Author Topic: Thunderbird II project pickup placement  (Read 14121 times)

Alanko

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #15 on: April 27, 2016, 04:43:08 AM »
Sorry about the "laughably disastrous result" on yours! Yes, true that a TB II isn't simply the same beast as a regular T-bird with a deleted bridge pickup. Not really sure why the other pickup being wired in makes as much of a difference as it seems to.

If you are a glutton for self-punishment you could look up threads on various forums about why PJ basses don't sound like P basses when you turn down the J. Something to do with the resistance and cumulative capacitance of the extra gubbins in the circuit, even when you bypass them. It seems to centre around opinion though, rather than any hard facts.

I had it in mind that the pickup on the TB II was marginally closer to the bridge than on a TB IV, but now I'm not sure! I use the pickguard screws for reference, which is also how I figure out that neck pickups have crept towards the neck over time.

dadagoboi

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #16 on: April 27, 2016, 10:04:12 AM »
Quote from: Alanko link=topic=10110.msg171530#msg171530 date=1461757388

I had it in mind that the pickup on the TB II was marginally closer to the bridge than on a TB IV,
[/quote

Nope.  Though the crapsonic sidewinder neck pup was moved slightly south on the BiSextennials.



999

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #17 on: April 23, 2017, 02:44:42 AM »
In case anyone is interested in seeing how this has progressed, it's pretty far along; here's the full details over on Talkbass https://www.talkbass.com/threads/rocket-from-russia-a-very-different-kind-of-t-bird.1281235/#post-19969632
This is obviously a big departure from the traditional Gibson look so won't be everyone's taste, I know. The neck is patterned after my Embassy and the hope is for a T-bird II type of voice. Will have to wait and see on that - but not too much longer.


Dave W

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #18 on: April 23, 2017, 09:47:50 PM »
Wow! Hope it meets your expectations.

999

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #19 on: April 23, 2017, 11:28:30 PM »
Thanks, Dave, I'm pretty confident it will. His work is about the most precise I've seen - and I include Foderas, Alembics, Ritters, etc in that - counter-intuitive given the amount of freehand work he does with saws, files and chisels! Anyway, I should know soon :) I'll post finished pics when done.

Dave W

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #20 on: April 24, 2017, 09:14:47 PM »
Sorry, I should have clarified: I hope it delivers the TB II voice you're seeking. His workmanship looks great.

999

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #21 on: April 24, 2017, 11:24:50 PM »
Thanks, I get it - just my enthusiasm for his work coming through. I think it will get in the ballpark. The stiffness of the single-cut, the carbon fiber, multi-lams and deep set neck should put it somewhere on the scale between a neck through and set neck bird (both of which I love - preaching to the choir on this forum). As it's just running through the volume knob with no other capacitance it should - I hope - have some of that flavor. The bigger risk is we actually did adjust the pickup position; moving it half of its width back (so one coil overlapping the original position) in order to accommodate the 26 fret fingerboard and leave enough of a gap that slap is still possible (though I rarely do that). Can't really know how this will work out until plugging it in...

Highlander

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #22 on: April 25, 2017, 12:38:20 PM »
The random mind of a Silver Surfer...
If research was easy, it wouldn't need doing...
Staring at that event horizon is a dirty job, but someone has to do it; something's going to come back out of it one day...

999

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #23 on: April 25, 2017, 12:58:50 PM »
 :mrgreen:

I pretty much agree. just like to keep options open. And I kind of don't like the pickup butting right up against the fingerboard. Don't really know why.

slinkp

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #24 on: April 25, 2017, 02:47:46 PM »
You could sacrifice that last half-step instead?  ;)   25 frets would still be five more than I usually have ;)
Basses: Gibson lpb-1, Gibson dc jr tribute, Greco thunderbird, Danelectro dc, Ibanez blazer.  Amps: genz benz shuttle 6.0, EA CXL110, EA CXL112, Spark 40.  Guitars: Danelectro 59XT, rebuilt cheap LP copy

999

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #25 on: April 25, 2017, 02:55:52 PM »
Too late now  8)

I know I shouldn't be playing that high anyway (but like that those highest notes on the D and G are octaves to the open E and A)

Dave W

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #26 on: April 25, 2017, 06:08:45 PM »
Mudbucker (or substitute) butted up against the end of the neck is the best defense against slapping and popping.   8)

999

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #27 on: April 25, 2017, 10:35:25 PM »
Prescient, yes ;)

And, more seriously, moving the pickup further forward pushed it into the treble side cutaway/would have required reworking that whole area. Just didn't look as good - and that's what matters, right?  8)
« Last Edit: April 25, 2017, 11:16:03 PM by 999 »

Dave W

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #28 on: April 26, 2017, 11:13:44 AM »
Right. It needs to look how you want it to look.

slinkp

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Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« Reply #29 on: April 27, 2017, 02:58:00 PM »
Yeah. If you're going to design something this far off the (boring) norm, there's no point in settling for other than exactly what YOU want! Go for it!!
Basses: Gibson lpb-1, Gibson dc jr tribute, Greco thunderbird, Danelectro dc, Ibanez blazer.  Amps: genz benz shuttle 6.0, EA CXL110, EA CXL112, Spark 40.  Guitars: Danelectro 59XT, rebuilt cheap LP copy