Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

I am in no way an expert. But I don’t like the solder job on the middle pot. It looks to me like someone has been in there. Am I imaging things?

Great eye, noticed that too. Looks pretty bad. I would resolder it, but you may need a higher power (100W) iron for that...

Thanks gentlemen! When I get my sissy iron out I'll see if I can address that. However, I don't want to make it worse. But I'll see what I can do.

 

[RedVee]

....So here's the control cavity pic
View attachment 3851158

Note that in each case the shield wire (wire mesh) is soldered to the back of the corresponding volume pot and the single core wire (hot) is soldered to the center lug of the corresponding volume pot.

Note to self - that that's the cheapest a$$ cap I've ever seen in any bass! I'm shocked that this bass sounds so good with that pathetic excuse for a capacitor. Anybody know the value of these caps (no guessing) I might have a spare orange drop or oil cap I can replace it with.

Costco caps ?

 

[Miles_ONeal]

The headstock would fly off injuring or killing several innocent (as well as many guilty) bystanders then resist your efforts to get the `bird out of the water.

It would wrap the strings round your neck and drag you under.

 

[Engle]

This came back from the high school and has been in quarantine for a week. Looks like a I’m going to have to give a good scrub with isopropyl:

I might send the Jaguar instead next year.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

This came back from the high school and has been in quarantine for a week. Looks like a I’m going to have to give a good scrub with isopropyl:
View attachment 3851951
View attachment 3851947
I might send the Jaguar instead next year.

Interesting bass, looks like it sounds really good

 

[GBassNorth]

Costco caps ?

LOL - certainly no orange drop!
If and when I ever tear into the control cavity on this bass I can assure you the two cent stock poor excuse for a cap will be the first thing to go. I already have an assortment of orange drop caps in my surplus parts bin. I'll just need to check the value of the itty bitty stock cap first so I can hopefully match it or maybe drive the value ever so slightly to a warmer sound, I don't want brighter, same or warmer is good.

 

[GBassNorth]

Thanks gentlemen! When I get my sissy iron out I'll see if I can address that. However, I don't want to make it worse. But I'll see what I can do.

You've probably heard the saying "a poor craftsman blames his tools". Well, soldering is a big exception to that saying. Having a nice high and variable power soldering station (vs a $15 soldering gun from Kmart) will make all the difference in the world especially when soldering to the back of a pot body where there's a significant heat sink. Not a huge deal on the pot lugs, but on the pot body, yep.

I would also echo others comments, the bridge volume pot has some pretty messy solder work on it. Might have been some after market work on that pot. I wonder if that work over heated the pot internals and messed up the resistance values a bit. Just thinking out loud, but I wonder if it would be worth while taking the bass to a Luthier and having them check the values of each component to see if everything is in spec.

Or possibly just dropping a new wiring harness in the bass (might actually be the cheapest route)...
(Gibson) Thunderbird Bass Wiring Harness, Treble Bleed, No Load Tone, 50’s or Modern Wiring | String Switch Noise | Reverb

 

[dagrev]

You've probably heard the saying "a poor craftsman blames his tools". Well, soldering is a big exception to that saying. Having a nice high and variable power soldering station (vs a $15 soldering gun from Kmart) will make all the difference in the world especially when soldering to the back of a pot body where there's a significant heat sink. Not a huge deal on the pot lugs, but on the pot body, yep.

I would also echo others comments, the bridge volume pot has some pretty messy solder work on it. Might have been some after market work on that pot. I wonder if that work over heated the pot internals and messed up the resistance values a bit. Just thinking out loud, but I wonder if it would be worth while taking the bass to a Luthier and having them check the values of each component to see if everything is in spec.

Or possibly just dropping a new wiring harness in the bass (might actually be the cheapest route)...
(Gibson) Thunderbird Bass Wiring Harness, Treble Bleed, No Load Tone, 50’s or Modern Wiring | String Switch Noise | Reverb

Good thoughts! I'm not sure my iron cost $15--and may explain why I've had some trouble using it.

I was looking at this below to get what looks like a typical harness in for non-modern Thunderbirds. I'm not sure what that would do tone-wise. I think I'll first pull one leg off that cap to see if anything changes. If it doesn't, it seems it's something else or I simply don't care for a modern Thunderbird sound that much. If I can't resolve it, I'll be on the lookout for some VP PUs or an Embassy I can part out, to keep costs down. Might consider better replacement PUs as well, but I'm getting way ahead of myself at this point when I haven't even tried all my string options yet.

Gibson Thunderbird Bass Harness! CTS, Switchcraft, Gavitt Wire, & Orange Drop Cap! | Starr Guitar Systems | Reverb

 

[Nocturnal]

This guy builds wiring harnesses and gets rave reviews from the people I know that have purchased from him. He makes 2 different Gibson Bird harnesses.

Gibson Thunderbird Bass "PRO" Wiring Harness! CTS, Switchcraft, Gavitt Wire, & Vitamin Q PIO Cap! | Starr Guitar Systems | Reverb

Gibson Thunderbird Bass Harness! CTS, Switchcraft, Gavitt Wire, & Orange Drop Cap! | Starr Guitar Systems | Reverb

 

[RexxRokket]

Rock n' Roll time again.

