Thunderbird Club

[JIO]

The '64 is a little crisper and more angular looking. It has a tauter, more athletic look to it, like the VP has had a few too many potato chips over the years and filled out a bit.

 

[TBird1958]

A little Greco goodness for Thunderbird Thursday.........Ah, West Coast time

 

[Bunderthird]

Hey there,

I am new to this forum…. and actually joined because of your TB club

I am Alex, a German guy in the mid 40s.
Saw a white Epi bird in a guitar mag ad, back in the mid 2Ks (the cheap standard one). Picked one up a few weeks later and it has become my main bass for live gigs for almost 15 years.
Just bought it and played it. Never studied the TB’s history or something.

At one point I tried a white Classic Pro. But for some reason I liked my old cheap one better. I found that the additional higher frequency content of the Classic Pro came with the price of some weaker lows and low mids. That might be welcome in the studio, but in the studio I am more of a Fender kind of guy.

In the recent years I got more and more attracted to tobacco burst TBs. And since there is a new gig on the horizon, I decided to watch out for one. But there is something that I don’t like about the looks of those plain black plastic covers on bursted birds… but neither do I really like the looks of chrome caps there. Not that I hate the black or chrome covers. But I thought how cool would it look when there were pickups with visible pole pieces. Did my search (that’s when I discovered the TB club) and found the 2015 TBs. But man are they rare. Finally found one on Reverb, from a French seller. It was in the €2K range and it looked gorgeous on the pic.

Slept on it and then… it was gone! But there was a second one, from a different seller. Pretty expensive (2.4K shipped). This time I didn’t hesitate and got it!

It arrived and… while I am absolutely happy with the tones I get out of it and with the light weight and good setup, I am not 100% happy with the color. It is rather bright and does not have a deep burst. It looks pretty much like plain blonde, with a thin black frame.

Now I consider spraying a thin coat of tobacco brown lacquer and maybe even a bit of black over it, to support the burst (maybe only on the wings). I have done paint jobs with nitro on Fenders in the past, so I have a bit of experience there.

I would scuff it a bit and wash it, then spray a good bit of clear coat on it, then spray a fine haze of tobacco brown from a distance (don’t wanna mess it up) and finally top it with a few layers of clear coat.

If the lacquer I have available does not react strangely with the one on the bass, it should work out.

But I am still a bit hesitant here… Would you do it if you were in my shoes?

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

I was thinking the same thing. Mike says his vintage bird is as long or longer than a VP, sure looks shorter in that pic. Maybe it’s just the camera angle, or maybe the headstock snapped off and he lost about 2” of neck. Another mystery of life.

your BaCH is longer…

 

[GBassNorth]

Hey there,

I am new to this forum…. and actually joined because of your TB club

I am Alex, a German guy in the mid 40s.
Saw a white Epi bird in a guitar mag ad, back in the mid 2Ks (the cheap standard one). Picked one up a few weeks later and it has become my main bass for live gigs for almost 15 years.
Just bought it and played it. Never studied the TB’s history or something.
View attachment 4438974

At one point I tried a white Classic Pro. But for some reason I liked my old cheap one better. I found that the additional higher frequency content of the Classic Pro came with the price of some weaker lows and low mids. That might be welcome in the studio, but in the studio I am more of a Fender kind of guy.

In the recent years I got more and more attracted to tobacco burst TBs. And since there is a new gig on the horizon, I decided to watch out for one. But there is something that I don’t like about the looks of those plain black plastic covers on bursted birds… but neither do I really like the looks of chrome caps there. Not that I hate the black or chrome covers. But I thought how cool would it look when there were pickups with visible pole pieces. Did my search (that’s when I discovered the TB club) and found the 2015 TBs. But man are they rare. Finally found one on Reverb, from a French seller. It was in the €2K range and it looked gorgeous on the pic.
View attachment 4438977
Slept on it and then… it was gone! But there was a second one, from a different seller. Pretty expensive (2.4K shipped). This time I didn’t hesitate and got it!

It arrived and… while I am absolutely happy with the tones I get out of it and with the light weight and good setup, I am not 100% happy with the color. It is rather bright and does not have a deep burst. It looks pretty much like plain blonde, with a thin black frame.
View attachment 4438979
Now I consider spraying a thin coat of tobacco brown lacquer any maybe even a bit of black over it, to support the burst (maybe only on the wings). I have done paint jobs with nitro on Fenders in the past, so I have a bit of experience there.

I would scuff it a bit and wash it, then spray a good bit of clear coat on it, then spray a fine haze of tobacco brown from a distance (don’t wanna mess it up) and finally top it with a few layers of clear coat.

If the lacquer I have available does not react strangely with the one on the bass, it should work out.

But I am still a bit hesitant here… Would you do it if you were in my shoes?

Love the rockin stage pics of the white Eppi! Looks like a great time.

