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Thunderbird Club

#303,365
Iristone said:
That's how I played it before upgrading to EY Chinabuckers. :bassist:
I wonder what's the difference between the EY Chinabuckers and 760 Probuckers? I've read that they are the same pickups, but I find the 760 Probucker more middy than the EY Chinabucker.
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I have a number of basses with ProBuckers and ChinaBuckers, to my ears they are very different sounding pickups. All good, but different.

My first year run Eppi VP with ProBuckers has a smooth round but not deep bottom end, lots of very aggressive mids and high mids and a present but not overly crisp top end. Very much the same sound with my ‘66 Eppi VP NR Tribute bird, which uses early model ProBuckers, from an Embassy bass and has the same strings (Fender 7250 rounds) but has a wenge neck (little crisper on the attack from the different neck wood).

My most recent Eppi VP (2024 Purple Sparkle limited edition) with ProBuckers and the same strings sounds much much deeper on the bottom end, but still very grindy and aggressive. It’s like they expanded the range of the pickup to include more bottom end but managed to retain all the aggressiveness across the entire range of the output. Very nice and an improvement over already great pickups in my opinion.

My basses with ChinaBuckers (white BaCH NR and BlingBird) by comparison sound smoother, less aggressive, less grit and grind, slightly more bottom end focused than the original ProBuckers, and when only one pickup is soloed it sounds a little thinner than the original ProBuckers, but much thinner than the new ProBuckers in my purple Reverse.

So I suspect ProBuckers and ChinaBuckers are not identical pickups at all, no idea where each is made or to what specs but they do sound very different to me.

Likewise I’d be surprised if the original ProBuckers from the first few years were identical to the ProBuckers made this year, very different sound to me. Who knows, maybe I just managed to get an Eppi that was off spec or at the limit of acceptable tolerances. Either way it’s a keeper and a sweet improvement over what I thought would be hard to improve upon.

Anybody else with the Blue or Purple sparkle limited run VP hearing something similar, or is it just me?
MCF said:
You really need to hear Rich play live. We have great players in this club.
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I might be up that way in November, would love to make it a Rich, Chucky, Geo concert tour.

Stealth57 said:
How many of those have you gone through? Purdy...Marshall, it's BLUE!
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Only one 911 but lots of other Porsches. Great cars, fun to drive and very dependable. My last five car purchases have all been Porsche.

GodsLove66 said:
First full cover with the T-Bird!
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Great choice of songs to showcase a beautiful TBird, and fantastic playing as well!
Watched your Ric video as as well, sounded great, wasn’t aware Ric was using those pickups in any of their basses.
 
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#303,368
GBassNorth said:
I have a number of basses with ProBuckers and ChinaBuckers, to my ears they are very different sounding pickups. All good, but different.

My first year run Eppi VP with ProBuckers has a smooth round but not deep bottom end, lots of very aggressive mids and high mids and a present but not overly crisp top end. Very much the same sound with my ‘66 Eppi VP NR Tribute bird, which uses early model ProBuckers, from an Embassy bass and has the same strings (Fender 7250 rounds) but has a wenge neck (little crisper on the attack from the different neck wood).

My most recent Eppi VP (2024 Purple Sparkle limited edition) with ProBuckers and the same strings sounds much much deeper on the bottom end, but still very grindy and aggressive. It’s like they expanded the range of the pickup to include more bottom end but managed to retain all the aggressiveness across the entire range of the output. Very nice and an improvement over already great pickups in my opinion.
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Reminds me of playing a new VP and new Embassy about a year after hitting the stores. I played the VP and it sounded like the two I have--brighter than the Embassy. Not barely, but by a lot. I assume the same strings and maybe even the same batch of pickups (maybe?). I was surprised at how different they sounded given both could not be too far apart in age. (I didn't notice one being set up any different that the other.) Of course the Embassy could have been a one off and other factors may have been involved.
 
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#303,369
Hopefully this has been updated (to include Bad Lemons and a few more bands - this was an early fb post) but comin' up this next weekend.


1727113980056.jpeg
 
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