 

[Engle]

Interesting bass, looks like it sounds really good

It does sound good. It’s sturdy and I don’t have much money in it, so I lend it to my kid’s high school.

 

[dagrev]

This guy builds wiring harnesses and gets rave reviews from the people I know that have purchased from him. He makes 2 different Gibson Bird harnesses.

Gibson Thunderbird Bass "PRO" Wiring Harness! CTS, Switchcraft, Gavitt Wire, & Vitamin Q PIO Cap! | Starr Guitar Systems | Reverb

Gibson Thunderbird Bass Harness! CTS, Switchcraft, Gavitt Wire, & Orange Drop Cap! | Starr Guitar Systems | Reverb

Thanks much! The 2nd one was one I was looking at, but the first one you listed is interesting. I'm not sure what difference tone wise it would make but it sure looks interesting.

I talked with RS Guitar Works here in Ky before and they will make up whatever I want very reasonably as well. And they also make a Thunderbird pickup bass (but with the old Pbass body), so they know what that wiring should look like.

With those modern Gibson pickups I'm not sure if you change the wiring harness if that would be a good match or not. That part is over my head. I'm not sure what sticking a vintage tight wiring harness in with modern pick ups would do or change tone-wise.

 

[rollyolly]

I'm ready to buy some nickel Hipshot Ultralites 3/8 clover tuners for my walnut bird. Anyone know if I can use the "full size" clovers instead of the "mini" clovers? I like me some big chunky tuners.

 

[PillO]

It would wrap the strings round your neck and drag you under.

Those would be the guilty bystanders.

 

[PillO]

This came back from the high school and has been in quarantine for a week. Looks like a I’m going to have to give a good scrub with isopropyl:
View attachment 3851951
View attachment 3851947
I might send the Jaguar instead next year.

You would want to scrub it regardless - all those grubby hands on it. God knows where those hands have been before music class...

 

[11th Street Kid]

Thanks much! The 2nd one was one I was looking at, but the first one you listed is interesting. I'm not sure what difference tone wise it would make but it sure looks interesting.

I talked with RS Guitar Works here in Ky before and they will make up whatever I want very reasonably as well. And they also make a Thunderbird pickup bass (but with the old Pbass body), so they know what that wiring should look like.

With those modern Gibson pickups I'm not sure if you change the wiring harness if that would be a good match or not. That part is over my head. I'm not sure what sticking a vintage tight wiring harness in with modern pick ups would do or change tone-wise.

As a slight aside here, how do you (and others) run your Thunderbirds tone wise? Pickup volume blends/tone setting/preferred string choice, and so on.

I know we aren’t going to be comparing apples with apples here and you will adjust depending on situation but what’s YOUR Thunderbird sound when you sit and play on your own and want to hear what you want to hear?

 

[TBird1958]

I'm ready to buy some nickel Hipshot Ultralites 3/8 clover tuners for my walnut bird. Anyone know if I can use the "full size" clovers instead of the "mini" clovers? I like me some big chunky tuners.

You want to talk to Hipshot for the correct model, this has the large ones on it, they do not easily pass each other if they're in line.

This is correct.

 

[PillO]

As a slight aside here, how do you (and others) run your Thunderbirds tone wise? Pickup volume blends/tone setting/preferred string choice, and so on.

I know we aren’t going to be comparing apples with apples here and you will adjust depending on situation but what’s YOUR Thunderbird sound when you sit and play on your own and want to hear what you want to hear?

I have my white CP tuned DGCF with RS66 on it. Typically play with tone wide open (sometimes dialed down one or two marks) with neck wide open and a little bridge mixed in.

WRT tuning down a whole step, I worried that the strings would be really floppy, but it isn't bad. My estimate that it is loose like having a light gauge set installed. I have been thinking about getting a DR DDT set with 115-55 to try for DGCF

 

[GonePlaid]

As a slight aside here, how do you (and others) run your Thunderbirds tone wise? Pickup volume blends/tone setting/preferred string choice, and so on.

I know we aren’t going to be comparing apples with apples here and you will adjust depending on situation but what’s YOUR Thunderbird sound when you sit and play on your own and want to hear what you want to hear?

I play(ed) in a 60's-70's cover band, so my settings are gonna be for a Jamerson type sound. Neck pup @10, bridge/superfluous pup @0, tone @5-ballads, 7-most of the time, 10-kick@$$ rock. EB Cobalt Flats
EDIT^

 

[Miles_ONeal]

As a slight aside here, how do you (and others) run your Thunderbirds tone wise? Pickup volume blends/tone setting/preferred string choice, and so on.

I know we aren’t going to be comparing apples with apples here and you will adjust depending on situation but what’s YOUR Thunderbird sound when you sit and play on your own and want to hear what you want to hear?

It depends on the music and the bird. But generally...
For low end heaviness:
Classic Pro w/ Cobalt flats: NV: 10 BV: 0 T: 0-3 occasionally turning BV up to 2-3
For brighter through Angry Piano:
Vintage Pro w/ RS66LPs: NV: 7-10 BV: 0-3 T: 2-5 (rarely higher, but up to 10)

Most of the time, it's all neck pickup and tone rolled off. If I'm running the phaser, I'm more likely to have the tone control up some.

I never run both volume controls at 10 because the volume drops. I really should experiment with that tonally, though. I can always kick in a boost if I like the tone. Hmmm...