Thunderbird Club

[Captain Rumble]

Even if nothing works, for the price that bird cost it is a steal. Nice score! And welcome to the club. It’s nice to have members from Scandinavia here with us (there are at least a couple others here)!

Well, you know, apart from some dirt and lots of dust, it works great! Even the old strings sound some kinda fresh, not dull, even though it might be a good idea to cook them out or whatever phrase you use in proper English/American. And as I told earlier, it is like new, it even had the protective decal on the back plate. And I suppose - haven't yet found (the right )time and 'peace' to plug it into the LD 150, I have no reason to mistrust in that department.
AND NOW a question of playing/updating: I'm aware the best thing now would be to get me a new set of strings. Back in the day I was a big fan of the standard gauge RotoSound roundwound strings (Ive owned a Squier Precision, a Japanese Jazz Bass clone I still own - though heavily modified with Schallers, BadAss bridge and Big Bertha humbucker pu - and a MusicMan with graphite neck, a heavy mf that was , played at the time thru a Bassman 100 and later thru a SVT II as in the pic..
But I'd like some advice as to all experience you here have with the (EPI) T-Bird: Is Roto Sound roundwound standard gauge (normal tuning) a good way to go or is there any other type string that absolutely excels in combination with the T-Birds characteristics soundwise?

 

[KaraQ]

The Cobalt flats from my Pro V are awaiting the same fate! Still haven’t gotten the nut filed on the BO for BEAD.

I haven't done the nut yet either. Thought about filing the bridge saddles too, but since I'm changing it out, I think I'll just leave it.

 

[MCF]

I have been debating with myself for several weeks. "How useful is BEAD tuning?" I have a bass tuned BEAD. And then I tuned one to DGCF.

I am finding that the bulk of the songs that I want to play with lower than standard tuning are in Drop D. So D standard may be the more useful tuning to me. And D standard doesn't require me do lots of thinking about where the notes are. So I question if I need a BEAD bass.

Funny you mention thin. I’ve been working to sort out sone Nikki/Silversun Pickups songs. There are a couple recorded in BEAD. And a couple in D#G#C#F#. Do you suppose I could get two more Thunderbirds and dedicate one to each alternate tuning?

 

[PillO]

Funny you mention thin. I’ve been working to sort out sone Nikki/Silversun Pickups songs. There are a couple recorded in BEAD. And a couple in D#G#C#F#. Do you suppose I could get two more Thunderbirds and dedicate one to each alternate tuning?

Well of course you need at least a couple more `birds...

But what is with Eb Ab Db Gb tuning? There is plenty of music done in that tuning (and some done in D# G# C# F#). U2 and SRV come to mind, but there are plenty of others. You can play the songs in standard tuning and unless you are playing with the recording, and no one will notice (assuming everyone is in standard tuning). So why down tune half a step? Is is guitar players who want to be in The Princess Fingers Club?

 

[MCF]

Well, you know, apart from some dirt and lots of dust, it works great! Even the old strings sound some kinda fresh, not dull, even though it might be a good idea to cook them out or whatever phrase you use in proper English/American. And as I told earlier, it is like new, it even had the protective decal on the back plate. And I suppose - haven't yet found (the right )time and 'peace' to plug it into the LD 150, I have no reason to mistrust in that department.
AND NOW a question of playing/updating: I'm aware the best thing now would be to get me a new set of strings. Back in the day I was a big fan of the standard gauge RotoSound roundwound strings (Ive owned a Squier Precision, a Japanese Jazz Bass clone I still own - though heavily modified with Schallers, BadAss bridge and Big Bertha humbucker pu - and a MusicMan with graphite neck, a heavy mf that was , played at the time thru a Bassman 100 and later thru a SVT II as in the pic..
But I'd like some advice as to all experience you here have with the (EPI) T-Bird: Is Roto Sound roundwound standard gauge (normal tuning) a good way to go or is there any other type string that absolutely excels in combination with the T-Birds characteristics soundwise?

What is the meaning of life?

