Thunderbird Club

[GBassNorth]

I've had my Epi for about 3 years, and I remember kind of noticing it for the first few months but not thinking much about it (I used to be much less committed to learning and practicing). Then after my band was more active, I got more into it and as I stood more and moved around it became more of an issue. Me and my dad looked at it inside and out but could not figure it out, so I just settled for the sponge, which has so far worked pretty well. So I wouldn't say it's resolved, more that it's just not as much of an issue now.

Remove the control cavity cover. If it doesn't already have it, put some copper shielding tape on the inside of the cover (aluminum tape will also work). If it already has copper tape on the bottom side of the cover make sure it is contacting the grounding tape inside the cavity. If there is no grounding tape inside the cavity then locate the small black wire that grounds the bridge (it's much smaller than the pickup wires and should be the only other wire entering your control cavity from a hole in the body of the bass).

Once you've located that wire, gently strip off a bit of the insulation near where the wire enters the cavity from the body. Now install a strip of grounding tape up the side of the control cavity and onto the recessed ledge where the control cover sits. Be sure to install that strip of tape such that the bare part of the bridge ground wire is firmly contacting the tape at one end and in good contact with the underside of the foil covered control plate at the other end.

If you do all that and have good contact everywhere your bass will be grounded from static buildup whenever it's plugged in.

Good luck, and remove that sponge.

Edit: I got distracted with some antics here at home after I started this post. After I finished and posted I noticed your pictures and Chuckys comments as well. Chucky is spot on. You have a wonderfully shielded cavity cover that unfortunately isn't grounded to anything. Static can build up and cause noise in those situations. Follow either my post or Chuckys direction and you should be good as gold.

 

[Count Bassie]

Can't resist posting this here too, I'm chuffed to bits with how it's turned out. This is straight from the gun BTW

View attachment 3106782

That is beautiful. I'm chuffed too!

 

[GonePlaid]

Can't resist posting this here too, I'm chuffed to bits with how it's turned out. This is straight from the gun BTW

View attachment 3106782

Bee-yooo-ti-ful!

 

[GonePlaid]

Don't really know, second time down here. Same time of year, and yet, no skeeters.

Approximately where? (My last year in the Navy was in Charleston)

 

[GonePlaid]

I'm doing red later in the week, that black has been there since I went on holiday weeks ago

Nitro?

 

[GonePlaid]

The weird Welsh girl is off to bed to sleep off a healthy dose of cellulose thinners, like a twerp I stood looking at my paint job for ages and now I'm paying for it.

Laters

Pleasant"dreams"

 

[JJR58]

Approximately where? (My last year in the Navy was in Charleston)

Pawleys Island.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

There's the overplayed "glue" pop songs that you can't get out of your ears and there's a well crafted, well delivered pop songs. I'd venture to post another but risk posting one you wouldn't care for - pop like every other music style/genre is ultimately subjective.

So what if I don't care for it? Your taste is as valid as anyone's. Even if it sucks!
(Everyone's taste sucks to someone else. So far, I haven't run acros anyone here whose taste I think sucks- except that anti-pineapple-on-pizza person.)

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Like this?

View attachment 3106662

You probably said this somewhere that I forgot or missed, but what will the body shape be?

 

[GonePlaid]

Pawleys Island.

Beautiful, still(relatively)unspoiled area.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Paint them! A Tbird club challenge

I had my toenails painted twice- once by my daughter, and once by a couple of the teen girls at youth camp (amusing story around that if anyone cares).

 

[Miles_ONeal]

This might sound odd but has anyone ever had issues with the control cover on the back of any Epiphone Tbirds? Mine was apparently conducting static electricity every time it was rubbing against my leg when I play, and when it would move out and not touch my leg, it would make a sharp CRACK into the circuitry as the static discharged that was very annoying. It got to the point where I actually cut off the rough part of a sponge and taped it to the back to prevent static buildup. I don't even know if that's actually what happened but it makes sense to me. It's a minor problem overall but I just wanted to know if I was the only one with this issue.View attachment 3106827

I've had no problems in the 4-5 years I've had mine. Is it shielded inside? Was that grounded?

 

[GonePlaid]

I've heard that every studio of worth across the country has an in-house B-15 as a matter of course. They were made for 20 years so there's probably still a lot of them out there. I was lucky and got mine for a reasonable price right before Ampeg re-introded it as the Heritage series in 2010. The month after getting it had the new B-15N featured on the cover of Bassplayer magazine and prices shot up for originals. So what does modifying with a SS rectifier do? Pics?

I was doing a weekly jam session a few years back. The guy whose house it was at told me I wouldn't need to bring an amp, said he had one I might like. It was a gorgeous, pristine B-18. I didn't even know there was such a thing. Wish I coulda bought it off him.

 

[Count Bassie]

I had my toenails painted twice- once by my daughter, and once by a couple of the teen girls at youth camp (amusing story around that if anyone cares).

Yeah you might have to tell that one...

 

[Miles_ONeal]

What will you be taping a sponge too?

"It."

Ahem?

 

[Count Bassie]

The weird Welsh girl is off to bed to sleep off a healthy dose of cellulose thinners, like a twerp I stood looking at my paint job for ages and now I'm paying for it.

Laters

Here we call that 'chuffing'.

No, wait... sorry. I meant 'huffing'.



Actually, don't do that, ok?

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Yeah you might have to tell that one...

Not all that exciting. Just amusing.

Church summer camp in July in Oklahoma. It was free time, and over 105F outside. I love the heat, but most of these kids didn't. So about 20 of us were hanging out in the hall at the dorm. A couple of the girls had painted all the other girls' toes, and wanted to keep going. But of course none of the teenaged guys (this was 20 years ago) would let them. So I volunteered. Dominque painted one foot and Jane the other. They painted my toes like dice, from one dot (small toe) to five dots (big toe)[1]. One foot was black on white, and the other was white on black.
All the girls thought this was the coolest thing ever, all oohing and ahing over my toes, wishing they had thought of it.
So now a couple of guys, who'd been watching these young ladies play with my feet, and seeing all the attention, wanted their toes painted. A couple of guys still mocked. But a half hour later, even the mockers were converted, and everyone in the hall had painted toes. I'm pretty sure that by the time we left for home, all 60+ teenagers had painted toes, and it was a thing in the youth group for a while. And with all the attention from girls in other youth groups, some of the guys in other groups wanted it.

Never underestimate the power of teen hormones!

[1] One of the rare times I have wished I had six toes; how cool would that be?

 

[Miles_ONeal]

You probably said this somewhere that I forgot or missed, but what will the body shape be?

And of course I saw a few comments down. (rolls eyes). You ever do birds?

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

And of course I saw a few comments down. (rolls eyes). You ever do birds?

was just about to post this...

 

[Miles_ONeal]

was just about to post this...
View attachment 3106973

You apparently have a cruel streak a Miles wide.