Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

I have to work up to it, having never owned a Bicentennial. One step at a time.

That's just fake news from the interwebs. I had my '64 long before the '76. Just go get that thing! Steps are for those guys who read the directions anyway.

 

[dagrev]

I wasn’t planning on this. But our friend @gaffster made me an offer I could not say no to. He was pleasure to work with to make this happen.

We agreed he could remove the neck to lower shipping cost from Florida to Cali. He packed it carefully with a thought given to every potential problem. Spoiler alert; the headstock did not explode.
View attachment 3642646 View attachment 3642647 View attachment 3642648
So here is what I received. A Tbird in near new cosmetic condition; @gaffster under promised and over delivered.

View attachment 3642652

View attachment 3642653 The treble side bridge insert required a gentle tap. There may be something with it; no worries. I can fix it if it’s an issue. Installed the bridge which looks brand new. Adventures in three point land.

Polished the frets and gave the fretboard a little F1 love.
View attachment 3642656
Installed the neck. Slow and steady wins the race. Got it well seated.
View attachment 3642660
Note that the strap button has been relocated. I may want to place one in the original position.

Not sure what the strings are, I’ll research and ask him tomorrow. I don’t have anything else to put on right now. Deja vu to the seventies when I seemed to be doing this all the time.
View attachment 3642668 Time got away from me. Time for dinner. Traditional SoCal Christmas Eve dinner of Tamales (from La Moderna Bakery in Whittier) and home made pot beans (below are the leftovers).
View attachment 3642683
I’ll put the strings on and complete the setup tomorrow and let you know how she plays and sounds.

Fantastic! I love the blow by blow pic description. It's almost like experiencing the grand opening with you! Which we all know we love. That experience never gets old.

 

[dagrev]

Coming from Ohio you've probably dealt with chiggers. Basically invisible fire ants.
When I first moved to the Cincinnati area from California I found out the hard way why you don't sit in the grass while wearing just cutoffs and no shirt. Damn chiggers are nasty little buggers! At least you can usually see fire ants before they bite.

You had to mention chiggers. Lord have mercy. Those tiny invisible monsters get in places you mostly keep covered. They are on some kind of satanic seek and destroy mission to the groin area and all points in between. And...you never know they were there until it's to late.

 

[Glenn Johnson]

Blend. I’ve always had in my mind that I wouldn’t like it because when on the midpoint the output is reduced.

Q1: is that even correct ?
Q2: now thinking that may be the same as having both pickups ‘on 10’. The output is reduced then also ?

so, same same ?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there is a reduction in actual volume but, rather, a mid-range drop off.

 

[BurtMacklinFBI]

Blend. I’ve always had in my mind that I wouldn’t like it because when on the midpoint the output is reduced.

Q1: is that even correct ?
Q2: now thinking that may be the same as having both pickups ‘on 10’. The output is reduced then also ?

so, same same ?

In my experience not really. Playing with a band you might cut through a bit less depending on the overall mix, due to the midrange loss, but I wouldn’t call it a loss of output.

 

[PillO]

Here I am drinking my morning Tea and it is Christmas. The day will get busy soon enough. So, Merry Xmas all my birdy brothers and sisters. Take pause to rock a little today.

 

[dagrev]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there is a reduction in actual volume but, rather, a mid-range drop off.

I think PillO is correct in that it's a perception. Normally the neck has more volume anyway. I never roll off the a neck PU and think the volume went up. Only the bridge. But if they were perfectly balanced, I would think it's just some mids dropping out. But most basses don't have PUs balanced in terms of volume.

 

[PillO]

I think PillO is correct in that it's a perception. Normally the neck has more volume anyway. I never roll off the a neck PU and think the volume went up. Only the bridge. But if they were perfectly balanced, I would think it's just some mids dropping out. But most basses don't have PUs balanced in terms of volume.

My early mid-morning tea break.

Sorry, that was not me that posted that. It is outside my areas of expertise (my areas of expertise being idiocy and watermelon head gear). And on closer inspection it looks like @BurtMacklinFBI posited that hypothesis. It sounds like it might be right (pun intended) but more importantly - another thing Thunderbirds can do - built in Metal Zone!

 

[GonePlaid]

My early mid-morning tea break.

Sorry, that was not me that posted that. It is outside my areas of expertise (my areas of expertise being idiocy and watermelon head gear). And on closer inspection it looks like @BurtMacklinFBI posited that hypothesis. It sounds like it might be right (pun intended) but more importantly - another thing Thunderbirds can do - built in Metal Zone!

FWIW[very little], in trucker/CB slang, watermelons are known as "p!ss pumpkins".

 

[matzingerz]

Hey, I'm still on my Thunderbird VP bridge and want to turn the saddle around on the E String, but I'm not quite sure if I can just unscrew the intonation screw from the nut on the other side of the bridge. I watched a video about a tune-o-matic bridge of a les paul guitar getting the saddle swapped out, and he kinda popped out the screw from the bottom of the bridge. Can't find anything about a Thunderbird tune-o-matic. So is there a certain technique or can I just unscrew it with a bit of force? Don't wanna break something. Sorry for the newbish question lol

 

[GonePlaid]

I wasn’t planning on this. But our friend @gaffster made me an offer I could not say no to. He was pleasure to work with to make this happen.

