Thunderbird Club

[Nocturnal]

One of my fave bands, Bang Tango, their bassist Kyle Kyle played Gibsons, here in '91 with a black Thunderbird, great tone from the stock pickups!

I hadn't seen Kyle Kyle play a Bird before. The videos from the first album he was playing an old Hagstrom.

 

[JIO]

if you HAD to choose between cycling or bass playing?..

Hah! Both have been major focuses over many years. I had an 'introduction card' for years that read "Artist, Musician, Cyclist" and it's still the three things most important in my life in that order. It would be like asking to give up a third of my life!

 

[GonePlaid]

One of my fave bands, Bang Tango, their bassist Kyle Kyle played Gibsons, here in '91 with a black Thunderbird, great tone from the stock pickups!

There was at least one video(Someone Like You) of him playing one of these 'cept it's black and has 1 less string.

 

[BklynKen]

I just looked on the Hipshot site and see the A is available in 16.5 mm spacing. I wasn’t aware of that, so I’m going to remeasure.

I have a Hipshot A on my Carvin. It has the same adjustable saddles as the SuperTone, so you have leeway.

 

[GBassNorth]

So, I finally had a spare minute to look closely at my BaCH NR bridge that's lacking grooved saddles. The strings do slip side to side when playing so I clearly need to groove the saddles, but as luck would have it, looks like they're chrome plated brass. So any cutting I do will expose the brass and muck up the chrome, not ideal.

Options...
I suppose could possibly remove the saddles, groove them then send them out for chrome plating (probably pretty expensive and a PITA).
Or
I could purchase a new bridge from BaCH at a pretty reasonable price, until you add shipping which doubles the cost.
Or
I could install a vintage TBird replacement bridge from Philadelphia Luthier, assuming it fits (haven't confirmed that yet). Thunderbird Bass Bridge and Tailpiece Set - 1963-1969 - Nickel
Has anyone here ever used one of these bridges? Any good?
Or
Open to other options.

 

[GonePlaid]

So, I finally had a spare minute to look closely at my BaCH NR bridge that's lacking grooved saddles. The strings do slip side to side when playing so I clearly need to groove the saddles, but as luck would have it, looks like they're chrome plated brass. So any cutting I do will expose the brass and muck up the chrome, not ideal.
View attachment 3965244

Options...
I suppose could possibly remove the saddles, groove them then send them out for chrome plating (probably pretty expensive and a PITA).
Or
I could purchase a new bridge from BaCH at a pretty reasonable price, until you add shipping which doubles the cost.
Or
I could install a vintage TBird replacement bridge from Philadelphia Luthier, assuming it fits (haven't confirmed that yet). Thunderbird Bass Bridge and Tailpiece Set - 1963-1969 - Nickel
Has anyone here ever used one of these bridges? Any good?
Or
Open to other options.

Super glue?
Seriously, the A and G have worn through the plating some and if you were to groove them, the strings would pretty much cover the nekkid brass.

 

[PillO]

So, I finally had a spare minute to look closely at my BaCH NR bridge that's lacking grooved saddles. The strings do slip side to side when playing so I clearly need to groove the saddles, but as luck would have it, looks like they're chrome plated brass. So any cutting I do will expose the brass and muck up the chrome, not ideal.
View attachment 3965244

Options...
I suppose could possibly remove the saddles, groove them then send them out for chrome plating (probably pretty expensive and a PITA).
Or
I could purchase a new bridge from BaCH at a pretty reasonable price, until you add shipping which doubles the cost.
Or
I could install a vintage TBird replacement bridge from Philadelphia Luthier, assuming it fits (haven't confirmed that yet). Thunderbird Bass Bridge and Tailpiece Set - 1963-1969 - Nickel
Has anyone here ever used one of these bridges? Any good?
Or
Open to other options.

I feel for you. Such hardship is terrible.

At great cost and mental stress to myself, I will help by lightening our load. Send me the offending BaCH and forget it. Your troubles will be over.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

So, I finally had a spare minute to look closely at my BaCH NR bridge that's lacking grooved saddles. The strings do slip side to side when playing so I clearly need to groove the saddles, but as luck would have it, looks like they're chrome plated brass. So any cutting I do will expose the brass and muck up the chrome, not ideal.
View attachment 3965244

Options...
I suppose could possibly remove the saddles, groove them then send them out for chrome plating (probably pretty expensive and a PITA).
Or
I could purchase a new bridge from BaCH at a pretty reasonable price, until you add shipping which doubles the cost.
Or
I could install a vintage TBird replacement bridge from Philadelphia Luthier, assuming it fits (haven't confirmed that yet). Thunderbird Bass Bridge and Tailpiece Set - 1963-1969 - Nickel
Has anyone here ever used one of these bridges? Any good?
Or
Open to other options.

interesting...mine doesn't look like that....

then there's always one of these but not sure it would fit a BaCH...question for Scott I guess..

