Thunderbird Club

[awilkie84]

So, the gig went REALLY well last night. The T-bird got so many compliments on tone & look.
One thing I disliked was that the strap liked to slide on my silk shirt. That will be fixed when I get my free Epiphone leather strap from Gibson!
Speaking of which, it's Epiphone bass month! Buy an Epiphone bass in the month of June & you get a free strap from Gibson!!

http://www.epiphone.com/News/Features/2014/Its-Bass-Month!-Get-A-Free-Bass-Strap.aspx

 

[TBird1958]

Simple question: generally, are t-birds heavy?
I love the look and most of the tones from one but haven't found one to play as of yet

No, all of mine are under 10lbs.

 

[Larry V]

My IV is 8 lbs. even. My Studio 5 is noticeably heavier but to this point I haven't weighed it.

I noticed the somewhat quieter B string that was brought up earlier. I remedied this by installing longer screws and longer P/U springs. I set the distance to the strings at about 3/16" and I get awesome thunderous response from all five strings. Problem solved!

 

[tomshepp]

I love Thunderbuckers! I think you are going to notice a big difference in your bass.

Yeah, I've had em' on for a while now. I sold off the original pickups pretty quick. When I decided to get my Bird together, my main reason was my recollection of an old friends 60's TBird and its sound.

 

[tomshepp]

Not sure if this: https://www.facebook.com/pages/OVEREND-WATTS-GIBSON-THUNDERBIRD/188939101250805 has been posted before, but a pretty significant bass for sure.

 

[godofthunder59]

The owner has posted this bass here before. It's a interesting story how he got it. Maybe he'll chime in.

 

[hillerup]

Not sure if this:

has been posted before, but a pretty significant bass for sure.

Seen it before on these pages, but THAT is a T-bird with serious mojo!

I wonder how it plays...?

 

[BadBassDrummer]

NBD

 

[Larry V]

That's beautiful, BBD!

 

[CDRhom]

Thanks! I seem to remember seeing your purple one TBird. Purple is my favorite color, but communicating the shade I wanted was a challenge.

He weighs in at 10.2 Lbs and at 48" is a bit shorter than my regular Gibsons. The Lollar pickups have a nice tone that seems a little brighter than I usually get from any of my other T-birds. John installed Fender reverse tuners just to mess with my head I think.

You are correct about the bridge, GoT, although I'm pretty sure John aged a new one. It seemed like the bridge was the hardest part to get. I really wanted a 5 string back when I ordered it, but I've gotten used to 4 and a drop tuner.

 

[BadBassDrummer]

I need to get pictures that capture the color better. It looks awesome in person. It weighs 8 lbs 4 ounces. I took it to jam night at a local establishment this evening and it doesn't just cut through, but punches the mix in the balls, to quote JimmyM. Can I have a number now my Queen?

 

[Al Florenzo]

Hey guyrs! I have a Epiphone Classic 4-pro t-bird (seems like everyones getting them these days. cant blame tho) and I love it a lot. It's become my main bass with my stoner/heavy rock band, because my mexican p-bass would often get drowned out and just sounds so thin in comparison. So I like the sound I get with a little overdrive, but I would prefer a bit more high-end to cut through, since the guitarrists love their fuzz. Any ideas on pickups that might be a bit more biting than the gibson pups? Or perhaps strings? I use roto sound swing basses, so highs are no problem when they're fresh, but it doesn't seem to last very long. Any advice would be appreciated, thankss! :S

 

[tomshepp]

I just tried a set of Chromes, which have the solid fundamental you want from a flat wound string, but also have a bright top end to them. For EQ, think about boosting your mids, that will help cut through the guitars, and drums for that matter.

 

[jd56hawk]

Hey guyrs! I have a Epiphone Classic 4-pro t-bird (seems like everyones getting them these days. cant blame tho) and I love it a lot. It's become my main bass with my stoner/heavy rock band, because my mexican p-bass would often get drowned out and just sounds so thin in comparison. So I like the sound I get with a little overdrive, but I would prefer a bit more high-end to cut through, since the guitarrists love their fuzz. Any ideas on pickups that might be a bit more biting than the gibson pups? Or perhaps strings? I use roto sound swing basses, so highs are no problem when they're fresh, but it doesn't seem to last very long. Any advice would be appreciated, thankss! :S

You might try this...at $50 it's indispensable:
The Steel Leather from electro-harmonix provides your bass a sound that will punch through any mix. It enhances your picking and plucking of notes on the bass guitar, giving the notes a sharp attack that will easily cut through. Use the two knobs to adjust the amount of effect from subtle attack to a total emphasis of the attack. The louder you play, the more Steel Leather expands and emphasizes the attack. But on quiet notes, there may be no expansion at all. This means you can use Steel Leather to sharpen attacks simply by playing louder.
I only have three effect boxes: MXR-M80, MXR Super Comp, and the Steel Leather...if I could only bring one to play out, I'd take the SL.

 

[TBird1958]

DR .45-.105 = way better than Roto Sound, brighter, better mids and highs and the keep their tone for a long time. I love how Rotos sound.......for the first week, after that not so much.

 

[GemJam]

I just tried a set of Chromes, which have the solid fundamental you want from a flat wound string, but also have a bright top end to them. For EQ, think about boosting your mids, that will help cut through the guitars, and drums for that matter.

I agree, Chromes are great strings. I use them on my Fenders and now on the TBird, I keep rounds on the Musicman and Ricky. The flats give very solid low end, a touch of crispness, with zero string/fret noise. An added bonus if they are fairly low tension for flats, so you don't need to tweak the neck to much when you switch from rounds.

 

[Justice]

I use Ernie Ball Super Slinkies on my birds. They sound great and fit my playing style well.

 

[marko57]

DR .45-.105 = way better than Roto Sound, brighter, better mids and highs and the keep their tone for a long time. I love how Rotos sound.......for the first week, after that not so much.

Mark are you talking the DR Hi-Beams? I've been a Roto fan for years but like you say have a low fret life and tend to chew up frets. I have the DR neons on my TBird, initially for the neon green on black effect but have noticed
they do have a longer life span. I may try the DR Hi-Beams on my Mockingbird when it's time to pull the Rotos off.

 

[Substandard]

Has anyone had any experience putting a preamp into the thunderbird? I'm considering adding a variable mid boost to helps thicken things up.

I have a 2005 Gibson thunderbird with ebony board. I just put the hipshot super tone on there which made a world of difference already. But I need more mids without having to futz with my eq.

Thoughts?

 

[TBird1958]

I need to get pictures that capture the color better. It looks awesome in person. It weighs 8 lbs 4 ounces. I took it to jam night at a local establishment this evening and it doesn't just cut through, but punches the mix in the balls, to quote JimmyM. Can I have a number now my Queen?

Great looking bass, if you can make the next Seattle GTG you could bring it!
I know what you mean on the tone!
Welcome here you're #456


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