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Thunderbird Club

#34,228
kat888 said:
@Gaolee's description of them being scooped is on the money. That and -- despite the active circuitry -- having low output. The Chinabuckers are working with RS66s and the Thunderbuckers with the KS Bass Burners.

You'd need the same strings etc for a proper comparison, but the pickup heights are the same and the CBuckers are definitely not driving the amp as hard as the TBucker. You can also see this by engaging the compressor - it's easy enough to play the CBuckers without triggering the comp, but the compression LED is flicking slightly even when the TBucker is played very lightly. That suggests the TBucker has a (metric) fvck tonne more output than the CBuckers, eh*.

The Epi definitely needs some work and I may have to break the habit of a lifetime and get some more Bass Burners - dang and blast you @Dadagoboi, teaching old cats new tricks!

Maybe a slightly less snarly Bird is a good thing and the Chinabuckers will stay, or pickups of an entirely different character, such as the Lace Alumitones could work.

* Cheeky Canadadians nicked this all purpose sentence ending from Aotearoa.
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If you put in Alumitones, it will be one of two Alumibirds on the planet. Those pickups are not high output like Tbuckers. They are almost piezo-like, and they are really sensitive to height. Higher is more scooped. Lower is less scooped. They are a whole lot of fun to figure out. I actually have the fretless 'Bird with me this weekend in case anything goes sideways with the upright.
 
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#34,230
theFixer said:
I hadn't even thought of going through the neck plate! Do people do that?
Click to expand...

I have used the neck plate on several Epi's.

20151121_082000_zps3kfr7hdd.jpg

20151121_082011_zpsel3a7no5.jpg
 
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#34,232
RedVee said:
All this pickup talk makes me wonder if we need a 'sticky' listing (ranking?) all the replacement pickups?
Off the top of my head people here have used or discussed:

DeepSixx
Chinabuckers
Lull
Lollar
Thunderbuckers
Lace Alumintone (?)
DiMarzio 'Model One'
EMG TBH

^ is my memory correct in those ^
Are there more ?
Click to expand...

Bartolini T4s, Mojo (UK), SD Blackouts...
 
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#34,233
RedVee said:
All this pickup talk makes me wonder if we need a 'sticky' listing (ranking?) all the replacement pickups?
Off the top of my head people here have used or discussed:

DeepSixx
Chinabuckers
Lull
Lollar
Thunderbuckers
Lace Alumintone (?)
DiMarzio 'Model One'
EMG TBH

^ is my memory correct in those ^
Are there more ?
Click to expand...
And Rickenbacker pickups, no wait!. Oh that was only me. Carry on.
 
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#34,234
RedVee said:
All this pickup talk makes me wonder if we need a 'sticky' listing (ranking?) all the replacement pickups?
Off the top of my head people here have used or discussed:

DeepSixx
Chinabuckers
Lull
Lollar
Thunderbuckers
Lace Alumintone (?)
DiMarzio 'Model One'
EMG TBH

^ is my memory correct in those ^
Are there more ?
Click to expand...
kat888 said:
Bartolini T4s, Mojo (UK), SD Blackouts...
Click to expand...
I will add
 
#34,236
theFixer said:
That's good enough for me! Thanks guys & gals!:thumbsup:
Click to expand...
One more example. Additionally I have my solution to neck dive, having to reach too far to the end of the neck etc, installed. Known generically as a strap hook. Really balances the instrument on your shoulder and allows you to move it around a lot depending on what position you want/need it to be in at any given time.
20170121_104316.jpg
 
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#34,237
theFixer said:
Oh boy! Where do I start?
Last night, you may remember me mentioning a "hip" in the neck from the 12th to the N/B joint. Imagine that the neck is a road you're driving on. If you started at the nut, and drove towards the body, you would've driven on a flat road until you got to the 12th fret, where there was a very subtle elevation, and then it flattened out again at about the 15 - 16th fret. I played to that elevation, and adjusted the truss rod so that it was more like a subtle elevation all the way from the nut to the N/B joint, where it flattened out, then elevated the bridge a bit, to get over the hump. That meant that from about the 15th fret up would be a little harder to play on, but at this stage of the game, those frets don't see much of me anyway. I dialed it in reasonably well with the old strings on it, then took them off & rubbed in a good amount of Formby's Almond Oil (rosewood loves almond oil & it doesn't leave residue), then I let it sit with no strings on it for about 6 hours. Just before I went to bed, I put the new DR Hi-Beams on it & set it in the stand. As I was having my morning coffee with my T-bird brothers & sisters, I picked up a few tips on bridge set-up, which I quickly implemented (thanks y'all!). I'm happy to announce that it came together better than I'd hoped! It ain't flawless, and the nut still needs some love, but it's definitely payable and enjoyable!
View attachment 1166672
I'm thrilled! When I set it in the stand last night, I thought I wasn't gonna be able to enjoy it until I had the nut redone. Now... I'm enjoying it... a LOT!!! He bitches at me & puts up a little fight here & there, but we're gonna get along just fiiiiine!:D:thumbsup:

This is definitely a different animal than I'm used to, but what unique character he has! I raised the pups up 'till they wouldn't go any higher (thanks for that tip as well), and as promised, the output increased and that infamous "snarl" came in. The output is still lower than I expected, but the tone is rrreeeeaallly nice! the neck pup is big & ballsy without losing definition, and the bridge pup has a throaty bite to it unlike any other bass I've played. TBPH... I'm not a huge fan of the bridge pup by itself, but when blended with the neck pup, it makes pure magic! Somewhere down the road, I may do something about the electronics, but for now, I'm just gonna play it! I'm aaaalllllll in!!!:thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Can't argue with that string height. I've chronicled the trials
 
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#34,238
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Hitting the road in a few to my SoCal house. I am bound and determined to go into the shed for four hours each day Sat - Tues. Decided to take the Bird and the P.
For everyone in the US, have a safe 4th of July holiday. To everyone else, have a nice weekend. I've already decided I'll be dark on TB all weekend. Kinda dreading the number of posts I'll have to catch up with.
 
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#34,240
EdO. said:
One more example. Additionally I have my solution to neck dive, having to reach too far to the end of the neck etc, installed. Known generically as a strap hook. Really balances the instrument on your shoulder and allows you to move it around a lot depending on what position you want/need it to be in at any given time.
View attachment 1166884
Click to expand...
Well now that's a clever idea!:thumbsup:
The body on this particular one, has pretty good weight to it. I'm not thinkin' I'm gonna be strugglin' with neck dive. I'll be findin' out tomorrow!;)
 

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