Just saw that. Carp.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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 free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club thunderbird
Thanks Will.
I’m scheduling two cataract surgeries for July/August and after that going to plan a trip to Boston to visit my daughter. Maybe look up @bobyoung53 if he isn’t in Peru and @Count Bassie (if I have time to get to Providence). And I have a herniated disc in my neck I may decide to get taken care of.
I don’t know if I’ll practice again. I’ve pretty much had it. I’ll keep the license active for a while in case I need to supplement the income with contract work. But frankly, I’d rather pretty much do annything else. I hear flipping burgers at In-N-Out pays like $20.00 an hour. That’s enough. I’d rather do that. Or maybe see if my friend who owns the amazing local record store will let me work some hours for store credit. I’d much rather do that.
I'm still a fan after all these years.
Crusin’ Ocean Avenue in Lompoc. ‘72 to ‘76. Some nights that’s all you heard. Especially in the summer. One of the sounds of our lives.
I flipped Surf’s Up last weekend.
I live cheap. Except for my Thunderbird addiction. I have been working myself into an early grave. Time to stop. I took the bar exam in July of ‘86. And passed. Tied me to a career I really never liked. I’m more than done. Now I can become the Thunderbird player I was meant to be! Or at least be happy trying.
You can see that bass in action here:
Interesting Bicentennial Bird observation I wasn’t aware of…
Note the pickup leads in each of the three different Bicentennial pics below:
How odd that they’d have an insulated three wire lead on the neck pup but a single core wire metal mesh lead on the bridge pup. First time I saw it I assumed the neck pup was an aftermarket replacement, but looks like all the ones I can find pictures of are wired the same way. Whodathunk.
Note the pickup leads in each of the three different Bicentennial pics below:
How odd that they’d have an insulated three wire lead on the neck pup but a single core wire metal mesh lead on the bridge pup. First time I saw it I assumed the neck pup was an aftermarket replacement, but looks like all the ones I can find pictures of are wired the same way. Whodathunk.
Last edited:
Maybe it's an extension of the cable from the neck pickup?
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,898
- 142,244
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
I'll have to take a look at mine over the weekend, '76-'79 are not like other Birds!
The pickups are way different.
The factory wired them in series. They have an almost perfect tone when equing with high gain. Sorta vintage. Sorta modern. The sidewinders were unappreciated back in the day. And it’s too bad. I am in love with my ‘77.
Maybe, but the bridge pup only has two leads (wire mesh wrap for ground and core for hot). Whereas the neck pickup has an insulated outer wrap and inside there’s a bare ground wire, a hot or positive insulated wire and a neutral or negative insulated wire.
IIRC the Bicentennial is wired in series vs parallel on later birds, I wonder if it has to do with that or possibly an in phase or out of phase wiring scheme. That might also account for the supposed significant difference in sound (and volume?) between these and other birds.
Very interesting and unexpected find, would love to get to the bottom of it.
Last edited:
I was aware of the significant difference between the bicentennial sidewinders and the newer humbuckers but wasn’t aware that the neck pickup was wired completely different than the bridge pickup.
See my post above. The bicentennial Thunderbirds are an item all their own. And quite amazing in their own tight. Yes. Wired in series. Mine has no “phase” issues. So add this to the list of future builds:
Find an inexpensive (yeah like that will happen) bicentennial with the stock Sidewinders. Wire them with a push/pull or micro switch for parallel/#series and see what you think.
Last edited:
was thinking the same thing but it looks like it may be the series wiring as the "cold" side (blk) of the neck pup goes to the jack and the "hot" side (clear) blends with the bridge pup at the wiper of the of the bridge volume pot....the whole thing "floats", notice only two of the terminals on all three pots are used....my 79:
