Thunderbird Club

[WillyW]

...or even better, grab a pick of their mom off Facebook for your mug.

You are an evil genius!

 

[Gaolee]

rip that sucker out and spackle over the hole

That's a solution several people around here would do.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

touchy subject….hard to explain…. when pup R start to approximate amplifier input R (Z) these dimming effects become more prominent…traditionally, amplifier input Zs are in the order of 10kOhm…TBird pups approach that value…mainly the reason low Z pups are so popular for recording….
with hi R (Z) pups even cable lengths can play a role….active electronics somewhat address these issues at the expense of on board batts and latency (not a fan)…this said, an active setup is much more predictable than a passive one because they can be linearly scaled as opposed to a passive setup where the knobs “do something” that can’t really be quantified to the point one can intuitively and consistently rely on numbers on volume and tone knobs…

 

[Gaolee]

Later today I'll be taking a serious look at an Epi Tbird Pro (the active one) with the natural oil finish. Saw it at a nearby music store recently but didn't have time to sit down with it. If all goes well, I'll bring her home... anything I should be on the lookout for on this model? I can handle the normal inspection of electronics and neck, etc... but is there anything specifically problematic on this model? Reviews online seem to be pretty favorable and the sound clips I've heard are exactly the sound I am looking for to use in my coverband. Thanks and hopefully I'll be joining the club!

Nothing leaps out to me. If you like the sound, then there you go. Take a look to see where the upper strap button is. If it hasn't been moved to the heel of the neck, you will probably want to do that. That's about all I can think of. The oil finish is a whole lot nicer than the thick poly on the burst ones.

 

[Count Bassie]

I have expereicend the same thing with every two pickup bass I have ever owned. I usually run the neck pick up at full volume and the bridge at 7 or 8. I can here the change happen when I roll off either pick up.

Same. I turn them both up, and then drop the bridge back until I like it, doesn't take much.

 

[Gaolee]

Looks like this one has the bridge that is full contact with the body, not the 3 point... but definitely will check it over thoroughly.

That's correct. The active ones have a different bridge. It's not a 3-point. It works well on mine.

 

[WillyW]

touchy subject….hard to explain…. when pup R start to approximate amplifier input R (Z) these dimming effects become more prominent…traditionally, amplifier input Zs are in the order of 10kOhm…TBird pups approach that value…mainly the reason low Z pups are so popular for recording….
with hi R (Z) pups even cable lengths can play a role….active electronics somewhat address these issues at the expense of on board batts and latency (not a fan)…this said, an active setup is much more predictable than a passive one because they can be linearly scaled as opposed to a passive setup where the knobs “do something” that can’t really be quantified to the point one can intuitively rely on numbers on volume and tone knobs…

 

[Gaolee]

There’s an interesting holoflash thread here on TB…
Anyone got a holoflash bass?

They reference a guitar builder that specializes in holoflash finishes, and he has some breath taking ones. Here’s his site…
https://www.meanstreetguitars.com/
check out the LightFX holoflash gallery!
I’m still considering having an Aria Pro II ZZB bass painted by him if I can find a good donor. Something like this…
View attachment 4498203
except the black part would be painted in blue holoflash and the white part would be painted in red holoflash for a fire and water type look.

As a shallow person, I approve completely.

 

[PillO]

View attachment 4498207

You don't need to understand it, you just need access to people like @Chucky Stiletti who do understand.

 

[Gaolee]

Pretty much my experience as well, with the exception of my '76s, they're wired differently.

Interesting. Time to look for a '76 wiring diagram and find out what's different.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

View attachment 4498207

simple, with passive setups, the hotter the pups the weirder the behavior of the knobs…

 

[PillO]

simple, with passive setups, the hotter the pups the weirder the behavior of the knobs…

ahem.

 

[WillyW]

You don't need to understand it, you just need access to people like @Chucky Stiletti who do understand.

my head hurts now and I think I peed a little...

 

[PillO]

my head hurts now and I think I peed a little...

Try putting a watermelon on your head.

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

Interesting. Time to look for a '76 wiring diagram and find out what's different.

don’t think it’s a wiring issue but more of a pup winding issue….hi output humbuckers vs lower output sidewinders…

 

[PhR75]

Interesting. Time to look for a '76 wiring diagram and find out what's different.

