The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: uwe on July 29, 2010, 01:09:20 PM

Title: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on July 29, 2010, 01:09:20 PM
http://cgi.ebay.com/72-Gibson-Firebird-BASS-BODY-original-pups-bridge-pots-/310237525322?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item483b98f54a


(http://i.ebayimg.com/02/!BzF10M!CGk~$(KGrHqZ,!hQEw5JDJhVtBMUc304uI!~~_35.JPG)


For the ultimate Fenderbird ... get a Fender neck and you'll have a real Fenderbird, not just a copy of it. Let the games begin!!!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Highlander on July 29, 2010, 01:29:55 PM
Uwe... why don't you... do you have a Fenderbird...? this would be closer to Gibson than a Peter Cook...?
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on July 29, 2010, 01:33:05 PM
I haff zis, it is quite enough, ze Red Baron:


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v615/uwehornung/redfunall.jpg)
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Bionic-Joe on July 29, 2010, 01:43:27 PM
NICE...Could buy a Warmoth 8 string neck...Could be cool....I still need Orvilles..... I was going to hit the buy it now....But I need Orvilles......
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on July 29, 2010, 01:49:00 PM
Your wish is our command, Baz:

(http://www.siminoff.net/Media/Orville-with-guitar.JPEG)

(http://www.siminoff.net/Media/Orville_costume.JPG)

(http://www.siminoff.net/Media/Gibson_muse_band.JPG)

(http://bellsouthpwp.net/r/d/rdevelli/images/Brown_U_Club.gif)

(http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/gibsona/worksh.jpg)
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: eb2 on July 29, 2010, 01:52:52 PM
I like that original 1972 bridge.  I remember seeing all those 3 point bridges hanging on the wall on those nifty new reverse Thunderbirds back in 1972.  What memories.  I of course opted for the 1973 Victory bass with moog designed electronics, but things were different back then.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Highlander on July 29, 2010, 01:55:46 PM
Quote from: uwe on July 29, 2010, 01:33:05 PM
I haff zis, it is quite enough, ze Red Baron:

Nice...
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: chromium on July 29, 2010, 02:08:38 PM
Quote from: eb2 on July 29, 2010, 01:52:52 PM
I like that original 1972 bridge.  I remember seeing all those 3 point bridges hanging on the wall on those nifty new reverse Thunderbirds back in 1972.  What memories.  I of course opted for the 1973 Victory bass with moog designed electronics, but things were different back then.

My 74 RD has the early Moog electronics too, although they temporarily gravitated away from the 3-point.  Its much easier to set the action as a result:

(http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k125/0chromium0/forums/synth/minimoog/5-done-front.jpg)


It sounds killer, mainly due to the two-dozen Orville pickups hidden inside.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Highlander on July 29, 2010, 02:10:43 PM
Behave...!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on July 29, 2010, 02:12:38 PM
Quote from: eb2 on July 29, 2010, 01:52:52 PM
I like that original 1972 bridge.  I remember seeing all those 3 point bridges hanging on the wall on those nifty new reverse Thunderbirds back in 1972.  What memories.  I of course opted for the 1973 Victory bass with moog designed electronics, but things were different back then.

Jim, that Tsunami of sarcasm ...  :o
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: chromium on July 29, 2010, 02:23:49 PM
Gone now.  Did anyone here get it?

Not a bad deal- the pickups alone could probably fetch that price.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on July 29, 2010, 02:27:55 PM
I knew that wouldn't last long  :mrgreen: - ze culprit here step forth!!!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Bionic-Joe on July 29, 2010, 02:52:27 PM
If I was a drinkin' man...(Boy sometimes i wish i was!!!) I'd buy it!!! But I need 2 Orvilles. Thanks UWE!!!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Denis on July 29, 2010, 04:12:00 PM
I sure hope I won't regret that...  ;D
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Hornisse on July 29, 2010, 04:14:12 PM
You got it Denis?  If so that is cool!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Basvarken on July 29, 2010, 04:20:20 PM
1972?

Did they make Thunderbirds in that year?

