Thunderbird Club

[Gaolee]

They reminded me of Shure Vocal Masters and we know what top-notch sound Those reproduced!

You are speaking to a person who has a pair of Gibson 210 guitar cabinets repurposed as PA speakers. They sound OK enough for some things, plus they have the advantage of being entirely scrounged. If I can get the Kustom speaker to work, I may put a baritone neck on the Telebird and use it with an octave pedal off and on. That will keep me entertained enough while playing I-IV-V surf music, I hope. The surf stuff will also be an excuse to get the bus sized Morley oil can working again. The person who is going to have to deal with my estate someday will hate me. In the mean time, I'm having a whole lot of fun avoiding doing anything the way it's supposed to be done.

 

[JJR58]

With a case.

For Sale - Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbird With Case

 

[Christine]

Question for you all.

Carbon neck reinforcing rods, what's your opinion? I'm sort of tempted to put them in my new builds but I don't really know if they're worth it, a well made neck from stable timber shouldn't cause any trouble in it's lifetime but they seem to be a must have item in those MIA bumper basses if I'm to believe all I read sometimes

 

[godofthunder59]

Question for you all.

Carbon neck reinforcing rods, what's your opinion? I'm sort of tempted to put them in my new builds but I don't really know if they're worth it, a well made neck from stable timber shouldn't cause any trouble in it's lifetime but they seem to be a must have item in those MIA bumper basses if I'm to believe all I read sometimes

I am not wild about them. To install them you have to remove a lot of wood from the neck. I think it changes the way the neck resonates and how notes sound/vibrate. They do make for a more stable neck but I would rather take my chances without them.

 

[GBassNorth]

Question for you all.

Carbon neck reinforcing rods, what's your opinion? I'm sort of tempted to put them in my new builds but I don't really know if they're worth it, a well made neck from stable timber shouldn't cause any trouble in it's lifetime but they seem to be a must have item in those MIA bumper basses if I'm to believe all I read sometimes

I have plenty of basses with reinforcing rods (some steel, some carbon) and plenty of basses without them. I don't notice any difference with or without and also don't notice any difference between steel and carbon fiber. Supposedly the CF rods are lighter and stiffer - that's nice, but again not noticeable. The argument for them appears to be light weight and stiffer is better. If you're gonna go down that path you might as well look at dual truss rods too, they're supposed to be an improvement over single truss rod designs.

I'm no expert but it seems to me that as long as you have a multi lam neck (3+ pieces) made of good stable wood you could choose to use either steel or carbon rods or maybe no rod at all. I get the impression it's a belts and suspenders sorta thing, but I'm just an end user, I'll let the experts have the final say.

 

[Gaolee]

Make the neck big enough and you don't need a truss rod. Upright bass sized, for example.

 

[Christine]

I hate dual truss rods, they really weaken a headstock joint, I think they create more problems than they solve. My necks are usually 5 laminates of straight grained quarter sawn which should be stable as a single piece.

Again out of interest I received two fret boards this morning, tell me what you think of the quality and more importantly what they are

 

[spectorbass83]

I am re-considering a T-bird bass. I just love the design of this instrument so much.
Awhile ago I recall playing an original US made Gibson T-bird at a music store and I can still recall how it felt/sounded quite vividly. At the same time, I don't have 2 grand to blow on a Gibson T-bird so I am considering one of the Epiphone Thunderbird Classic IV Pro which here in Canada go for around $750.
Epiphone - Thunderbird Classic IV PRO - Alpine White

For those who have played both the Gibson and this particular model - how do the two compare? Is it a big difference in sound/feel/quality?

 

[Christine]

I hate dual truss rods, they really weaken a headstock joint, I think they create more problems than they solve. My necks are usually 5 laminates of straight grained quarter sawn which should be stable as a single piece.

Again out of interest I received two fret boards this morning, tell me what you think of the quality and more importantly what they are

View attachment 3011522

View attachment 3011523

View attachment 3011524

It's not actually wood but a very clever composite material called Rocklite made by a UK company. It has pores just like the real version and has a very similar density. Have a zoom in on the Rosewood one and look at the detail within it, it's not a surface coating it's like that all the way through and I can't tell it apart from the real thing. Very clever stuff

 

[Christine]

I am re-considering a T-bird bass. I just love the design of this instrument so much.
Awhile ago I recall playing an original US made Gibson T-bird at a music store and I can still recall how it felt/sounded quite vividly. At the same time, I don't have 2 grand to blow on a Gibson T-bird so I am considering one of the Epiphone Thunderbird Classic IV Pro which here in Canada go for around $750.
Epiphone - Thunderbird Classic IV PRO - Alpine White

For those who have played both the Gibson and this particular model - how do the two compare? Is it a big difference in sound/feel/quality?

