• 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 freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Thunderbird Club

Is the TH in addition to a pre on the Z pickup, or is the Z pickup passive?
Z pickup? Piezo on the upright bass is a Fishman Full Circle. It's passive, and being piezo, honky as hell if you send the signal straight into the Carvin amp. It's an impedance mismatch of some kind. The Acoustics don't have that problem, but now that I have the shiny boxes, I use 'em anyway. I'm finding the TH very useful in fine tuning the sound of just about everything. As far as I can tell, the fDeck HPF has a preamp function as well, but it doesn't have any tone shaping, just low frequency cut capability. It is great for controlling feedback.

The only active pickups I had were on an Epi Pro IV, and I replaced that whole system with Lace Alumatones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kat888
View attachment 944658 Anyone know about this Epi Bird ? Looks like they tried to do a 60's style, but the headstock is small, modern tuners, current TB pickups, black plastic pickup surrounds.



Epiphone - Thunderbird Classic IV PRO - Alpine White
Long and McQuade stocks two versions of the Epiphone Thunderbird. The one with the white pickguard and a bolt on neck is $499 and the one with a black pickguard and through neck is $769. I would guess that someone put up the wrong picture on the webpage, as in store, they have it correct (or at least in my local M&L that is the case).
 
afaik 'Z' = piezo, as in my Maranello Z, which is honky even with an onboard preamp.
Ah, gotcha. The combination of fDeck and TH fix the honk. It sounds like itself, only a whole lot louder with enough fiddling. The TH only has four bands, but that's apparently enough. It's a really good combination, so long as the feedback doesn't start getting out of control. When that happens, it's almost impossible to get back under control for some reason. Compression makes it worse, as far as I can tell. It's worth the effort, since the upright is so much fun to play. It's really physical, especially when you get into slap triplets of various kinds. Bowing is its own challenge, especially amplified. I guess there basses made specifically to play in an amplified setting, but I don't have one of those. I don't have a clicky pickup by the neck, either, so I generally crank up the treble a bit to get the clack. It's one of the few basses longer than a Thunderbird, too. Size and f-holes matter.
 
Long and McQuade stocks two versions of the Epiphone Thunderbird. The one with the white pickguard and a bolt on neck is $499 and the one with a black pickguard and through neck is $769. I would guess that someone put up the wrong picture on the webpage, as in store, they have it correct (or at least in my local M&L that is the case).

I had the Epi Classic and I was thinking maybe they changed it for this year. Thanks for the clarification.
 
I fancy a new tuner for home use, I have a Korg GA40 which works well enough but it seems to have got a little temperamental, sometimes it read the tone sometimes it doesn't. I quite like the idea of a clip on one, are they any good and if so what would you recommend?
I keep a Snark in my cable bag. Quick and easy. No cables, no nothin'. I keep a spare battery in the bag too, they come in pairs anyway. It works, it's cheep, so I keep a few around various parts of the house. Also my kids are musicians so it's economical there.
 
I fancy a new tuner for home use, I have a Korg GA40 which works well enough but it seems to have got a little temperamental, sometimes it read the tone sometimes it doesn't. I quite like the idea of a clip on one, are they any good and if so what would you recommend?

Looking at the simplest possibility - does it need a new battery?
 
Is it possible to get the colors to your Epi matched, in case you need to do a repair to body work? In my case I just want to move the input jack to the front of the body...

That's funny.... I'll be doing the exact opposite to all of mine as soon as time permits... ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: ColinLP
Im pretty sure the picture is of the Elitist Thunderbird (real Epiphone). Sold only in Japan for a limited time. Doubt thats really what they're selling

It is NOT an Elitist Thunderbird... The Elitist Thunderbirds had big headstocks and clover tuners, and it is NOT a TB-90 either...

itis a regular bolt-on Epi, but in a limited edition color and with chrome hardware - just like the ones in TV Silver and Silverburst.

Here's a picture of the limited editions with chrome hardware:

tb_iv_w_chr.jpg
 
Last edited: