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16
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« on: April 24, 2017, 11:24:50 PM »
Thanks, I get it - just my enthusiasm for his work coming through. I think it will get in the ballpark. The stiffness of the single-cut, the carbon fiber, multi-lams and deep set neck should put it somewhere on the scale between a neck through and set neck bird (both of which I love - preaching to the choir on this forum). As it's just running through the volume knob with no other capacitance it should - I hope - have some of that flavor. The bigger risk is we actually did adjust the pickup position; moving it half of its width back (so one coil overlapping the original position) in order to accommodate the 26 fret fingerboard and leave enough of a gap that slap is still possible (though I rarely do that). Can't really know how this will work out until plugging it in...

17
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« on: April 23, 2017, 11:28:30 PM »
Thanks, Dave, I'm pretty confident it will. His work is about the most precise I've seen - and I include Foderas, Alembics, Ritters, etc in that - counter-intuitive given the amount of freehand work he does with saws, files and chisels! Anyway, I should know soon :) I'll post finished pics when done.

18
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« on: April 23, 2017, 02:44:42 AM »
In case anyone is interested in seeing how this has progressed, it's pretty far along; here's the full details over on Talkbass https://www.talkbass.com/threads/rocket-from-russia-a-very-different-kind-of-t-bird.1281235/#post-19969632
This is obviously a big departure from the traditional Gibson look so won't be everyone's taste, I know. The neck is patterned after my Embassy and the hope is for a T-bird II type of voice. Will have to wait and see on that - but not too much longer.


19
Gibson Basses / Re: Cardinal red '66 Thunderbird II
« on: July 21, 2016, 04:43:37 AM »
Beautiful - and killer price! Congrats!

20
Gibson Basses / Re: Music videos that feature Thunderbirds
« on: July 10, 2016, 03:27:48 AM »
Ok, not exactly a Thunderbird but a '60s Epiphone Embassy Deluxe - don't see too many of them:


21
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« on: April 26, 2016, 04:08:44 PM »
Quote from: Aussie Mark on April 26, 2016, 04:02:08 PM
+1

That's exactly where I'd put the pickup, given how perfect the single pup Grecos sound.

Thanks. Now you've both got me curious, is the placement different than on the 60s birds? Could I get the measurement from the center of the 12th fret (wire) to the neck side edge of the pickup?

Thank you!

22
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« on: April 26, 2016, 11:19:28 AM »
Makes complete sense with both pickups on. Seems odd (to me, at least) that there would be any influence with the volume of the bridge pup on a IV rolled off. One would think it would be effectively the same as a TB II... Though I may just be remembering the difference as being greater than it is or there are other variables as well.

23
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« on: April 26, 2016, 10:53:43 AM »
Sorry about the "laughably disastrous result" on yours! Yes, true that a TB II isn't simply the same beast as a regular T-bird with a deleted bridge pickup. Not really sure why the other pickup being wired in makes as much of a difference as it seems to.

I think I'm going to go with the proven measurement of 3 1/4" from the base of the neck to the front edge of the pickup as on vates' thread.

24
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« on: April 25, 2016, 06:15:14 AM »
Excellent. Thanks. Sorry for the repetition - I missed that.

25
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« on: April 23, 2016, 11:00:47 AM »
Appreciated! I actually have the measurements for a '64. Just toying with whether or not I should do something different or not as it wont look the same anyway.

26
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« on: April 23, 2016, 10:37:13 AM »
Crossposts...

Yes, measuring one I know I like the sound of makes a lot of sense. The builder I'm working with was encouraging the Musicman placement and that just seemed too far back to me - but he''ll do whatever is specified. I'd hate to lose too much of the characteristic tbird oompf  ;)

27
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Re: Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« on: April 23, 2016, 10:31:00 AM »
That is a great practical - rather than simply theoretical - test platform.

Yes, I should have been more specific. This would be using a repro 1960s pickup - either a Thunderbucker I have or possibly one of the recent Chinese repros.

There is some subjectivity to the word "optimum", it's true. If the desire is to approximate the sound of a '60s bird, then the optimum is clearly the same position as original. I meant, any perceived advantage to deviating from this from those who might have tried (?)
My personal optimum is close to an original '60s TB II but with perhaps a touch more definition (thinking more about live use) but without taking on the overt characteristic of a soloed bridge pickup. I'll probably just play it safe and put it in the usual spot.

I've read through some of the Talkbass threads and pup placement is clearly a well tread topic; unsurprisingly, people have strong and usually contradictory opinions.

28
Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs / Thunderbird II project pickup placement
« on: April 23, 2016, 03:47:23 AM »
I'm setting up a project bass using a single Tbird pup. A different body design and with a set neck - not a straight reproduction. My first inclination is to place the pickup in the usual 'neck' position as I know how that sounds and what to expect. However, I'm considering moving it back some - not as far back as the normal bridge position or a musicman but maybe splitting the distance. Of course, these pups have a pretty wide aperture so I imagine this can be less precise than with a single coil. Any thoughts on optimum pup placement?

29
Gibson Basses / Re: NR II on eBay
« on: March 21, 2016, 02:13:54 PM »
Quote
This bass is like Cher. The husk is there but I'd be surprised if much else is original.

Touché.

Though I almost wonder if even that much is original. I pity the person who pays $5K+ and then learns the details after the fact.

30
Gibson Basses / Re: NR II on eBay
« on: March 20, 2016, 10:07:27 AM »
Yep. You can see traces of the break (not too bad as they go). Serial number is gone and those are certainly lnot original tuning machines.

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