Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club thunderbird
hillerup
There are basses, and there are Thunderbirds!
Need to share these...
If any of you guys like to have vintage clover leaf tuners on your birds and are on a budget, may I suggest these replacement clover leaf tuner buttons:
Available from an Ebay seller (wiguitar) and available in black/chrome/gold.
They come with the screws and are listed as working with most Grover or Gotoh style machine heads. They will also work on some import machine heads.
I've bought a bunch of them, and can verify they fit perfectly on the Asian OEM tuners fitted on Epiphone Thunderbirds - However they do NOT fit the US Grover tuners on both my Gibson Thunderbirds, and nor do they fit on Warwick tuners and the cheap Asian tuners on Harley Benton basses as the stems on these are slightly thicker than those on the Epi birds...
Apparently they are made by Mighty Mite, but I have never seen these before, and they are not listed on the MIghty Mite website either.
The Ebay seller bought a small quantity of these, and still have some left if you hurry:
NEW GUITAR TUNING MACHINE HEAD BUTTONS FOR 4 STRING BASS BLACK CLOVER LEAF
NEW GUITAR TUNING MACHINE HEAD BUTTONS FOR 4 STRING BASS CHROME CLOVER LEAF
NEW GUITAR TUNING MACHINE HEAD BUTTONS FOR 4 STRING BASS GOLD CLOVER LEAF
However seller does have more than he lists - Write him if you need more, and he will respond very quickly and list more to order...
If any of you guys like to have vintage clover leaf tuners on your birds and are on a budget, may I suggest these replacement clover leaf tuner buttons:
Available from an Ebay seller (wiguitar) and available in black/chrome/gold.
They come with the screws and are listed as working with most Grover or Gotoh style machine heads. They will also work on some import machine heads.
I've bought a bunch of them, and can verify they fit perfectly on the Asian OEM tuners fitted on Epiphone Thunderbirds - However they do NOT fit the US Grover tuners on both my Gibson Thunderbirds, and nor do they fit on Warwick tuners and the cheap Asian tuners on Harley Benton basses as the stems on these are slightly thicker than those on the Epi birds...
Apparently they are made by Mighty Mite, but I have never seen these before, and they are not listed on the MIghty Mite website either.
The Ebay seller bought a small quantity of these, and still have some left if you hurry:
NEW GUITAR TUNING MACHINE HEAD BUTTONS FOR 4 STRING BASS BLACK CLOVER LEAF
NEW GUITAR TUNING MACHINE HEAD BUTTONS FOR 4 STRING BASS CHROME CLOVER LEAF
NEW GUITAR TUNING MACHINE HEAD BUTTONS FOR 4 STRING BASS GOLD CLOVER LEAF
However seller does have more than he lists - Write him if you need more, and he will respond very quickly and list more to order...
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Why surprised?
For a while I almost suspected that it was some sort of weird Talkbass joke/hoax and didn't actually exist.
Same, I have never been asked to play this song, and I've been playing in cover bands since I was 16. I think I've only ever heard it played once or twice. I like Wilson Pickett, and enjoy the song okay, but I could never understand the apparent popularity that people here ascribe to it. Like, it's fine, but it's no Land of 1000 Dances. And it's certainly no Shout Bamalama by Otis Redding:
I thought 'the Commitments' version was what put the popularity way up.
Or not, just a thought.
I really like that movie, and that band. Especially that brunette... wow...
Haha, well that's the version we do anyway. I find it good fun.
Idk, with all the traveling i've done in my life from Alaska to Cali to the Gulf Coast it seems I always run into that darn song. Got a catchy rhythm to it.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
Non Mustang Sally content - I took the P out for a change last night. I had forgotten how awkward 7ender ergos really are. That specific Precision is a keeper, and it sounds amazing, but it would take some real commitment on my part to get used to playing it standing up. The more I play Thunderbirds, the more difficult it is to play anything else.
Will these fit the tuners on the Classic IV Pro with enough clearance between the keys?
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
NBD.
New (Star Trek) BEYOND (movie) Day.
Could not resist. Was futile.
New (Star Trek) BEYOND (movie) Day.
Could not resist. Was futile.
So... I came back to the fold with a white Epi Classic. After reading about pickup heights/set-up, I had to double-foam under the bridge pickup to get it high enough (measured w/string depressed at last fret: neck pickup 3/32", bridge 1/16"). Why do they rout so deep? Should I look into rolling some wood inserts?
hillerup
There are basses, and there are Thunderbirds!
I believe so, but haven't tried them on yet, as my Classic Pro is not currently at home.
I tried them on my Pelham Blue Epi bird, and they lined up fine with very little clearance between them.
Haji
Supporting Member
Welcome home again!
I don't know why they do that, but I have a couple guesses. Both have to do with manufacturing processes. It could be that those pick-up dimensions have changed to something slimmer. Assembly line instruments are cut on CNC machines for accuracy and production speed. The template has probably not been changed in quite a while. it could also be to allowas much wiggle room as possible in manufacturing so that they don't have to send it back to be cut deeper if something doesn't fit right, but that seems less likely to me. At any rate, those are complete speculation on my part.
The Gibson Brands folks really should have a TBird rep assigned to monitor this group for just such questions. Always seem to be behind the curve.
Haji
Supporting Member
Just enough.
Hard to quantify that. I had a 1987 Charvel 2B in east county San Diego, where it's pretty dang dry. Never noticed any weather damage at all. Now I have a 1988 Charvel 4B (basically an extra control hole for a toggle switch vs the 2B) in Ken-tuh-kee where it's so humid year round that wood rusts. Again, no apparent weather damage. With proper finish work, they're pretty much impervious to weather under normal conditions.
