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Thunderbird Club

Huh. That’s odd. I don’t know that bridge well enough to help. Is that really as far back as the E and A saddles go? Sometimes lighter gauge strings can get you there for intonation if it’s only a little off. But that’s odd.
I've got about as light of a gauge as I'd like to go (45-105) but yeah, epiphone fixed the issues of a 3 point bridge by creating new issues. I'm wondering if a different bridge would work, but I know thunderbirds need a chunky bridge to get the strings up and over that tilted neck.
 
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I've got about as light of a gauge as I'd like to go (45-105) but yeah, epiphone fixed the issues of a 3 point bridge by creating new issues. I'm wondering if a different bridge would work, but I know thunderbirds need a chunky bridge to get the strings up and over that tilted neck.
Look at the Babicz 7ender bridges. FWIW, I bought a Gibson Studio Thunderbird that a prior owner had swapped a Bad Ass II in for the original Gibson bridge that is similar to the bridge on your Pro. No clue why they did that. The BA is wider than the original that was on it. So the spacing is a bit wider up high than I like. It took a weekend to get that thing adjusted to where the action and intonation were dialed in. DISCLAIMER: YMMV. I am an unabashed Babicz fanboy.
 
I've got about as light of a gauge as I'd like to go (45-105) but yeah, epiphone fixed the issues of a 3 point bridge by creating new issues. I'm wondering if a different bridge would work, but I know thunderbirds need a chunky bridge to get the strings up and over that tilted neck.
I get it. That’s my preferred gauge too. 40-90 is too weird for me. And if it doesn’t feel right, I shy away from playing it.
 
I find it interesting how many Epis are proudly played out in the wild. And by big names. Don’t see much of that with Squier. I’m a huge Biffy Clyro fan. James Johnston had a Squier sig Jazz. I don’t recall a single vid with him playing it.
Honestly, for the price difference, I don't know that a gibson thunderbird is good enough to justify one over an epiphone. Especially now that Gibson isn't making a true neck through reverse thunderbird. I haven't played a bass better than my classic pro, and I've owned 3 fenders, a gibson, and a dingwall since getting it. I do feel like the newer epiphones feel cheaper than the classic pro though. It's unfortunate that line didn't continue for longer. I haven't tried a vintage pro but my thunderbird 64 just feels cheaper than the classic pro. That being said, those newer epiphone pickups definitely sound better than the modern gibson pups in the classic (in my opinion)
 

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Look at the Babicz 7ender bridges. FWIW, I bought a Gibson Studio Thunderbird that a prior owner had swapped a Bad Ass II in for the original Gibson bridge that is similar to the bridge on your Pro. No clue why they did that. The BA is wider than the original that was on it. So the spacing is a bit wider up high than I like. It took a weekend to get that thing adjusted to where the action and intonation were dialed in. DISCLAIMER: YMMV. I am an unabashed Babicz fanboy.
I had one of the sg standards with the babicz bridge and it was a massive chunk of glorious hardware. Their stuff is just a little too pricey for me right now. That being said, I'll throw it on my wish list. This bass plays and sounds great, I'm not concerned about cosmetics, this thing is going to be my beater, workhorse, shady bar gig bass. As long as it works, it's good enough for this bass.
 
This is why I asked him about the Persian dish. My perception of him is that he travels quite a bit.
I have no clue how you do it. AFAIK, you work full time, gig all the time, and still get out to do fun thing. It’s all I can do to get up at 5:30, swim some laps, and then login to work until 5:00-5:30. Please tell me your secret!
 
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I have no clue how you do it. AFAIK, you work full time, gig all the time, and still get out to do fun thing. It’s all I can do to get up at 5:30, swim some laps, and then login to work until 5:00-5:30. Please tell me your secret!
BTW, it's all I can do to get up.:help:
 
I don't know if you have Ace Hardware in your area, but they sell small screws, washers, etc and might have just what you need.
Not sure, but I do live pretty close to some hobby shops. I play airsoft and the guns use some pretty small screws, springs and bolts, so I may even be able to cannibalize something at home for the parts I'd need
 
Anybody have any tips for getting a bit more travel out of these pro saddles? I need a hair more on the E and A to get the intonation right, but they're wide open. It's close, I really don't want to move the bridge. In my mind the easiest solution would be to shorten the bolt and spring, but I have no idea how I would clean the threads up on those tiny bolts.
The bridge on my Pro V was horribly installed at the factory and warped as a result. I was not the first buyer so I had no warranty. I replaced it with a Supertone (cheaper than Babicz, but excellent), which required drilling the original mounting holes, doweling them, and drilling new holes. Totally worth it. But if you can fix it with small hardware changes, so much the better!
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