The FireDragon Triplets

[Christine]

They need wings, I don't know whether to wait for the pickups first or not before making them

[GildedSplinter]

I'm no luthier... but it seems to me that, since the pups themselves are housed entirely in the center neck-thru section, that wing making in advance shouldn't be a problem. Other than routing for wires, there's no other involvement between the pickups & the wings, is there?

[slinkp]

Are you gonna get Lulls from somewhere else or find something else?

Back in the day there were basically no vintage-style bird pickups available unless you lucked into a secondhand original or Chandler.
Now we have Lull, Thunderbucker, and those cheap Chinese ones, and maybe more that i'm forgetting? Times have changed!

[GildedSplinter]

Are you gonna get Lulls from somewhere else or find something else?

Back in the day there were basically no vintage-style bird pickups available unless you lucked into a secondhand original or Chandler.
Now we have Lull, Thunderbucker, and those cheap Chinese ones, and maybe more that i'm forgetting? Times have changed!

My list of known Thunderbird pickup manufacturers includes Gibson/Epi, Lull, Lollar, ThunderBucker, Duncan, "China" (for lack of a better or more specific term), EMG, Bartolini, Nordstrand and Mojo Tone has a new one that I'm anxious to hear. This obviously doesn't include any of the custom shop hand-wound options that exist.

[Christine]

Are you gonna get Lulls from somewhere else or find something else?

Back in the day there were basically no vintage-style bird pickups available unless you lucked into a secondhand original or Chandler.
Now we have Lull, Thunderbucker, and those cheap Chinese ones, and maybe more that i'm forgetting? Times have changed!

I'll wait now, trouble with being in the UK is the import duty so getting Lulls from anywhere else is silly money. The only other choice here are Mojo's but I can only order those on the first of the month give or take a day so it's another 2 months before I'm in a position to order from them so I'l just have to put up with shoddy customer service this time. I'm furious, can you tell 

[ComingUpRoses]

I'm new here at LBO, and saw this thread of your builds.
Stunning work!!!

[dadagoboi]

My list of known Thunderbird pickup manufacturers includes Gibson/Epi, Lull, Lollar, ThunderBucker, Duncan, "China" (for lack of a better or more specific term), EMG, Bartolini, Nordstrand and Mojo Tone has a new one that I'm anxious to hear. This obviously doesn't include any of the custom shop hand-wound options that exist.

ThunderBuckers are custom wound to many different spec unlike the others mentioned.  One guy, many pickups.  Now available in a single coil configuration in addition to 63, 66, and S in 4, 5, 8/10/12 string variations.

[Chucky Stiletti]

Today was inlaying, joy!! 

Briefly, bottom of the design stuck onto masking tape, masking tape on top of headstock. Masking tape to masking tape superglue the inlay in place



Scribe around the design with a sharp marker, I used a scalpel but I'm sure there is a better tool for this than that. Pull off the surrounding masking tape to make sure you've scribed everywhere


Wow!  Wow!  Wow!!
Pare off the inlay with a chisel then rout out the design, I forgot to photo this but I used a Dremel, a 1mm bit for the outline and a 3mm bit for the bulk of the waste. I tend with dark woods like this to actually rout half and half through the line leaving something like a 0.5mm gap all around which in reality means some places it's tight and in others there's 1mm gap. Then I mixed epoxy with dust saved from sanding the fretboards and glued them all in with plenty oozing out, messy but in this case it doesn't matter as we are grain filling the lot afterwards and the black on black won't show once it's sprayed.



Sand it all off once dry and see how it looks, there are still some voids that need filling, they have been cleaned out and done but they're being left now for a cople of days, I'm having a day off tomorrow

[Highlander]

Missed your earlier comment re my PC Christine...
He built the beastie to replacate a Fenderbird, but as a through-neck... Thunderbird style build, but as you can see the centre was just 3 pieces, then an additional section on the base, then wings fitted straight and flat... the neck is a mirror of JAE's preferred P neck... top is ebony and big mop inlays... and edges bound to the fret edges up... electrics are still slightly problematic but a '72 Mudbucker with the coils split and wired through a 4 position rotary and a 60's spec gold Lollar... no tone controls on my version with a bypass switch to negate the pots... bridge, tail and switch are original and came gold-plates... had a pair of gold plated custom pups when I got her but long gone... 2+2 vol and tone... originally built in '72 and I've had her since '78, 3rd owner... prob and experiment built for JAE but rejected... cost me 200 squids... 
There is a big thread here re the rebuild but the pics are missing as they were photosprocket...

[Highlander]

Present look... there are some studio pics on my FB page...

[Christine]

Present look... there are some studio pics on my FB page...

Oh yes!! That is pretty, the real thing too I love that finish, really classy look

[Christine]

 I think? the world is out to get me at the moment!! One of those days, well one of those nights, the day in the workshop was good though, got tons done

What you ask? Well this: I carved out the necks, out of interest, anyone ever use a drawknife? Maybe better of sticking with spokeshaves if you haven't but a very useful tool with some practice. I carved one neck ultra thin, 20.5 at the nut and 21.5 at the 12th, hells bells I like it! Trouble is I did it on one of the ebony ones, maybe I'll get lucky and no one will want to buy it 

After that I planed down the stock for the wings and cut them out, I started the contouring too, a little heavier shaping then the original Tbirds, still quite flat but will put a bit of a shallow curve into them tomorrow I think. Oh I cut the control cavity too

Drawknife ??



Tools used







Uncontoured wings



Basic taper

[ComingUpRoses]

I think? the world is out to get me at the moment!! One of those days, well one of those nights, the day in the workshop was good though, got tons done

What you ask? Well this: I carved out the necks, out of interest, anyone ever use a drawknife? Maybe better of sticking with spokeshaves if you haven't but a very useful tool with some practice. I carved one neck ultra thin, 20.5 at the nut and 21.5 at the 12th, hells bells I like it! Trouble is I did it on one of the ebony ones, maybe I'll get lucky and no one will want to buy it 

After that I planed down the stock for the wings and cut them out, I started the contouring too, a little heavier shaping then the original Tbirds, still quite flat but will put a bit of a shallow curve into them tomorrow I think. Oh I cut the control cavity too

Drawknife ??



Tools used







Uncontoured wings



Basic taper

Oh my, stunning!!!

[Engle]

I’m very glad to have found this build thread 

[gearHed289]

Really starting to look like something now. And I just realized - those are 19 fret fingerboards?!?