I have a Gibson and a classic pro, honestly the only real difference is the classic is finished in polyurethane and the Gibson in nitrocellulose. Beyond that the differences are miniscule and I mean miniscule

 

[spectorbass83]

I have a Gibson and a classic pro, honestly the only real difference is the classic is finished in polyurethane and the Gibson in nitrocellulose. Beyond that the differences are miniscule and I mean miniscule

Are the electronics the same? What about the type of wood that is used?

 

[Christine]

Are the electronics the same? What about the type of wood that is used?

The same, same pups, same pots, the wood is the same the only difference is that the walnunt laminates on the Gibson are 1/8" and on the Epiphone they's about 1/16". The only other difference are the tuners, they're not the same quality but they're plenty good enough, it's only when you have them side by side that you'll notice.

Another option is the Vintage Pro which is a copy of the older birds, I don't have one so I can't offer an opinion either way

 

[Gaolee]

The same, same pups, same pots, the wood is the same the only difference is that the walnunt laminates on the Gibson are 1/8" and on the Epiphone they's about 1/16". The only other difference are the tuners, they're not the same quality but they're plenty good enough, it's only when you have them side by side that you'll notice.

Another option is the Vintage Pro which is a copy of the older birds, I don't have one so I can't offer an opinion either way

Link Removed would probably be the person to ask. He has original 1960s Thunderbirds and a VP.

 

[Gaolee]

I am re-considering a T-bird bass. I just love the design of this instrument so much.
Awhile ago I recall playing an original US made Gibson T-bird at a music store and I can still recall how it felt/sounded quite vividly. At the same time, I don't have 2 grand to blow on a Gibson T-bird so I am considering one of the Epiphone Thunderbird Classic IV Pro which here in Canada go for around $750.
Epiphone - Thunderbird Classic IV PRO - Alpine White

For those who have played both the Gibson and this particular model - how do the two compare? Is it a big difference in sound/feel/quality?

I suspect you can pick up a Classic Pro for a pretty good price if you look around used, too.

 

[kat888]

It's not actually wood but a very clever composite material called Rocklite made by a UK company. It has pores just like the real version and has a very similar density. Have a zoom in on the Rosewood one and look at the detail within it, it's not a surface coating it's like that all the way through and I can't tell it apart from the real thing. Very clever stuff

I'll be interested in your experience with these. My personal inclination is that fingerboard timber has no real effect on tone, as the string is vibrating between the nut/fret and bridge saddle. The only differences are in the 'feel' under the fingers, ie the grain and whether or not it is lacquered.

 

[theFixer]

It's not actually wood but a very clever composite material called Rocklite made by a UK company. It has pores just like the real version and has a very similar density. Have a zoom in on the Rosewood one and look at the detail within it, it's not a surface coating it's like that all the way through and I can't tell it apart from the real thing. Very clever stuff

Interesting! How does the price compare to that of the real thing?

 

[Gaolee]

More thinking about the tower of jank. I already have a ToneHammer, which is a preamp. I don't see any reason I can't hijack a 100 watt or so Class D power amp from a stereo or even a car stereo to power the tower. If it costs more than about $50, I may as well just spend the money and get a used real bass head, though.

 

[godofthunder59]

I am not wild about them. To install them you have to remove a lot of wood from the neck. I think it changes the way the neck resonates and how notes sound/vibrate. They do make for a more stable neck but I would rather take my chances without them.

I had a 2008 American Jazz bass with graphite rods nice enough but rather sterile. I put a Road Worn Jazz Bass neck on it and it came alive. I much preferred it.

 

[JJR58]

More thinking about the tower of jank. I already have a ToneHammer, which is a preamp. I don't see any reason I can't hijack a 100 watt or so Class D power amp from a stereo or even a car stereo to power the tower. If it costs more than about $50, I may as well just spend the money and get a used real bass head, though.

Seriously, one of these might be really cool. But i know it won't be in the right price range.

 

[GonePlaid]

You are speaking to a person who has a pair of Gibson 210 guitar cabinets repurposed as PA speakers. They sound OK enough for some things, plus they have the advantage of being entirely scrounged. If I can get the Kustom speaker to work, I may put a baritone neck on the Telebird and use it with an octave pedal off and on. That will keep me entertained enough while playing I-IV-V surf music, I hope. The surf stuff will also be an excuse to get the bus sized Morley oil can working again. The person who is going to have to deal with my estate someday will hate me. In the mean time, I'm having a whole lot of fun avoiding doing anything the way it's supposed to be done.

I'd never heard of the Morley oil can so I looked it up. What a bizarre idea. And the fact it actually Works(sometimes). Pretty amazing!