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Thunderbird Club

#36,201
Ponsonby Britt said:
Well, I seem to have developed a case of T-Bird GAS, so I'm looking for one as a backup.

So far as the Epis go, are the China instruments comparable to the Korean ones?
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Heeeeeey! Another Michigander!:thumbsup: If we keep this up, we may give those left coast groovies a run for their money!

I'm relatively new here, so I'm not the most qualified to give you a thorough response. I can say this though... if you're as fussy about neck profiles as I am... you'll need to give up the idea of internet shopping. The necks seem to be all over the map. The MIC one I just got, has a neck that is mammoth compared to most (1.70" at the nut). The other MIC that was in the store, was 1.5" at the nut, but was plump & rounded on the back like a '60's EBO. Most of them seem to have quite thin, almost jazz bass feeling necks. I'm guessing that, if you were to walk into a store that had 5 used Epi T-birds on the wall... 3 of them would have "different" feeling necks than the others. In my limited experience... overall build quality, materials, and finish seem to be virtually identical. If you are a patient person... you may wish to wait for the new Vintage Pros that are due out later this year. If not... there are a number of options to chose from such as bolt on vs. neck thru, active vs. passive, and so on. Obviously, the best way to figure out which is the best one for you, is to go out & start grabbin' 'em off the wall until you find "the one".
 
#36,204
Ponsonby Britt said:
Well, I seem to have developed a case of T-Bird GAS, so I'm looking for one as a backup.

So far as the Epis go, are the China instruments comparable to the Korean ones?
Click to expand...
Here's your definitive answer: it depends.

The Korean bolt on necks tend to have a chunky profile and are 1.75" at the nut. They are a good, big fistful. Some of the Chinese made bolt ons are the same, but some are narrower. I think they all have a round back, as do all of the neck-through versions. When you get into any of the "pro" versions, the neck will be 1.5" at the nut and will have a rounded back that stays proportionally constent along the length of the neck. They are shaped very much like a Gibson. I don't know if there are Korean and Chinese versions of them. I would expect them to all be shaped on CNC machines, at least initially, and therefore consistent across the range. Sound is subjective, with the only radical departure being the active Pro IV and Pro V models.
 
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#36,214
JJR58 said:
That makes total sense to me, you've got stronger hands from playing an upright.
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You know it was so long since I had played bass, when I picked it up again I didn't realise the action on both basses was quite high. It was only when @Dadagoboi's beauty arrived that the penny dropped. It was the NR41 set me on a quest to straighten the Epi neck ... and the discovery that a little more truss rod play is required. Yesterday I talked to someone with a reputation for knowing what he's doing, and one day soon the Epi is going in for a new properly radiused and cut bone nut/addition of a truss rod spacer.

JJR58 said:
You know I love your new avatar.
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GIMP is less intuitive tha Photoshop but it gets the job done.
 
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#36,215
kat888 said:
You know it was so long since I had played bass, when I picked it up again I didn't realise the action on both basses was quite high. It was only when @Dadagoboi's beauty arrived that the penny dropped. It was the NR41 set me on a quest to straighten the Epi neck ... and the discovery that a little more truss rod play is required. I have spoken to someone with a reputation for knowing what he's doing, and one day soon the Epi is going in for a new properly radiused and cut bone nut/addition of a truss rod spacer.



GIMP is less intuitive tha Photoshop but it gets the job done.
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That's interesting, I'd agree with you when doing those kind of things, I use GIMP for my photography, but I don't alter much.
 
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