Thunderbird Club

[kat888]

Single pup = WAY BETTER than two. Angriest 'Bird ever.

Have to agree. When I turn the bridge pup down it all gets, well .... throatier or something - like an angry New Yorker!

 

[wolfkeller]

But why just 1 pickup when you can have 2? Sure, neck only has a certain sound, so turn the bridge off right? A fender P has a cool sound but so does a P AND a J.

 

[TBird1958]

View attachment 1105334

This day should have come much sooner than it did, but I finally got my first Thunderbird! I was watching some Allen Woody videos on Youtube (as is normal tradition for me) and ran over to Sam Ash to find a Thunderbird. This bass happened to be hanging up on the wall, and after playing it for a short while took it home. I have always wanted a Thunderbird and I'm so glad I finally have one! It is strung up with GHS Boomers for now and has been de-gothed (couldn't do the pickguard). Might get a pickguard made for it eventually, but for now, I love it!

Welcome David Wightman!
Glad you found your Thunderbird! Please be welcome here, we're a chatty bunch, give what you got for humor, pics, questions and now that you have one, let's see how long it take you to NEED another Thunderbird.
639 is all yours!


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Pillo #668 - Near the beast
kat888 #888

 

[TBird1958]

Have to agree. When I turn the bridge pup down it all gets, well .... throatier or something - like an angry New Yorker!

But why just 1 pickup when you can have 2? Sure, neck only has a certain sound, so turn the bridge off right? A fender P has a cool sound but so does a P AND a J.

It's not same as winding off the bridge pup, I can't explain it, it's just better. I bought my Greco before I had Lull make my T4, that was the reason it (the Lull) is a single pup - it just sounds great, angry, a lot of RAWR.

 

[kat888]

It's not same as winding off the bridge pup, I can't explain it, it's just better. I bought my Greco before I had Lull make my T4, that was the reason it (the Lull) is a single pup - it just sounds great, angry, a lot of RAWR.

Something to do with the absence of a parallel wired pup? Certainly when the B pup is backed off a fraction, there's an audible fattening of tone.

The single pup TBird is being built.

CURRENT CATALDO

 

[ProgressiveDoom]

View attachment 1105778


I'd hate to think what the Flying V might do.........................

Bet the Thunderbird would take it right out in mid air.

One on reverb asking 1600, but free shipping.

Whoa!! Free Shipping?. Now that changes everything!.

One on reverb asking 1600, but free shipping.

Free Shipping?!, now that changes everything....Cha Ching!......NOT!.

 

[JIO]

It's not same as winding off the bridge pup, I can't explain it, it's just better. I bought my Greco before I had Lull make my T4, that was the reason it (the Lull) is a single pup - it just sounds great, angry, a lot of RAWR.

It's true - a one bucker bass sounds great.

 

[Count Bassie]

Okay, so which one of you is gonna buy it?

I'd have done it already...

 

[Count Bassie]

It's not same as winding off the bridge pup, I can't explain it, it's just better. I bought my Greco before I had Lull make my T4, that was the reason it (the Lull) is a single pup - it just sounds great, angry, a lot of RAWR.

I wonder if pulling the neck p'up on my Epi Blackbird would... nah, right? Probably more of a pickup and wiring issue, and then there's the pickup itself, of course (Deep Sixx).
No?

I've been toying with putting a Rickenbacker neck p'up right up at the neck- I'd need to rout it in. Either 3 p'ups with a selector, or lose the bridge.

 

[kat888]

I wonder if pulling the neck pup on my Epi Blackbird would... nah, right? Probably more of a pickup and wiring issue, and then there's the pickup itself, of course.
No?

De-soldering would have the same effect.

 

[Count Bassie]

De-soldering would have the same effect.

Might lend it a little more of a defined personality... then of course I'd need another bass to round out the palette.
So it's decided!

 

[JJR58]

Interesting read here on the single vs the double humbucker.

I personally like having the two.
Would love to do a side by side comparison.

But I get what TBird is saying about the single only.

 

[JJR58]

Have to agree. When I turn the bridge pup down it all gets, well .... throatier or something - like an angry New Yorker!

That might suit me well.

 

[tombowlus]

Have to agree. When I turn the bridge pup down it all gets, well .... throatier or something - like an angry New Yorker!

My preferred setting is with the neck pickup all the way up and the bridge pickup rolled off just enough to come out of humbucking. Love the volume boost and more aggressive - throaty! - mids. I prefer to play over the neck pickup, FWIW.

 

[kat888]

My preferred setting is with the neck pickup all the way up and the bridge pickup rolled off just enough to come out of humbucking. Love the volume boost and more aggressive - throaty! - mids. I prefer to play over the neck pickup, FWIW.

Yeah same.

 

[BklynKen]

Single pup = WAY BETTER than two. Angriest 'Bird ever.

Yeah, but I need that bridge pickup to rest my thumb.

 

[BklynKen]

Have to agree. When I turn the bridge pup down it all gets, well .... throatier or something - like an angry New Yorker!

HEY!

 

[wolfkeller]

Like it has been said, disconnect the bridge pup and see how it sounds. While your at it, disconnect those nasty, tone sucking, pickup chocking "tone" knobs too. Let it breath wide open! Grab a no load vol pot too.

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

It's not same as winding off the bridge pup, I can't explain it, it's just better. I bought my Greco before I had Lull make my T4, that was the reason it (the Lull) is a single pup - it just sounds great, angry, a lot of RAWR.

Something to do with the absence of a parallel wired pup? Certainly when the B pup is backed off a fraction, there's an audible fattening of tone.

The single pup TBird is being built.

CURRENT CATALDO

I think it's more about pup placement than anything else

 

[PillO]

De-soldering would have the same effect.

A switch would be equally effective.