As for the 2015 Tbird, they are a unique bird among Tbirds. Very different features and sound but a great bass, glad you were able to find one. Yes, yours does have the lightest burst I’ve ever seen on a 2015, much lighter than mine…

Personally, I’d keep it just the way it is, it’s very unique and might be a one of a kind. The 2015 model is becoming relatively rare, they only made them for one year and the value on all original models is climbing. However, if you’re not concerned about the future value of the bass and are more focused on making it look the way you want then your refinish plan sounds good. If you decide to refinish it you might want to shoot the back first to see what works best on the burst and blend. Might only need a light amber tinted clear coat to darken it up.

 

[GBassNorth]

I can imagine that pu location/selection would be your 'tone' control. As in, neck-bucker BASS, mid - MID, and bridge - TREBLE.

Very interesting thought process that I hadn’t considered.

 

[GBassNorth]

This is the best I can do right now.
It’s kinda like turning a trick.

I’ll stop now before I’m in deep.
Wait, what?!

Will said it best….
You can’t go there if you never left.


View attachment 4438819

Hey, wheels on your 322, that’s cheating.

 

[GBassNorth]

I don't use a tone rolloff anyway most of the time. Plus, a mudbucker is pretty dark to begin with. A Dimarzio One is more light maroon and less greenish black than a mudbucker, but it isn't bright. So, no need. Three pickups with volume controls along with playing technique is plenty of tone control.

Thx. I normally run my tone pot at 50% on or less and favor the neck pup very heavily when playing finger style with a right hand position over the neck pup and sometimes up to the fretboard, rarely south of that. But you and JIO have me thinking, if I run the bass sans tone pots I suppose I could experiment a bit with a different cap selection on each volume pot to get each pup in a sweet spot tone wise and then use right hand placement and pickup blending for fine tuning. Hmmmm, something to think about.

 

[GBassNorth]

your BaCH is longer…

View attachment 4438988

I hadn’t noticed. Now you’ve got my OCD all ramped up, I’ll have to measure it in the morning (assuming I can get to sleep without thinking about 37 different ways to measure it - lol).

 

[Bassmike62]

Trying something new... half-rounds.
Don't see much talk on that around here, anybody using them ?

 

[PillO]

Hey there,

I am new to this forum…. and actually joined because of your TB club

I am Alex, a German guy in the mid 40s.
Saw a white Epi bird in a guitar mag ad, back in the mid 2Ks (the cheap standard one). Picked one up a few weeks later and it has become my main bass for live gigs for almost 15 years.
Just bought it and played it. Never studied the TB’s history or something.

Welcome!

The Queen will be along in due course to indoctrinate you...

 

[PillO]

Trying something new... half-rounds.
Don't see much talk on that around here, anybody using them ?

I have never tried them. Seems like a compromise. But I would welcome being proved wrong.

I keep seeing various people here lauding flats and making me consider them. I have to go back and remind myself of the failed flat experiment.

And don't get me started on cobalt flats...

 

[Nocturnal]

your BaCH is longer…

View attachment 4438988

AHEM!!!

 

[JJR58]

Hey, wheels on your 322, that’s cheating.

I’m an old geezer, those wheels will come in handy one day

 

[Bassmike62]

I have never tried them. Seems like a compromise. But I would welcome being proved wrong.

I keep seeing various people here lauding flats and making me consider them. I have to go back and remind myself of the failed flat experiment.

And don't get me started on cobalt flats...

View attachment 4439061

lolll promise I won't.
As for flats, the few effects I use sparingly (light OD, chorus) shine much better. If you get to try them, I'd be interested in what are your thoughts.

 

[Nocturnal]

Hey there,

I am new to this forum…. and actually joined because of your TB club

I am Alex, a German guy in the mid 40s.
Saw a white Epi bird in a guitar mag ad, back in the mid 2Ks (the cheap standard one). Picked one up a few weeks later and it has become my main bass for live gigs for almost 15 years.
Just bought it and played it. Never studied the TB’s history or something.
View attachment 4438974

At one point I tried a white Classic Pro. But for some reason I liked my old cheap one better. I found that the additional higher frequency content of the Classic Pro came with the price of some weaker lows and low mids. That might be welcome in the studio, but in the studio I am more of a Fender kind of guy.

In the recent years I got more and more attracted to tobacco burst TBs. And since there is a new gig on the horizon, I decided to watch out for one. But there is something that I don’t like about the looks of those plain black plastic covers on bursted birds… but neither do I really like the looks of chrome caps there. Not that I hate the black or chrome covers. But I thought how cool would it look when there were pickups with visible pole pieces. Did my search (that’s when I discovered the TB club) and found the 2015 TBs. But man are they rare. Finally found one on Reverb, from a French seller. It was in the €2K range and it looked gorgeous on the pic.
View attachment 4438977
Slept on it and then… it was gone! But there was a second one, from a different seller. Pretty expensive (2.4K shipped). This time I didn’t hesitate and got it!

