Thunderbird Club

[dagrev]

After noting a couple of pages back that some birds don't react to tone knob adjustments as linear as you'd expect and that's not a function of a broken tone knob (as the two non bird guys on the video claimed) I decided to do a little test.

I plugged each of my birds into my amp, set the neck volume on full, bridge volume off, and the tone on full then played open GDAE strings finger style directly over the neck pickup while adjusting the tone knob down in one step increments. The results were interesting....

Eppi VP - no noticeable tone change from 10 to 4, then noticeably darker from 3 to 0
Gibby Anniversary - noticeable darkening at each step from 10 to 6, then from 5 to 0 no change
Greco - no noticeable tone change from 10 to 8, noticeable darkening with each step from 7 to 0
BaCH - no noticeable tone change from 10 to 4, noticable darkening with each step from 3 to 0
2015 - no noticeable tone change from 10 to 6, darker at 5, no change from 4 to 0

Conclusion - one could easily assume the VP tone pot isn't functioning IF the volume of a soloed pup is set at max and the tone pot is only rotated between 3 and 10. The Greco had by far the most linear tone pot and the 2015 had by far the least linear tone pot when volume is at max, all tone pots functioned just fine when the soloed pup volume was at 8 or less.

Something else to consider - I have all my pups raised to the max and strings nice and low, so I may be experiencing a bit of natural overdrive or over saturation in the signal that could be impacting the tone.

If you wish to repeat this test on your own bird it's very important that the volume of the soloed pot is at max. Anything less than max gives completely different and mostly very linear results. I also suspect that using a pick would give different results.

Nice test. Thanks!

 

[dagrev]

Woo hoo! The brain is batting 1000 today!

Oh no! It's gong to be celebratory watermelon time!

 

[dagrev]

I’m glad to hear you are liking the Gibson now. I was worried there For a while.

Thanks! I was too. I didn't want to change the PUs. I expected it would sound different than all the others I own, but it was a shock as to just how different. I'm thankful for the good advice and encouragement--as well as my BBE Sonic Maximizer! I don't know what it does--but it does it!

 

[dagrev]

Yes. Strings are basically tubes, of which the internets are built.

Possibly it gets into to the String theory in physics!

 

[Shannon]

Oh no! It's gong to be celebratory watermelon time!

daily life is such a (g)rind...

Possibly it gets into to the String theory in physics!

Making us wonder what the best strings are for metal...and the best metal for strings!
My theory is that I can play any bass with any strings equally badly.

 

[BklynKen]

Thanks! I was too. I didn't want to change the PUs. I expected it would sound different than all the others I own, but it was a shock as to just how different. I'm thankful for the good advice and encouragement--as well as my BBE Sonic Maximizer! I don't know what it does--but it does it!

So what's your current setup with it?

 

[Gaolee]

Have not really noticed that ”tone knob thing”, either on my Orville 1991 or on the Gibson 2012 I regret I sold two years ago. Tone works just fine with volume(s) full. Normally I run neck full and bridge a little rolled off and tone full or close to. Play only with fingers.

That is about what I do. Bridge rolled off to about 7 is the more or less sweet spot most of the time.

 

[GonePlaid]

Should be interesting to see if the Orville played at full volume over the neck pup responds similar to the Gibson (non linear tone pot) or if it's more like the Greco (linear tone pot). You might want to try it both finger and pick style, and maybe both over the neck pup and more back towards the bridge since those could potentially make a difference in tone as well.

I've found the volume/tone knob discussion both interesting and puzzling. On my 67 NR the neck pup volume knob goes from nothing to ~8 with very slight increases in volume. At ~8.5 it jumps up a fair amount, but at 10, it's like it comes to life. I don't use the bridge/superfluous pup, partly bc when I do turn it on I lose volume. Might be a bad pot(?). I don't really care since I don't use it for the tone I want.
The tone knob is a very different story. I used to always run it at 10, turning down to 7ish for a mellower tone for ballads. With the EBCF's, I normally run the tone at 7[I had to put a bit of white paint in the "7" as the numbers are faded. 53 years will do that], going up to 10 for a bit of 'klank' and down to ~5 for ballads.