Looks more like the body of a bicentennial to me, with that three point bridge and those three screw pickups...
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Denis on July 29, 2010, 04:21:06 PM
Quote from: Hörnisse on July 29, 2010, 04:14:12 PM
You got it Denis?  If so that is cool!

Yep, 'twas I!

Now, I wonder if a Jazz neck will fit in that neck pocket... I suppose also I'll need a proper Bicentennial pg sometime.

Earlier this year, I saw a pair of those pups go for nearly $700.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Pilgrim on July 29, 2010, 04:22:58 PM
J and P necks have the same heel, so either one should fit.

That's a pretty clean project...I like the finish that's on it!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Denis on July 29, 2010, 04:25:39 PM
Quote from: Pilgrim on July 29, 2010, 04:22:58 PM
J and P necks have the same heel, so either one should fit.

That's a pretty clean project...I like the finish that's on it!

I'm thinking a nice J neck with the block inlays would look nice on this. Yes, it's pretty clean, that is certain! I think the natural, nonburst T-birds are gorgeous!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: chromium on July 29, 2010, 04:32:15 PM
Congrats Dennis!  That's gonna be a sweet bass.

I've seen a couple of NOS 76-79 guards pass by on Ebay.  Keep your eyes out there- ya never know.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Denis on July 29, 2010, 04:35:18 PM
Thanks! I'll definitely look for one of those pgs! Thinking about it, is there any way to tell if this is a '76 or one of the later BIs, if both the original pg AND the headstock are MIA?
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Hornisse on July 29, 2010, 04:50:03 PM
Probably by the dates on the pots.  I was really tempted by that body too.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Bionic-Joe on July 29, 2010, 04:56:35 PM
Now you can sell me those Orville pickups from your Epiphone!!!!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Aussie Mark on July 29, 2010, 05:38:31 PM
Lucky bastard, I would have gladly hit that BIN if I'd seen this thread in time.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: eb2 on July 30, 2010, 02:30:31 AM
Congratulations on a fun project.  Now you should hold out for an original 1972 pickguard. 
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Denis on July 30, 2010, 03:59:19 AM
Quote from: eb2 on July 30, 2010, 02:30:31 AM
Congratulations on a fun project.  Now you should hold out for an original 1972 pickguard. 

Did the Firebird bass and Thunderbird bass use identical pickguards that year or did they change them in '73?  ;D
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on July 30, 2010, 04:53:05 AM
Congrats, in good hands it is! Given the christening this poor body received, you should call the endproduct Firebender or something!

I KNEW  this would end up here.


(http://www.outofbox.in/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/457-vultures-kill.jpg)

Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Denis on August 03, 2010, 03:58:28 PM
Showed up today! He found the cover for the back covering the pots, which are numbered 70-035 1377615.
The bridge saddles each have a number cast into the bottom; 1, 2, 3 and 4.

I can believe the neck was broken on it and it's evident that it was treated rather roughly in it's life. There's a piece taken out of the rear upper horn but the edges are smooth, so it happened a very long time ago.

The routing for the Fender neck appears to have been very nicely done and there are marks on the back indicating that a neck with the backing plate was at one time bolted to the body.

The wood is gorgeous though!

When I figure out my new digital camera I'll post pics.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Highlander on August 03, 2010, 04:36:36 PM
 :popcorn:
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Freuds_Cat on August 03, 2010, 07:06:53 PM
Congrats Denis  :)
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: OldManC on August 03, 2010, 07:10:55 PM
Very cool addition to any collection here. I'm glad you got it, Denis!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Denis on August 04, 2010, 05:36:46 AM
Thanks, man!

If I have it right, the pots were made in the 15th week of 1976.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on August 04, 2010, 06:20:14 AM
You could always stick an Epi TBird neck on it and not have to live with that fugly Fender headstock ...  :-X :-X :-X
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: TBird1958 on August 04, 2010, 09:43:13 AM
Quote from: uwe on August 04, 2010, 06:20:14 AM
You could always stick an Epi TBird neck on it and not have to live with that fugly Fender headstock ...  :-X :-X :-X