It arrived and… while I am absolutely happy with the tones I get out of it and with the light weight and good setup, I am not 100% happy with the color. It is rather bright and does not have a deep burst. It looks pretty much like plain blonde, with a thin black frame.
View attachment 4438979
Now I consider spraying a thin coat of tobacco brown lacquer and maybe even a bit of black over it, to support the burst (maybe only on the wings). I have done paint jobs with nitro on Fenders in the past, so I have a bit of experience there.

I would scuff it a bit and wash it, then spray a good bit of clear coat on it, then spray a fine haze of tobacco brown from a distance (don’t wanna mess it up) and finally top it with a few layers of clear coat.

If the lacquer I have available does not react strangely with the one on the bass, it should work out.

But I am still a bit hesitant here… Would you do it if you were in my shoes?

Welcome!! Great looking basses!!

My only hesitation with your plan is that the 2015's were a unique offering for a Bird and will likely be more collectible down the road. Messing with the finish might hurt the value down the road, but there is no way of truly knowing that. As GBassNorth mentioned, I would start on the back just to be safe.

 

[dagrev]

Well, that is part of it but im definitely not going for a vintage tone. Appreciate the advice though.

I have to admit I've wondered what other non-traditional Thunderbird PUs would sound like, but never had a Bird I was willing to sacrifice. Like your '18, my '06 would be the only one that would be considered. Hope it goes well and you find something interesting. Be sure and post results. I'm sure many here would be interested.

 

[dagrev]

I see a few differences studying that pic. The upper body is different - especially the left side, the pu spacing is different, the bridge spacing is different, engraved bird on the pg is in a different location, hs looks slightly different, and the obvious differences of jack location and no thumb-rest. Is the neck heal the same? Hard to discern in the pic. (VP looks narrower)

The neck on VPs are just a tad bigger in about every respect. Not by much at all, but grabbing the '64 then a VP and you can tell they feel different. But I think you are right about the heels. The PU spacing is about 1/4 in. farther apart on the VP than the '64, maybe 3/8 or so. I didn't measure but used something as a gauge.

 

[dagrev]

The '64 is a little crisper and more angular looking. It has a tauter, more athletic look to it, like the VP has had a few too many potato chips over the years and filled out a bit.

Going by weight, the '76 is a Sumo wrestler.
Nobody should really see all that.....

 

[dagrev]

Hey there,

I am new to this forum…. and actually joined because of your TB club

I am Alex, a German guy in the mid 40s.
Saw a white Epi bird in a guitar mag ad, back in the mid 2Ks (the cheap standard one). Picked one up a few weeks later and it has become my main bass for live gigs for almost 15 years.
Just bought it and played it. Never studied the TB’s history or something.
View attachment 4438974

At one point I tried a white Classic Pro. But for some reason I liked my old cheap one better. I found that the additional higher frequency content of the Classic Pro came with the price of some weaker lows and low mids. That might be welcome in the studio, but in the studio I am more of a Fender kind of guy.

In the recent years I got more and more attracted to tobacco burst TBs. And since there is a new gig on the horizon, I decided to watch out for one. But there is something that I don’t like about the looks of those plain black plastic covers on bursted birds… but neither do I really like the looks of chrome caps there. Not that I hate the black or chrome covers. But I thought how cool would it look when there were pickups with visible pole pieces. Did my search (that’s when I discovered the TB club) and found the 2015 TBs. But man are they rare. Finally found one on Reverb, from a French seller. It was in the €2K range and it looked gorgeous on the pic.
View attachment 4438977
Slept on it and then… it was gone! But there was a second one, from a different seller. Pretty expensive (2.4K shipped). This time I didn’t hesitate and got it!

It arrived and… while I am absolutely happy with the tones I get out of it and with the light weight and good setup, I am not 100% happy with the color. It is rather bright and does not have a deep burst. It looks pretty much like plain blonde, with a thin black frame.
View attachment 4438979
Now I consider spraying a thin coat of tobacco brown lacquer and maybe even a bit of black over it, to support the burst (maybe only on the wings). I have done paint jobs with nitro on Fenders in the past, so I have a bit of experience there.

I would scuff it a bit and wash it, then spray a good bit of clear coat on it, then spray a fine haze of tobacco brown from a distance (don’t wanna mess it up) and finally top it with a few layers of clear coat.

If the lacquer I have available does not react strangely with the one on the bass, it should work out.

But I am still a bit hesitant here… Would you do it if you were in my shoes?

Welcome and nice bass! I'd leave it alone, but that's just me. Those are rare and doing something to it, well.....I don't know about that. If you do, get someone who can do it professionally so it won't harm the value. Don't want to take a chance on messing up a rare bass. But it's yours, you do what works for you and returns the most enjoyment.