We agreed he could remove the neck to lower shipping cost from Florida to Cali. He packed it carefully with a thought given to every potential problem. Spoiler alert; the headstock did not explode.
View attachment 3642646 View attachment 3642647 View attachment 3642648
So here is what I received. A Tbird in near new cosmetic condition; @gaffster under promised and over delivered.

View attachment 3642652

View attachment 3642653 The treble side bridge insert required a gentle tap. There may be something with it; no worries. I can fix it if it’s an issue. Installed the bridge which looks brand new. Adventures in three point land.

Polished the frets and gave the fretboard a little F1 love.
View attachment 3642656
Installed the neck. Slow and steady wins the race. Got it well seated.
View attachment 3642660
Note that the strap button has been relocated. I may want to place one in the original position.

Not sure what the strings are, I’ll research and ask him tomorrow. I don’t have anything else to put on right now. Deja vu to the seventies when I seemed to be doing this all the time.
View attachment 3642668 Time got away from me. Time for dinner. Traditional SoCal Christmas Eve dinner of Tamales (from La Moderna Bakery in Whittier) and home made pot beans (below are the leftovers).
View attachment 3642683
I’ll put the strings on and complete the setup tomorrow and let you know how she plays and sounds.

Might I suggest a Grover GP620C "Eagle" shaped strap lock in the original position.

 

[Nocturnal]

Coming from Ohio you've probably dealt with chiggers. Basically invisible fire ants.
When I first moved to the Cincinnati area from California I found out the hard way why you don't sit in the grass while wearing just cutoffs and no shirt. Damn chiggers are nasty little buggers! At least you can usually see fire ants before they bite.

Yes, Chiggers are another not fond memory from the past. I believe they were worse when we lived in KY than in Ohio, but its been a minute since I have lived in either place. Invisible, evil little bugs those chiggers.

 

[GonePlaid]

Yes, Chiggers are another not fond memory from the past. I believe they were worse when we lived in KY than in Ohio, but its been a minute since I have lived in either place. Invisible, evil little bugs those chiggers.

We have tiny biting gnats known as "no-see-ums" down here. You can't feel them land on you so the first awareness is when they bite.

 

[TBird1958]

Yes, Chiggers are another not fond memory from the past. I believe they were worse when we lived in KY than in Ohio, but its been a minute since I have lived in either place. Invisible, evil little bugs those chiggers.

You guys and your crotch crickets!

 

[GonePlaid]

You guys and your crotch crickets!

Wow! Haven't heard that term since my Navy days-usually referring to a different "bug".

 

[JJR58]

Hey gang. Merry Christmas from Frank and me, to all of you.

 

[Gaolee]

Seriously? I respect you and your opinions. But IMO, the NR is the second most awesome shape in the bass world. The 7ender Jag is third. But there’s only one original THUNDERBIRD!
View attachment 3642701

It is ergos. No upper horn means you can swivel a reverse 'Bird anywhere you want and it goes there without poking your ribs. It is perfect for the way I like to move and move the neck while playing. A NR sacrifices a bit of that. It is not a aesthetic issue, just an idiosyncratic personal issue.

 

[bylar13]

Happy Christmas to all you weirdos!

Weird side note. My favorite rock band in the 80’s was The Replacements. They recently released a box set, which includes a remix of the “Don’t Tell A Soul” record. I always loved the bass on that record, but mostly only ever saw Tommy Stinson playing P Basses. This stuff doesn’t sound like a P Bass completely to me. Here’s a picture of them at the time...
View attachment 3642737

There’s a kinda sad ending to this but I’ll save it until after the holidays

Not entirely related but this was in the TB Classifieds a couple of years back....

SOLD - 1979 Gibson Thunderbird

 

[Gaolee]

Coming from Ohio you've probably dealt with chiggers. Basically invisible fire ants.
When I first moved to the Cincinnati area from California I found out the hard way why you don't sit in the grass while wearing just cutoffs and no shirt. Damn chiggers are nasty little buggers! At least you can usually see fire ants before they bite.

Chiggers were worse in the North Carolina hills, where I spent a huge amount of time as a kid. Western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, southeastern Ohio... There might be some ancestry anomalies in the family. I do have teeth, so not all stereotypes fit.

 

[Gaolee]

Happy Christmas to all you weirdos!

Weird side note. My favorite rock band in the 80’s was The Replacements. They recently released a box set, which includes a remix of the “Don’t Tell A Soul” record. I always loved the bass on that record, but mostly only ever saw Tommy Stinson playing P Basses. This stuff doesn’t sound like a P Bass completely to me. Here’s a picture of them at the time...
View attachment 3642737

There’s a kinda sad ending to this but I’ll save it until after the holidays

Merry Christmas back to you as well.