 

[Gaolee]

Loosely-related, I learned the other day that Elixir strings, which they were using in that video, are made by Gore, as in GORE-TEX.

Really? That is odd. Gore-Tex looks like a plastic sheet. I wonder how you get from plastic sheets to bass guitar strings.

 

[Gaolee]

It's all about the Al Gore rhythms.

I have killed for less...

 

[Gaolee]

Here's a big old n00bie n00b question ......



Are T-birds routed under the pickguard? Could one conceivably remove the guard, fill the screwholes (ahem!) , refinish, and have a T-bird logo painted in the proper spot?



I've jonesed strictly for NR's for years but the recent pix of white T-birds with chrome pickups.....................


View attachment 3895355

Gibson Thunderbirds are routed. I do not know about Epi VPs. My Epi Pro IV was not routed and the bolt on Epi was not either.

 

[GonePlaid]

I have killed for less...

Lumberjacks prefer logger rhythms.

 

[Gaolee]

Gracias. More money to spend if things ever get back to "normal".

Spend the money now! Live it up! You know you need that bass.

 

[dagrev]

So what's your current setup with it?

The cobalt flats sounded best so far. (This is with the sonic maximizer which I begin using the last two weeks. It really, really helps this bass). I can't explain what it does, but it helps. DR Pure Blues sounded best for finger only on the neck PU. But overall the CBs might be the trick. I am going to try to TI flats this Sunday to see if they don't fill in some mids nicely. With the sonic maximizer being used, I may have to go back and re-try some strings.

 

[KaraQ]

Here's a big old n00bie n00b question ......



Are T-birds routed under the pickguard? Could one conceivably remove the guard, fill the screwholes (ahem!) , refinish, and have a T-bird logo painted in the proper spot?



I've jonesed strictly for NR's for years but the recent pix of white T-birds with chrome pickups.....................


View attachment 3895355

Gibson Thunderbirds are routed. I do not know about Epi VPs. My Epi Pro IV was not routed and the bolt on Epi was not either.

My bolt-on Epi IV has no routing under the pick guard...

...but my Epi Pro V has a small routed area for the wiring to the neck pickup...

 

[GBassNorth]

No routing under the Goth guard either.
Going by memory, which is usually a huge mistake for me, but I don't recall seeing any routing under the 2015 TBird guard either. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[MCF]

No routing under the Goth guard either.
Going by memory, which is usually a huge mistake for me, but I don't recall seeing any routing under the 2015 TBird guard either. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Although I changed mine on the ‘15, I can’t recall one way or the other if there was routing. Sorry....I usually pay more attention to that stuff...

 

[D.M.N.]

Well I decided if the fretboard side dots melt, so be it, easy to replace, so I went at the neck with the heat gun this morning. Talk about a WAY bigger PITA than the body. Finally got most of it done, but it's going to require a fair bit of sanding to remove the base coat, it didn't want to come off nearly as uniformly as the paint on the body. Still, much easier than sanding through the poly. It also seems the finish on the neck was noticeably thicker than on the body. All that's left now is the headstock and sides.

 

[GonePlaid]

Well I decided if the fretboard side dots melt, so be it, easy to replace, so I went at the neck with the heat gun this morning. Talk about a WAY bigger PITA than the body. Finally got most of it done, but it's going to require a fair bit of sanding to remove the base coat, it didn't want to come off nearly as uniformly as the paint on the body. Still, much easier than sanding through the poly. It also seems the finish on the neck was noticeably thicker than on the body. All that's left now is the headstock and sides.

Not to worry, the HS will explode on its own.

 

[PillO]

Well I decided if the fretboard side dots melt, so be it, easy to replace, so I went at the neck with the heat gun this morning. Talk about a WAY bigger PITA than the body. Finally got most of it done, but it's going to require a fair bit of sanding to remove the base coat, it didn't want to come off nearly as uniformly as the paint on the body. Still, much easier than sanding through the poly. It also seems the finish on the neck was noticeably thicker than on the body. All that's left now is the headstock and sides.

That sounds like the type of job I am happy to pay someone else to do. Someone who strips (ahem) finishes regularly will be much quicker, more efficient, and will not swear nearly as much as me.