Thunderbird Club

[TBird1958]

@TBird1958 is going to have a seizure at you. I mean, for you.

Gotta have one, has to be BLACK.

 

[JJR58]

I have been busy spending the money I saved for an Epi Vintage Pro.
They have taken too long and these don't come along everyday in mint condition and within driving distance.
Anyway, I have time to save up again.
Meet my new LP Oversize.
One of I believe only three Gold Tops to come into Australia through the importer.

This is a fair lump of a bass. Luckily it is chambered. Our scales aren't working but I think very close to.
I set her up this morning and serviced it- all ready for a gig tomorrow night.View attachment 2613214 10 lbs ie lighter than some of the older LP basses.

View attachment 2613215 View attachment 2613216 View attachment 2613217

I would hardly call that a lump of bass.
I completely endorse.

 

[GBassNorth]

WARNING: Post contains a bass that isn't a Thunderbird
Today is my first NBD in 7 years, closer to 10 since I got a non-Thunderbird bass.
Kinda feel like I'm cheating on the club, that's why I feel like I should be up front about it.
But it IS A NECK THRU bass with 2 Humbuckers.
For my birthday my family bought a 2015 EBMM Stingray Neck Thru. It is mint with the pick guard plastic still on it. It was a demo model that never sold.
View attachment 2613136


P.S.
I am still looking for another TBird to add to the aviary.

Nice catch on the Ray. And in my favorite color combo.
If you really want to bring out the best tone in a Ray slap some Black Beauties on it.

 

[JJR58]

Gotta have one, has to be BLACK.

Black is beautiful, but Gold is great.
Ok, way past my bedtime.

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

Nice catch on the Ray. And in my favorite color combo.
If you really want to bring out the best tone in a Ray slap some Black Beauties on it.

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind
The access to the high frets is unbelievable on it! Perfectly contoured for the 20th fret, and still comfortable for the 21st.
I LOVE the heel on it, great contouring.

 

[Skerrvydog]

Hey All, just picked up a used Epi Classic Pro IV today, can i join the club? I've been playin a '75 Grabber for almost 20 years; she's tired. Always wanted a T-Bird though, and took a liking to the alpine white and found this one for $350 which seemed a decent enough deal.

has one chip on the bottom thats been touched up, no big deal.

I'm sure there's a wealth of info in this thread and others, but at 40k posts here i might have a hard time finding the answers i seek. So i wonder if someone could point me to some relevant threads or info sources to answer a couple questions about these birds, any threads regarding setup technique, common mods, etc.

• - Best Setup practices:
  • 3-point bridge; seems awful finicky and mine already popped out of the body as i adjusted it, is this a thing?
  • what about the saddles, are they supposed to just fall out like that? what happens when a string breaks
  • any tips to best pickup height for sound/playability
• Options for bridge upgrade?
• Volume knobs - one knob on mine doesnt have a hard stop - its mushy and allows a little extra motion, but feels like it will break. Is this the pot or cracked plastic in the knob?
  • do these knobs just pull off?
  • Are there any specific replacement knobs that will fit - something with some texture that i can roll with the pinky instead of twisting with two fingers. These knobs seem slippy and pots seem stiff.

TIA for any advice, sorry for the noobie and lack-of-search questions. i haven followed talkbass much in the past but recently have spent more time on here finding lots of great info.
And i'm super stoked about this Thunderbird!
-Steve
PS sorry for the huge pic...

 

[D.M.N.]

All depends where you have your tuner.

If the amp tuner out is not footswitchable, or if there is no tuner output, then you're probably going to have your tuner inline and .... one thing leads to another.

And I mean, at that point, why not add in a Wah. And a Fuzzface.

I'm not a huge effects person, especially live, but I won't give up my Chicago Iron Parachute Wah. The MXR Phase 90 and Rainbow Machine are mostly for studio recording.

There's other options than a pedal tuner though. Clip-on is probably the best choice for most

Blech. Maybe it's just a pet peeve, but there are few things that annoy me as much on stage than someone having a clip on tuner left on their headstock the entire set. If you leave it on because you have to tune up between every song, then you need better tuners. I'm fine using them before you get going, but there's so many people that just leave them on the whole time, and they look so bloody stupid, like a malignant growth.

 

[kat888]

Who needs a chorus when you have a twelver?

I'd love one, but the divorce would be ugly.