He needs neck, not a log!  ;D
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on August 04, 2010, 10:07:49 AM
How you disappoint, Mark. From you of all people I would have expected some more heartfelt/handheld appreciation of the positive sensation one gets when wrapping one's fingers around a sizeable trunk. Instead, you seem to prefer bony stuff.  :-\
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: TBird1958 on August 04, 2010, 11:04:55 AM
Quote from: uwe on August 04, 2010, 10:07:49 AM
How you disappoint, Mark. From you of all people I would have expected some more heartfelt/handheld appreciation of the positive sensation one gets when wrapping one's fingers around a sizeable trunk. Instead, you seem to prefer bony stuff.  :-\


Let me assure you Herr Moderator.................... SIZE MATTERS  ;D


Re: Necks I really tried to like Epi's, twice - playing the money frets really just felt odd, I just can't make it work. A jazz neck is ok, no Pee for me.   



Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: gweimer on August 04, 2010, 11:33:03 AM
Bad timing for me all around, not to mention, I was away for a couple days.  Boy, a Novax fanfret neck would have been perfect on that.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on August 04, 2010, 11:47:08 AM
Which would make it a Fanderbird.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on August 04, 2010, 11:48:58 AM
"no Pee for me"

How relieving. Or not.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: TBird1958 on August 04, 2010, 12:10:46 PM
Quote from: uwe on August 04, 2010, 11:48:58 AM
"no Pee for me"

How relieving. Or not.


I'm lazy.................I sit.  ;)
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on August 04, 2010, 12:34:10 PM
It doesn't get any more transgenderish than that! Once you sit, ze floodgates haff really opened, Himmel!  :o :o :o

Like the mighty eagle, we were made to soar from afar.

Make that mighty sprayed eagle.  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: TBird1958 on August 04, 2010, 12:50:54 PM


As always I'm humbled by your consumate ability to turn a phrase Herr Moderator!


  ;D
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Barklessdog on August 04, 2010, 12:52:01 PM
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/Fenderbird/misc/baby.jpg)

This could grace Mark's back yard.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Dr. Aquafresh on August 04, 2010, 01:12:08 PM
Hell, that would look good in my yard!

Oh yeah, I can't wait to see what happens with that T-Bird body.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: exiledarchangel on August 04, 2010, 01:49:30 PM
I must be the last man on earth that really love those Epi necks.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on August 04, 2010, 04:36:08 PM
Emphasis is on last MAN. The Greek is never weak.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Freuds_Cat on August 04, 2010, 07:11:38 PM
I think what Uwe is saying is that its really about how good (or not) the head is.  8)
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Nocturnal on August 04, 2010, 10:40:16 PM
I like the neck on my Epi Goth. It's a little wider than I like but it feels thinner from front to back. I don't have big hands but the neck is easier to play than my Lakland Glaub PBass was.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on August 05, 2010, 01:02:29 AM
Out of sheer habit I prefer fat and narrow - the way the new Rics were before they slimmed them down (a mistake I think). But slim and wide necks do the job too, they just feel less rock and guitarish  and more "bass clinic lesson" to me.
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Hornisse on August 09, 2010, 05:40:33 PM
Well Denis, you have to get this '72 Thunderbird case for your bass body.  Everyone knows that the best year for Gibson Thunderbird basses was 1972! 8)

http://cgi.ebay.com/1972-Gibson-Thunderbird-BASS-CASE-rare-Lauper-tour-/310240270773?pt=Guitar
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Denis on August 09, 2010, 05:59:14 PM
Hahaha, I saw that and got a good laugh out of it too!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: uwe on August 09, 2010, 11:08:35 PM
And since those 72 cases offered next to no protection, Denis' body is now looking for a neck to mate with!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Denis on August 10, 2010, 07:39:01 AM
Quote from: uwe on August 09, 2010, 11:08:35 PM
And since those 72 cases offered next to no protection, Denis' body is now looking for a neck to mate with!

Hahaha, that sounds like a cheesy sci-fi horror film plot!
Title: Re: What have I done ... people will be stampeding here to get this ...
Post by: Denis on August 23, 2010, 04:50:47 PM
Quote from: uwe on August 09, 2010, 11:08:35 PM
And since those 72 cases offered next to no protection, Denis' body is now looking for a neck to mate with!

Neck currently mating with body (see Projects and Mods thread). I have questions though.