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ThunderTwins!
- Thread starter ctmullins
- Start date
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,007
- 1
- 31,705
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
It's been almost a year since the start of these builds, and longer than that for the other ones that are languishing.... 
Anyway, the OctoBird got about twelve thin coats of rattlecan Deft lacquer, spent a few weeks in the attic rafters curing, then got the wet-sand-and-polish treatment. Almost time for assembly!
Teaser pic - I took several, but this is the only one that captures the actual color at this point:
I'm really happy with the color, and I love the flame maple, but (once again) I am reminded of my tendency to rush through the sanding stage - there are a few small spots that needed more sanding - must improve...
Had a slight disappointment when I removed the masking tape covering the fretboard and discovered that I wasn't accurate enough with my masking job - there was a thin line of neck wood right next to the fingerboard that didn't get any dye or lacquer - must be more careful in the future! A quick re-masking and judicious use of a black Sharpie, though, and it's nearly undetectable.
Anyway, the OctoBird got about twelve thin coats of rattlecan Deft lacquer, spent a few weeks in the attic rafters curing, then got the wet-sand-and-polish treatment. Almost time for assembly!
Teaser pic - I took several, but this is the only one that captures the actual color at this point:
I'm really happy with the color, and I love the flame maple, but (once again) I am reminded of my tendency to rush through the sanding stage - there are a few small spots that needed more sanding - must improve...
Had a slight disappointment when I removed the masking tape covering the fretboard and discovered that I wasn't accurate enough with my masking job - there was a thin line of neck wood right next to the fingerboard that didn't get any dye or lacquer - must be more careful in the future! A quick re-masking and judicious use of a black Sharpie, though, and it's nearly undetectable.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,007
- 1
- 31,705
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Been busy today! Here are some quick outdoor shots; nothing fancy, but sunlight is the best for accurate color:
Still waiting on my chrome SGD Neobuckers, so this is the same mismatched set of pickups as before. Controls are master volume (push/pull active/passive), four-way rotary switch (bridge/parallel/series/neck), EMG BTC (18V). I'm pretty sure the Duncan and the SGD are wired opposite each other, because hooking both of the black wires to ground makes the combined settings sound thin, so I suspect they're out of phase. Bridge alone and neck alone sound plenty full, so I'll just live with it like this for a while, until the Neobuckers come in, or until I can't take it any more.
Tuned bBeEaAdD.
Fundamental strings are a Circle K balanced .142 set (.059 .079 .106 .142), and octaves are a balanced .073 set (.028 .039 .055 .073). 33" scale, remember, so these gauges aren't quite as heavy as they might sound at first.
The Schaller M4, while not the heaviest tuner on the market by any means, isn't the lightest either. Eight of them at the headstock present a not-insignificant amount of weight, hence the elongated asymmetrical neck heel that puts the strap button a good deal farther out than your standard Thunderbird. Balance is decent with a somewhat slippery padded leather strap - not quite perfect, but not as horrible as most people seem to think when they talk about Tbird balance. No worse than any of my other basses!
I've decided that neck-thru isn't my favorite building method. For me it's just easier working on the body and the neck separately, then joining them together near the end of the project. Not sure I'll ever do another neck-thru.
Still waiting on my chrome SGD Neobuckers, so this is the same mismatched set of pickups as before. Controls are master volume (push/pull active/passive), four-way rotary switch (bridge/parallel/series/neck), EMG BTC (18V). I'm pretty sure the Duncan and the SGD are wired opposite each other, because hooking both of the black wires to ground makes the combined settings sound thin, so I suspect they're out of phase. Bridge alone and neck alone sound plenty full, so I'll just live with it like this for a while, until the Neobuckers come in, or until I can't take it any more.
Tuned bBeEaAdD.
Fundamental strings are a Circle K balanced .142 set (.059 .079 .106 .142), and octaves are a balanced .073 set (.028 .039 .055 .073). 33" scale, remember, so these gauges aren't quite as heavy as they might sound at first.The Schaller M4, while not the heaviest tuner on the market by any means, isn't the lightest either. Eight of them at the headstock present a not-insignificant amount of weight, hence the elongated asymmetrical neck heel that puts the strap button a good deal farther out than your standard Thunderbird. Balance is decent with a somewhat slippery padded leather strap - not quite perfect, but not as horrible as most people seem to think when they talk about Tbird balance. No worse than any of my other basses!
