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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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- club thunderbird
hillerup
There are basses, and there are Thunderbirds!
Love me a Stingray... that's a beaut'. Your peeps love you man... nice.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.
Sweetie of a 'Bird too.
hillerup
There are basses, and there are Thunderbirds!
Regarding setup practice:
The 3-point bridge is a perfectly working bridge, when you know how to set it up.
Always keep the two rear posts lower than the front post - This will give you a better string break-angle, and will help alleviate the problem with the rear inserts/bushings to pull out of the body.
Also it's recommended not to raise the bridge under string tension as this can also pull out the inserts/bushings while doing so - Lowering the bridge under string tension is not a problem.
If the inserts/bushings have pulled out you can do the following:
1. Glue them back in (hard to get out again if need be, and be careful not to get any glue inside the inserts/bushings).
2. Glue a couple of toothpicks onto the cavity wall before reinserting the inserts/bushings (for better friction).
3. Dap the cavity's with water to raise the grain, and reinsert the inserts/bushings when dried (for better friction).
If you need to pull out the inserts/bushings you can do the following:
1. Remove the stud and insert a small steel ball (from a ball bearing) into the insert/bushing. Then screw the stud back in, and as the stud gets resistance from the ball the insert/bushing will push itself out of the cavity.
2. Insert the stud into the insert/bushing and slowly pull out the entire stud/insert assembly with a claw hammer (protect the body of the bass with a towel or old t-shirt so you don't dent the body).
When reinserting the inserts/bushings again you can either press them in by hand or tap them in lightly with a hammer (again protect the body and studs with a towel or old t-shirt when doing so).
The saddles are only held in place by string tension, so they could theoretically fall out when a string breaks - But in practice they stay in place as it's usually only the core of the string that breaks and the windings going over the saddles will keep them in place - If you remove the broken string and play on without it, the saddle could fall out and be quite difficult to find on a dark stage. So I would recommend to have a backup bass and/or to remove the saddle until you repalce the broken string.
Pickup height: I would raise the pickups as close to the strings as possible without them (the strings) banging against them for optimal output and growl, and then adjust the height between the neck and bridge pickup for best balance.
Bridge upgrade:
1. Babicz Full Contact 3-point bridge (Babicz Full Contact Hardware - With "eCAM" Saddle Technology from Babicz - FCH 3-Point Four String Bass Bridge (Gibson Style))
2. Hipshot SuperTone 3-point bridge (SuperTone Gibson® Bass Replacement Bridge)
3. BadBird 3-point bridge + tailpiece (Badbird Bridge)
Option 1 + 2 are direct fit for both Epiphone and Gibson as they include both metric studs (Epiphone) and imperial studs (Gibson) and require no drilling on the bass.
Option 3 is more "vintage" looking but requires mounting (drilling) a tailpiece to the body.
Regarding knobs: Sounds like your volume pot needs tightning...
Remove the knob (pull it off carefully) and check the nut underneath whether it's gone loose. After retightning it should be working properly - If not, the pot may need to be replaced. Be careful not overtightning the nut as it may crack the finish - After tightning you can always secure it with a drop of nailpolish or Loctite.
Regarding pots: Epiphone's usually use coarse splines Alpha pots as opposed to Gibson, which uses fine splines CTS pots, which has a higher number of splines. So when replacing a knob/pot make sure they match each other, or they will not mount smoothly.
Also the splined pots usually have a split shaft, so if the knobs slide off easily - You can "spread" the split shaft carefully with the tip of a flathead screwdriver before remounting the knobs - That will keep the knobs securely in place.
If you don't like the original Reflector knobs, you could always try a set of Speed knobs or whatever you may fancy. You could also try a set of push-on knurled dome knobs - But look out for some made for splined split shafts like these: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Welcome to the Club!
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Hey! That's a well done, clean, li'l floor unit! Looks solid & nothin' there ya don't need. Mikey likes it!
Reference to the Life cereal commercial or actually your name?
