Thunderbird Club

[GBassNorth]

My StatusBird is finished. Needless to say... It rocks. It was built to rock, and it rocks, so... Mission accomplished!

The pickup combination (pair of EMG GZR Ps in a dual reverse P configuration) is great. The typical mid-scoop you get in a two pickup bass with both on full is more pronounced than on any bass I've ever played. Roll the neck pickup off even a tiny amount and it's bursting with mids. Interesting characteristic. The neck pickup solo sounds like any great P-Bass, but with better string-to-string tonal balance because of the reverse configuration. The bridge pickup solo is basically a fatter bridge J solo sound, but also has more of a barky midrange character. I'm not sure I'll use that pickup solo very often, but it's a cool sound if I need it.

View attachment 1182972 View attachment 1182973 View attachment 1182975

Ya know, I actually love tort on cream or white basses. But with that graphite neck a matching graphite pickguard would look even way cooler!

 

[theFixer]

Ya know, I actually love tort on cream or white basses. But with that graphite neck a matching graphite pickguard would look even way cooler!

DOOOD!!! That's it! I'm right there with ya on the tort-over-white thing... but a carbon fiber (or maybe black pearl if ya can't find one), with that neck... would put it over the top!

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DOOOOOOOOOD!!! OMG!!! SOOOOOOOOOO SICK!!!

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[silky smoove]

Ya know, I actually love tort on cream or white basses. But with that graphite neck a matching graphite pickguard would look even way cooler!

DOOOD!!! That's it! I'm right there with ya on the tort-over-white thing... but a carbon fiber (or maybe black pearl if ya can't find one), with that neck... would put it over the top!

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DOOOOOOOOOD!!! OMG!!! SOOOOOOOOOO SICK!!!

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Meh... I did a lot of mock ups and this build needed the color to keep it interesting and more lively. I didn't consider a carbon guard, but did look at some darker gray and black pearl options that didn't work for me at all.

 

[GBassNorth]

DOOOD!!! That's it! I'm right there with ya on the tort-over-white thing... but a carbon fiber (or maybe black pearl if ya can't find one), with that neck... would put it over the top!

<edit>
DOOOOOOOOOD!!! OMG!!! SOOOOOOOOOO SICK!!!

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That WD guard is the ticket. Now drop a red Thunderbird decal or sticker on that guard to coordinate with the Status logo on the headstock for the win!!!

 

[GBassNorth]

Meh... I did a lot of mock ups and this build needed the color to keep it interesting and more lively. I didn't consider a carbon guard, but did look at some darker gray and black pearl options that didn't work for me at all.

Pay no attention to my ramblings, you've built an ultra cool one of a kind bass. I would have never thought of a graphite neck on a bird but that makes so much sense!

 

[theFixer]

Meh... I did a lot of mock ups and this build needed the color to keep it interesting and more lively. I didn't consider a carbon guard, but did look at some darker gray and black pearl options that didn't work for me at all.

Ya definitely gotta go with what feels right to ya... but now, I want wunna them car-fib pg's!!! OH YEAH!!! When I finally find me a wide necked Goth like RedVee has... I'm puttin' me wunna them on it!!!

 

[kat888]

In Epi Thunderbird Vintage Pro news, Sam Ash are advertising 'Expected Arrival Date: 2017/08/15 - Pre-Order Now!'.

 

[theFixer]

Meh... I did a lot of mock ups and this build needed the color to keep it interesting and more lively. I didn't consider a carbon guard, but did look at some darker gray and black pearl options that didn't work for me at all.

In case ya hadn't noticed, I'm kinda like a fat kid in a room full o' cupcakes when I start looking' at gear. You've built something totally unique that blows the roof off the house of cool!!! If you read back a few pages, you'll find that I dig me some tort on white too! 2 thumbs up

 

[hillerup]

That made me think about whether or not anyone here owns an early Epi TBird... say a first or second year? Wouldn't that be in fact collectible? I've tried a quick internet search and see nothing about production years for Epi TBirds.

Can anyone shed any light on when Epiphone started making their TBirds?

The best source for this is Link Removed but is seems that page is currently down.

But if my memory serves me right, the earliest were the Elite models, but I don't remember the production years.

 

[hillerup]

Yeah, I have a 2013 EB 5 string and love that sound even more than my TBird but love the look and feel of the Bird better. Was hoping to meld the two into a NR for a total win. Rethinking that now. I might still do it but I hate to hack into a NR, those buggers are hard to find and I'd be reducing the gene pool by one if I did it.

Wait.... You already have an EB bass???

