Thunderbird Club

[Korladis]

That sounds really cool!

I'm mulling over some brass, etc for my Blackbird. Stealth, yes that's cool, but I may not want it to completely disappear.

Mine is brown, so I want to do "mild steampunk" I guess.

Neck dive, where does this come from? a little neck heavy perhaps but a half decent strap will stop that 100%, neck dive, they must be drying their soggy grots on the headstock or something

I think strap button location makes a big difference.

I'm totally with you on this - However, even the basses themselves differ a bit between the different productions... I have Epi birds with perfect aligned pickguards, which doesn't even fit properly on some of the other birds - even if you don't take the screw holes into account...

Exactly. The supply chain is needlessly complicated.

I'm quite interested in seeing how your TRC will turn out...

I have one of her pickguards (aluminum one with gothic weave and no bird), and would love to get a matching TRC.

I did write her a couple of month ago about it, but never got a response back...

Gotta keep bugging her, I guess. She did say that sometimes stuff goes into her spam folder that shouldn't.

Paid $AU450 for my Pro-IV - marked down from $AU1150. Some clown had dropped it and the fingerboard near the nut had needed repair (no headstock or neck break though) and it had been languishing on the sale rack ever since (and to think I only went in to that shop to buy a cable).

After the initial 'I've got a Tbird man!' exhilaration wore off, the soggy cardboard quality of the pickups began to shine through. The simplest and cheapest option is to rip out the electronics and replace with a pair of passive pups with traditional wiring (or a variant thereof: VVT, VVTT, VV...)

new pickups2

• kat888
• Sep 1, 2016
• 1
• pickups thunderbird

You could put a pickup switch there.

 

[Butcherboy]

Tell us some more about this one, if you would?
I have a couple of late 70s RDs (a Standard and an Artist) and would love to hear it's story.

Don't know much about it, but I'd like to know who made that incredible skinny headstock for that bass.....

 

[kat888]

You could put a pickup switch there.

Or an LED flasher - there's already a battery compartment.

 

[ThaCoast]

The Deep Sixx are in fact loud as hell. . They are also a bit on the "wooly" side, as I learned last night at (what may be) our last reggae gig of the season at our summer haunt... although they seem to bellow a good deal deeper, and generally louder than the DiMarzio P/Js w/ Artec pre on my Mutant Hamer, the Hamer is tighter, clearer sounding. It's not a put-off by any means, just noteworthy.

But in terms of clarity, how are they? Cause if they're not far off from being like stock epiphones with more output, i might pass

 

[RedVee]

Or an LED flasher - there's already a battery compartment.

Pardon my naivety, would a preamp thingy change be easier/ cheaper? As effective?

(I don't have a Pro IV but interested in the subject)

 

[EdO.]

Pardon my naivety, would a preamp thingy change be easier/ cheaper? As effective? (I don't have a Pro IV but interested in the subject)

I'd also be interested in that. Thought about it with my Pro V but I don't know enough about the possible options, what the potential changes would be. Anyone?

 

[Count Bassie]

But in terms of clarity, how are they? Cause if they're not far off from being like stock epiphones with more output, i might pass

That I can't so accurately tell you... but I had an Epi (not the Pro IV I had more recently) a few years ago, just a standard bolt-on, and the pups were, to me, nothing special. They weren't vibrant sounding or dynamically interesting, if those describers mean anything... the Deep Sixx on the other hand do have some personality, and they're punchy, esp with the separate volume controls added. They also have an impressively glassy top end and snarl that was lacking in that previous Epiphone.

I'd ask further though to get a more informed answer to your question.
I'll say this, for the reggae band they work, even though I said the Hamer was tighter and more clear. That's true, but it's not necessarily better. They're just "woofier" than the Hamer pups... I'll also add (edit) that if I can get them to sit in the pocket correctly at dub-reggae eq settings, that's a good sign that they've got the goods.

 

[ThaCoast]

Well the stock pickups in my goth were tame as hell. They sounded bland even through my bass rig with treble & mids boosted. But this sounds like the Sixx pickups would be better. But i'm just debating if i do spend on the sixx pickups on evilbay for dirt cheap & just call it or if i spend a bit more & get the TBHZ pickups OR go half way & buy those chinabuckers for thunderbirds & just paint the covers & rings black.

 

[Count Bassie]

Well the stock pickups in my goth were tame as hell. They sounded bland even through my bass rig with treble & mids boosted. But this sounds like the Sixx pickups would be better. But i'm just debating if i do spend on the sixx pickups on evilbay for dirt cheap & just call it or if i spend a bit more & get the TBHZ pickups OR go half way & buy those chinabuckers for thunderbirds & just paint the covers & rings black.

Well from my experience-and it is limited, mind you- I'd venture that going for the Deep Sixx set for dirt is a pretty good bet. And if you hate them, I'll take em off your hands. I feel pretty good about them, and might put them in another bass.

Funny, me being no Nikki Sixx fan particularly.

What, by the way, is dirt cheap anyway?...

