Thunderbird Club

[RedVee]

Hmmm... Series hey.
A question though, on some 2 pickup basses I'm told having both pickups on full leads to a scooped sound.
If having the series 'on' gives the effect of both on full, does that present the scooped sound? Or, is the series switch 'on' the remedy to the scoop ?

 

[Dadagoboi]

Hmmm... Series hey.
A question though, on some 2 pickup basses I'm told having both pickups on full leads to a scooped sound.
If having the series 'on' gives the effect of both on full, does that present the scooped sound? Or, is the series switch 'on' the remedy to the scoop ?

I work with 'vintage style' TBird pickups . AFAIK you can't 'series' them. There's a hot lead and a ground which is wired directly to the metal can. That presents a major problem in attempting a series connection.

I need to see how this has been done successfully including a wiring diagram and/or interior shot of the control cavity. Until then I'm skeptical.

Clue: think of a pair of flashlight batteries in series. That's a closed circuit without a large hunk of exposed metal carrying current.

@Sartori is the only person I know who claims to have series ThunderBuckers. Maybe he can explain it with hard evidence of the conversion.

 

[redstrand]

No scooped sound with mine, just a fuller and louder sound.

 

[Nocturnal]

FYI - on the pickup front - looking at specs for EMG and Bartolini Thunderbird replacement pups and it appears neither is a drop in replacement on the Goth. The Goth pup is longer and narrower than every replacement pup I've looked at, including the Gibson TBird pups. I suspect it's the same for the Chinabuckers and Thunderbuckers.

In each case the Goth pup is about a quarter inch longer and the Goth pup width is about a sixteenth inch more narrow. So possibly some minor routing for the width and maybe the need for a trim ring to cover the gap on the length. Neither are show stoppers but just an observation I thought I'd pass on.

I needed to route the pickup cavities on my Goth when I rebuilt it years ago. Was not a ton of routing but it still had to be done. The pickup rings did cover any alterations and the length of the Epi route. The depth of the Goth pickup routes will also need to be built up. Epi pickups are much taller than TB+.

 

[Dadagoboi]

No scooped sound with mine, just a fuller and louder sound.

Are you describing a single Thunderbird pickup with a coil tap mod to give a single coil option?

If not, please supply details on your two pickup series/parallel mod. Thanks!

 

[redstrand]

A smaller switch would fit just fine but this is what I had, downloaded the wiring schematic from Seymour Duncan and off to soldering I went, totally worth it on a beater.

 

[JJR58]

Are you describing a single Thunderbird pickup with a coil tap mod to give a single coil option?

If not, please supply details on your two pickup series/parallel mod. Thanks!

The tech at the shop said he could not add a series/parallel to my Epiphone. I'm cool with that. Had the tone control taken out of the circuit anyway.

 

[bylar13]

The tech at the shop said he could not add a series/parallel to my Epiphone. I'm cool with that. Had the tone control taken out of the circuit anyway.

I thought that with the tone control all the way "on/up" it was effectively out of the circuit anyway? Am I correct in that thinking?
Also by removing the tone control what actually happens? Other than no longer having a tone control?

 

[JJR58]

I found a pic of my "blacked-out" 2006, which has since been sold.


I thought that with the tone control all the way "on/up" it was effectively out of the circuit anyway? Am I correct in that thinking?
Also by removing the tone control what actually happens? Other than no longer having a tone control?

Having the tone control completely out of the circuit gets a brighter tone, and the tone control all the way up is not out of the circuit.
Although, there is a mod, a pot that when all the way up, takes the tone control completely out of the circuit, @kat888 and @Dadagoboi have suggested it before, they know what it is.

 

[JJR58]

It was the specific pickups in my bass. They were 1991 pickups, and there have been several iterations since. I was going to do the stripping and the chroming that Mark explains how to do, but the specifics of my pickups were an oddity. The ones in that bass are not representative of just about any other Thunderbird pickup, let alone recent TB+ pickups. No need to panic.

Ah, got it.

Easy there, Big Fella!

It can be done, just like those pics I posted. I wouldn't try it with the pickups used on the bolt on neck version as they're 3 screws instead of 2.

I knew i was going to get the "Easy there, Big Fella", had that one coming.
All good, nice and calm now.

 

[Dadagoboi]

View attachment 2764653

A smaller switch would fit just fine but this is what I had, downloaded the wiring schematic from Seymour Duncan and off to soldering I went, totally worth it on a beater.

What's the pickup(s) you're using? Are they two leads and a ground (in red wrap)? It appears that way to me. Do you have a link to the Duncan schematic? Thanks!

 

[kat888]

Having the tone control completely out of the circuit gets a brighter tone, and the tone control all the way up is not out of the circuit.
Although, there is a mod, a pot that when all the way up, takes the tone control completely out of the circuit, @kat888 and @Dadagoboi have suggested it before, they know what it is.

Nah, that was pure @Dadagoboi — I have a horror of tone controls, clowns and confined spaces...

 

[JJR58]

Nah, that was pure @Dadagoboi — I have a horror of tone controls, clowns and confined spaces...

Same here, although i can barely handle the clowns, still, very low tolerance for them.

 

[Dadagoboi]

First post Irma, post medical madness bass sendoff...seems like it's been years in the making.

...and a current photo of yours truly. Toothache that turned into a zoster virus attack. Major pain from my jaw into temple for three days. Now under control with penicillin, oxycodone, prednisone, and acycolvir. More legal drugs than I've ever taken at one time.

I'm still deaf in my left ear, hopeful it will improve soon.

 

[TBird1958]

Carlo, take good care!
Here's hoping you're feeling better soon.

 

[JJR58]

First post Irma, post medical madness bass sendoff...seems like it's been years in the making.
View attachment 2764750

...and a current photo of yours truly. Toothache that turned into a zoster virus attack. Major pain from my jaw into temple for three days. Now under control with penicillin, oxycodone, prednisone, and acycolvir. More legal drugs than I've ever taken at one time.
View attachment 2764751

I'm still deaf in my left ear, hopeful it will improve soon.

Oh man, what a drag. this has got to be a tough one going through that.
I'm pulling for you.
Beautiful bass sir.

 

[Larry V]

Here's hoping your current health situation improves quickly.

Beautiful bass as usual!

 

[redstrand]

What's the pickup(s) you're using? Are they two leads and a ground (in red wrap)? It appears that way to me. Do you have a link to the Duncan schematic? Thanks!

They’re the stock Epi pickups and yes to the wiring as you see it, I’ll post the diagram when I get home tonight

 

[Dadagoboi]

Many thanks, guys. All in all I'm in much better health than I was before my June surgery, mentally as well as physically. This really looks worse at the moment than it is...though it may be the drugs talking.

Sunday morning on my second trip to the ER in three days a nurse told me, "You don't look 71". My response was, "I definitely feel like it today."

 

[ToddOfThunder]

I needed to route the pickup cavities on my Goth when I rebuilt it years ago. Was not a ton of routing but it still had to be done. The pickup rings did cover any alterations and the length of the Epi route. The depth of the Goth pickup routes will also need to be built up. Epi pickups are much taller than TB+.

Sorry to chime in but did your pickups come with pickup rings? I had to route out my Epibird to install EMG's and could use some rings to cover the semi-hack job that I did. If your not looking for it you would never know it was done but I know.