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Thunderbird Club

#155,982
Jakeman said:
So I've got a question for you guys - I'm thinking of installing a three-way pickup selector in my main Thunderbird. I don't blend pickups much, opting to use one or the other most of the time. Original idea is I'd install it under the pick guard and have the switch somewhere on the guard. Do you all think this would damage the integrity of the instrument in any way? Is this HERESY? I don't ever plan on selling it, so resale value isn't a thing...

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Sounds like the way it’s done on the Firebird, should work perfectly
 
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#155,989
GBassNorth said:
You might be right about the Chromes. What I posted was just my initial impressions and doesn't really reflect much more than about 15 minutes of play time after the setup. I'll check the setup on the BaCH once more today and make any final adjustments before running it through its paces in numerous genres of music.

I usually run a battery of several songs in four sets of music...
1) classic rock, country, funk, club dub, reggae (Black Beauties did good on this bass - strong, deep)
2) jazz, swing, big band, waltz, orchestra (Black Beauties were lacking here - slow, muted)
3) piano tracking (Black Beauties were ok here)
4) solo. (Black Beauties were ok here - dark but clear, minimal finger noise, muted top end)
That's usually enough to highlight any short comings or strengths the strings have on a given bass. It's important to note that strings may be fine on one bass but lackluster on a different bass.
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Interesting take on the BB's. They were on the '06 Gibson. I tried them through my main rig and didn't care for them. But I was alone and no other instruments. So, it was a limited trial for a very short time. I don't really care for how they feel or look. I think my brain is too set on seeing shiny type strings.
 
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#155,990
TBird1958 said:
Becker isn't Chrissy Hynde........and I've posted this before.

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Interesting footage, never saw Becker playing a Boyd B4 although I have seen pics of him with 7ender Clones. Is that "Skunk Baxter" on Guitar!? If so I would think someone of his caliber would pay mind to those trademark leads a bit more but hey, it was the 70's right!? & that jam probably went on for another 45 Min LOL
Good Stuff:bassist:
 
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#155,992
StephnG said:
Interesting footage, never saw Becker playing a Boyd B4 although I have seen pics of him with 7ender Clones. Is that "Skunk Baxter" on Guitar!? If so I would think someone of his caliber would pay mind to those trademark leads a bit more but hey, it was the 70's right!? & that jam probably went on for another 45 Min LOL
Good Stuff:bassist:
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yup...the indomitable Jeff Baxter....between him and Beck....btw, Becker recorded much of Pretzel Logic on an NR II..
 
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#155,993
JIO said:
Interesting ... made some legit points for non-advocates. What do those who own the Epi think about what they said?
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In general terms, their praise of the VP is warranted. It is the best $700 bass on the planet. But the overall build quality of my Gibson, the way it feels, the way it plays, is far superior. What I found surprising was their perception that both sounded almost the same in their mix. I haven’t tried listening to what they did through a decent system, so who knows.
 
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#155,994
JIO said:
Interesting ... made some legit points for non-advocates. What do those who own the Epi think about what they said?
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I listened while working and I did skip some of what seemed somewhat needless, so my take is somewhat flawed. The differences in in tone were brought out well in what I was hearing, not so much in what they were saying they were hearing. As for their comments: Neither seemed to know much about Thunderbirds at all. And the guy playing contradicted or reversed himself. This after the guy on the left said something about the Gibson should be brighter or more clear, I can't recall. I got the impression that they thought the VP was way less well made compared to the Gibson. It clearly is a lesser bass, but it's a very nice instrument even at a slightly higher price as far as I'm concerned. I've not noticed the inconsistencies in smooth ride (as I think they said) or sustain with the VP. Both of mine seem as consistent across the strings as the '06 Gibson--maybe a little more so--but different strings might be the difference there.
 
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#155,995
MCF said:
In general terms, their praise of the VP is warranted. It is the best $700 bass on the planet. But the overall build quality of my Gibson, the way it feels, the way it plays, is far superior. What I found surprising was their perception that both sounded almost the same in their mix. I haven’t tried listening to what they did through a decent system, so who knows.
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I think they said they sounded different, but with eq'ing could be made to sound similar. Said the Epi was brighter sounding than the Gibson. Also said a T-bird (it's character) sounded "dead"... dark yes, but dead? Ah... no.
 
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#155,996
dagrev said:
I listened while working and I did skip some of what seemed somewhat needless, so my take is somewhat flawed. The differences in in tone were brought out well in what I was hearing, not so much in what they were saying they were hearing. As for their comments: Neither seemed to know much about Thunderbirds at all. And the guy playing contradicted or reversed himself. This after the guy on the left said something about the Gibson should be brighter or more clear, I can't recall. I got the impression that they thought the VP was way less well made compared to the Gibson. It clearly is a lesser bass, but it's a very nice instrument even at a slightly higher price as far as I'm concerned. I've not noticed the inconsistencies in smooth ride (as I think they said) or sustain with the VP. Both of mine seem as consistent across the strings as the '06 Gibson--maybe a little more so--but different strings might be the difference there.
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Like I said - they weren't advocates of a T-bird. The 'drummer turned bass-player' had some background but still was a T-bird outsider. The other guy was biased from the start, but his point about a T-bird's 1st position being "out there" was astute. It's why I play mine at the (lack-of) upper horn - to bring 1st position closer. If that was his only criticism of the neck it was justified - otherwise, if he was slagging the neck ... well, he probably should stick to his Ripper...
 
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