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Thunderbird Club

#30,261
vdub75 said:
- I don't like the look of the hipshot
- I have a babicz on my Gibson which is great but it's more than half the Price I paid for the classic pro, so lookin for a cheaper alternative
- inserts pull out, even though I glued em in. I am pissed off by those Little ********, thus the idea of going the "Thunderbird pro" Bridge concept


cheers, that could be a solution IF I Keep it 3 point
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I have a Pro bridge on my Goff because the terrible ferrule design is a pain in the butt. Basically, they're installed on top when they should go in from the bottom. Anyway, it can be a bit of an involved project of you want it to look factory, but it's not all that difficult to pull off in the right hands. Pics of mine a few/2000 posts back. It was only about a week ago...
 
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#30,263
GBassNorth said:
Simply gluing in the inserts will frequently not solve the problem, if you used wood glue they sometimes will just pull right back out again. The inserts need to bite into solid wood to stay in place. Yours have pulled out and probably enlarged the hole beyond a simple glue solution, there's probably no solid wood for them to bite back into.

To correctly solve the problem you need to add fresh wood back into the hole and then press the inserts back into place. On a professional level that would typically be done by gluing a dowel rod into the hole and redrilling new correct size holes for the inserts. However, on a DIY level you can accomplish the same thing with nearly the same success rate by gluing a few toothpicks in each hole (wood glue works good, epoxy is permanent so I don't like it), then carefully pounding the inserts back in place, letting it dry overnight, replacing the bridge properly (see below), reinstalling your strings, and setting the action/intonation/tuning.

Note:
Proper bridge replacement means you do everything you can to avoid using the bridge as a lever to pull the inserts back out. That means that once you have the inserts in place and dried overnight you hand screw the bolts back into place and set the rear two screws to the lowest possible position (the rear of the bridge should be resting on the body or possibly the top of the inserts) while at the same time the single front screw is set about 1/4" to 3/8" of an inch higher. This sets the approximate correct relationship between the front and rear screws and if done properly will result in a bridge that is noticeably lower in the rear and raised in the front. You should do all this before putting strings on the bass.

Next you can restring your bass. Because you have set the rear screws on the lowest possible setting all further screw adjustments you will make will raise the bridge and put less stress on the inserts than starting high and tightening the screws would have done. Remember, if you raise the rear screws you should also raise the front screw by about the same amount to retain roughly the same relationship between the front and rear screws. As you're setting the action you may end up raising the bridge a bit too high and find that you need to back it down a bit - just remember, loosen the strings a few turns before lowering the bridge. Cranking those screws down while the strings are good and tight is the easiest way to pull the inserts back out of your bass.
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+1000. Probably the most detailed explanation on how to fix your insert problem I've seen posted to date. I did exactly this with my '07 Classic IV and it works like a charm. It's not a rocket science issue. Yeah they shouldn't pull out but the fix is so simple IMO it's really a non issue.
 
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#30,266
IMG_0858.JPG
IMG_0858.JPG IMG_0859.JPG IMG_0860.JPG

This one has some T-Bird DNA. I put a set of Thunderbird plus pickups in it that I bought here on TB.Also tricked the bridge with a Schaller,added Hip Shot tuners with a drop D and a set of stick on blocks.Also thought some Gibson speed knobs would look cool.Its a real rocker and all in black.
Not bad for an Epiphone.
 
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#30,267
Instagator said:
View attachment 1130747 View attachment 1130748 View attachment 1130749

This one has some T-Bird DNA. I put a set of Thunderbird plus pickups in it that I bought here on TB.Also tricked the bridge with a Schaller,added Hip Shot tuners with a drop D and a set of stick on blocks.Also thought some Gibson speed knobs would look cool.Its a real rocker and all in black.
Not bad for an Epiphone.
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Nice.

Interestingly, those are basically the same pickup positions as on a 4003.

How huge is the case?
 
#30,268
Instagator said:
View attachment 1130747 View attachment 1130747 View attachment 1130748 View attachment 1130749

This one has some T-Bird DNA. I put a set of Thunderbird plus pickups in it that I bought here on TB.Also tricked the bridge with a Schaller,added Hip Shot tuners with a drop D and a set of stick on blocks.Also thought some Gibson speed knobs would look cool.Its a real rocker and all in black.
Not bad for an Epiphone.
Click to expand...
Love my T-Birds but feeling some Explorer Envy here.
Must be an Entwistle Spyder thing...
 
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#30,269
Instagator said:
View attachment 1130747 View attachment 1130747 View attachment 1130748 View attachment 1130749

This one has some T-Bird DNA. I put a set of Thunderbird plus pickups in it that I bought here on TB.Also tricked the bridge with a Schaller,added Hip Shot tuners with a drop D and a set of stick on blocks.Also thought some Gibson speed knobs would look cool.Its a real rocker and all in black.
Not bad for an Epiphone.
Click to expand...

The Explorer body (and headstock) design is so astonishing to me for the simple fact that as a hugely popular design for Metal and hard rock guitarists (I always think Scorpions), it was designed in....NINETEEN-FIFTY-SEVEN!
 
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#30,271
Gaolee said:
The reason I went with a Babicz when chroming the '91 was because it doesn't hang over the centerblock like a Hipshot. I'm pretty shallow that way. Well, I also already have a couple bass guitars with Babicz bridges and like 'em, but shallowness is my story, and I'm sticking to it.
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Agree, I would not buy a hipshot because of that very reason, it has to be functional but aestheticaly correct too.
 
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#30,274
Count Bassie said:
Be happy. Your axe is, at least a little bit, an expression of you.
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Thanks Dude you are right, everything I own is an expression of me, I customize almost everything from Hot Wheels to Bicycles to the Dog's house to the family vehicles etc. I have to make sure the feel is natural, unique and comfortable to me. I am crazy like that:thumbsup:. Next up is trippy silk like material for covering both of my "18" cab grilles.
 
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#30,275
Good afternoon to all. I have a question I hope someone here can answer. I'm looking to change the bridge on my Schecter Ultra. It currently has a Tune-O-Matic type bridge on it. I'm thinking a Hipshot 2 point bridge would work but there is one issue. The bridge is slightly offset with the G string side slightly closer to the neck than the E side. I've seen pictures of the 2 point and some seem to show an elongated hole for the G side hole and some show just a regular hole. If anyone here has a Hipshot 2 point I'd appreciate their input on this. Thanks.
 
#30,277
Gluvhand said:
Good afternoon to all. I have a question I hope someone here can answer. I'm looking to change the bridge on my Schecter Ultra. It currently has a Tune-O-Matic type bridge on it. I'm thinking a Hipshot 2 point bridge would work but there is one issue. The bridge is slightly offset with the G string side slightly closer to the neck than the E side. I've seen pictures of the 2 point and some seem to show an elongated hole for the G side hole and some show just a regular hole. If anyone here has a Hipshot 2 point I'd appreciate their input on this. Thanks.
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Its early Friday and the G-string is already a topic of discussion;), sorry man I got nothing for ya.
 
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#30,280
KingFace said:
The Explorer body (and headstock) design is so astonishing to me for the simple fact that as a hugely popular design for Metal and hard rock guitarists (I always think Scorpions), it was designed in....NINETEEN-FIFTY-SEVEN!
Click to expand...
But think about it. Cars had big fins. That was the modern design esthetic then. Looking toward the space age.
 
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