Most Outposters know about the BaCHbird.
They are a great tribute to the classic design from the sixties.
Originally the BaCHbird was meant as a platform to upgrade to anyone's personal preference.
And some of you did actually put different pickups in, or improved on the potentiometers. Some even refinned it.
Others left it stock as it's a fine bass all by itself.
Outposter (and fellow Dutchman) Peter Boer and myself got together a while ago to check out each other's projects and basses.
Peter has built some great hybrid basses such as the JagBird (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c305/Jazzboer/JagBird/190720102439.jpg), the Lotto (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c305/Jazzboer/Lotto/210420101707.jpg) and the Chi-Sonic Jazz (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c305/Jazzboer/CS%20Bass/260320101565.jpg).
I was blown away by the Chi-Sonics in particular.
And Peter immediately fell in love with the BaCHbird
We came up with a crazy idea. Why don't we make a small series of BaCHbird Deluxe basses?
An upgraded BaCHbird for those who wish a more high-end quality bass, but don't want to take out the soldering iron and toolkit themselves.
The BaCHbird deluxe will feature:
- A handbuilt BaCHbird. Cherry picked by BaCH for us. Only the best will do ;)
- Hanson Chi-Sonic humbuckers. These are the pickus that Läkland uses on some of their basses. Based on the legendary Hägstrom Bi-Sonics
- CTS pots. Top quality pots. In fact it'll get a whole new wiring with braided wire sprague cap etc.
- Gotoh Res-O-Lite Reverse wind machine heads. Same shape as the sixties Kluson 546 tuners on the original Tbirds. But these Gotoh tuners are of a light weight alloy and should help tremendously to eliminate neck dive.
- New pickguard. Slightly modified to fit nicely around the Chi-Sonic pickups.
We're trying to keep the price under a 1000 Euro.
Here's a Photoshop mock-up.
(http://www.superfloor.net/BB%20DL%20CS.jpg)
(http://www.superfloor.net/BB%20DL%20CS%20body.jpg)
What do you think of that?
Just fell off the chair... :o
Just when my GAS was getting under control. I'd probably go for it.
+1 burp
Ugh.... Why you gotta make me wanna spend more money? I don't think I want to part with my white bird, but..... :-\
I'm not in a position to buy right now but if I was, I'd be on that the minute you put it up for sale. Beautiful.
+1 What George said. Looks pretty sweet.
Did you consider Lull pups?
SWEET!!
Have you considered an ebony tug bar/finger rest instead of the "deluxe" logo?
The Lull pups would be killer but they would cost $600 USD per bass.
Well, we did discuss the Lull pickups, but we think that would make the bass too expensive.
And we decided not to place other accessories such as fingerrest, bridge cover and pickup cover. They would also make this bass too expensive.
It is hard enough as it is to keep the price under the 1000 euros.
All upgrades we are going to do are structural improvements. Not just cosmetic. Except maybe for the pickguard. But since we have to make a new one anyway, we guessed we could just as well make it the proper shape ;)
one more request. can we please have the side fret markers on the bigger side for us age challenged folk.....
Beautiful renderings. Any possibility of providing a 'bare bones bass'? No pups or electronics, strings or tuners, basically a finished or unfinished body/neck and bridge with control cavity and cover. That could be a nice alternative for builders and guys who might like an easy first project. The Artec pup routes fit a lot of drop in replacements.
I'm glad I don't like red. This bass looks stunning apart from the color.
i am thinking either white or black. not red
Wow! The "Deluxe" in script at the same angle as the Thunderbird logo is a beautiful touch!
Have you considered using black headstocks on them?
Quote from: jumbodbassman on July 23, 2010, 08:04:28 AM
one more request. can we please have the side fret markers on the bigger side for us age challenged folk.....
LMAO! :mrgreen:
drum roll....
The first BaCHbird Deluxe is here!
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100210/BB-DLX/web.jpg?ver=12879563900001)
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100210/BB-DLX-20side/web.jpg?ver=12879563620001)
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100210/BB-DLX-20body-20side/web.jpg?ver=12879563830001)
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100210/BB-DLX-20back/web.jpg?ver=12879563800001)
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100210/BB-DLX-20head-20back-20side/web.jpg?ver=12879563720001)
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100210/BB-DLX-20body/web.jpg?ver=12879563750001)
Let's see:
Sipo mahogany bass with set neck.
Rosewood fingerboard
Upgrades:
Hanson Chi-Sonic humbuckers
CTS pots
Switchcraft jackinput
Fully rewired clothwire
Orange drop capacitor
Gotoh Res-O-Lite machine heads. Vintage correct model reverse wind Kluson type.
New pickguard with bird logo.
And how does that sound?
Well; here is Peter Boer improvising on the BB-DLX, in my living room over an Orange AD200 with an Ampeg B40 cab.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_DHLjmwCB0
Ooh! Very nice. That looks a lot like the lovely trans crimson on the mahogany bodied 30th Anniversary Stingrays.
Sounds great, too!
Regarding those Res-O-Lites: are they direct replacements for the tuners on the original BaCH NRs (ie, would I have to drill additional holes in the headstock0?
For this prototype we actually kept the original bushings.
The woodscrews have a different pattern as the base plate is different (larger)
Being the cheap SOB that I am I have to ask - how much? ;)
that sounds really sweet. I wish we could AB that bass with a lull pup bass. As of a few months ago Hanson stopped makingthe HB only single coil. Are these the old style pups Pete bought from Hanson?
Quote from: jumbodbassman on October 25, 2010, 08:39:50 AM
As of a few months ago Hanson stopped makingthe HB only single coil. Are these the old style pups Pete bought from Hanson?
Hanson still makes these full size CS Humbuckers, Jim.
As I understood, they only stopped making the smaller CS Hollowbody size in humbuckers, these are only available as Single Coils now.
tried to order some a few months back. Bo says they are redesigning the HB and only the single coils were available.
I ordered a HB set a month ago, no problem. If you want, I can shoot him an email, maybe that would help. ;)
The BaCHbird Deluxe eventually got sold to a nice chap in Scotland.
But now he's selling it on Ebay.
He did a few minor modicifations: removed the BaCH logo. Placed a Gibson trussrod cover. And I guess he had a chrome handrest over the front pickup at some point (little pinholes in the pickguard)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Non-Reverse-Thunderbird-Deluxe-Bass-Cherry-BaCH-Gibson-clone-/260913919388?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3cbfae759c (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Non-Reverse-Thunderbird-Deluxe-Bass-Cherry-BaCH-Gibson-clone-/260913919388?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3cbfae759c)
Did BaCH make many of those?
No. Peter B and I handpicked the best one from a batch of several standard BaCHbirds.
And then we upgraded it. BaCH had nothing to do with it.
The idea was to make a small series of BaCHBird Deluxe.
But we abandoned the idea when there weren't enough people interested in buying one.
He's also had it up for sale on Basschat. Lots of people loving the look of it. I guess it's one of those things where you can see all the cost and work that's gone into it, but it's hard to get over what it was originally.
Quote from: PhilT on December 19, 2011, 04:54:37 PM
He's also had it up for sale on Basschat. Lots of people loving the look of it. I guess it's one of those things where you can see all the cost and work that's gone into it, but it's hard to get over what it was originally.
When you do all that, you do it for yourself. You don't get your investment back. If he doesn't realize that yet, he will in time.