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Thunderbird Club

#170,523
2013 EB Chrome Project comparison-3.jpg


I obviously got this idea from Chamber (and used his photo to mock this up). I owe him for having the vision to bird out this EB in the first place.

So I bought an off white 2013 EB and have the pick guard and nickel covers. Now I need to decide on a bridge (I want to go all the way on this one). Two Point Hipshot or bridge and tailpiece? (ala 60's bird?) I'm thinking 2 point Hipshot on this other EB Bird I have, but I'm liking the older style bridge on the EB (despite my crappy Photoshop job). That being said, I thought I'd ask my bird brothers.

EB Bird.jpg
 
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#170,524
69'Vette said:
View attachment 4170632

I obviously got this idea from Chamber (and used his photo to mock this up). I owe him for having the vision to bird out this EB in the first place.

So I bought an off white 2013 EB and have the pick guard and nickel covers. Now I need to decide on a bridge (I want to go all the way on this one). Two Point Hipshot or bridge and tailpiece? (ala 60's bird?) I'm thinking 2 point Hipshot on this other EB Bird I have, but I'm liking the older style bridge on the EB (despite my crappy Photoshop job). That being said, I thought I'd ask my bird brothers.

View attachment 4170634
Click to expand...

Personally, I prefer the functionality of the Babicz, but I think in that application, the Hipshot actually looks the best :)
 
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#170,525
I ordered the Hipshot yesterday but got to thinking about the bird bridge as well. My one concern with the Hipshot is is sitting too close to the pickup and looking weird. I know it's got a lot of adjustability, so I don't think that will be the case, but I won't know for sure until it arrives. I'm not trying for an actual vintage look (because the bass is too new a model), but I want a vintage flavor. I think either bridge (that I'm considering) would fill that requirement.
 
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#170,526
69'Vette said:
I ordered the Hipshot yesterday but got to thinking about the bird bridge as well. My one concern with the Hipshot is is sitting too close to the pickup and looking weird. I know it's got a lot of adjustability, so I don't think that will be the case, but I won't know for sure until it arrives. I'm not trying for an actual vintage look (because the bass is too new a model), but I want a vintage flavor. I think either bridge (that I'm considering) would fill that requirement.
Click to expand...
what’s wrong with that Badass?
 
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#170,527
Chucky Stiletti said:
what’s wrong with that Badass?
Click to expand...

Nothing when it's on a Fender or anything that originally have a bridge with a similar shape. I even had a Badass II on one of my P basses. But it just feels wrong on a Gibson to me. A two point would hint at the ever-tilt a lot of those EBs once had (but would work better and have more adjustability).
 
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#170,528
69'Vette said:
Nothing when it's on a Fender or anything that originally have a bridge with a similar shape. I even had a Badass II on one of my P basses. But it just feels wrong on a Gibson to me. A two point would hint at the ever-tilt a lot of those EBs once had (but would work better and have more adjustability).
Click to expand...
interesting view. the original badass was a pretty generic bridge from what I recall, seen on many non Fender basses including Ricks and Gibsons....the badass II on the other hand was a direct Fender replacement..
 
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#170,529
69'Vette said:
View attachment 4170632

I obviously got this idea from Chamber (and used his photo to mock this up). I owe him for having the vision to bird out this EB in the first place.

So I bought an off white 2013 EB and have the pick guard and nickel covers. Now I need to decide on a bridge (I want to go all the way on this one). Two Point Hipshot or bridge and tailpiece? (ala 60's bird?) I'm thinking 2 point Hipshot on this other EB Bird I have, but I'm liking the older style bridge on the EB (despite my crappy Photoshop job). That being said, I thought I'd ask my bird brothers.

View attachment 4170634
Click to expand...
I have an EB13 as well, and one of the things I kinda like about it is the stylized Fender shape body. It's kinda neat to have a Gibby sleeper that can run under the Fender radar in full stealth mode and yet belt out glorious Thunderbird Humbucker tunes. So to my eye the the Babicz or other Fender shaped bridge looks most at home on that EB body. A three point on that bass would look completely out of place, same with the two piece and Hipshot bridges. My vote is for a Babicz, Badass, or Fender Bent plate.
 
