Your neck is a 9-ply, as I can see in the exposed wood in the pickup cavities. Isn't the Epiphone CP a 7-ply?
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
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- club thunderbird
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,895
- 142,211
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
Yep!
Plan, atm, is to send it to Marty Bell to be stripped & painted. Then work on getting the hardware, etc. , as I can without overstressing my budget by too much
+1 on Marty Bell, he painted a Thunderbird for me, it came out very nice!
Now we're talkin'! I feel like a voyeur watching the whole process!
Hipshot bridge in the future maybe?Yep!
Plan, atm, is to send it to Marty Bell to be stripped & painted. Then work on getting the hardware, etc. , as I can without overstressing my budget by too much
I thought so as well, but am not certain. Looks like a Gibson to me.
Possibly. May depend on when the chrome Babicz for Epiphone becomes available.
Or I could change the inserts to Gibson style?
Not sure. My Epi Pro V is 9-ply, but that may not be relevant
Just got through with checking it, with strings, seems good. Turns free, adjusts the neck. It's 4mm, which is what Epiphone uses, yes?
Over my head. I think GbassNorth has the specifications on that. I have a Hipshot on the 06 Gibson and really like it.
Not sure how to tell. Also not sure how much has been repainted previously; at least some, there's like three different colors of white on it
White on white? Scratched-out serial number? Hmmm.....Not sure how to tell. Also not sure how much has been repainted previously; at least some, there's like three different colors of white on it
Don't know about Epis but 5/16" is what Gibson calls out.
Looking at the raised lip bridge lugs, the multi lam and the side jack I'd say the body is an Eppi CP. The truss nut or Allen wrench will be the other tell tale sign. Serial number stamp out is a bit odd, but you're doing a Refin so I'd just sand and refill those anyway. It does look sweet, should look really hot in red.
Oh, and the backs of the tuners don't say anything. A Gibson's would likely say Grover.
The truss adjuster is 4mm Allen wrench.
Somebody's had Epiphone 3-screw pickups in at some point, but backwards? Weird...
I think the red & chrome will look great
I believe you have acquired a very rare Epison Thunderbird. BTW, check out Epi's "Sparkling Burgundy(color, not vino).The truss adjuster is 4mm Allen wrench.
Somebody's had Epiphone 3-screw pickups in at some point, but backwards? Weird...
I think the red & chrome will look great
That does look really nice!
He painted one of my builds and it came out fantastic.
If you're going Chrome Babicz I guess you'd replace the lugs anyway since the exposed lug flange is black. If you're going Hipshot all three lugs will be completely covered by the bridge so really no need to change them out for chrome ones. IDK if Eppi and Gibby use the same hole size for the lugs. To be safe I'd probably just go with chrome Eppi lugs if you have to change them out. Looks like most cost effective route is to keep the black lugs and Go with the cheaper Hipshot bridge vs the Babicz.
Either bridge will work with either bass now, wasn't the case a year ago. But you have to be very specific and tell Hipshot or Babicz that the bridge will be installed on your Epiphone or your Gibson so they give you the right model bridge. In days past you just requested a three point replacement and they sent you one. The old Bab was not full body contact on an Eppi and the old Hipshot was a stud puller on the Gibby. Looks like both companies have improved their offerings.