 

[TheIndieKid]

Hey All, just picked up a used Epi Classic Pro IV today, can i join the club? I've been playin a '75 Grabber for almost 20 years; she's tired. Always wanted a T-Bird though, and took a liking to the alpine white and found this one for $350 which seemed a decent enough deal.

View attachment 2613235
has one chip on the bottom thats been touched up, no big deal.

I'm sure there's a wealth of info in this thread and others, but at 40k posts here i might have a hard time finding the answers i seek. So i wonder if someone could point me to some relevant threads or info sources to answer a couple questions about these birds, any threads regarding setup technique, common mods, etc.

• - Best Setup practices:
  • 3-point bridge; seems awful finicky and mine already popped out of the body as i adjusted it, is this a thing?
  • what about the saddles, are they supposed to just fall out like that? what happens when a string breaks
  • any tips to best pickup height for sound/playability
• Options for bridge upgrade?
• Volume knobs - one knob on mine doesnt have a hard stop - its mushy and allows a little extra motion, but feels like it will break. Is this the pot or cracked plastic in the knob?
  • do these knobs just pull off?
  • Are there any specific replacement knobs that will fit - something with some texture that i can roll with the pinky instead of twisting with two fingers. These knobs seem slippy and pots seem stiff.

TIA for any advice, sorry for the noobie and lack-of-search questions. i haven followed talkbass much in the past but recently have spent more time on here finding lots of great info.
And i'm super stoked about this Thunderbird!
-Steve

Hey Skerrrvy,

Congrats on the purchase. I can only answer some of your questions, but I had exactly the same bass as yours. Mine fell off the strap and hit the deck, taking a decent chunk out the headstock. Was repaired but I encountered a fault with the bridge which was irreparable. It got replaced, but ironically, the new 'Bird is in repairs for the same issue...the bridge popping out. It's apparently a common fault.

With the isssue with the knobs, I'm fairly sure you can pull them off.

Btw I'd have loved a Grabber...and even more, a Ripper.

 

[kat888]

Gotta have one, has to be BLACK.

Must admit the ebony does look tasty. Already have a (trans) black bass though.

 

[ubernator]

Hey All, just picked up a used Epi Classic Pro IV today, can i join the club? I've been playin a '75 Grabber for almost 20 years; she's tired. Always wanted a T-Bird though, and took a liking to the alpine white and found this one for $350 which seemed a decent enough deal.

View attachment 2613235
has one chip on the bottom thats been touched up, no big deal.

I'm sure there's a wealth of info in this thread and others, but at 40k posts here i might have a hard time finding the answers i seek. So i wonder if someone could point me to some relevant threads or info sources to answer a couple questions about these birds, any threads regarding setup technique, common mods, etc.

• - Best Setup practices:
  • 3-point bridge; seems awful finicky and mine already popped out of the body as i adjusted it, is this a thing?
  • what about the saddles, are they supposed to just fall out like that? what happens when a string breaks
  • any tips to best pickup height for sound/playability
• Options for bridge upgrade?
• Volume knobs - one knob on mine doesnt have a hard stop - its mushy and allows a little extra motion, but feels like it will break. Is this the pot or cracked plastic in the knob?
  • do these knobs just pull off?
  • Are there any specific replacement knobs that will fit - something with some texture that i can roll with the pinky instead of twisting with two fingers. These knobs seem slippy and pots seem stiff.

TIA for any advice, sorry for the noobie and lack-of-search questions. i haven followed talkbass much in the past but recently have spent more time on here finding lots of great info.
And i'm super stoked about this Thunderbird!
-Steve
PS sorry for the huge pic...

There are replacement bridges by hipshot and babicz, but you can do just fine with the stock bridge. Always set the front screw higher than the back so the bridge tilts back slightly. This solves many problems and improves the break point angle over the saddles.

The saddles are all different and numbered 1-4, be sure they go back in the correct order, I had one where a previous owner had them in the wrong spots!

The knobs do just pull off. You may need a new pot, but my guess is the nut that holds it down is loose and it is simply twisting. Yes the knobs pull straight off.

If you get new knobs, I'm actually missing my tone knob and one of my volumes falls off easily, so I would accept knob donations

 

[kat888]

• Options for bridge upgrade?
• Volume knobs - one knob on mine doesnt have a hard stop - its mushy and allows a little extra motion, but feels like it will break. Is this the pot or cracked plastic in the knob?
  • do these knobs just pull off?
  • Are there any specific replacement knobs that will fit - something with some texture that i can roll with the pinky instead of twisting with two fingers. These knobs seem slippy and pots seem stiff.

