Thunderbird Club

[TBird1958]

I started yesterday's rehearsal with the 7enderbird, picked this up halfway through, it just kicked @$$, one of the best Thunderbirds ( unknown by most!) ever!

 

[MCF]

Agreed.

Funny. While I like a lot of the earlier PF through Wish You Were Here, I mostly preferred Hawkwind/Hawklords.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Again: cannot leave well enough alone!

TRC screws now black

Pickguard screws now black

Control plate screws now black.

Black knobs!!

Opened her up: what nice clean wiring.
No cavity shielding will copper tape when replacing the pots.
Already B500k linear Alphas !? Nice.
(Tokyo Cosmos wil still be an improvement)

I have no idea what the cap value is, or the tone pot resistance.

Plate has shielding.

Did someone say: OTHERBIRD SUNDAY?

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I suspect using two butt strap pins reduces the tendency for the bass to swivel (tilt forward) as much as it would on a single butt end strap pin. But I haven’t personally tried it. My Dingwall has some pretty unique flush mount pin placements that work exceptionally well, but it’s a totally different beast from a Gibson design so not sure how well it would translate to a non Dingwall bass.
View attachment 7218426
View attachment 7218427

Envy

 

[MCF]

I started yesterday's rehearsal with the 7enderbird, picked this up halfway through, it just kicked @$$, one of the best Thunderbirds ( unknown by most!) ever!

I feel the same way about my Ebony Studio. Not quite sure what it is. The set neck? The particular run of Tbird+ pickups? Whatever it is, mine sounds awesome. It was an absolute bargain.

 

[TBird1958]

I feel the same way about my Ebony Studio. Not quite sure what it is. The set neck? The particular run of Tbird+ pickups? Whatever it is, mine sounds awesome. It was an absolute bargain.

I think those pickups sound good with set neck basses, how does your Studio compare with your 2013 Non Reverse?

 

[/\/\3phist0]

It's a great color. Looks the same as James' (from my band) Partscaster.

It’s sonic blue, I oversprayed the body with satin amber poly to green/age the color.
This is closer to the original color

A couple more in process pics:

 

[Engle]

Thank you both M-guys! It's funny, Mvf is the third one to report me how it works while taking a walk. Maybe I should advertise it as "ambient rock* for walking"?

*"ambient rock" was one description I saw somewhere. Maybe that is better than "prog" since the stuff is quite basic and simple.

Is the album on Apple Music. I walk every day, and ambient tripping is often appropriate

 

[BuddhaFingas]

I started yesterday's rehearsal with the 7enderbird, picked this up halfway through, it just kicked @$$, one of the best Thunderbirds ( unknown by most!) ever!

Oooohhhh... Is that a Studio?

 

[PhR75]

Is the album on Apple Music. I walk every day, and ambient tripping is often appropriate

Indeed it is:

Watch your feet, I don't want you to trip badly!

 

[TBird1958]

Oooohhhh... Is that a Studio?

Yes it is, slab body, set neck, "modern" bridge, Thunderbird refined.

 

[PhR75]

Funny. While I like a lot of the earlier PF through Wish You Were Here, I mostly preferred Hawkwind/Hawklords.

I've never been a much of a spacerock guy even 'though I do like a bit of the Hawkwind and as you mentioned them, Hawklords! That "25 Years On" album is brilliant. Calvert's lyrics are superb and there's always that tongue in cheek too (the same applies to 'Wind).
Hawklords' keyboardist Steve Swindell's album from 1980 (Fresh Blood) is great. Not spacy but more urban new wave, it contains his version of "Shot Down In The Night" and the backing band is Nic Potter from Hammill/VDGG on bass and Hawkwind alumni Simon King and Huw Lloyd-Langton on drums and guitar.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Current plan is for a Bullion Gold with Black Burst finish under clear nitro... but as 1/16th ebony for the peghead overlay has proved unsourceable, one option I'm considering is ebonized walnut, so I have a batch of this brewing...

View attachment 7218409

Other options I'm looking at are black acrylic, or black linen phenolic, which would be very MCM even if not a choice Gibson pursued.

Need to test how they behave with the clear and with adhesives.

I Have some Luthitec Fiberboard to try out, too.

Oh! Sounds great.
I am finding some real Ebony veneer on EBay.

 

[MCF]

I think those pickups sound good with set neck basses, how does your Studio compare with your 2013 Non Reverse?

I have never compared them. They have never been in the same location together. Both have powersteels. The ‘13 gets played through the SVT/Berg rig. The Studio gets played through the Mesa stuff. In my head, they sound different. But it depends on amp settings too. I prefer the Studio. But I play it all the time versus the ‘13 which usually only gets an hour or two every two to three weeks, if that. Plus the ‘13 is currently on my “need to fix” list. The fret sprout has become noticeable. And the 9th and 10th frets are high/loose. It really needs a level, crown and end dressing. Also, I initially went to a Babicz on the ‘13 to get more string height adjustability. Probably did not need to have done that in hindsight; addressing the frets should have been the first thing to do. Live and learn.

 

[MCF]

Yes it is, slab body, set neck, "modern" bridge, Thunderbird refined.

Do you know when Gibson added the very slight/modest belly cut to the Reverse?

 

[bylar13]

That’s about where I’ve been locating the lower pin on my builds. Something to consider, I think someone in the club here not only located a pin about where you have your red mark, but the also left in the stock pin at the center butt location. So now they use both butt pins and not only does it eliminate neck dive but I think it ends the face fall forward issue as well. Would be great to get some second thoughts on that.

About where mine end up…

 

[MCF]

About where mine end up…

View attachment 7218281

Can you measure that for us?

I’d suggest filling that hole with something decorative. Like this.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...L0RktlgFUA7kpGENTDrGLcO3gdSPuLSkaAloeEALw_wcB

But on second thought, don’t. You don’t need any more sharp points on your Thunderbird.

 

[Nocturnal]

That’s about where I’ve been locating the lower pin on my builds. Something to consider, I think someone in the club here not only located a pin about where you have your red mark, but the also left in the stock pin at the center butt location. So now they use both butt pins and not only does it eliminate neck dive but I think it ends the face fall forward issue as well. Would be great to get some second thoughts on that.

I don't know if you can tell but my BlackBird has 2 flush-mount Dunlop recessed straplocks.

I suspect using two butt strap pins reduces the tendency for the bass to swivel (tilt forward) as much as it would on a single butt end strap pin. But I haven’t personally tried it. My Dingwall has some pretty unique flush mount pin placements that work exceptionally well, but it’s a totally different beast from a Gibson design so not sure how well it would translate to a non Dingwall bass.
View attachment 7218426
View attachment 7218427

Similar location on my Lowe-bodied StatusBird and also my Spector Legend 4X, but no picture of that. Works very well in that location.

 

[dagrev]

I love Chargers, but only ‘68-‘70, with ‘69 being my absolute favorite. I think the ‘66-‘67’s are pretty ugly, but he did a good job with this one, but the price is ridiculous. I do t even think you could get that price for a ‘69 R/T unless it was bone stock original, and maybe only then if it were a Daytona…

Agree.

 

[BuddhaFingas]

Oh! Sounds great.
I am finding some real Ebony veneer on EBay.

What Ive found there so far was either not wide enough, not long enough, or far too thick or too thin.
I have limited thicknessing tools.
There was one piece I almost bought (at rediculous cost) that was big enough, but reading the specs, the thickness in inches and mm did not agree by a factor of 2. And it looked like it had glue all over it at the ends, like it was reclaimed from some other project.