I've never checked TBH. The non-76'ers were made by scanning the PG and having a graphic artist of questionable skills clean up the scan. They're good enough for what they need to be but I have considered having them redone by someone better. It should be close to a match but I wouldn't do it since once these are down they can't be removed without ruining the PG.
The 76'ers were done by a really good graphic artist that lost his mind after Trump won the election.
Sadly, he was the guy I wanted to use to redo the non-76'ers.
I may or may not pursue another GA at this point.
Well I think I'm back up to date!
Pedals? As a hobbyist I use a Zoom B2.1u as an amp emulator to my old SS amp or direct to a small panel when out. 2nd use is as a headphone amp.
About to add a used B3 to do the same tasks but taking advantage of the newer format and options.
That is gorgeous, @veebass .
A goodly gaggle of Gibson's now.
Pedals? As a hobbyist I use a Zoom B2.1u as an amp emulator to my old SS amp or direct to a small panel when out. 2nd use is as a headphone amp.
About to add a used B3 to do the same tasks but taking advantage of the newer format and options.
That is gorgeous, @veebass .
A goodly gaggle of Gibson's now.
- Jul 1, 2005
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- CataldoBasses: Designer/Builder ThunderBuckerPickups:Consultant
You never know, could turn out for the best.
I would accept knob donations
My inner 14 year old finds this hilarious.
a Culture Club tribute band?
Great Riffs for bass; Peter Gunn, Pink Panther...
Regarding setup practice:
The 3-point bridge is a perfectly working bridge, when you know how to set it up...
Welcome to the Club!
@hillerup - There is a ton of knowledge there, thanks for sharing!
uuuuuuuHuhuh, i'm such a knob wobbler...........
Hillerup, thanks for some good tidbits of info there! So much appreciated. I'm gonna have to save that for future reference.
For the record, I solved most of the bass's issues and answered most of my own questions while just fiddling around with it last night - PO had the bridge a mile high, and yes lowering the front bolt of the bridge is what caused it to pop. Stable when bridge is set properly. Once bridge was down the neck settled into shape, I think with a little truss tweak it will be just fine. And with my new Bass Block 800 the tone is everything I'd hoped for. :boogie:
Hillerup, thanks for some good tidbits of info there! So much appreciated. I'm gonna have to save that for future reference.
For the record, I solved most of the bass's issues and answered most of my own questions while just fiddling around with it last night - PO had the bridge a mile high, and yes lowering the front bolt of the bridge is what caused it to pop. Stable when bridge is set properly. Once bridge was down the neck settled into shape, I think with a little truss tweak it will be just fine. And with my new Bass Block 800 the tone is everything I'd hoped for. :boogie:
Wow, kinda disappointed with the DR Hi-Beams at band practice last night. The Thunderbird did not cut through the mix at all. I know there are other factors, but not much has changed otherwise since last week. As much as I like the strings when playing alone, I think they'll have to be retired.
@JJR58: You're welcome to any of the strings I try out and take off prematurely. Premature ejection.
@JJR58: You're welcome to any of the strings I try out and take off prematurely. Premature ejection.
Meant to ask -- is that V V plus a 2 band active eq?
No, it's V-T-M-B with a 5 way. So V plus 3 band active. Kinda sucks having a master volume and not individual.
Very kind of you.
I've tried DR's in the past, but they don't last very long.
At least for me anyway. i seem to wreck havoc on strings, that's why Roto's don't work for me, i kill those within days, and then they rust on me.
Holy crap, man. What do you use, strings made from space-age polymers?
massively overrated stings in my opinion, got a set cheap(ish) after all the raving on here about them and did not like them at all. tension way too tight even for a heavy fingers player like me, and sound awfully dull even with a pick. roto ss 66 way better. ernie ball cobalts rounds way better aswell. daddario better too. i know people like to go for these more artisan brands, but the big brands are played by so many of the greats and there is a reason for it, they are great.