 

[ThaCoast]

A set of Deep Sixx for 70$ CAD on the bay . I found the TBHZ set on best bass gear for 170$ CAD & then there's the China buckers on the bay too for 70$ each though. so Sixx is cheapest, then Buckers then TBHZ. Honestly they all sound clear but yet there's no harm in trying. I've got loads of parts i might part with in the near future just cause i might not use every single one loll mainly some guitar & bass pickups & possibly some tuning keys

 

[Count Bassie]

A set of Deep Sixx for 70$ CAD on the bay . I found the TBHZ set on best bass gear for 170$ CAD & then there's the China buckers on the bay too for 70$ each though. so Sixx is cheapest, then Buckers then TBHZ. Honestly they all sound clear but yet there's no harm in trying. I've got loads of parts i might part with in the near future just cause i might not use every single one loll mainly some guitar & bass pickups & possibly some tuning keys

I wish I had more first hand knowledge here. I would like to score one of those Classic Pro IV Epi birds, to see what all that fuss is about. I'd been getting ready to get one in sights when the Blackbird showed up as a ready trade, so there it is. But it's not loaded with the typical TB+ pups, so I remain on the fringe of the Thunderbird experience...

 

[ThaCoast]

well the classic Pro is just a much closer representation of a true thunderbird for a fraction of the cost of the gibson name. They sound quite good because they are loaded with the genuine tb+ pickups from a gibson bird. & in regards of dirt tone, it is what i play but all my basses have clear definition (i'm surrounded by 7ender copies & some gibson gear - mostly guitars but the grabber bass, my thunderbirds, & also my rickenbacker copy bass) But those are all clear, the only one that isn't is the epiphone goth. Hence why i'm looking at new pickups

 

[Count Bassie]

I just don't know the degree to which the Sixx 's differ... all I can say is they are noticeably woofier than the DiMarzio PJs with the on board 2-band preamp.

Best of luck!

 

[kat888]

A set of Deep Sixx for 70$ CAD on the bay . I found the TBHZ set on best bass gear for 170$ CAD & then there's the China buckers on the bay too for 70$ each though. so Sixx is cheapest, then Buckers then TBHZ. Honestly they all sound clear but yet there's no harm in trying. I've got loads of parts i might part with in the near future just cause i might not use every single one loll mainly some guitar & bass pickups & possibly some tuning keys

I found the Chinabuckers are cheaper from the EYGP website.

 

[ThaCoast]

I found the Chinabuckers are cheaper from the EYGP website.

Still in USD it comes to about the same in terms of CAD

 

[Nocturnal]

That I can't so accurately tell you... but I had an Epi (not the Pro IV I had more recently) a few years ago, just a standard bolt-on, and the pups were, to me, nothing special. They weren't vibrant sounding or dynamically interesting, if those describers mean anything... the Deep Sixx on the other hand do have some personality, and they're punchy, esp with the separate volume controls added. They also have an impressively glassy top end and snarl that was lacking in that previous Epiphone.

I'd ask further though to get a more informed answer to your question.
I'll say this, for the reggae band they work, even though I said the Hamer was tighter and more clear. That's true, but it's not necessarily better. They're just "woofier" than the Hamer pups... I'll also add (edit) that if I can get them to sit in the pocket correctly at dub-reggae eq settings, that's a good sign that they've got the goods.

I have yet to truly be able to fully test an Epi Sixx bass, but the bolt neck Epi's I have owned (sunburst and Goth) have seemed a bit flat to me as well. I could crank the gain and get a usable sound from them, but they were never my favorite pickups. I know others seem to like them but they were just okay to me.

 

[veebass]

I got a Dremel for father's Day on the weekend.
I am reasonably handy with power tools (drills, circular saws, jig saws, angle grinders etc) but have never had a Dremel before.
It would be useful I suspect in guitar maintenance, modification etc- minor routing and polishing are two uses I can think of.
Do any of you guys have any tips for using them for polishing guitar finishes- I have nitro and poly finishes? Thought I would ask before just jumping in.
Any other guitar related uses?

 

[RedVee]

Funny, I like my Epi Goth pickups; though not a great deal of use so far.

I find them quite strong and pretty deep voiced, pretty much the sound I've been looking for I guess.

I have sort of figured out that I like Ps, Ts & JCs. Although I guess that is subject to change without notice.

TBH I'm pretty rapt in it all round.

@veebass do you remember my Goth ?

 

[veebass]

Funny, I like my Epi Goth pickups; though not a great deal of use so far.

I find them quite strong and pretty deep voiced, pretty much the sound I've been looking for I guess.

I have sort of figured out that I like Ps, Ts & JCs. Although I guess that is subject to change without notice.

TBH I'm pretty rapt in it all round.

@veebass do you remember my Goth ?

Yes, I do! I enjoyed my little play with it. Nice bass.

 

[kat888]

Pardon my naivety, would a preamp thingy change be easier/ cheaper? As effective?

(I don't have a Pro IV but interested in the subject)

A new preamp would still have been working with the stock weetabix.