Thunderbird Club

[Chucky Stiletti]

Status update on the BlingBird…

shielding complete, planned on using conductive paint because it looks more factory, but my 10 year old can of paint went bad so had to use copper shielding tape. Works just as good…
View attachment 4547272

did a bunch of the soldering and installed the pots, just need to solder in the pups, ground wire and output jack…probably tomorrow….(the black tape is temporary, to keep dust and debris out of the pots during construction, it’ll come off when done)
View attachment 4547273

started laying out the rings by eyeball, was getting dark so I’ll do all the alignment work and drilling when I have good light. Also set the pup wire lengths allowing slack for removal and trouble shooting (hate it when there’s not enough slack to lift a pup out of its route and set it aside without having to unsolder wires)…
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same thing at the other end, gotta get those pup wires to the right length for proper wire management and future repair work…
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paint sounds neat but believe me, tape is better…

 

[JIO]

The excitement is building.

Please don't have any tortpaper around that you're thinking about.

...you meant tort pick-guard yes?

 

[JIO]

paint sounds neat but believe me, tape is better…

I use both & both work the same. Copper tape for the floor of a cavity - to ground to.

 

[dagrev]

...you meant tort pick-guard yes?

Indeed. A play on toilet paper. Seemed fitting. But I hate to give toilet paper a bad name. I like the stuff myself. I'm a fan. Of toilet paper that is.

 

[JIO]

Indeed. A play on toilet paper. Seemed fitting. But I hate to give toilet paper a bad name. I like the stuff myself. I'm a fan. Of toilet paper that is.

Oh, ok ... I've seen spellcheck "correct" things like that. As far as TP in concerned - can't live w/o it!

 

[Chucky Stiletti]

I use both & both work the same. Copper tape for the floor of a cavity - to ground to.

ever use both in one “instrument”? (trying not to say cavity) i’ve seen screen used as well….

 

[KaraQ]

The excitement is building.

Please don't have any tortpaper around that you're thinking about.

Tort-paper......I think I need some of that!


For the shelves in my kitchen cabinets

......(trying not to say cavity) i’ve seen screen used as well….

And yet, there it is....

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I agree it would look cool - but the D'Addario nickel rounds sound awesome on this bass. In fact, I think it may be chosen for one of our songs to be recorded in Feb. This is our own rehearsal-space recording of the original song by our guitarist Paul. We recorded it to get a better idea of what we'll do in the studio. I feel my bass tone isn't quite there - I want more zing and presence as it doubles as a lead-line.

I posted this recently here - sorry for the redundancy Paul overdubbed the horn-section and another guitar track - I sounds good, but I can't wait to hear it done in a pro-recording studio!

Love it!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Too kind (really, truly flattered) , thanks Miles!

Just saying what I see/hear! And you're welcome!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

If any of the leftys are interested, im selling this one. Feel free to message if interested. View attachment 4546951

OMG - I’m a righty and I love the look of that!
So is the toggle a kill, or a series/parallel, or a coil split, or just there to make stupid people ask questions?

My thoughts exactly. I briefly toyed with the idea of buying it, putting on a reversed nut, and playing it as the ultimate NR, but that wouldn't be fair to the lefties, since there are precious few lefty birds.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Yes indeed. I think Gibson likely is the worst offender as far as weird, inconsistent and even reused serial numbers. Often they can't untangle the secret code!

My '76 is either a 1976 or Jan 2002!

Pretty sure my VP is a 2023.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

@PillO How is the hand recovery progressing along? Able to play Mountain Jam all the way through by now?

In case you want to play along and not have to dig it out.

Love the whole album, but sides 2 & 3 definitely got more worn out than 1 or 4 in college.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

My EB-2 is completely mysterious that way. Every explanation of serial numbers comes up with a different idea for what year it is. I call it a '68, just because it ought to be a '68. When I got it, the salesman told me it was a '65. Not a chance, since it has a later, intonable bridge and is an EB-2D from the factory. So, it's a late '67 at the earliest. It has cloverleaf tuners, so it's a '69 at the latest, more or less. Except Gibson kept using those off and on for a while longer and put Y tuners on some in '69. So, who knows. The more I try to figure it out, the more of a failure that is.

Send it to me. I'll get to the bottom of the serial number vs year of manufacture. I promise not to send it back until I do!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Fun Monday tb trivia -


Thunderbird Club members hold 10 out of the top 20 "Liked" tb members.

GonePaid - #3
Gaolee - #4
JIO - #5
JimmyM (honorary member) - #6
JJR58 - #10
PillO - #12
Tbird1958 - #15
Chucky Stiletti - #19
Bklynken - #20

Give the lady in the pink hat a cupie doll!

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So who's the tenth?

 

[Miles_ONeal]

paint sounds neat but believe me, tape is better…

I've only used tape. It's a bit pricey but works so well I've never been tempted to try paint.

 

[JIO]

I've only used tape. It's a bit pricey but works so well I've never been tempted to try paint.

tip - 2 words: slug tape - at your local Ace Hardware. Much cheaper. Carbon shielding paint is great. Gotta do a few coats. I do the cavity walls w/carbon paint and the floor and cover insides with copper "slug tape". The paint is crazy expensive if you buy it in gallon size, but it goes a long way buying a small tube of it.

 

[Stealth57]

tip - 2 words: slug tape - at your local Ace Hardware. Much cheaper.

That’s what I use. Adhesive is conductive.

 

[JIO]

Stands to reason, and always makes me dig deeper for background or hands on time before buying.
However, these days you just have to be careful not to automatically jump to the conclusion of it isn’t played much because it doesn’t sound good. Unlike the 60’s and 70’s, Lots of players these days have multiple basses, many of which may sound great. But because of their large selection no single bass may get all the attention, and therefore not as much wear. A pristine bass might still be a very awesome bass. I think I’m well over 60 guitars and basses these days, dozens of which are top notch players, and many of those are in pristine condition, partially due to lack of play time and partially due to meticulous maintenance.

Here's one for the "time capsule" books - with an asking price to match. (no affiliation) Played professionally - but babied.
1966 Pristine Fender Precision Bass Sunburst w/ original case hanging tag & cord | eBay

 

[GBassNorth]

tip - 2 words: slug tape - at your local Ace Hardware. Much cheaper. Carbon shielding paint is great. Gotta do a few coats. I do the cavity walls w/carbon paint and the floor and cover insides with copper "slug tape". The paint is crazy expensive if you buy it in gallon size, but it goes a long way buying a small tube of it.

That’s what I use. Adhesive is conductive.

View attachment 4547478

I’ve used both. I like the factory look of the carbon paint better but it can get real messy so masking is a must. The tape is easier and quicker to apply and shields just as good but works best if applied over a sealed surface vs raw wood. So in this case I had to shoot a quick spray of clear urethane in each area and let it dry overnight before using the copper tape.

 

[JIO]

I’ve used both. I like the factory look of the carbon paint better but it can get real messy so masking is a must. The tape is easier and quicker to apply and shields just as good but works best if applied over a sealed surface vs raw wood. So in this case I had to shoot a quick spray of clear urethane in each area and let it dry overnight before using the copper tape.

The water-based carbon paint is very messy. I had to paint whole interior rooms walls and ceilings with it a few years ago. (long story) It gets tracked everywhere! But if you're quick- it washes off with warm water. I agree that the copper tape works best over a sealed surface.