Thunderbird Club

[dukeorock]

Is intervention required in the 'make a T sound like a P' thread?

I’m starting a new thread called, “how can I make my cat a dog?”

 

[Larry V]

That didn't take long.

Gibson Brands In Process of Refinancing of Company's Bonds

 

[JJR58]

I’m starting a new thread called, “how can I make my cat a dog?”

 

[BklynKen]

Nah, and besides, I don't think it will help. I already tried a small intervention. The GP are resistant to facts.

Is that a metaphor?

 

[Gaolee]

Now y'see, that image is something which would only 'pop up' in a country where people lose their sh!t over a nipple, but are perfectly happy sending JDAMs as wedding gifts.

We have our bizarre hangups and enthusiasms. Not all of us suffer from those bizarre hangups and enthusiasms, but we are all stuck with the results.

 

[Gaolee]

Is that a metaphor?

No. It's an observation. I'm very literal minded.

 

[veebass]

Still not sure why I subscribed to that “what would you do to save Gibson” thread. Some of the dopiest posts I’ve read. Did you know Gene Simmons was pretty much the only popular bass player to play a Gibson? Did you know Gibson owns Guitar Center? Did you know Gibson is THE MOST overrated brand on the market currently? Or that $2k for a US made instrument is ‘insanely overpriced?’
Way to start the morning :/

It is a regular occurence.
There is very little in that thread that hasn't been regurgitated multiple times before.

I liked the suggestion to close down TB.

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

'Potters'? Seriously? Canadian English, eh.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I dunno, I don't garden.

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

Just ask him

There's been more than one occasion that I've said 'I could be wrong'.... BUT..... ah never mind

 

[jumbo_steelie]

So I'm looking to join this club soon. I just put a deposit down on an '06 all black thunderbird studio. I'll post a pic when I can but quite easily one of the nicest basses I've played in awhile!!

 

[Stevis]

I just got notice of this from the good folks at Chicago Music Exchange about one of their staff doing clinics on Darkglass bass gear in select towns:

Darkglass gear tour

 

[Dr_Feelgoood212]

So I'm looking to join this club soon. I just put a deposit down on an '06 all black thunderbird studio. I'll post a pic when I can but quite easily one of the nicest basses I've played in awhile!!

Sweet! That'd make three from the 905!
WE'RE TAKING OVER!

 

[veebass]

I’m starting a new thread called, “how can I make my cat a dog?”

Very good I just posted this over in that discussion.

I have a number of TBirds and P Basses. Some of my Tbirds do sound like P Basses (but better IMO- fuller).
I am in the school that believes pickup design, pickup position and EQ (others have discussed) make a lot of the characteristic of a bass tone (scale length, strings etc being equal)
A couple of suggestions in your quest.

Pickup position.
Makers have mucked around with TBird layouts. More modern Gibsons have the neck further "into the body", if you like, to reduce headstock heaviness. This has affected the pickup position. A good way of comparing these for this discussion is to measure the distance between the 12th fret and the mid point of the neck pickup.
Split Coil P Bass -12 th fret to middle of pickup- 290 mm
Single Coil P Bass- 12 th fret to middle of pickup- 270 mm
2008 Gibson TBird iv- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 260 mm
1977 Greco TBird ii- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 285 mm
1990 Greco TBird iv- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 275 mm
2017 Epiphone Vintage Pro TBird iv- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 280 mm

I have always remarked on the P Bass like tone of my '77 Greco TB ii. It is more aggressive but it is very similar to my trusty old 73 P Bass, which has it's original pickup, more so than an '83 Fullerton '57 RI P Bass I have which has the split with the raised A poles.
I am assuming the OP's Gibson is like my 2008 in it's layout. It is, in fact, the TBird with the least P Bass like position for the neck pickup.
So in, my view, is you will struggle more with that one than some other TBirds to get a P Bass like tone.
My suggestion would be, rejoice in the Thunderbuckers you have in your Gibson.
Buy an Epi Vintage Pro (exceptional basses for the money) or an old Greco TB ii (if you can find one) as a modding platform- they have the neck pickup in a position closer to the split coil sweet spot, particularly the Greco, but I reckon you could get there with the Epi. You might decide the Greco TB ii is close enough. I would just disconnect the bridge pickup, if you went with the Epi.

