Thunderbird Club

[GBassNorth]

It's a form of craquelure. It was given that label (“old barn door”) because initially barns were coated with milk-paint* (which was thick) over and over again, which being exposed 360 days of the year through freezing cold and blistering heat, would 'pull apart' and create that "worn" look. It's frequently used in decorative arts and scenic painting to convincingly create an old worn look.

*https://www.thisoldhouse.com/painting/21528976/all-about-milk-paint

I thought about building a BarnBird using raw reclaimed old barnwood. The engineering/aesthetic issue I haven’t figured out yet is the stark visual difference between the fresh cut surface (i.e. perimeter cut) and the uncut surface (face or back). Thought about capping the perimeter cut with copper or leather to hide the fresh cut wood or possibly distressing painting or staining the edge wood to match the top. One of these days I’ll give it a try.

 

[dagrev]

Well, it's done.
Glad I have a very understanding husband.

View attachment 4542206

I'm very happy for you! Welcome home and back to where it all began!

Curious about your take on it after you get it set up with the stings your think best. Now you need to do a vid comparing and contrasting all your versions of Thunderbirds. Please!!!

 

[GBassNorth]

While we’re on the topic of builds…
Here’s a status shot of the BlingBird, just wrapped up the routing and will be working on the shielding and electronics over the weekend. With any luck I’ll have a complete bird for next weeks Thunderbird Thursday shot.

 

[Count Bassie]

I thought about building a BarnBird using raw reclaimed old barnwood. The engineering/aesthetic issue I haven’t figured out yet is the stark visual difference between the fresh cut surface (i.e. perimeter cut) and the uncut surface (face or back). Thought about capping the perimeter cut with copper or leather to hide the fresh cut wood or possibly distressing painting or staining the edge wood to match the top. One of these days I’ll give it a try.

Get it cut and stick it in a clamp system with the edges exposed, leave it outside for a year. It'll get wet, dry... It'll freeze, get sun-baked. It'll grey and check.
Unclamp it and leave it for another year.
Then rout, fit your neck and p'ups... cut your pickguard out of some old tin or brass, wire the beeeyatch up.
What strings are you putting on it?

 

[Bent77]

Bling indeed!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

'64s come up regularly on Reverb. There's one '64 II and a '76 on there now.

Several 64s. This one claims to be in VG condition, but nope. So what's a fair price?
https://reverb.com/item/47911579-gibson-thunderbird-ii-1964-sunburst

 

[dagrev]

nonsense...seen this in the background of a couple of your pics...
View attachment 4542264

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Get it cut and stick it in a clamp system with the edges exposed, leave it outside for a year. It'll get wet, dry... It'll freeze, get sun-baked. It'll grey and check.
Unclamp it and leave it for another year.
Then rout, fit your neck and p'ups... cut your pickguard out of some old tin or brass, wire the beeeyatch up.
What strings are you putting on it?

Barb wahr.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

While we’re on the topic of builds…
Here’s a status shot of the BlingBird, just wrapped up the routing and will be working on the shielding and electronics over the weekend. With any luck I’ll have a complete bird for next weeks Thunderbird Thursday shot.
View attachment 4542860
View attachment 4542859
View attachment 4542861

OK, I'm drooling.

 

[Count Bassie]

Barb Bahb wahr.

Fixed.

 

[dagrev]

Was scrolling through old note drafts i had going on, & stumbled upon what i had for the collective thunderbird idea.

Which got me thinking about it again. & so i'll try to make this easy to pin point certain aspects of it throughout a voting. Quote this post to input your vote (itll help if im notified to keep track xD)

Let the polling begin!

Body style: Traditional, or NR

Body type: flat, or raised mid section

Construction: Bolt on, set neck, neck through

Number of pickups: 1, 2, 3

Type of pickup: thunderbird traditional, other (be it split p, j, mm style, or any other type of pickup)

Hardware color: nickel, chrome, black, gold.

Guard: definitive, none, or optional.

Colour: personal preference, however i'd like to hear.

Thanks for chiming in

Body style: Traditional, or NR (Both but prefer the Traditional)

Body type: flat, or raised mid section (Raised)

Construction: Bolt on, set neck, neck through (Neck through - but all work just fine)

Number of pickups: 1, 2, 3 (2)

Type of pickup: (without question thunderbird traditional)

Hardware color: nickel, chrome, black, gold. (Nickel)

Guard: definitive, none, or optional. (Open on that question)

Colour: personal preference (Pelham Blue likely first, Burgundy Mist (CAR) second maybe)

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Fixed.

All depends on whur yer at.

 

[dagrev]

Where's the fun in that?

The fun part is first, then the burning and itching. So I'm told.

 

[Count Bassie]

All depends on whur yer at.

Rhode Island...
Don't mean to correct anyone's dialect, just having a little fun at you. I do, after all, live in a very colorfully expressed social culture here in Rhu-Dilin...

...after saying it a few times, I can hear that working. Language is fun.

 

[JIO]

I'm seeing lots of similarities, & I dig the differences Makes us unique in the kingdom.

Keep em comin' - i'm not designing anything until i get more answers xD

One reason you're not getting high output out of the neck pu is because the strings are not over the poles. You can get away with a slight off-center but the further away, the less the string-magnet correlation. It's why 'bar' magnets have a broader range and are generally hotter output.

 

[dagrev]

For sure - please do! I did notice the tr cover being rounded out at the top. And judging by where the screw is (centered) makes me think it is a replacement as you can see the screw on mine is near the curve point. Was the hs repaired? Usually when they are all black front & back this is the case. So many '63-'65 II's & IV's have been repaired.

View attachment 4542374
I used a scotch pad to dull the gloss on the neck - I do this on most all my basses.
View attachment 4542377

I noticed the TRC as well, possibly someone broke it and just rounded it off. As far as the brown trim on the HS around the black vs all all black, I've see a number both ways (not always from a repair). Mine is also trimmed in the brown, but I'm not certain Gibson was consistent in how that did that. After all, we're talking Gibson! However it is, it's fantastic! That Bird is going to rock!

 

[dagrev]

HS is black front and back so I wouldn't be surprised if it had been broken - I suspect that it has.

Don't be discouraged in any way. Mine has been repaired for at least the 40 years I've owned it and it's never been a problem. And I've "tested" the repair a time or two.... GonePlaid has has the same experience. As we say, "Pay it no mind" and enjoy that baby!

 

[dagrev]

Whelp, just pulled the trigger on another Vintage Pro, but ebony finish. The collection grows!

Lol ashtray set to follow, and black w/ gold pickguard

Oh yeah!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Rhode Island...
Don't mean to correct anyone's dialect, just having a little fun at you. I do, after all, live in a very colorfully expressed social culture here in Rhu-Dilin...

...after saying it a few times, I can hear that working. Language is fun.

Dude, I know. I was just running with it, hoping for more. You would have to really work at it to offend me, and even then it's a heap o' work.

I really need to visit RI. If only I could find it...

 

[dagrev]

yeah...she's more credible now!......
just kidding your highness............

A "One Percenter" now! Rarified air up there! [fixed!]