It has a series wiring. A somewhat more complicated than a normal series wiring. I think there's a diagram at Fly Guitars site.

 

[JIO]

That's a Suzi Quatro Thunderbird!

With what looks like a Babicz bridge?

And the headstock's not broken!



Not too bad for price, even with the shipping, compared to most I've seen lately

That's what I thought - it must sound interesting (un-T-bird like) with the north-south pu placement. A lot of '60s basses (other than the main brands) had similar pu arraingement's.

 

[GBassNorth]

That dude's a good bass player. Straight ahead, solid as a brick wall, clean and simple rapid-fire chops. That's a more accomplished discipline than wanking runs all over the neck any day.

Does sound awesome on that EB.

If I tried that I'd rip my crotch(not the pants).

If I held that pose for more than a few seconds I’d be walking like that all the way to the emergency room for a hip replacement.

Not following. My excuse is that I'm from Finland.

Don’t feel bad, I didn’t get it either. Guess I’ll have to go back and watch the movie.

That's a really well used looking EB, too.

Looks nice in used black. I love my 2013 EB5, but I can honestly say I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen one rocked on stage by a pro band.

simple, with passive setups, the hotter the pups the weirder the behavior of the knobs…

Which I guess explains the bizarre knob action on my EB5 (same hot pups as my 2015 Tbird). Neck volume set anywhere below 8 is heavily impacted by any adjustment of the tone knob. Neck volume set at 9 or 10 completely eliminates any impact in tone or volume change when adjusting the tone knob. If both pups are set on roughly the same volume the sound is scooped (like phase cancellation) bump either volume up or down a notch and wham, there’s the low mids. I’ve checked the wiring and it’s all normal as is the cap, but they are stacked push/pull pots for coil splitting so there might be something unique in the pot design (no load, parallel vs series, linear vs audio taper…).

 

[WillyW]

When both pickups are on and they are wired in parallel the impedance is lower (half) and that way the output too. If wired in series the output is boosted. Subtle changes in volume.

I would get SOOOOO banned if I posted the movie clip I wanted to.....

View attachment 4498174

Watch the movie "Idiocracy" if you are able.

touchy subject….hard to explain…. when pup R start to approximate amplifier input R (Z) these dimming effects become more prominent…traditionally, amplifier input Zs are in the order of 10kOhm…TBird pups approach that value…mainly the reason low Z pups are so popular for recording….
with hi R (Z) pups even cable lengths can play a role….active electronics somewhat address these issues at the expense of on board batts and latency (not a fan)…this said, an active setup is much more predictable than a passive one because they can be linearly scaled as opposed to a passive setup where the knobs “do something” that can’t really be quantified to the point one can intuitively and consistently rely on numbers on volume and tone knobs…

You don't need to understand it, you just need access to people like @Chucky Stiletti who do understand.

Does sound awesome on that EB.


If I held that pose for more than a few seconds I’d be walking like that all the way to the emergency room for a hip replacement.


Don’t feel bad, I didn’t get it either. Guess I’ll have to go back and watch the movie.


Looks nice in used black. I love my 2013 EB5, but I can honestly say I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen one rocked on stage by a pro band.


Which I guess explains the bizarre knob action on my EB5 (same hot pups as my 2015 Tbird). Neck volume set anywhere below 8 is heavily impacted by any adjustment of the tone knob. Neck volume set at 9 or 10 completely eliminates any impact in tone or volume change when adjusting the tone knob. If both pups are set on roughly the same volume the sound is scooped (like phase cancellation) bump either volume up or down a notch and wham, there’s the low mids. I’ve checked the wiring and it’s all normal as is the cap, but they are stacked push/pull pots for coil splitting so there might be something unique in the pot design (no load, parallel vs series, linear vs audio taper…).

It's free on youtube in the US anyway...

from the waking up scene to the end of the doctor scene...

Not safe for anyone younger than 13 or over the age of 14...

 

[dagrev]

You are an evil genius!

Kind of like that old high school joke: Do you have a pic of your mom/wife naked? (No) Want one?
It would be shocking to see your wife on the mug of a co-worker...