I've decided that neck-thru isn't my favorite building method. For me it's just easier working on the body and the neck separately, then joining them together near the end of the project. Not sure I'll ever do another neck-thru.
hillerup
There are basses, and there are Thunderbirds!
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,007
- 1
- 31,705
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Thanks guys! It'll look even better with the chrome pickups!
Man, this thing rings. Maybe it's the brand-new strings, or maybe it's the benefit of neck-thru construction, but it rings like a damn bell.
Edit: My new favorite headstock!
Man, this thing rings. Maybe it's the brand-new strings, or maybe it's the benefit of neck-thru construction, but it rings like a damn bell.
Edit: My new favorite headstock!
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,007
- 1
- 31,705
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,007
- 1
- 31,705
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
The long holiday weekend allowed a good bit of time to devote to the PentaBird. The body is nearly an inch of flame maple on top and an inch of walnut with a center strip of flame maple on the back (pics soon!). I edged the whole thing on the router table, then I routed a ledge on the upper and lower sections of the body, leaving the center section proud like the original Thunderbird. I was then able to mark, measure, and route the pickup cavities, followed by the neck mortise. Here are a few pics of the neck mortise process.
Like the other 'birds, this one will have the neck mounted to the body at a 2-degree angle. To do this for a set-neck (or a bolt-on) I use a pair of cherry rails cut at a 2-degree incline to run the router on. The sides of the rails serve as the template for the sides of the mortise, so positioning of the rails is critical. I use the neck itself to position the rails, making sure they're equidistant from the centerline of the body at both ends. The scrap piece serves as a transverse clamp.
Then I take out a bunch with a Forstner bit, and start routing.
All done. Pretty deep!
Neck, meet your body for the first time!
Still have to trim a bit off the neck tenon to make it sit flush with the body, and to route out the neck pickup cavity.
The Les Paul people like to call this a "long tenon neck"
Like the other 'birds, this one will have the neck mounted to the body at a 2-degree angle. To do this for a set-neck (or a bolt-on) I use a pair of cherry rails cut at a 2-degree incline to run the router on. The sides of the rails serve as the template for the sides of the mortise, so positioning of the rails is critical. I use the neck itself to position the rails, making sure they're equidistant from the centerline of the body at both ends. The scrap piece serves as a transverse clamp.
Then I take out a bunch with a Forstner bit, and start routing.
All done. Pretty deep!
Neck, meet your body for the first time!
Still have to trim a bit off the neck tenon to make it sit flush with the body, and to route out the neck pickup cavity.
The Les Paul people like to call this a "long tenon neck"
- Jul 1, 2005
- 4,291
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- Disclosures
- CataldoBasses: Designer/Builder ThunderBuckerPickups:Consultant
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,007
- 1
- 31,705
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I've used those same rails for a couple of other builds. It could just be a trick of the eye, since the tenon is still too thick to allow the neck to settle all the way into the body. I'll take some more measurements and do some more comparison tonight if I get a chance.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,007
- 1
- 31,705
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Got some more time with this one the last few days. Worked on the neck carving, which is always a rewarding process. This neck blank was unusually thick, so I had to do some fairly aggressive rough shaping with a 40 grit belt on the belt sander. Refined that with the fearsome Shinto Saw Rasp, then smoothed it out with 120 grit on the palm sander. Did my favorite asymmetrical profile, a bit thinner front-to-back than previous builds, more to my liking.
Also finished all of the shaping and routing on the body. Contoured the upper half of the body the same as the previous Birds, 'cause that works really well for me!
Decided on the control layout too - I'm using a slightly strange custom John East preamp that I picked up here in the Classifieds - I think it's a version of his Stingray preamp. It has separate bass and treble knobs, and a volume knob. It originally had a blend knob, but I don't care for blend knobs, so I'm using a rotary switch instead. That's four knobs, and not the usual three that 'birds have. I'm going to mount them all in a row, in the traditional manner for 'birds.
Tried a different method for routing the control cavity cover. Since the knobs will be in a line, I'm using a straight and narrow cover. I used a 2" Forstner bit to cleanly do the curved ends, then followed up with a straightedge guide for the router.
Drilled out most of the interior, and finished up with the router freehand to depth:
Routed for a double battery box too, and drilled the control holes and the jack hole.
Having completed all of that, I am once again at the finish-sanding stage of the project. This is the point at which I typically get impatient and excited about nearing completion, which results in me rushing the sanding job, which I always regret when the finish is applied. It's happened every single time so far. So I have in front of me another chance to learn from my prior mistakes, and take the time needed to do a really good sanding job. Patience, grasshopper...