Seriously Cap, that’s as good a place to start as any. Roto Sounds have been a tried and true staple on Thunderbirds for more than 50 years. Reasonably priced, readily available and consistent quality. It really is a matter of personal preference. I think we all agree to disagree on the answer the the string question. What do you like them to feel like? Do your fingers develop thick callouses? Does the degree of tension and stiffness matter to you? How good is your hearing? Will you be gigging the bass and if so through what?

I think the EPI bolt-ons sound great with most nickel rounds. I like 45-105s. Others like lighter or heavier. I always seem to come back to Slinkys or Dunlop Super Brights because I like how they feel. They pretty much sound the same. And they’re inexpensive. Others use Ken Smiths, DA XLs, GHS...

There is also a strong contingent of Black Beauties advocates around here. And flats devotees. One of my bolt-ons will be getting SIT Power Steels at the next change. I like them a lot on my Gibson NR.

Keep an eye out for another Thunderbird so you can compare different string options and see which you prefer.

 

[GonePlaid]

Funny you mention thin. I’ve been working to sort out sone Nikki/Silversun Pickups songs. There are a couple recorded in BEAD. And a couple in D#G#C#F#. Do you suppose I could get two more Thunderbirds and dedicate one to each alternate tuning?

You have my permission, blessing, encouragement, etc.

 

[MCF]

Well of course you need at least a couple more `birds...

But what is with Eb Ab Db Gb tuning? There is plenty of music done in that tuning (and some done in D# G# C# F#). U2 and SRV come to mind, but there are plenty of others. You can play the songs in standard tuning and unless you are playing with the recording, and no one will notice (assuming everyone is in standard tuning). So why down tune half a step? Is is guitar players who want to be in The Princess Fingers Club?

I tune to the recorded versions because I don’t have any playmates.

 

[GBassNorth]

Really good info! Thanks for doing the test and posting results. Now I'm wondering if different pots might be a distant consideration on the '06. But I will say I find the tone knob on it as useful as on any bass except my '58 Pbass.

Glad you find it insightful. My issue with the Goth running Cobalt Flats was that I frequently like my tone pot down around zero to maybe three. But to get any useable volume from the Goth with the tone at zero I had to crank the volume knob to 8 or 9 and then had to back it down to 5 or 6 if I rolled the tone knob to 3 or higher. Now I get very useable volume at 1 or 2 on the volume knob even with the tone knob set at zero.

Do a quick test on your bird. Set neck volume at 2, bridge off and tone on zero. Is the volume level really useable in a mix? With the tone set at zero, how high do you have to turn the volume knob up to get to a useable mix volume? If you're happy with the volume and tone at those settings then don't change a thing, if you're not, then a lower value cap may be in order.

Note: I'm not a fan of mucking around with my amp settings between songs or once I have everything sorted for the venue. I'd much rather fiddle with the knobs on the bass for any fine tuning I might need from song to song. If I were more of an amp Guy most of this volume and tone pot stuff would be a moot point since it can all be compensated for at the amp.

As for pots, I didn't like the effect the 250k pots had on tone, but I did like the 500k tone pot swap to linear vs the stock Audio Taper. It didn't really change the tone or volume but it just made finding that right tone a bit easier and more intuitive. I probably wouldn't bother to do a tone pot swap unless I was rewiring the bass for other reasons.

Well, you know, apart from some dirt and lots of dust, it works great! Even the old strings sound some kinda fresh, not dull, even though it might be a good idea to cook them out or whatever phrase you use in proper English/American. And as I told earlier, it is like new, it even had the protective decal on the back plate. And I suppose - haven't yet found (the right )time and 'peace' to plug it into the LD 150, I have no reason to mistrust in that department.
AND NOW a question of playing/updating: I'm aware the best thing now would be to get me a new set of strings. Back in the day I was a big fan of the standard gauge RotoSound roundwound strings (Ive owned a Squier Precision, a Japanese Jazz Bass clone I still own - though heavily modified with Schallers, BadAss bridge and Big Bertha humbucker pu - and a MusicMan with graphite neck, a heavy mf that was , played at the time thru a Bassman 100 and later thru a SVT II as in the pic..
But I'd like some advice as to all experience you here have with the (EPI) T-Bird: Is Roto Sound roundwound standard gauge (normal tuning) a good way to go or is there any other type string that absolutely excels in combination with the T-Birds characteristics soundwise?

