Thunderbird Club

[Chucky Stiletti]

Handy to have a 60s to compare to, there.

same as 70's..

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

So, I have the Goth T-Bird and it still has the factory 3-point on it. I tinkered with it a bit to get the action down like I would like it to be. But, keeping in mind that after reading a ton of internet comments about the 3-point pulling the front insert out, I chose to leave my front screw higher than the rear screws. This was a choice I made because the last thing I want is a bass with an insert pulling out. I'd rather deal with the high action for now until I can find a real solution that works for me.

All of that stated, I find the action to still be too high for my preference. That was after playing with neck relief some and making a bridge height adjustment. Honestly, I'd either like to have a different bridge or a wedge shim under the neck to kick the angle a bit more. The shim would be the cheaper option for sure. I haven't gone down the road of filing the nut because I want to get the proper tools to do a real setup before I go that far. My neck adjustment was just eyeballing it, so I'll get real before I go filing on things.

To cap this off, I never said everyone hates it, or that it's a terrible design. I said that a lot of people (myself included) don't feel that the action can be adjusted the way they want it. I also said, other than that, it's fine. Like, those were basically my exact words. I'm also NOT going to de-fret my Goth T-Bird over it.

how can the position of the front screw have anything to do with the insert coming out?..pics would help..

 

[GonePlaid]

The detail to note about Gibson that differs from Epiphone is that the inserts are countersunk into the body vs. Epi's having a rim around the top. And there are some subtle detail differences between a Gibson 3 point and an Epiphone.

I'm thinking I'll stick with my 67 2piece(bridge, that is).

 

[Gaolee]

You would get an Amen for getting someone else's G string.

I admit nothing. For good reason. I am a bass player after all.

 

[Gaolee]

So you fit those rings around stock plastic-covered TH+ pickups? I've been thinking on and off (for years) about black rings for the TB+, which I'm quite happy with, but when I tried Carlo's, they didn't quite fit. A little too small.

I do not remember for sure. I think so, but it has been a while. I will have to scrounge up the pickups to check. You may have to remind me more than once to do it.

 

[Count Bassie]

I admit nothing. For good reason. I am a bass player after all.

CAN I HAVE AN AMEN!?!?!?

 

[Gaolee]

I have a bass with a babicz, holy crap it’s nice!

I like 'em. Expensive, but worth it for a lot of reasons.

 

[GonePlaid]

I like 'em. Expensive, but worth it for a lot of reasons.

Like hand surgery?(Sorry @bylar13, couldn't resist)

 

[Gaolee]

so true......
View attachment 3633677

Just do not overmic the big round one.

 

[Gaolee]

Like hand surgery?(Sorry @bylar13, couldn't resist)

That is pure rock and roll. An added bonus that was not mentioned in the documentation.

 

[GonePlaid]

Just do not overmic the big round one.

Turning good RnR into EDM.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

So I have read on the interwebz how horrible the stock 3 point bridge is, but I have no problems with them.

What exactly am I supposed to hate about it?

Mostly how you really can't get the action as low as some people (including me) want it. Aside from that, it's fine.

The length between the saddles and string end holders isn't enough for EB Cobalt flat silks, unless you add some absurdly long extenders. The Supertone is long enough- barely. The 3 point is not.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

how can the position of the front screw have anything to do with the insert coming out?..pics would help..

If the neck side of the bridge is too low, the forces in the string tension can be such that they pull up on the other two bolts as well as toward the nut, lifting the posts with them. As you raise the neck bolt (relative to the string peaks over the saddles), the forces change so that the long parts of the string pull toward the nut (lateral and even down down). Not sure what the short ends do, but I suspect they are inconsequential in the equation.

 

[Gaolee]

The length between the saddles and string end holders isn't enough for EB Cobalt flat silks, unless you add some absurdly long extenders. The Supertone is long enough- barely. The 3 point is not.

Not a problem with a Babicz.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Yup...
View attachment 3633614
View attachment 3633615

The overall forces here are minimal in terms of pulling up on those bolts. If you had the two (rear? heel? butt? foot?) bolts higher, you might have issues.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

The length between the saddles and string end holders isn't enough for EB Cobalt flat silks, unless you add some absurdly long extenders. The Supertone is long enough- barely. The 3 point is not.

Not a problem with a Babicz.