Also finished all of the shaping and routing on the body. Contoured the upper half of the body the same as the previous Birds, 'cause that works really well for me!
Decided on the control layout too - I'm using a slightly strange custom John East preamp that I picked up here in the Classifieds - I think it's a version of his Stingray preamp. It has separate bass and treble knobs, and a volume knob. It originally had a blend knob, but I don't care for blend knobs, so I'm using a rotary switch instead. That's four knobs, and not the usual three that 'birds have. I'm going to mount them all in a row, in the traditional manner for 'birds.
Tried a different method for routing the control cavity cover. Since the knobs will be in a line, I'm using a straight and narrow cover. I used a 2" Forstner bit to cleanly do the curved ends, then followed up with a straightedge guide for the router.
Drilled out most of the interior, and finished up with the router freehand to depth:
Routed for a double battery box too, and drilled the control holes and the jack hole.
Having completed all of that, I am once again at the finish-sanding stage of the project. This is the point at which I typically get impatient and excited about nearing completion, which results in me rushing the sanding job, which I always regret when the finish is applied. It's happened every single time so far. So I have in front of me another chance to learn from my prior mistakes, and take the time needed to do a really good sanding job. Patience, grasshopper...
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,007
- 1
- 31,705
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
From the "can't leave well enough alone" department:
The Novak EB-BS sounds great, but have also always wanted to try a Peavey T40 pickup. Same size, same great chrome goodness. And wow, what a sound! Also added a Duncan SJB-3 Quarter Pounder at the bridge, just cause I always wanted to try one of those too.
Volume push/pull selects between the T40 in humbucker mode, and the north coil of the T40 in parallel with the QP. Have a Mardi Gras ball to play on Saturday - should be fun!
The Novak EB-BS sounds great, but have also always wanted to try a Peavey T40 pickup. Same size, same great chrome goodness. And wow, what a sound! Also added a Duncan SJB-3 Quarter Pounder at the bridge, just cause I always wanted to try one of those too.
Volume push/pull selects between the T40 in humbucker mode, and the north coil of the T40 in parallel with the QP. Have a Mardi Gras ball to play on Saturday - should be fun!
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,007
- 1
- 31,705
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Gig went well (apart from drunk hicks requesting either weepy country stuff or trashy butt-rumpin' stuff). Sancta bovina, the T40 pickup kicks some serious butt! Pairing the T40 in humbucking mode with the Aguilar OBP-1 produces the fattest, growliest tone I think I've ever heard - perfect for heavy rock - so good that our bandleader actually asked me to turn it down a bit. Pulling up on the volume knob to single-coil mode does cut down a bit on the apparent volume, due to the scooped-out nature of the sound - no surprise there. Used that setting on a few of our pop numbers to good effect. Might need to raise the QP closer to the strings a bit.
Thinking about putting the Novak EB-BS into an upcoming fretless....
Pulling up on the volume knob to single-coil mode does cut down a bit on the apparent volume, due to the scooped-out nature of the sound - no surprise there. Used that setting on a few of our pop numbers to good effect. Might need to raise the QP closer to the strings a bit.Thinking about putting the Novak EB-BS into an upcoming fretless....
Hopkins
Commercial User
Gig went well (apart from drunk hicks requesting either weepy country stuff or trashy butt-rumpin' stuff). Sancta bovina, the T40 pickup kicks some serious butt! Pairing the T40 in humbucking mode with the Aguilar OBP-1 produces the fattest, growliest tone I think I've ever heard - perfect for heavy rock - so good that our bandleader actually asked me to turn it down a bit.
Thinking about putting the Novak EB-BS into an upcoming fretless....
As a user of T40 pickups, I cant Imagine any single coil Jazz bass balancing with it. They are just to hot.
BTW, If you need or want a pickup ring for that T40 pickup, I had some laser cut out of plastic, and have quite a few left over. PM me if you need one.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,007
- 1
- 31,705
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Thanks, Hop - actually the push/pull "up" position converts the T40 to "north coil only", as well as turning on the QP. But even so, I still think the QP is being out-shouted by the T40 in SC mode.
I kinda like the ring-less look - going for the EVH stripped-down rock-n-roll vibe!
I kinda like the ring-less look - going for the EVH stripped-down rock-n-roll vibe!
