Poor sweet baby.

[66Atlas]

I just came across this one while looking for other parts, too pricey for me but who knows when another will come up...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Unused-1970-Gibson-Thunderbird-pickup-cover-/222276726860?hash=item33c0b9b04c:g:EGkAAOSwLnBX576b

[TBird1958]

 I remember picking some of those up for way less than that!

[dadagoboi]

I just came across this one while looking for other parts, too pricey for me but who knows when another will come up...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Unused-1970-Gibson-Thunderbird-pickup-cover-/222276726860?hash=item33c0b9b04c:g:EGkAAOSwLnBX576b

Thanks, I saw that this morning.  Not cost effective, the BIN is almost as much as I pay for a pair of ThunderBuckers which is my fallback option.

I remember picking some of those up for way less than that!

I'm sure they've become rarer but even the starting price looks crazy compared to what I paid for the carcass.  I'd rather buy a dead BiCen pup, have Steve unepoxy it  and attempt a resurrection.  Again, considering all options.

[Alanko]

I'm not going to remove the existing wings if I don't have to.  Main reason for that is the P route needs to be filled and no matter how it's done it won't be 'original'.

Glad to see the bass went to a forumite, especially yourself! Maybe a daft thought, but if you could sacrifice one of the wings you could use the recovered material to fill the P route? That way you are, technically, keeping it original albeit in grafted form?

[dadagoboi]

Glad to see the bass went to a forumite, especially yourself! Maybe a daft thought, but if you could sacrifice one of the wings you could use the recovered material to fill the P route? That way you are, technically, keeping it original albeit in grafted form?

That's a possibility. I have at least 25 board feet of Honduras mahogany so getting a match won't be too difficult whatever the situation.  Unfortunately the P route is wider than the raised center section.  Adds to the difficulty of getting a tight fit.

[Basvarken]

I have a Bicentennial pickup for sale at the moment.
And I have a casing as well (I had an Artec stuffed in there)

I'm asking 150 euro for the Bicentennial pickup over at a Dutch auction site.

[FrankieTbird]

I know I have a 3-hole cover in my parts box, but if I remember correctly, it has a small dent in it.  $50.  You're probably better off buying that pickup from Basvarken though.

[dadagoboi]

Thanks for the quick response, guys!

I have a Bicentennial pickup for sale at the moment.
And I have a casing as well (I had an Artec stuffed in there)

I'm asking 150 euro for the Bicentennial pickup over at a Dutch auction site.

That's reasonable, Rob.  But I need a bridge pickup, pretty sure that's a neck because of the plastic cable.  Bridges have braided shield, at least that's the setup on my '77.

I know I have a 3-hole cover in my parts box, but if I remember correctly, it has a small dent in it.  $50.  You're probably better off buying that pickup from Basvarken though.

Depending on the size of the dent that might work.  I'll message you after the bass arrives.

[planetgaffnet]

I do love the use of the Strat jack socket on the side of the body.  Never seen that before.  Genius.

[godofthunder]

    Glad you won it Carlo! The route sucks, I would fill it then do a veneer over the raised center section. Me I would put Thunderbuckers in it, not a fan of the originals.

[dadagoboi]

I do love the use of the Strat jack socket on the side of the body.  Never seen that before.  Genius.

I built that bass in '83 but I can't remember where I saw the Strat jack in the side position.  Fairly sure I stole the idea from somebody.  I've seen it since, best example was my  '91 Hamer Chaparral 12.

    Glad you won it Carlo! The route sucks, I would fill it then do a veneer over the raised center section. Me I would put Thunderbuckers in it, not a fan of the originals.

Thanks! Thinking about it, veneer may be a good option.  If I run it from the middle of each of the original routes, the seam will be completely hidden by the pup ring.  Also thanks to you, Baz, and Tom for convincing me to reconsider my approach

I also prefer the 60s humbucker design compared to the BiCen sidewinder.
 

[Nocturnal]

Not sure where I first saw the Strat jack on the end first but I've seen it on a few body types over the years. Most recent one I remember was a custom Bird built by RS Guitarworks about 10 years ago. The Bird was for sale relatively recently on eBay or Reverb.

[dadagoboi]

Well, it was a really good packing job, two boxes inside a double layer of single face.  Arrived alive.





The execution matches the concept, crude.  Threaded saddle bridge will definitely find a new home.




Frets aren't bad, neck is dead straight and truss rod nut doesn't appear to have been turned, much less abused.  Neck crack is insignificant, didn't even crack the headstock veneer.  There are some serious whacks on the side of the headstock, amazing it isn't broken


It sounds like...a Thunderbird...and it's really light!

it's going to be a while before I get started on the refurb, have a bass to complete.

[OldManC]

It's nice when one meets or even exceeds expectations, even if it does need a total rehab. Can't wait to see you bring it back to life!

[Dave W]

That looks better than I expected.