Fenderbird!

[Lightyear]

Great job Carlo!

[dadagoboi]

Denis' has the 70s sidewinder pickups, so that might account for some of the sound differences too.  I forget the specs but one pickup is like half the impedance of the other, and one has a non-braided cable (grey plastic insulation or something) to help differentiate it.  They were wired in a series arrangement in the original circuit.

Really nice work!  What a cool bass    And that trick with threading the screws in, making indentations, etc.. is one of those moments - I've needed to do something like that before and never thought to try that.  Great tip!  (literally  )

I cranked up the height on the pups and the sound improved greatly.  The neck pup has the grey pvc. The bridge pup seems quite a bit weaker so it all begins to make sense.  The series winding is weird!

Thanks, I'd considered the screw tip thing before but this was the first time I tried it.  They're bridge screws so they go in fairly easily but stay in place.  And they are really sharp so it's very easy to get location points.  I'm sure it won't be the last time I use them.

[exiledarchangel]

Those kind of pictures makes me all wet! Nice job and even nicer tricks there!

[Denis]

Damn, Carlo, that's awesome! The trick with the screws was a great idea! And thanks so much for the repair job. Looks great and I can't wait to get it back!

Somewhere on here I read that the Bicentennial pups were different than the '60s so Chromium's info is good to keep in mind when I'm playing it. I wonder if changing that wiring to/from the detuned one will make a difference? Thoughts?

I suspected from the beginning the neck pup may be damaged because the cover is dented so I'm glad to know it's sounding like it should even if it has less output.

Once again, the repair job is terrific. If you need anything I can do from up here, Carlo, let me know!

[dadagoboi]

Glad you like it Denis, the screw thing just popped into my head though I probably saw it somewhere and forgot about it.  I knew the RI pups are different.  I loved my white '77, that's why I was so surprised at the sound of yours before I raised the pups.  It sounds good now, needs some strings.  I don't know about changing the wiring, I keep thinking they must have had a reason.  I'm sure someone can shed some light.  Thanks for the offer of help, you have already and I appreciate it!

[chromium]

Not sure how yours is wired Denis, but my 76 was rewired at some point with the pickups in parallel like a 60s or modern bird.  I haven't messed with it at all, as I LOVE its sound.  Then again, when I hear clips of Mark's and Chris' 70s birds sounding killer (pickups in series) I sometime think about reverting it back to original!

Here's a shot I saved of a 70s pickup's innards - I think it was "slinkp" that shared this photo:



You can see the sidewinder config - sorta like a mudbucker,  but not as overwound...

[gearHed289]

Nice work! I dig it. Functional.....

[Denis]

Here it is, home, with the new pg and sans thumbrest. 
By the way, the case it's sitting in is the Epi case my Japanese T-bird was shipped in. It's different than the cases for the Korean Ep- T-bird cases. It's much deeper, for one thing.

[godofthunder]

 Looks nice !  Wish I bought it. I take it the screw pattern lined up ?

[dadagoboi]

Nice guard, Scott!  Hey Denis is the pull tab on the case compartment embossed TKL?

[Denis]

Looks nice !  Wish I bought it. I take it the screw pattern lined up ?

The center top one under the neck pup was a hair off (and I mean a little) but I was able to enlarge the hole slightly. The rest were perfect! Thanks again!

Now, to work on that Bi logo.

Hey Denis is the pull tab on the case compartment embossed TKL?

Just looked and it sure is!

[chromium]

Now, to work on that Bi logo.

What approach are you going to take to apply that to the guard?  etching/backfill?  transfer?

That's a mean lookin' bass- love it!   

[Hornisse]

That turned out great Denis!  Nice work Carlo!

[Denis]

What approach are you going to take to apply that to the guard?  etching/backfill?  transfer?

That's a mean lookin' bass- love it!   

Thanks! Scott gave me some pg scraps to test various methods.
Among the possibilities are:
Laser etch
Decal on clear
Pad printing
Rub off transfer
I thought it might be worth trying some sort of manual etching but that would leave a rough bottom. Filling it with some sort of paint or colored epoxy would cover that up though.

[dadagoboi]

Possibly a stick on transfer and engraving thru it, remove the transfer and fill the lines with paint, latex or oil base maybe.