Ultralite Clovers on a T-Bird

uwe · March 13, 2009, 05:45:22 AM

That's such a lovely TBird with the black hardware ... (walks off stage, shaking head in despair ...).

Dave W · March 13, 2009, 08:54:45 AM

Quote from: uwe on March 13, 2009, 05:45:22 AM
That's such a lovely TBird with the black hardware ... (walks off stage, shaking head in despair ...).

It is beautiful with the stock hardware.

And I do understand your sentiments. You're a stickler for keeping everything stock. You would never, say, refin a nice Gibson cherry bass in orange blueburst and add a couple of pickups.

uwe · March 13, 2009, 09:00:58 AM

A nice cherry bass blown apart by a gunshot that is!

Dave W · March 13, 2009, 09:06:24 AM

Blown apart? (With apologies to the Black Knight) 'Twas but a scratch.

bassvirtuoso · March 13, 2009, 09:34:09 AM

Quote from: uwe on March 13, 2009, 05:45:22 AM
That's such a lovely TBird with the black hardware ... (walks off stage, shaking head in despair ...).

Uwe, I knew I would offend you, but I've become so fetish-ized to chrome because of your beautiful 60's and 70's birds. I blame you, Uwe. Remember when I used to be a young, naive man asking you for help on my college paper about the disease that is guitar collecting? Then again, maybe the old saying is true:

Once you go black, you never go back.

bassvirtuoso · March 13, 2009, 09:39:07 AM

Quote from: bobyoung on March 13, 2009, 12:30:28 AM
By Chrome goodies, do you mean like as in pickups and tuners? I'd love to put those on my 07 Sunburst. Where can you get them, are they like the originals? Do you have to mod the bass? Nice bass BTW. I also love the white ones with black hardware.

Yep: pickups, tuners, straplocks, and bridge. So far the tuners will be Hipshot Ultralights, they make a 3/8ths size that is supposed to fit for a GB-7 Y-tuner, and they are clovers. The bridge will be the Hipshot Supertone Gibson replacement bridge. The pickups can be done a few ways, either with Tony's covers and SD's 60's repro innards, or with Mike Lull's true 60's reproductions.

As far as modding, it looks like there might be a few small holes drilled for the tuners, but nothing for the bridge. I'm not sure yet if anything needs to be done about replacement pickups, but I doubt it.

uwe · March 13, 2009, 10:10:05 AM

Quote from: Dave W on March 13, 2009, 09:06:24 AM
Blown apart? (With apologies to the Black Knight) 'Twas but a scratch.

A scratch you could look through and insert your pinky to have it wiggle out at the other side if you so desired.

TBird1958 · March 13, 2009, 10:22:46 AM

Just my .02 but I think it would look better with a chrome 3 point ( Gibson not Allparts) than a Supertone...........
FWIW tho I actually did own a '01 Bird just like yours, the wood grain was very nice and the black hardware didn't look bad...........I just know chrome is better

If I remember correctly tho I sold mine to raise some money to buy one of George's '76's, which are my fave year 'Birds.

bassvirtuoso · March 13, 2009, 10:33:14 AM

Well I need to get the 'bird in my hands first. I can always return/keep the chrome goodies if I actually like the black...

bassvirtuoso · March 19, 2009, 12:54:44 PM

It's here!

I have to let the case warm up to room temperature before I'll open it, so pictures soon to follow.

bassvirtuoso · March 19, 2009, 02:59:53 PM

The teaser:

The curves:

TBird1958 · March 19, 2009, 03:03:48 PM

Nice wood on that one!

ramone57 · March 19, 2009, 03:46:14 PM

stunning! I love natural birds!

bassvirtuoso · March 19, 2009, 04:30:33 PM

I still need to work on my use of natural light in my photographs. Here are the other photos I took:

http://s293.photobucket.com/albums/mm76/bassvirtuoso/Basses/Still%20Around/2000%20Gibson%20Thunderbird/

I do enjoy the black hardware Uwe, but I think I'm going to go ahead with the Supertone bridge for now. I'm still debating the chrome tuning keys that I bought for it. I know this one is a keeper, it's everything I had dreamed of, really light too! I'm just a little nervous to have to drill the holes in the headstock.

uwe · March 20, 2009, 06:01:53 AM

Irrespective of the chrome vs. black hardware schism running through this forum, I think black hardware on a natural wood colored bass is the more elegant visual statement. And a TBird is an elegant instrument.

Supertone vs three-point? The supertone sounds ever so slightly better or maybe just different, but if you have issues with the three point and the thought of adjusting it fills you with dread (I've never found a three point I could not adjust to my liking, but then I have a lot of practice with it, I do remember how my first approach to a three point was rather angst-filled), then there is nothing wrong with sticking on the supertone, it looks good on a TBird.