I believe you. I went with the Supertone because (a) I was impressed with their customer service even before I ordered anything, (b) it was cheaper, and (c) I prefer the appearance. But apart from the Don Quiotes among us, I have heard nothing but good from the people who picked Babicz.
Also, I think I may have gotten world record length silks on my EB CFs.

 

[matzingerz]

Wow thanks for all the answers. Okay sorry for not knowing godofthunder59 is the inventor and active here himself, Im still pretty new on TB.

So I took some pictures of the bridge and the nut and stuff so maybe you can see more than I can.
And I would also like to know what options for bridges there are that fit in the holes for the Epiphone VP. Definetly want to stay with that bass.
So with the setup on this pictures it's about 30 cents sharp on the E string Tuned to a C on a 110 gauge. And again, putting on a Roundwound 105 with the saddle for this string, still all the way back, is perfect pitch on the E (tuned as an E).
What are the options for me to use this bass with a C Standart tuning if I want to play it intonated? Preferably with none to very little modification ont he bass. But ill do whatever it takes lol.

here the pics:

 

[GBassNorth]

So I have read on the interwebz how horrible the stock 3 point bridge is, but I have no problems with them.
What exactly am I supposed to hate about it?

Just to keep it simple, by TB standards, if Gibson made it you're supposed to hate it. You can fish for all kinds of reasons but at the end of the day it's a Gibson design so it must be flawed somehow.

Mostly how you really can't get the action as low as some people (including me) want it. Aside from that, it's fine.

I love an insanely low action. My experience with Gibson and Eppi basses is the bridge or nut are never the limiting factor in how low I can go. For me it's usually a high fret somewhere on the neck that limits how low I can go without buzz. Even then my action is pretty darn low. A Pleked bird, or one that's had a professional fret job would be a thing of beauty. However, I've never bothered to go beyond the as delivered factory fret job, it's good enough for my horrible technique.

Nothing. When properly set up with the front post slightly higher than the two rear posts, the main issue of pulling up the inserts is resolved. The radius is preset so long as the saddles, which are numbered, are in their proper place. Some don’t like that string height isn’t individually adjustable. But it is an elegant design. IMO the Hipshot and Babicz are better for me, but I’m a bit of a tinkerer. The three point isn’t as bad as some claim, but it takes some patience and common sense to get it right. Once the quirks are mastered, it works fine.

Love Hipshot products including their bridges, great bang for the buck. Love the Babicz, a tweakers dream, but expensive. Love the three point, solid, super easy and super fast to set up. Love the VP two piece bridge, just as fast to set up as the three point and better built. Hate the Fender bent plate POS.

You're not supposed to hate it. It's purely subjective. I replaced it with a Hipshot mostly for the adjustable string spacing.

Good reason to get the Hip. I don't think any of the other TBird bridge replacements have that option.

Made of the cheapest possible cast pot metal, saddles fall out when you break a string, not enough space between saddle and tailpiece so the wrap at the end of the string rides on the saddle, no string break angle over saddle guaranteeing your strings flop around like fish at high tide, on many basses you can't get the action low enough.
I leave anything out?

Yep, I think that covers all the bases. My preference is a nice two piece bridge like your solution or the VP bridge.

But to be honest, I've never personally experienced any of the three point short comings mentioned. Never had the cast pot metal fail, never broke a string and dropped a saddle, never had the silks in the saddles impact intonation or tone or sustain, never had a lack of break angle or floppy strings, never had an issue reaching insanely low action. I know those are all legit issues, but in real world terms they might not manifest themselves often enough to be a show stopper for many players.

You've logged in countless more hours on TBirds of every flavor than I have (or probably ever will) so I suspect you've dealt with the three point short comings more than I have. When I start experiencing the mentioned fails I'll start migrating my birds away from the three points, until then I'm perfectly happy with whatever comes stock on my bird, I don't think the three point is limiting my mediocre bass playing ability.

 

[RedVee]

I was asked about Aussie bands. Well most bands I like have broken up but my favourite current Aussie band is The Living End.





People like Jimmy Barnes are still getting out and about.
His latest album is very good and is his 12th to go no 1 on Aussie charts.



A record, besting U2 & Madonna at 11 apiece. Diesel is still around. I like some of the Snowdroppers (the band in the Red Dog movie) stuff.

I also like Ash Grunwald. I think I may have mentioned him previously?

 

[PillO]

CAN I HAVE AN AMEN!?!?!?

Amen. Amen.

Have two, they're small and there are plenty to go around.