Then why did you ask about the pickup sizes, when you could measure the ones in your own - Are they not the same?

 

[theFixer]

Hey! This looks like a fun weekend project!
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Huh... free shipping in Australia. Good for a few of us... not so good for others...

 

[RedVee]

DOOOD!!! That's it! I'm right there with ya on the tort-over-white thing... but a carbon fiber (or maybe black pearl if ya can't find one), with that neck... would put it over the top!

<edit>
DOOOOOOOOOD!!! OMG!!! SOOOOOOOOOO SICK!!!

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Hmmm... now I'm wondering about carbon fibre wrap for the Goth 'wings'... hmmm

 

[RedVee]

Back to weather. Glorious day on the SW edge of Sydney today. Taken earlier.
Excuse Celsius.

 

[theFixer]

Hmmm... now I'm wondering about carbon fibre wrap for the Goth 'wings'... hmmm

DO IT!!! ... and post pix!!!

 

[hillerup]

From everything I've heard & read, the only differences between the '13/'14 and the '17, are the headstock & body shapes. Everybody that owns a '13/'14 has nothing but the greatest things to say about them... and the only negative thing I've heard about the '17 is that nearly everybody hates the body shape. I think that the 2015 T-bird is about the sexiest bass ever made, but the razor thin neck means I can't have one. When I got that Goth... there was a massive paradigm shift. I have lost pretty much all interest in Ps & Js and the 20,000 other interpretations/copies of them. I lust for the Gibson sound & feel. Take all of that information, & add the fact that I gotta have a fat neck, and my options start disappearing quickly. My first thought was Cataldo, but I fall short of the monetary requirements. My next thought was Warmoth, but my only options would be FSOs, and would take every penny I have, to give me something other than what I really want. I've been giving a lot of thought to that '17 EB. It's got the '15 T-bird electronics & that Babicz bridge, and a neck that I can at least describe as "plump". I'm down with the satiny natural finish too. Do I wish it had a different body shape? Yeah... but I don't hate this one. It's probably quite comfortable... just not super "Gibsony". At a G unit... I could afford my first brand new bass, and still have $ left over to get that GK 1x12 cab to add to my MB210, and maybe... just maaaayyyybe, a cheap fretless too. Most importantly... I believe the '17 EB could musically "take me where I wanna go" if ya know what I mean. It's got a lot going for it, and nothing of any significance going against it. I'd love to hear your thoughts (and anyone else's) on the matter...

Know what, you're fairly new to this bass playing game and have already been through several basses, and are contemplating getting both an EB'17 and a fretless a.o.t...

I have a pretty strong feeling you won't be satisfied with those either, and pretty soon after trade them for something different again.

My best advice for you is, to save your money and actually hold on to your current bass for a while, and be proficient on it and learn to work around its quirks (if any) and make it your own - By then, you will know exactly what you want in a bass, and then you should consider getting exactly what to want (and will also have saved up the money for it). What you are doing now (only a few month into your bass playing), swapping out one cheap bass for another cheap bass really won't get you where you want to be basswise IMHO...

 

[kat888]

View attachment 1183091 Back to weather. Glorious day on the SW edge of Sydney today. Taken earlier.
Excuse Celsius.

No. They should excuse their non-standard (ISO) measurements. Stand tall and never a backward step!

 

[kat888]

My best advice for you is, to save your money and actually hold on to your current bass for a while, and be proficient on it and learn to work around its quirks (if any) and make it your own - By then, you will know exactly what you want in a bass, and then you should consider getting exactly what to want (and will also have saved up the money for it). What you are doing now (only a few month into your bass playing), swapping out one cheap bass for another cheap bass really won't get you where you want to be basswise IMHO...

Sound advice - more haste, less speed, as the saying goes.

Him indoors keeps me on my toes with regard to 'false starts'. I 'got wrong' off him big stylee for selling the Italia bass - 'if you didn't want it why did you buy it in the first place? yadda yadda yadda'. It does serve to make me think very carefully about bass-related purchases and at least attempt to resist the urge to rush into things, and also to set defined limits on myself.

 

[veebass]

Hey! This looks like a fun weekend project!
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Huh... free shipping in Australia. Good for a few of us... not so good for others...

I have had a look at them a few times as a possible base for a fenderbird, but never gotten round to it.

 

[theFixer]

Know what, you're fairly new to this bass playing game and have already been through several basses, and are contemplating getting both an EB'17 and a fretless a.o.t...

I have a pretty strong feeling you won't be satisfied with those either, and pretty soon after trade them for something different again.