String choices for birds are always a great question and I'm sure you'll get a bunch of helpful info from others in the club on roundwounds. I don't think I've actually seen a general consensus on the best Round for a bird. If you're interested in flats there's a lotta love in the club for Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats (not so much for the rounds). And if Tapes interest you, a lot of us are running La Bella Black Tapes on our birds with great success.

 

[MCF]

In remembrance on what would have been John’s 80th.

 

[KaraQ]

Glad you find it insightful. My issue with the Goth running Cobalt Flats was that I frequently like my tone pot down around zero to maybe three. But to get any useable volume from the Goth with the tone at zero I had to crank the volume knob to 8 or 9 and then had to back it down to 5 or 6 if I rolled the tone knob to 3 or higher. Now I get very useable volume at 1 or 2 on the volume knob even with the tone knob set at zero.

Do a quick test on your bird. Set neck volume at 2, bridge off and tone on zero. Is the volume level really useable in a mix? With the tone set at zero, how high do you have to turn the volume knob up to get to a useable mix volume? If you're happy with the volume and tone at those settings then don't change a thing, if you're not, then a lower value cap may be in order.

Note: I'm not a fan of mucking around with my amp settings between songs or once I have everything sorted for the venue. I'd much rather fiddle with the knobs on the bass for any fine tuning I might need from song to song. If I were more of an amp Guy most of this volume and tone pot stuff would be a moot point since it can all be compensated for at the amp.

As for pots, I didn't like the effect the 250k pots had on tone, but I did like the 500k tone pot swap to linear vs the stock Audio Taper. It didn't really change the tone or volume but it just made finding that right tone a bit easier and more intuitive. I probably wouldn't bother to do a tone pot swap unless I was rewiring the bass for other reasons.


String choices for birds are always a great question and I'm sure you'll get a bunch of helpful info from others in the club on roundwounds. I don't think I've actually seen a general consensus on the best Round for a bird. If you're interested in flats there's a lotta love in the club for Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats (not so much for the rounds). And if Tapes interest you, a lot of us are running La Bella Black Tapes on our birds with great success.

I guess that's one area where I'm...fortunate?
I'm in the same location always, so my settings never change (unless I'm fiddling with a new bass to find the sound I like best from it). My main bass, the bolt-on Epi-'bird with the "broken in" Roto 77s, keeps the neck p/u maxed, and the bridge p/u & tone at 70-80%.

The amp, however, is on "1". It always stays the same (I haven't changed any of the amp settings in years... ), it's the constant for when I am trying out sounds on a new bass.

No idea how I'll manage if I ever play out live again (fairly unlikely )

 

[dagrev]

Well, you know, apart from some dirt and lots of dust, it works great! Even the old strings sound some kinda fresh, not dull, even though it might be a good idea to cook them out or whatever phrase you use in proper English/American. And as I told earlier, it is like new, it even had the protective decal on the back plate. And I suppose - haven't yet found (the right )time and 'peace' to plug it into the LD 150, I have no reason to mistrust in that department.
AND NOW a question of playing/updating: I'm aware the best thing now would be to get me a new set of strings. Back in the day I was a big fan of the standard gauge RotoSound roundwound strings (Ive owned a Squier Precision, a Japanese Jazz Bass clone I still own - though heavily modified with Schallers, BadAss bridge and Big Bertha humbucker pu - and a MusicMan with graphite neck, a heavy mf that was , played at the time thru a Bassman 100 and later thru a SVT II as in the pic..
But I'd like some advice as to all experience you here have with the (EPI) T-Bird: Is Roto Sound roundwound standard gauge (normal tuning) a good way to go or is there any other type string that absolutely excels in combination with the T-Birds characteristics soundwise?

I don't have that version of Thunderbird, but if it sounds similar to modern Gibson's Black Beauties sound pretty good. I'm going for a big, thick sound with punch and some clarity, but no angry piano or clank sounds. Rounds that I like on other versions of Thunderbirds include, GHS Boomers, GHS Progressives and Rotos. Infeld Supperalloys are on the '64. Fender Flats also sound great! Cobalt Flats can be a good tone option as well. It depends on what you are shooting for and the amp and cab being used. In the end, there are many good options, so enjoy the journey!

