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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
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- Tags
- club thunderbird
Which wireless? Pros and cons (if any)?
@dagrev is wondering if his modern Gibson pickups are ok, so nice std Gibbys and also looking to hear some other pickup options.
- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
- 51,187
- Disclosures
- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
Ah! I like the stock pickups, but they can come off a bit ‘muddy.’ Of everything I’ve tried...
Lollars- more hifi version. Not crystal clear, but muscular and that great spank up top.
Thunderbuckers- the 63’s (to me) sound like the best P bass pickup ever. Mid forward in a great way.
TB 66- more TBirdish and extremely cool. Chunky, but clear.
*I also have a Fano bass (JM4?) with their own designed pickups. Much more mid forward than a typical TBird pickup, but super cool. Like the best J sound ever
I use a Shure GLXD16 digital wireless tuning pedal...kills two birds w/ one stone. Good, reliable wireless and good, easy to see tuner. All metal pedal and battery pack, so built like a tank. Rechargeable 16 hour life, and you can even buy spare rechargeable battery to have on hand just in case.
Shure GLXD16 Digital Wireless Guitar Pedal System
Would love a set of these. SD Hawbuckers. It’s a different version then the one JIO has in his Bird. This one is in my liberated ‘71.
Thanks, I'll do some searching.
And they do sound good. Not 60s good, but I'm happy with mine--other than it's a boat anchor. I likely overpaid for mine but I really liked it and it was in good shape, and it has a 76 serial number which makes it odd because there were no white ones made in 76. Most who have looked into that bass seem to think that it was made in 76, then set-aside for some reason and finished in 77 and released into the wild.
Thank you so much for finding and re-posting that! I do recall watching that one before. I don't mind the "chatty" at all; it was interesting to hear your take on the bass. While not exactly the tone I am shooting for, I do like it, a lot. Certainly has something that the modern Gibson pickups lack in terms of personality. I don't think I could get that tone regardless of strings or rig with the Gibson. I just don't think it's possible. Not that I want to have that much personality in my tone necessarily. Thanks again!
Thanks Duke for the great description and run down on the pickups!
This conversation started when I got my 06 Gibson and found that in a live setting the tone just kind of disappears and sounds hollow. (and I've tried several strings some of which were pretty aggressive like Rotos.) I'm not going for the angry piano sound but my other Gibson's don't sound anything like this one. Hence the possibly a pickup change discussion arose. At this point, I would really like to find a kid who has destroyed a newer Embassy Pro and get those ProBuckers installed in the Gibson. I've got two VPs and both of them sound fantastic. Not as good as my '64 fantastic, but pretty doggone close.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,895
- 142,214
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
But not the hair!Bleach my eyes now, please!
Who posts such things?Bad JJR58, bad JJR58! But you can't take the Thunderbird to the sandbox.
I don’t always play well with orders. What’s the PG material?
Gold anodized. Some form of metal, what ever it is that 7ender makes.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,588
- 221,964
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
It's the light - it's subtly textured golden anodized aluminum. (not smooth) Examples of vintage anodized pg's show it rendered smooth to a silver where touched a lot.
