Thunderbird Club

[hillerup]

OOOHHH... so I'd be a pioneer??? I don't think I've done that a whole lot in my life! Makes me wanna give it a go

One thing that's been on my mind, is string spacing. Do you have a Thunderbird V?

I have both a Pro-IV and a Pro-V - Anything you need to know?

 

[hillerup]

Interesting. I'm just wondering if there would be an excess of real estate between the G string and its edge ?

That would depend on how you get the nut slotted...

 

[hillerup]

Would need to remove one tuner, cut a new nut and a new bridge with the correct string spacing:
4 string A style Bass Bridge > Store > Hipshot Products.

Just like I've already said about 5-6 times in the last two pages...

 

[theFixer]

So now it's TOO big? Man there's no pleasing some people....

I ain't said that yet

"Wide" doesn't necessarily equate to "big".
(this conversation is definitely bating some distasteful commentary)

 

[Korladis]

I ain't said that yet

"Wide" doesn't necessarily equate to "big".
(this conversation is definitely bating some distasteful commentary)

Yeah, I really don't care as much about width as I care about thickness.

 

[theFixer]

That would depend on how you get the nut slotted...

My concern is this...
I can't space the strings too far apart for practicality & functionality reasons. Nor do I want a half inch of unused fretboard between the outside strings & the edges of the fretboard. I'll have to brush the dust off the part of my brain that maths...

 

[theFixer]

Yeah, I really don't care as much about width as I care about thickness.

I like wide, flat, and thick... but I'm bound by those 4 pesky strings. I can only space them just so far apart before things start gettin' ugly...

 

[theFixer]

I have both a Pro-IV and a Pro-V - Anything you need to know?

Yessssssss!

According to Epi's website, The neck on the Pro-V is 1.93" at the nut. Can you confirm or disprove that? I would also like to know the thickness at the nut, as well as width & thickness at the 12th. That would set me on my path to finding out if this conversion would be practical...

 

[Korladis]

I like wide, flat, and thick... but I'm bound by those 4 pesky strings. I can only space them just so far apart before things start gettin' ugly...

I prefer narrower rather than wider string spacing, personally, at least at the body end. Which I guess is weird on TB.

 

[hillerup]

Yeah, I really don't care as much about width as I care about thickness.

That's what she said...

 

[theFixer]

That's what she said...

I was wondering who was gonna fire the first round

 

[kat888]

If the Epi website is correct, then it will be 7mm wider than a standard Precision, which in the grand scheme of things, when evenly divided across the nut = bugger all.

 

[hillerup]

My concern is this...
I can't space the strings too far apart for practicality & functionality reasons. Nor do I want a half inch of unused fretboard between the outside strings & the edges of the fretboard. I'll have to brush the dust off the part of my brain that maths...

I like wide, flat, and thick... but I'm bound by those 4 pesky strings. I can only space them just so far apart before things start gettin' ugly...

An alternative solution, albeit similar procedure would be to get a 5-string Epi NR T-bird and do the same 5-string conversion. The Epi NR's have a less wide neck and narrower string spacing than the Pro-V - But then you have to deal with the P/J pickups instead of the TB+ humbuckers...

Yessssssss!

According to Epi's website, The neck on the Pro-V is 1.93" at the nut. Can you confirm or disprove that? I would also like to know the thickness at the nut, as well as width & thickness at the 12th. That would set me on my path to finding out if this conversion would be practical...

I will look into it later to day...

 

[theFixer]

An alternative solution, albeit similar procedure would be to get a 5-string Epi NR T-bird and do the same 5-string conversion. The Epi NR's have a less wide neck and narrower string spacing than the Pro-V - But then you have to deal with the P/J pickups instead of the TB+ humbuckers...



I will look into it later to day...

I didn't even know they made a 5 string NR! I have to assume they're pretty hard to find...

Also... thank you for getting those measurements for me. Whenever you get around to it is just fine

 

[theFixer]

I prefer narrower rather than wider string spacing, personally, at least at the body end. Which I guess is weird on TB.

Narrow at the body end... that is unusual. What bass do you have that best satisfies that preference?

 

[kat888]

In fact, according to this:

List of widths at nut.

Fender AVRI '57 & '62 P-bass - 1.75" (44.5mm)

There's about a 4mm difference between that and the PRO V if it is indeed 49mm across the nut.

 

[hillerup]

I didn't even know they made a 5 string NR! I have to assume they're pretty hard to find...

Also... thank you for getting those measurements for me. Whenever you get around to it is just fine

The 5-string NR do show up once in a while, but is still a rare bird.

No problem getting the measurements, when I get my calibers back from my daughter...

 

[Korladis]

Narrow at the body end... that is unusual. What bass do you have that best satisfies that preference?

Rickenbacker 4001 and 4003S.

My T-bird I have the string spacing adjusted fairly narrow on, same with my Peavey.

An additional benefit is that it allows an e-bow to just barely sit on the strings like it would for a guitar.

 

[theFixer]

In fact, according to this:

List of widths at nut.

Fender AVRI '57 & '62 P-bass - 1.75" (44.5mm)

There's about a 4mm difference between that and the PRO V if it is indeed 49mm across the nut.

That's a handy list! Thanks for linking me up!

The Rodger Waters sig. P-bass is also 1.75" at the nut. That's the widest 4 string bass nut width I've heard of.

@JJR58 mentioned that he used to have one of those AVRIs. He said the neck was so big that he sold it cuz he couldn't get used to it. I love the sound of that... but I would most likely land on a Ric before I would go for an FSO.

 

[Korladis]

That's a handy list! Thanks for linking me up!

The Rodger Waters sig. P-bass is also 1.75" at the nut. That's the widest 4 string bass nut width I've heard of.

@JJR58 mentioned that he used to have one of those AVRIs. He said the neck was so big that he sold it cuz he couldn't get used to it. I love the sound of that... but I would most likely land on a Ric before I would go for an FSO.

Interestingly, the Alembic "Classic" on that list is also 1.75" at the nut, and Alembics don't have a reputation for huge necks at all.

The G&L L-2000 on that list is even wider at 1.79" and the Hofner 182 is a surprising 1.8" at the nut, which seems... odd.