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Thunderbird Club

#82,322
TBird1958 said:
You wouldn't think this a Gibson......

Look mom! No pickups!
View attachment 3027624
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I assume it has piezos, but is it hollow or solid? It looks pretty thick to be solid.

For what its worth, I took the EB-2 out for some exercise last night. I had forgotten how weak the old Dimarzio pickup was in it. The amplifier need to work a bit more than when I play a 'Bird, but it sure did sound good. Not like a 'Bird at all, but more like a cross between a Precision and an upright. The adjustment to a short scale was a whole lot faster than I remembered. I haven't had that bass out of the house for a long time. It ought to get more playing time.
 
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#82,324
PillO said:
Yes, but often the signature is more expensive than the cost of the standard model with modifications...
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That's just good ol' fashion marketing. YOU know how that works. Celebrity endorsement is one of the oldest tricks in the book. In some cases, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the larger price tag did nothing more than compensate the celebrity for the use of their name, while offering the same or similar profit margins as the standard production models to the manufacturer. I like the way Epiphone did it with Allen Woody. With a signature Fender Strat (for instance)... they just reach in to a different parts bin than normal when assembling, maybe paint it a different color than normal, and screen a logo or signature on it. With the RumbleKat, it's a totally unique design. The body size and shape, as well as the pickups and their locations, can be found nowhere else... and it's priced reasonably. I want one because it is what it is... not because Allen Woody's name is screened on the headstock;)
 
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#82,327
Gaolee said:
I assume it has piezos, but is it hollow or solid? It looks pretty thick to be solid.

For what its worth, I took the EB-2 out for some exercise last night. I had forgotten how weak the old Dimarzio pickup was in it. The amplifier need to work a bit more than when I play a 'Bird, but it sure did sound good. Not like a 'Bird at all, but more like a cross between a Precision and an upright. The adjustment to a short scale was a whole lot faster than I remembered. I haven't had that bass out of the house for a long time. It ought to get more playing time.
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Looks like a variant of the Gibson Victory. These were solid bodies. Nugent's bass player at the time (82?) toured with one as his main bass.
victory_standard_bass.jpg
 
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#82,328
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#82,330
GBassNorth said:
Yep, I assume it's a shadow pickup under the bridge. Tried an Explorer shadow a few years back but decided not to buy it, wasn't to my liking sound wise. Looked identical to this one...
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"Rubbery is a patented term..."

Pretty good. The idea is interesting, but I agree with you. It's not a sound I would know what to do with.
 
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#82,332
PillO said:
Libation of the night
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Bridge 1 crossed
View attachment 3027058

I put the chrome bridge on the Midtown today.

Unfortunately, the bridge does not come with any instructions. So, a little trial and error was involved.

Putting the bridge on was easy and obvious. Putting new strings on was easy and obvious. But then onto unexplored territory (I have never done my own set up before). Setting string height - not bad. Setting string spacing easy. Setting intonation - there we get tricky. Figure out that setting string spacing afterwards would have made life easier. Intonation finally got done. Not difficult, but time consuming. I suppose if I did it often it would be much quicker. As it is infrequent, perhaps I am further ahead to pay someone to do it.

Impression - well, I put on a set of Bass Boomers I had lying around. I took off the Fat Beams. [Editorial] I like the Fat Beams; they sound great, but they really don't last that well.[/Editorial] I bought a set of Bass Boomers some time ago with the thought that I should try them and it is always useful to have a spare set of strings lying around in case I do something stupid. The Bass Boomers seem to spend some time stretching - I have tuned a few times in the last few hours. So, because I changed strings, I can't make a great comparison. But I like the bridge.
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I have spent some time playing this evening. With new strings, it is difficult to be certain, but I think that with the Hipshot bridge sustain is improved. Somehow, I have managed to get intonation right; still a PITA to do though. I need to do a little work setting string height; E&G are good, but A&D seem to be a little low.

New strings should arrive from @SLaPiNFuNK next week. So with fresh Black Beauties to go on the white `bird, I will put the new bridge on that one.
 
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#82,334
cableguy said:
so the last thing I need to do is mount my front strap lock. What seems to be the preferred location among the club members......Also put my new fret markers on Stormtrooper.....View attachment 3027953 View attachment 3027954
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1. I think that the consensus on front strap button/lock is heel of the neck. The balance is better although there is a bit of forward tilt.
2. Great look.
3. Are those EMGs? If so, how do you like them?
4.
 
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#82,335
PillO said:
1. I think that the consensus on front strap button/lock is heel of the neck. The balance is better although there is a bit of forward tilt.
2. Great look.
3. Are those EMGs? If so, how do you like them?
4.
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Yes, Emg P's. Also a Spector Tonepump pre. I was going for an aggressive tone similar to my Spector and this nailed it!
 
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#82,336
theFixer said:
There are many reasons. I'll use a Hendrix-owned guitar as an example. Some people would want it, simply because it would be "cool" (if you don't feel that way... I'm not sure it could be explained to you). Some people would want it strictly as a financial investment. Some may want it for sentimental reasons (i.e. their favorite song was written or recorded with it). As for me... the idea that Hendrix bled and sweated on it while honing his craft and writing his songs, is more than adequate reasoning. I also like to imagine the stories a piece like that could tell. Serious mojo factor! It's sad and wrong that so many pieces like that, wind up in the hands of non-musician investors, who can't even tap in to what it is that makes the piece special.
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Yeah I get it. Something like the Guitar used by Keef on Gimme Shelter, as an example, would probably fetch a good price. Or John Lennon’s Rick - that type of example.

theFixer said:
Don't get me started on Chevettes! Chevettes and Busch beer carried me through my "formative" years;)

To guys like you & me... 20 grand should buy somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 Chevettes:D! Let's pretend for a moment, that the specific Chevette in question, was owned and modded by Carroll Shelby. THAT Chevette could be worth 20 grand (or more) to a specific group of people, while having no affect on the value of Chevettes in general.
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theFixer said:
My last Chevette was a 4 cylinder, 4 speed, brown 2-door. The driver's side floorboard was completely rusted away. The right rear seat bolt was anchored to it, but the other 3 were gone. The seat was held in place by an intricate series of coat hangers. The muffler was a coffee can with some steel wool in it. The hood ornament was a rubber ducky held in place with super glue. This was probably the funnest car I ever had! I could bark the tires into second, take corners on 2 wheels, and sound like a pissed off 400 pound bumble bee doin' it! Used to go bouncin' around out in the woods & across corn fields in it! YEEEEHAAAAAAWWW!!!:D
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You had more than one ?!?!?
 
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#82,338
PillO said:
1. I think that the consensus on front strap button/lock is heel of the neck. The balance is better although there is a bit of forward tilt.
2. Great look.
3. Are those EMGs? If so, how do you like them?
4.
Click to expand...


Well after playing around with placement, I decided to go with the front strap button in the same spot Mike Lull uses on his t-birds. I still have a little neck dive, but not much. If it bothers me too much I can go with lighters tuners I guess. I will have to get a slightly longer strap to get the bird to sit in a more rock position. It sits a little high for my taste right now. I will say though, this bird rips. :bassist:
 
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#82,339
cableguy said:
Well after playing around with placement, I decided to go with the front strap button in the same spot Mike Lull uses on his t-birds. I still have a little neck dive, but not much. If it bothers me too much I can go with lighters tuners I guess. I will have to get a slightly longer strap to get the bird to sit in a more rock position. It sits a little high for my taste right now. I will say though, this bird rips. :bassist:
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I like it in the front position too. I don't like the feeling of the bass tipping away from me.
 
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