Thunderbird Club

[PillO]

Get off my lawn!!..
View attachment 3858483

Not as bad as Canada Geese. If you yell at them, they will honk in French and pretend that they don't understand English.

 

[dagrev]

And your rig is some hefty mutha!!!
I mean that in a good way.

Thanks! It sure is!

 

[dagrev]

Just a thought: can you get far enuff away from the amp in a live setting to hear what it sounds like "out front"? I've found-playing live-that if it sounds good to me @ ~5-6', it's sounds like[word meaning not as good]to the audience.

Good thought. Yes, I'm moving around a little and it gets "less good" sounding the farther away I get. With the other basses the tone obviously changes, but not in a bad way.

 

[dagrev]

excellent post, if installed without major damage, many pickup manufacturers will give a full refund if you don’t like them..

Indeed it was.

And that is good to know.

 

[PillO]

Doggone Canadians and their interwebs.

Hey, the interweb is USAian! It was invented by Al Gore!

 

[PillO]

B-r-r-a-a-a-c-k.

I think the spelling is Thrrbbbbbbbbbbb.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Thank you for your consideration. That is very thoughtful. Like you, I don't want to sound like I'm dumping on an instrument many love, and it's tone which works great for many, but I'm sure my frustration is making it sound that way.

I read and considered the negatives about those basses/PUs (dark, etc), but thought, it's Thunderbird--how far off track could Gibson go? Well, a fair amount it seems! Like I said, at home it can sound good, but in a live setting it either sounds like boomy somewhat hallow lows and/or, to my ear, an odd upper thing that I really can't figure out.

I really love the bass and hope it's a wrong cap, but I'm not really optomistic. If not, I'm thinking of trying to find some ProBucker 760s and turn this into the bass Gibson should be making, IMO. (Not sure what I'll do about the chrome on a black hardware bass--remove the cans maybe.) Scott once told me the 760s were the next best thing after the Thunderbuckers. I would love to just find some 760s, but I have yet to just see a set for sale. The price of shipping a bass these days is crazy, so I rater buy just PUs if possible. Also, used Embassy's don't show up like I would have thought--and they apparently aren't making them any longer.

I'm playing through and Ampeg V-4BH (100w tube head and Ampeg Heritage 410--which is not muddy like other Ampeg 410s). It provides me with big, thick, warm punchy tone. No angry piano. Not GK tone or aggression by any means, but that's not what I'm shooting for.

Looks like there’s no other way than T-Buckers and chrome hardware......that said, I really liked the original pups on my 13, in fact, they’re going back on..

 

[PillO]

Looks like there’s no other way than T-Buckers and chrome hardware...

Chrome is always the answer here...

 

[RedVee]

Re @dagrev and his Gibson issues.

About a year ago we had a visitor who was in a metal band and wasn’t getting cut through with his Gibson. The brains trust here was able to find the defective parts and improve his bass back to normal transmission.
He subsequently sold the T’bird anyway but at least it was working properly at that point.

can’t think of his name. I’ll edit if it comes back to me.

edit: was it Mantis Toboggan ?

 

[MCF]

Thank you for your consideration. That is very thoughtful. Like you, I don't want to sound like I'm dumping on an instrument many love, and it's tone which works great for many, but I'm sure my frustration is making it sound that way.

I read and considered the negatives about those basses/PUs (dark, etc), but thought, it's Thunderbird--how far off track could Gibson go? Well, a fair amount it seems! Like I said, at home it can sound good, but in a live setting it either sounds like boomy somewhat hallow lows and/or, to my ear, an odd upper thing that I really can't figure out.

I really love the bass and hope it's a wrong cap, but I'm not really optomistic. If not, I'm thinking of trying to find some ProBucker 760s and turn this into the bass Gibson should be making, IMO. (Not sure what I'll do about the chrome on a black hardware bass--remove the cans maybe.) Scott once told me the 760s were the next best thing after the Thunderbuckers. I would love to just find some 760s, but I have yet to just see a set for sale. The price of shipping a bass these days is crazy, so I rater buy just PUs if possible. Also, used Embassy's don't show up like I would have thought--and they apparently aren't making them any longer.

I'm playing through and Ampeg V-4BH (100w tube head and Ampeg Heritage 410--which is not muddy like other Ampeg 410s). It provides me with big, thick, warm punchy tone. No angry piano. Not GK tone or aggression by any means, but that's not what I'm shooting for.

