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Thunderbird Club

#101,001
Spieluhr said:
OK, well if you're saying that the VP doesn't have a dual-action truss, I'll take it as a fact! LOL

Come to think of it, I'm not sure I ever backed-off the truss-rod on my VP, only ever tightened it. One of my other Indonesian made T'Birds, (not VP), 100% for sure has a two-way rod.
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Interesting. I assumed it was just a standard truss rod and the nut threads onto the end of it, so you could back it right off and replace it (assuming you can get a replacement). Maybe here?
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#101,007
Kikegg said:
Not to distrust, but I've some 4mm hex and they all fit loose. I've found a 4.5mm and althought it fits (more or less) it slips. The inner side of the nut (??) seems to be totally rounded instead of hexagonal
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In my China build Goth I had a similar problem. I assumed metric because China and Australia are both metric. I tried 4mm and 4.5mm - no good.
I ended up buying ‘imperial’ Allen keys and 5 1/16s worked.

I did not have the added issue of the truss rod being rounded out. That’s an extra for you. Good luck.
 
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#101,010
AkaGoal said:
Sorry to interrupt you guys but maybe you could help me here:
Gibson Thunderbird setup problem!
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Nut seems most likely, since Gibson's don't typically (ever?) have a zero fret. Is there anything under the string right there? Bug carcass, stray winding, paper, lint, tiny nest or pile of poop?
 
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#101,012
Ginkgo+ said:
Bought this rather elegant looking Epiphone Vintage Pro the other day. The tone of this bass through my Ashdown rig is utterly amazing, but it's a heavy beast compared to my Mexican P bass. Guess I've just got to toughen up and learn how to wield it.

Can I join the club please?

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Weight is a funny thing. My P is heavier, or feels heavier than and of the 'Birds. Sometimes a VP turns up heavy, though. I played the P-Bird last night at a rehearsal, and as much as I like playing a Precision or a Fenderbird, they don't have the presence of a real 'Bird.
 
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#101,013
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#101,014
AkaGoal said:
Sorry to interrupt you guys but maybe you could help me here:
Gibson Thunderbird setup problem!
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I'm a CroMagnon non-luthier, so take this for what it's worth. A drop of superglue in the slot should get the open string back up where you want it. You might have to refile just a little if it's too much.
 
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#101,016
AkaGoal said:
Sorry to interrupt you guys but maybe you could help me here:
Gibson Thunderbird setup problem!
Click to expand...

JJR58 said:
Well, you got me on that one. Everything plays cleanly except an open D. One of the resident experts should eventually chime in.
Wish i could help. I'm clueless on that one.
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It's most likely the the nut. Why it wasn't giving you problems before but is now is anybody's guess. The important thing is there are some really easy quick fixes.

Quick on the fly fix - Assuming your nut is black, just slip a small piece of electrical tape under the string in the offending nut slot. At two feet away no one will ever know its there. In fact I did this on one of my most heavily used basses that had a white SG nut. The tape (in this case it was white medical gauze tape) was put on about two years ago and until this post I had forgotten all about it. Works perfect and no one has even noticed it. It serves its purpose until I get around to having a new nut installed.
IMG_2591.JPG


Alternate fix - build up the slot with some crazy glue. Obviously this can get messy and you might not get an exact color match, plus you'll likely have to touch up the slot with a nut file to get it to the right depth.

Official fix - contact your luthier and have him install a new nut, level and dress the frets if necessary and give the bass a full set up.

Good luck!
 
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#101,018
GBassNorth said:
It's most likely the the nut. Why it wasn't giving you problems before but is now is anybody's guess. The important thing is there are some really easy quick fixes.

Quick on the fly fix - Assuming your nut is black, just slip a small piece of electrical tape under the string in the offending nut slot. At two feet away no one will ever know its there. In fact I did this on one of my most heavily used basses that had a white SG nut. The tape (in this case it was white medical gauze tape) was put on about two years ago and until this post I had forgotten all about it. Works perfect and no one has even noticed it. It serves its purpose until I get around to having a new nut installed.
View attachment 3277534

Alternate fix - build up the slot with some crazy glue. Obviously this can get messy and you might not get an exact color match, plus you'll likely have to touch up the slot with a nut file to get it to the right depth.

Official fix - contact your luthier and have him install a new nut, level and dress the frets if necessary and give the bass a full set up.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

You’re a savage lol.

I used a piece of string under the high e on my les Paul. Sounded dead...didn’t ring well. Gibson had a problem on this particular model with the high e cut too deep.
 
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