Epiphone Blackbird reclamation project on the 'Bay

[Blackbird]

All,

There 's an Epi Blackbird on the bay, that had it's headstock snapped off, and being sold as parts.  As many know, I've been searching for a BB pickguard for some time....IF I win this auction, would anyone be interested in buying the body for a F****bird???

Right now, with the CDN Exchange. it'll be about 200...so not very cost-effective for a piece of plastic.  That' all I'd want, maybe the Optigrab too if that wasn't desired....b/c I think I would actually use it! I'll ask them to ship without the neck too...since I'm not the project type..

Also a question for UWE:  Does the Epi BB pickguard line up with the one on a Gibby Bird?

LMK!

Thanks

Scott

[uwe]

It fits and even looks better because the insignia is under the plastic as opposed to crudely applied on the plastic of the original.

If you do get it, why not keep the body and a new neck for it? Someday something cheap will crop up (doesn't Mark still have a neck of an Epi TB from his Fenderbird project?). I think getting the Epi back in shape will make a useful comparison to your Gibbie Blackbird, it does have a sound of its own, rougher and bassier, not as clean and lean as the Gibson one, more like a Grabber with additional ooomph.

Uwe

[Blackbird]

It fits and even looks better because the insignia is under the plastic as opposed to crudely applied on the plastic of the original.

If you do get it, why not keep the body and a new neck for it? Someday something cheap will crop up (doesn't Mark still have a neck of an Epi TB from his Fenderbird project?). I think getting the Epi back in shape will make a useful comparison to your Gibbie Blackbird, it does have a sound of its own, rougher and bassier, not as clean and lean as the Gibson one, more like a Grabber with additional ooomph.

Uwe

Uwe......thank you for checking on the 'guard for me.....I have certainly consiedered keeping the body....I'm NOT a very handy chap though when it comes to projects involving wood and measuring!!!  I would ask him to ship without the neck...would a regular Epi-bird neck, or perhaps one from a Jazz bass fit right in?

[uwe]

Not sure about a Jazz Bass neck, but a regular Epi Bird neck certainly would. The Blackbird neck slims down more towards the headstock while the reg one remains wider, but both are exactly 5 1/2 inches wide at the neck pocket. Sensibly, Epi did not reinvent the wheel with the Blackbird, but only made a few changes (slimmer neck, pups closer to neck) to accomodate Herr Sixx' personal preferences.

[Dave W]

Not sure about a Jazz Bass neck, but a regular Epi Bird neck certainly would. The Blackbird neck slims down more towards the headstock while the reg one remains wider, but both are exactly 5 1/2 inches wide at the neck pocket. Sensibly, Epi did not reinvent the wheel with the Blackbird, but only made a few changes (slimmer neck, pups closer to neck) to accomodate Herr Sixx' personal preferences.

I hope you mean 2 1/2" wide at the neck pocket. That's the same as a J or P width at the end of the pocket although the length and depth may not be the same.

[uwe]

Ooooops - caught being metric again!!!! 

[Blackbird]

.................so with 15 minutes to go before auction closes and I bid, I decide to take the pickguard off my T-bird....and my last minute SPIDEY-SENSE LIKE TINGLING was right:  It's routed under there for the neck pickup!  I thought it was solid!  Glad I didn't bid on that!!!

That said, I'll just go for the whole Epi now

[uwe]

Who routed it and what kind of Rev pickguard could cover that up?

EDIT: Oh, now I get it, you mean the route for the leads going there. Good point, all TBirds have that I think (not sure about sixties and Bicentennials), with the Blackbird the notable exception. No doubt, the additional wood will greatly affect the sound!

[Blackbird]

ya.....kind of funny though......here I am looking for one of these p-guardsfor 2 years, and I'm 15 minutes away from buying this smashed Epi bird for one, and it turns out I couldn't have even used it!  Special Thanks to spidey-senses!!

So now I may be onto this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/gibson-explorer-76-reissue_W0QQitemZ140282456960QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item140282456960&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

[uwe]

That, young man, is a guitar!!!