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Thunderbird Club

Larry, what are the differences between the Gibson and Epiphone? Isn't it just finish?,... you know, nitro vs poly?

I believe that is the only difference, I'd have to pull off the back cover to have a peek side by side to confirm the pots and wiring are the same though. I'd also need to compare the tuners. Can't right now, not home, but could check later.
 
The answer is always "both"...unless the option is "all of them."

Differences are finish, hardware, electronics, and country of origin. How much that matters to the player is always subjective. I like the way Gibsons play and sound, but their consistently lousy finishes will always keep me from having one. YMMV.
 
I pretty much swore off white guitars/basses when two that I have (BC Rico and Hamer) have yellowed over the years but I have to say, this gives me serious GAS!!! :)
I have every hope of getting and Epi Pro down the road but now I'm torn between the white and sunburst. Life is tough! ;)

Get one of each. I did... :)
 
YW, but you know... You could just get both. ;)View attachment 658543

Chris, @Trebeless could post a similar pic! Speaking of Chris, where's he been? Must be spending time with his truck.

The answer is always "both"...unless the option is "all of them."

Differences are finish, hardware, electronics, and country of origin. How much that matters to the player is always subjective. I like the way Gibsons play and sound, but their consistently lousy finishes will always keep me from having one. YMMV.

Get one of each. I did... :)

What Larry, Haji and Rick says...

After all, your are in the Thunderbird Club where birds usually comes in flocks... ;)
 
I pretty much swore off white guitars/basses when two that I have (BC Rico and Hamer) have yellowed over the years but I have to say, this gives me serious GAS!!! :)
I have every hope of getting and Epi Pro down the road but now I'm torn between the white and sunburst. Life is tough! ;)

This OVEREND WATTS GIBSON THUNDERBIRD | Facebook one os a little yellow...... what stories this could tell!:bassist:
 
Gave myself the 'Bird
image.jpg
 
Hell yeah! Congrats!

Bit of faith buying this one really. Tried one in the local GC thru the same cab and head I have at home, but felt completely underwhelmed. (Not sure what was off, amp, bass, setups. Just blah) Something kept nagging me about it. Bought this one new in box, only played it once i got home.

This one does what it is supposed to. Beautiful dark rich tone you would expect from the USA TBird pups.

Sounds exquisite through a V-4B!
 
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Who can make me a custom body? I'm already thinking about my next lefty project and I want to try and copy a Spectorbird. I think it can be a bolt on, I want it PJ and to use a Spector USA or maybe euro bridge. Anyone into working with me on this? Message me
 
To each their own really. I'll have both one slab & one raised. Speaking of my slab build debating bridge pickups:

Option A: NYC Bass™ - 4 and 5 String - Seymour Duncan 5-String

Option B: Music Man - Seymour Duncan Not sure if i choose ceramic or alnico for this one.

Both would give me that bite/growl i'm wanting, i'd just thought i'd get more opinions from you guys.

Thanks :)

Well after hours of drawing & locating, i've picked out the pickup for the bridge spot: NYC soapbar 4. For one, it'll look better with the precision splits, + in the future if i decide to add a 2-3 band eq i can with those pickups. Different growl, but still there nonetheless.

I feel like i've narrowed how far from the bridge the pickup will be, but is there a "rule" of how close a bridge pickup should be. Obviously, i'm not going to the extremes of placing it stuck onto the bridge, nor would it be stuck onto the split p. Wondering where i can place it to get the optimum bite with it while the split p will give me bottom end.

No pictures for a while since i'm currently figuring out my education & where to go with it. I'll post some when fall comes around.
 
I think it's just the closer to the bridge, the more treble/bite you get......, but that's just what seems to make sense to me.....? Not really technical explanation...

The closer you get to the bridge the less string vibration which equals less output. That's why bridge pickups have higher impedance, to get more output to match neck volume. But higher impedance gives less treble so it's a vicious circle.

The only way to find where a given pickup outputs the sound you want:
TalkingMule_zpseae879bc.jpg

'The Mule'. I use it when I'm not installing a standard ThunderBucker set or if a customer has a request for more treble or bass. The set up in this pic is for the RR .

Ended up with a hot Jazz single coil (11.9K ohms) under a ThunderBucker cover in the bridge position. It's tucked into the bridge side of the cover, not centered in it.
RRThunder_zps18291157.jpg


Anything less than testing an unfamiliar pickup for proper placement is guessing.
 
YW, but you know... You could just get both. ;)View attachment 658543

Chris, @Trebeless could post a similar pic! Speaking of Chris, where's he been? Must be spending time with his truck.

Oh I'm still here lol.
Was on vacation this past week so I've been spending some quality time with Mrs. Trebeless :)

Spent a couple days downtown, went out to starved rock state park, had the harley out, did some work on the truck...now back to work tomorrow. Bleh...
I need to win the lottery.
 
Oh I'm still here lol.
Was on vacation this past week so I've been spending some quality time with Mrs. Trebeless :)

Spent a couple days downtown, went out to starved rock state park, had the harley out, did some work on the truck...now back to work tomorrow. Bleh...
I need to win the lottery.

Shouldn't your nickname actually be "Trebleless" rather than "Trebeless"..? ;)