Maybe this was done by the same mad genius that hacked up Carlo's 70's Tbird.
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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- club thunderbird
Maybe this was done by the same mad genius that hacked up Carlo's 70's Tbird.
- Jun 30, 2010
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Must be a Canadian thing.... considering the material was created by a Canadian.
Mario Proulx
Ok. Off the do a quick rehearsal. I play in 2 original bands and both are on the same Bill tonight. 2 sets back to back. Should be a lot of fun! Happy Saturday night!
Seeing as you are a Rickenbacker apologist and I am a Rickenbacker realist, I know we won't agree on this. Different strokes. I stand by my statement though. I've owned several Ric's and I've worked on them pretty extensively; most of which is documented on this site. I love Ric's, I think they are awesome basses, but I won't deny their many flaws. I'm not bashing Ric's, But I'm not making excuses for them either.
In regards to your statement about the CA' pickups...Im curious to know what experience you have with them? The reason Im curious is that the CA pickups I had were significantly higher output (despite being wound slightly lower than the modern pickups), more aggressive, and more true to what people think of when they think "4003" than the stock pickups. They are also superior in build quality and they were much quieter. They are twice the price of stock Ric' pickups, but you get what you pay for, IMO.
As I mentioned earlier, I have sound samples of both pickups in varying positions. While those clips don't capture the full range and real life aspects of either set, it pretty clearly demonstrates (at least to me) that they are an upgrade in every way.
- Jun 30, 2010
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Thats right!, you got the answer!. "What is known as the beast who resides beneath the bridge"?.
I can totally see why people might not like Tbirds. Same with Ric's. There is no need to make excuses or defend them. It's all personal preference really. Tbirds fit me perfectly. Ric's never did. But there are still things that I don't like about the Tbird, but the positives outweigh the negatives for me and the tone is exactly what Im looking for so I put up with the little negatives.
- Mar 13, 2008
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- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
I still miss my old 4001 
Whatever it's idiosyncrasies, it was a cool bass and I still regret trading it.
Whatever it's idiosyncrasies, it was a cool bass and I still regret trading it.
Frankly I feel the same way about T-birds.
Thing with mass production is there will never be a perfect product that will fulfill everyone's wants and needs, simply because what one person thinks is perfect, another thinks it's terrible.
As a side note, the only modification Im going to have to do to the my Epi Tbird is going to happen within the next couple weeks. I received the dimensions from Paul over at Mike Lull guitars and it looks like their pickups will fit perfectly. I'll be calling in and placing my order on monday. They are the most expensive pickups out there as far as I can tell, but every single time I've heard them my jaw has had to be picked up off the floor.
Also, is it worthwhile to just redo all of the electronics with better components (pots, wiring, etc)? OR would the move be just to solder the new pickups in place and go along my merry way? Im leaning towards grabbing some higher quality internals and just rewiring it. With that being said, does anyone know the values of all the internals?
Also, is it worthwhile to just redo all of the electronics with better components (pots, wiring, etc)? OR would the move be just to solder the new pickups in place and go along my merry way? Im leaning towards grabbing some higher quality internals and just rewiring it. With that being said, does anyone know the values of all the internals?
Calling someone an "apologist" is pretty insulting.
When you insult someone in your opening line, it kinda undermines them taking any of what you follow with seriously.
Says the guy who said the CA pickups are made for "old fogeys" who like the "old, weak output" pickups.....which implies....oh yeah that's right, I'm an old fogey
. I could get all butt hurt about that, but it's an internet forum and I don't really care all that much about most of what is said on here. And although you took it as such, my statement wasn't meant as an insult. It describes your stance in every instance I've seen where someone criticizes a Rickenbacker. You like them, and you defend them. That's cool. I don't see anything wrong with the way you view Ric's. I don't agree with it, but that's the way of the world.Back to my curiosity. How much time have you had with the CA pickups? Have you had them installed on one of your Ric's?
- Jun 30, 2010
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Agree, but as a bass designer/builder my initial focus is to eliminate the obvious pitfalls of so many production designs. Doing this is not really that difficult, but once considered the trick is creating an aesthetically pleasing/attractive bass that does not have annoying design shortfalls.
Listened to the demos of yourself and others. I don't like them. And no, I have not had them installed. Why would I buy really expensive pickups when I don't like how they sound in demos made by people who love them and so are showing them in the best possible light?Says the guy who said the CA pickups are made for "old fogeys" who like the "old, weak output" pickups.....which implies....oh yeah that's right, I'm an old fogey
Back to my curiosity. How much time have you had with the CA pickups? Have you had them installed on one of your Ric's?
The only aftermarket replacement pickup for a Rickenbacker I'd buy would be a horseshoe pickup with actual horseshoe magnets.
Maybe my old fogey comment was unwarranted, but it does seem like the CA pickups are more for people who like Rickenbackers because of Chris Squire and Geddy Lee. While I respect both players, that's before my time and not really the tone I've ever gone for or why I like Rickenbackers.
Call for @TBird1958 on line 2 ...
If I were to guess, 500kΩ log for the vols, although Gibson have varied these values over the years. Lull will be able to give you recommended values for use with their pickups.
I would say that the demo's do not really push through how great those pickups sound in person as I am not all that great at recording much of anything. I do think that if you were to install them on your bass you would probably like them if you like the modern pickups. But if you like what you have, there's no reason to change it. I was never happy with the tone from my Ric's, especially from the stock neck pickup and that was where I saw the biggest difference between the stock and the CA's. Plus I like to tinker and modify things.
I still miss my old 4001
Whatever it's idiosyncrasies, it was a cool bass and I still regret trading it.
Out of the three I had, I still miss my '92 4001. It just had that Ric Magic. Super punchy with clarity. And it had a neck that was on that flatter side, no chunk to it at, was a real pleasure to play.
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With first reports of the ProBucker 760s being 'the real deal' and Epiphone having 'nailed it', I am vicariously hopping from one foot to the other in anticipation for those of you with the VP on order. You can all count down sleeps (some will have more sleeps than others) until New Bird Day.