My best advice for you is, to save your money and actually hold on to your current bass for a while, and be proficient on it and learn to work around its quirks (if any) and make it your own - By then, you will know exactly what you want in a bass, and then you should consider getting exactly what to want (and will also have saved up the money for it). What you are doing now (only a few month into your bass playing), swapping out one cheap bass for another cheap bass really won't get you where you want to be basswise IMHO...

Our paths might not have crossed when I told my story previously. I'll give you an abbreviated version of it, because it'll help you understand all the question asking & bass hunting I've been doing.

A very good friend gave me a beautiful flame-top Les Paul in an effort to help me through a hard time. He gave me that guitar with only one stipulation. I can't sell it. It dies with me. Well... his "spirit booster" didn't work. The guitar spent a little over a year in it's case, before the opportunity to play bass (thankfully) dropped in my lap. A couple weeks after I'd started playing... I was all in! I just fell in love with it, and started to feel alive again for the first time in a looooong while. I told my friend about my new obsession, & asked for his permission to turn that beautiful guitar into a bass. He was excited to hear about it, and granted permission... but the same rule applies. It dies with me. I seized the opportunity to share my good fortune with my best friend of over 30 years, by selling my Les Paul to him on terms that he can work with. When he pays that off, I get to buy the bass I'll die with. That gives me the next few months to find that bass. I don't have a decent shop within reasonable distance that has a bunch of different basses that I can walk in & try out, and it's hard to get the info I need online. That's why I'm constantly asking questions about necks & specs on different brands & models & all that stuff. The various cheap basses I've had over the past few months, have been a separate issue altogether. That has been the search for a "for right now" bass, intended primarily just to give me something to play on until I can get that bass. The search for a neck I was comfortable with, was difficult enough before I hooked up with you guys. After owning that Goth for a DAY... my entire perception of the electric bass guitar, and what I want to get out of it, changed. Now I've cut most of the basses in the world off the list of what will work for me & make me smile. The fantasy bass would be a fat necked Gibson Thunderbird. Those have apparently have never been built. The next logical step is a custom shop. I don't have the budget for that. So, I guess right now, I'm lookin' for another way to keep the Gibson vibe, on a versatile bass with a fat neck, at a price I can afford. That doesn't sound like too much to ask, but I'm starting to think it is. It's a good thing I have a few months to find the needle in the haystack.

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The fat necked Epi that I have now is only my second bass since being "born again" into the Gibson faith... and I'm quite happy with it!

 

[hairypete1138]

Our paths might not have crossed when I told my story previously. I'll give you an abbreviated version of it, because it'll help you understand all the question asking & bass hunting I've been doing.

A very good friend gave me a beautiful flame-top Les Paul in an effort to help me through a hard time. He gave me that guitar with only one stipulation. I can't sell it. It dies with me. Well... his "spirit booster" didn't work. The guitar spent a little over a year in it's case, before the opportunity to play bass (thankfully) dropped in my lap. A couple weeks after I'd started playing... I was all in! I just fell in love with it, and started to feel alive again for the first time in a looooong while. I told my friend about my new obsession, & asked for his permission to turn that beautiful guitar into a bass. He was excited to hear about it, and granted permission... but the same rule applies. It dies with me. I seized the opportunity to share my good fortune with my best friend of over 30 years, by selling my Les Paul to him on terms that he can work with. When he pays that off, I get to buy the bass I'll die with. That gives me the next few months to find that bass. I don't have a decent shop within reasonable distance that has a bunch of different basses that I can walk in & try out, and it's hard to get the info I need online. That's why I'm constantly asking questions about necks & specs on different brands & models & all that stuff. The various cheap basses I've had over the past few months, have been a separate issue altogether. That has been the search for a "for right now" bass, intended primarily just to give me something to play on until I can get that bass. The search for a neck I was comfortable with, was difficult enough before I hooked up with you guys. After owning that Goth for a DAY... my entire perception of the electric bass guitar, and what I want to get out of it, changed. Now I've cut most of the basses in the world off the list of what will work for me & make me smile. The fantasy bass would be a fat necked Gibson Thunderbird. Those have apparently have never been built. The next logical step is a custom shop. I don't have the budget for that. So, I guess right now, I'm lookin' for another way to keep the Gibson vibe, on a versatile bass with a fat neck, at a price I can afford. That doesn't sound like too much to ask, but I'm starting to think it is. It's a good thing I have a few months to find the needle in the haystack.

If you want a fat necked bird, I can personally recommend the Tokai TB48. It's a set neck rather than through, but the pickups are great, the hardware is solid, and the thing is built like a tank. The neck on mine feels twice the size of the neck on my classic pro.