Thunderbird Club

[BklynKen]

What were you thinking? The other sounded stupid because you were comparing it to the REAL car in the pic!

I personally like the cars that sound like a wound out weed-eater. And children think that sounds cool/impressive. We're all doomed when they are in control.

This is about the best I could find.

 

[dagrev]

This is about the best I could find.

Blew right by that cyclist! Sorry, just couldn't resist the obvious, all in good fun! Not the weed-eater sound I hear on the streets that's for sure. Very impressive car for sure.

 

[Gaolee]

Faster to just shoot the entire neck one color than to two tone it like they did in the sixties. Bicentennials have less hand work than 60s Reverses. Side by side it's easy to see the differences.

The raised part of the headstock is black plastic on BiCens, you can see it peeking under the edge of my headstock shot. That made painting easy on naturals, sunbursts, and black basses as well as whites.

Rule of thumb, longer production goes on the faster/cheaper they build them. 1964:

I was surprised to discover the black was a layer of plastic. It makes sense to do it that way. It was still a surprise.

 

[Gaolee]

This is about the best I could find.

I am partial to Ducati, Triumph, and Suzuki noises. And two strokes. There is not much that comes close to the howl of a 250 gp bike. There was a video of a V8 that had been converted to two stroke somehow. That was a fine bit of insanity. It may or may not have had much of a life expectancy.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Ha! Add twin turbos to the 390 and it's good for 1100HP....and it's smaller form factor and has a lower CG...

 

[5StringBlues]

sorry.........

 

[Miles_ONeal]

This is about the best I could find.

None of these can touch the trombone scooter!

 

[PillO]

None of these can touch the trombone scooter!

Nothing can beat the trombone scooter, but this is a close second:

 

[RedVee]

...S/N 00....says 76...but certainly a refin....might have been black in his former life...

I didn’t realise the 76-79 was a one piece neck.

 

[dukeorock]

I know a few companies do early 60’s repros on T Bird pickups, but has anyone taken on ‘76 style pickups?

 

[dagrev]

I know a few companies do early 60’s repros on T Bird pickups, but has anyone taken on ‘76 style pickups?

Never heard of that either. Possibly for a sonic reason (not just screw placement). I know my '64 sounds better than my '76. How much is due to the PUs alone is anyone's guess. Both sound good like older T-Birds should, but the '64 definitely has the edge IMO.

 

[Gaolee]

I didn’t realise the 76-79 was a one piece neck.

It is? Gibson didn't do the multiple plies thing during that time? I'm going to have to pay more attention.

 

[GonePlaid]

Did a 2 hour jazz jam last night. Usually play the Ibby semi-hollow, but took the Bird instead. Had a blast, the 67 NR sounded great. Had about 7 or 8 solos and got some good response from the bass and the crowd.
Oh, wait. That can't be true-Thunderbirds are only for rock. WRONG!

 

[Dadagoboi]

I was surprised to discover the black was a layer of plastic. It makes sense to do it that way. It was still a surprise.

Easier to use a plastic overlay than machine and sand, plus arguably stronger.

Never heard of that either. Possibly for a sonic reason (not just screw placement). I know my '64 sounds better than my '76. How much is due to the PUs alone is anyone's guess. Both sound good like older T-Birds should, but the '64 definitely has the edge IMO.

I know a few companies do early 60’s repros on T Bird pickups, but has anyone taken on ‘76 style pickups?

Not that I know of. A side by side comparison may enlighten you as to why that is...

BICENTENNIALS HAVE THE SAME 9 PLY NECKS AS 60s Reverses. NRs are one piece. My 67 Embassy has a nine ply neck, probably made from a left over Reverse blank. IIRC there are some similar NR necks.

 

[Dadagoboi]

It is? Gibson didn't do the multiple plies thing during that time? I'm going to have to pay more attention.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

My buddy Denis's '76 on the bench to repair someone else's bad FenderBird conversion. Note the pickup and plies.

 

[dukeorock]

Not that I know of. A side by side comparison may enlighten you as to why that is...

Ha! I was just curious, really. I know that Greco a friend loaned me had really cool and different sounding pickups than mine. Not better or worse, just different and cool in their own right

 

[godofthunder59]

I know a few companies do early 60’s repros on T Bird pickups, but has anyone taken on ‘76 style pickups?

Ugh why?

 

[Dadagoboi]

Ha! I was just curious, really. I know that Greco a friend loaned me had really cool and different sounding pickups than mine. Not better or worse, just different and cool in their own right

The Greco has the same pickups as in Orvilles and Orville By Gibsons (same factory, different levels of woodworking/hardware, Greco being at the bottom, OBG at the top).

60s 'bird pups are short with weak AlNiCo mags and lots of thin wire. Steve and I took apart one of my OBG's pups about seven years ago. Tall pup with really HOT ceramic magnets, and not a lot of turns of thick wire.

The Greco pup gets one great sound but has its limitations when it comes to clean. The now discontinued ThunderBucker Max was an attempt at getting close to it by using hotter AlNiCo and as much wire as Steve could wind on a bobbin. 12.7 ohms R. Still smoother than the Greco, though. I think Scott has a pair in a bass.

The BiCen pup is a sidewinder, it has more of a hot Jazz pup sound IMO. They seem to vary a lot from pup to pup.

 

[RedVee]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

My buddy Denis's '76 on the bench to repair someone else's bad FenderBird conversion. Note the pickup and plies.

Ok. Reading the Fly guitars 76-79 section it kept saying ‘one piece mahogany neck’.

 

[fasterpussycat]

The Greco has the same pickups as in Orvilles and Orville By Gibsons (same factory, different levels of woodworking/hardware, Greco being at the bottom, OBG at the top).

60s 'bird pups are short with weak AlNiCo mags and lots of thin wire. Steve and I took apart one of my OBG's pups about seven years ago. Tall pup with really HOT ceramic magnets, and not a lot of turns of thick wire.

Nice to know the OBG is 'top of the line'.

I know you all think I'm a barbarian but the pickups which came in my OBG sounded pretty lifeless and the Thunderbucker was there, so there seemed little point in fannying about with things -- out they came. They are a very tall pickup, although possibly not as tall as the pups in an Epi IV Pro IIRC.

Just put the multimeter across them and they measure 7k89Ω and 7k96Ω.