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Thunderbird Club

#89,382
Engle said:
It's a bit of a "can o'worms" question among luthiers. Hide glue is the traditional glue, but titebond is what Gibson uses. For upright basses, it's all hide glue - and if it works in that application, it should work on a bass guitar.

That said, I have a 1/2 size upright with a really nasty broken off headstock. I'll probably be using steel rods and epoxy to save it. Then it's getting a rockabilly/ratrod paint job!
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I highly recommend this book. Erlewine knows his stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Player-Repair-Guide-3rd/dp/0879309210
 
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#89,384
Miles_ONeal said:
Pretty sure it was which Fender bridge is best for the Thunderbird.
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I was being facetious, but thank you Miles... whether Fender or whatever brand, as long as it isn't the 3 point. In fact, I am just now trying to find the saddles w/adjustment bolts that because they fall out when not in use have gone missing from a black 3-point bridge on a bass I need to sell ... arg... (if anyone has 4 black 3-point Gibson bridge saddles w/bolts to spare, let me know)
 
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#89,385
JIO said:
I was being facetious, but thank you Miles... whether Fender or whatever brand, as long as it isn't the 3 point. In fact, I am just now trying to find the saddles w/adjustment bolts that because they fall out when not in use have gone missing from a black 3-point bridge on a bass I need to sell ... arg... (if anyone has 4 black 3-point Gibson bridge saddles w/bolts to spare, let me know)
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I was being facetious!
But since we are here, I am leaning toward tge Hipshot Supertone for my Epi TBird IV. Anyone prefer something else?
 
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#89,386
Miles_ONeal said:
I was being facetious!
But since we are here, I am leaning toward tge Hipshot Supertone for my Epi TBird IV. Anyone prefer something else?
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Double facetiousness! (in that case it cancels both out!) ;)

The Supertone is what I used on my Epi body - anything else unfortunately wouldn't cover the wide 3-point post holes. Can also be used as a string-thru as I did.

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#89,388
Chucky Stiletti said:
Cool. Just out of curiosity, what glue is commonly used to glue necks onto bodies? I ask because in stick and tissue model kit building one uses cyano for the ribs and most of the structure but epoxy when it comes to gluing a wing to a fuse or other major structural joints..
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Titebond is the go to for some reason, probably the most commonly available water soluble glues in the States? I don't see why a good quality PVA isn't used more either but aliphatics have very good and fast grabbing properties so you can often just rub the joint without having to clamp it. Water based are good for guitars because you can get them apart with heat or steaming say if you need to get a fretboard or a set neck off. I seems more popular these days to use epoxy for some oily fretboards which is fine if you make the truss rod removable like you can with a double action one but with a traditional one God alone knows how you deal with repairing that sometime in the future if you need too.

Out of curiosity, does anyone remember the smell of Titebond years ago :poop: it's changed now and doesn't smell so bad, I wonder what has changed?
 
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#89,390
Kriegs said:
Kriegs (to self): Hey this looks like a cool place and those nice folks look like they'd be fun to hang with.
*politely knocks on the door*
Kriegs (to occupants of tbird club): O hai there, I also have a Thnderb...
View attachment 3109623
Tbird club (collectively):OMGHAIGETINHEREWELOVEYOU!!!!!11!1!1!!!1HUGGLEPOUNCE!!!!!!1!1!11!!one
!!!!eleven!!!!1!
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Did you never watch the Prisoner? Portmeirion where that is filmed is just near me number six come on in and put your feet up
 
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#89,395
Eatapeach1965 said:
I have an Epiphone Thunderbird Classic 4.

I want to change the bridge,tuners and nut. Probably going Hipshot tuners and bridge and bone nut.

The electronics is where I’m looking for suggestions.

I want to do a Master Vol,Master Tone and three way switch. And a PIO cap.

What pot and capacitor values will,keep that growl,but not add highs?

What are the stock values of the pots and cap?

Thank you
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PillO said:
I love the supertone bridge. I now have 4 -> 2 installed, one being installed, and one waiting to be installed.

Being a passive bass, a capacitor can't add anything. A larger value will bleed off more highs. But if you keep tone at 10, the capacitor has very little effect. @GBassNorth did a series of trials of capacitors; he can weigh in on "best" values.
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I don't have my notes in front of me right now, but generally speaking, the pot value selection will have some impact on tone but not huge. If you like the current tone then stick with the same value pots as the originals. IIRC the Eppi uses 500K ohm volume pots and a 500K ohm tone pot. If you use a 250K tone pot it might warm the sound up a tad.

As for capacitors in a passive bass, just remember all the cap is doing is filtering out high frequencies. The larger the value of the cap the more highs will be filtered out. So if you don't want to add any more highs than you already have you should use a cap that is equal to or larger than your stock cap. IIRC that would be a .047uf cap or the next size larger. BTW I tested every type of cap typically used in guitars and basses and found virtually zero difference between the different types in spite of the fact that some cost 10 times more than others. The Orange drop caps seemed to be reasonably priced and worked well.
 
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#89,397
BadBassDrummer said:
I went to visit the Bass Shop in West Seattle today to checkout a hand wired Rola tube amp and matching cab and had to fondle this little [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] I will have to figure out how to scape up some money to acquire it. I am pretty sure someone already linked the bass in the last 30 pages, but I am too lazy to check.
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Buy It! Visa is your friend.
 
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#89,400
RedVee said:
A Q: for Anyone that builds basses.

Have a look at the new Cole Clark Long Lady Bass - the way the headstock sits on the neck. Obvious on the photo from the back.

What’s that?

Invalid Link Removed

View attachment 3109987
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How bizarre, obviously it’s a volute carved like an arrowhead but the headstock is fitted with a strange scarf joint that fits inside the neck somehow, probably like a routed tongue at an angle. Not sure how it is structurally but can’t see any reason why it should cause any problems. Very neat way of concealing the joint :)
 
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