should be easy, and using the trim ring as the template. I’m guessing you’ll want to move it only as much as the ring will still cover the gap left on the south side once the pickup is moved.

Going to have @Engle 3D print a slightly bigger black shim with the same size opening as the trim ring. At least I begged him to consider doing that.

 

[Stealth57]

apparently they’ll return stolen items for mango juice…

My grandsons certainly would.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Side note, for anyone that was interested... I need about 9/16" clearance to a TBird pickup on my J Bass with 5/64" pickup to string spacing. I only have just shy of of 1/2" on the bridge pickup so the neck is definitely nowhere near. A BIG shim would be necessary to work that. That being said.....

I've got a jazz bass my wife bought me years ago that I just have never been able to get along with. I got the playing sorted out with a Duff McKagan P neck but the tone still just does nothing for me. I've tried the stock fender pickups, Bartolinis with and without John East Preamp, and EMGs. The EMGs look absolutely sick, but the tone just never does anything for me. So why not route it out and wedge some Seymour Duncan Custom Shops in there? Anybody in here like running a router? I know better than to trust myself with chisels and a hammer. LOL

I think you’re gonna like it here….our wives should meet…

 

[dagrev]

I think you’re gonna like it here….our wives should meet…

You're certainly very smart, and I don't mean to imply otherwise, but any of the wives from here ever meeting and talking could be disastrous.

"No more basses for you, young man...."

And.... "I forbid you from hanging around those people. Bad influences, them all."

"And did I mention no more basses...."

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

The old one on got the call yesterday. Never ever disappoints.
(The VP is a great second seat. Old pic before intonation was set.)
View attachment 5382087

yep…as close as some get….

 

[Rickplaysbass]

I think you’re gonna like it here….our wives should meet…

I love that bass so much because of what went into it. She told me, "I actually looked up basses and it looked like you had Precision basses and a Musicman. And everything I found said you also needed a jazz bass and I had never seen you with one so I picked that one."

She actually researched them, found a hole in my arsenal, and got me something for that. Problem is, the hole was intentional since I couldn't play 1.5" necks for long gigs without my left hand cramping up and I never got along with Jazz Basses tonally when a band was involved. Sounded incredible on their own, but meh with a band. P's were the opposite for me. Sounded meh by themselves but great with a band. Now the Lull TBird, sounds damn good by itself and damn good with a band. P, Bird, and MM can cover most any ground I would ever want to.