Hipshot and Babicz make 3 point replacement bridges which are more 'conventional' in layout.

The knobs lift off - any Gibson type knob and most others will probably fit. eBay is your friend.

If you remove the knobs you will be able to tell if the pots are wobbly at all, just turn the shafts.

 

[JJR58]

Hipshot and Babicz make 3 point replacement bridges which are more 'conventional' in layout.

The knobs lift off - any Gibson type knob and most others will probably fit. eBay is your friend.

If you remove the knobs you will be able to tell if the pots are wobbly at all, just turn the shafts.

Wobbly knobs........

 

[JIO]

Blech. Maybe it's just a pet peeve, but there are few things that annoy me as much on stage than someone having a clip on tuner left on their headstock the entire set. If you leave it on because you have to tune up between every song, then you need better tuners. I'm fine using them before you get going, but there's so many people that just leave them on the whole time, and they look so bloody stupid, like a malignant growth.

+1

 

[DerekW]

I only use my chorus pedal for one song in our set - Skyfall ... that and my MXR deluxe fuzz. In a more expansive world I would use a synth, but reality keeps me in cheque.

"Cheque"?!?

Are you Canadian, eh? Lol

 

[theFixer]

We play Henry Mancini's Experiment In Terror in which the lead melody is played on a baritone w/tremolo - I cover it on bass.

Man... that sounds like it's straight out of a David Lynch film

kinda creeeeeeeeeepy

 

[DerekW]

I'm a former.pedal breeder,.doing Chris westenholme before he was (korg G-5 1997-98). Went pretty much no pedals by 2001, but still kept many of them.

Currently using the boss 3 pedal board/case, because I'm doing a soad tribute and needed chorus (set slow almost flangey), distortion and a warbly vibrato effect (for spiders), which I get with an old BF-2b bass flanger. CE-2b bass chorus and ODB-3 handle the other 2, and my amp OD footswitch and tuner sit on the lid of the case right next to it on stage, and I could put another boss pedal or a couple more micro sized pedals on there if I needed to. I don't own any of those newfangled micro pedals yet.

And if I had to I could dime the amp OD and ditch the ODB-3 if I needed another pedal on the board, but I like having the blend and eq controls on the pedal, and having the amp OD for the light grit needed on some songs.

Having the distortion+chorus is.necessary for an accurate "psycho" intro, and I insert either or both during several other songs, even if shavo didn't, it just.sounds right. The BF-2b is a "one song only" pedal, and just on the intro (but I use it on the outro as well even though there is no effect on the outro on the CD, it just makes sense to use it there too)

Hey, what's your standard eq settings on your rumble?

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

Blech. Maybe it's just a pet peeve, but there are few things that annoy me as much on stage than someone having a clip on tuner left on their headstock the entire set. If you leave it on because you have to tune up between every song, then you need better tuners. I'm fine using them before you get going, but there's so many people that just leave them on the whole time, and they look so bloody stupid, like a malignant growth.

Agreed

I'm not a huge effects person, especially live, but I won't give up my Chicago Iron Parachute Wah.

That ranks number 1 on my wish list of pedals.
I can't find the interview, but Tony Iommi claims he owns close 80% of all tycobrahe parapedal's made!

 

[theFixer]

All depends where you have your tuner.

If the amp tuner out is not footswitchable, or if there is no tuner output, then you're probably going to have your tuner inline and .... one thing leads to another.

Unless of course, you're feeling' "Snarky"

 

[DerekW]

I have been busy spending the money I saved for an Epi Vintage Pro.
They have taken too long and these don't come along everyday in mint condition and within driving distance.
Anyway, I have time to save up again.
Meet my new LP Oversize.
One of I believe only three Gold Tops to come into Australia through the importer.

This is a fair lump of a bass. Luckily it is chambered. Our scales aren't working but I think very close to 10 pounds.
I set her up this morning and serviced it- all ready for a gig tomorrow night.View attachment 2613214 10 lbs ie lighter than some of the older LP basses.

View attachment 2613215 View attachment 2613216 View attachment 2613217

F'n gorgeous! Gig report please!