do you have any adice on how to fill my Bridge pickup route and the battery cavity on my pro?
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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I'd suggest cutting out blocks of wood the same size & shape of those cavities, & whatever is left around you can easily use some wood filler. Voila no more gaps. Planning on making a Thunderbird II ?
aye. the active pro has a 60s neck pickup pos. and I just had a 60's spec pickup made by bassculture here in Germany.
gonna be surf-greenish, Chrome Hardware Thunderbird II
gonna be surf-greenish, Chrome Hardware Thunderbird II
- Jun 30, 2010
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- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Wow!
I really dig that PG!
It looks pretty thin, though - How thick is that, and did you make that yourself?
It's 1/8" thick, no thinner than most pg's and I made it myself. If you have a plastics supply store in your area they usually have a scrap bin with various sizes/shapes for cheap. I cut it out of one such scrap piece so it costed about $2.50 or so. You'll also need access to a band-saw and a drill to do the screw-holes.
Yes, this, exactly. My point was far less work has gone into sleuthing Gibson basses for info. Les Pauls, different story altogether.
hillerup
There are basses, and there are Thunderbirds!
- Mar 13, 2008
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Since you're going to re-fin I'd fill the rout with a mahogany block and use a thin (.010-015) veneer over the entire center block, most putty sinks over time and won't look good.
So I have a question about for all the Gibson Thunderbird owners. I was wondering if the neck/headstocks breaking off and being fragile than most exaggerated or pretty accurate? Does this apply to a lot to the one made post 88 or more the 60s and 70s models?
Haji
Supporting Member
I'm inclined to agree with @Haji on this... the necks are thin, part of what makes this bass so attractive and easy to play. Combine that with a headstock that angles back and a cramped stage it can be, to the bass player caught up in the moment, a recipe for disaster. I've only ever seen a headstock break off as a result of human error. One dude jamming the guitar into a speaker for feedback (Les Paul) and one jumping to do a high kick, not sticking the landing, and slamming it headstock first into the stage (Jackson).
hillerup
There are basses, and there are Thunderbirds!
OK, thanks to everyone who's replied and made a contribution. EMGs did look like the way to go to this 'ere rank amateur, but I just knew that someone, quite rightly would point out that they're very different beasts due to the totally different p/u construction and different wood: although that's what I'm trying to achieve.
Anyone ACTUALLY done this and been happy??
Anyone ACTUALLY done this and been happy??
- Jun 30, 2010
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That's tough w/o a band saw - sometimes you can find a woodworker/cabinet shop that will cut something like that out for you. The plastic comes w/stick-on brown paper to protect it and you can trace the exact shape you want on it. I've had planing of body slabs done for pretty cheap. A good shop will have high-end equipment and it takes a matter of minutes even though they will charge an hourly rate. I bring a few things to fill in the hour and it works out to be a good deal atc.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,898
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- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
'70s headstock are much bigger and they have very big clover tuners too - So I can say that it's easier to bump into things on a crowded stage, and if you were have one fall off of a stand you could have a problem. If the headstock gets broken they can usually be repaired and there is no ill effect to the bass' tone - I know, two of my '76s are repaired broken headstocks. Worst case scenario, you're making a Fenderbird, which, we all know is a pretty cool bass. Post '88 headstocks are smaller and have smaller tuners, plus the neck is a slightly different shape, thicker at the nut where it pitches back, overall much less prone to an accident.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,898
- 142,242
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- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Reading your first post I meant to mention that I have used Seymour Duncan '51 P bass pickups potted into Gibson covers on my Epiphone Fenderbird. The end result is that 7ender tone that it sounds like you're after.......
- Jun 30, 2010
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As noted - 60's-70's necks are commonly found broken and repaired, not so much later. A side-by-aside comparison of both helps make it clear why.
I've yet to break my bird's headstock (im still careful with it after it broke it's wing). TBH, a i've never seen a post 88 headstock break, but i still think they are prone to it due to the thickness at the nut. In my hands it feels like it's about to shatter. Plus i like the look of Epiphone Bird headstocks better than the gibson ones, more definition instead of being a block with a slight bevel. Attractiveness all round, but my money will always be on an epiphone.
My 2001 ebony Tbird has a headstock repair from the previous owner. I have no clue how it was damaged but the bass was clearly played hard. I have owned it for 8 years and the repair has remained solid so I never worry about it. I have seen other post-88 Birds with repairs, but it seems to be less frequent than on the 60's and 70's Birds.
When I first started making them it was by coping saw. I've been using a scroll saw for awhile now which I find to be the best method for me. I've also used the router method though I'm not a fan because of the mess it makes in my hobby room.
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