 

[GBassNorth]

interesting...mine doesn't look like that....
View attachment 3965287

then there's always one of these but not sure it would fit a BaCH...question for Scott I guess..
View attachment 3965290

Yours looks like the bridge I could purchase from BaCH. Saddles already slotted and everything chromed. Apparently BaCH let a few out the door without slotting. I think @Nocturnal had one like mine.

 

[GBassNorth]

I feel for you. Such hardship is terrible.

At great cost and mental stress to myself, I will help by lightening our load. Send me the offending BaCH and forget it. Your troubles will be over.

LOL - Such a nice guy! Always there to take one for the team, or lighten others loads.

 

[GBassNorth]

Super glue?
Seriously, the A and G have worn through the plating some and if you were to groove them, the strings would pretty much cover the nekkid brass.

That's kind of the default option (sans the super glue).

 

[GBassNorth]

Just measured everything, looks like the Philly Luthier bridge will just fit but the claw is a different size and screw spacing. I can live with that.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Yours looks like the bridge I could purchase from BaCH. Saddles already slotted and everything chromed. Apparently BaCH let a few out the door without slotting. I think @Nocturnal had one like mine.

wonder if they'll (BaCH) just sell (send) you the saddles...Roman's pretty cool...

 

[JIO]

So, I finally had a spare minute to look closely at my BaCH NR bridge that's lacking grooved saddles. The strings do slip side to side when playing so I clearly need to groove the saddles, but as luck would have it, looks like they're chrome plated brass. So any cutting I do will expose the brass and muck up the chrome, not ideal.
View attachment 3965244

Options...
I suppose could possibly remove the saddles, groove them then send them out for chrome plating (probably pretty expensive and a PITA).
Or
I could purchase a new bridge from BaCH at a pretty reasonable price, until you add shipping which doubles the cost.
Or
I could install a vintage TBird replacement bridge from Philadelphia Luthier, assuming it fits (haven't confirmed that yet). Thunderbird Bass Bridge and Tailpiece Set - 1963-1969 - Nickel
Has anyone here ever used one of these bridges? Any good?
Or
Open to other options.

I have a set of files that could cleanly slot each saddle and the string would cover the slot... so what was the problem again?

 

[Engle]

So, I finally had a spare minute to look closely at my BaCH NR bridge that's lacking grooved saddles. The strings do slip side to side when playing so I clearly need to groove the saddles, but as luck would have it, looks like they're chrome plated brass. So any cutting I do will expose the brass and muck up the chrome, not ideal.
View attachment 3965244

Options...
I suppose could possibly remove the saddles, groove them then send them out for chrome plating (probably pretty expensive and a PITA).
Or
I could purchase a new bridge from BaCH at a pretty reasonable price, until you add shipping which doubles the cost.
Or
I could install a vintage TBird replacement bridge from Philadelphia Luthier, assuming it fits (haven't confirmed that yet). Thunderbird Bass Bridge and Tailpiece Set - 1963-1969 - Nickel
Has anyone here ever used one of these bridges? Any good?
Or
Open to other options.

Don’t overdo the slots and you won’t really see the brass. They don’t need to be any bigger than the string.

 

[GonePlaid]

I feel for you. Such hardship is terrible.

At great cost and mental stress to myself, I will help by lightening our load. Send me the offending BaCH and forget it. Your troubles will be over.

What a guy!

 

[PillO]

There's a little bunny who comes to visit my garden most mornings. Very timid, but seems to have gotten accustomed to me, so we stand there and look at each other.

 

[GonePlaid]

There's a little bunny who comes to visit my garden most mornings. Very timid, but seems to have gotten accustomed to me, so we stand there and look at each other.
View attachment 3965350

I have a bunch of those in my yard. They've been breeding like......uh, rabbits. Here they're called marsh rabbits.

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

I have a bunch of those in my yard. They've been breeding like......uh, rabbits. Here they're called marsh rabbits.

 

[GonePlaid]

Oh, the violence! How did we ever survive our childhoods.