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#170,530
GBassNorth said:
I have an EB13 as well, and one of the things I kinda like about it is the stylized Fender shape body. It's kinda neat to have a Gibby sleeper that can run under the Fender radar in full stealth mode and yet belt out glorious Thunderbird Humbucker tunes. So to my eye the the Babicz or other Fender shaped bridge looks most at home on that EB body. A three point on that bass would look completely out of place, same with the two piece and Hipshot bridges. My vote is for a Babicz, Badass, or Fender Bent plate.
Click to expand...

I hear Fender, but see more Mosrite in the body and Epiphone in the pick guard, plus Gibson in the pickups and overall look. That makes me want to find a bridge that looks at home on a Gibson.

As an aside, I have a P bass that is my #1 recording bass because it sits so well in a mix, but last week I recorded separate tracks with that, this EB, and my newly restored Thunderbird on a song my band is working on and then did a blind test with the other guys My #1 P actually didn't get any votes, and while the Thunderbird got compliments, the EB came out #1 for this song. This thing sounds great!
 
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#170,531
69'Vette said:
View attachment 4170632

I obviously got this idea from Chamber (and used his photo to mock this up). I owe him for having the vision to bird out this EB in the first place.

So I bought an off white 2013 EB and have the pick guard and nickel covers. Now I need to decide on a bridge (I want to go all the way on this one). Two Point Hipshot or bridge and tailpiece? (ala 60's bird?) I'm thinking 2 point Hipshot on this other EB Bird I have, but I'm liking the older style bridge on the EB (despite my crappy Photoshop job). That being said, I thought I'd ask my bird brothers.

View attachment 4170634
Click to expand...

I don't think the Hipshot works well with the lines of that bass, not sympathetic.
 
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#170,533
69'Vette said:
I hear Fender, but see more Mosrite in the body and Epiphone in the pick guard, plus Gibson in the pickups and overall look. That makes me want to find a bridge that looks at home on a Gibson.

As an aside, I have a P bass that is my #1 recording bass because it sits so well in a mix, but last week I recorded separate tracks with that, this EB, and my newly restored Thunderbird on a song my band is working on and then did a blind test with the other guys My #1 P actually didn't get any votes, and while the Thunderbird got compliments, the EB came out #1 for this song. This thing sounds great!
Click to expand...
It looks great too. Did you put covers over the stock pickups, or are those something else?
 
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#170,534
GBassNorth said:
It looks great too. Did you put covers over the stock pickups, or are those something else?
Click to expand...

The one in the photo has other pickups. After playing around with mine, I'll keep the DeCola pickups and just put them in the nickel covers I got. The neck pickup was falling out of the cover anyway (when I opened it up to take a peek), so it'll be days. They're glued into the covers by globs of something that doesn't stick very well, apparently. Though to be fair, mine looks like somebody was in there before, because the pickup cavities had mis matching foam raising the pickups pretty high (so high that I couldn't get an undistorted signal without turning the volume pots way down when I first tried to record it).
 
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#170,536
Yrag said:
Hi al!! New to the tbird club!! Does anyone know where I could find a goth tbird pick guard/ scratch plate? Just bought one but it’s got an aftermarket plate. Fancy returning it to stock. View attachment 4170861
Click to expand...
The Goth birds get a lot of love around here. Welcome.

Unfortunately, I have nothing to offer on the PG.
 
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#170,538
69'Vette said:
View attachment 4170632

I obviously got this idea from Chamber (and used his photo to mock this up). I owe him for having the vision to bird out this EB in the first place.

So I bought an off white 2013 EB and have the pick guard and nickel covers. Now I need to decide on a bridge (I want to go all the way on this one). Two Point Hipshot or bridge and tailpiece? (ala 60's bird?) I'm thinking 2 point Hipshot on this other EB Bird I have, but I'm liking the older style bridge on the EB (despite my crappy Photoshop job). That being said, I thought I'd ask my bird brothers.

View attachment 4170634
Click to expand...
What are you going to do with the stock DeCola pickups? Someone here might want them.
 
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