Man. I’m feeling bad for all the trouble you’re having finding your tone. I’m a relatively noob to the modern Gibson PUPs, not having the ‘13 NR but for a few months and still just using the Slinkys that it came with. I’m happy with it, but I’m not trying to put it in a live mix. I really hope you find a solution.

 

[JJR58]

Re @dagrev and his Gibson issues.

About a year ago we had a visitor who was in a metal band and wasn’t getting cut through with his Gibson. The brains trust here was able to find the defective parts and improve his bass back to normal transmission.
He subsequently sold the T’bird anyway but at least it was working properly at that point.

can’t think of his name. I’ll edit if it comes back to me.

edit: was it Mantis Toboggan ?

He had a black one he had totally tricked out.

 

[Mike.C.]

I didn't know/remember you changed the pickups in this one. Like the Robert Smith decal as well.

Thanks! Yep, Thunderbuckers and a custom PG from LarryV. I also purchased the bass from Larry (still my #1, man - thank you!!!).

 

[TBird1958]

I'm going to say that TB Plus really do sound good with a GK and Steel Rounds, it's not your tone though. Long ago before I changed my '89 to Lulls I tried some TI Flats and was not taken with them at all as well. I have a recollection of Scott @godofthunder59 saying that he didn't like TB Plus through his HiWatts either, his description being "like hitting a slab of meat" or something to that effect. I do like the TB Plus on the Studio Bird that I recently bought, and while I do think some chrome covered ones would look better, they happen to sound really good to me (the SIT Power Steels may have a lot to do it) and I'm keeping that bass stock.
My .02 on new pickups to go ahead and buy a set of the more expensive ones offered from any of the mfgs. that have been mentioned ( I'd add Seymour Duncan) as they're worth it, while I like my EY "ChinaBuckers" they're not as "full" sounding as the pickups on my other Birds.

 

[JJR58]

I'm going to say that TB Plus really do sound good with a GK and Steel Rounds, it's not your tone though. Long ago before I changed my '89 to Lulls I tried some TI Flats and was not taken with them at all as well. I have a recollection of Scott @godofthunder59 saying that he didn't like TB Plus through his HiWatts either, his description being "like hitting a slab of meat" or something to that effect. I do like the TB Plus on the Studio Bird that I recently bought, and while I do think some chrome covered ones would look better, they happen to sound really good to me (the SIT Power Steels may have a lot to do it) and I'm keeping that bass stock.
My .02 on new pickups to go ahead and buy a set of the more expensive ones offered from any of the mfgs. that have been mentioned ( I'd add Seymour Duncan) as they're worth it, while I like my EY "ChinaBuckers" they're not as "full" sounding as the pickups on my other Birds.

You so nailed it on the ChinaBuckers, exactly the reason i want to swap out mine.

 

[GonePlaid]

I think the spelling is Thrrbbbbbbbbbbb.

According to Al Capp, it's spelled BLFPTSZK.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

You so nailed it on the ChinaBuckers, exactly the reason i want to swap out mine.

What are you thinking Jeff?

 

[TBird1958]

You so nailed it on the ChinaBuckers, exactly the reason i want to swap out mine.

They're not bad by any stretch, but, cranked up with the band there is to my ears not the same tone. I'm not burning to change them out, but it'll happen.

 

[dagrev]

Hey, the interweb is USAian! It was invented by Al Gore!

Well that was the claim. My deepest apoligies. It was so it's unfair of me to blame some Hosers up North for our problems!

 

[GBassNorth]

Looks like there’s no other way than T-Buckers and chrome hardware......that said, I really liked the original pups on my 13, in fact, they’re going back on..

Love the thick punchy sound I get out of my 2012 Gibby Anniversary Bird. However, I'm not playing out on stage anymore so just an occasional garage mix with a few friends or playing along with recorded tracks. That said, my VP does cut through better than my 2012 or 2015. The VP has a gritty raw edge to its sound that my Gibby birds don't have. We'll see where the Greco falls out, but our Queen seems to think it'll best the VP in the "in your face" department.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Not as bad as Canada Geese. If you yell at them, they will honk in French and pretend that they don't understand English.

think these were honking in Spanish..