 

[dagrev]

You have my permission, blessing, encouragement, etc.

There you go @MCF. What else could possibly be necessary? A sign from heaven? So get out that and snag that new Thunderbird. And post pics!

 

[MCF]

There you go @MCF. What else could possibly be necessary? A sign from heaven? So get out that and snag that new Thunderbird. And post pics!

There will be another bird after the amp situation is squared away. Maybe by then you’ll be ready to part with your bicentennial....You said you needed room for Mom, I’m happy to help in any way I can.

 

[KaraQ]

What I've been doing instead of sleeping

fin


...for now...

 

[MCF]

Works for me Kara. Good job.

 

[GBassNorth]

I guess that's one area where I'm...fortunate?
I'm in the same location always, so my settings never change (unless I'm fiddling with a new bass to find the sound I like best from it). My main bass, the bolt-on Epi-'bird with the "broken in" Roto 77s, keeps the neck p/u maxed, and the bridge p/u & tone at 70-80%.

The amp, however, is on "1". It always stays the same (I haven't changed any of the amp settings in years... ), it's the constant for when I am trying out sounds on a new bass.

No idea how I'll manage if I ever play out live again (fairly unlikely )

Pretty much the same here, other than garage jams with the guys a few times a year all the playing is done in the bass room these days. I haven't really gigged since I retired almost 8 years ago. I miss playing on stage but I don't miss the late nights, the bars, the load in and out and the band drama. Now I mostly throw a stack of CDs in the player or turn on Pandora and hit random to play along.

 

[Engle]

Always thought he lacked something. Pizazz or style maybe.... Clearly caused by his introversion....

Love this footage of Bootsy in 71:

 

[Engle]

That would certainly be a logical assumption, except a 1/8" difference in pup locations between the two Gibsons would make zero difference in sound. Even the 1/4" difference in pup locations between the two Epiphones would be completely un-noticeable sound wise.

Kinda makes me wonder if the bodies are identical in size, I suspect they're not. If not, it could possibly be chalked up to something as simple as a scaling factor. Then again, it might have just been some summer intern in the design department eyeballing it on the CAD drawing. Just one of the many unsolved mysteries of the world I guess.

I think you can hear a difference with about 1/2” change in PU position. It might be subtle enough that a slight change in plucking/picking position could cancel it out.

 

[Engle]

Hellllloooooo everybody, I'm back again, sort of! I joined this club and introduced myself a couple of months ago, during the first wave of the C-19 pandemic, sometime in march it was, if I'm correct. I talked about an Epi T-Bird being up for sale here in northern Norway at a very reasonable price, but I missed out on that one, due to travel regulations at the time and bad winter conditions (seller live some 100 miles away from me), resulting in the bass getting sold to someone else. But, of course ha, this was meant to be, as I found me another one one week ago, in better - almost new condition - at a totally ridiculous price..
I was with our son at the playground last sunday, killing some time before we had to pick up our daughter at a friend's place and I was just speedbrowsing ZuckBook's local sales groups in this region, when a picture flashing by caught my eye.. "Hey, is that..?.. Yes, it is! ! I just hit a pic of the T-bird logo! It was the 'main picture' of a listing for a 'bassgitar', no further specifics mentioned. Fixed price, so I immediately responded: "Yes, I'd like to buy this." (in Norwegian, of course ) Got a response via pm, gave my son acute marching orders and off we went. I was afraid someone would beat me at it, so I may have tested the speed limit a couple of times, but it was worth it.. I'll just copy-paste the text accompanying my ZuckBook post on sunday:
"* So, It didn't come with a case or a gigbag, just a lot of dust on top, what looks like factory strings and some original decals to protect the cover on the back..
But hey, no complains here when it cost me no more than the Norwegian equivalent of some €20.. Yes, twenty! View attachment 4012196 View attachment 4012197 "

Great score!

 

[KaraQ]

....Now I mostly throw a stack of CDs in the player or turn on Pandora and hit random to play along.

That's currently my primary life-goal, to just load up a playlist on random & be able to competently play along.
Work-in-progress at the moment