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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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- club thunderbird
I go back and forth on offing my VP. For me, it’s my least comfortable Thunderbird to play. But I won’t give it away, which I’d pretty much have to do if no one local wants it because shipping is so high. It stays at the mountain house. But when I’m there, I gravitate toward playing the Epi Blackbird more because it is more comfortable and frankly sounds better. My experience with my VP is why I haven’t bought a Sparkle Blue ‘64.
I would not want my Embassy any darker. (Of course my amps and cabs likely have more lows than most, and likely why I don't have a thinness issue with the VPs.) I'm not a bright person (can be taken many ways), but the Embassy can get dull sounding if strings lacking good clarity and mid punch are not there. My first used set or two on it went that direction. New NPS Stringjoy's I had were the trick. They are not super bright, but well balanced and have tight lows. Currently it's a great match, but I do tend to touch the treble on the head with it, whereas normally I leave it alone.
And, I think any shyness is more pronounced with with some amps and cabs, and certainly playing at home. Mine sound huge with the Ampeg Heritage 410 and in a big room. Much smaller sounding at home.
I know, and we thought Ken was one of us. I just have to be alone now and process all this. So many things to rethink now, and I don't even know where to begin.
Try some Boomers on it if you really like it, or Round Core Boomers. Both full of lows and low mids.
What's uncomfortable? Besides the fear of whacking someone in the head who's twelve feet away? I can play mine until my fingers protest about playing anything.
Because you didn't want to drive to a gym?
The EBCFs and Thunderbuckers are a great combo. But if I try different strings, those are on the list.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I will go with reality.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Based on those measurements alone, I might like a '64 a whole lot more than an earlier VP.
Identical, probably not. Close enough that there’s no blatantly noticable difference, yes. The neck rake is the only significant difference I feel or see in these two basses when playing them back to back. That and the ‘64 almost sounds like a hybrid of a 760 ProBucker and a TB+ pickup, right about half way between the two, which is a pretty sweet spot to my ears.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,897
- 142,232
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
The problem in measuring from the bridge stud is that Epiphone has a long history of mounting its two piece bridge in the wrong spot on specific runs of the VP and the Eppi Embassy. On many early VPs (some months after the initial release in 2017) they put out a batch of birds with the bridge too close to the 12th fret, requiring users to back the E string saddle back as far as it would go to intonate properly. That could account for the difference you’re seeing.
I’d be interested to see what the difference between the two models is when measured from the 12th fret on your basses. I’ll measure mine as well since I know I don’t have the bridge location issue in either of my basses.
Update: just measured the first run 2017 VP and the current ‘64 Purple Sparkle basses from centerline of the 12th fret to the centerline of the neck pickup (as identified by the screw head placement) and there is virtually no difference between the two that can’t be accounted for in acceptable tolerances. The actual difference is 1/16 of an inch (10-29/32” for the VP vs 10-27/32” for the ‘64). The difference could easily be accounted for in the build up of tolerances on the unit to unit difference in fret locations plus the slop of the route for the pickup, the slop of the pickup located in the route, combined with any normal tolerances in the drilling of the screw holes in the pickup cover, combined with any slop in the screw in the pickup. Plus or minus one 32nd of an inch is well within the tolerance stack up for something like this.
I’m calling them virtually identical on neck pup placement.
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…which has less bottom end than the CP, which has less bottom end than my Greco, which has less bottom end than the Eppi Special Edition with LP looking pups, which has less bottom end than the Goth, which has a lot less bottom end than my ThunderCaster, which is the Kardashian of bass booty.
IMO any difference in tone due to mass taken away from the headstock is worth it.
I like my VP, and but like it more with Ultralights
Are they really that much different? Compare the distance from the G saddle to the pickup. The bridge is placed too far forward on the VP, so all the saddles are further back.
