Thunderbird Club

[BklynKen]

The watchout with a Hip on a Gib is to be careful when tightening down the two stud bolts.
There is nothing in their bridge design to keep you from pulling the stud inserts loose from the bass and I'm not aware of any torque guidance to guide you on how much you can tighten before the damage is done. In other words, it's a crap shoot and some will win, some will fail. You are apparently a lucky winner!

A new car?!

 

[PillO]

LOL - I've had my coffee now, the original post has been corrected, Hipshot has the problem but it's not an issue on Epiphone basses.

Just checked the spacer plate on my Babicz bridge and in fact the hole is not oversized to allow clearance for the Eppi stud shoulder. So I have edited my most recent post to reflect - Hipshot looks to be the better choice for Eppi and Babicz looks to be the better choice for Gibby assuming you want a drop in replacement with no stud issues.

You need to start your day by making coffee/tea, then getting on TB...

You are correct, the Babicz bridge is designed correctly for full contact on both the Gibby and Eppi with no issues. The Hipshot will create a potential problem on the Gibby but not on the Eppi. I already corrected my original caffeine deprived post and noted the correction on that post. For some reason I'm not getting access to the edit button for the post you quoted. Once that button becomes available again I'll correct it also.

Bottom line - Hipshot great on Eppi, questionable on Gibby; Babicz great on Gibby questionable on Eppi.

The Gibson issue is how well the inserts are anchored in the body. No problems with my Midtown. I can see how it would be possible to pull the studs with zealous tightening, but it does not appear to be a routine matter. Some of us worry about stripping bolts also and have a routine of checking tightness when changing strings.

 

[GBassNorth]

A new car?!

Depends, do you want door number one or door number two?
One of the doors has a brand new car, the other door let's you continue to enjoy your Thunderbird just as you like it. You choose.

 

[JJR58]

If you are sending a personal message, yes - you can only edit a post within a short period of time. On standard thread posts, edits can be made for much longer - but how long I don't know.

Pretty long. I've gone back days on a post to catch my usual poor grammar and spelling.

 

[Gaolee]

Fraternal twins run in families (on the maternal line). So not uncommon.

On the maternal line? Hmmm... She was a complete distraction for a bit. Sounds like it's a good thing i managed to resist and she wasn't a longer term distraction.

 

[BklynKen]

Depends, do you want door number one or door number two?
One of the doors has a brand new car, the other door let's you continue to enjoy your Thunderbird just as you like it. You choose.

I'll take door number three.

 

[Gaolee]

Yes, my shortscale bird is in desperate need of a Chrome facelift

Well, then chrome Babicz will work just fine. Chrome is important.

 

[JIO]

Yeah, the routing is the biggest reason I haven't done it.




yet

It's not as difficult as you'd think. Adhere a piece of thin 3M blue tape (or that thin green tape) over the area to be worked on with your rout outline drawn on it, buy the appropriate forstner bit (width of the needed rout), use it to drill a series of end-to-end holes the appropriate depth (as the bridge-flange) and use a sharp chisel to remove the remainder of the channel. In other words, you don't have to use a router.

 

[TBird1958]

I believe that the edit button is only available on a post for a certain amount of time .... giving the poster time to fix any typos, etc. but not allowing them to RetCon their post after said time. A staffer member could easily confirm ...

One hour - unless you're me.

BTW Lulls are what you want.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Hi I'm sorry, they are no longer available.

Still showing in your signature. 8^)

 

[JIO]

always like the Roger Dean art...
View attachment 3547476

and this...

Yep, when I hear the name (or the music of) Osibisa - the winged elephant art comes to mind.

 

[GBassNorth]

I'll take door number three.

 

[JIO]

Pretty long. I've gone back days on a post to catch my usual poor grammar and spelling.

Between additions (like a vid or pic), an unnoticed spell-check, and as you say, some corrections to make it read clearer - I edit all the time.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I keep thinking about trying a G&L bridge on one of my 'Birds....

I've been really happy with the Hipshots (an A and a Supertone), but that is GORGEOUS. It would look very much at home on a monochrome bird, especially.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

That sucks. It's happening more and more in the Bay Area. club down - condo up

Here, too. Live music capital, my exhaust pipe.

 

[BklynKen]

One hour - unless you're me.

It's good to be the queen.

 

[JIO]

I've been really happy with teh Hipshots (and A and a Supertone), but that is GORGEOUS. It would look very much at home on a monochrome bird, especially.

Leo's third & best bridge design was good the day it showed up on G&L's and is exactly the same today.

1st - Fender bent-plate 1951 / 2nd - Music Man 1974 / 3rd - G&L 1979

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Yep, when I hear the name (or the music of) Osibisa - the winged elephant art comes to mind.

or this one..

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Yes, those look solid and reliable. But to install one requires measurement and accuracy for which I do not have the patience and for which I will not pay someone.

Side to side accuracy is key; distance from bridge has some slop in it so long as you marked where your string length max and min were and leave a bit of room past those. I spent more time and effort filling in the mounting holes for the old bridge than I did prepping and drilling the new ones. I'll do almost any work on my electrics that doesn't involve replacing the fingerboard, frets, or truss rods.

 

[GBassNorth]

Between additions (like a vid or pic), an unnoticed spell-check, and as you say, some corrections to make it read clearer - I edit all the time.

Ditto