Pickups
Other have talked about pickups. I would add that I think I recall that at one point Gibson made split coil pickups that went under their TB+ covers. They may be rare and hard to find. Seymour Duncan custom shop may make some for you? I found them very helpful in the past.

 

[BklynKen]

Very good I just posted this over in that discussion.

I have a number of TBirds and P Basses. Some of my Tbirds do sound like P Basses (but better IMO- fuller).
I am in the school that believes pickup design, pickup position and EQ (others have discussed) make a lot of the characteristic of a bass tone (scale length, strings etc being equal)
A couple of suggestions in your quest.

Pickup position.
Makers have mucked around with TBird layouts. More modern Gibsons have the neck further "into the body", if you like, to reduce headstock heaviness. This has affected the pickup position. A good way of comparing these for this discussion is to measure the distance between the 12th fret and the mid point of the neck pickup.
Split Coil P Bass -12 th fret to middle of pickup- 290 mm
Single Coil P Bass- 12 th fret to middle of pickup- 270 mm
2008 Gibson TBird iv- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 260 mm
1977 Greco TBird ii- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 285 mm
1990 Greco TBird iv- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 275 mm
2017 Epiphone Vintage Pro TBird iv- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 280 mm

I have always remarked on the P Bass like tone of my '77 Greco TB ii. It is more aggressive but it is very similar to my trusty old 73 P Bass, which has it's original pickup, more so than an '83 Fullerton '57 RI P Bass I have which has the split with the raised A poles.
I am assuming the OP's Gibson is like my 2008 in it's layout. It is, in fact, the TBird with the least P Bass like position for the neck pickup.
So in, my view, is you will struggle more with that one than some other TBirds to get a P Bass like tone.
My suggestion would be, rejoice in the Thunderbuckers you have in your Gibson.
Buy an Epi Vintage Pro (exceptional basses for the money) or an old Greco TB ii (if you can find one) as a modding platform- they have the neck pickup in a position closer to the split coil sweet spot, particularly the Greco, but I reckon you could get there with the Epi. I would just disconnect the bridge pickup, if you went with the Epi.

Pickups
Other have talked about pickups. I would add that I think I recall that at one point Gibson made split coil pickups that went under their TB+ covers. They may be rare and hard to find. Seymour Duncan custom shop may make some for you? I found them very helpful in the past.

I saw that. Very nicely done!

 

[kat888]

So I'm looking to join this club soon. I just put a deposit down on an '06 all black thunderbird studio. I'll post a pic when I can but quite easily one of the nicest basses I've played in awhile!!

Another Bird/Traynor member in the making! World, you are on notice.

 

[mistergoats]

Very good I just posted this over in that discussion.

I have a number of TBirds and P Basses. Some of my Tbirds do sound like P Basses (but better IMO- fuller).
I am in the school that believes pickup design, pickup position and EQ (others have discussed) make a lot of the characteristic of a bass tone (scale length, strings etc being equal)
A couple of suggestions in your quest.

Pickup position.
Makers have mucked around with TBird layouts. More modern Gibsons have the neck further "into the body", if you like, to reduce headstock heaviness. This has affected the pickup position. A good way of comparing these for this discussion is to measure the distance between the 12th fret and the mid point of the neck pickup.
Split Coil P Bass -12 th fret to middle of pickup- 290 mm
Single Coil P Bass- 12 th fret to middle of pickup- 270 mm
2008 Gibson TBird iv- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 260 mm
1977 Greco TBird ii- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 285 mm
1990 Greco TBird iv- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 275 mm
2017 Epiphone Vintage Pro TBird iv- 12 th fret to middle of neck pickup- 280 mm

I have always remarked on the P Bass like tone of my '77 Greco TB ii. It is more aggressive but it is very similar to my trusty old 73 P Bass, which has it's original pickup, more so than an '83 Fullerton '57 RI P Bass I have which has the split with the raised A poles.
I am assuming the OP's Gibson is like my 2008 in it's layout. It is, in fact, the TBird with the least P Bass like position for the neck pickup.
So in, my view, is you will struggle more with that one than some other TBirds to get a P Bass like tone.
My suggestion would be, rejoice in the Thunderbuckers you have in your Gibson.
Buy an Epi Vintage Pro (exceptional basses for the money) or an old Greco TB ii (if you can find one) as a modding platform- they have the neck pickup in a position closer to the split coil sweet spot, particularly the Greco, but I reckon you could get there with the Epi. I would just disconnect the bridge pickup, if you went with the Epi.

