• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Thunderbird Club

Very nice, just like my new (to me) 2014. I put a chrome 3-point on mine, probably an AllParts. All my others have Babicz bridges, and while I wanted to keep my 2014 Cherry looking as authentic as possible, I’m not sure I’ll keep the 3-point on it. I found a good deal on a chrome Babicz, so I snatched it.

Reason I did that? I have an Ebony ‘99 with Babicz and 45-105 GHS Boomers on it, and my Cherry ‘14 has the 3-point and the same strings and tuning, etc. The first thing I noticed, just by acoustically comparing the two, is the D/G strings just don’t seem to carry the same weight(?), heft(?), resonance(?), depth(?) on the one with the 3-point as they do on the one with the Babicz. It’s kinda the ongoing battle I have with many of my older Fenders, where the D/G strings just don’t quite push like the E/A…

Maybe the strings need to break in a little? We’ll see. I’ll definitely leave the 3-point on for awhile. I would definitely prefer to leave the 3-point on, but not at the expense of getting the best tone possible out of it. Worst case I can re-sell the Babicz.
I had a similar experience when I switched out the 3 point for the Babicz.
I noticed an increase (to my ear) in the fullness and the sustain in the upper register on the D & the G string.

For my recent P-Bass build I swapped out the Custom Shop 62 pickup and the “Vintage hi-mass” Fender bridge to a Babicz bridge and a set of EMG GZR pickups and I feel there is much improvement on the D&G strings vs. stock set up.
 
Last edited:
Meantime............

W0LS3yJ.jpg
awesome....you can hear Dave's B-15 howling in the background in second 49.... :laugh::cool:
 
Fantastic! If your wife ever has good advice for any of the rest of of us, don't hesitate to post it so we can quote her to our SOs.
When I brought it up with Sharon, she said, "Why haven't you bought it? Your bonus money fund is just sitting there for things like that."
 
I had a similar experience when I switched out the 3 point for the Babicz.
I noticed an increase (to my ear) in the fullness and the sustain in the upper register on the D & the G string.

For my recent P-Bass build I swapped out the Custom Shop 62 pickup and the “Vintage hi-mass” Fender bridge to a Babicz bridge and a set of EMG GZR pickups and I feel there is much improvement on the D&G strings vs. stock set up.

I have a few ‘70’s P’s that I have used a new Fender Deluxe string thru bridge on, and that seems to help some.

I have a new build I’ll be tackling, a ‘79 P-Bass neck (rosewood) on a ‘78 P-Bass body, (over 8 lbs alone), and using parts I already have. A pair of vintage (80’s?) EMG pickups, going for the double P setup, and a hard to find Fender “Big Block” string through bridge:

IMG_6777.jpeg



With this ash body weighing in at over 8 lbs, this bass could be well on its way to becoming a 12 lb beast when fully assembled. Just the body and neck with three out of the four keys installed, is just over 10 lbs… My plan is to remove as much wood from under the pickguard, minding the neck joint, leaving a bit of a boarder around the pickup rout, and attempting to leave a little tower where the middle pickguard screw goes. Going deep, leaving only about a 3/8” thickness between the cavity and back of the body where all the routing is going to be done. My hope is to keep it under 11 lbs. While still much heavier than I’d like, a slightly sub 11lb bass is something I can live with. One of my others I play rather regularly is just under 11 and it’s manageable.
 
A gig tomorrow. Hard time deciding if I should take the non-reverse or the Tele...music is sort of like what Agents woukld play (@Mvf probably will get what I mean). Most likely I'll take both and as the Tele has T-Bird pickups it's a win-win anyway.

And if somebody is listening to Radio YLE 1 in Finland at 7:02 PM onwards next Sunday (I guess the only candidate is the gentleman mentioned above but who knows?) they'll be playing one of my tracks. It's a jazz program and the track they chose is one of the more trippy ones (still not indulging in anything in case my mother is reading this...):

That's cool news! And music.
 
All roads (eventually) lead to Hollister!






I always thought the VP would be bigger by a lot, but by this informal measure (stripes on my comforter) they're pretty much the same, even though the VP has a stupid big headstock. Cat was giving me the stinkeye!

dkVSvjd.jpg
IDK, I like my stupid big headstock:
IMG_0141.jpg
IMG_0125.jpg

(Except when I wanna buy a case)
 
I had a similar experience when I switched out the 3 point for the Babicz.
I noticed an increase (to my ear) in the fullness and the sustain in the upper register on the D & the G string.

For my recent P-Bass build I swapped out the Custom Shop 62 pickup and the “Vintage hi-mass” Fender bridge to a Babicz bridge and a set of EMG GZR pickups and I feel there is much improvement on the D&G strings vs. stock set up.
Sustain matters!
 
Here’s a few pics of my Lull Tbird 5, I’m really enjoying this bass ! Sounds great cranked up in hard rock, country, very versatile bass!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_8944.jpeg
    IMG_8944.jpeg
    1.8 MB · Views: 3
  • IMG_8945.jpeg
    IMG_8945.jpeg
    1.7 MB · Views: 6
  • IMG_8946.jpeg
    IMG_8946.jpeg
    1.8 MB · Views: 3
  • IMG_8950.jpeg
    IMG_8950.jpeg
    1.7 MB · Views: 2
  • IMG_8948.jpeg
    IMG_8948.jpeg
    1.7 MB · Views: 4
  • IMG_8951.jpeg
    IMG_8951.jpeg
    1.7 MB · Views: 2
I have a few ‘70’s P’s that I have used a new Fender Deluxe string thru bridge on, and that seems to help some.

I have a new build I’ll be tackling, a ‘79 P-Bass neck (rosewood) on a ‘78 P-Bass body, (over 8 lbs alone), and using parts I already have. A pair of vintage (80’s?) EMG pickups, going for the double P setup, and a hard to find Fender “Big Block” string through bridge:

View attachment 7233609


With this ash body weighing in at over 8 lbs, this bass could be well on its way to becoming a 12 lb beast when fully assembled. Just the body and neck with three out of the four keys installed, is just over 10 lbs… My plan is to remove as much wood from under the pickguard, minding the neck joint, leaving a bit of a boarder around the pickup rout, and attempting to leave a little tower where the middle pickguard screw goes. Going deep, leaving only about a 3/8” thickness between the cavity and back of the body where all the routing is going to be done. My hope is to keep it under 11 lbs. While still much heavier than I’d like, a slightly sub 11lb bass is something I can live with. One of my others I play rather regularly is just under 11 and it’s manageable.
Big block! How many CI?
 

Latest posts