Pickups
Other have talked about pickups. I would add that I think I recall that at one point Gibson made split coil pickups that went under their TB+ covers. They may be rare and hard to find. Seymour Duncan custom shop may make some for you? I found them very helpful in the past.

Ya, read this over there. Thanks for this Vee. Interesting to see the different distances from 12 to pickup.

 

[veebass]

Ya, read this over there. Thanks for this Vee. Interesting to see the different distances from 12 to pickup.

I would add for information the 12th to middle of neck pickup in my RDs is 250 mm.

 

[kat888]

12th to edge of pickup is 250mm on Cataldo NR41 and also on Orville Gibson.

 

[veebass]

12th to edge of pickup is 250mm on Cataldo NT41 and also on Orville Gibson.

255mm on that measurement for my Epi VP. 235mm for my 2008 Gibson. Good to know

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Somewhat notable.

1640 Otto von Guericke first produces an air pump that is able to create a partial vacuum. A vacuum was required for the operation of thermionic valves.
1858 Julius Plucker demonstrates that magnetic fields can bend rays of what are later called cathode rays
1860 Joseph Swann patents the carbon filament lamp
1871 Sir William Crookes deduces that cathode rays consist of negatively charged particles.
1879 Thomas Edison files a US patent for a high vacuum incandescent lamp using a carbon filament
1883 Thomas Edison observes thermionic emission in a vacuum.
1883 Professor John Ambrose Fleming of University College London, presents a paper to the Physical Society on the 'Molecular Shadow.'
1885 Sir William Preece replicates the Edison effect and makes measurements, presenting a paper to the Royal Society.
1897 Guglielmo Marconi sets up his Wireless telegraph and Signal Company to exploit radio or 'wireless' technology.
1900 Ambrose Fleming becomes a consultant to Marconi.
1901 Marconi makes the first transatlantic radio transmission, but difficulties were encountered with detecting he signals
1904 Ambrose Fleming rectifies wireless signals using what he terms his oscillation valve - this is the first time the Edison effect has been used. It was a simple diode valve and sometimes referred to as a Fleming Diode.

Copper Oxide and Selenium rectifiers were readily available then so one that rectified in vacuum wasn't really a big deal. Inserting a control grid between the cathode and anode thus creating the first triode was however.
1906 Lee DeForest invents the Audion tube

 

[bholder]

Throwing works for me as well.

Now sword-throwing (always popular in movies) is nonsense, but stapler throwing? Sounds

Somewhat notable.

1640 Otto von Guericke first produces an air pump that is able to create a partial vacuum. A vacuum was required for the operation of thermionic valves.
1858 Julius Plucker demonstrates that magnetic fields can bend rays of what are later called cathode rays
1860 Joseph Swann patents the carbon filament lamp
1871 Sir William Crookes deduces that cathode rays consist of negatively charged particles.
1879 Thomas Edison files a US patent for a high vacuum incandescent lamp using a carbon filament
1883 Thomas Edison observes thermionic emission in a vacuum.
1883 Professor John Ambrose Fleming of University College London, presents a paper to the Physical Society on the 'Molecular Shadow.'
1885 Sir William Preece replicates the Edison effect and makes measurements, presenting a paper to the Royal Society.
1897 Guglielmo Marconi sets up his Wireless telegraph and Signal Company to exploit radio or 'wireless' technology.
1900 Ambrose Fleming becomes a consultant to Marconi.
1901 Marconi makes the first transatlantic radio transmission, but difficulties were encountered with detecting he signals
1904 Ambrose Fleming rectifies wireless signals using what he terms his oscillation valve - this is the first time the Edison effect has been used. It was a simple diode valve and sometimes referred to as a Fleming Diode.

Should know'ed that this was the place to come for a concise history of tubes. Obvious, really.